Off The Grid: Day 7

If a post were to not come up on this blog today, the reason would be technical difficulties. Tonight, the electricity in my house, along with most houses on my block, powered down. It was one of those sweeping blackouts that make you feel like they go on forever. At one point, I did think the blackout would at least last the night. And I kinda welcomed it.

I tied up my hair and washed my face. No electricity meant no air-conditioning, no fans and that can quickly make some feel stifled and sweaty. To get away from the heat, I spent my time outside. It was around 5 p.m. and the sky was beginning to dark. The evening brought along a good friend, the cool night air. In between the grey clouds, a full moon hung pristinely up above and it was by this moonlight that I spent the time reading.

It brought me great serenity, reading in the dark with nothing to guide you but nature's eternal night-light. I  felt like the clocks had started ticking counter-clockwise -- I had jumped to an age without electricity and the things nature had to offer seemed much taken for granted nowadays in comparison.

It felt nice, to have the imagination going without fear of being seen. My parents once said I had a stoic face. That my expression left something to be desired. I find that simply because I was trying to keep my features in check -- when I start thinking, my facial tics are a bit unsightly.

And sometimes the face betrays what the mind would rather not impart.

But this time, I felt comfortable. I smirked, I winced, I wiggled my eyebrows and scrunched up my nose to every new reaction/idea/emotion reading had pulled to the surface.

When the night had grown too dark to read, I retreated inside where my mother had set up a few burning candles. I sat down on the dining table and opened my book close to these. Reading by moonlight, by candlelight. It had this archaic feel to it, really. Watching the flames flicker and dance upon the pages sometimes made the words look like they've come alive. They moved and disappear from sight, black-ink creatures that the eye and mind needed to focus on capturing.

I'm in the middle of reading Jostein Gaarder's The Ringmaster's Daughter. It is strangely relevant to what's going through my mind right now. Funny how reading seems to be so sporadic and serendipitious at the same time. Jostein Gaarder is known be philosophical in his writing. In fact, one of his more prominent novels, Sophie's World is a must-read for anyone who truly wants to explore the subject. So far, the book has made me rethink a few things and confront my own musings which I disregarded up 'till now.

It's so engrossing that it may warrant a book review soon.

I'm going to sleep early today. I had immense trouble sleeping yesterday and the night before and it seems to have accumulated into this relentless migraine. Hopefully, it will go away tomorrow morning.

Another thought: I'm starting to miss my phone blowing up with friends' chat. I'm not sure whether I want to keep this off the grid thing going or not. I really just did it to make myself more productive -- which I really believe I've achieved.

It's been a week already. Maybe that should suffice? Well, I'll make up my mind tomorrow. Thing's always seem clearer in the morning.

Goodnight, and thank you for tuning in.

--Karin Novelia

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