Here we are ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first week of the writing challenge. I hope you’re all excited, because I sure am!
In this week’s challenge I invite you to write about anything that you find interesting and exciting. The world is your oyster 🙂 Think about something that happened you in the past week. Something that made you happy, excited, or even angry. Focus on things that are small that would usually slip your mind after the first thought.
You can find a little more of the brief and the rules in my post here.
A few things that could help your post…
- If images excite you or can take your post to a higher level, please feel free to do so.
- There is no word limit to this week’s challenge. You can write a short one or a long one. It is completely up to you.
- The format of your post is anything that will help take your idea forward. It could be a dialogue, poem, a combination of both, etc. There are no rules.
- I would encourage a single entry per participant. However, if you believe you have more to share, you can post that up as well. Just remember, there are three more weeks to the challenge!
You can leave a link to your post or write the post in the comments. (It is preferable if only the people who do not have blogs, but want to participate, use the comments for their post. Lets try to keep the page as neat as possible) If you like someone’s post, do tell them that you appreciate their work by liking their post.
Remember the challenge closes at midnight on November 4th, 2014. Also, remember to hashtag your posts! #bitofthisandlotofthat. Do not hesitate to get in touch with me for any queries, clarifications, or even for a little nudge at abitofthisandalotofthat@gmail.com.
Keep it simple. Keep it light. Keep it true to yourself.
Happy Writing!
Aren’t you the sweetest? I loved reading through your blog, and the recipes.. mmm mmm mmm..
Anyhow, am done. Wrote the post for your challenge. My first thoughts were to write about shoes, and you know why, but then I didn’t want to cheat so wrote about a drink we all always find interesting. Plus, your challenge kind of helped me put my energies back in the blog again. Here goes nothing.
#bitofthisandlotofthat Week 1
http://www.mszknowitall.com/spring-sangria/
Yaaaiiieee!!! I’m glad you’re back writing your blog. This is so exciting!!! I so feel like having a Sangria right now!
Keep collecting those ideas. There are more challenges coming up!
Cheers!! 😀
Space-time conundrum
What is the connection between a semi-bored, cricket enthusiast watching the final of the World Series (for most of the world that doesn’t care about baseball, the last game of the 7-game series that decides the champion) and one of the greatest discoveries of science by probably the most genius individual of the 20th century (it is Einstein, and I am sticking to it)? The space-time conundrum. When I was watching the final yesterday, prior discussions (mostly by cricket lovers and baseball haters) about how to speed up and ‘improve’ the game flashed through my mind; I have also supported many of these ideas (I will not discuss them here, as that’s not the point and I am too lazy to type). Do you really need to speed up the game? What am I going to achieve if the game gets over earlier? Flip the remote to watch another sports that can use a reduced length of the season (I think there are too many games in basketball), or watch a TV show where they spend $10,000 and 1 and a half day to turn a restaurant business that has been ailing for a few years into a success (if this ekes out a sarcastic, despairful smile, then think about all those books, seminars and workshops that claim to turn around your life in a day or a week), or engage in drivel about roughly the same things with roughly the same people (why do we watch ‘Happy New Year’ or ‘Twilight’ or a-movie-that-you-watch-primarily-to-make-fun-of)? I gain nothing by saving time, by making up time, by speeding time. So, I decided to enjoy (can anyone decide to enjoy) the last few innings of the world series (nothing much happened during the series, spoiler alert the Giants won). With a new revelation that time is abundantly available (I get revelations almost twice a day), I practised a single piano piece for half an hour (I still suck at the piece). Next day morning, I read an article better articulating these thoughts (I spent half an hour reading an article, I was slowing down time and cooling my over-heated coffee); http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/should-we-put-baseball-on-speed/?ref=opinion. Inspired by the fact that more people think like me (why do I keep getting surprised by this), I was trying to figure out ways to slow down time. At this point, I was reminded of a dialogue from GoodFellas ‘Paulie may have moved slow, but it was only because Paulie didn’t have to move for anybody’. Here is where the connection (mentioned in the first line before all this rambling) struck me. If I have to slow down time, I have to move very fast (almost as fast as speed of light) according to Einstein’s theory of relativity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dilation). How do I reconcile this?
P.S. These long, structure-less, Pynchonesque sentences are a result of my hangover from trying to understand and read ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’.
To Freeze or not to freeze!!??
I’m sure you all know what I am talking about – to freeze a woman’s eggs! If you seriously thought of any other freezing, you have not been reading the news paper or watching the discussion on the news channels. Everyone has an opinion on that ….and so have I!
For the uninitiated, I am referring to the news that Apple and Faceboook have decided to fund (partially, I presume) the freeing of women’s’ eggs so that they don’t have to worry about the ‘biological clock ticking away’ and have to have children when they are in their prime “productive” (the productive work) years. These eggs can be frozen and then used (after they are thawed) later. What an idea Sirji!!!
It would be so good. The girls (women) could just concentrate on their work and not worry about the bachha party at home. Men folk, beware – the girls are here to take your place. Now your calculations of getting that top job are in jeopardy…the women are also contenders.
I wish we had an option like this when we started working. At 50 now, I have only an on-off work (I call it freelance work – it sounds better) but I could have been occupying the top job somewhere!!! The title of CEO or “Chairperson” sounds so good before my name!!!! Sigh! This was not be!
So at 50, I have some work that stimulates my mind. I have two grown up children who are responsible for themselves – unless I want to interfere in their lives, which I do occasionally, and they just bear with me. I have time for travel, meeting friends, reading, and most importantly being with myself!
But would I want to trade my life with the woman who would freeze her eggs to concentrate on work? NO, even it meant that I would achieve greater heights at work. Think of two small children at 50, worrying about school admission, learning problems, extra but mandatory activities, the need for a full time help, ……….. No, not me! I’m done with this and I am enjoying my life. I have worked, earned enough to keep me satisfied, am now dabbling in areas that are of my interest, and free from tension of very young children. I love the fact that I can sit with my children over a cup of coffee and talk on any topic, relate to them and their thoughts and their friends are also my friends.
On a serious note, it is having children only about having them? Shouldn’t giving birth to a life be more than one more job that can be procrastinated? What does one work for? I agree that one get a high when a job is well done and is appreciated. It also gives a boost to ones self confidence and the need to achieve a higher goal. But why should one sacrifice the joy of having children? They will be there to enjoy your achievements. This will happen only when one has children at the correct time and not leave it for later. The connect between parents also depends on the age difference between them. So a 40 or a 45 year age gap is like a divide of two generations!
In my case, is it a case of sour grapes? No, I don’t think so. I happy as I am with the decisions I have taken. I’m looking forward to my grandchildren – to spoil them and hand them back to their parents when they need to be disciplined.
So, to freeze or not to freeze, is a question which only you can answer!
Super point Sarit aunty. I like your perspective!
Although the temptation of timing your childs birth post the career-induced race is quite tempting, but then that option is always with the parents as it is.Have babies when they are ready (mentally, financially, physically, spiritually :D) The question should not be whether women need to freeze their eggs or not. The solution should be equal opportunity and treatment for men and women in the workforce. And society having lesser expectations from the moms to quit work and stay at home. Maternity and Paternity leave. Stay at home fathers, and CEO moms. More creches in workplaces. Work from home options. Yada yada yada.
PS: on a side note, my blog giving me major problems. The updated link for my post is here http://mszknowitall.wordpress.com/2014/10/30/spring-sangria-2/