Next is Us- The LG Nexus 5

Our phones are our lives now. They’re what we reach for in the morning, spend the most time with, and sleep next to at night. Spouses feel left out when we pay more attention to our phones than to them.

But a phone has to be worthy of such attention, right? Who’s going to waste time on a non smartphone? Here’s one with killer looks- the LG Nexus 5! So you can feel good just by looking at it and watching others look at it.

But what good are looks without performance, right? Does your nosy family like to snoop on your phone? Keep them out delicately with the super efficient Fingerprint Sensor.

Selfie time! The great megapixels in the camera will make you look gorgeous for Facebook. It’s a good way to capture moments and store them in your phone, to show to relatives later, with explanations.

What’s the number one bugbear when it comes to smartphones? Battery. You can do these amazing things, but only for a while. The reversible USB Type C charger works scarily fast, so that you don’t have to twiddle your thumbes for long, and can get back to playing Plants vs Zombies 2!

Android rocks- there are more apps on it and it is more open than that fruit. What’s better then than a Google phone? Nothing. With updates as soon as they are out, you’re sure to be the first to enjoy the benefit of a phone that just keeps getting smarter.

A smartphone is a bit like a marriage- choose carefully, else you could be facing the three year itch a lot sooner than you thought you would. So, check this phone out for yourself and I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed. Have fun establishing a nexus with this one against the world. 

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Pune International Literary Fest 2015- Haiku workshop

The Haiku workshop by Kala Ramesh at the Pune lit fest was the best part of it. 

She spoke about the 5 elements and how progressively they involve our senses, just like haiku involves our 5 senses. Space- eyes, Wind- touch, ears, Fire- eyes, touch, ears, Water- eyes, touch, ears, taste, Earth- eyes, ears, touch, smell, taste.

Zoka, or the creative force of nature, comes through clearly in haiku.

A haiku is open ended like a semi circle, so that a reader can complete it by remembering her experience.

It begins with a static backdrop,a fragment- the first line.

The second and third lines, or phrase- the movement, are joined to the first by a moment. So  the scene cuts (kirae) from the first line to the second. There is usually a seasonal reference, or kigo.

There is a sense of oneness with nature and life- satori. In seryu, there is no nature.

We pretended to burst a balloon- never realised how many of our senses are used in doing so! From touch, taste, smell, ear to eye- it covers it all. That little exercise taught us to be more aware of our senses.

Here's a haiku by Basho-

The sea darkens; 
the voices of the wild ducks 
are faintly white. 

See how he mixes two senses and contrasts colour? He's one of the four masters of Haiku, as you can see, with good reason. 

Here's another one by him-

In the twilight of dawn

A whitefish, with an inch

Of whiteness

Ryokan, a Buddhist monk, wrote this-

The thief,
left behind,
the moon in my window

We also read a haiku by Sandi Pray. Here’s an innovative one by John Stevenson-

Jampackedelevatoreverybuttonpushed

And one by David Steele-

stuck to the slab  
the                  I 
of the frozen f sh

Here’s one closer home by Sunil Uniyal-

Red Fort Delhi -
the guide twirls his moustache
talking Shah Jahan 

Then one by Michael McClintock-

A poppy…

A field of poppies!

The hills blowing with poppies!

Here’s one by Alan Summers-

train whistle
a blackbird hops
along its notes

So the first line of a haiku is short, then there’s a long line, and then again a short one. In total, there are about 9-14 syllables.

Drawing a haiku is a good way of staying on track.

A haiku strives to bring the extraordinary out of the ordinary. No capitals or full stops are to be used, although articles can be used. This helps reaffirm the cycle of life.

Finally, here’s a seryu by Anita Virgil-

Really alone:

An itch on my back

I can’t reach