and then the story starts rewriting itself

In less than a week.

I simply could not stop writing.

The story writes itself even when I sleep and my fingers will be dripping with words in the morning.

Loving Scrivener and Scapple. Very much.

birthday greeting for my best friend

born on the 12th of May

cloudy, with a chance of a blue box

First, the weather report.

And then a piece of doggerel. Just because I am trying to calm myself from the excitement of a day off today.

I'm having a day off because I did not sleep for more than 24 hours the other night. Hence I need to take it slow and let the rest of me catch up. Before that I have been working nonstop for every day of the past two weeks. So much that I did not get to complete my April Camp NaNoWriMo

I also did a pretty good client presentation yesterday and I believe I deserve the treat of a time off.

And then things are starting to move again. Two job opportunities waiting in the wings. And I could not help remembering that astrological reading I got in India and the memory of which has become garbled through the years. Because a there is a hint of it popping up again. And after so many false alarms I am inclined to just let this one do its parade and then ignore it.

Meanwhile I am going to clean out my closet, and then my kitchen cabinets. I feel like a good summer cleaning.

For now I just need to survive Wednesday

I bit off more than I can chew when I tried to do two projects simultaneously. I keep kidding myself that I could still do midnight/ all-night work marathons. But I can't anymore. Not only because I am no longer twenty with endless energy but also because it is very clear to me what I want to do and it is not slaving away over a report. What I want to do is write books and make art.

But bills have to paid. And I do have considerable skills when it comes to the work I have to do. And going to London will cost a lot.

So here I am, cramming once again. It is very unfortunate that those so-called energy drinks do not work on me. The only thing with any slight effect to keeping me awake for an extra few hours is the brewed coffee from McDonald's. And that only means I can stay up until about 3AM. Then I start feeling really cranky and nauseous.

On a good note, I figured out a better way of doing my reports which I will use on the next report. For the current report (the one due on Wednesday) I had to restart and re-do everything to save time -- I know that sounds odd but it worked somehow. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that I will finish in time and be able to sleep by tomorrow night.

Please send wakeful energies along my way.

A Working Weekend

It is no use fighting it. I must work really hard from today until Tuesday.

The most I can do to help myself is to have a clear and clean desk, energy drinks stocked in the fridge, food ready and easy to prepare, no interruptions and distractions.

Break activity options are: reading one short story, Twitter, Instagram, or a power nap.

It's amazing how our lives can look so interesting with a few filters and careful curation.

On the other hand, seeing my daily life this way reminds me of what really matters to me. I am also steered towards the more positive side of things. Appreciation for the little things that would otherwise go unnoticed or be overwhelmed by the not-so-good things which we always tend to magnify.

Good Old Thing

This old electric typewriter has been hidden in my parents' storage for YEARS. My dad found it when he was doing some cleaning and asked what I wanted to do with it. I want to keep it of course! So I brought it home and plugged it in and it is still working perfectly despite a lot of missing letters. There is even ink in the ribbon still! I will just need to replace the letter wheel and the correction tape and it will be good as new.

The sound as I was typing was simply glorious for me. It was like being transported somewhere back in time. It is like a time machine in its own way, just like when I play my vintage LPs on my record player.

Poems, short stories, essays, journals. I could hear them chattering in delight at the possibility of being written with this good old thing.

Keep Calm and Buy Books

Keep calm and buy books. Secondhand so you can buy three for the price of a brand new one. Then count the days (6) until you can start reading to restore the wreck you have become after juggling two big projects in an effort to raise funds for monthly bills and dreams of travel (still not enough).

The past few days have been sprinkled with delays and time snarls. In the next few days the repercussions of those delays will be fully felt and I will most likely be a zombie by Tuesday evening.

Still, the work I did this week is not without its hidden nuggets of inspiration. And help does come in some form when you absolutely need it. And there is always my health and my skills to be grateful for. And there is always Sherlock and the Doctor and Neil Gaiman.