Chapter 6: A Short Detour

I forgot to mention that I brought the food tray down, to use as a table, to write. This was one of those thoughts that slipped past me, as new came tumbling through. It has revisited me now and I can write about it. I am a little worried that while I do that, there will be more ideas that will disappear before I can catch them. I am going to have to let them pass. What I do not know won't hurt me. Right? 

I had the book on my lap and my sheets on the book. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her pull down the food tray from the seat in front of her and use that as a table. I kicked myself gently for not thinking of that earlier. Heck, I have too many things going on in my head to come up with ideas of my own. Anyway, I could not pull the tray down right then, lest she find out that I have been watching her. To save my pride, I forced myself to keep writing on my lap. 

I can not take it any longer. Down comes my tray. Wow. This is comfortable! Except, I should have taken out another fresh sheet of paper from my bag before I did this. I am pretty sure that I would have thought of using the tray as a table and getting all my sheets in order, if I was not so busy multi-tasking. I am observing her, trying to find out more about her, writing about her, looking out the window and watching the scenery change, writing about that, trying to ignore the pain developing in my fingers and moving up to my elbows. Being a writer is not easy, no matter what you are writing. Enough with fighting with myself. Moving on. 

I am thinking the words aloud in my mind and that is slowing me down too. I tried writing faster once or twice but my fingers fly about, making marks on paper which I am quite confident I will not be able to read later. I need to write legibly or this whole exercise will have been in vain. The nagging thought in my head is whether she has noticed that I am writing and whether she is on to the fact that she is the protagonist in this hour of my life. She probably has noticed and surely has no idea about her involvement. Imagine if I had one of my clumsy moments and one of my sheets landed in her lap! She would casually glance at what I am writing and, if I am unlucky enough, make out a sentence or two that I have written about her. That would be embarrassing and hilarious? I feel like laughing out aloud but I can't. 

Gosh, it is amazing how different it is to write than to type. The handwriting, the speed, the fingers hurting because I grip too hard, the pencil lead running out, etc. Not to mention, no smiley faces!

It is still blazing hot outside. It will be 9:30PM when I arrive in Melbourne. They are an hour ahead of Brisbane. The T20 match will be over. I wonder if we won this one at least. I am almost loathe to check. I know I will. I can't resist. I am not expecting us to win this one, given the way we have been playing recently but it will be welcome. Like an oasis in a desert. 

What is with all the desert references today? 

I may not have written in a while but I find that I remember most of the rules my teachers taught me in school. This is a pleasant surprise. The tab before a new para, the double arrowhead for 2 words inserts, that my teachers discouraged in essays but said I could use in casual letters to my friends. I took advantage of that alright. Letters I wrote to my friends, during school holidays, would be filled with arrows and asterisks. Every inch of the "inland letter" would be crammed. I had eventually moved on to writing in paper and stuffing them into envelopes, so I had more space for my news. The inland letters were reserved for short code messages. I always have so much to say. My thoughts would fly quickly, old ones pushing the new ones out of my mind and I had to write fast enough to be able to catch them all as they made their way past the window of my mind's eye. That is exactly the same thing happening to me now!

I keep forgetting that I am writing with a pencil and I can erase. Another of my habits my teachers absolutely hated and I could not stop myself from doing, was 'scratching and rewriting'. I am doing that now, even though I could just as easily erase and write over. I do not think I am going to bother much with that, anyway. It is easier to scratch and move on, at this speed. I am not being marked for this essay. It does not matter whether I score out words or I overwrite them.

Wander & Wonder

What do you like to do when you are in a new place? Are you there as a traveller or a tourist? A tourist is there for pleasure and just that. The experience is what life has inevitably thrown at the tourist. A traveller, on the other hand, is there first for the experience - the reason for arrival may be any, even not self-induced. A tourist fits into the realm of a definition of a traveller but not the other way round.

Having heard one too many times about quiet holidays and stinky crowds, I was quite surprised to meet a vacationer who loved to see cities - the bigger the better. It cleared a mental block, the myth that everyone on holiday is running from city life. He insisted that cities did not necessarily mean crowds. He visited places during the off-season, thereby avoiding the swarm. 

As I trawl through scores of travelogues, I notice the subtle differences in preferences. From a broad view of classifying travellers as tourists and travellers, then further as those who like to do touristy things or not or a bit of both, now I find that the list can be endless. The choices available to a traveller are far too many and permutations of those selections belie any earlier belief that one travelogue can cater to all. 

Why did you make the trip? How did you make the trip? What kind of places do you like to stay at? What do you like to see and do? Who do you like to go with? Do you like it planned or spur-of-the-moment? Long or short duration? How do you like to commute once there? How do you plan your budget? 

Give it a shot, try answering those questions. You will realize that for each question you answered, there are a subset of questions that follow. As those are answered, there are further subsets. You tick off multiple answers, for the sake of flexibility, and find yourself presented with a subset for the areas shaded with multiple colours (picture Venn Diagrams). What's more? That was not even the exhaustive list of questions, merely the ones off the top of my head.

As this realization struck, another questions jumped out at me. How do travel-writers write those guides that get so popular, without being too generic? Turns out that rule #1 of travel writing is finding different angles. Apparently, you should be able to find atleast 20 that are unique and worthy. Then you pick your best few angles and write a few pieces. Some sell, some don't. And you thought travel writing was easy? All you had to do was vomit your trip details on a page and clap the dust off your palms? There is an eye-opener.

All this is just what I have gleamed in 10 months and 4 countries of travelling. A little voice in my head says to me that there will be a lot more clearing mental blocks and sponging off dark spots before I am able to absorb enough to give some back. Disheartening but challenging. As the Aussies say, I will "see how I go".

Scribble Me Crazy

Some years ago, I developed a technique at work, where I could just write down things I needed to work effectively, so that I could clear the clutter off my head. Not only did I not have to worry about remembering things but I could work effortlessly on my bad days because it was all out there, I did not need to rack my brain. I've worked efficiently using that technique for a long time.

Like most workaholics who don't have a life outside of work, I slowly introduced my 'effective work techniques' into my personal life. Unintentionally, of course. Rather unfortunately, this was one of them. Soon, I developed a compulsive need to write down things. Not because I did not want to remember but I felt the urge to write anything I thought was worth remembering. Journals, "pen-friends", blogs, tweets, my choices were endless... I could go anywhere and put down stuff, depending on how much privacy I wanted with the information. Gradually, my mind refused to assimilate matter. It just spit out stuff, like a gum that has lost all it's juiciness after chewing for a while.

Not before long, urge turned into obsession into addiction. I had to write. I met these wonderful people today and listened to some fabulous stories. Now, my hand itches to write those stories, about those stories, about the people. I'm tempted to write about my new experiences. It's not a bad thing, is it? Except that if I sat down to write, I would fill hours and pages without stopping for a week or two. 

When did that happen? What would I do if I were left in a place with wonderful things around me but no laptop, no mobile, no paper or pen? I don't know.

As I hold myself back from spending endless hours online, struggling to get over my urges, I battle with my mind. It spews out memories as if they had an expiry date, I refuse to let it. So far, I've mostly failed but the war rages on. Let's see who will win this one...

The Good Vibes

When I came home this evening, the husband made me a nice hot cuppa with a dash of chocolate. It's great to have an occasional day like that. If I rewind, I find that today is a day of niceties. 

A friend changed his travel plans, just so he could meet me in 3 weeks. When I later apologized for I could not make it, he was real nice about it. And called me to say it might still work out. Thank God for great friends!

RH, backing up our team leader who is on a holiday, brought in a large boxful of doughnuts from Krispy Kreme, "I am your team lead for 3 days, I wanted to do something for you guys". Was already on my nicest-people-I-have-met list, made it to the thoughtful-people list. 

I finally finished the program I've been battling with and managed to complete all my compliance courses. Bravo!

So, inspite of the fact that I paid $10 for a 15 minute national phone call, my allowance has not come through yet, I had an embarrassment marathon and I'm upset with my closest friend, I survived. I suppose this is what they mean when they say it is good to be surrounded by positive energy, it just pushes you through the worst of times.

On a parting note, here is my contribution to some humour in your day. It is not the first time I have heard someone say that google search has taught them more than any school education but this blog on google's societal education is ridiculously hilarious! 

The Weblog

The weblog a.k.a blog concept has been around for a while. It has not taken off like the social networking sites viz Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut, etc but has held it's own against all of them. From real writers like Paulo Coelho & Chetan Bhagat, celebrities like Gul Panag to aspiring writers, lesser known or unknown/wannabes, there are bloggers everywhere, thanks to the abundance of blogger space available.

A blog I read this morning suggested that one must participate in various networking sites, as part of being up-to-date with technology, to improve one's career prospects. I found the thought fascinating because I've met many people who, even though they are on these websites, condemn the existence of these and proudly declare that they are "not so much into it", as if that increases their status in the community. One of the reviewers of my resume once told me that blogging (listed under 'interests') might be looked at in poor light. I guess I am better off without my prospective employer knowing what my crazy life looked like (ability to fix sewing machine treadle belts, my love for chocolates, the books I read or restaurants I frequent or movies I like). 

My blog site is over a year old now but I have learnt more about the blogging culture in the last couple of months than ever. Blogger meet-ups, following blogs, blogger etiquettes, guest bloggers, use of pictures, size of blogs, are concepts I have grasped through reading a number of random bloggers and encouraging readers to visit my blog. 

Today, I learnt the idea behind adding links to words in a blog-post. I used to think those links were added automatically by some of the blog sites but later warmed up to the fact that they were added by the bloggers themselves. I only understood why, when one of the bloggers I was reading this morning explained. If you are merely a reader or a novice blogger like me and do not already know, I'll let you find out for yourself. 

I've also found that there are different categories to a blog. Technical blogs, advertisement blogs (the kind companies use to promote their products or update their consumers), information blogs, help-yourself blogs (something like the self-help books), review blogs (book/restaurant/product etc reviews), random blogs (this is where I belong) and so on. Of course, the blogs are not really called such. These are nomenclature I have attached to the categories.

Random blogs are generally rants of the blogger. From serving as an outlet for thoughts to being a platform to harness one's creativity or love for writing to acting as a forum to voice one's opinions, these blogs cover all aspects of life. There is variety in such blogs as also a risk of it being boring log of the life of an unknown face.  I am a random blogger. It adds no value to my resume but it sure helps me clear my mind of clutter.

498 words

Message from CreeKay

One can never emphasise enough, the importance of the subject-line in an email. If you ever attended a session on how to write better emails or improve your communications, this is one of the first things you are taught. The subject of the email helps the receiver decide the priority of the email and whether he wants to read it at all.

It is something like a resume. A resume cannot promise you the job but it will decide whether you will get that interview which can get you the job. If you fail there, you do not even get to make the journey further down that road.

I do not like too many highlighted emails in my mailbox, so I click on the the 'Unread Mail' tab regularly to see if I can quickly read and get rid of the mark-up on as many emails as I can. Almost every time, it is the subject-line that helps me decide the priority of the email. Emails that come with the 'newsletter' or 'general announcement' kind of subject-lines are usually left to be read later. The subject-line does not even register in my head as something to go on priority. They don't bother me even with a mark-up.

I rode in to work this morning and in the light of my recent accident, I decided to ride slow, which meant I got to work later than I wished to. It was one of those days where you have enough work to keep you busy and there are numerous emails flying in to your Inbox. I have a preview pane on the right hand side of my Outlook window so when I find something that I want to glance through quickly before I brush it aside, I just have to click on the email. While I was sorting emails that I wanted to read and those I wanted to put off, I hit one of those bad subject emails.

I was reading another email on status of an upcoming installation and a new email popped in that irked me greatly. Firstly, it distracted me from the email I was reading (the email was boring, I was trying to finish it quickly). When I glanced over to see what email it was, the subject said 'INFO: Message from CreeKay' and the sender was CreeKay (name changed). If I have an email from CreeKay, I know it's a "message from CreeKay". Aaarrrrggghhh! The pop-up feature that Microsoft Outlook provides came to my rescue, to an extent, in that it showed me the first line of the email. It was an announcement of a change in some team structure (or so it seemed). A little later, I clicked on the email to view the preview and decide if it was something that would affect me. The heading of the contents of the says 'Message from CreeKay'. This is really heights! Bad bad email! Coming from someone really high up in the management ladder, it left me with a bad taste. Agreed, it was his secretary who sent the email, but is she not supposed to be good at this stuff? Is this not an integral part of her job? When she sends an email from CreeKay's id, is she not responsible for the effects the email has, on her boss' reputation?

It is one of the first things we learn in schools in Letter Writing and Essay Writing classes. It is hammered into us whenever we talk about letters and emails. Everyone knows it. I bet if I sent her an email back with an incomprehensible subject-line, she would be agitated and annoyed as I was. Yet she, and many others like her, do not stop to give a thought to the subject-line in their emails. Simply put, it ought to be a one-line summary of the contents of the email or a pointer to what the email contains, with an indication of the action to be taken by the receiver. The subject-line in the above-mentioned email started of well with the "INFO:" part indicating to me that it was merely to be read and did not require any action. However, immediately after that is where the etiquette died. "Message from CreeKay". Duh!

Blogs

A few blogs I enjoyed recently... sort of...

http://ununmusicium.wordpress.com/

http://vegemitecroissant.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/the-french-paradox/

http://blog.converget.com/2010/01/13/technology-is-it-different-for-girls/

Industries That Could Use Your Specialized Knowledge

The new job climate has many opportunities for individuals to take what they love to do and start making money at it. These industries require talent and skills more than they require a college degree. For example:

While print journalism is contracting, internet news is growing. Writers who know how to utilize search engine optimization (SEO) or keyword trends can be a huge asset to a news organization that is selling advertising based on the hits they bring to their site.

Those who spend all day on social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and others may also see a rise in demand for their networking skills. The marketing industry is relying heavily on those who are able to disseminate information to a large number of people instantly and persuade them to try a product or service. Coupled with message boards, those who are able to persuade the most number of friends to join the excitement of a new site, product, or service will be looking at new job opportunities where none existed before.

Other industry opportunities for those who have innate knowledge of organization and socialization are also abundant. Individuals who are just too busy to organize and schedule their own activities need personal assistants. Those who are able to pull strings to score tickets or restaurant reservations and who have impeccable organization skills will excel in these newfound positions.

While these new opportunities utilize special skills and knowledge, they are not always apparent and need to be sought out. Individuals must bring their skills and talents to the attention of the companies or individuals who can use them but don't know it yet. A dynamic resume is a great start. Once the hiring managers know what a candidate can bring to the table, anything is possible.

Better Writing

http://www.betterwritingskills.com/writing-tips.html

A Place Called Here

I read an old friend's blog today & it made me realize how far I have gone from what I used to write. I miss that! She has continued to write since the early days, albeit with intermissions of varying lengths. What struck me was that the style and the mood has been preserved while the writing itself has improved by leaps and bounds. I envy her, really do!

Along the road I've taken, I've varied my priorities numerous times. Each time, writing has taken a back seat. On many occasions, it's been primarily with the intention of swimming with the tide and getting to the safety of the shore as soon as possible. At times, it's been the ups and downs of emotion, which set the mood and altered the style entirely. When I turned back one day, I'd walked so far away, leaving behind my happier days and found myself at a loss for the pretty words that constituted my style.

Nevertheless, I'm writing again. A different style, less creative and less imaginative, mostly reflections or ramblings acting as some sort of an outlet to the pent up conversations in my head. Maybe, in time, as the mind empties into these blogs and the cobwebs are cleared, I will be able to retrace my path and reach into the almost forgotten corners. As Cecilia Ahern might say, one day I will go to 'A Place Called Here' and find what I've lost.

50 Tools that can Improve your Writing Skills - Dumb Little Man

50 Tools that can Improve your Writing Skills - Dumb Little Man