Tag Archives: Writing

Perils of having a good memory

Quoting my favourite, Nora Ephron, from one of her essays as a journalist :

“I will tell you something else: they didn’t drink wine back in the early fifties and sixties. Nobody knew about wine. I mean, someone did, obviously, but most people drank hard liquor all the way through dinner. Recently, I saw a movie in which people were eating take-out pizza in 1948 and it drove me nuts. There was no take-out pizza in 1948. There was barely any pizza, and barely any takeout. These are some of the things I know, and they’re entirely useless, and take up way too much space in my brain.”

Such ease in her self-realisation.

If you identify with what Nora Ephron says about knowing and remembering (what’s usually perceived as) the useless, then you’d also agree how no one really knows why certain people are able to remember the mundane like they do! I, for one, fit the bill perfectly and have never figured the ‘how’ either (having given up on the ‘why’, a long time ago!)

At work, I know by-heart random 6-digit identifiers, exact folder locations, long names of documents and database tables, exact figures on a report, to the second decimal sometimes. I am the walking-talking reference book for my colleagues to look up such information from! As much as I try to look sheepish about it, I secretly pride myself at the marvellous memory I’ve been blessed with. Like, the other day, I related a search analysis to another we did almost 8 months ago; I recollected the details and later confirmed I was right, at which point of course, my colleague gave me a side glance with a raised brow that probably dubbed as, “Why, Ramya, why, why on earth would you remember that?!”

Continue reading “Perils of having a good memory”

Advertisement

Four Things I’m Still Old School About

“Ask Google!” is possibly the most common piece of advice we get these days. It speaks volumes of how far technology has come to make our lives depend on a few click of a buttons. Sure, some things are easy to do now; some we didn’t imagine until a few decades back are now possible. The smartphones, iPads and tablets are like our personal secretaries, reminding us of birthdays, anniversaries, helping book appointments, saving articles, making reading on-the-go doable, play music whenever we want. And all that is great! Really, no sarcasm.

And no, this is not an essay here in support of  these advancements or even to question whether they are making us dumber and less social in the real world. For, I haven’t got an answer to such a complicated question! I wish I knew better though.

The reason I started to write this piece is because of a quiet thought that made its home in my mind the other evening. As I was walking back home from work, I started to make a mental list of things I still do the old-fashioned way. I mean, without using any form of smart-technology, whatsoever. Not many came through, but these are definitely the ones I am very particular about!

1. Post-Its & Notepads For Messages/Reminders/Lists

The habit of leaving notes behind goes back to my parents. They used to write cute ones for me, when leaving for a business tour in the wee hours or stepping out to the near-by pharmacy during my afternoon nap and so on! And it has now evolved to keeping them posted on the kitchen shelf, back of the main door sometimes, even on the pillow on special occasions! Some hang on the PC at work too, reminding me of deadlines or things-to-do. Grocery list is always made on a notepad that stays on the coffee-table. I cannot do without a small dose of writing dow my lists for the day!

OS1

2. A Travel Journal Is An Absolute Necessity

No matter how many pictures you click, you need words to seal the memories in forever. won’t you agree? I always carry a small diary with me, it allows me to jot down thoughts, poems, emotions and memories that cross my mind. Notes in my iPhone never evoke the same, for me. Colloquial usages, names of local ingredients in food, fancy street names, of that fruit seller who gave you his bit of the history of the place – it helps to remember all of that, so much more clearly in the quiet of my home and makes for a better blog post too, you know!

OS4 OS3

3. Books Should Be Made Of Paper, Only

I have never been a fan of downloading and storing bytes of e-books! While in college, I absolutely avoided studying from PDFs on my laptop. It’s no wonder how much time I spent in the library there. And might I say, it shouldn’t be very surprising to find out the first piece of furniture we bought together for our home is a beautiful tall bookcase! Kindle maybe be as good as holding a hundred books in your hands, but it can never attach the excitement the smell of a fresh book does!

OS2

4. Shopping Is For All The Senses

I am surely the one to first feel the fabric, try it on next and feel good in it while looking into the mirror before finally deciding to make the purchase. Online shopping for clothes is a definite no-no for me. And, it sort of extends to other things as well. Other than the occasional ordering of a bouquet, I hardly find myself spending money online. I have to see it, touch it, feel it all. And who does not love carrying lovely shopping bags home!

OS5

***

What are the things you are still old school about? Do any of these figure? Tell me about them!

***

The #52BlogPostsProject

*INACTIVE*

When Divya’s text popped up on my phone screen, I almost had a flashback playing on a reel in my head. What she had suggested in her text was a superb idea and it made perfect sense for us to get together in this challenge. It was a thought I had once flirted with, for a brief moment but brushed it aside eventually. However, her sudden text coupled with her enthusiasm and support for me, I began to consider the possibility of embarking upon this journey she was asking of me, of both of us…

Divya’s idea was simple: Publish a post on our respective blogs once every week, for the next 52 weeks.

Isn’t that a wonderful thought to step into the New Year with? Of course, terribly daunting too!

We can find a million-and-a-one reasons for why we want to take up this challenge, but the primary reason is for us to reignite the passion for writing! And only writing can help you do that, really. Like how Liz Gilbert once said, “So if you want it to be better, then you’ve got to show up and do your part of the deal.” And that is exactly what the #52BlogPostsProject is going to be all about.

So hop along on this wonderful journey with us, as we try to show you a part of our world through these posts.

Also, allow me to introduce my amazing partner-in-writing: Divya Nawale. She has one too many feathers to her cap; multi-talented and a self-aware individual, she is an inspiration to me! Check out her blog here 🙂

How will the #52BlogPostsProject work? 

I plan to tag the title of my posts to indicate which week we are in, and hopefully that will separate my other posts with this, if I am miraculously able to write more than one post per week.

Please send in your suggestions, if any and all comments are welcome 🙂

Wish us luck, and hope you enjoy what we have to share!