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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Gone

My dad knew that the
money was in the
downtown
At one of the buildings
he just ducked into it
It wasnt a door or a
window
Not a welcome hole

(Dream)

On dream and writing

Doing your thing

There are books about how people make it big.
1. Skip College. They are just one in a billion. And so are billionnaires.
2. Street smarts(Jim Rogers), Playing to win, Digital Disruptors.

I was thinking on these lines of a person who thinks about making the currency. What about a character who does the opposite. One who investigates all the ways of taking money out of others. Like a tax collector. I am thinking of Pale King.


Monday, March 4, 2013

Glad to wake up

It was raining.
I'm in the town I grew up.
I wanted to tell some people
who I was
To see if they could recognize me
I hadnt changed, still a child

A miscreant next to us
My husband snatched his phone
and another device and dropped
it into a well.
We dropped him too.
some fellows were helping us
One of them turned against us

I am on the run and hiding
in a hospital
in the rooms of doctors
a helpful acquaintance

alas, I have to leave
I reach the edge of a building
contemplating falling
and then I glide down

All around the building trained women
are looking for me

Then little dogs catch my scent
I enter into a farm house
and they fall into the dung



PS: Essay staiger odyssey. For times when you itch to write a long essay.

In the dictionary

are the answers.
Metastasize has now entered the non medical lexicon.
Greeks knew the word centuries ago
But only after the English knew cancer

While questions take time to form.
Jeopardy.


Sunday, March 3, 2013

Which tree?

No leaves on trees
Tiny black pellets 
seeds of a tree 
nature has its way of 
getting into into your living room 
without knocking the door

Spirituality

A friend recently said that she fast for 6 months of which the first 4 months stint is called Chaturmasya. She said it helped with her spirituality. In NAMTA Journal Vol 27, Number 3 of Summer 2002 titled Montessori Spiritual: God, Evolution and the Natural world, I saw the definition of Spirituality by Csikszentmihayli - "when a person invests energy in trying to connect and go beyond the self, that is what we usually call spiritual". (Recognise the 'flow' guy)

AmritaBindu Upanishad. When/how does desire start? 

Things you can take for granted





A while ago, my roommate recommended this book. The book sat on the shelf for some years now. Into it, I related to the author's confusion of age during his college years. 
When the old dying asks the author to breathe and count to show his decreasing abilities, I was reminded of Randy Pausch demonstrating his fitness before his imminent death.

Another writer with ALS

When you punish someone, what/who are you punishing - the soul? Where is the permanent world?

Related books:






,

Gap between God and man

When we hear of a controversy like misrepresentation of accepted idols or the Tum Hi Bandhu song from cocktail movie where some of the line shave been appropriated from sacred lines. Hindu gods and goddess have to fight not just evil and demon but their mischaracterization in art. Our thought and idea bin is formed from the roots of our culture. That common language will be used to express the modern/current life. If you say your love is as sacred as god, we have to accept the change that has happened to 'god' in your mind through time.
There is the eternal god that we accept that we still dont know much about and our own understanding of god that is coming of our daily experiences of love and society. These two may meet.

Is our life stage wrt understanding the eternal, like the childhood of man - where we dont know or understand all things yet.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Beauty of mess






Havent we read enough of Americans travelling to Asia? But still, we read on expecting a different arc. In Unquiet Americans essay she notes that her husband is physically transformed. What a traveler is open to? Let the place change him.

other country's cash referred to as monopoly cash in the above essay.
reverse pioneering in 'Joan Didion'.
Shell game - A similar game can be seen in Telugu movies from earlier decades.
Joan Didion article is continued in the book. 



Family tales

Today Tempe library had a workshop .
Following from their site:
How to get started writing about family members, events, and places
Family History Series


Duane Roen will discuss the family experiences that offer rich material for writing and will share strategies for beginning the process, including an easy hands-on activity that will get participants writing about a memorable family member, place, or event (so please bring paper and pen or laptop). Participants will respond in writing to a series of questions designed to generate concrete details about family stories. After recording these details, participants will be invited to share their writing with the group. In turn, the group will be encouraged to offer constructive feedback that will help writers develop their writing further. This is the first in a series of three writing workshops focusing on journaling and personal and family history. Each workshop has a different focus. You may participate in one, two, or all three. There is no charge for this program.
Duane Roen is Professor of English at Arizona State University, where he serves as Assistant Vice Provost for University Academic Success, as well as Head of Interdisciplinary and Liberal Studies in the School of Letters and Sciences. He also coordinates the Project for Writing and Recording Family History (http://sls.asu.edu/humanities/familyhistory/). Throughout his professional life, Duane has taught students how to write more effectively—how to tailor their messages for specific audiences and for specific purposes. He has published nine books, and he has authored more than 250 articles, chapters, and conference presentations. 


I was in tears. Well I was in tears in a birthing class too. It was an interesting format of writing down and then sharing your work with the rest. I saw how family stories are similar in some ways - displacement and different in other - sometimes you are leaving your best friend off and sometimes you are the one left behind.
Writing down, I realised that my first memory has me and my sister. Some curried favour with repetition. I realised why my grandma was my favourite person, may be because I was with her during KG.



Old norms

RSVP. While this beast has a variation 'regrets only'. Why not be more accomodating and say 'accepts only' need to reply. Why cant the norm get modern and take it easy on those who havent learnt the power of saying 'no'.
Besides if it all started in the King's time - Wasnt there enough food? And did the subjects ever refuse?


Missing the big picture




With all the colorful birds and butterflies around, I didnt realise that the bunny in 'I am bunny' is actually enjoying all the seasons. Like this picture where a same motif is presented in different formats. Hint: Food/pig. 

Things to do before buying a home




You would read The Wall Street Journal: Complete Homeowners Guidebook by David Crook, if you didnt want to buy a house. Reminds me of a quandary I had about who to talk to single or married about not marrying. 
Lack of support aside, it is good to wash the veils off your eyes on some generally accepted things floating around new home buyers talk - deductions on the interest, Imputed rent, is buy or rent the right question.
What is Amortization? Thats a good place to start if you are thinking of buying a home.
I didnt know that Fairway was a golf related term. I have once been to apartments by that name close to a golf course.
Cachet

Friday, March 1, 2013

Best American poetry 2012

Long poem.
While reading 'wax' by Paisley Rekdal , I was curious about how such long poems are written. inspiration and time - 8 months went into that poem. To pull off a poem with such simple title.

The Gods - A theater experience

As a new mom
I went with my infant
to a reading by Michael Ondaatje


My daughter dropped a toy giraffee
A fellow reader pointed it to me


While I was waiting
the assistant offered to stow
away the stroller
"Theres no room inside"

While the gallery was filling up
I excused ourselves when
she started crying
"Theres a directors room"
No one will hear her cry.
You can still attend the reading

In the Directors room.
Dark and lonely.
Quiet.
I couldnt get the volume up.
Does the director only see?

We reached home one sock less