Monday, October 08, 2007

Pinhole Camera!

(Did I use this title before?)

I found the concept to be quite amazing and it works (unlike so many things in this world). It's a basic tin can with a lid (think Milo tins or Red Cow powder milk tins) with a very small hole drilled on the circular surface. All that needs to be done then, is to put a photography paper in the tin (done in the dark room, shiny side facing the tiny hole, shut the lid tight), cover the hole completely with masking tape or similar .. and that's that - you have a pinhole camera. On a bright sunny day (the kind I'm missing right now after a winter that arrived way too early and still lingers) the pinhole is taken outside and placed in front 'something' - leveled with the tin-hole. The tape (or similar) is stripped off and the paper inside is exposed (the time I can't remember- somewhere between 10 seconds to 15 or else the paper is burnt charcoal once processed) and tape is put back. Once in the dark room the paper is taken out. The developing process for pre-historic (surely, this is the age of Photoshop and other manipulations. A bit like the movement towards capitalism) black & white photography is quite messy (but fun, sort of like making your own shelf without the IKEA cut-out pieces- end result isn't certain .. then again, at our house, the end result of an IKEA DIY anything never has a happy ending)- Developer, Stop, Fixer, Water .. (Steps!) Happy times with chemicals! Nearly six months of photography classes (forty minutes a week as an elective in High School) was enough for me to realise that like many things this was not my forte.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has a tendency to use a lot of second person in their lyrics ('So how's it going to feel/When you don't know what is real/You tell yourself it's love, and tear yourself apart'). I say that because I've never actually read a book concentrating heavily on second person perspective (and those 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books do not count) and always wondered what it could be like ... but then again, one could utilise everything to get as many perspectives they can squeeze in. For some reason, I can't get my second person usage to sound sophisticated. Here's one I prepared earlier:


You uttered those words in midst of Just like Heaven and for a moment I questioned how sober you really were. It was the perfect notion of the modern day love most boys and girls clung to at the time. I was pro-choice while you were an anti-abortionist. You hated my carefree ways and I never liked your shoes. I termed us incompatible and you thought we were complements.

"But we loved each other" ... and that was the one common denominator we could both offer.

(Two star crossed lovers with nothing in common. Sir William did indeed make the right decision. Star crossed lovers poisoned; presumed dead in each other's arms: Short life span is what makes a love so grand)

We fought over movies (Incest or not Old Boy was still a brilliant portrayal of revenge), books and sports, always leading to making love and we would cuddle longer than most (the average being anywhere between 5 to 20 seconds). You never did remember my birth date (though you still remembered you previous lovers') and at times I resented the fact that there were no songs for me (or was there?).

You uttered those dreaded words in midst of Summer Skin and for a moment I was sure it was a very cruel joke. It was the perfect end to the modern tale of love- boredom and a betrayal on the side. I was exhausted while you looked worse for wear. You hated my neglecting ways and I never liked your tone. I termed us incompetent and you thought we were stale.

"So here's a toast to our dying love" … and that was the one common denominator we could both offer.

5 comments:

Imam Tashdid ul Alam said...

Came across "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and absolutely loved it.

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while,
After the sunsets and the dooryards and the sprinkled streets,
After the novels, after the teacups, after the skirts that trail along the floor—
And this, and so much more?—
It is impossible to say just what I mean!

Please excuse my pedophilia. :-)

Toxic_Tears said...

What pedophilia?
It's impossible to understand what you mean .. = P

Anonymous said...

a)pinhole cameras were my infatuation back in 6th grade. i remember stopping only after my "camera" got..a bit deformed (and the pictures came out horribly)

b) most second person stories are all short. i wouldnt think a novel is possible. what say?

Toxic_Tears said...

b) Not to mention sounding like a melodramatic retard ..

Yeah .. you're right .. maybe even too short to be considered a short story even .. you'd just hit a point where you wouldn't be able to go on anymore methinks..

Imam Tashdid ul Alam said...

gadha... pedophilia is a perversion that manifests itself through my undying love for you.

kintu ekta second person novel sounds extremely promising. try dibi naki?