How to devour a book

"Look at it. See it. Are you looking? Are you seeing? Yes..good. Now, take it in your hands. 

Feel it. 
Run your fingers down the spine. Make sure you get all the ends. Be careful, gentle even. You could hurt yourself. 

Next. 
Close your eyes, bring it upto your face. Still gently caressing it. Make your fingers create a ripple across the pages...mmm...eyes closed, let your sense of smell take over. Feel that warm flutter? Sense the magic? Smells like home, doesn't it? Are you excited? Scared? I can't promise that you will be fine after it's through with you though...no one is ever the same once they star--No no no. Don't stop. Don't worry. 

Open your eyes again... Don't be nervous. Open it up,the book. Gently with love. Set your eyes on the words now, devour them. Your mind, let it absorb the meaning."

"When do I stop?" he asked looking up. His mouth slightly open. 

"When you feel something." 

An hour later, he looks up. "Now what?" He asks, breathless and glassy-eyed

"Now. You take what you're feeling and you wrap your gaping lips around it. Leave it on your tongue. Let your mouth do its job. Wait for it...less dry now? Roll that feeling around your mouth, let every taste bud try it...hmm..eyes closed...yes. Let it sink in. Familiarise yourself with it. You don't want to miss out anything. Take what its given you. Let it wash over your being..Deep breath...take it in. 

Consume it, let it consume you."

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2014.  All Rights Reserved

Selfish

With every breath in, fear and uncertainty entered his being. With every breath out, there was hope.

Her past fueled his nature.

"Be with me" he whispered.

"I am with you." She replied, oblivious to what he meant, giving him a chance to take it back.

"You know what I mean"

"Yes, but I --" he cut her off and proceeded to convince her.

"You mean the world to me. You make me a better version of myself. I need you. Plain as simple as it sounds, I need you and I love you."

There it was. He laid his cards out on the table. The hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs. Still breathing in her hesitation while he stood there.

She smiled, the sorry kind of smile. The smile that tore the smiler and everyone else around apart. As her smile tore her apart she reached into her chest.

" I may be good for you" She said. "But what about what's good for me?"

Before he could respond she held up her hand to silence him, and removed her hand from her chest and laid out the rubble that came out of it. Shards of memory, mixed with stringy bits of her  heart.

"It's never about me or what I need,” she said, “and here's the crux of it all, I don't know what I need when I think I know what I need I'm generally wrong. I don't want to be wrong anymore. I don't have much of myself left to give away anyway. This is all I got."

The was a long pause, before the silence could deafen them, she concluded.

“And I’m done.”

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2014.  All Rights Reserved

Game of Thrones: Some spoilers I needed to get off my chest.

I just watched the first episode of season four of Game of Thrones.

It was intense.

This was the first episode I’ve watched properly, without skipping bits and acting like a know it all. I started the books last year in July and finished them in December. Also, the reason the readers of the series are frowned upon is simple, we know too much. It’s too hard to keep all of it in. It should be considered a real skill keeping our mouths shut, given that we won’t know more till 2015 (if we’re lucky).

I’m having the worst hangover ever. I’m living in more denial about this series than I’d like to admit, and I can blame the watchers for that with all your “NO SPOILERS PLEASE” bullshit. My own aunt told me she’ll disown me. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t trying to get over anything, but when I watched this episode it reignited emotions I had forgotten and now I feel the need to share them.

Like my love- hate relationship with all the normal sized Lannisters. They’re all so smart, except Jaime. He’s just conflicted and attractive.

Tywin, Oh, where do I begin? Maybe at the Rains of Castamere (Get it? And no I don’t mean the red wedding episode)?  I consider him one of the most powerful characters of the series, but he gets power drunk, hungry and turns a blind eye to his very own, very smart, imp of a son, Tyrion. That is why, with great success Tyrion kills him. No, don’t be surprised. With kingslaying, incest, and deceit running through their veins how is kinslaying a shock right?

Another normal-sized, much hated Lannister is Cersei. She’s brilliant. You want to slap her, but she’s brilliant in all her conceited glory. Lena Heady has done a fabulous job as Cersei. Martin, however is such a good writer, when you read the chapters that he writes from her point of view, you begin to understand her more and hate her less. It’s tormenting. All of a sudden you question your morality and values, and all your life decisions. Also, if you’re easily influenced and have a fairly attractive twin brother…well, ew.

She too, like most characters in the series is power hungry and has a voracious libido. All in all, she’s playing the Game of Thrones with too much emotion. After all, her children are her weakness. I have a feeling that it won’t bode well for her, but she will never go down without a fight. She strong like that...or to say it Martin’s words, “She never forgets a slight, real or imagined. She takes caution for cowardice and dissent for defiance. And she is greedy. Greedy for power, for honour, for love.”

Joffrey Baratheon, insult to the Baratheons (Because he’s not really a Baratheon), but the most accurate outcome of Lannister mating with Lannister. Don’t worry, he will die. He’s more stupid, than cruel. No one like that survives, especially if Petyr Baelish aka. Littlefinger can help it.

Petyr Baelish goes from being the Lord of the Littlest finger of the fingers (Look at the map of Westeros), to being an underlying bad-ass in the Game of Thrones. He doesn’t only play to survive, he lives and thrives. Everyone loves him and if they don’t, they need him. His weaknesses, but also his strengths are the daughters and granddaughter of Hoster Tully, Catelyn’s father.  He realizes their potential and uses it to his advantage in a way that even I wouldn’t want to spoil for the watchers. Keep an eye out for him.

Jon Snow grows up, not only because his cherry pops but because he has to make some hard choices, and he does it in a way any true Stark would have. Ladies, brace yourselves he gets sexier by the page and probably by the episode, and he survives the season. That’s more important than anything. Also, Kit Harrington is awesome because he’s read the books up to A Feast for Crows.  

Oberyn Martell aka. Red Viper, is a new character introduced this season, he’s mysterious and dangerous and he fights Gregor Cleagane, the Mountain. What they show of him in this season is only the tip of the ice berg with regard to the relevance of Dorne. For those that don’t know, Dorne wasn’t originally part of the Seven Kingdoms, and the Targaryens allied with them through marriage, and didn’t actually successfully conquer them even though they had dragons. So just imagine….

Speaking of Targaryens, Daenerys needs to get her shit together. It’s just embarrassing now.

I don't like Stannis but boy, does he do the right thing for once. 

I’m not saying anything about Tyrion or Arya. I respect those two way too much to speak of their feats so shabbily.

Now that it is all off my chest, my most sincere apologies to everyone who reads this. To those who have read the books, this is so funny, watch it.  

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2014.  All Rights Reserved. Images from Google. 

The Book Thief: A book lovers review of the movie

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is one of my favourite books. I read it when I was 12. It released in 2005 and I read it in 2007. I will admit, I thought I was a little young for it at the time, but I was in an around Liesel’s age, so I could relate to it very well.  It was the first historical-fiction novel I read. I felt myself grow as Liesel’s character developed. Liesel and I were the same person. It taught me that endings aren’t always happy. In a way the book took away my naivety and childish notions. It has contributed to my life in one of the biggest ways possible and that is, teaching me that Words are life. Even today, seven years later, it reminds me of when I was little, and it takes me back to a time when life was only hard if your book was sad, good, or ending. The worst is when it was sad but good and it came to an end, like The Book Thief.  

The overused copy. Acquired in 2007

Over the years I re-visited The Book Thief a lot, and fell in love with it a little more every time (I didn’t even think that was possible). I was also very fond of the cover of the book that I owned. So when my old paperback edition of the book wore out, I ordered the hardcover one with the same illustration. It’s the cover which has the image of the dominoes, depicting the chapter Dominoes and Darkness. I thought it was perfect and portrayed the essence of the story. The covers that followed this one disappointed me, and after 2008 quite a few of the publications had “Soon to be a motion picture” on it in the front. 

  

It was in May or June of 2013 that I saw the trailer of the film, and I cried. Not too many tears, just a few but it qualified as crying, same as each and every time I read the book. Its sheer literary genius always triggered something in me and I’d weep at its brilliance. The trailer was great and very promising. The actors had the German accents and everything. I was convinced that anything to with this book couldn’t be wrong, or bad or disappointing. Especially after I read about the New York Times blank page stunt the marketing team of The Book Thief movie pulled.

The movie released in the USA on November 15^th 2013 and according to the internet it was supposed to internationally release sometime in January 2014, but I come from Mumbai, India and it didn’t release in January, neither did it release in February. You can only imagine my disappointment.  A lot of people around me who had read the book had already watched the movie online and others who had read it refused too.

I was apprehensive about the film, no doubt, but curious as hell. Watching the film in a theatre was supposed be an event where I sat in a public space in my bubble, hugging my first copy of the book, to soak up the experience and all that (the book was for moral support just in case).  That obviously didn’t happen, and I started leaning towards not watching it at all. That was till I read the article Zusak wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald about how he let go of the book. This article encouraged me to not be so judgemental about book to movie/show adaptations. Someone else however (who I’m assuming watched the film), told me watching it alone on my laptop would be ideal for all the soaking and bubble experience.

I took heed of that advice and finally watched it today with a friend on her laptop and tried not to make a big deal of it. I played it cool.

It was a good movie. I actually really liked it. The actors were great. The accents were amazing (I have constantly been saying ‘nein’ instead of no). The story retained most of its remarkable aspects and some of the best dialogues weren’t lost in the film. They were mentioned differently or at different parts but they were there. Like in the book, Max Vandenburg isn’t the one who gives boy advice, but in the movie he does say “The only thing worse than a boy you hate, is a boy you like.” In the book it goes, “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you, is a boy who loves you.” I was glad to see that this vital bit of information was retained. I have learnt much from it. I also never thought I’d ever say or even think this but Max insanely attractive in the film. I mean, oh god, I thought he was HOT. Rudy’s hair was, is and will always be the colour of lemons, whether in the book or film. I was scared that Death (the narrator of the story) wouldn’t be done justice in the movie and he wasn’t. The first half of the film moved a little quick for me but I loved it all the same. They also call “Himmel Street”, “Heaven Street” and that bothered me a little, even though I’m aware that that’s the translation of the word from German to English.

The film was tear-jerking, but it wasn’t the sob fest I’d expected and I think that’s good too. Movie experiences are meant to be shared at the time of viewing unlike reading experiences. Reading is much too personal. So I was grateful that I didn’t meltdown while I watched the film.

"May this book inspire you to be the best writer in the world"

Brian Percival the director of the film has, according to me, made the film well enough for the viewing experience of someone who is not familiar with the book to want to actually read it. This is a skill I almost regard as a super power. At least in today’s day and age it is, because not enough people read things if they can watch them. I am also absolutely confident that whoever reads the book for the first time after watching the film will be in for a completely different experience and will love every bit of it.

So go ahead and watch the movie everyone, but make sure you read the book too.    

I recently learnt that Markus Zusak took fourteen years to write this book. Every bit of those fourteen years was worth the outcome. I only hope someday I create something this great, and someone somewhere loves it as much as I love this.

And to quote my favourite lines from the book, “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2014.  All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts of a love story of some kind

“There are so many moments to remember and sometimes I think that maybe we're not really people at all. Maybe moments are what we are.... Sometimes I just survive. But sometimes I stand on the rooftop of my existence, arms stretched out, begging for more.” - Markus Zusak


We lay there with our heads hard against the concrete. The hard cold concrete. Soft music filled our ears and the city stars shone above our heads. I was being her friend in this moment and I didn't even know how I was doing it, I just was. The songs began to describe the moment even more aptly and the city stars began turning into shooting stars.


She was crying, bitterly.


I haven't seen her in this light, ever. Is this what she was like when we fought?


She sobs and repeats under her breath how terrible a person she is and I cant see how so. I want to hug her and touch her and kiss her tears away but I'm scared. I am confused and spellbound because I have never seen her so vulnerable and yet so guarded at the same time. She cradles herself in her arms against her chest as if trying to make sure she doesn't physically fall apart with every crying breath.



After a while the music sounded louder as her sobs subsided and turned into deep breaths and questions. I answered them, and she giggled. We began to talk and I noticed she wasn't looking at me, and then she did.


All those seconds and minutes and songs became a moment, one that lasted through the crying, consoling and ended in a kiss.


It was poetic and beautiful and the emotion was palpable.



She called me a career choice, she called me a muse, an idiot, she also said she hates me without any conviction in her tone or in her eyes but I knew her heart.


I could describe her in many ways but horrible isn't one of them.


'What do we do now?' she asked and answered her own question better than I ever could.


'We do what we do, we be us.'

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2012.  All Rights Reserved. 

Wonderful People

Prolusion

It’s a happy day and I feel grateful. It’s a day to smile without a reason. A productive day. A day with a minor sense of achievement. A day where the music sounds nicer and cheesecake tastes better.

“Any resemblance to any person dead or living in the following essay is not a coincidence. Wonderful people do actually exist”

---------------------x-----------------------------------------x---------------------

People are nice.

Even the worst of them can turn someone’s day around when least expected.

I am writing this for myself and for all you people out there who pretend to be happy but when it comes down to it you’re full off cynicism, bitterness and hate. Where you want to do things to ‘get back’ at people who hurt you, or seek out revenge as a scorned lovers towards someone who cheated on you, or hold things against one another. The worst part is we don’t have feelings like these toward just anybody but towards people we have loved or love. In most cases its still love, but a bad toxic kind of love which leads to hatred and the other aforementioned feelings and qualities.

Everyone has had good and bad days and good and bad relationships. It’s quite pathetic because we remember the bad more than the good.

I believe however, that there should come a day in everyone’s lives where they get sick of the feeling and decide to make the little things count. It can be that one nice thing that can get you through the week.

It can be someone bringing you chocolate éclairs when you most need it. Or that moment when someone makes you sign a scrap of paper which you have a little piece of writing on in the hope and faith that one day you will be a world famous writer.

When you feel like its one of those crappy days some person who you only say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ to can wall post you a link that brightens up everything.

A ‘Goodnight’ text sent from the same person everyday who you haven’t met in forever.

A note saved on a phone full of all your favorite things. Things even you forgot you liked.

Also, have you ever had a day so terrible that you need a friend to call you every few hours to check if you’re still crying or not? The calls don’t help much really, until that person calls you half asleep and tells you how wonderful you are in five sentences and hangs up. It can go a long way with someone.

How having a caramel donut brought to you at 8am? Or having a piece of cherry flavoured white chocolate change your day? Or maybe a phone call by a friend when least expected or maybe a schezwan vada-pav.

It’s that vibe you get from a friend who doesn’t understand what you love and why you love it but makes an effort anyway, or just lets you steal their rings instead.

Or when someone you properly hung out with for the first time holds their pee in just to wait to pay the bill.

Even wildly scripted letters, or badly sketched birthday cards. Having let someone experiment on your hair can benefit you a lot too. The simple joy of doing the ‘Macerena’. Oh and by the way did you know a status on Facebook about wanting to read a book, can make someone just have it delivered to you?

I would be lying if I said that it is the thought that counts. It’s not the thought, it’s the little things. These little things and many more of which I have not mentioned have gotten me through a lot, a lot being the differences I’ve had with these same people.

For all of the times we’re lost and for all of the things we’re not.

Someone is always something you aren’t and you are always something that they are not. It’s a lovely little cycle we have going.

It is the little things that go a long way with me. It makes your not so perfect picture worth looking at.

Oh, and you wonderful people out there.

You know who you are!

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2012.  All Rights Reserved.

Change: The process of waiting for a new chapter to begin.

The past two years have been as slow as they have been fast. Sometimes a month went by too quick, and at other times we could barely kill enough time to make it through an afternoon without getting immensely bored.

I think everyone has had their fair share of drama in these past two years.

Drama, love and friendships. All of these, out of which some have taken a turn for the better and the others for the worse.

Being sixteen and seventeen has been fun. I felt like the very clichéd phrase had come to be true ‘Old enough to know better, young enough to care a damn.’

These past two years were fun and easy. It was only after we were done with the partying and fun did we realize we had an exam the next morning.

I think I speak for quite a few people when I say we’ve mastered the art of studying an entire portion just a day before the paper.

With junior college came an increase in freedom. Things were different around us. People were different.

Life was good. Comfortable. With a familiarity of sorts, and with very little responsibility.

Life is still good.

We’ve all given our final 12th grade exams.

We’ve all celebrated the end of that era.

All that is left to do now is question the correction method as we face the outcome of our efforts.

I however, am not afraid of the outcome.

It’s the result of the outcome of our efforts that have got me thinking.

This summer has been the waiting room for what life has to offer us next. The world seems to be getting smaller day by day and yet seeming so big .The change has almost been palpable to me in the last few weeks and it has only built up.

It’s like the end of a great book.

The season finale of what was the summer of 2012.

However, it is the beginning of a new chapter in all our lives.

Time to make new friends, hold onto the old ones, make mistakes and move on.

Cheers to everyone who has turned 18 or will be turning 18 this year. 2012 is a pretty cool year to turn 18 in case the world does end.

A happy birthday to everyone who I have forgotten to wish or will forget to wish in this year despite Facebook, and in the words of Neil Gaiman

“I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”

Copyright © Kanika Chopra. 2012.