Author: haywiredthoughtsandstrokes

If you could be a Thing, what would it be?

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Ever wondered what would you be?

Would it be something that represents your personality?

There’s an idea of being a bathroom shower. Ridiculous? Surprising? I say, unique.

It sees you come up with the best of ideas,

it helps you relax on chilly days,

it calms down your fiery head,

it’s there brushing away your salty tears,

it’s there where you sing aloud,

it’s there to help you when you lose your ground.

It becomes your safe space.

There’s an idea of being a bathroom shower. Ridiculous? Surprising? I say, unique.

Deep Breaths

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I read somewhere recently that deep breaths are like tiny love notes for your heart. Since the time I read it, I have started feeling the same. Why miss an opportunity of sending some love to your heart?

It helps me perform better, feel relaxed, calm my mind and de-stress. Sometimes I wonder if it’s all because of that quote which landed on my feed when I least expected it. I might never have gone into depth and acknowledged the impact of deep breath if I had scrolled by.

What if?

Our lives are saturated with ‘what if’s’ and that is something I earnestly detest. The feeling of not knowing, the feeling that keeps me wondering up at night when the music can no longer numb my thoughts. It’s something my mind goes after leading my heart astray.

There’s confusion everywhere, and without even trying to make sense of the madness I’d rather stop, stop myself from thinking too much, stop myself from the inevitable, stop myself from taking control and finally, stop myself for a deep breath.

After all this while, who knows what if, the heart truly deserves it?

Let it go, one breath at a time.

How to view the Pandemic?

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We’ve heard enough of the ‘unprecedented times’, where the brands are ‘here for us’. Over and over again.

I woke up to my sister watching a standup, where the wanna-be comedian went on to say, “Enough with the negativity guys, let’s discuss something positive, (pause) my Covid test”.

I believe in the cycle that existed, for the first time when I heard about Covid, I was in a space where I was thankful for the lockdown. The sheer joy of having to return home from a life of exhaustion, mental and physical was giving me the butterflies. To whomsoever I spoke, was happy about the lockdown. It was surprising how many people were looking for a break, some since years, some since weeks and some, all their lives. So when finally, we heard the news, many of us were definitely scared about the lives being lost and the turmoil being created, but deep inside the lost kid in us, just got the opportunity to bounce right back.

We became professionals, we danced, we sang, we became artists and amazing chefs. We saw content of all kinds on our feeds, be it the delicious food by our neighbor next door or the artist brought back to life by IAS uncle, who basked in the winter sun with his brushes and paints. This definitely painted a lovely picture, one of diversity and acceptance, or love and reliance, but most importantly it also brought back a smile to the 6-year old, boarding school-return.

Jobs have been lost, couples have been divorced, cyber attacks have touched the roof and intolerance? I fear you won’t tolerate hearing ’bout it. I wanted to give you a view, of both sides thereby eliminating the accusation of being biased. Yes, I smirked.

I’m hitting these keys after quite a long time. You should, too.

It’s about time, we welcome the new normal with open hands. One should be holding the guitar and the other, a zoom call-access phone.

Issues

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You’re a kid when you ask what’s an ‘issue’,

it is something you look forward to,

primarily an extra story,

to your recent favourite.

Gradually, the meaning deepens,

and darkens.

Much like innocence, maybe.

You live life,

to an extent that you forget about the ‘issue’ you were told.

While gradually developing some of your own.

And that is when it hits,

you’ve grown up.

Rachel Green. Identifying an American stereotype of an elite strata of society

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Being a typical ‘daddy’s lil girl’, Rachel Green’s character syncs with the personality type of a typically wealthy and spoilt girl, which can be observed from the first episode onwards. She has been living in a cocoon, a comfortably protected world until she runs away from her own wedding and tells her dad she does not love the groom. She has been unaware of the ‘hard-life’ of the outside world which can be perceived when she tries to work as a waitress at Central Perk and ends up being forgetful of the orders. With loads of money to spend, she has always been unaware yet not afraid to voice out her opinions, “no uterus, no opinion”. There resides an aura of high self- esteem around her which often comes from a sound financial backing and a cushy childhood.
She is highly sensitive, indecisive and loves to shop. Although, she also turns her hair blonde in the latter half of the seasons, she can comfortable fit into the dumb-blonde girl, noticing her questionable choice of interest in guys. Even her dialogues are somewhat implying an elite education with references of literature, she uses metaphors to express herself and gives out the impression of being materialistic and loving the luxuries of life. She was one hundred percent a New York lifestyle girl, with a social life which she cherished.
She lives in her own bubble without realizing the feelings of many around her. She thrives from a lavish life, which is hard for her to come out of. This can be observed from her reactions when her friends make her cut her credit cards in two. We can see her heart shredding to pieces. It is a surprising revelation for the audience to see her becoming more responsible as she becomes a mother. From being forgetful and clumsy, she emerges out to become a confident and independent single mother, who goes ahead to finish what she started, be it professional or personal.
In a paper titled, ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ on researchgate, Denis Maye points out the role of the paternal figure often overshadows a majority of the adult life. He studies how paternal relationships impact the development of hope in American girls, specifically (Maye 2). Here, we can observe that Rachel’s green’s character also comes from the ‘class’ and ‘background’ she has come from. In a paper titled, ‘Audience Interpersonal Identification with the Television Series Friends as it is Reflected in Avid Viewers within the Twixter Life Stag’, Peckham identifies Rachel’s character to be the most popular, one who kept a lighthearted perspective. She fit perfectly in the wealthy spoilt girl in the first 4 seasons, after which she gradually matured without killing the fashionista (another elite choice) kid in her.

Works cited:
Maye, Denise. (2004). Daddy’s little girl. Journal of Children and Poverty. 10. 53-68.
10.1080/1079612042000199232

The Waiting List

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The gun shot thundered and made the creaking windows of the old Vaniyambadi senior citizen’s waiting room tremble, it was a sound that no one could have missed. Even Mrs. Dasgupta, a close to retirement professor who was hard of hearing looked up at her husband in response to what she just heard. There was a minute’s silence, the calm before the chaos, until everyone became a part of the enraged hustle-bustle at the Vaniyambadi Railway station. There was utmost terror in the eyes of the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Dasgupta who were asked to step out of the sealed waiting room. They had been locked inside for two days, without food and water, they were utterly distraught.

It was an exciting week for Mr. and Mrs. Dasgupta who were famous for their travel mania and had planned to visit Kodai Kanal, the coming weekend. A day before the planned trip, Mrs. Dasgupta said “I don’t feel right, do we necessarily need to go?”. Her husband was quite irked by her recent interest in astrology and the mythical scriptures of restrictions which came along with it. He dissed her concerns about the trip seeing a downfall, which she knew about, through her Tarot card reading. “Literature suited you well, but this new interest of yours has started affecting our lifestyle altogether, dear” remarked her husband as he continued packing their bags. 

The following day they reached the station well on time. With excited smiles and warm hugs, their children came to bid them a happy journey. The train kept on getting delayed, and Mrs. Dasgupta’s fears were just beginning to evolve into something greater. Chennai’s heat had already taken a toll on Mr. Dasgupta’s temperament and he went forth to book another train which passed by a common route. They shared their compartment with Sister Nimmy, a nun from a convent in Shillong and Lobsang Sigma, a musician from Arunachal Pradesh. Being of a very jovial nature, Mrs. Dasgupta started a chat with the nun while her husband sat silently, watching the buildings fly by. He was soon interrupted by a nurse, who did not look a day older than 25. “Hello sir, your wife is asking for you in the next compartment. She sent me to give you this message and take care of your belongings”. He zoned in suddenly and realized his wife was not there, they had passed by two stations and the next was the Vaniyambadi station, where he was supposed to change his train. He hurried towards her and saw that she sat in amongst a family, with her haring aid put on, listening to Lobsang Sigma’s melodies. 

“It is time to leave dear, I hope you had a lovely time” he said to her as he held her hand to give support. They got down from the train and waited in the waiting area which too, had a waiting list. It was 7:00 a.m and both of them were extremely tired of waiting for the other train to arrive. “There is a separate waiting area for the senior citizens, sir. I can guide you there. Please follow me” said a tall fellow, who seemed to be a worker there at the station. “I am Aman, a mechanic here and was running off for duty when I saw you both. I’m glad I could be of help” he said as he opened the door to the waiting room. The couple smiled at him and entered in to find the nurse, who was in the train. Mr. Dasgupta remembered that she had suddenly disappeared when he had gone to take his belongings. She gave them a smile and it was then that they discovered something fishy, there was a person lying on the floor, in the corner of the room and the nurse’s lipstick was blood red.

As soon as he turned back to look at the mechanic, he heard the sound of a latch and instantly knew that they were in trouble. The door had been locked, and they were stuck inside with a nurse whose lips were sewed in a smile and a corpse, which had started exhibiting traces of its scent. The couple shuddered and was about to scream for help when the mechanic returned. “They did not follow what I said, and you see their fate. Do as I say, or you’d be sitting next to them” said Aman, the psychotic mechanic. Unfortunately, Mrs. Dasgupta’s hearing aid had fallen so she bent down to pick it up. Anticipating a smart move, Aman dashed at her and held her wrist. He punched her husband who fainted under the pressure and woke up to see himself tied to a chair beside his wife. 

“I am so relieved to see you awake” cried his wife, while trying to nudge her chair closer to his. “This man is mad, he has gone mad, he is fooling and bringing aged people to this room only to kill them, we need to do something fast. The nurse we had seen ran out this morning. He ran after her and”-

The gun shot thundered and made the creaking windows of the old Vaniyambadi senior citizen’s waiting room tremble, it was a sound that no one could have missed. Even Mrs. Dasgupta, a close to retirement professor who was hard of hearing looked up at her husband in response to what she just heard. There was a minute’s silence, the calm before the chaos, until everyone became a part of the enraged hustle-bustle at the Vaniyambadi Railway station. There was utmost terror in the eyes of the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Dasgupta who were asked to step out of the sealed waiting room. They had been locked inside for two days, without food and water, they were utterly distraught. The police came in with guns, they pointed out a knife in the hand of Mrs. Dasgupta which her husband was shocked looking at. “This is wrong, we are saying there is something utterly wrong!” they exclaimed as they were pushed into a police van. 

Mrs. Dasgupta served tea to her husband as she recounted the scariest two days of her life. She knew that the nurse was dead, the mechanic had shot her, right in the head.  She had helped the girl to run away and in exchange she had been given the knife, to save her husband and herself from the psychotic’s torture. Had she not helped the nurse to get away, maybe she would have been alive today. She had trouble living now, with blood red lipstick haunting her and reminding her of the nurse’s lips, her pale face, before she ran away. She realized a dead life would have been better than to live this life seeing the dead, in the end, she did not let that knife lie there at her house idle, she brought it to use and the readers can be left guessing how. 

How to Survive in a New Town

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People can live wherever they wish to, after all man is a social animal. The town might bombard you with a new culture, a new dialect, a new mindset but your survival would invariable be dependent upon how well you adapt to it. It is always a little inconvenient at first as it is perceived in a different way by different kinds of people. For instance, the extroverts might see
this as an opportunity to explore, to interact and be part of the community, whereas the introverts might want to sit back and go along with the flow, taking their own pace to adapt to what the town has to offer.
People learn with time, and one has to be patient to imbibe a culture one has never been accustomed to.

Overcome the Language Barrier
Firstly, it is of primary importance to learn the language used in the town. One’s job becomes easy when that individual is well versed with the language. Language plays an important ice-breaking role and develops a bond or connect when there’s an interaction in the local language. Languages have a major influence on how one can survive, in a new town. Even if the individual is not aware of the local dialect used there, the person can find people who share the language. If that seems difficult, it is best to use the medium of English or the common language, to express and ask for what one wants. Once the language barrier has been crossed, it is important to have knowledge about the local supermarket where one can run to, whenever the need arises. With this information, a person can feel comfortable and assured of accessibility options.

Join a Community
In a new town, one is bound to feel homesick. It happens for people who have lived for ling with their families. So, it is best for the introverts to gain access to libraries and bookstores of the town. Whereas the extroverts can join communities for book talks, or recreational activities like Zumba or Yoga. Being a part of something, makes one feel welcomed and important. Such activities would keep the person occupied and not leave space for homesickness or sadness. Moreover, a healthy body makes a healthy mind. Once, an individual becomes a part of something, usually friendships thrive, and that may give rise to a feeling of belongingness and acceptance.

Learn the Maps
For easy accessibility, the person should know and learn where what is. It is good to have people around to tell you where to go, but it is best to be independent. Once a person becomes independent, and lives a life of confidence, other people too start to respect and acknowledge that person. It makes once confident as well, giving the midframe to move out to explore and express in a new town which has so much to offer, if only looked at.
Surviving in a new town, is not a cake walk, it requires courage to leave a place one’s been accustomed to and living somewhere new. Although, it is a great opportunity to learn about new cultures, languages, interests and people. Survival mode is on, when one can have access to food, primarily. As per Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, that is the first point. Then comes the
individuals want for sustainability, security and safety. The third is social acceptance, which is how the person survives. These three factors, when covered can ensure a person’s survival, in the case of relocation to a new town.

My Take on Alfred Hitchcock’s, ‘The Birds’

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The film is said to be one of the best films that Hitchcock ever made. Through the story of Melanie Daniels, we come to see how nature intervenes with the lives of individuals who are busy with expanding their offices, homes and pockets. This film creatively transforms the most passive creatures into a catalyst of fear and destruction. It is though the meticulous editing that Hitchcock is able to send across his message of survival against a sudden danger that appears out of everyday life. This technique of weaving numerous elements into a film helps to have a lasting impact on the viewers.

Hitchcock utilizes camera angles, to have the influence of birds or their presence in a majority of the scenes. It is the birds that have the leash on the humans, birds control the actions of the humans from the very first scene. The ambient sounds of birds fill a large number of scenes in the film. The chirping madness of birds is viewed as something odd, in the very first scene, which is a technique of foreshadowing; telling the viewers what is going to follow. The protagonist enters the pet shop and we see birds in cages, all around here. This sets the precedent for more scenes to follow, relating to the birds. Inside, the birds are in cages but for the outside world it is the humans who are under the watch of birds, always.

Moreover, the camera angle in one of the film’s most iconic moment, is used in a climbing frame scene to let us know that birds are inescapable. The attire of Melanie makes her look like a bird, due to the color and her delicate and fragile built. There are a flock of crows sitting behind her which become quite prominent and dominant frame. The camera cuts are shown as transcending through time, showing Melanie’s impatience. Then arrives the moment, where she eyes on flying bird and then we see the flock of crow assembled right behind her. In the background score, we hear the schoolchildren singing an incomprehensible song which helps in increasing the absurdity of the what is happening around Melanie. In another scene, the chirping of the “pretty” lovebirds, significantly positioned between Mitch’s former and future “lovebirds,” rouse Annie’s jealousy and/or suspicion even further (the emotional feelings of both women are caged-up and unrevealed. This hietens the plot of the film, as we can simultaneously relate the background scores with the scenes which are unfolding.

The Birds, uses a high angle shot also called a bird’s eye view shot, that captures the ferocious behavior of birds as they descend on manmade structures. An ecclesiastic example of this camera angle comes after the gas station explosion, as an aerial shot watches the fire unfold as the birds swoop in from off camera, as if to rejoice over a victory. Another element which Hitchcock engages with, is space. The film opens with large open shots of the San Francisco, lakefront towns and specifically affluent areas but ends with small, claustrophobic spaces, which make the characters in the film look subdued and scared. A shot to give as an example would be of Melanie who is sitting on a couch, looking small and weak portraying the impact, the bird attacks have had on her. 

To move into further depth, we can analyze the extensive step Melanie takes of trapping herself inside the phonebooth, for safety. An example of how birds are, trapped in cages with outside elements being inches away. This scene therefore comes as a role reversal, where instead of the birds, it is Melanie who is trapped in a small, enclosed space.The film’s technical wizardry is out of the box, when it comes to the last scene of the film, a complex, trick composite shot. Throughout the film, there is an overlaying electric soundtrack which includes simulated bird cries and wing flaps, which adds to the intensity of the scenes. The film has an open ended closing scene, where the viewers are left with questions regarding what follows.