'A' for....

I nudged him, pointing to his friend across the floor. Because I know what It's like to look past five aisles searching for a familiar face. One that you care for.

You glance from left to right, searching. But you don't have something to say. You just want to see that smile again. Waiting until he/she looks. You get a call and turn back to your desk. That's when the other looks at you. You're free again and you turn around, but the other gets a call. Then in a brief moment of what seems like divine intervention you both get to see those eyes. That nose, that hair slightly ruffled by the headset. That smile. That familiar visage!

You speak in mime as you cannot raise your voice. But then again, that is oh so nice. You understand each other's subtle gestures. The little hand movements, the message through the eyes. And I'm taken back to the paleolithic, when we communicated through actions and vibes.

And then, again, you hear the buzz through your ears.

A couple hours pass by. You are free again. Once more you let your eyes gaze metres away. You see your friend isn't around. You take some more calls and wait for another opportune moment. And there you see her/him. But despite the fact that you've exchanged glances before, you share again the same expressions. Maybe sprinkle atop a few new ones. The cycle repeats.

You let them occur a handful of times to maintain sanity. But deep down you know, irrespective of the frequency, the same warmth continues. Across the same five aisles.

That's what I call genuine Affection!

To my lovely friends at work. You know who you are. :)

Inception

Once the mind creates an idea and the heart picks up on it, there’s no turning back from what the body is capable of achieving.

What is a Relationship?

A relationship is a job in it's own right. The description is your responsibility and duty towards your better half. Your pay is through years of memorable companionship.

Why I Love Movies

They say the five senses that we have are complimented with our command over intellect, thereby separating us from the rest of the oxygen breathing species. I shall therefore do myself good by using that.

Being a self proclaimed ‘late bloomer,’ life has been but a mere existence until this my 26th year. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my previous years. One of my many cherished memories has been of movies. But I realized my love for them only recently.

As an infant I was read fairy tales and fables in bed. In pre-school I learnt about the alphabet through pictures. School days remind me of Sudha Chandran and Raju, Tundra & the Fairy [Parts I and II :)] Or any such standout memory from a textbook if you weren't schooled in my place of birth. I refer to stories because movies to me are essentially the art of story-telling. But its beauty shines through in the combination of visuals with the auditory and the uncompromising element of emotions. Bring these three together in the right manner and you bear witness to magic!

Escapism, fantasy, self-help, fear, adrenaline, love, hate, cold facts, pleasant fiction & I can go on to the extent of being speechless. We are privileged to experience some, if not all of these in our years of living. But movies can make you enjoy these basic of human feelings in a single day! Ever done a movie marathon? If the answer is yes, then give me a high five. Do one of a genre or one of an actor and you shall find your family on the verge of throwing you out. Right then, I’d definitely do that before I go digging for potatoes, no pun intended. If permitted the luxury of a peaceful exit of course.

Watching a story unfold on screen, being on the edge of my seat, rooting for a character, only movies and to an extent TV shows are capable of these. This brings me to actors. Man! Nothing gets me more turned on than ‘Talent.’ Get me to view truckloads of it & you’d have to call the men in white coats with happy pills. Pages aren’t enough for the amount of talent present on this rock. Fewer still are captured in movies. And if they play their cards right they secure a prized place in the annals of SD cards and grey matter.

Silent films are brilliant. But most of them & even the regular ones are incomplete without a soundtrack. Just ask one Mr. Nolan and you will know. And for as long as I can remember I’ve always loved music. Movies + Music = Ultimate Match made in Heaven! Whether you watch them at home or in the cinema, alone or with company, either way you are destined for enjoyment. Appreciate and quote classic lines from a well made film or revel in finding areas of improvement in a movie less well made. You can’t go wrong. However, being a social animal by creation, the best way is with friends/family. Movies bring together people with such common interests, adding to each one’s memories. After all, life is meant to be lived to the fullest and what better way than sharing!

All of this though, in fact none of the above is possible without that most powerful of human emotions, ‘Passion: A strong amorous feeling/desire; love; ardor ’ I strongly believe that one needs a strong desire to achieve anything in life. Absolutely anything! A passion for motorcycles or sports or even a desire towards the opposite sex, (no offence to the gay and lesbian community.) kick-starts a thought process in the mind. An unfailing desire will see your thoughts shifting gears slowly but surely towards the object of desire. Heck, if I wasn't even a little passionate about movies or maybe writing I would probably never have attempted this essay. While my literary skills are no match to the talent in the industry, I’m sure I've managed to bring out the importance of passion.

I can probably never be grateful enough for being born faultless in my physicality, but then I stumble upon a short-film about someone like Nick Vujicic. And there you go..Magic!

There is something about watching a life unfold on screen. Fact or fiction, both ways you are left in awe and wonder. Wondering in retrospect, how a certain scene could bring a tear to your eye or spark an idea or tell you how to attain that someone that you secretly admire.

Movies can inspire you to do great things. Ever seen what goes on behind the scenes? Pay a visit to your local Google website and search for images of Christian Bale over the last decade. Granted he may have had help and support but undergoing drastic changes in body weight to suit the characters he enacts? Respect! Or even the evergreen Daniel Day Lewis with his consistency. Don’t forget the people working in the back offices. Stunt doubles, script supervisors, music composers, spot boys, assistants, sponsors, camera crew, writers, visual effects artists, no wonder the credit rolls are sadly almost in fine print. There’s just too much that goes into the making of a single movie. And for that I have the greatest regard, as no where else in the medium of arts do you get to see such a massive team effort spanning continents! Correct me if I’m wrong.

I for one am on a mission. A mission to spread love, care & camaraderie. Not just in my circle of influence but more so for those who do not yet have the means of enjoying the grandeur of the 35mm. My 26th year has taught me a lot about passion, a lot about myself actually! And the biggest realization is the power of movies. Proud to see myself even as a tiny speck in this marvelous industry.

Oh and today being the 14th, I hereby declare that, ‘Yes, I do love movies!’

Better late than never, right?

Happy Valentine’s folks!

TIME

Time:
There's a lot that has been said about it. And yet it's never enough.
In life's various stages, time and timing will always play a vital role.

Take for instance the sweet, simple happiness one gets in the arms of a friend or a loved one. The feeling one get's among good company makes you forget the worries of everyday life. Those moments that make time to virtually stop and cause you to exclaim words like 'Awesome', 'Blissful', 'Amazing', Out of this World' No other incident can compare to such moments.

But we are human. At times we can be inconsiderate and insensitive.
In most cases close on the heels of those awesome moments. When we do things without considering the consequences. Causing irreparable damage.

Like a cut that is so deep, it can never truly heal. Unlike the healing properties of time so widely propagated. Yes, time can certainly open doors to joyful experiences that can completely overshadow the times of despair. But those doors will always have windows beside them reminding us that we cannot change what has already occurred.

Those times of sadness make one remember movies like The Time Machine. Guy Pearce plays a time traveller who goes to great lengths to prevent a mournful occurance. As portrayed in the movie, nothing changes the fact that the love of his life is destined to leave for heaven. Similarly, there's absolutely nothing one can do to change what has transpired.

They say humans can accept the cold facts, learn from our mistakes & move forward. some learn immediately, some have to fall many times over to finally figure things out. And there are some who will never learn.

Accepting one's fault is not always difficult when you lead life with an open mind and with egos thrown out. A rare combination in itself. Having said that the one who has been hurt will always have a deeper scar than the other irrespective of their extent of remorse. To put things in extreme perspective: 'A murderer can never bring his victim back to life.'

Time is meant to etch memories in the human mind. Both, pleasant and otherwise. Maybe that is why man can never invent a time machine.

Both parties need to accept the facts and work ahead. For at the end of the day, the company of loved ones should be cherished and hurdles need to be jumped together by lending each other a helping hand.

They say time is the most precious gift we can give to someone.
It's therefore up to me to ensure I invest in thinking twice before I realize it's too late.