Alloo! Allo! And all that stuff – plus a bit of a rant on loneliness (as it pertains to my novel)

Hello friends!

Let me cut to the chase!

The “experts” tell me I have to blog rrrreggggularly. By that they mean, every day, every week or every other week.

Now, my question is:

1. If I send you missives and epistles every day, every week or every other week, won’t you get bored?
2. Do I have enough interesting material to post every week/other week?
3. Won’t it be a bit tedious for both of us to write or receive material so predictably? I mean, the fun’s in the suddenness, ain’t it?

So, for the above reasons, don’t expect any regular-like-clockwork blogs from my side. It may be in a day, a week, a month or even longer. And phoooeyy to the experts.

***

The days are heating up. Unless, of course, you live in the southern hemisphere. But I still manage to go for an evening walk, and believe me it’s like walking in a sauna. I see a few brave souls also venturing out, although the population of this city has somewhat thinned, as it usually does during these summer months when everyone disappears in search of greener and cooler pastures.

But every evening, on my walk, I come across this sight.

These lovely ladies are the mums of those living in the nearby apartments. They meet every evening, laugh and joke and have a good time together. And it seems each of them take it in turn to bring food for everyone. They are so friendly that when I said a hello to them, they insisted on me sharing their yummy snacks. And I never refuse a good offer.

These ladies have found a way to overcome their loneliness. Living in a foreign country, far away from everything you are familiar with, can be mind-numbingly lonely. Granted, you may be living with your son or daughter or daughter-in-law, and your grandkids. But everyone is so busy with school and work. It’s hard for the older generation to find time to enjoy themselves, but these lovely ladies have found a way out. Kudos to them

Talking of loneliness, that can happen to anyone. You may live in the most crowded of cities, you may have a million FB friends, you may not be old but younger and living with your husband/wife and kids, but it’s still possible to feel impossibly lonely. Imagine a young wife not appreciated or acknowledged by her husband or family. She may have everything- all the material comforts- but unless she is appreciated, she can feel just like a piece of furniture. And that’s just what my protagonist feels- an immense sense of loneliness and unhappiness, which drives her into doing something that is frowned upon by society.

What is that something? Well, you have to wait for my novel to find out. (Whenever it does come out!)

Now, changing the topic somewhat, there’s something else I saw on this walk which really lifted my spirits.

A community library.

We all have books we read and enjoy, but there’s just so much space to keep them. (Not everyone likes to read on kindle). So all you have to do is to place your book on this community shelf, and if you want to, take another book from it.

Nothing beats loneliness like a good book!

So, until next time…..Minnie

(Images: google pics plus blogger’s own)

Dubai oh Dubai!

A continuation of the travails and tribulations and the struggles I’m going through in my writing. These are just little hints I’m throwing along the way in an attempt to lure you into getting more interested in my novel (whenever it comes out).

Setting

Why a novelist chooses where a novelist chooses to set her or his novels

Or (to put it briefly)

Why I chose Dubai as a setting for my novel

You’ve read all that stuff about how time and place maketh a man. I mean, someone born and brought up in New York or New Delhi will be very different from someone brought up say in The People’s Republic of China. Maybe not the essence of the person, but still, the place does influence a person’s character and outlook.

Now, for my magnum opus, (and I’m keeping the name of my novel a closely guarded secret and referring to it as my M.O) I’ve chosen Dubai as the setting. Why Dubai?

1. I live here
2. It’s peopled with many colourful characters (like all cities I hear you mutter)
3. It’s very glittery (if you’re a first-time tourist, you’ll immediately notice the big bright lights, especially during festivals), and
4. It’s got a vibe to it, a soul. (OK, this may be a bit of a cliché- every city has a soul I guess. But I added this bit to pump up the word count.)

Well, these are just some of the reasons I can think of. Now my M.O. has quite a few colourful characters. My protagonist is airy-headed and a bit confused but still very lovable (at least I like to think so). But her society friends are caricatures of the most stuck-up and pretentious people you can ever meet! Their only job seems to be attending parties, day and night. And after every party, they discuss everything about it- the food, the arrangements, the hostess’s clothes, the décor – just everything – threadbare. My protagonist faces them squarely, but can’t help feeling a little intimidated by them, as well as in a way emulating them. She’s in a way a poor little rich girl!

Here are some of the pretentious things about Dubai’s pretentious people;

1. A party has at least three different cuisines
2. Dinner is served at 1 a.m.
3. The success by which a party is measured is how late it ends
4. The décor is sometimes ott (over the top), but the event management companies have a field day
5. The toilet decoration is something out of a high-end glossy. (Yes, it’s lovely visiting the rest room if you’re lucky enough to be invited to one of the abodes of the rich and famous, and notice the little pansies and daisies etched on the super-soft toilet paper, all custom-made. And I think in the kids’ loo, it’s Mickey and Minnie Mouse or one of those new cartoon characters that I’m not still familiar with! Imagine what you’re using for your ..ummm- derriere!))

Well, I hope I’ve left you wondering what my M.O. is about, and panting to read it!

Do leave me with your thoughts. I’m sure some of you will disagree with what I’ve said. I’d love to hear your views.

Until next time!

Minnie