#Friday 18.0: Some films just pull me in…everytime

Each week I will (try and) share a small segment of something useful I learnt. While this is for my own amusement I hope it resonates with my lovely readers.

When I put off sleeping on time

It’s nearing 22.30 and I put the leftovers in the fridge. Then turning off the kitchen lights I head to turn off the TV. An advert appears stating the next movie is Good Will Hunting.

“Great film that” I tell myself.

“I’ll catch the first 15 minutes and then head to bed”.

It’s nearing 23.50 and the film is reaching its epic climax, that final confrontation (no spoiler alert). Once again I’ve fallen foul of being sucked in to a great movie. That’s view number 8 I think….

I can add Deads Poets Society and The Godfather to the list of “keep me up films”.

Is there a movie that would keep you glued instead of going to bed?

#CommunityChallenge Letter to Time

A 10-day writing challenge set up by one of our Community Writers Saumya Agrawal.

Letter to Life

The Notebook (3 Elements of Pleasure)

If you want to know the origin….

If you want to know about the Timepiece….

If you want to know about the Writing Mechanism….

 

A recent edition to my element of pleasures, and I have my dear sister to Thank for this. I love writing – full stop! I am working towards a novel, it’s embryonic but I am able to extract it from my head.  This notebook is that reminder to me that I must seize a moment each day to write this novel; to write something, however small it may be – to not Give Up! This is a motivation in itself!

Also, it’s a personal gesture, a realisation from my sister towards my seriousness to write and hopefully enlighten minds one day.

Here endith the story of the Notebook.

The Writing Mechanism (3 Elements of Pleasure)

If you want to know the origin….

If you want to know about the Timepiece….

Imagine, all week you trudge up and down the trains, travelling to work, squashed in like a tin of sardines, nose sniffing and unwanted smells. Then, come the weekend, you nestle into your car and whistle down the narrow lanes of the countryside enjoying the freedom.  It’s not so much just the driving but that you have patiently waited all week to feel the rim of the steering wheel, the smell of the interior still so fresh, the quickness to change the music, the sound as you push down a little on the accelerator.

Yes it’s a weekend treat, but I am not here to talk about driving a car, but my most loved passion, writing.  However, like a child can’t learn to walk without the support of its parents, neither can one enjoy writing unless the object between your fingers has a sense of purpose.

The object was purchased over 8 years ago and my Mont Blanc is a reminder that I need to refrain myself from the habit of typing and write/jot my thoughts on paper by hand. As the ball of the pen kisses the paper, it transforms into a different mind-set, one where I want to keep writing until it’s humanly impossible to continue. It’s a statement that I will not give into everything that is electronic – I will persist with writing by hand.  “The pen is mightier than the sword” said our Guru’s, but sometimes we forget it exists. Regardless of however overwhelming this life becomes, hold your pen in your hand as your shield against the trending norm and amuse yourself at what looks like wiggly scribbles.

Over the past 8 years my pen has been subject to compliments, multiple falls (most my fault) and multiple home-based repairs.  But with all things in life, sometimes we need to call in the experts as we discover some limitations.  As I prepare to pin this post, my beloved pen sits in Hamburg awaiting repair from Mont Blanc HQ – I am simply missing it.  If anyone ever tells you “it’s only a pen”, do take the liberty to remind the person making that statement that the best sports people don’t just use anything.

Here endith the story of the writing mechanism.

 

 

 

 

The Timepiece (3 Elements of Pleasure)

If you want to know the origin….

 

Many moons ago, fresh out of University, I decided to spend a few days in London staying with relatives while attending a camp.  During my stay I was introduced to a friend of one of my relatives, who happened to be a watch dealer. He was displaying some of his new models and I happened to catch a glimpse a black leather strapped Raymond Weil Sports watch.  You can say I instantly fell in love with it but on hearing the sale value I realised it was “way beyond” what I had ever paid for a timepiece.

After much deliberation I pushed myself to “acquire” its services, based on a gentleman’s agreement that I would eventually purchase it.  Seeing that I was a fresh undergraduate, the seller realised my predicament, maybe he saw through my skin and skull to see my thoughts were working overtime, that maybe I was regretting giving my word. But he was a wise chap and told me that I should wear it from this point on, see how it feels and that I wouldn’t regret this decision.  His words to the effect of “when you meet someone, they will look at your shoes and what’s on your wrist, you will gain instant respect and time because they know you are a man of taste”. He assured me that as a friend, if I still didn’t feel like being one with it in the morning, then he would happily take it back (I don’t think that was a guilt trip comment, he was being genuine).

That evening I didn’t sleep too well, I kept thinking that I had agreed to something that I hadn’t thought through too well, however washing against those thoughts was this elegant watch, firm around my wrist, with its detail and smoothness. The following morning I explained my dilemma, the love for this watch vs my pragmatic reasoning and so I listened to the advice….“My Dear Boy, in life you are going to spend money on greater things, where those things will require much more thought, like buying a house. But in this instance, it’s a treat, and you will learn to treat yourself, nothing wrong with that”.

So the story goes, I stopped reasoning, kept the watch and the pleasure it brings me each time I put it on is only for me to enjoy. It’s a reminder that although we aim to place justification to the things we like to acquire in life, sometimes there are things we simply don’t need to explain, an invisible pleasure beyond reasoning.

Here endith the story of the timepiece.