Lucid smoke

Standing out in the balcony staring at the moon befogged by the clouds, he lit up a cigarette. His thoughts suddenly became alive as the first puff melted away with the steering wind.

It was that time of the day when he would be at his most thoughtful self; all the procrastinated plans would come up one by one like an advancing queue at a take-out restaurant. The decisions were quick and spontaneous.

He hadn't called back home in while, mom would be really worried. He knew he definitely liked the girl, but he hadn't talked to her for a while now, she hadn't called back too. He knew his new initiative is going to take him a long way; he would definitely make that presentation tomorrow. He is going to start writing his new book too, the ideas are plenty, it's definitely going to be the next bestseller. And the guitar which was bought a month back and disposed off in the corner, he will definitely spend the next few months mastering it, the girls love the rockstar kind. The paunch has also become visible, he would definitely start working out; he was never the unfit kind.

As he blew out the puffs of smoke, the story became more and more elucidating. With all the chores lined up, he put off the cigarette butt. This is definitely going to be his last cigarette, he has been intending to quit for some time. He was somewhat content and stared at the silver crescent in the sky with a gratifying demeanor. The moonlight was abridged by the passing clouds as he stood there staring.

It was a while when he realized he has been standing out there gazing at nothingness. He shook his head as if trying to shake himself into consciousness and lit up another cigarette.

Life happens..Get going

The still darkness of night shattered by the drops of rain smashing across the tin roof, the occasional howl of the wind demons, the stillness of the subdued light originating from the corner and a familiar lullaby playing in your head; makes you miss something, something not tangible, something you cannot name even if you want to, something you wouldn't want to be thinking about.
It's there, always there on the back of your mind even in those busy work schedules where you have to stretch that extra hour to get the work done,even in those exhilarating adventures where your mind is preoccupied with the thrill, even in those happy moments where you are a child all over again. It takes a back seat for a while but reappears with every chance it gets, filling you with the overwhelming emotion, your eyes all wide looking for that all elusive something.
It could be love for the romantic, success for the ambitious, peace for the sinful, a friend for the lonesome, home for the lost or could be a motley; I hope it gets you going first thing in the morning when the rain stops; or that dreaded sound on the tin roof is going to haunt you forever.

MAD^FADs

Things I used to hear from my parents all the time but actually learned in last 6 months:

--> If you have ten different tasks on your plate pick out the most difficult task first and finish it off. Having the toughest task done will give you the boost to finish off the list. As the wise men say "Well begun is half done".

-->If you really want to do something and find no one to do it with, then just stop waiting for others to join in. Take the darned first step and soon you will find that you won't need to call others...people will join in.

-->You will realize the value in being able to walk, talk, eat, drink, play normally when you are not well and can't do one of these things.

-->Many discoveries and inventions were a not planned...they were part of an accident. The point is: Keep Experimenting.

-->Don't get mad at yourself when you mess up something attempting it for the first time. Being good at something takes time and effort. Sachin was also clumsy when he held the bat for the first time.

-->It take hard work to become a good player from a bad player. It takes a whole lot more to improve from good to very good. More effort won't help you become the best, you would need passion along with the effort.

-->Be prepared to work hard if you truly want to enjoy your idle time. Being idle all the time sucks.