Well, that’s been an extremely long time, I’d say. And I can say this because after all, this is my writing update. I did survive 2020, in case anyone was wondering. In fact, I moved to Barcelona in January of that year to be close to my #PakispanishLover –
Wait, what? A new update? So soon after the last one? Why yes, I aim to surprise! I have just published the second Sundae, and I have to say that I have a really good feeling about writing them based on prompt suggestions. It stretches my imagination as well as my writing muscles, for some suggestions are much further away from my comfort zone than others. Like this one; I had to stretch far because I never write about ‘space’.
After his tenth lap, Sheldon always got into the zone. Back and forth, back and forth. The steady rhythm of his strong limbs moving through the water had a hypnotising effect. Soothing. It had taken him a couple of months to get used to the strict mandatory laps rules of the Colony; back on Earth he hardly left the bed for any other reason than to change the Battery Regulation System when it was down. Life had been so easy. His bed had everything he desired, from refrigerator to ISL. He had Instant Social Life here too, but who needed to connect digitally when you lived together in a sphere with fifty other humans on their first mission to AK-9854271.
School started again and now I wish I had put more effort into finding my focus to write during the Summer season. It turns out that my Minor (Arab Culture & Language) is rather time consuming; I love this, because I love learning, but it leaves me ample time to do anything else. Last month I put a new feature on the site which would help me actually write something, anything, creative on a weekly basis.
Twelve beef hamburgers sizzled on the hot plate. Lena stared at them until it was time for the flip. The flip was her favourite part of this stupid Summer job. She hated the smell. She hated the noise. She hated the contact with other people. She hated her co-workers. She hated how little she earned for working her ass off thirty two hours a week. But most of all, she hated herself. This self loathing had nothing to do with her job at the burger joint; it had everything to do with why she was there.
(Book / film compare and contrast: Flowers for Algernon)
The bromide opinion about clichés is that they owe their popularity to the truth oozing out of their very core. One such saying is that ‘it’s the little things in life that matter’, and when it comes to the book versus film analysis of Flowers for Algernon, not a syllable is untrue about this statement. Daniel Keyes’ novel about a mentally challenged man who finds himself the centre of an intelligence increasing science experiment, thrives on modest details (Keyes, Flowers for Algernon, 1966). To start with the eponymous Algernon, being a mouse, of course, is small in size. Algernon matters in both book and movie, for without the little critter, there would be no experiment. Digging deeper into the core of the plot, the main character Charlie Gordon comes to the realisation that before the operation, when his life was less complicated and he did not comprehend the world he inhabited, he was happier.
“Greed is good.” Gordon Gekko was rather adamant about his statement in the 1987 film Wall Street. Self assurance is not a synonym for being right though: greed is not good. On the contrary; it is devastating to our environment. Greed always comes to the expense of another being, for there is no room for any sentiment other than ‘kill or be killed’, ‘eat or be eaten’ in the business world. With this culture, businesses all over the world have been responsible for the extinction of tens of thousands of species. When allowed to continue, it will be the end of all. Humans are among the few species able to live outside nature; they tend to forget though that nature is still needed to survive.
(Psych Universe) Carlton looked up from the police report he was writing, to take a sip of his coffee. He had changed his habits and switched from three creams, four sugars to black as midnight on a moonless night. He wasn’t the man to change habits for anything but good reason– as was the case. The Department physician had told him to consume healthier products if he wanted to still be able to perform his job on the same level he was used to, in a decade. There was nothing in Carlton’s life he was more proud of than his position as Head Detective at the Santa Barbara Police Department, (well, maybe his respectable collection of guns) and so he had taken action.
(Story written in Dutch) “We zijn hier allen bijeengekomen om afscheid te nemen van Mannes Eik. We kenden Mannes als een innemende man met een warm hart. Zijn filantropische instelling heeft velen van de armoede gered en de voornemens om een stichting ter ere van zijn goede werk op te richten zouden hem zeker deugd doen.” De kerkleider knikt gemoedelijk naar twee verzorgd uitziende heren op de voorste bank.
(Harry Potter Universe) Softly muttering to himself, a squatted young boy was looking at the muddy ground in front of him. His eyes squeezed into slits, he concentrated hard. He put his little hands in the earth, and smiled quietly when images popped up in his head. He still wasn’t sure what his final destination would be, but now he had more of a clue as to where to go.
“Ruman?”
He ignored the maid’s calling in the distance, and continued his search. He had no time for whatever she needed him for right now. He had found some interesting tracks leading into the woods, and he wanted to find their owner before it fell dark.
“Ruman!”
(Harry Potter Universe) He had been sitting there for nearly two hours now, staring into the void, oblivious to the people surrounding him in the always busy Leicester Square park. He had so much to think about, to consider, yet nothing came to him. His mind was empty and truth be told – he liked it that way. The past few years had been the hardest of his life, and now it was time for a change. The thing was, he had no idea what kind of change.
(Harry Potter Universe) Lily woke up with a start. She put her hand to her mouth, remembering her shameless dream. She checked beside her, to confirm whether James was still asleep. She let out a grateful sigh to see him breathe in and out steadily. She looked at her trembling hand. What on Earth had possessed her to dream so intensely about Severus Snape!
(Harry Potter Universe) For the thirtieth time, Dora checked herself in the mirror. She knew pink suited her best, but there was a lot of pink in her wardrobe to choose from. Pink dresses, pink trousers, pink tops, pink negligé… She smiled cheekily. Her date would not feel comfortable if he knew she was thinking about that! If she estimated him correctly, he was the type of guy that wouldn’t dare going past holding hands, until at least the tenth date! And this would only be their first.
My puppy, I love you! Eyes light up; exuberance meets zest; my darling little puppy pup; your love has me blessed. Always happy; never sad. Every morning you awake, expressing your fervour with delight. Euphoria knows no break; you are easy to ignite. Always cuddly; never…
Sharing a bath. What is this? It’s soap. Fucking Mowgli.