Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert

Big Magic is part self-help, part-fable, an attempt at presenting an alternate view of creativity. You may not agree with all that she says; I didn’t, for one. Many of the good quotes and ideas in the book are from existing literature, stories and people, quoted in detail; parts which’ve made what should be a blog into a book. 

She contends that ideas have a life-form, a consciousness, and move from person to person. She shares some anecdotes which I just can’t believe. When I reached this part, I suspended reading the book for a couple of months. She has no clear and final views; she travels through thoughts and presents all that she feels, so it’s unclear what she wanted to convey. 

Some good ideas in the book include 

1. Don’t expect your creativity to support you financially (easier said, but I agree with the thought); 

2. Don’t fetishize suffering; art doesn’t have to be achieved through suffering; 

3. Art is paradoxically meaningless and meaningful, a paradox you should comfortably inhabit (got me thinking); 

4. Treat your creative pursuit like a passionate extramarital affair, not an old marriage; pursue it while no one is watching; 

5. Question is not what would you do if you knew you could not fail? Question is what would you do even if you knew you would fail? 

In all, a quick read, with some food for thought and some takeaways.

Yatho Bhavoh, Tatho Rasah!

"Yatho Hastas, Tatho Drishti; 
 Yatho Drishti, Tatho Manah; 
 Yatho Manah, Tatho Bhavah;
 Yatho Bhavoh, Tatho Rasah" 

A beautiful quote from Natyashaastra. 

Where the hands go, the eyes follow; 
Where the eyes see, the mind follows;
Where the mind wanders, the feeling follows; 
Where the feeling is, the emotions arise. 

Kamal Hasan, in his character in the movie Saagara Sangamam (Confluence with the ocean, language: Telugu), dubbed into Tamil as Salangai Oli (Sound of the bells) and Malayalam as Saagara Sangamam, says these lines to an acclaimed but arrogant dancer. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagara_Sangamam

You can see it in youtube at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-smzc09Cw  from 5.15 to 5.30. Do see it! 

Biking baby steps!

Cycling is not easy! Especially, if you haven't done it for years. Even if you are generally fit. Even if you have done it in the gym. 

My enthusiasm for cycling was to be satisfied. It always seemed the thing that was missing in my list of aspirations. 

I have cycled so much in life, I was an expert in city biking, in Bombay. And, this cliche, if you can bike in Bombay, you can do it anywhere in the world. I used to enjoy the breeze on my face, with music in my ears on an old tape walkman, ever ready to take off just like that. 

And now here I was, 20 years later, trying to feed my desire to get back on that bike again. And I've been fascinated by a folding bike because I could carry it along to various places. Though, I now realise, it is easier said than done. And I was not finding a foldable bike that had a wheel diameter of 26 inches. 

When I finally found one that met my specifications on Groupon at RM 599, I jumped at it. Well, not really. I still took a few weeks before I took the plunge. It was a Korean make Excider 26 inch. 

The bike arrived one Friday afternoon, a few days before I expected it. It didn't take long to assemble, but the gear required some adjustments. I did that over a weekend and brought it back home. 

No more excuses now. I took her on a trip one Sunday night, after much preparation, getting my Endomondo and S Health apps started, out on the road, changing gears often, and up a slope, when Oh! the pedal threading came off and I fell down, a minor injury on my knee. I walked back the way home, cycle in tow, with the broken pedal in my hand. 

I parked the bike and didn't look at it for a couple of weeks. A visit to Chow Kit over that weekend, and I saw cheaper bikes, though not foldable, and felt worse. 

I mustered up my will last evening and got the bike to Rodalink for repairs. The guy there is good at his work but bad at small talk. He managed to get the threading back in place, replaced the pedal and got it back in working condition. I had spent RM 100 more on the bike with not many miles to boast. 

Last night I decided to start again, no Endomondo or S Health apps, no changing gears, no slopes, just plain simple doodhwala-biking, on a flat stretch of road just outside our place. 

I had to come back to taking baby steps, rather than try something ambitious, so that my confidence is back in place. This time it worked, and though the result may not have been that romantic, it still counted as a positive. 

And it rekindled hope that things will slowly get better!  

The Whole Earth Catalog

The Whole Earth Catalog was published by Stewart Brand from 1968 to 1972, with the purpose of creating a catalog of everything. His intent, in his own words' was to provide education and access to tools, so a reader could find his own inspiration, shape his own environment, and share his adventure with whoever is interested'. Steve Jobs called it the 'google' of his time. Kevin Kelly called it a blogosphere of user-generated content. The phrase 'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish' was the farewell message placed on the back cover of the last issue in 1974. 

The website gives pdf versions of most of their publications.