Unopened at times, I let it be, returning back from a journey I know besides a few non-essentials, the remaining still have to be For I have to make another travel trip, it cries out endlessly to me Dear Suitcase, you seem to be my friend always to accompany
I fill it with plans of hope and prosperity for far beyond lands and across the sea. They call out my name :”Come, visit me !” Dear Suitcase, stay ready whenever it may be
Adventures, people, cultures, and places to see I tick off the lists I made with you and me ! Covered so many of them with my beautiful family Dear Suitcase, each is created, folded and preserved as a memory.
My bucket list is still full though I try to empty for my thirst for far-off lands calls out a plea ! Time wont wait for anyone, I can see Dear Suitcase, just stay packed and be ready !
Bursting seams on my suitcase seem happy for I have tasted the salts of bliss and purity My life is perchance a definition of serendipity Dear Suitcase, proudly you are my vanity!
2020 has been a year of maladies, tragedies, and definitely not my year. Except when 5 weeks back a suggestion to start online Scrabble tournaments got my mood to swing and sing ” Happy days are here again….”
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Well Facebook and Mattel had collaborated and come up with FB Scrabble so it was fun to play there. But nothing comes without a drawback and here it was a game lasting 8-10 days. Many groups started to form from Global Scrabble to Facebook Scrabble leagues; From Frabble friends to Sit n Go ( a 4 day tourney). Made beautiful friends this way and met many scrabble enthusiasts.Some started to organize weekly, monthly, fast tourneys and other variations of Scrabble games like halfboard games, to Playing Just 3 tiles. The best was scoring the “lowest’, something I could not win as I have to play my bingo.. An app on my cell phone kept me abreast with all my games. I could play at my ease, day, night or anytime. I have played this on flights, in the train, on boats, whenever and where ever connectivity and internet allowed me to.. It was like a huge dose of scrabble games for me together with learning, fun and competition.
A friend from Baroda city in Gujarat, Vimisha Patel visualised, conceptualised and organized an online scrabble tourney on Internet Scrabble Club along with Rahil Parkar. A place I had hardly visited since 8-9 years. But going back I realized how much I had missed it. The tactics of playing from 5-25 minute games is a lot easier on the brain, the mind to learn and grow rather than playing for days on Fb,where you forget to apply strategies or moves for a particular game as well as play foolishly So many games are in play for days and you forget what you intended to play. I was loving being back on ISC. Moreover, I loved the fact that during the times of Covid-19 and a lockdown when we are ONLY at home, we can play passionately and have a LIVE tourney though virtually. I also enrolled to help with the organization and yes it was fruitful to play for the past 4 consecutive weeks. Waiting and wishing for such knockdowns during this lokdown.
My rating is never stable. I believe its due to the fact that I am not too serious except when it comes to play tourneys. Cramming lists, visiting and re-visiting zyzzyva is the norm then. Do you know zyzzyva is a program created so beautifully for scrabble and it allows you to learn, unlearn, make your personal lists of words and used for adjudications in our actual tournaments. It does have a meaning too. Zyzzyva is an Americal tropical weevil. Stumped you right? Well that is Scrabble. Always shocking and always NEW. I have never come across any game which may have repeated itself. Had deja vu while playing it so muct have played in my past too and my thirst for it has not quenched yet.
My mom who got me to fall in love with words admired me for playing Scrabble, traveling for it and appreciating me. She accompanied me twice for 2 tournaments. First was when I went for my very First Scrabble tournament to Bahrain in May, 1996. Seems years back but for me its as fresh as yesterday. And the second when my parents accompanied me to my First World Scrabble tournament to London. I did not take their NO for an answer, just bought the tickets and we three had not only 4 days of Scrabble but coupled it with sight-seeing and visiting London. Madame Tussauds, Big Ben, The Thames, The Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, Harrod’s where my mom commented: ” Look at this colander it costs 7 pounds” A quick calculation to 3.5 KD/- was a muffled oohs and aahs there. It was pretty chilly cold in the last week of November but since sales were on, we had our share of seeing London exclusively for 3 days. At one of the pavement vendors, I wanted to buy gloves for my mom whose hands had turned icy cold. And when the seller said its for 5 pounds, I gasped. He looked me in the eye, almost screamed into my face” Lady you have to pay to breathe in London”. My mom hurriedly held my hand and took me away. That was a memorable trip of mine all thanks to Scrabble and to my loved ones.
