Don't Like the Weather? Give it a Couple of Minutes.

'Is it really as dark as they say it is out there without me?' So pondered the sun
peering through the dark rain clouds.

It is sometimes amazing to watch how quickly the Weather Gods can change their minds. One moment it was a warm, sunny, humid summer afternoon and the next it was a windy, overcast rainy monsoon-y evening. And throughout this magnificent transformation, it felt wonderful to watch the sun and the rain clouds fight for dominance over the skies. Thor must indeed have landed with his Mjǫlnir somewhere nearby.

Cleaning Skeletons In My Cupboard

In my opinion, of all the things we like to treasure and hide in our cupboards, the one thing or a bunch of things that would easily top the list would be skeletons. Figuratively, that is. And this despite the fact that we don't want them to be there in the first place. Such is the problem with these dark incidents of our past that lurk inside the dark recesses of a cupboard. You can't keep them, you can't throw them.

Needless to say, everyone of us has had several such really-really-want-to-but-cannot-forget experiences that we'd like to lock away in a cupboard, throw away the key and try to forget about them forever. Unfortunately, if our luck runs out and someone happens to find that key we thought we threw away long ago and figure out which cupboard that dreaded key unlocks, skeletons start to tumble out. By then, it is a bit too late for us to admit our guilt or acknowledge our embarrassment about our not-so-proud moments. And so we wallow in a sea of denial like that proverbial scared cat burying its head in the sand to escape danger.

I for one, also have quite a few such skeletons to hide in my own cupboard. And as I grow older, I'm realizing that the cupboard's getting smaller and the skeletons are beginning to show. So before they start tumbling out skull first, I've decided to do something about it. Of course, I can't start a straightforward spring cleaning process and throw them all out because that would mean owning up to a lot of bad and embarrassing things I have done in my life with vehement denials. I can only think of doing selective spring cleaning by denying stuff I can deny without getting into too much trouble. I will try to laugh off a few of them and try to forget. A few, I will try to forget with time. The rest, I will surely keep so that they act as constant reminders of the mistakes and blunders I have committed in my life. Such stark reminders will surely help deter me from repeating them again.

At the same time, I don't want to increase the size of the cupboard because space is indeed always a premium. Instead, from now on, if there seems to be a potential new entrant into the closet, I'll own up to it and forget about it. Because, its easier to forget when you do something good (like owning up) unlike when you do something bad (like hiding it) and get haunted by it for most (if not for the rest) of your life. But owning up is easier said than done. The pain of owning up is not small. I would have to first admit to myself that I was wrong and then confess to others. I would have to overcome the habit of searching for scapegoats in case something goes wrong because of me. But this is only one side of the story. A bigger contribution should come from others who are affected by my blunders. They would have to forgive me even if they cannot forget. Whilst it is in our nature to ask for forgiveness when we mess up, it is not easy for us to forgive someone else if they commit the very same mistakes. In my own case, I have had several instances where I was reluctant to forgive others for their goof ups whereas I was fortunate enough to be forgiven by big-hearted souls who didn't think for a second while doing so. But I'm learning. It takes quite a big heart to be forgiving. And as I am growing older, phrases such as 'go with the flow', 'enjoy the moment', 'travel with/without friends' are slowly but surely replacing words like 'responsibility', 'maturity', 'conservatism', 'aggression' and 'prudence' in the diary of my life. Perhaps, I will add 'forgive and forget' to the list of to-add phrases as well. And thus, I will be able to hopefully reduce the skeletons in others' and my cupboards as well. After all, it's not fun to know that some day they will tumble out to haunt me at the most inopportune time. With a vengeance.

Of Friends, Movie Genres, Popcorn and Soda

So I like a good movie. I like movies which make me wonder, frown, think, ponder and laugh. To cut the dramatics, I like mysteries, comedies, dramas and the usual good action flicks like the ones that come out from Hong Kong.  What I am not is a fan of sci-fi (the only exception being the original Star Trek TV series). Sci-fi's kind of make the future look gloomy. Too gloomy for my taste. So far, I've not seen a good sci-fi movie that shows a happy future. And I hate zombie movies and vampire movies. Also add horror movies to the list. I get scared easily and I hate being scared easily. And of course the tragedies. I hate it when I end up crying in a hall full of people when I know that it is just a movie. So at the most, my movie taste is pedestrian and does not leave me with a long list of must watches.

So once my seasonal must-watch list is exhausted, I reluctantly agree when my friends ask me to join them if they are going to a movie. If it has a good story that is. And it is for this reason that my friends easily con me into watching movie from genres (that I otherwise would prefer to skip) with an offer I usually can't refuse. An offer of a free popcorn and soda. And so far it's been a mixed bag. While there were some movies which I absolutely liked, there were others which I simply detested. Popcorn and soda notwithstanding.

For instance, a couple of months back I was conned into watching 'Hobbit 3D'. Though fantasies, trilogies are again something I don't follow much, my friend, a follower of 'Lord of the Rings' or 'LOTR' as the Ringies (or is it Ringlets?) call it,  kind of laid an elaborate trap for me and being the naive genius that I am, I simply walked into it. Grudgingly and wearing those silly red and blue glasses, I watched the Hobbit chronicling his journey. But all in all I was not disappointed. I liked the way the movie was presented. Though a  bit too long for my taste, I still liked the way the journey evolved on screen. Especially the fight of the stone mountains. It was simply spectacular in 3-D. So all in all, I inwardly and outwardly I ended up thanking my friend for the invite.

'Oblivion' on the other hand was the complete opposite. Like 'Hobbit' I was pulled into this movie by my friend who had supposedly read good reviews about it. I for one read reviews after I watch a movie. As it turned out, 'Oblivion' was a case in point as to why I stay away from sci-fi. The movie was as dull and desolate as the landscape it was set in. By midway, I wasn't too sure as to what was happening or why exactly was I still sitting in the theater while the movie never bothered to end. Or take off. By the time it finally ended (or so I thought as people started to leave), I was convinced that 'Oblivion' was an apt title for the movie or very soon it would be consigned to one.

These are but two bitter-sweet experiences out of maybe a dozen or so times I've been out to movies with friends. So far the score's been even between the good and bad ones. But considering the movies that are coming out, I'm sure the scales will tip in favor of movies that deserve rotten tomatoes. So the next time, I get conned into watching a movie that does not belong to the genre I like, maybe I'll think a bit. For about two seconds, maybe. And then I will throw caution to the winds and go ahead anyways. After all, its not just the movie that matters. But also the popcorn munching and soda gulping that goes in parallel with the onscreen activity. Its one complete entertainment package. Till the popcorn and soda last, that is.