42 Quirks

I am convinced that all Hindu weddings are a massive exercise in classical Pavlovian conditioning.

Any utterance of the words “Shubh,” “Mangal,” and “Saavdhaan” in any order will automatically cause the akshataa in your hand to be flung in the general direction of the stage/podium where the ceremony is happening.

Sirs and Madams of the world,  we’ve been royally trolled.

O_o

Why do all good ideas come to you the moment your head hits the pillow?

» Read the rest of this entry «

At least 80 percent of chats in the world would end flawlessly, if we all chose to accept a “:-)” as the counterpart of “Hello?!”

So, who’s with me?

(Image found here. Copyright Unknown)

“Did you know that our staple food is also our currency?” Andy said as he took a big bite of his Big Mac.
» Read the rest of this entry «

Have you guys heard of NaNoWriMo?

It is an annual, month-long, writing frenzy where writers from all parts of the world come together in a month long race to write 50000 words in 30 days. Any and every writer who crosses the magic figure – 50000 – is declared a winner.

Why am I telling you this? Well, it’s because…

I WON! HELL YEAH! :D

This morning at 6:45 AM I crossed the 50000-word milestone when I finished writing the pre-climax of my novel. It’s titled “Dream 101” and, as far as I know, it is still a long way from finished. I am just happy that I have a zero-draft in my hands!

In fact, that is what NaNoWriMo is all about – getting your zero-draft.

I have come to believe that ideas are fickle creatures who flit from one person to another seeking to form a symbiotic relation with us. They thrive on our creative juices and must be treated with the kind of respect you would accord a charming woman. Neglect them and they will leave you to fend for yourselves, no offence meant.

The problem with ideas is that we may have plenty of them but we rarely put them on paper. Either we are lazy, busy, stressed, or unsure – it’s always something or the other. We procrastinate and procrastinate until we can’t anymore. Suddenly, before we know it, someone else comes up with an something that vaguely reminds us of our idea.

NaNoWriMo is all about putting those ideas on paper and staking your claim on them. It is about letting the world know that you are going to do something with that idea that has been buzzing inside your head.

I did and I am super kicked about it!

(Image: The Lonely Dustbin by Rajiv Ashrafi on Flickr.)

How many times have you had an idea that you were sure would shake the very foundation of an existing belief? And the, suddenly, something comes along that prompts you to say, “F**K! That was MY idea!”

Well, finders keepers, they say.

When I saw Chris Nolan‘s Inception, I cursed myself for being lazy enough to NOT post “Window” (part one, two & three) earlier. I’d chalked up the story, plotted the basics but never actually got around to writing it. And that’s how I lost the plot – literally & figuratively.

And that prompted me to work on another idea I’ve had for a while – the d.ustb.in.

What is the d.ustb.in? It’s an online short-fiction magazine where your short-stories will be featured for the world to read. However, unlike other magazines, we don’t ask for exclusive publishing rights. We want your story to be read by people far & wide – that means you can submit it to the others, come back & submit it to us, too! :)

The downside? We don’t charge, hence, we don’t pay. :(

The d.ustb.in is intended to be a platform for short-story lovers everywhere. The initial plan is to feature an anthology of short-fiction every week. Soon enough, we intend to publish it as a fortnightly or monthly magazine, featuring an anthology of submitted stories. Heck, we even hope to be able to pay our authors someday, soon! :)

Go ahead, submit your story, spread the word – feed the d.ustb.in! :)

The first meeting is always special – and she knew the drill by now.

First, look for a sucker. Identifying them wasn’t such a huge deal. All she had to do was look for the ones with the glazed eyes, a foolish smile & a lost expression on their faces. Okay, so the foolish smile was a red herring – I was just checking if you were paying attention.

Second, position self. If the sucker had been already primed, the position was automatically decided – somewhere in the area swept by the corner of the eye, but well away from the blind spot. Obviously, if you want to get noticed, what’s the use of settling in the blind spot, eh?

Third, call-out, but do NOT make it too obvious. A sly glimpse, a sneak peek, a quick glance – barely visible but enough to get noticed. Making your presence felt was what was important. Once this step was complete, the rest of it was a cakewalk, all downhill, easy as pie – you get the drift…

Sometimes, there would be a fourth step, too – nudge. More often than not, this step came into play only if the sucker was engrossed in something else, or had too many things on their mind, or – as it had happened in some in some extreme cases – had A.D.D.

Only the patient ones stayed back for step four. Tonight, she did not count herself among the patient ones.
» Read the rest of this entry «