Life, The Universe, And Everything In Between

Published by Rupa, this collection of short ("super shorts", according to Mr Bond) stories is a breezy read, partly due to the format itself, but mainly because the twist-in-the-tale genre was handled better by authors of old. From the occult to the criminal, motives that arose from individual character exploration were a fairly common hallmark of English fiction writers. Ambrose Bierce, whose stories have been placed by Ruskin at the beginning of the anthology, had a sharp wit by all accounts. I have had his Devil's Dictionary  on iBooks since day one, and still find myself flicking through it while traveling. It certainly rips apart the contemporary political and religious landscape, with his trademark satire and acerbic wordplay. One of Douglas Adams' books, Liff , was constructed/compiled along somewhat similar lines, but to equally, if not more, uproarious effect. Ruskin (he is a charming, gentle, all-smiles man, so I like to refer to him by first name - when...

In short: I like the show. Great production values and impeccable performances. The convoluted plotlines may put off some viewers, as might the graphic content, but it builds up to a larger-than-the-characters scenario. Adamant viewers' patience is rewarded with unexpected (or, in the case of Anthony Hopkins' character of Dr. Ford, expected) outcomes and plot twists. The concept has been taken further than Michael Crichton's original treatment, which starred Yul Brenner. Additionally, the later episodes are pacier, with out-of-the-blue murders (of real people, not hosts) and hidden intentions plus actions. These serve well to increase the anticipation going into the season finale, and high expectations from the upcoming season. The trailer at Comic Con in July 2017 was well-received, although trailers are not the most accurate yardstick for the quality of TV shows. Drawbacks: meanders sometimes. That's about it.

Writing is going well. It is giving me peace of mind with only a few minor hiccups. This restful phase is certainly letting my body recover from the extensive stress - not damage - that it had gotten used to. Now, on to the Delhi Book Fair to stock up some new books!

Perhaps the intrinsic inability of any person to “see” neither the light entering the eyes of another, nor the sounds heard, odors smelt, skin crawls felt and palates tickled, is the reason we cannot ever empathize truly. Whilst this observation may not fall into the 'epiphany' category, I fail to see a reason NOT to put it in here on my blog, considering this is How I Wrote The Book I Never Wrote. Expounding upon the fragments and snatches of self-conversations that continuously go on in my mind is fruitful, to the end that I make better sense of the world than before. When I re-read things I am working on, the endless urge to edit, re-write and alter comes to the fore, and I give in to it. Well, 32 is as good an age as any to get rejected for getting published, so this August, 2017, I shall print out the hundred-odd pages of single-spaced text spanning my under-construction works, and do the proverbial rounds. As I keep telling myself (and immediately ignoring), I’ve got to ...

Off to Kathmandu to attend Sappy's wedding, and 2017 couldn't be off to a better start. Even if Twitter closes down this year, I will have tweeted enough to compile a repository of epiphanies (and reactions to others). TBH, the self-imposed constraints on my tweets can be irksome sometimes. This is part of the reason behind this post. This company has tided me over 6 months, and I am richer by 50k (already), so it's been a great half-year, especially after the momentous first half of 2016. On second thought, the momentous SECOND QUARTER (April, May, June) of 2016 were EXCELLENT. From July onward, the year flashed by in an extended session of information-devouring through the WORLD WIDE WEB - slightly different from the Internet in that my surfing was highly eclectic. Tomorrow, if the intervening #6hourisms go well, I will take a break from this slowly-getting-monotonous office and chill out a bit. Au revoir.

Anthony Burgess came up with nadsat by speaking imaginarily, methinks. Oh, TIL that Rudyard Kipling used methinks as a word in a science fictional advertisement for a Standard Dig [Dirigible] Construction Co., in his Aerial Board of Control bulletin. Since this thought was longer than a tweet and I don't yet trust the prevalent threading fashion (pun intended), I thought I'll creak open the blog's attic door. That's all for now, or as Looney Tunes ends, That's All, Folks!

Something Must Be Done “I heard mention of this BBC report on training schools being run in PoK, include that as well, no?” QD looked up from the file he was frowningly reading through and nodded to the gentleman seated to his left – my right – at the table. The man made a note on his pad, the page more than half-full already. QD went back to perusing the file, and I to ruminating. After a minute or so, the note-taker spun his chair about to face his computer, and started typing. QD continued turning the pages, making small annotations here and there. I sat and thought. It took another ten-fifteen minutes for him to finish. At the sound of the heavy flap of the manila folder closing, the note-taker spun his seat around to face the still open pad, and picked up his pen. “We’re good to go, almost.” “Almost?” “Yes, almost. Apart from the few usual typos, the file” – he tapped lightly on the one he’d been reading – “is perfect. Now the typos I can handle, the rest is up to you. Shall ...