Traveler

 Photograph by RandyMartin

I am bored

Of disgruntled martyrs

Of permanent scaffoldings

Of forged lovers’ capers

Of nature’s quandary

Of unimaginative lies

Of romantic dinner rehearsals

Of grey clouds with no chance of rain

Of trying to quit addictions

Of couples’ squabbles

Of being addicted

Of this ruthless city

Of predictability of hopes

Of the colors of walls in my house 

Of fucking boring stories

Of half hearted conversations

Of waiting for almost nothing

Of waiting for everything

Photographing Love

 "Angelo Merendino, from “My Wife’s Fight with Breast Cancer.” “In September, 2007, I married the girl of my dreams; five months later Jennifer was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Merendino told me. “Throughout our battle, we were fortunate to have a strong support group, but still struggled to get people to understand the difficulties we faced daily. I began to photograph our everyday life, hoping to show the reality of living with this horrible disease. As time passed, trust grew, and at a certain point Jen stopped feeling like she had to pose, she was just Jen…happy, sad, silly, or whatever she was feeling at that moment. Now that Jen has passed, I look at these photographs and I feel our love.” (New Yorker)

Just when I started asking questions like 'Is being in love overrated?', I stumbled upon this.

Check out the entire slide show on New Yorker.

Before she asked for another kiss

`
Everything was perfect it seems,
Before she asked for another kiss,
And another drink.

Smashed

KATE (one year sober):

"I’ve heard that your best day drinking is worse than your worst day sober. Well...that is SO not true! I had amazing times drinking, dancing, and laughing...feeling like the most adorable, charming girl in the world. And I was adorable. I’d piss my pants, but I was still cute.

When I first tried getting sober, I figured that as long as I didn’t drink...everything else would just magically work out. But it didn’t. My marriage fell apart. I got fired from my job. And that shit happened SOBER! I never read that in any pamphlet...that isn’t what I signed up for. Um...so, I relapsed. Another shitty slogan I’ve heard in the rooms is that when you’re sober for a bit and drink again “the disease waits for you, picks up where it left off". I’m sorry you guys, but I HATE those slogans. They all sound like bumper stickers. But, I have to admit...for me, that last one is pretty damn true.

When I drink...I become another person. And that person is a pretty big asshole. Well, unless you want to give me drugs or buy me drinks --then that person is awesome.I wasn’t happy being the “good-time girl,” though. And honestly, I wasn’t very good at it.

My life is really different than it was a year ago. I live alone. I’m bored a lot more. I have a job that pays a lot less.I’m thankful for the program -- for my friends in here who took the time to help me and give a shit about me. There are people that used to be a part of my life that I miss -- a lot -- but.....I’m really grateful for this boring new life of mine."

Meet "The Future Guy"

Yesterday, after I stepped out of Jehangir Art Gallery at Kala Ghoda, this poster held me captive.

It was on the floor, right next to this wrinkled man with bloodshot eyes and a stingy smile. He managed to convince us in a jiffy that we just have to get a glimpse into the future through his palm-reading skills. I was sold and so were my friends. So the gist of what he said about me was that I should have been married at 24 but I still haven't missed the bus and I am now, according to him, getting married in June this year. Yes Yes. My husband will take me "abroad", says the wonderful man. I am impatient, he told me. And I will walk on this planet till I am 75 years old and will never have excess money to splurge. Yup, thats pretty much it.

 

My friend Joanna is going to get 4 million bucks by next year in social services sector (This was a bit weird cuz we never told him that she actually works in an NGO!) And her sex life will be great and her husband will want her instead of dinner every night! We decided to move on after he started giving us insights into our sex lives!   

 

Anyhow, the paraphernalia is amazing and so is this man's talking skills. 

'Moon Face' by Jack London

During the last visit to Crosswords, I picked up a Jack London book for the first time, 'Moon Face and Other Short Stories'. It was love at first sight for me with the first story of the book 'Moon Face'.

London's comic timing is impeccable. He makes it so easy to empathize with the narrator who wants to kill John Claverhouse for two absolutely valid and important reasons-He doesn't like his name and he doesn't like the way he laughs!

Read the short story here

Travelling to this night?

     Spotted at Montmartre, Paris, 

 in November.

 

A very dear friend

"How have you been? This is not out of the blue. Whenever I am down I read your blog. Today is one of those days of surviving on this planet. Thank you so much for writing."

A very dear friend messaged this to me recently. Probably one of the most inspiring things anyone has ever said to me.

Potato, potato. Tomato, tomato