🐼 “If at first you don't succeed, have some cake.”

Creativity, observation, laziness and whatnot

“If at first you don't succeed, have some cake.”

Rings any bell?

The Mole said it. The Mole? From the Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. I watched it earlier this week. The animated movie. Don’t know why.

Was fascinated with the book. Just the cover actually. I didn't even know what the book was about.

Haven’t bought, yet. The cost is a little too much, considering the number of pages it has. ₹600 something for around 100 pages. I know I shouldn’t calculate the price like that.

Will buy, maybe, when a second-hand hardcover at a throwaway price is available.

The movie was short. Around 30 minutes long. And I didn’t have the motivation to do anything productive at that time. So, I watched.

Now, there’s nothing interesting in the movie actually. It’s like a bedside story for kids. A motivational bedside story. And at times, I found myself thinking about the number of frames in a scene instead of the ongoing story.

This motivational kids story did pull some of the slumpy strings. My body got back to work.

I got some much-needed work done… along with an urgent task. A client came with the need for a quick change. A paragraph of text actually.

Funny story!

I got the instructions over call, and then I waited. Waited… whiling away my time because I couldn’t think of the changes right away on the call. I couldn’t suggest anything that was required from me.

Took leave, to get back within ten minutes.

And moments after cutting the call, the brain started braining. Looked for synonyms and related words, asked ChatGpt for alternative ways, and mixed and matched them to make the needed changes.

Done and dusted within 10-15 minutes.

I guess I am not cut up for group brainstorming. That pressure to speak up. Suggest something. Oh, I can’t even think properly in the presence of humans. Forget speaking up.

Over chats, though, I have found it working.

Reminds me of a scene from my school time! I was an active, confident kid who made a complete fool of himself on his own.

It was in high school. Our Hindi/Sanskrit language teacher asked the class for the spelling of Collectorate.

No awards for guessing I raised my hand… confidently blurting C-O-L-L-E-C-T-R-I-A-T-E. That’s how it’s pronounced in Hindi, after all. I couldn’t/didn’t even think of the actual English word.

Ah, those embarrassing times. I wonder if my classmates remember. I do.

I haven’t been this lazy recluse always. Introvert, yes. I was active only among those familiar 50-60 faces I saw regularly.

Lazy, not so much.

That client by the way asked why am I “Lazy Writer?” That day, over the call, while searching for the latest file to be edited.

You know about it?

Well, it was back when I used Twitter. I needed a cool nickname. I spent most of my time sitting around, browsing the Internet. Thus, lazy!

The client seemed to like that idea. Creative! Entirely different!

I prefer to be merely an observer. That’s what made me a writer in the first place. I observe people and I observe myself. Overthinking at times.

Ah, observation. While we’re at it, let me share something about mechanical pencils.

Here, I fished out this video from history:

At around 2.55, the video mentions how you can change the “centre of gravity” of that pencil according to your preference.

Centre of gravity? Pencils?

For a refresher, centre of gravity is where the weight of something is concentrated. In layman’s terms, anything is heaviest at its centre of gravity.

What does it have to do with pens? Well, I didn’t know it matters that much… before seeing that video.

I have trouble holding pens that are heavy on the back. I can’t even hold plastic-y pens comfortably if you put their cap on the back. My fingers are thin and my grip weak.

Those pencil manufacturers observed that issue somewhere probably. And made that pencil with a “low” centre of gravity.

If you observe properly, seemingly regular things can bring entirely different eureka moments like these. Observe like Sherlock and connect the dots.

And with that, I’ll take your leave.

Bidding adieu. Enjoy your day. Live long and prosper.

PS… Here’s my affair with laziness in a bit more detail