Saturday, December 19, 2009

Boredom Buster

I'm bored and I haven't quite undergone a contemplation and introspection phase in spite of the birthday that just went past. So here's a tag:

Have I ever (points in bold are a yes):

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam in the actual sea
03. Climbed a mountain - here's proof
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it - there goes your shocking fact of the day about Sankalp Mulye.
09. Hugged a tree
10. Water-skiied
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game - the one where Sachin scored his 10000th run.
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa/Qutub Minar
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a sixer that won the game
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day.
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer - what's so great about that?
40. Can name all 27 states.
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk - hoping that one day he will do the same for me.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales - dolphins to be precise.
45. Stolen a sign/damaged public property
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Kashmir.
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love.
My answer is no, but this reminds me of a poem by Pablo Neruda which has a line to this effect. I think it is titled "Tonight I can write the saddest lines".
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Tried to make a buffalo move when it sat down in front of your cycle.
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero - I don't have to pretend, I am one.
58. Played ‘Antakshari’ in a public place and sung really loudly without caring about the onlookers.
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played gully cricket
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played a video game for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie.
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made chapatis from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. White water rafted
82. Been on a television news program as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to all states in India
86. Recorded your own music
87. Eaten shark and preferred roadside ‘bandi’ food
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in the National Day Parade in New Delhi/your city
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Howrah bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car – with the windows open – and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 10 kgs
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart.
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Spent the night at a railway station
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Spent the better part of your life outside India
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried ice cream
134. Read ‘The Iliad’ and ‘The Odyssey’
135. Selected one ‘important’ author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I've witnessed the full process, so I'll mark this done.
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Apocalypse Now


Some movies are meant to be watched in a group. Goof-ups and loopholes are meant to be pointed out collectively laughed at. Aha! moments are meant to be shared.

There are others that are meant to be watched alone, in a dark room, doors and windows closed, no one to disturb you. They demand that you let nothing come between you and the movie. They demand complete surrender of all control to the events unfolding on screen. They are meant to be a very personal experience, and you don't want to take chances having someone else's vibes around to affect the impression the movie leaves on you.

I suppose there is something similar with drinks. Beer is analogous to the former category of movies. It's a drink for the big, happy group. Whiskey on the other hand is personal. It is the drink for an evening of solitude. You don't gulp it down, you savour it. Let it play on your tongue while thoughts play in your mind. Who knows, you may discover something new.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Exodus.

Supreeth left early today morning. Can't think of anything sensible to write, but I just need to. So, forgive me for borrowing the title from Badri and these lines from Dave Matthews:

One drink to remember,
And another to forget.
How could I ever dream to find a friend like this again?
One drink to remember, another to forget...

Excuse me please, one more drink.
Would you make it strong,
Cause I don't want to think.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Neruda

Suddenly started surfing through translations of some poems by Pablo Neruda earlier today. A line has stuck to the walls of my brain. I have to write it down somewhere. Might as well do it here:


Love is brief. Forgetting lasts so long.


I can only wonder at the beauty of the thought and the simplicity of words that express it so well.

Monday, May 11, 2009

The Night Out

I'm trying to write this as quickly as I can. The events described here happened one crazy night a few months back.

11:40 pm

Frustoo with work, its abundance and its refusal to budge and let me make progress. I call Billu and set out to do a night-out in college.

12:05 am

I'm on campus and we have just started our BC session.

2:00 am

Hunger caught us unaware and we realised that we have nothing to eat and all sources of food supply on campus are closed. We decide to go till the DLF building, where Billu is pretty sure we will get food. Since I am no longer a student and Billu will have to submit his id card for leaving campus so late, we decide to take the path behind the campus.

2:30 am

As we come out of the back gate, we realise much to our surprise that we are not supposed to use that path. We are told this by policemen patrolling the place in a van.

Policeman1: Haan! Kidhar jaare?
Billu: Ye idhar, paas hi mein (pointing towards, what I thought was the sky)
Policeman1: Kyon? Main gate se kyon nahi? Idhar se kyon jaate?
Me: Abhi jaane nahi dete sir, bhaut late ho gaya hai.
Policeman1: To kyon jaare?
Me: Bhaut bhook lagi hai.
Policeman1: Kya? Kyon, khana nahi milta idhar college mein?
Billu: Bhaut ganda hota hai. Khaa nahi sakte. Please sir jaane do. Bhaut bhook lagi hai.
Policeman2: Oh, chalo jaane do, jaao. Lekin aate time main gate se jaana andar, idhar se nahi.
Me: Haan, ok. Pakka sir.

We happily walk out, congratulating ourselves for the lucky escape. We plan to follow the same route to get back inside the campus since after we eat, since the police van will not be around till then.

2:55 am

We reach the DLF building entrance.

There is not one shop open where we can get food. The place is deserted. The dogs don't seem friendly. (Otherwise, why would they all bark at the same time and run towards us?)

3:00 am

Going in through the main gate is not an option. We expect to find the police van blocking us, if we go back the same way. But we start walking down the road towards ISB anyway.

3:05 am

We are now pretty sure the police van is still there and there are more policemen watching us with suspicion as we walk past the police check post. We walk till we reach a convenient spot where the wall is comfortably low, we're not clearly visible to the check-post. We act like we're peeing (Just in case someone's watching). Then, we jump the wall.

3:08 am

We land. Actually, not quite. Because we are ankle deep in something dark, squishy and wet. We hope it is mud. We somehow manage to reach firmer ground and realise that we'll have to find our way out of thick, tall, thorny bushes. Lack of light and the possibility of a snake suddenly deciding to grace us with his company makes us nervous. But we move on.

3:15 am

Only to find ourselves wading through more calf-deep mud.

3:25 am

We're back at the OBH - wet, muddy, tired. And hungry.

Overall rating for night-out: Great success!

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Joblessness

Yes. I'm in the office and I have no work. Which is absolutely a new situation for me to face. So I do what most of the bored people on earth are doing. I logged into Facebook. And I find this interesting exercise to do. Instead of doing it on Facebook Notes, I though I'd do it on the blog. Here goes:

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.

()Rocky Horror Picture Show
() Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
() Airplane
Total: 4

(x) The Princess Bride
() Anchorman
() Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
(x) Saw
(x) Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 10

() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 13

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
() Harry Potter 3
() Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 16

() Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Robots
Total so far:18

() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() Kingpin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
Total so far: 23

() A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
(x) Final Destination 3
() Halloween
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
() Flubber
Total so far: 29

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
() Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 29

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
(x) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 36

(x) Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
(x) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 46

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
() ET
() Children of the Corn
(x) My Boss' Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
() War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 50

() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
() Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 56

() X-Men
() X-2
() X-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
() The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
() Shrek
() Shrek 2
Total so far: 61

() Swimfan
() Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
(x) The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 63

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
() Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
() Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
() Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
() Basketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
() Elf
() Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three
Total so far: 65

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
() Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 67

() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
() Hook
() Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
() Waterworld
Total so far: 67

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
() Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() The Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far:69

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far:75

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Grand total:80

Phew! I came real close to not having a life. And yes, it was quite embarrassing to mark an x against some of those movies.

What's your score?

Friday, March 06, 2009

Some days are just so incredibly fucked up.

But thank God, there's Bob and there's No Direction Home.

Friday, February 27, 2009

I didn't know they made a version of that

After a 60km cycle ride, my posterior is about to fall apart. So I thought I'll let it rest on a cushy chair and a write a post.

Over the last few months I have become a major youtube addict. I keep looking for music videos of my latest musical obsessions, live or otherwise. This has led to many pleasantly surprising discoveries. So following is a list of some of those. These are versions of very well known songs, but not by the original artists. I won't call them covers because they are as good as the originals if not better.

All Along the Watchtower by Dave Matthews Band

Jimmy Hendrix's version of this song is so so popular that many people don't even know that it was originally written and composed by Bob Dylan. But listen to The Dave Matthews Band perform this in their Folsom Field Concert and I bet you jaw will drop straight to the floor in awe. Boyd Tinsley becomes one with his violin (What's a violin doing in rock band? Working wonders.), LeRoi's solo on the sax is as smooth as ever and Dave Matthews uses shouting to maximum impact in the last few minutes of the performance. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypaH1Gj6VIs

Brothers in Arms by Joan Baez

I have raved enough about this song by Dire Straits and one of their divine live performances. But this version by Joan Baez is different. Her sweet, female voice is a great change from Mark Knopfler's dark, gruff rendition. The lack of the instrumental magic that Dire Straits put in is not felt at all because of the emotion the beautiful Joan provides to the brilliant lyrics. The link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJeNPS2tLdA

Cinnamon Girl by Type O Negative

I first heard the Type O Negative song in Smiley's room. Saw its video actually, with muscular, scary looking band members wearing metallic chains for guitar straps make the crowd go berserk with their heavy, thumping version of Neil Young's classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hnMgIOnjMs

I believe in Miracles by Pearl Jam

This song is apparently a very popular number on PJ's concerts. I first heard this on their Benaroya Hall Concert album at a time when I actually needed a miracle to finish stuff at work. It unknowingly became a sort of work anthem. Only later I found out that it is not a PJ original but a song by The Ramones. Frankly, I don't like the original version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEU7S-6MfIg

Behind Blue Eyes by Suzanne Vega

Everyone knows this classic by The Who. While scrounging for songs by Suzanne Vega, I stumbled upon an audio from her concert in Montreux where she sings Behind Blue Eyes with minimum instruments and yet, with great effect. I can't decide which version I like more, The Who's or hers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZBduiTvqm4

With my music-messiah-giri done. I think it is time to go and grab something to eat and crash for a peaceful afternoon's sleep.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Stuck

I have written more posts in this month than in the last 6 months put together. So, keeping up the good work, let me ask you a question:

What do you do when a super-mushy song gets stuck in your head?

Here's why I ask this. (The song is "Way Back Into Love" from the killer mushy movie called "Music and Lyrics", in case the Big Brother prevents you from accessing youtube.)

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Blur

Blur. That's how life has been since I became a corporate majdoor. I feel the intensity being sucked out. No time to think, reflect or introspect. Not much time to read, write or draw. No time for anything.

I remember the days when I was in second year of college when life was exactly the opposite what it is now. Days passed at a leisurely pace. It felt like the second hand of the clock will stop. Back then, I actually wanted a life where there would be no time to think. A fast, busy life. Huh.

Be careful what you wish for.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Scorching winter

This year in Hyderabad, if you called that an oxymoron, you'd be wrong.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

I Will End...

...this is bloody streak of weekends spent working. Very soon.

Till then, Where are you going?

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Happy New Year

It's another brand new year. Watching the massive crowd on the Baga beach in Goa go mad at the stroke of midnight with the sky lit up with fireworks and the thumping beats from the shack close by, I was thinking what is it that we are celebrating? Beginning of the Earth's 2009th revolution (after the birth of Christ) around the Sun can't be worth all this hysteria.

Were we celebrating the fact that so many of us dared to come out in spite of all the security threats and warnings, the fact that we did not let the fears bog down our spirit? It didn't feel like that was the prevalent emotion.

There were people hugging, kissing, holding hands, or simply smiling at each other. Wishing each other a happy new year. Were they celebrating the fact that they were together, sharing this moment with someone? To be frank, a few years from now, you might not be able to recognize the person who probably means the world to you right now. Don't we all know deep down that this togetherness is fleeting?

I think there is only one thing we celebrate through all our festivals - hope. The hope that things will get better from here on. For me, for you, for the world. It amazes me how the existence of the human race is based on just this faith, that everything will be alright, that things will work out. And yet we have survived.

Here's to the hope of a better tomorrow.