5 Library and Bookstore Thoughts

I love reading and hence, often find myself at my local library and in bookstores. The other day when I was at the library, I suddenly realized that I've always had these few thoughts about libraries and bookstores that have been floating around in my head since the time I was a kid.

1. This place is like a city in itself. Like an artists' colony. Where the best, also-rans and mediocre folks stand side-by-side, proudly flaunting their titles on their spine.

2. Don't these books get tired standing all the time? I mean, I'm sure they'd love to lie down on their front and back once in a while, like we humans do while sleeping.

3. I often see people picking up books from one section, say Fiction and keep them in another section, say Non-Fiction, when they decide they don't want to buy or issue it. At such times, these books must be feeling so awkward, being in another territory. Do the books of that  section give them the cold-shoulder treatment till an attendant returns them to their correct section? Or do they exchange friendly banter? I wonder.

4. What happens during the night-time, after the library or bookstore shuts down? Do they all come out and party, play, stretch themselves and then hurriedly go back to their shelves as the day breaks? Because I swear when I go to the library on consecutive days, sometimes I see some books on a completely different shelf than where they were the day before. Well, I now know this is because someone else must have shifted their place, but I was a kid when this struck me. Such thoughts tend to occur at that age.

5. Finally, this is the one thought that troubles me even today, whenever I step inside a library or bookshop. I can't help thinking how books must be feeling so very suffocated being shut all the time. Especially the titles which people browse through rarely. I look at them, standing straight and shut. I hear their silent cries, imploring us to open them and devour what they have to offer. At such times, I feel like opening each one of them and reading them.

Well, these are just my thoughts, but I feel we all should read more.

Wanting The End

I have some time, I can do this now,
But I'll wait some more and start somehow.
I have some time, won't panic yet,
And just like that goes another sunset.
 
I wish for some things so hard it seems,
I'll will them to me with my daydreams.
I wish for some things when I fully know,
That I don't deserve them without sweating the plough.
 
I know the answers that my questions beg,
I just condemn them into a sub-conscious corner instead.
I know the answers that my problems ask,
And yet here I am, masquerading in a mask.
 
I wish I could tear my mouth apart,
Reach down inside and pull out my heart.
I wish I could tear into that bloody mess,
And sort out these troubles that I have confessed.
 
Nothing will happen by writing these words,
By rhyming this broken glass' shards,
Nothing will happen by wanting the end,
I'll just have to buck up and start over again.

Freestyle fitness

If your aim is body-building, I'm not sure if this is the post for you. If you are looking to remain fit, strong and in lean shape, read on.

I am a huge advocate of doing freestyle exercises, rather than working out in the gym. Anywhere, anytime exercises, where the only equipment you need is yourself and the floor. There are four exercises which I feel are all that you need to get into splendid shape and remain fighting fit.
1. Push-ups
2. Pull-ups
3. Surya Namaskar
4. Skipping
Of the above, if you cannot manage everything, the least you should do is Surya Namaskar. It exercises all the muscles in your body extremely well. People who are on the heavier side can start with the 12-step Surya Namaskar. Others can do this version of the Surya Namaskar.
For skipping, you don't necessarily need a skipping-rope. Skipping on-the-spot whilst moving your wrists will do as well.
There are many reasons why doing push-ups and pull-ups is way better than lifting dumbells and weights in the gym. One basic reason is, when you are doing push-ups and pull-ups, you are in fact, unwittingly lifting almost your entire body weight; something that you cannot usually do while lifting weights. What more would you want? Imagine trying to lift bars or doing benchpress equal to 60 kgs, 70 kgs or whatever your weight is. Almost impossible!
If you can supplement these exercises with swimming, nothing like it. This is also for people looking to lose a lot of weight. Please invest in a pool membership, a good pair of swimming costume, cap, goggles and ear plugs. Learn and start swimming regularly. You will get instant results.
As to how many counts and sets of each exercise you should do, it depends on your body type, weight and such things. I'd suggest that with these exercises in mind, consult any physical trainer to guide you on this aspect.

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified fitness instructor. These observations are largely based on my experiences over the years in my constant endeavor to remain fit. I believe they will help everyone as they have helped me and many others with splendid results.

Today

We look back
We peek ahead
We strain our neck standing where we are.

We want to cover our tracks
We want a red carpet rolled out
While we stand on the quicksand of today.

We want one eye at the back of our head,
While the two in front gaze far ahead,
Not bothered with where we tread.

The ghosts of the past haunt us,
The uncertainties of the future taunt us,
But our biggest punishment is, we must live in the present.

Toe the line

If there is one thing I’d love to do,
It would be to stray beyond the realm of your consent
to toe the line
- just a little bit, a tiny bit.
Enough to make you wonder if you should be cross
or allow yourself to feel refreshingly exploited,
In a way no one would have made you feel in a long time
Or maybe in a few weeks.
For your demeanor discourages initiative
but I know better, because I have come close more than once
And you have allowed me to, in spite of yourself.
And so I will toe the line
- this once, just this once
and you’ll know if you want more.