Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Oreos and then some!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Kalyug :O
6 minutes |
Sunday, June 21, 2009
The 121ers
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Indian Ostrich
Excerpts from the book "Maximum City":
Long before the millennium, Indians such as the late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi were talking about taking the country into the twenty first century, as if the twentieth century could just be leapfrogged. India desires modernity; it desires computers, information technology, neural networks, video on demand. But there is no guarantee of a constant supply of electricity in most places in the country. In this, as in every other area, the country is convinced it can pole-vault over the basics; develop world-class computer and management institutes without achieving basic literacy; provide advanced cardiac surgery and diagnostic imaging facilities while the most easily avoidable childhood diseases run rampant; sell washing machines that depend on a non-existent water supply from shops that are dark most hours of the day because of the power cuts; support a dozen private and public companies offering mobile phone services; drive scores of new cars that go from 0 to 60 in ten seconds without any roads where they might do this without killing everything inside and out, man and beast.
It is a very optimistic view of technological progress – that if you reach for the moon, you will somehow, automatically, span the inconvenient steps in between.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Just a Tweetle bit more!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Its too late to be a pessimist!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Song in my head this week
Sleepin all alone
Someone kills the pain
Spinning in the silence
To finally drift away
Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard
Catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen
White roses on a grave
To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Pilot v 2.0
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Run
It's been raining all week. Sort of nice I think...who knows why.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
That time of the year...
And to think of it, its happening this year too... Turns out, the entire phenomenon works on the avalanche effect... Friends going away in year 't+1' is way way larger than year 't'!
Sob Sob ;(
Miss you all guys.. :|
Monday, May 26, 2008
Halfway between the gutter & the stars!
And I make meticulous plans answering my whats and hows and whens!
:)
And I travel distances in 2 months which are far greater than what I traverse in a normal year!
And I wish and dream and sleep...
And I wait for September to come with my fingers crossed...
And I pray for the tests to be over and everything to be fine.. :|
And I iterate... and reiterate... my thoughts before validating them (Gawwwd... when did I become such a meticulous person??)
And I fall in love... with another city... ahhh!
And I miss MDI... and the (n)ever-changing food... and the absolute random talks!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Axe!!
Everything we did was similar... isomerism... and yet different. Zany as hell... one fine day we decided to go to the US... take GRE and TOEFL... CBT.... and put the onus of cooking on the other... or take the chefs along...
And then nostalgic outings... moving out of college in a clandestine manner... and meeting at the metro station... wonder what we were intending to do... Ohhh I so miss that time now... and then CP!! Our specialty days... Look your "something" best days...
Masala Junction... Wisdom Mart... CCD after TOEFL... Coded talks... wow!! I miss them all... Plans which we coudn't realize... UPenn... UMCP...
Stupid songs... which I enjoy making fun of... Senti discussions... which ended in tears...
Kudos to you moti!!
:)
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Avantika
2003-2007 and hoping it continues... :)
By no doubt, the most beautiful and beautifood time of my life. Engineering. College. The best times. There was practically no need to say anything. My gussa/happiness and every other emotion was quite evident to a"bh"antika, it seems.
To think of it, the 1st year passed by without much camaraderie. 2nd year was accompanied with lots of His and Hellos.. The trip after... Bangalore... And we knew we've met our match... And thereon begins the journey to every nook and corner of the city... There was scope for going out and having fun with everyone... But sigh... our plans never materialized...
And here we had... 2 people completely alike. To the very core. The only difference being the pizza outlet preferred. There had been a difference of liking for jalapenos... But that vanished by the end of college :D
Never can think of what led to the gradual or not so gradual bond between us.. But it was fun throughout. We had misunderstandings, and naraazgi, and what not. No verbal fights though. And no cat-fight (although we were privileged to witness one in class...alas, no camera to record it). Hehe.
The C.L. times were good too... more of the Keventers times actually. And all the food... and shopping... and comment-passing...
Some moments which still make me laugh out loud...
The way we used to run back and walk again... just to see how chussa hua aam types somebody's boyfriend looks.
The same procedure being used to comment on the "babes" of igit.
Your chinki talks...which ended up in the official nomenclature "Chinki".
Momo-point... hogging on chicken momos and crispy spicy potatoes (I'm sure I'm still naming the dish incorrectly)
Being called "sisters" (lol)... courtesy Neha Singhal
The dull clothes episode... courtesy "Mamma-ne-kaha hai"
Clandestine photographs... IGIT cartoons
Ending up wearing same clothes every morning... with you rushing back to the hostel at 10 to change :D
.... and so many more.
It was good to see you again in Mumbai... Probably the major reason I was glad to be going to NITIE was the proximity of your place... It was fun... shopping and eating at Subway.
In fact, an extension of the above was when the first thing I checked about P&G's Mumbai office was how far it is from Hira Nandani. Lol. Hope to see you then too.
No words can actually describe how I light I used to feel after talking to you. How effective the bitching-sessions used to be! And it was surely wonderful, and still is, to have a friend like you. Wish we could have spent more time together.
The last sip is still yours. You know, kahin koi iss duniya mein "sunder" ho raha hoga!
Miss you dear :(
PS- Bhookh lagi hai. Kuch achha khaane chalte hain.
:)
PS - they will be in no particular order.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Senseless senses..
What probably was being said was true. Summers do open your eyes. Not only about your "core competencies", but more about the people surrounding you. People who pretend to be your friends. And all they can say is crap. All they can think is crap.
And at the same time, you find people who make you realize what I have been doing is right. That I should not care about these "shitty" people!
I acknowledge today that I made a huge huge mistake, thinking that a particular person is a friend... what she turned out to be was entirely opposite. I thank her for showing her true colors in the 2nd month of MDI... Now I know who to cut off myself from.
So its another 4-day gap between classes... The end result is what I wanted.
Today I finally realize that a stone is what I have to become when it comes to people like the ones I had been hanging out with during my first few weeks in MDI.. So long!
Monday, November 05, 2007
The Instant Noodles Theory
Ahem ahem... In a different writing mood tonight... somehow unexpected (by me too!).. But so it is.. And here it goes...
Instant noodles... Maggi... 2 minutes... In effect, thats all the time it takes for you to have your "inner soul" shouting whether you like the other person or not... Gut feeling i can call it... But its somewhere beyond that point where gut feeling ceases to be logical (ohh yes, its logical at times!)... And thats how it is...
Just like maggi can't be prepared in 2minutes... but it does sell with the 2minute funda... thats how my instant noodle theory works...
It fails... a number of times... But i don't regret it... for I have the alibi ready... "it was this feeling I had".
Somehow to think of it... and extending beyond categorizing people... I do a lot of things spontaneously... 12 jan 2006 for instance...!
:D
And then... I do figure out a reason for it... at least most of the times...
Ohh its a good world... I guess!
"And I don't want the world to see me..
Coz I don't think that they'll understand"
Friday, November 02, 2007
No song that I could sing but I can try for your heart
Our dreams and they are made out of real things
Like a shoebox of photographs with sepia-toned loving
Love is the answer at least for most of the questions in my heart
Why are we here? And where do we go? And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together
It's always better when we're together
Yeah we'll look at the stars when we're together
Well it's always better when we're together
Yeah!! it's always better when we're together
(Jack Johnson)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Somehow I feel MDI has taken away a part of me... two infact... the habit of reading non-stop... and...
Come December... and it shall be good...
:)
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Hyphen Intacto
Has the hyphen — that tiny punctuational drawbridge linking two otherwise unrelated words — become an endangered species? In the geostrategic sphere, Washington’s famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) ‘hyphenated’ India-Pakistan equation has been dropped from the global political lexicon. Whether or not the nuclear deal with the US (which the Indian Left is doing its best to stymie) comes through or not, Washington is unlikely to once again equate India — whose 60th birthday is causing champagne corks to pop in New York, London and just about everywhere else — with its coeval, Pakistan, which seems inexorably to be sliding into chaos. So in Uncle Sam’s vocabulary regarding the subcontinent, the once ubiquitous hyphen is as dead as the dodo. Unfortunately for it, the hyphen isn’t faring better in the larger sphere of English usage. The latest edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary — that Michelin guide of what’s cooking semantically in the anglophone world — has dropped the hyphen from no less than 16,000 words. So ‘fig-leaf’ has dropped the ‘fig-leaf’ of the hyphen and become ‘fig leaf’, and ‘pot-belly’ has cut the umbilical cord of the intervening sign and is now officially ‘pot belly’. In other cases, the hyphen has been squeezed out of existence by the merger of previously hyphenated words: ‘pigeon-hole’ has been reborn in the amalgamated avatar of ‘pigeonhole’, and ‘leap-frog’ has turned into ‘leapfrog’.
Perhaps in an increasingly permissive linguistic environment where SMS-ese and other verbal shortcuts have become the order of the day, the hyphen is seen as a quaint relic of the past, rather like the hymen, the sign of female virginity, whose loss is held to be of no great account in a social climate amenable to casual (but safe) sex and live-in (should that now be ‘live in’?) relationships. Will the hyphen survive this all-pervasive onslaught? The answer might lie in the second last word of the last sentence: ‘all-pervasive’, a portmanteau adjective describing the subsequent word, ‘onslaught’. ‘Pot belly’ might be fine. But when you want to describe a person with such a belly you may find you have to have recourse to the adjectival ‘pot-bellied man’. Similarly, a ‘fine-tooth comb’ (a comb with closely designed teeth) is very different from a ‘fine tooth comb’ (presumably a handsome device for combing one’s teeth). While such distinctions matter, the hyphen will remain intacto.
Delhi ... Le-gennn-dary!!
(from ET)
MUMBAI: Riding on its high quality of life, transportation infrastructure and overall labour force contributing to its economic growth, Delhi has emerged on top among 48 Indian cities, including Mumbai, as the best place to reside, according to a report by Ernst & Young.
The report, which took into consideration 57 parameters before arriving at the conclusion, said between Delhi and Greater Mumbai, the national capital takes the lead on city prosperity index due to its lower population and hence higher per capita income. Delhi also indicates greater propensity to save earnings and lower credit growth.
The consultancy firm's findings were unveiled by Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy at the Ficci-organised International Real Estate Summit here today.
On the business environment index as well, Delhi out scored all other cities as it has a large workforce and more number of management garduates, people employed in trade and services and other business activity as compared to most of the other major cities such as Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore.
However, on the urban governance index, Greater Mumbai top-scored, leaving Delhi at the second spot.
"Delhi has arguably the best infrastructure in India. It has out-performed almost all cities on all the indcators that comprised the infrastructure index," the report said lauding its road network and social infrastructure, including hospital and educational institutes.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Heroes
Theres always more; and yet we never try to find that out... I want to fall off the roof and know that it hurts... And I want to run through the rain and know that it cuts my eyes... I want to go off alone and know how I survive... I want to dive into the ocean and see how long I can breathe...
Theres always an Aragon... and a Dumbledore... There is always a hero... There is always an adventure...
Its sad to see very few people who want to live an adventure... Why do people even ask questions like "Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" Its the worst question that could exist... Why should I plan my life and then live it? Life is an adventure... its the longest rollercoaster that could possibly exist... And yet we fail to do justice to it... Why do we think?
Eyes,
Missed the last train home
Birds pass by to tell me that im not alone
Well im pushing myself to finish this part
I can handle a lot
But one thing i miss
Its in your eyes
Have you seen this film
It reminds me of walking through the avenues
Well I'm washing my hands of attachments, yeah
I will land on the ground
But the one thing i miss
Is in your eyes
I just love the way Genesis starts... The simplest of all questions... and the one that can drive us mad... I am not same as the others... And thats what I am... I am not you...
Its special out there.... ohhh yes it is...
:)
Friday, September 21, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Red: Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.
Ahhhh.. I so absolutely hate this dialogue... sends more than just a shiver down the spine... The effect is more than a mere rethink process... its a whole journey retraversed... And so with this, I go down the memory lane... with a little (okay, big) wish at the back of my mind... that I shall traverse this road again as if it were new...
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I didn't get what I needed...and surely not what I wanted... You didn't either... But we left each other behind... to traverse the same path separately... Why? Ain't that illogical?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
My mood: quiet
Song: coldplay..fix you...
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Hmmm...Think....
All this while you'd thought theres something with you...but then its all a lie..
LIFE is a big lie... everytime theres something happening, I try to feel I can take control... that I can make things work the way they should ideally... but woooooosh!! Life takes over... or would we attribute that to fate?
Till what extent can one believe in faith? I, for one, never did...but at this very moment...I wish it turns in my favour...which implies by itself that somewhere down the line..I have come to believe in it...though my conscious mind doesn't allow me to think so...
Talking about life and fate... where does this all lead to? Wouldn't it be better to have nothing than have some sadness? I would surely prefer that...whether it means that I appreciate the happy times or not...
Why am I so optimistic about certain things? Why can't I accept life on the face of it? Why do I try to challenge everything that life throws down on me? Why???
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Not losing hope, we decided to wait and find out whats irrelevant on the boat and throw it out..
But nothing happened...and you lost hope...decided to call it quits...
So I threw out stuff...hoping you'd stay...I threw away my self respect...my ego...my pride...my independence... but it didn't stay afloat...
I went further to throw away my friends...one by one...till I was left with the closest ones...
And then you threw me off it...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
And the words ring in my head over and over and over again..The voice isn't mine though...But the tears are...
My question is..how can we decide beforehand whether something is worth our effort and time...Thats what time is doing for us (outsourcing)... How can we say something isn't worthwhile? How can it be when you, in the first place, don't want it to be worthwhile.. When you're looking for that one not-so-perfect moment...and then SNAP!...
Who are you? And who am I?
That, my dear, is the question..
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
But I'm going to collect it all.. I'll bring it all together..
'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe..
:)
Monday, July 09, 2007
The FOOD routine..
The following was our daily routine.. which made us realize within a few days that we live (and love) to eat ..
Time: 8:30am
Venue: my home
Event: missed call to avantika (an indication that I have started from my place)
Time: 8:45am
Venue: Inderlok metro station
Event: another missed call to avantika (an indication that I'm half way to the coll)
Time: 8:55 am
Venue: walking down along the monkey road
Event: continous missed calls (an indication to avantika that she better come down from her room)
Time: 9:00am
Venue: Outside electrical block
Event: Drink khus and orange squash (and occassionally glucose or lemon juice)
Time: 9:50am
Venue: Last bench of room E-308
Event: avan and I receive a missed call.. whoa! aggarwal is here.. going to come to the class via the loo!
Time: 10:00am
Venue: Yokohama/Handa aunty .. and HPMC
Event: go to aunty... see theres nothing good to drink .. next stop HPMC .. drink cold coffee.. agg buys juice..
Time: 11:00am
Venue: E-308
Event: Eat day schi food.. (hostelers really relish that). I complain to agg to get yummy sabzis. Agg makes a prominent idiotic face. We three eat (with occasional attacks coming from meghna, sonal and gang and priyakshi and khushboo).
My lunch: aloo / fried rice / such yummy food
Agg's lunch: karela / brinjal / beans ... :(
Time: 1:00pm
Venue: outside electrical block
Event: agg going back home .. lol. Avan n i pop up our fav ques .. which is one of the following:
- Bhookh lagi hai!
- "Mass bunkkkkk"
- Kuch achha khaana hai..
- Kahin bahar chalte hain...
Momo point @ Knags
THE best .. by far .. the best momos in india.. and decent prices .. We eat and relish veg steamed momos and chicken momos (steamed) .. and the red chilli sauce .. and spicy chilli potatoes .. and chilli garlic noodles .. and prawns .. chopsuey .. sweet 'n' sour .. yum yum yum! Its finger licking .. and hotttt!
34 Chaurangee Lane @ Knags
Yummy rolls... egg roll .. chicken roll... mouth watering ..
Omlettes @ Knags
Before this place, we never knew all that can be made from eggs .. and its delicious .. eat and eat and eattt...
Chuski @ Knags
Crushed ice iced with different colored syrups .. red and yellow and green .. eat it and spoil your clothes (waise bhi mom is going to wash it.. so.. go ahead)
Bunta @ Kgate
Outside the college .. and in the bara bazaar.. masala wala bunta ..
Kulche chhole @ Kgate
"Bhaiya .. kulche zyada fry nahi ... n chhole mein bahot zyada mirch .. and lotsa achaar and onion .. make it very spicy" !
Mango shake with ice cream @ Kgate
Our savior during summers.. its heavy.. and our say.. get loads of tinned cherry and dry fruits sprinkled over it!
Golgappas .. aloo chaat .. bharwa golgappas ... and all unhygienic food @Kgate
Boy!... That sure has increased our body's immunity .. with the yum factor
Rabri @ MLTR, Kgate
Lick your lips .. after this for sure.. though this was an occasional destination..
CP, Pitampura, Chandni Chowk, and other eating outlets to be covered tomorrow..
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Hurley thinking..
Jin and the clucks' chicken: "Life's going to change now.."
And it has.. its somehow the same thing we try to fight against... until the day Rose comes in and tells us to accept it.
July 9 2007 .. 00.09 hrs.. A call.. A friend.. and the conversation.. shocking..
And i can't till the present minute.. There are some really close people .. whom to love to see together.. whom you HAVE seen together for a long long time..
And then.. one day.. things change.
I've never seen someone as happy as my friends X and Y .. I miss both of you.. And I hope I shall see you again.. as you were.. as we all were.. as we were happy.. as you were together.. as we were together.. i hope..
Saturday, July 07, 2007
1. people i don't know..and hence, don't care about
2. people i know exist..but don't care about
3. people i know and care about
4. my lovely little kids...i.e. people i really love...
Now is the time to place people in each category... though they keep making minor shifts...from one category to another... and sometimes moving onto an altogether different category .. which is, for now, facing the
Hmmm..category 1 would be like...most of the junta.. i don't know you... I don't care about you... Now the question is the definition of knowing a person... keep guessing..!
Category 2... ohhh lots of people fall into this one too... ! Category 3 and 4 are my favorites... at least the people are... so category 4 (not in any specific order):
- aadith
- ankur
- sandy
- avantika
- keeda
- aggarwal
- saurav
- kshitij
- sanyal
amen.
Friday, July 06, 2007
THE date !
As always, all the papers are crammed up with "auspicious" implications of the day... Seems this time the international authorities have been appealed by the "event" too...! The 7 new wonders of the world... wow!
My take: may the happy-ever-after times return .. and continue.. :)
Monday, July 02, 2007
Sunday, July 01, 2007
for me,.. the word has for long meant the nursery rhyme "old MacDonald had a farm"... with a chit chat here... a blah blah here... here a blah .. there a blah.. everywhere a blah blah..
but well... 8 days in mumbai... and i know something now... ohh i miss mumbai... despite the sick food... and the weird "mosquitoes"... i miss the place... the campus was amazing... the best i have ever seen... it was serene... and calm... and the people were nice... and friendly...
ohh am already missing some of them here...
hmmm... back to what i learnt... i made new friends...
back to studies now!!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Why Murthy should not become Prez
(TOI : 17/may/07)
With a presidential election looming on the horizon, many commentators have been bemoaning the fact that it increasingly seems the Rashtrapati Bhavan will once again be occupied by a politician. Why, goes the refrain, can’t we have a non-neta, a citizen who is a credit to India?
Usually, these commentators conclude by unilaterally nominating N R Narayana Murthy as their candidate for President of India. Of course, none of them ever see fit to check with the man himself, whether he would be interested in the job. In fact, making Murthy the President would be singularly bad news for him, Infosys and India.
Here’s why: Murthy is a man of drive and vision; an entrepreneur who creates wealth. He may no longer be officially involved with the day-to-day running of Infosys but he remains its foremost brand ambassador and his numerous social activities generate enormous goodwill for the company.
As chief mentor of Infosys, he inspires a new generation of young IT whizzes to propel the company to ever greater heights. All this is great for Infosys, since it helps the organisation make more money. It also has a multiplier effect on the economy, by creating new jobs and generating higher salaries. And — while it may not be his primary motivation — it is also good for Murthy, since it increases the value of his Infosys shares.
Now imagine for a moment that Murthy was made President. Given his high ethical levels, he’d promptly sever all ties with Infosys, which would be extremely bad news for the company. A great entrepreneur who can create so much wealth for India would be reduced to hosting tea parties for foreign dignitaries with unpronounceable names — which would be a tragic loss for the economy and the country.
Murthy likes to stay low profile, while notching up major achievements. The office of the President, as designed by our founding fathers, functions exactly opposite to his preferred style. Rashtrapatiji, whoever he might be, participates in lots of activities that are accompanied with pomp and splendour, but end up achieving precious little.
So why not let Murthy get on with doing constructive things for the nation and install a regular neta as President? That would have an additional benefit: Since the Prez act ally can’t get anything done, it means there’ll be one less neta around to muck up the country.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Telecast in India is unwatchable
by Steve Waugh, Former Captain of Australia (...And my role model)
I am leaving India tonight after a few days in Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai. There is no doubt that the enthusiasm for cricket in general and the World Cup in particular has diminished. It’s a direct reaction to India’s exit from the World Cup, so I hope that once India win a few games, the passion and interest will reach fever pitch again.
However, the custodians of the game in India must protect it against the over-commercialisation taking place on television. It is annoying, ridiculous and an insult to the game to see an advertisement being squeezed in just because the bowler has not reached the top of his run-up. The telecast in India is unwatchable, and since I was watching the game at a bar with a few others, I could see that I was not the only one put off by the advertisements. Youngsters are missing out on vital commentary, since most comments are cut off the minute an over is called, or when a wicket falls. These are not good signs for Indian cricket, and somebody needs to protect the game from becoming devalued in this manner. Everybody must remember that the advertisers are there to promote the game, the game cannot be reduced to a vehicle that promotes the advertisers.
Hope this pinches the Indians and we wake up from our slumber...
Friday, April 20, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
random pattern
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Books...
- The 9/11 Commission Report
- Steve Waugh's autobiography
- David A. Vise's The Google Story
- Bill Gates Business @ the speed of Thought
- Hillary Clinton's autobiography
- Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat
- Christopher Paolini's Eragon
- Christopher Paolini's Eldest
- Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911
- Salman Rushdie's Shalimar The Clown
- Salman Rushdie's Step Across The Line
- Joseph E. Stiglitz's Making Globalization Work
- Some Orhan Pamuk titles
- Ayn Rand's Virtue of Selfishness
- Ayn Rand's Anthem
- Amy Tan's Saving Fish from Drowning
A certain level of seclusion...isolation is necessary for sanity...
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Ponder Ponder
If you woke up whiile dreaming of me even as i dreamt of you, would i disappear? and if i disappeared, then how can you, a part of my dream, still be around?
ponder ponder ...
"Published" with consent
Monday, December 25, 2006
My to do list ..
2. my "darlin'" project...playing ping pong at the moment...
3. do something worthwhile..wht exactly...dnt knw... ( do suggest somethin)
thats all I can remember for now..though the above is definitely not an exhaustive list !
Tree of Life
The modern custom of decorating the Christmas tree has been traced back to a more recent tradition in 1570 where a small fir was decorated with apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers, by a German guild of craftsmen. Their children collected the dainties on Christmas day.
It is believed that the tradition of the Christmas tree has its origins in an ancient pagan ritual celebrating renewal of life. The Christmas tree is usually an evergreen coniferous tree, a variety of fir or pine that retains its leaves all year round. Some species such as the ‘Glastonbury thorn’ flowered for a second time during Christmas and this flowering was considered ‘miraculous’, according to some mediaeval legends.
In modern celebrations, the Christmas tree has become more of an object than a symbol of life. Nowadays, trees are seen in shops as early as October. Some trees are sold live with roots, so that they may be planted later and enjoyed for years. However, the process of digging up a tree with its roots is complex and the survival of these trees is low. Most people, therefore, use a cut tree which comes from a Christmas tree farm. It takes about 10 years for a tree to grow to a size where it can be used for Christmas. In 2002, in America alone, there were about 22,000 Christmas tree farms and nearly 4,50,000 acres of land was used to grow these trees.
Natural trees, however, come with a host of problems such as the potential for catching fire and causing allergies, besides being fairly expensive. Predictably, plastic has taken over, and artificial trees made out of PVC are now becoming increasingly popular. Artificial trees come in a variety of colours and species and even pre-decorated with lights. After Christmas they can be neatly packed away for use again the following year.
In this voyage from a real unsheared tree, originally harvested from the wild, the Christmas tree has come a long way to now being grown like a crop, being pruned to have a perfect conical shape and finally being replaced by a completely unnatural substitute. Environmentalists are still debating whether the move to plastic is better or worse for the environment. Although artificial trees can be reused for many years, they are non-biodegradable and eventually end up in landfills. Natural trees, on the other hand, can only be used for a short period but can be recycled into mulch or used as erosion control.
What is also losing value gradually is the deeper symbolism of the tree. While there are several layers of spiritual meaning attached to it, the act of inviting a tree into one’s life could also be seen simply as a reconnection to nature. Although a man-made substitute may be practical and durable, what it can never be is alive. The tradition began at a time when nature was abundant and humans lived with a strong awareness of their dependence on nature. In the present time, as urbanisation takes us further and further away from our natural roots, the custom of the Christmas tree could become a reminder that we are indeed still very much a part of the natural universe.
The Christmas tree could represent all trees and symbolise the very important role that trees play in the survival of life. In each country, a species of tree that is indigenous to that context and which plays an important role as a provider of food and livelihood could be taken to be the Christmas tree. Already, in India, where coniferous trees are limited to higher altitudes, the banana or the mango tree play that role. In Goa, the trunks of palms are decorated with chains of light for Christmas and for New Year.
Rather than cultivating Christmas trees, which increases monoculture and necessitates the use of pesticides, naturally growing ‘wild’ trees should be honoured during Christmas. The ‘gifts’ that are associated with the Christmas tree, could then be seen as gifts that all trees offer so unconditionally.
The Christmas tree, a symbol of renewal of life, may finally come back to where it began, and help humanity reconnect with the source of all that is living, namely Nature.
Lessons learnt... the hard way !!
Now it suggested to me when u watch that person-beside-you fall down that pit...don't just stand above watching him and learning all the lessons you ought to...hold out your hand and reach out to him with a smile...
Thats like too pretentious...my first opinion about the "suggested" approach towards life...i mean...you were the person who was waiting this guy would fall...and you'll learn and move ahead...and then you ought to pretend like you are the savior...rescuing this fellow..
Diplomacy...at play...(was going to write at the best...but at the moment I 'm not really sure if it ought to be the "best" or the "worst") Seen it here and there...the perfect shrewd specimen..I have encountered in my life...but never really understood why a person on this planet would need to behave diplomatically...fine...its something that the zany politicians can do...its there work...otherwise they wouldn't be left with anything else to do...
End of philosophy...I decided to give this strange eerie philosophy i shot...and the perfect scenario...I had that chance today...
Though I would still rather be the same frank person most of the time...I do understand where these diplomatic tactics are to be put into implementation...and perhaps the best situations are:
1. when you don't want to be answerable to somebody...or a particular group of people...especially when they DON'T even have a right to interrogate you about topic A and B and C and blah blah..
2. when you want to create a distance between yourself and person2 and yet..don't want to cut off completely.
Its not too tough either...just keep that smile of yours in place...and use that calculative brain of yours...
PS - some more opinion-oriented posts coming up soon..
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
salty coffee
He met her on a party. She was so outstanding, many guys chasing after her, while he was so normal, nobody even paid attention to him. At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him, she was surprised, but due to being polite, she promised. They sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything. She felt uncomfortable, she thought, please, let me go home..suddenly he asked the waiter: "would you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."
Everybody stared at him, so strange! His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it. She asked him curiously: why you have this hobby? He replied: "when I was a little boy, I was living near the sea, I liked playing in the sea, I could feel the taste of the sea , just like the taste of the salty coffee. Now every time I have the salty coffee,I always think of my childhood, think of my hometown, I miss my hometown so much,I miss my parents who are still living there".While saying that tears filled his eyes. She was deeply touched.
That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart.A man who can tell out his homesickness, he must be a man who loves home,cares about home, has responsibility of home..Then she also started to speak, spoke about her farawayhometown, her childhood, her family.That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story.
They continued to date.She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands; he had tolerance, was kind hearted, warm, careful. He was such a good person but she almost missed him! Thanks to his salty coffee! Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married to the prince, then they were living the happy life... And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee, as she knew that's the way he liked it.
After 40 years, he passed away, left her a letter which said: "My dearest, please forgive me, forgive my whole life lie. This was the only lie I said to you---the salty coffee. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous at that time, actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead. I never thought that could be the start of our communication! I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you foranything.. Now I'm dying, I afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth: I don't like the salty coffee, what a strange bad taste.. But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life! Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you. Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life. If I can live for the second time, still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again".
Her tears made the letter totally wet.
Someday, someone asked her: what's the taste of salty coffee?
It's sweet. She replied.......
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
today...is definitely different...probably because i have been thinking...and now i have a certain level of confidence in what is happening around me...dont know the exact reasons...but the cruz of the matter is that i feel GOOD!...and it feels nice!!
to all the people i care....my bachas...it feels great to have you all around...
ummm....getting to the point...the frustration i wanted to vent out...the thoughts i wanted to pour down on my blog...FEMALES ARE CRAZZZZY!!
this blog might not be the right place to write down about people in my life...its "public"...but then who else is gonna read it?...apart from me and probably those people??...and the "millions" of strangers who read this...its french to them...other than that...who gives a damn if the bitch reads this and feels disappointed that i have stopped mentioning her!!?...bitches like her can actually go to hell...and fuck themselves (they aren't gonna get anyone else for that!)
lets start with...ummm....kanika...probably one of the closest friends i have in college...and to date...i confess...shes a mystery...thinks strangely...but understands me...and has stood by me in times when i didnt even knew i had a friend besides me...hats off to you girl!...hope you get past that pre-CAT stage...and transform back to the normal vella-maroing female i knew some time back...
now theres baba...khubsu baba...another mysterious character...with loads of misunderstandings and walls standing between the two of us..hoping they'll finally fall down this semester...kal ho naa ho!!
a few people i saw with respectful eyes...alas...not anymore...
past few days...found i carry a lot of importance to a few people...(read insects).. :) ur an amazing person too keeda...
and my cutest bacha...or rather bache....my fav trio on this planet...or rather quadruple...aadi, ankur, sandy and anvay...ankur is the best!!...
:)
that's all folks...see you later, alligator...
PS - the blogging mood just ended...for tonight...
current fav...
We'll do it all
Everything
On our own
We don't need
Anything
Or anyone
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel
Those three words
Are said too much
they're not enough
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads
I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life
All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see
I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all
If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?
Friday, December 08, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Friday, December 01, 2006
Let's see ... What is heartbreak? What does it mean to have your heart broken? Is it something from which a relationship cannot ever recover? Is the definition of heartbreak an irreparable schism that forces two lovers apart, never to be together again?
I don't believe so. A relationship is made up of days and weeks and months and years of interacting with each other. Interacting when wonderful things happen, interacting when horrible things happen. A day is made up of thousands of words, glances, touches and movements. Not every single one of those is going to be happy or loving or sweet.
People hurt each other. People act selfishly. People act unexpectedly. People do things without thinking, without filtering their thoughts. It's inevitable that these things will cause two normally ecstatic lovers to glare at each other, scream at each other, maybe even slam doors and throw things at each other from time to time. Hearts break all the time to varying degrees.
What matters is whether or not those lovers are invested in mending their broken hearts together instead of separately.
If to you heartbroken literally means 'having broken up', then I'd have to say that I have been (and still am) in a relationship where I have not had my heart broken. But that feels silly to say. Plenty of people remain in relationships that should not exist, and I'd be willing to bet that their hearts are plenty broken so the yardstick of 'together or not' doesn't work for me.
Maybe I'm too literal. Maybe I'm not literal enough.
Never am I more vulnerable to temptation, anger, impatience, irritability, presumption and despair than when in these states. And never am I more the seeker to be free from these conditions by pacifying my flesh, than in these seasons."
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
she hoped ...
she being the person she was, wished for the skies to pour the next day... but they didn't...so she wished and hoped the next day...and the next...and the next...
tired...she lost hope and decided to seclude herself...seclude herself from the rest...not to look up at the skies like the others...not to hope that the first rain drop would touch her face...and that night...she slept without her usual wish...
she shut the windows and the door...to resist that temptation inside her...to look at the skies...
and that day it rained...
Saturday, November 25, 2006
its been a different time altogether...say the past 6-7 days....as though i've seen life in a different light...n now...i want to delve into the issues...to explore the pros and cons...
recently...i again saw the bitchy irritating and diplomatic side of females...n its pathetic...they r true bitches...each and every one of them in IGIT...the status ought to be converted to a bitching institute...
there was CAT...went OK...infact better than i expected and deserved...
and despite all this...i walked this road with people i never knew so well...with people i know are my friends...with whom i never got to spend a lot of time...but theres something connecting us...sanyal...bengali...rammy mummy...
spending the last year in college is strange...unique is the experience in its own sense....at least for me...for on one hand, i am relieved i wont have to see these hypocrite faces after 6 months...and yet...thinking where would my small gang be...!!
Child Abuse
Abuse is not just something that's learned from living with abusive parents. Suffering through abuse also appears to permanently lower the brain's production of an important regulator of emotions called serotonin. Low serotonin can make people more prone to acts of rejection, impulsive aggression and violence.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Our very own chin2 bacha n amby bacha in the papers....
What do you think of India being ranked first in greasing hands all across the world?
“It works both ways. Bribes are paid as there are people who accept it willingly. You cannot always blame government officials. The situation is grim but not beyond redemption. The public can be of some help by not giving bribes.”
Amber Nagar I 21 I Student
Saturday, September 30, 2006
I'm lying alone with my head on the phone
Thinking of you till it hurts
I know you hurt too but what else can we do
Tormented and torn apart
I wish I could carry your smile and my heart
For times when my life feels so low
It would make me believe what tomorrow could bring
When today doesn't really know, doesn't really know
I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I 'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong
I want you to come back and carry me home
Away from this long lonely nights
I'm reaching for you, are you feeling it too
Does the feeling seem oh so right
And what would you say if I called on you now
And said that I can't hold on
There's no easy way, it gets harder each day
Please love me or I'll be gone, I'll be gone
I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I 'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong
Oh, what are you thinking of?
What are you thinking of?
Oh, what are you thinking of?
What are you thinking of?
I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I 'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong
I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I 'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong
I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right believing for so long
I 'm all out of love, what am I without you
I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong