Hello! It has been a while - two years, to the date, in fact - since my last post, a lovely recipe for Pizza Sauce, and I guess, life happened? I started working in August 2020, and as the months passed and the pandemic continued to rage, this little blog of mine was forgotten.
I hope the past two years were kind to you, as we all navigated multiple challenges that came our way.
Life updates from me? I've been working for more than two years now, and as WFH shifted to a more-hybrid set up, I moved out of home a few months ago, to be closer to my workplace (that's the official reason, I also just really wanted to move out!) and I've been living the independent adult life since.
It's been a lot of learning and growing, partying and budgeting, as well as moving away from fancy elaborate cooking that I would do once in a while at home, to quicker and more practical recipes, now that I'm actually trying to feed myself!
When I realised a couple of hours ago that two years had passed since my last blog post, I was tempted to abandon this whole endeavour - like I'd done with so many others in the past. I was then reminded of a poem I hastily scribbled down, earlier this year in May.
While I was sorting through and packing up almost 23 years worth of belongings before I moved out, I came across many reminders of old hobbies. Around the same time, there was a poetry competition at work, and what appeals to corporates more than reminiscing about old, forgotten hobbies? So I submitted the below poem, and as I read it again just now, I realised I've never really shared much of my personal writing before, but here goes:
Old Friends
I came across a box of treasured memories,
and as I brushed off the layer of dust
that had accumulated over the years,
I opened it to find remnants of the past
Calligraphy pens and empty bottles of ink,
From the summer I went through pages and pages of ruled paper,
Fingers cramped
Perfecting every letter,
Every stroke,
Every flourish
Now forgotten, except when I have to write someone's name
In honour of a well-deserved recognition
Strips of paper and curling tools,
From the two years of middle school I discovered paper quilling
Embellishing every card and
Piece of jewelry
With paper strips in a vast array of hues
Now forgotten, except when Amma wants a pair of earrings to match her outfit exactly
Beads and threads in every colour and size,
From the summer camp I learnt macramé,
Converting these items into beautiful bracelets and keychains,
For every friend,
And cousin
Now forgotten, except when I remember that a certain knot will work perfectly to hang a potted plant
My old ghungroo,
From years of learning Kathak,
Days spent spinning around to accomplish the perfect chakra,
And practicing each mudra
Now forgotten, except when I hear the sound of a familiar bol or tune that makes me jump up and step into the footwork to match the rhythm
The shruthi pettige,
Gifted to me by my great-grandmother,
Used intensively to practice my Carnatic scales,
As I learnt to perfect the raaga I was named after
Now forgotten, because when I want to sing a certain swara
I have a tanpura app on my phone
As I rummaged through that box,
I was reminded that
Once loved, now forgotten interests
Are like old friends, watching you journey your way through life,
That is to say,
The things you love will always be there, waiting for you
For I also found an old notebook entitled,
'My attempts at writing poetry'
With scribbled verses,
And attempted rhymes
Now forgotten, except when the incentive to put pen to paper arises,
And the words flow out of me like poetry once more
So here I am, reaching out to this old friend, good old Mo's Musings and I guess we shall see how this journey goes from here. I'm excited to see how this blog evolves, and I hope you are too!
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