Hello!
In our previous edition, I shared how TOAT came together as an idea to create content that was free from the clutches of an algorithm. Social media and I, share a love-hate relationship: a medium that connects me to the rest of the world but can also be overbearing from time to time.
With recent changes in my lifestyle, I am inclined to spend more time away from my phone and have felt the incessant urge to document everything under the sun, fade away. It has allowed me to look at life from a slightly different perspective than a couple of years ago, and I am welcoming this change.
Reading Corner
The Palace Papers has a review that calls it a 'good kind of gossip’, and the death of Queen Elizabeth might have piqued your interest in the scandals of the Royal family. The Royal family and the English media are constantly at war with each other, with the media always ready to make news of the slightest commotions inside the Palace. The Palace Papers talk about some well-known scandals without necessarily taking a side. Reporting the events, as is, without picking a side and attaching a narrative. It may not be for you, if your source of news comes from Oprah’s interview of Megan Markle, or if you constantly find yourself drawn to clips of ‘Youtube Shorts’ featuring the Royal family, that are often shown without context.
Writing Corner
I attempted to write a scene of conflict as an exercise for my writing class. Sharing a snippet below:
“I want out”, I said to Ronald.
Finally.
Ronald was the reason I had developed a thick skin. He had taught me how to stop caring about opinion’s of others. Ronald was the love of my life, the apple of my eye, and my soon to be ex-husband. He made me believe in the good things, like rainbows and butterflies, and also in mistrust and deceit. If it weren’t for the slow replacement of my presence with that of others, I would not have changed. Ronald was charismatic and it was a convenience he often abused. It was hard to say no to him, and for whatever reasons, circumstances seem to favor him. An emotional game of music and chair: when I left, he filled it with others, when others left, I was available to fill in, cater to his needs. Did I truly believe that he would love me the way I wanted to be? Yes. Did I know it was just wishful thinking? Also, Yes.
“What?” he asked, looking up from his phone. He was scrollin through his gallery looking at his own pictures.
“I said, I want out”, I replied once again. This time firmly.
“Out of what”, he asked, feigning ignorance.
He knew what I was talking about. He knew exactly what I was talking about. But he had the tendency to question my perfectly-reasonable statements, and watch me lose my shit. Over a period of time, I understood how he derived pleasure in it, of sadistic proportions.
I was not going to let him do this to me again. He was not going to manipulate me again. Not this time.
“I want a divorce”, I said firmly and looked directly at him.
“Oh God, why are you blowing it out of proportion? “, he said, finally looking up from his phone. “Is it about the time at the Great Mall? You said you saw me, but I swear I wasn’t there. I have other things to do, other than be answerable to your wild theories”, he dismissed me, visibly irritated,ready with his defensive answers.
Its amazing how often people think they can get away with their defensiveness. How they would be willing to go to any extent to protect their fragile images, to protect their egos, and to protect themselves from getting hurt.
I no longer knew who this person was, and I wanted to be as far away from this person as possible.
“I am moving out tonight.”, I replied.
The conversation was over.
Click here to read the next episode.
Learning Corner
Some interesting things that I found on the internet
Lounge Corner
A little something that YouTube recommended for me. Hope you like it as much as I did!
Thank you all for reading!
See you in the next edition,
Pratiksha