Thursday, December 30, 2004
So Much For Christmas
YAY...! Christmas is here! And gone now. I had so much fun.
Maybe I was wrong about Christmas. Maybe it IS (NOT) the Day when you and your family laugh, unwrap gifts, call friends and family over, and have a jovial time.
Christmas is when you bribe your kids to be good next year with lots of presents, hot chocolate, and tons of cash. It's NOT when you lecture your kids on allowance, on Tsunamis and how you should think of the money we splurge on petty gifts that we could instead use to help the needy. It is NOT the time you make your kids grovel and plead on all fours to get you that amazing Hilfiger shirt that they've been raving and ranting 'bout for the past 2 months (Oh bite me if you think I'm still going on with the Hilfiger post). Is NOT the time you give your kid dirty looks and expect them to do the laundry at 8 IN THE MORNING!!! Its not the time you expect your children (fine, child) to suddenly become mature and expect him to work like a grown up person, but still refuse him any allowance, saying it helps biuld charecter (Calvin,I'm sure you agree!!). And it's NOT the time when you call your children (again - child) deaf because you've got an ulcer ad can't speak over half a decibel, and as punishment you don't get any presents.
So much for christmas. Santa can go suck an egg. And his elves can microwave themselves. Festive spirt - shmestive spirit. It can all go burn itself up in the upper layer of the atmosphere for all I care.
I love Christmas. And New Year. And any other festival that you can think of that will enable me to 'bond' with my parents. Like World Nazi Day, or something.
Maybe I was wrong about Christmas. Maybe it IS (NOT) the Day when you and your family laugh, unwrap gifts, call friends and family over, and have a jovial time.
Christmas is when you bribe your kids to be good next year with lots of presents, hot chocolate, and tons of cash. It's NOT when you lecture your kids on allowance, on Tsunamis and how you should think of the money we splurge on petty gifts that we could instead use to help the needy. It is NOT the time you make your kids grovel and plead on all fours to get you that amazing Hilfiger shirt that they've been raving and ranting 'bout for the past 2 months (Oh bite me if you think I'm still going on with the Hilfiger post). Is NOT the time you give your kid dirty looks and expect them to do the laundry at 8 IN THE MORNING!!! Its not the time you expect your children (fine, child) to suddenly become mature and expect him to work like a grown up person, but still refuse him any allowance, saying it helps biuld charecter (Calvin,I'm sure you agree!!). And it's NOT the time when you call your children (again - child) deaf because you've got an ulcer ad can't speak over half a decibel, and as punishment you don't get any presents.
So much for christmas. Santa can go suck an egg. And his elves can microwave themselves. Festive spirt - shmestive spirit. It can all go burn itself up in the upper layer of the atmosphere for all I care.
I love Christmas. And New Year. And any other festival that you can think of that will enable me to 'bond' with my parents. Like World Nazi Day, or something.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Tommy Hilfiger - Racist. SO WHAT?!
Tommy Hilfiger. WOW. What amazing clothing. Lovely designs, fine craftsmanship and one HUGE price tag. But it’s worth it. The clothes fit perfectly, feel snug and cozy, and are hardy. Given the chance, (and the money) I’d definitely want to fill my wardrobe with this brand.
But the guy is racist. He believed that blacks shouldn’t wear his clothes. He believed that only the pure were fit to wear his range of haute couture. Should the guy (and hence, the brand) be boycotted? Should we stop buying his clothes? Should we hold a strike to show our feelings and inclinations away from (or towards) his mindset?
I have nothing against blacks. I am not some prejudiced freak. I know everyone has the same rights and should be treated similarly. I know that people shouldn’t discriminate. I know that everyone has varied opinions, and that they should have the sense to reserve some of them for themselves.
So should I stop buying his clothing in order to passively refuse to promote his brand? Does that make any sense? He does, after all, make very good clothes, clothes that I like, that I would be proud to own, clothes that I adore. Why should I stop buying? Why should I have anything against him? It’s his opinion, isn’t it? Why should I stop him from thinking what he does? It’s not like I promote some conspiracy to give blacks some sort of bar to buying his clothes, right? He isn’t doing anything actively to diss them, is he? I don’t think that by buying his brand and boosting his ego (as one of my friends has testily suggested) we are in any way promoting his hatred (?) of the blacks. Are we?
What say you?
But the guy is racist. He believed that blacks shouldn’t wear his clothes. He believed that only the pure were fit to wear his range of haute couture. Should the guy (and hence, the brand) be boycotted? Should we stop buying his clothes? Should we hold a strike to show our feelings and inclinations away from (or towards) his mindset?
I have nothing against blacks. I am not some prejudiced freak. I know everyone has the same rights and should be treated similarly. I know that people shouldn’t discriminate. I know that everyone has varied opinions, and that they should have the sense to reserve some of them for themselves.
So should I stop buying his clothing in order to passively refuse to promote his brand? Does that make any sense? He does, after all, make very good clothes, clothes that I like, that I would be proud to own, clothes that I adore. Why should I stop buying? Why should I have anything against him? It’s his opinion, isn’t it? Why should I stop him from thinking what he does? It’s not like I promote some conspiracy to give blacks some sort of bar to buying his clothes, right? He isn’t doing anything actively to diss them, is he? I don’t think that by buying his brand and boosting his ego (as one of my friends has testily suggested) we are in any way promoting his hatred (?) of the blacks. Are we?
What say you?
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
LIVE!!LIVE!!LIVE!! And Coming To A City Near You!
The artists attack! And this time they're out to prove me wrong! They will have the most marvelous live performances on the planet! They will rock the audience to the ground! They will etch the memory into our skulls! And they will make it worth waiting in mile-long cues outside Palace Grounds 5 hours before the show, screaming at everyone to move on!
That's right! The much criticized Sting, and awe-inspiring Dire Straits, and the ever-loved U2 are coming to a city near you! Now your dream of looking on in awe at these Gods performing just 20 meters in front of you can finally become a reality! Just make sure you keep yourself free on the 5th of February and the 4th of March. Especially You, Sneha.
Sting is coming here on the 5th of February!! AAAAHHHH!!! He better prove me wrong, and stun me (not to mention a significantly large population of Bangalore) with His most scintillating performance yet! All my life I hoped I'd go abroad and be at one of his performances, and it looks like my fantasies are finally taking shape!
Next on the list are Dire Straits. If you haven't heard them, go to he nearest music store, pick up their Live Album, “Alchemy" and go right to track 6 - Sultans Of Swing. 10 minutes of pure, mesmerizing Rock, and electric guitaring mastery. Mark Knopfler is not just A God, he's The God. No one can play a guitar like him, except maybe 2 or 3 other artists to ever have lived. Excellent vocal, amazing base, top-notch drumming, and, as previously described, guitaring at it's absolute best.
Last, but not least, U2. WOW. The band that has been rocking the world - most recently with their single,” Vertigo". And not so long ago with the hard hitting,” Elevation". And now they're coming here!! To India, Bangalore to show us what they're all about! I'm just at a loss for words. This is too much for me, but bring it on!!
If these bands do perform well, I will take back all my critisism and judgments. But if they don't... }:-D
That's right! The much criticized Sting, and awe-inspiring Dire Straits, and the ever-loved U2 are coming to a city near you! Now your dream of looking on in awe at these Gods performing just 20 meters in front of you can finally become a reality! Just make sure you keep yourself free on the 5th of February and the 4th of March. Especially You, Sneha.
Sting is coming here on the 5th of February!! AAAAHHHH!!! He better prove me wrong, and stun me (not to mention a significantly large population of Bangalore) with His most scintillating performance yet! All my life I hoped I'd go abroad and be at one of his performances, and it looks like my fantasies are finally taking shape!
Next on the list are Dire Straits. If you haven't heard them, go to he nearest music store, pick up their Live Album, “Alchemy" and go right to track 6 - Sultans Of Swing. 10 minutes of pure, mesmerizing Rock, and electric guitaring mastery. Mark Knopfler is not just A God, he's The God. No one can play a guitar like him, except maybe 2 or 3 other artists to ever have lived. Excellent vocal, amazing base, top-notch drumming, and, as previously described, guitaring at it's absolute best.
Last, but not least, U2. WOW. The band that has been rocking the world - most recently with their single,” Vertigo". And not so long ago with the hard hitting,” Elevation". And now they're coming here!! To India, Bangalore to show us what they're all about! I'm just at a loss for words. This is too much for me, but bring it on!!
If these bands do perform well, I will take back all my critisism and judgments. But if they don't... }:-D
Sunday, December 12, 2004
My Breakfast
IT'S SAUNDAY!!
Normally, I (not to mention most sane people in this galaxy) wouldn’t get up until the late afternoon. But today is different. Today I got up by 8:30 and was ready (shower an all) by 9:00. Why? Because Mum is making breakfast. Trust me, it's worth getting up for. And if I (the grand master of supreme laziness) say so, you have just got to believe it. It's not your standard morning bread-toast and butter breakfast. Or rather, not just your bread-toast and butter breakfast. It's a Five Star Hotel Multi-Course breakfast, no holes barred.
It starts off well enough, with a tall glass of fruit juice of your choice. That's about 200mL of the best juice in the world - Ceres. Then comes the first set of choices you make - do you want a HUGE (3 egg) omelet, or a HUGE (3 egg) fried egg? This decision made, within five minutes you have a huge sphere of 3-eyed egg (at least, that's what I'd choose) on your plate. This, of course, comes with standard accompaniments, in the form of unlimited mashed potato sprinkled with pepper and Tabasco sauce, and a hefty chunk of homemade brown bread. If, however, you wish to chew your potatoes and work your jaws further, you have the option of asking for Jacket Potatoes hot and fresh from the oven, sliced down the centre, and filled with butter. As you watch the butter melt along the insides of the Potato, you add the grated cheese, sprinkle with pepper and chopped sprig of spring onion, or dribble some Hot-sauce on it and take one nice, full bite of this divine creation of (wo) man.
As you recover from the dose of ecstasy, you are faced with yet another choice - Ham Slices, Bacon Strips, or Succulent Keels Sausages? Again, Keels is by far the best producer of sausages in the world. Highly recommended. You choose two (the Bacon and Sausages for me) and watch while the cook (mum) makes the sausage do all kinds of flips mid-air in front of you, and manipulates the bacon like a veteran snake charmer performing a rehearsed act.
Another shot of ecstasy. Addictive, isn't it?
Make way for another glass of that heavenly juice that God reserved for the Just - Ceres, to quench your growing thirst. You are about to go for seconds, full as you are, when you see mum taking out Desert from the oven - hot Apple Pie, which she will serve with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Your mind reels, now clearly at a loss as to what to do with that last square centimeter of space in your stomach (and indeed your entire body). Should you go for the potent, satisfying line-up again, or wait a few seconds till mum cuts the Pie and places the Original Sin in front of your longing eyes (and mouth)? You choose to complete this entire round, and opt for the Pie.
The Pie, served in a crystal glass bowl, comes with the ice cream already melting at its side, just begging to be devoured. And so you oblige! Without waiting for mum to finish explaining how many hours it took her to perfect everything, you, in one fell swoop, you make a great void where the Apple Pie so recently was. You feel its warmth as it (not so) softly settles itself in your stomach, and feel the world going hazy again. (And here the ecstasy kicks in again...)
You wake up in your room, snug under the covers of your bed. You look at the time, and it's the early evening. But you don't care. You can't move, and you don't want to. Or have to. Mum and Dad leave you to yourself, respecting the unsaid Law of Rest after Heaven. Slowly, slowly you drift back into the blurry world of the semi-conscious, and then into an all-together blissful sleep.
And that, dear readers, is what makes my life worth living. Bon Appetit!
Normally, I (not to mention most sane people in this galaxy) wouldn’t get up until the late afternoon. But today is different. Today I got up by 8:30 and was ready (shower an all) by 9:00. Why? Because Mum is making breakfast. Trust me, it's worth getting up for. And if I (the grand master of supreme laziness) say so, you have just got to believe it. It's not your standard morning bread-toast and butter breakfast. Or rather, not just your bread-toast and butter breakfast. It's a Five Star Hotel Multi-Course breakfast, no holes barred.
It starts off well enough, with a tall glass of fruit juice of your choice. That's about 200mL of the best juice in the world - Ceres. Then comes the first set of choices you make - do you want a HUGE (3 egg) omelet, or a HUGE (3 egg) fried egg? This decision made, within five minutes you have a huge sphere of 3-eyed egg (at least, that's what I'd choose) on your plate. This, of course, comes with standard accompaniments, in the form of unlimited mashed potato sprinkled with pepper and Tabasco sauce, and a hefty chunk of homemade brown bread. If, however, you wish to chew your potatoes and work your jaws further, you have the option of asking for Jacket Potatoes hot and fresh from the oven, sliced down the centre, and filled with butter. As you watch the butter melt along the insides of the Potato, you add the grated cheese, sprinkle with pepper and chopped sprig of spring onion, or dribble some Hot-sauce on it and take one nice, full bite of this divine creation of (wo) man.
As you recover from the dose of ecstasy, you are faced with yet another choice - Ham Slices, Bacon Strips, or Succulent Keels Sausages? Again, Keels is by far the best producer of sausages in the world. Highly recommended. You choose two (the Bacon and Sausages for me) and watch while the cook (mum) makes the sausage do all kinds of flips mid-air in front of you, and manipulates the bacon like a veteran snake charmer performing a rehearsed act.
Another shot of ecstasy. Addictive, isn't it?
Make way for another glass of that heavenly juice that God reserved for the Just - Ceres, to quench your growing thirst. You are about to go for seconds, full as you are, when you see mum taking out Desert from the oven - hot Apple Pie, which she will serve with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. Your mind reels, now clearly at a loss as to what to do with that last square centimeter of space in your stomach (and indeed your entire body). Should you go for the potent, satisfying line-up again, or wait a few seconds till mum cuts the Pie and places the Original Sin in front of your longing eyes (and mouth)? You choose to complete this entire round, and opt for the Pie.
The Pie, served in a crystal glass bowl, comes with the ice cream already melting at its side, just begging to be devoured. And so you oblige! Without waiting for mum to finish explaining how many hours it took her to perfect everything, you, in one fell swoop, you make a great void where the Apple Pie so recently was. You feel its warmth as it (not so) softly settles itself in your stomach, and feel the world going hazy again. (And here the ecstasy kicks in again...)
You wake up in your room, snug under the covers of your bed. You look at the time, and it's the early evening. But you don't care. You can't move, and you don't want to. Or have to. Mum and Dad leave you to yourself, respecting the unsaid Law of Rest after Heaven. Slowly, slowly you drift back into the blurry world of the semi-conscious, and then into an all-together blissful sleep.
And that, dear readers, is what makes my life worth living. Bon Appetit!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
LIVE!! LIVE!! LIVE!!
For all you people who are into music - and I mean real music, not Maiden, Blcksabbath, or Megadeath - here's an interesting question to to waste time thinking about. Why the heck can't you're favorite artiste perform well on stage?? Oh come on, you know that all his live performances SUCKED!
Have you ever noticed the (complete abscence of) quality your singer has when it comes to a live performance? Take, for example, Sting. He's one of my musical idols. Amazing music since god-alone-knows-when. I recently came across one of his more recent albums, called "All This Time" where he sang all his famous hits like 'Roxanne', 'Fields Of Gold', 'A Thousand Years', and so on live. And he sucked. He (quite literally) wasn't singing it. He was speaking it, with a little pitch adjustment here and there.
Now everyone may think it sounds damn cool to give their concerts a 'personal' touch, and make the audience feel (almost) interacted with, but in reality, all they do is spoil one heck of a good song for no real reason. And to top this off, people pretend to have loved it, just so they can be Cool, and be part of the In Crowd.
As far as I know, the only artist that is an exeption to this is Dire Straits. Their album "Alchemy", is live in london, and it is electric!!! If you've heard 'Sultans Of Swing' and liked it, you will go bananas after hearing the Live version - 10 minutes of a pure, electric, sensational Mark Knopfler ceation at its absolute best. WOW. Him and Joe Satiriani are the only guitarist - performers that do a really good job of it - intentionally.
Of course, there's other people who do it well in concert. But that's not because they want to do it that way - it's because they know no other way to do it, and so it sounds a lot like the recorded thing, which, frankly, I don't think the mob - oops! - crowd minds.
A classic example is (forgive me Aasimah) Bryan Adams. Sure, he's got some good music, looks, and voice, but damn, he's got absolutely no creativity. Not that its a bd thing, I thought that he performed really well on stage, coming and getting some girls to sing wit him and all. And that would only be possible if he stuck to his original tune, which he did.
And, to give due credit to Arjun's Gods, Maiden didn't perform that bad either, and I quite liked a live recording (that shouldn't make sense, right...? ;-) ) of Metallica that I heard.
If you look inside and question yourself, I'm confident that you will find you feel the same. Some one should sue these rich p*mps for emotional trauma or something. I mean, how can anyone put up with bad music?? Even the artist him/her/themselves?
Have you ever noticed the (complete abscence of) quality your singer has when it comes to a live performance? Take, for example, Sting. He's one of my musical idols. Amazing music since god-alone-knows-when. I recently came across one of his more recent albums, called "All This Time" where he sang all his famous hits like 'Roxanne', 'Fields Of Gold', 'A Thousand Years', and so on live. And he sucked. He (quite literally) wasn't singing it. He was speaking it, with a little pitch adjustment here and there.
Now everyone may think it sounds damn cool to give their concerts a 'personal' touch, and make the audience feel (almost) interacted with, but in reality, all they do is spoil one heck of a good song for no real reason. And to top this off, people pretend to have loved it, just so they can be Cool, and be part of the In Crowd.
As far as I know, the only artist that is an exeption to this is Dire Straits. Their album "Alchemy", is live in london, and it is electric!!! If you've heard 'Sultans Of Swing' and liked it, you will go bananas after hearing the Live version - 10 minutes of a pure, electric, sensational Mark Knopfler ceation at its absolute best. WOW. Him and Joe Satiriani are the only guitarist - performers that do a really good job of it - intentionally.
Of course, there's other people who do it well in concert. But that's not because they want to do it that way - it's because they know no other way to do it, and so it sounds a lot like the recorded thing, which, frankly, I don't think the mob - oops! - crowd minds.
A classic example is (forgive me Aasimah) Bryan Adams. Sure, he's got some good music, looks, and voice, but damn, he's got absolutely no creativity. Not that its a bd thing, I thought that he performed really well on stage, coming and getting some girls to sing wit him and all. And that would only be possible if he stuck to his original tune, which he did.
And, to give due credit to Arjun's Gods, Maiden didn't perform that bad either, and I quite liked a live recording (that shouldn't make sense, right...? ;-) ) of Metallica that I heard.
If you look inside and question yourself, I'm confident that you will find you feel the same. Some one should sue these rich p*mps for emotional trauma or something. I mean, how can anyone put up with bad music?? Even the artist him/her/themselves?
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Not ONE Blog
I've been through many interesting blogs recently(mostly my friends'), and I have found one consistency in all of them - they all have a specific point which they build up to in every post. It's really quite facinating, when you compare styles of writing and se, quite clearly, the difference between good, bad, and really spectacular writing. I have also realised that most of my posts have a theme, but I'm always heading off on a tangent to what-ever it was that I was trying to say in the first place. This post is no exeption.
Blogs of particular interest:
Meghna's Blog(On my links bar)
Arun Katiyar's Blog(Also on my links bar)
You have just got to see the way they string otherwise random phrases into a strong foundation, and then build right up with a solid structure, and finish it off in a most satisfying manner, leaving little or nothing left to desire. I have got to learn to that someday. Until then... Read On!!
Blogs of particular interest:
Meghna's Blog(On my links bar)
Arun Katiyar's Blog(Also on my links bar)
You have just got to see the way they string otherwise random phrases into a strong foundation, and then build right up with a solid structure, and finish it off in a most satisfying manner, leaving little or nothing left to desire. I have got to learn to that someday. Until then... Read On!!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Our Nerd Fest
Hey, sorry, long time, no blog. Had one really strange week. Anyway, it's over, and I got unit tests tomorrow, which, of course, true to my behaviour, I haven't studied for.
On Friday was our first ever Nerd Fest at Deeksha. And it was a collosal failure!! I know I go there and all, but I can't help this - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
It was the ultimate congregation of all the proudest nerds in the city - and man, even they didn't like it that much. There was the Kumarans contigent, whih was by far th geekiest. And so proud of it too. "Look at me, I encompass all of the knowledge in any text book you show me. I can tell you the distnce from Earth to the Sun, and the DNA constituent of the African Bull Frog, but I can't use common sense to build a torch given a bulb, wires, taape, and a battery pack!" and all this said with great pomp. What total losers.
Then came NPS. No offense to anyone, one of them was my friend an all, but this was the real upsetter - Not even one of the (Two) NPS qualified as one of the final 5 teams! Hmmm... NPS needs to buck up on its mugging techniques.
Then there were a few other schools that came. OK, actually, there were quite a lot. None-the-less, the only thing that went off well was the treasure hunt. It took place after the prelim/elimination round got over, and there was chaos. Just imagine a 1-acre plot nearly completely built up, leaving very little room for recreation, and making you feel rather claustrophobic. Now imagine 120 kids running about it, looking for eight scraps of paper scarcely larger than the thumb on your right hand.
What chaos! And the best part was, I had so much fun encouraging it. Everyone was running about with wierd, rhymin, pentameter clues to figure out, and I just stood in the mmiddle and pretended to not want to give myself away. And then, the instant someone caught me, I'd just send them off on some other tangent which they'd probably come out of after the hunt got over.
The rest of the show, however, was,for lack of a more blurry word, BORING. We just drove forward relentlessly, not caring to take break or anything. The projection system was so ineffective, mainly because it was under a small, badly put up shamiana, and it was boiling. Not to mention the fact that everyone was getting bored to death, because:
a) Points were doled out in 1s and 2s.
b) Because the questions that we(OK, they, not me) had set up were so hard, even the Uber-nerds were finding it hard to get the answers right.
Finally, it ended with the 'Young Inventor' event. I thought of, planned, put together, and organised the entire thing myself(Notice the hint of pride in my, er, voice...?). Here, you were given more than what you need, and you were given a total of 45 minutes to construct a Torchlight, a 2-way switch, and find the focal length of the lenses. OK, so no one expected them to do it in that much time, but jeez, they couldn't even think of a simple solution to the torch!
This just goes to show that no matter how 'good' you are at 'studying', you'll get no where unless you cando something to prove your point. Stupid nerds. During the finale, everyone generally voted that the event was 'irritating' and 'useless'. What total morons. Go squeeze that information out of your head, son. In the near future, they're gonna ban our right to read and refer, so forget the creativity inside you, just MUG! MUG! MUG!
PFFFT. No wonder the world is the way it is...
Orbit my parallel universe! ;-)
On Friday was our first ever Nerd Fest at Deeksha. And it was a collosal failure!! I know I go there and all, but I can't help this - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
It was the ultimate congregation of all the proudest nerds in the city - and man, even they didn't like it that much. There was the Kumarans contigent, whih was by far th geekiest. And so proud of it too. "Look at me, I encompass all of the knowledge in any text book you show me. I can tell you the distnce from Earth to the Sun, and the DNA constituent of the African Bull Frog, but I can't use common sense to build a torch given a bulb, wires, taape, and a battery pack!" and all this said with great pomp. What total losers.
Then came NPS. No offense to anyone, one of them was my friend an all, but this was the real upsetter - Not even one of the (Two) NPS qualified as one of the final 5 teams! Hmmm... NPS needs to buck up on its mugging techniques.
Then there were a few other schools that came. OK, actually, there were quite a lot. None-the-less, the only thing that went off well was the treasure hunt. It took place after the prelim/elimination round got over, and there was chaos. Just imagine a 1-acre plot nearly completely built up, leaving very little room for recreation, and making you feel rather claustrophobic. Now imagine 120 kids running about it, looking for eight scraps of paper scarcely larger than the thumb on your right hand.
What chaos! And the best part was, I had so much fun encouraging it. Everyone was running about with wierd, rhymin, pentameter clues to figure out, and I just stood in the mmiddle and pretended to not want to give myself away. And then, the instant someone caught me, I'd just send them off on some other tangent which they'd probably come out of after the hunt got over.
The rest of the show, however, was,for lack of a more blurry word, BORING. We just drove forward relentlessly, not caring to take break or anything. The projection system was so ineffective, mainly because it was under a small, badly put up shamiana, and it was boiling. Not to mention the fact that everyone was getting bored to death, because:
a) Points were doled out in 1s and 2s.
b) Because the questions that we(OK, they, not me) had set up were so hard, even the Uber-nerds were finding it hard to get the answers right.
Finally, it ended with the 'Young Inventor' event. I thought of, planned, put together, and organised the entire thing myself(Notice the hint of pride in my, er, voice...?). Here, you were given more than what you need, and you were given a total of 45 minutes to construct a Torchlight, a 2-way switch, and find the focal length of the lenses. OK, so no one expected them to do it in that much time, but jeez, they couldn't even think of a simple solution to the torch!
This just goes to show that no matter how 'good' you are at 'studying', you'll get no where unless you cando something to prove your point. Stupid nerds. During the finale, everyone generally voted that the event was 'irritating' and 'useless'. What total morons. Go squeeze that information out of your head, son. In the near future, they're gonna ban our right to read and refer, so forget the creativity inside you, just MUG! MUG! MUG!
PFFFT. No wonder the world is the way it is...
Orbit my parallel universe! ;-)
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Absolute B*llsh*t
Everyone's been saying that my behavior is becoming progressively more aggressive after Mona's death. I wonder if the two are related...?
On top of that, no one will sympathize with me. It's always," No, Aveek. {Fill any name here} has his reasons for being such a prick" or "No, Aveek. One day when you grow up you'll appreciate the torture we/he/she/they made you go through" Well, I don't care. They can all go fry in an oven(Hey, wait, that's not right - but then again, this is MY blog, and I have all right to say whatever the hell I want here) for all I care.
Everyone just wants to shower me with advice - advice on how to eat, behave, talk, study, live, and die. And before I know it, they'll be telling me about all their failures, and how I shouldn't make the same mistake. F**k them. IWANT TO MAKE THE MISTAKES, OK? I don't care if you missed the chance to run India Today, or never got to be the world's greatest psychological researcher. I DON'T CARE. Go mope over it in your own room, and don't waste my time with crap that won't help me(Realistically speaking).
Then, I'm banned from using 'Foul' language like 'Suck Up', 'Gaylord', 'Fag'(What the...?! Why??) and a few other things that most take for granted. Why, may I ask? Because my little angel of a sister(B*llsh*t) might get affected. Heck, my sister probably knows more foul language than me(OK, exaggeration, but still, she certainly knows a lot more than just the aforementioned stuff)!
Jeez, this world is not harsh, or vast, or strange. Just stupid.
Plain stupid.
On top of that, no one will sympathize with me. It's always," No, Aveek. {Fill any name here} has his reasons for being such a prick" or "No, Aveek. One day when you grow up you'll appreciate the torture we/he/she/they made you go through" Well, I don't care. They can all go fry in an oven(Hey, wait, that's not right - but then again, this is MY blog, and I have all right to say whatever the hell I want here) for all I care.
Everyone just wants to shower me with advice - advice on how to eat, behave, talk, study, live, and die. And before I know it, they'll be telling me about all their failures, and how I shouldn't make the same mistake. F**k them. IWANT TO MAKE THE MISTAKES, OK? I don't care if you missed the chance to run India Today, or never got to be the world's greatest psychological researcher. I DON'T CARE. Go mope over it in your own room, and don't waste my time with crap that won't help me(Realistically speaking).
Then, I'm banned from using 'Foul' language like 'Suck Up', 'Gaylord', 'Fag'(What the...?! Why??) and a few other things that most take for granted. Why, may I ask? Because my little angel of a sister(B*llsh*t) might get affected. Heck, my sister probably knows more foul language than me(OK, exaggeration, but still, she certainly knows a lot more than just the aforementioned stuff)!
Jeez, this world is not harsh, or vast, or strange. Just stupid.
Plain stupid.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
The iMac, and it's (Hypothetical) Problems
(That's the entire iMac, wires and all. There are 5 external wires. No complicated jungle of overgrown enamelled wire.)
And now to the point:
I need games! And not some cheap games that even I can program on the computer(Yes, and if I can program them, you can imagine justt how cheap I mean). I want games like The Sims, SimCity4000, Evo 4X4, Halo, Delta Force and the like. But no, Aspyr Media has decided not to sell the games in India. WHAT THE SHIT ABOUT THE MILLION ODD MAC. USERS IN THIS COUNTRY, HUH?!
Stupid international policy. As far as I know, almost every game has a Mac variant that is internationally sold. Almost anything from The Sims to Driver to Tony Hawk Pro Skater to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six has a Mac platform. But they willl not sell it here, will they? Twits. Morons. Idiots. And a host of other light insults.
I gess they are justified, in a sense. The Mac is a brilliant piece of engineering. Way better than Windows, Linux, or any other OS in the market. World-wide, it is highly acclaimed, but in tis country, it's just about catching on, and only really tech-savvy people would have any knowledge of tits capabilities. And if you're that tech-savvy, you probably work on the computer a lot. So, essentially, the Mac (In this country at least) is used as the ultimate work-station. Never crashes. More facilities. More power. Easy-to-use. But at a price - Specifically, Rs. 88,000. Ouch.
But for anyone else in this country, there are so many pre-concieved notions about Windows, that even software firms have had to make plans to seel only products for windows, and more recently, Linux(This OS being programmers choice and all...). So that Looks to be it for Mac. users, who are gonna have to wait quite some time befoe products are introduced for the Mac. X OS.
On top of that, my dad has blamed my games as the reason our old Compaq Presario crashed - ritualistically, once a year. Stupid Windows system. And so, he refuses to buy me any game at all. Cheap-skate. Now what do I do?!
Thursday, November 25, 2004
I Got Mona's Pictures!!
Isn't this a lovely picture of Mona?
I went to her home 5 days ago(When this post was first up, without the photo being displayed..?), to meet her mum. I stayed there for about an hour, and we talked about Mona. About her love for dogs, her cheery persona, her permanent smile, and how she brought so much life to the house. Her mum was saying that she still can't get over her death. That she feels so lonely when she's at home. That Mona always made so much noise at home, and she kept telling her to be quiet so as not to wake up the neighbours, and now how she regrets saying that. How she couldn't really listen to a thing the teachers were saying at the programme held at J.N.C. for Mona. And how she still believes that Mona's just not at home. Out somewhere. Just like I believe that I'm dreaming, even though everyone and everything indicate that I am in fact, in a harsh, painful reality.
Enough of the morbid descriptions though. Dad bought more of this amazing music home. Its like Jazz, or Lounge, or something, but its fantastic! I have learn't to blindly buy any album realeased by the "Higher Octave" Label. Neither Sony, nor Virgin, Nor any other record company has such good taste in music. Every CD that I've ever heard, I've loved. It's just such good music. It extends to a few Gernres, like World, Lounge, Jazz, and the likes, but its the Creme De La Creme of these categories.
Just take my advice(I'm currently not using it) and buy any Album released with the Higher Octave Records label on it.
Verdict: 5 Stars.
Monday, November 22, 2004
The Mathematical existence Of God
Amidst all this talk about Aethism, God, Religion and so much else that seems to have creeped in, I came accross this very interesting uh, derivation(?!).
In 1970 sometime, Austrian mathematician Kurt Gödel wrote a 'Methematical' 'proof' for the existance of god. It goes something like this:
(Hey, another glitch, the O in Godel is supposed to have 2 dots on top of it... this site doesn't seem to have the capacity for these extra symbols. Please bear with the wierd looknig signs...)
Gödels's Mathematical Proof Of God's Existence
Axiom 1: (Dichotomy) A property is positive if and only if its negation is negative.
Axiom 2: (Closure) A property is positive if it necessarily contains a positive property.
Theorem 1: A positive property is logically consistent (i.e. possibly it has some instance.)
Definition: Something is God-like if and only if it possesses all positive properties.
Axiom 3: Being God-like is a positive property.
Axiom 4: Being a positive property is (logical, hence) necessary.
Definition: A property P is the essence of x if and only if x has P and P is necessarily minimal.
Theorem 2: If x is God-like, then being God-like is the essence of x.
Definition: NE(x): x necessarilt exists if it has an essential property.
Axiom 5: Being NE is God-like.
Theorem 3: Necessarily there is some x such that x is God-like.
Isn't it brilliant?? Though I'm not sure that I got it all, I hink I've pretty clearly understood right till Axiom 5. Most scientists, logicians, mathematicians still can't understand every part of it, so it remains a mystery, but it seems to have a (mystical, yet) strong foundation - don't you think?
I am most compelled to believe in God's existance, but I stand my ground very firmly. This is a brilliant piece to ponder about though(So next time you're asked to host an assembly, you know what to talk about!!).
There are so amny fascinating instances of math being applied(is that right...?) everywhere that the whole world takes an entirely different meaning. It's all part of this book called "Wonder Of Numbers". Admitted the name does not sound most enthralling, but if you see it anywhere, you must blindly pick it up. A must read, if only to raise questions about the very foudation of our mathematics.
Verdict: 5 Stars.
In 1970 sometime, Austrian mathematician Kurt Gödel wrote a 'Methematical' 'proof' for the existance of god. It goes something like this:
(Hey, another glitch, the O in Godel is supposed to have 2 dots on top of it... this site doesn't seem to have the capacity for these extra symbols. Please bear with the wierd looknig signs...)
Gödels's Mathematical Proof Of God's Existence
Axiom 1: (Dichotomy) A property is positive if and only if its negation is negative.
Axiom 2: (Closure) A property is positive if it necessarily contains a positive property.
Theorem 1: A positive property is logically consistent (i.e. possibly it has some instance.)
Definition: Something is God-like if and only if it possesses all positive properties.
Axiom 3: Being God-like is a positive property.
Axiom 4: Being a positive property is (logical, hence) necessary.
Definition: A property P is the essence of x if and only if x has P and P is necessarily minimal.
Theorem 2: If x is God-like, then being God-like is the essence of x.
Definition: NE(x): x necessarilt exists if it has an essential property.
Axiom 5: Being NE is God-like.
Theorem 3: Necessarily there is some x such that x is God-like.
Isn't it brilliant?? Though I'm not sure that I got it all, I hink I've pretty clearly understood right till Axiom 5. Most scientists, logicians, mathematicians still can't understand every part of it, so it remains a mystery, but it seems to have a (mystical, yet) strong foundation - don't you think?
I am most compelled to believe in God's existance, but I stand my ground very firmly. This is a brilliant piece to ponder about though(So next time you're asked to host an assembly, you know what to talk about!!).
There are so amny fascinating instances of math being applied(is that right...?) everywhere that the whole world takes an entirely different meaning. It's all part of this book called "Wonder Of Numbers". Admitted the name does not sound most enthralling, but if you see it anywhere, you must blindly pick it up. A must read, if only to raise questions about the very foudation of our mathematics.
Verdict: 5 Stars.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Toothpaste And Grammar
My dad is simply amazing! Sure, everyone's dad is amazing, but you just gotta look at this one.
There's this post on his site(You can view it by clicking the title - it's a link to the page) on which he talks about the usage of toothpaste, and how you really don't need as much as you probably use.
Sure, you must be thinking, "Yeah, OK. So this guy's dad figured out what's being taught to us in high school. Pssht. Whats the big deal?" The thing is, the entire post(And its a mighty large one) is just ONE SENTENCE!! It's simply brilliant! Even if you copy-and-paste it in word, it will not show up as a gramatical fault. it's pristine!
So I guess Posting(Is that accepted? - The capital 'p' I mean) is as much an art as Painting, or Archery, or Karate.
There's this post on his site(You can view it by clicking the title - it's a link to the page) on which he talks about the usage of toothpaste, and how you really don't need as much as you probably use.
Sure, you must be thinking, "Yeah, OK. So this guy's dad figured out what's being taught to us in high school. Pssht. Whats the big deal?" The thing is, the entire post(And its a mighty large one) is just ONE SENTENCE!! It's simply brilliant! Even if you copy-and-paste it in word, it will not show up as a gramatical fault. it's pristine!
So I guess Posting(Is that accepted? - The capital 'p' I mean) is as much an art as Painting, or Archery, or Karate.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Dreams
Dreams really do reflect so many parts of our life (or lack of it), our ambitions, our goals, our whims and fancies. But more importantly, I think that our dreams help us explore parts of our brains that we are completely unable to unlock through the realm of consciousness.
Last night I dreamt of flying, and we were flying in a Lego airplane (That I have designed myself in reality)and that it had an open top('cause my aircraft looks really funny with a hatch as it has to end abruptly). That’s when I started thinking – I snapped away from the rest of my dream and got into this 3-D world where the half finished model was rotating around so I could see all its sides and all – of a way to make another, much better looking and more workable model, something that has not struck me for 3 years in reality even though I have put so much thought into it.
Thee brain is a truly amazing thing. I’m sure that it can take you to places you never imagined possible. So many people have even dreamt of the future - most famous is of course, Nostradamous(Pardon me if its not spelt right) - and predicteed events. People have had out-of-body or Astral projections. I believe that the brain is capable of much more than its restricting 3-Dimentions of the concious world. When they say that we use less than ten percent of our brain, it just fails to strike us just how much more there is to use.
Take, for example, the numbers Googol and GoogolPlex. it is 1 followed by 100 Zeros. Just writing the number makes us think of a huge length of paper. It goes something like this:
10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.
Huge, no? Now, imagine the number GoogolPlex. A GoogolPlex is 1 followed by a GOOGOL NUMBER of zeroes. that does not mean 1 followed by 101 zeroes. that means the value of Googol, like the value of 1 Million. Actually writing 1 million Zeroes after 1. Like that, ACTUALLY WRITING the COUNTING VALUE of a GOOGOL NUMBER of Zeroes.
This concept is not understood by most people on this planet. This includes many highly scientific minds. Yet, this concept has been understood by children in single-digit ages. Just goes to show that we seem to be most productive when young, and that the brain just keeps dieing as we "Mature".
So, use your brains while you're still young, or you'll never be able to regret later!
Last night I dreamt of flying, and we were flying in a Lego airplane (That I have designed myself in reality)and that it had an open top('cause my aircraft looks really funny with a hatch as it has to end abruptly). That’s when I started thinking – I snapped away from the rest of my dream and got into this 3-D world where the half finished model was rotating around so I could see all its sides and all – of a way to make another, much better looking and more workable model, something that has not struck me for 3 years in reality even though I have put so much thought into it.
Thee brain is a truly amazing thing. I’m sure that it can take you to places you never imagined possible. So many people have even dreamt of the future - most famous is of course, Nostradamous(Pardon me if its not spelt right) - and predicteed events. People have had out-of-body or Astral projections. I believe that the brain is capable of much more than its restricting 3-Dimentions of the concious world. When they say that we use less than ten percent of our brain, it just fails to strike us just how much more there is to use.
Take, for example, the numbers Googol and GoogolPlex. it is 1 followed by 100 Zeros. Just writing the number makes us think of a huge length of paper. It goes something like this:
10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.
Huge, no? Now, imagine the number GoogolPlex. A GoogolPlex is 1 followed by a GOOGOL NUMBER of zeroes. that does not mean 1 followed by 101 zeroes. that means the value of Googol, like the value of 1 Million. Actually writing 1 million Zeroes after 1. Like that, ACTUALLY WRITING the COUNTING VALUE of a GOOGOL NUMBER of Zeroes.
This concept is not understood by most people on this planet. This includes many highly scientific minds. Yet, this concept has been understood by children in single-digit ages. Just goes to show that we seem to be most productive when young, and that the brain just keeps dieing as we "Mature".
So, use your brains while you're still young, or you'll never be able to regret later!
Monday, November 08, 2004
Mona
Mona. I just realised that I didn't have any pictures of her at all. The number of times we were with her and never thought of taking pitures. After all, where was she going anyways? Anytime we needed her company we'd just call and we were off to ITPL or to a play or something or the other.
And then it happened. After a late night at a friends house, I was on my way back and for a lark thought I'd sing really loudly to see if I could wake Mona up. With no reply, though, I ended up sleeping by around 3:00 AM. Next morning I get a call from Abhay asking me to come to Mona's place, cause she's passed away. Just like that. I didn't believe it, even after he asked me to get my parents along. It wasn't until I actually got to her lane and saw lots of cars and even more people at Mona's house that I started to believe that something was really wrong.
The closer I came, the more uncomfortable I felt. I refused to believe that something(let alone death) had happened to her. And then it happened. I walked up the driveway I knew what I had been dreading since that call. One look at her dad, and I knew it had happened. I walked into the living room - and got the shock of my life. There was Mona, in the middle of the room, wrapped in a deep blue saari, with a gauze around her jaw. It still refused to strike me, or I refused to accept it.
Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Denial. It still refuses to lodge itself in my factfile. Now I know what they mean when they say "Like A Dream". The whole day just seemed so unreal. So unbelievable, yet so accurate, as if someone was trying very hard to blur the lines between sublime dreams and a harsh reality. Even now I think that I'll just call her up a little later and that I'll tell her what a scary dream I'd had. I've tried everything - from pinching myself, to showering thrice with cold water - just to wake me up from this dream that I sincerely wish that I was in.
She just turned 25 in October. She hadd plans to work really hard, get her own place, get a car, and eventually settle down. She loved the same music I did, and more(I must say, she had really good taste), and now I'm feeeling so bad, cause I promised to give her some tapes she'd been looking for forever. So this is what happens when you postpone things. We never quite got down to doin most of the stuff we planned. So much for our grand plans of when I was legally was allowed to party, or stay out late, or other (nafarious?) activities.
You know about those stories where a guy one day goes to his fathers house(who he hasn't talked to in years), rings the bell, and says,"Dad, I love you." Next day the guy dies. Sure, that strikes a chord in your heart. But it's not until you've actually experienced something like that till you really know how it feels.
Just try and imagine how hard it is to lose a parent or grand-parent. Painful. But hey, you knew their time was coming sooner or later, so there was that cushion to fall on - they had lived their lives, and were heading West now. Then imagine losing your child. What the...?! Where did she go to? You never expected that to happen to you, did you? Imagine the hurt a parent feels when they have to cremate/bury/(which ever custom you follow) their child. Their CHILD. Her mother even remarked,"I never thought I'd touch her when she was this cold." Then imagine losing your friend. And not just any friend. Your really really really close friend. Someone you dearly love. Ouch.
I guess a few more visits to the temple are in order. Maybe, even though I don't believe(Yet?) if she did, then I guess the only way left to reach her would be through the house of God?
I hate the Sandman. What a bad dream this is... Not one thing is going right. Mona dies, then I can't reach her cremation in time, then friends come over and try hopelessly to cheer me up, and finally I fall asleep in my own dream. I wake up the next morning, go to college, break down, come home, write on my blog, and try very hard to forget my dreams. The main problem with this particular dream is that I don't think I'm gonna wake up anytime soon... but when I do, the first thing I'm gonna do is call up everyone I know and tell them just how much they mean to me.
And then it happened. After a late night at a friends house, I was on my way back and for a lark thought I'd sing really loudly to see if I could wake Mona up. With no reply, though, I ended up sleeping by around 3:00 AM. Next morning I get a call from Abhay asking me to come to Mona's place, cause she's passed away. Just like that. I didn't believe it, even after he asked me to get my parents along. It wasn't until I actually got to her lane and saw lots of cars and even more people at Mona's house that I started to believe that something was really wrong.
The closer I came, the more uncomfortable I felt. I refused to believe that something(let alone death) had happened to her. And then it happened. I walked up the driveway I knew what I had been dreading since that call. One look at her dad, and I knew it had happened. I walked into the living room - and got the shock of my life. There was Mona, in the middle of the room, wrapped in a deep blue saari, with a gauze around her jaw. It still refused to strike me, or I refused to accept it.
Shock. Disbelief. Horror. Denial. It still refuses to lodge itself in my factfile. Now I know what they mean when they say "Like A Dream". The whole day just seemed so unreal. So unbelievable, yet so accurate, as if someone was trying very hard to blur the lines between sublime dreams and a harsh reality. Even now I think that I'll just call her up a little later and that I'll tell her what a scary dream I'd had. I've tried everything - from pinching myself, to showering thrice with cold water - just to wake me up from this dream that I sincerely wish that I was in.
She just turned 25 in October. She hadd plans to work really hard, get her own place, get a car, and eventually settle down. She loved the same music I did, and more(I must say, she had really good taste), and now I'm feeeling so bad, cause I promised to give her some tapes she'd been looking for forever. So this is what happens when you postpone things. We never quite got down to doin most of the stuff we planned. So much for our grand plans of when I was legally was allowed to party, or stay out late, or other (nafarious?) activities.
You know about those stories where a guy one day goes to his fathers house(who he hasn't talked to in years), rings the bell, and says,"Dad, I love you." Next day the guy dies. Sure, that strikes a chord in your heart. But it's not until you've actually experienced something like that till you really know how it feels.
Just try and imagine how hard it is to lose a parent or grand-parent. Painful. But hey, you knew their time was coming sooner or later, so there was that cushion to fall on - they had lived their lives, and were heading West now. Then imagine losing your child. What the...?! Where did she go to? You never expected that to happen to you, did you? Imagine the hurt a parent feels when they have to cremate/bury/(which ever custom you follow) their child. Their CHILD. Her mother even remarked,"I never thought I'd touch her when she was this cold." Then imagine losing your friend. And not just any friend. Your really really really close friend. Someone you dearly love. Ouch.
I guess a few more visits to the temple are in order. Maybe, even though I don't believe(Yet?) if she did, then I guess the only way left to reach her would be through the house of God?
I hate the Sandman. What a bad dream this is... Not one thing is going right. Mona dies, then I can't reach her cremation in time, then friends come over and try hopelessly to cheer me up, and finally I fall asleep in my own dream. I wake up the next morning, go to college, break down, come home, write on my blog, and try very hard to forget my dreams. The main problem with this particular dream is that I don't think I'm gonna wake up anytime soon... but when I do, the first thing I'm gonna do is call up everyone I know and tell them just how much they mean to me.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
A Visit To The Temple
A visit to the temple. A routine(If not regular) cycle for the average Indian. Unless you're an aethist. To me, going there is just a waste of time - a bad waste of time. There are so many other, better ways of wasing time than going to a temple to offer money to someone(thing?) that you know does not really need it - especially when it can have American dollars instead! None-the-less, I was firmly(but not forcefully) dragged along to the temple with my parents because "It would do me good.". Yuk. Oh, the time I could have spent playing squash, or surfing the internet... sigh. I never really an affinity for temples, or other places of worship. Idols of our perception and imagination don't exactly charge me up.
This particular visit, however, was a total shocker. When I did go in there,I did feel more calm and composed, and more in control of myself than usual. I jokingly even thought to 'God' - "Hey there - presuming you exist - i hope you know that the stuff bout Heaven and God being just a menifstation of the devil[I'll post that one shortly, along with a mathematical existance of god] an all. You being the 'All Forgiving One' ought to knnow anyways... One more thing, please take care of Dadaji(I know he's up there. No way he coulda reached Hell) and tell him that I miss him terribly. I love him. Thanks mate!" The strange part here is that I actually meant what I said, as if I was really saying it to someone(thing??) and that hopefully he/she/it would ttake notice. It's a strange feeling, especially for someone like me, being very firmly aethist an all. Anyone with a similar experience...? Speak up.
This particular visit, however, was a total shocker. When I did go in there,I did feel more calm and composed, and more in control of myself than usual. I jokingly even thought to 'God' - "Hey there - presuming you exist - i hope you know that the stuff bout Heaven and God being just a menifstation of the devil[I'll post that one shortly, along with a mathematical existance of god] an all. You being the 'All Forgiving One' ought to knnow anyways... One more thing, please take care of Dadaji(I know he's up there. No way he coulda reached Hell) and tell him that I miss him terribly. I love him. Thanks mate!" The strange part here is that I actually meant what I said, as if I was really saying it to someone(thing??) and that hopefully he/she/it would ttake notice. It's a strange feeling, especially for someone like me, being very firmly aethist an all. Anyone with a similar experience...? Speak up.
Monday, November 01, 2004
McDonalds
I finally went to McDonalds at the Foum today - with my parents. Here's a tip - if you've got parents like mine, DON'T GO THERE. They simply hated the place(As did I, so I really don't see why I wrote that.. Hehe...). But what made it really annoying(I seem to have an affinity for "strange" and "annoying", no?) was that while me an my sister waited brushing shoulders with sick sweaty saree wearing women (an men - i think... YUK!!!) my parents were sitting in the Honda listening to jazz. And then when I call them there, they promptly go and grab a table and leave me and my sister(who can be thoroughly incompetent) to carry three trays from the bottom to the top. And, of course, knowing my sister, she dropped all three cokes.
Enough of dissin my family... you guys know I didn't mean it! But yeah, the entire McDonalds excursion was as far waay from "I'm Lovin' It!" as is possible. I mean sure, the guys other side of the counter are nice an all, even when it comes to customers who spit in their faces while ordering(ya, I saw it happen - GROSS!!) but thats not it at all. The portions are so small, they'd make pin-point of light look gigantic. Not to mention the fact that everything tastes just like everything else. Yes, the MahrajaMac tasted just like the CrispyChinese which tasted just like the PaneerWrap which tasted just like the FrenchFries(Minus the extra salt, thank god). And its not like any of the food tasted good. Even KFC(Yes, the same KFC of oil (in)fame) is better. Not even the packaging was in any way appealing. As you unwrapped your "meal", you saw this vast mountain of waste pile up infront of you, anong with the ketchup, which was on the paper mat(cause they forgot to give you a plastic bowl to put it in). There was definitely more wrapping than the food. No wonder so many people around the world are uh, the way they are[ ;-) ]. Especially in countries like The States, where these fast-food places like Burger-King and McDonalds are everywhere, even where there's no telephone or petrol-pump. I'm amazed that with this (lack of) quality McDonalds has become so famous and (GASP!) popular world-wide. Looks like this planet has some really bad taste. I'm definitely never gonna visit McDonalds again - EVA! Not even to see the look of anguish on peoples faces once they realise that they've just been duped by the worlds most popular toll-booth on the road to absolute horizontalness... not to mention brain-sappingness.
Verdict: 1/2 star.
Enough of dissin my family... you guys know I didn't mean it! But yeah, the entire McDonalds excursion was as far waay from "I'm Lovin' It!" as is possible. I mean sure, the guys other side of the counter are nice an all, even when it comes to customers who spit in their faces while ordering(ya, I saw it happen - GROSS!!) but thats not it at all. The portions are so small, they'd make pin-point of light look gigantic. Not to mention the fact that everything tastes just like everything else. Yes, the MahrajaMac tasted just like the CrispyChinese which tasted just like the PaneerWrap which tasted just like the FrenchFries(Minus the extra salt, thank god). And its not like any of the food tasted good. Even KFC(Yes, the same KFC of oil (in)fame) is better. Not even the packaging was in any way appealing. As you unwrapped your "meal", you saw this vast mountain of waste pile up infront of you, anong with the ketchup, which was on the paper mat(cause they forgot to give you a plastic bowl to put it in). There was definitely more wrapping than the food. No wonder so many people around the world are uh, the way they are[ ;-) ]. Especially in countries like The States, where these fast-food places like Burger-King and McDonalds are everywhere, even where there's no telephone or petrol-pump. I'm amazed that with this (lack of) quality McDonalds has become so famous and (GASP!) popular world-wide. Looks like this planet has some really bad taste. I'm definitely never gonna visit McDonalds again - EVA! Not even to see the look of anguish on peoples faces once they realise that they've just been duped by the worlds most popular toll-booth on the road to absolute horizontalness... not to mention brain-sappingness.
Verdict: 1/2 star.
Friends(?)
Is it just me, or does everyone get bored of their friends after a while(Whatever your definition of 'A While' may be)? I've started getting fed-up with my friends here, and I have absolutely no clue why. I dunno, they jst seem to become annoying after some time. It's raher awkward to talk to them after some thime, cause you don't wanna hurt their feelings, but you still want to tell them to back off. Maybe its the world conspiring against me, because it knows that my friends are essential to me. Maybe I'm setting my expectations too high. Or.... Mabye my friends are just becoming *$^@ing annoying afterall!
Law Vs Justice?
So I guess that everyone who disses Eminem will have to swallow a few of thier words after all. No matter what pollution he releases into the airwaves, he does tell the truth. Quote:
"Music can alter moods and talk to you.
Well can load a gun for you an cock it too?
Well, if it can, the next time you assault a dude,
Just tell the judge it was my fault and I'll get sued!
See what these kids do is..."
He does have a point. What sort of a law suit is it when a parent accuses a third party of "forcing" their ward to turn miscreant? Jeez, let the poorguy say what he wants to say, thats how he makes his living. It doesn't mean that you lose all sense of judgement an do what he says. This is why I think most American kids(and some adults too) are about the most idiotic people on the planet.
Sure, there may be a few exeptions(there always are), but a majority have no idea whats happening in their own country - let alone the rest of the world. Only 28% of Americans know their national bird - The Bald Eagle. Other claims included The Kangaroo(What The...?!) and Seagull. It's really sursprsing that a nation as ignorant as this holds the world(economically) in its fist. And with the president doing nothing to improve this morbid situation, it will just go on and on until a point where no furthur decay will be possible - I can't wait for that day. At least then someone who has some sense willl (hopefully) be in command.(Any comments on this one, Arjun?)
"Music can alter moods and talk to you.
Well can load a gun for you an cock it too?
Well, if it can, the next time you assault a dude,
Just tell the judge it was my fault and I'll get sued!
See what these kids do is..."
He does have a point. What sort of a law suit is it when a parent accuses a third party of "forcing" their ward to turn miscreant? Jeez, let the poorguy say what he wants to say, thats how he makes his living. It doesn't mean that you lose all sense of judgement an do what he says. This is why I think most American kids(and some adults too) are about the most idiotic people on the planet.
Sure, there may be a few exeptions(there always are), but a majority have no idea whats happening in their own country - let alone the rest of the world. Only 28% of Americans know their national bird - The Bald Eagle. Other claims included The Kangaroo(What The...?!) and Seagull. It's really sursprsing that a nation as ignorant as this holds the world(economically) in its fist. And with the president doing nothing to improve this morbid situation, it will just go on and on until a point where no furthur decay will be possible - I can't wait for that day. At least then someone who has some sense willl (hopefully) be in command.(Any comments on this one, Arjun?)
Sunday, October 31, 2004
The Collateral
Last night I saw "The Collateral"(Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx). Fascinating movie. It's staged(is that the right word?) in L.A., and focuses on what seems to be another ordinary night shift of a cabbie with great dreams. Most of the movie is shot inside the cab, focussing on conversations and emotions of cabbie Max(Foxx) and his passenger(Cruise).
After dropping off a passenger to her office in west L.A., Max picks up who he's quite sure is a visitor to L.A., who is thouroughly unsatisfied being there. Vincent(Cruise) is running on a tight schedule to "meet some friends", and offers to hire Max after he proves he's more than the average cabbie - getting Vincent to his destination in exactly the time stated by him. Lured by the money - which is about twice what he earns in his night shift - Max takes Vincent to his "friends" house, where, parked in the alley, he recieves a nasty shock. As he munches his wrap, a body crashes on to the top of his taxi, and seconds later an unperturbed Vincent walks back to the cab. Now thoroughly shaken on realising his passenger is a professional hit-man, Max tries to escape, or to get Vincent caught in what is an action packed thriller.
Top-edge graphics render a real feel to the movie, and the shootout between the FBI,LAPD,and two rival gangs in the midst of a crowded night club is about the best scene from any movie since the Matrix. Jamie Foxx takes his charecter to a whole new level, making one believe the entire scnario from beginning to end. Another convincing performance from Tom Cruise, who commands with his physical prescence on the sets and brilliant facial expression, matched with the sharp actions makes Vincent come alive in one's imagination. A must see for any die-hard action fan.- 4 stars.
After dropping off a passenger to her office in west L.A., Max picks up who he's quite sure is a visitor to L.A., who is thouroughly unsatisfied being there. Vincent(Cruise) is running on a tight schedule to "meet some friends", and offers to hire Max after he proves he's more than the average cabbie - getting Vincent to his destination in exactly the time stated by him. Lured by the money - which is about twice what he earns in his night shift - Max takes Vincent to his "friends" house, where, parked in the alley, he recieves a nasty shock. As he munches his wrap, a body crashes on to the top of his taxi, and seconds later an unperturbed Vincent walks back to the cab. Now thoroughly shaken on realising his passenger is a professional hit-man, Max tries to escape, or to get Vincent caught in what is an action packed thriller.
Top-edge graphics render a real feel to the movie, and the shootout between the FBI,LAPD,and two rival gangs in the midst of a crowded night club is about the best scene from any movie since the Matrix. Jamie Foxx takes his charecter to a whole new level, making one believe the entire scnario from beginning to end. Another convincing performance from Tom Cruise, who commands with his physical prescence on the sets and brilliant facial expression, matched with the sharp actions makes Vincent come alive in one's imagination. A must see for any die-hard action fan.- 4 stars.
Women
I wonder what a hard time Adam must have had around Eve. She must have constantly been nagging him about something or the other, getting him to do what she wouldn't, and then when God got angry at the Humans for eating the apple of knowledge, Eve(who ate it first, remeber?) must have blamed Adam with some excuse or the other, just as long as she wasn't to blame. So much for prostitution being the first occupation.
Practically every woman I know is just permanently blaming me for something or the other - from why the food is an hour late(after she placed the order) to why someone broke up with their boyfrind/girlfriend to why her mum won't let her into the house. Sheesh - girls, give us a break would you? All we want to do is have someone to talk to, not some Hitlerian era(no matter how much we say we'd adore to live in those times). Now, look at it logically, what did we do sitting in the bus coming back from college that forced you not to have any of your chinese food at school(while I was having a test, by the way)?? Or, for that matter, I'm really sorry about that curse I put on that pothole in Indiranagar that I've never seen that gave your car a puncture.
Jeez, you women should just take a Time Out and see how hard you can make life for the opposite sex. I mean, sure, we ask you to be organised, and get us our food on the same day and all, but hey, when was the last time I blamed you for when I failed my test, or broke my favorite wine glass?? Give us a break, OK?
Practically every woman I know is just permanently blaming me for something or the other - from why the food is an hour late(after she placed the order) to why someone broke up with their boyfrind/girlfriend to why her mum won't let her into the house. Sheesh - girls, give us a break would you? All we want to do is have someone to talk to, not some Hitlerian era(no matter how much we say we'd adore to live in those times). Now, look at it logically, what did we do sitting in the bus coming back from college that forced you not to have any of your chinese food at school(while I was having a test, by the way)?? Or, for that matter, I'm really sorry about that curse I put on that pothole in Indiranagar that I've never seen that gave your car a puncture.
Jeez, you women should just take a Time Out and see how hard you can make life for the opposite sex. I mean, sure, we ask you to be organised, and get us our food on the same day and all, but hey, when was the last time I blamed you for when I failed my test, or broke my favorite wine glass?? Give us a break, OK?
Friday, October 29, 2004
College is crap - absolute crap.
I HATE COLLEGE.
Its about the most annoying thing on the planet... they are such stingy ^*&#ers.... refuse to give anyone holidays, and then when they do, they overload us with work(not that i did any mind you, its just that at the back of your head you know you'll have to face the music sooner or later...). Everyone goes on and on about how much they enjoy their colleges and how its such an eye opening experience, and that school could never be like this... I object.
Deeksha is worse than any school that I've EVER been to. They have no sense of what a doable amount of work is, a students concentration time period, or how long they should run. We start at 800 in the morning, have 1 and a Half hour classes, and practically no break what-so-ever. They give us 10 minutes for a snack break and then about 20 minutes for lunch.
The strange thing is that they will haul - yes, HAUL - us back in EXACTLY on time, but they will take 5 to 10 minutes extra of each class... which means absolutely no time for us to do anything useful...
DEEKSHA SUCKS!!!
Does any one have any thoughts on this particular topic? Good or bad - what do experience everyday?
Its about the most annoying thing on the planet... they are such stingy ^*&#ers.... refuse to give anyone holidays, and then when they do, they overload us with work(not that i did any mind you, its just that at the back of your head you know you'll have to face the music sooner or later...). Everyone goes on and on about how much they enjoy their colleges and how its such an eye opening experience, and that school could never be like this... I object.
Deeksha is worse than any school that I've EVER been to. They have no sense of what a doable amount of work is, a students concentration time period, or how long they should run. We start at 800 in the morning, have 1 and a Half hour classes, and practically no break what-so-ever. They give us 10 minutes for a snack break and then about 20 minutes for lunch.
The strange thing is that they will haul - yes, HAUL - us back in EXACTLY on time, but they will take 5 to 10 minutes extra of each class... which means absolutely no time for us to do anything useful...
DEEKSHA SUCKS!!!
Does any one have any thoughts on this particular topic? Good or bad - what do experience everyday?
Hello Everyone!!
Hey everyone... I've finally got down to setting up my own blog - main inspiration from my dad... his blog is simply amazing. Erm, I'm not really expecting to get many people to read this, mainly my (ex) classmates from NAFL... so if you've got anything to say, jus contact me...
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