Gaurav's Blog

This can usually be found on Twitter.

Long, long, time, eh? Well, I, err, must, without, like, pausing, say, it's, err, not, ummm, entirely, ah, without, uh, reason. So, err, how, um, have, you, err, been?

Okay, really, down to business:

• Harry Potter vs. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: and of course my favorite author comes out ahead. Am trying to organise an outing for Charlie & the Choc fac, because I have to watch it, and I might have to cry afterwards.
• A review of the Half Blood Prince, and I have to agree, mostly. "The standard of writing is as before: simple and a bit clunky—how you'd love to get in as an editor to tighten it up and straighten it out; the story lines are getting a bit repetitive in their twists and turns - one lot of magic seems much like another to an adult reader." and "Boy-girl relationships are a large part of the story ... These are, however, curious. In their depiction of early teen, confused, messy, ties lasting days or weeks, the form seems accurate, but they are bloodless and passionless." and "This [refering to the the politically involved and satirical tone of the novel] is a new J.K. Rowling, and an interesting one: a satirical novel for grown-ups from her might be an interesting read."
• Another review, which says "The chess pieces are in place, and its up to Book 7 to see if there's a checkmate or a fold. If she can break with the formula (and all the elements are there for her to do so), we might go out on a high point. And if not? ... Well it can't be more embarrassing than Anakin's "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!". So true.

Can you repeat the question? No. Oh. How rude.

I've had a rather interesting time lately, with a lot of, shall we say, repeats: bits of life looking just slightly like something I've seen a long, long time ago, but still different, still new; a push unexpected and (as Tolkien puts it so beautifully) unlooked for. I was just thinking yesterday, how it's times like that which define you - I mean, sure, yes, it's the crunch times which change you too, but for me (I don't know why, I've just never responded well to pressure, or something, I guess) it's always been the happy times which change me. The bits where time itself turns flexible, and opportunities hide beneath every surface, and life has, if not meaning, then atleast a direction. Like flowing water, finding a slope to chase down before saturating once again at the base.

And, like me, the water has changed. It has lost potential energy, but look - it's a new shape, in a new place, looking out at the world with newfound wonder. And once enough of it drips down, we overflow the rock which stops us and the chase down the hillside begins anew.

(There, I'm done. The Grand Olde English Grammaticists can stop rolling in your graves now).

This post was posted by Unknown at 9:37 pm