The Non-Facebook Post #128

'Kisne dastak di yeh dil par,
Kaun hai?
Aap toh andar hain,
Bahar kaun hai?' - Rahat Indori

The Non-Facebook Post #127

So, gym junkies are prone to over-sharing personal info right after a workout with just about anyone using just about any medium. It's because of all those endorphins and a highly aroused state of being. Hey Endorphins, you were supposed to be on the side of those seeking you out through physical activity!

Here's another thought for the pensieve - you park in a shaded spot only to return an hour later and find your joyous attempts at keeping the vehicle cool come to naught. The shade's moved. It's a life analogy, I'm sure. Now, if I can only just figure out the meaning.

Oh, wait, one more thought to siphon off into that thought bowl. Dancers count one, two, three, rock, five, six, double change. Computer scientists insist that counting begins at zero. That's too many ways of counting for the pea-brain!

The Non-Facebook Post #126

Relatively 'early' morning thoughts:

I need breakfast, I'm hungry.
I want books, I want to read.

And oh, the last of the 'crush diaries' (you know, so I have memories to chuckle over in the glorious sunset years):

That warm, fuzzy, happy feeling that leaves you with a grin to match from ear-to-ear when you discover that your crush likes some of the same stuff as you do!

'...tenu takdi ravaan...' (there always has to be some Bollywood thrown in!)

The Non-Facebook Post #125

So, by now, you're all too familiar with the straight-line route from point A to point B in this new city you recently settled down in. You confidently begin your drive back to point A, with the GPS navigator plugged in as a (safety!) backup.

Oh look, here's a road the GPS beckons you take. You know that the one you're currently on will get you to your destination in a few minutes. But hey, it's a lovely Fall afternoon and you decide to be adventurous. You place your trust in the GPS even though it has played tricksy, deceptive Gollum to you on several occasions.

Lo and behold! The right turn is now taking you on a road through woods - dark and deep. This is not where you want to be. Darn it, GPS!
Some distance later you find a spot to turn around. At this point your GPS turns into Sirens to your Ulysses, luring you, "turn right on ....place, turn right on ...road, turn right on ...street." But, you're Ulysses, of course! You steel yourself, ignore the shrill beckoning and drive on. Now, you come up on unfamiliar sights when you thought you were retracing the path out of the woods. Ok, now you might be getting deeper in the middle of nowhere. Fine, come hither Sirens, lead me out. You turn back to the GPS and slowly but surely make your way back to A. All you wanted was to get to A to be able to get to your bed for a siesta. But now, you have a writing emergency. Goodbye, Siesta!

The Non-Facebook Post #124

Musings on a lazy Sunday afternoon warmed by a mild Fall sun and laced with whiffs of fragrant patchouli.

Who knew that patchouli is so close in smell to betel leaf - paan - that was one of Dad's favourite 'snacks' (for lack of a better word). Lazy Sun, chirping birds, traffic drone and patchouli - all putting me in a mood of days past. Days of similar sunny afternoons in Dad's hometown chewing family-made 'saada pan' after a family meal, days of glorious Hyderabadi shaadis when a royal dinner was capped off by clamour to lay hands on the much-desired 'digestif'. Days, that through the lens of time, seem happy, care-free and what life should be.

But that's why too the grass always seems greener elsewhere. There was a random quote somewhere that said the grass is green where you water it.

And so, let's water!

The Non-Facebook Post #123

Aaj phir likhne ki tamanna hai.

Of late, writing is turning out to be a special occasion in my life. An event to be celebrated.

That tapestry of sunset hues can put you in a mood of wonderful reflection.

Sometimes, it serves you best to just stare at the gorgeous colours, letting them lead your thoughts where they will. 

Sometimes, when you can longer make sense of what you want out of life or where you want it to head, it's relieving to sigh and let out, "I don't know"... "I don't know what I want. I don't know what will make me happy. I just don't know." Abandon the planning and the strategy-making and the constant forward-sprinting - actually, a headless chicken run describes it best. Just stand still. Take it in. And be.

And hope that the answers come to you.

In the meanwhile, write. Write to drown out the noise and the numerous distractions, symptoms of the impatient mind and the restless heart.

Breathe, write.

The Non-Facebook Post #122

'Yun to akela bhi askar gir ke sambhal sakta hun main,
Tum jo pakad lo haath mera, duniya badal sakta hun main...'

'Tera nazaara milaa, roshan sitaara mila,
Taqdeer ki kashtiyon ko kinaara mila...'