Of pen and paper and the digital world

I cannot recall the last time I picked up pen and paper to record my thoughts. Which is strange for a person accustomed to keeping a diary for the better part of her life.
It's not that I don't need to write things down anymore, it's just that the Notes App in my smartphone is more convenient!
And there dies the ritual of writing journals, fancy diaries and pens, on the window-sill, watching the rain and sipping coffee. Now it's tick-tick-yap-yap on my qwerty, in the middle of my hydraulics class.
Well, sure, the advantages of this new system are many. With it being faster, more eco-friendly and you can just post/send whatever you wrote in an instant. And ofcourse, no one comes peeping in to see what you're writing- cuz it is mandatory to be nose-deep in your screens when you own a smartphone.
Though I'm glad this lcd replacing paper fad has not extended to reading yet. There is something about the scent of books, especially the old worn-out ones that ensures they would never go out of fashion.
Sure, I own my share of e-books and the e-library keeps growing everyday with all the freebies internet has to offer but there are some things to hard to give up on. Like the charm of carrying an old paperback in your purse. The joys of the library with its plethora of choices staring at you from the shelves and you having to dance around on your toes to locate the one you want before settling into an easy armchair in comfortable silence. Add a fireplace and some coffee to that and we have a fairytale. With the electronic versions, its just all too easy! I have a huge collection on my machine but I never get excited about it! Probably because I know it's always gonna be there, on my hard disk. Forever and ever. Till maybe when the disk gets corrupted. But I can always download it again, for free mostly. There is no urgency, the pursuit has lost the fervent flavour! And it's such a strain on the eyes!
Reading books on a machine somehow makes it all seem too unromantic for me..
Till someone buys me a Kindle.


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