the idiot talks.

it's worryingly easy to forget literature and company, sit by the television and gather fuzz in your belly everytime you watch a make-believe kiss take on the quality of something real.

today

sometimes a single string of words beaded together in a corner of the earth i might not see in my lifetime makes me lose sleep. for the next few days, my doodles will inevitably show semblance to that little line.

towards the end of the sea, john banville is questioning life and his relationship with his wife anna and i'm engaged and agreeing with it all when suddenly i read this:

'who was to know me, if not anna? who was to know anna, if not i?'

it killed me. made me feel like i was named anna only so i could have extra goosebumps when i read that.

write a blog, appease a friend.

my friend isha reacted pretty violently when she found out i had a blog. to let her know that everything still revolves around her, i'm doing a list of reasons why that won't change.

* 9 out of 10 times she will get exactly what i'm saying, no matter how obscure the reference. this is a rare friend thing. it's like we were given the same books to read while we were growing up. of course, this usually means the sound of two people (she and i) laughing and the rest judging. loudly.

* she studied math in college. respect. last night i had a dream that i was in school again and math was no longer an optional subject for arts students. i woke up with a headache.

* for her hommade pina colada making skills and the ability to create delicious dip out of anything that might be in her fridge.

* bizarre, fun words form themselves when we talk to each other.

* she can make whatever she wears look awesome. a gift very few people are given. i swear, this girl can work a sack.

* sometimes when she's annoyed with her curls she'll pile them all on top of her head in a little bun. i call it her buddha bun. it is the darlingest thing.

* she understands why charlie the unicorn is hilarious.

* we usually crave the same thing at the same time which is both wonderful and convenient.

* most of my best memories of bombay are memories of her.

i wooed this girl into being my friend (long story) and there's no way i'm letting a little bit of cyberspace get in our way.

you know i love you, cat. now can i keep the blog?

it's pleasant here.

every few days i make friends with a song. in those few days the song empties itself into me, so my sweat smells of it, the space between my fingers and toes are filled with the tune, the words bubble up on my tongue and the chorus knots itself in my hair. and when i've taken all i possibly could out of the song, i look for another song to befriend.

but every now and then, when the song i was once friends with is on tv, my palms are wet with fondness all over again.

eirik and erlend, i've missed you.

image source

friday and saturday

i usually keep my awesome food finds secret because the more people that know about them, the less i feel like they're made only for me.

but if you live in bombay, this you must know about. theobroma makes chocolate chip cookies that are much more memorable than their brownies. i can easily count the first time i ate one of their cookies as one of those food experiences that will never leave me.

the chips are semi solid so when you bite into it, it pulls like mozzarella. so beautiful. eat with a side of cold milk and you're done for. you're never going to stop buying them. you'll make trips to bandra or colaba just to buy them.

it always takes me back to that scene in stranger than fiction where maggie gyllenhaal makes will ferrell eat one of her freshly baked cookies. when he takes that first bite, you just know he's going to remember that cookie forever.

for now, i'm putting out my cookie craving with some chicken and leek soup that i made from a sachet that called it 'a great big hug in a mug'. i can't think of a cuter way to sell soup.

currently tripping on chain reaction by cloud cult.

image source

thursday

late afternoon french films make me happy. it's quiet that time of day, the light's just right and if i'm lucky there's a great breeze coming through my window.

plus i get to travel vicariously through the best parts of france with some gorgeous music plugged into my ears and a post lunch snack. ♥

i just watched julian schnabel's the diving bell and the butterfly.

what a beautiful film. i wanted to take screen grabs of every frame and paste them all over my wall.

the soundtrack's still playing in my head. i hard a hard time picking one, but here's ultra orange & emmanuelle singing 'don't kiss me goodbye'

just like jean dominique bauby in the film, i wish you lots of butterflies.

image source

wednesday

memory card situation definitely needs expert intervention. i've tried everything. looked at it with concern, petted it, wiped it with a clean cloth and talked to it for at least ten minutes but the damn thing just wouldn't be cajoled.

so my solitary finished project this week remains undocumented. for now.

i discovered a great new band today. they're called margot and the nuclear so so's. with an anti-name like that, you've already got my attention.

song of the day : 'open your eyes'

this is the cover of their album the dust of retreat. isn't it lovely? album covers make me miss buying tapes and CDs. itunes album art just doesn't generate the same excitement.

image source, image source

tuesday

right now, i'm about 49 pages down, travelling happily alongside peter's vespa. we just hit a vineyard. yum.

my monday enthusiasm, i am pleased to report, has spilt over to tuesday.

i moved to a new house recently and moving house means wardrobe rethink. i usually give the clothes i don't want anymore (read: the ones i've worn to death, the ones i decided i didn't like when i brought them home, the ones with stains/tears/missing buttons) away, but yesterday, i decided recycling could be a fun option.

enthusiasm intact, i used an old tee to make something for my bare wall. i dutifully took before and after pictures but my memory card's being a little bitch right now so pictures tomorrow.

song for the day: wilco's 'you and i'

image source

monday

today i am full of plans.

this week i will do something productive and document said productive act(s) on this blog so i can feel like my life is worthwhile.

i want to start (and finish) reading vroom with a view; the love story of a man, his vespa and their travels through italy. i'm a sucker for clever book titles, funny back cover blurbs and nice cover design. this one scored on all three counts.

i have big hopes for this book. some books and movies you decide will change your life even before you read or watch them. i have put similar pressure on peter moore, author of the book.

even if it doesn't change my life it might spur the need to watch la dolce vita, which is part of the film watching world's collective memory because pretty much everyone's seen it. i haven't. like following the world cup this year made me want to watch goal, that football movie i avoided like an ex because football never did anything for me. cricket's the only game i can really watch. i lapped up lagaan and iqbal when i saw them years ago because a good game and a good story can fill up 2 hours of your time quite nicely.

this year, i finally got football. just like contestants on american idol or something, i started following these footballers journeys and before long, i was enjoying the game.

the book might even make me want to save some money and finally take that clichéd euro trip everyone aspires to. i know i do. of course, watching travel and living for 6 minutes has the same effect.

but i'm not going to let any of those thoughts get in the way of me and 269 pages. i am hopeful today. because today is a monday. everything is new. everything can be set right on a monday.

image source