My love of jotting down lines

If you know me, you know that I devour books. I will not just read but become that typical book lover of the memes—the one who becomes one with the universe of the plot. I feel bad/glad for the characters and mirror the general mood of the title I'm reading. 

Oh, the jokes that have been cracked because of this. Cousins, friends, husband—none have spared me. I, on the other hand, have remained blissfully incorrigible. 

Since the intensity level is off the charts, so are the sudden moments of pure appreciation. Whenever I read something I absolutely identify with in that state of mind, I write it down in the nearest available space, read - offhand places. So that many diaries, journals, and notebooks carried these bits of literary inspirations. The best part is stumbling upon them on a random day. 

Oh, the joy of reading a beautiful thought or a loved quote. It's like experiencing the pleasure of reading a good book all over again.

'Pointless, needless suffering and pain? I don't suppose it would help if I told you that is the way life is. The good suffer, the evil flourish, and all that is mortal passes away.' 

Magnus Bane in The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

'Men should grow up?

Yeah and dogs should stop licking themselves.

It's not going to happen.'

Dr House

'Patriotism is nothing but loyalty to real estate. Real estate that has been conquered 800 times by 800 different regimes with 800 different cultures. But each time, it's just the best.'

Dr House

'Men don't know what can happen. They're happy. But women know everything that can happen. They worry all the time.'

Mona Mayfair in Lives of Mayfair Witches: Lasher by Anne Rice

'Love—true love—is a precious thing... It is painful, uncomfortable, makes fools of us all, but it is what breathes meaning and colour and purpose into our lives.'

Isolde in Sepulchre by Kate Moss

'The case is sufficiently complicated to start with, without the further difficulty of false information. I was trying to express it as delicately as I could but if you insist upon the word I will not contradict it.'

Sherlock Holmes politely calling out a liar.

'Fall in love whenever you can. Plant roses and lavender for luck. Keep rosemary by your garden gate. Add pepper to your mashed potatoes. Always throw spilled salt over you left shoulder.'

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.

Then there were my jotted down feelings too. Once I read them, it was so nice to remember the events that led to those. 

For instance, a short Twitter-fling led to—'He was a master storyteller and I was a seasoned reader. He spun stories and I was caught in the web. He wrapped me in a tale but how was I to know he would end me in 140 characters before moving on to his next story.'

I love anything that is written well and that even includes strips or sheets used in packing stuff, especially, street snacks. In my first year college break, I worked at a Domino's outlet. The area was a diplomats' haunt. During a samosa break, this gem was collected from its magazine page wrapper. A Spanish poem of love. Also, I had started my Spanish classes then. It was much, much later that I learned this was a famous sonnet by Pablo Neruda. It stayed with me all these years.

No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio
o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego:
te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,
secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma.

Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva
dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flores,
y gracias a tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo
el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tierra.

Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde,
te amo directamente sin problemas ni orgullo:
así te amo porque no sé amar de otra manera,

sino así de este modo en que no soy ni eres,
tan cerca que tu mano sobre mi pecho es mía,
tan cerca que se cierran tus ojos con mi sueño.

My next discovery was lines by the infamous Taslima Nasreen, some Bengali newspaper quoted her books and I got my next titles on the 'To Be Read' list. Since, then I have read three of her books. Nirbachita Kalaam, Aamar Meyebela and Dwikhondito.

The lines read, 

ভাল আছি, ভালো থেকো, আকাশের ঠিকানায় চিঠি লিখো bhalo aachhi bhalo theko, aakasher thikanaye chithi likho...

তুমি যে বলেছিলে আমাকে কিছু চাইতে হবে না পেয়ে যাবো যা কিছু আমার মনে আশা করে রয়েছে, যা কিছু আমি ভাবি আমার হতে পারে tumi je bolechile amake kichu chaite hobe na peye jabo ja kichu aamar mone asha kore royeche, ja kichu aami bhabi aamar hote paare

Why this post? I was doing the mandatory weeding-out-clutter before I packed up for the house shifting. I had to get rid of many old journals and I couldn't resist thumbing through them. The next thing I know I'm reading these fabulous lines from long ago books.

(In case you were wondering, I did finish the cleaning...only it took way longer than expected.)