Some of our best ideas are lost because we do not journal them at once
Most of us started out as writers because we have something to say, about almost everything. But one of our greatest fears is that one day we will run out of ideas. I have that fear too. Strangely, that fear is reducing as I fill books and other places with ideas. I now have so many ideas that I am confused about which one to pick and write about. That’s a good problem to have, I guess!
When I started writing seriously a few months ago, I read lots of articles about noting down ideas, carrying a notepad at all…
Nature
A photo essay of a short nature walk
Recently, I was lucky enough to spend two days in the heart of a verdant coffee estate in Coorg, Karnataka.
Lucky enough to have the ability to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch things. These are gifts we should always be thankful for.
Luckier still to be able to walk — through such an amazing green piece of the earth.
I have to admit that my friend dragged me on this walk. Cannot thank her enough.
Evening. When the Sun is in a mellow mood. When he is bathing all those who depend on him in a golden liquid. …
Humor
Men seem to be at the beginning of everything
I don’t know if it is a sheer coincidence that men are responsible for starting all kinds of things on earth. I mean, there is war and such like, but I am not talking about that … at least not in this post.
Simple things — things which you would think men have no connection with — and yet there they are right at the beginning. Don’t agree? Stay with me for just a little bit, please.
Consider the word ‘men’. A harmless three-letter word to indicate roughly 50% of the human population.
Add a small ‘u’ at the end…
In a predominantly online world, the old are left alone and clueless
According to the Britannica, loneliness, distressing experience that occurs when a person’s social relationships are perceived by that person to be less in quantity, and especially in quality, than desired.
Loneliness, distressing experience that occurs when a person’s social relationships are perceived by that person to be less in quantity, and especially in quality, than desired. The experience of loneliness is highly subjective; an individual can be alone without feeling lonely and can feel lonely even when with other people.
In effect, researchers agree that loneliness is a state of mind. …
Humor
Seriously — that strange smell
Heading back from the zoo
What’s that smell? What’s that smell?
Do you smell it too?
Said my dad to me, ‘Do you smell it too?’
Got into the car
What’s that smell? What’s that smell?
This car smells like a loo
Said my dad to me, ‘Do you smell it too?’
Mom opened the windows
We checked all over too
No one saw anything
But the car did smell like a loo
Parked the car in the garage
What’s that smell? What’s that smell? …
Humor
MuddyUm’s funniest for the month and one bonus from elsewhere
I knew I had to put together this piece by March 1st. But I got delayed. It is really not my fault. February was in such a tearing hurry and ended abruptly after 28 days. I feel cheated out of two whole days! Unfair! I object!
Now that I have provided a very credible reason for the delay, let us proceed with the usual fanfare around announcing MuddyUm’s best funnies for February.
This time we will be listing the top 3 stories on MuddyUm based on the number of claps. …
Poetry Sunday
Those eyes, those eyes
That suck me in
I am powerless
I feel weak
I find them on me
I barely breathe
My limbs are jelly
I forget my ability to move
Or think, or live
More powerful magnets
Do not exist on earth
As do those eyes
When they are cast upon me
Piercing
All-knowing
Stark
Powerful
Enigmatic
Creating a black hole
I could disappear forever
I wait in agony
For them to look my way
To arrest my very being
When those eyes graze across my face
I marvel at their hold over me
Enchained, immobile
Alive, passionate…
Life Lesson
A lesson in living within our means
In Kannada, the native language of Karnataka, where this proverb originates, it reads as ‘haasige iddashtu kaalu chaachu.’ The literal translation is: stretch your legs as much as the length of your bed.
What does this mean?
Like all proverbs, there is a much deeper meaning to this one. In simple words, it translates into ‘live within your means.’
The beauty of local proverbs is that they always make a veiled reference to life. When you grow up hearing some of these every day, it seems to etch itself deeply in your psyche.
‘Stretch your legs as much as the length of your bed’…
Humor
Apparently, someone said an octopus is nothing but a wet spider
People all over the world have been having a hearty laugh over recent memes that state an octopus is nothing but a wet spider. When you read it for the first time, it sounds pretty true.
Spiders are obviously getting a huge cheap thrill out of this whole episode. How often does a spider get the chance to be in the news!
But the worst hit, and the ones not smiling at all, are the octopii. They don’t think this is even remotely funny.
The World Octopii Union is up in arms against this baseless allegation. They might have taken…
Culture
This is something fun and unique to Bangalore
Bangalore is a melting pot of multiple cultures. The standing joke in Bangalore is that if you are an outsider, we will talk to you in your language. We are very accommodating that way. An average Bangalorean knows at least 4–5 languages and will gladly learn yours too.
With this level of what we call ‘adjustment’ rampant in our psyche, you’d expect that we must be a mishmash of cultures with nothing unique. Luckily, no!
There are several things that are uniquely Bangalorean and have remained that way. One of my favorites is the concept of by two coffee.
What does ‘by two’ mean?
Exactly…
