Its all about Pooja !

Its a funny world . Pooja comes every year and goes every year . Everyone wants a good year. Three pictures I took for this years pooja .
1) Before pooja , a motor-mechanic-shop-owner ( phew... is there someone like that ?) clears all the 'junk' accumulated over the past year and turns his shop into something brand new. Readying for a better year.

2) On the day of pooja, some devout believer plants a tree on his kinetic honda. ( Talk about moving trees from Lord of the Rings :) ) . How can he ever ride safely on bangalore roads ?? ( Aaahh bangalore did you say ? forget safety ) The only parallel that I could draw was American highway travellers attaching two pine trees on their harley davidson during christmas and trotting the freeway 101 !!



3) A day after pooja , some one really hopes for a real good year ahead. Wishes came in bundles and bottles .. and probably it was too much of intoxication ... delirious with joy and in high spirits, he forgot his surroundings.

The 'rises' and 'falls' of bangalore roads

I thought Kerala had the worst maintained roads. Surprise Surprise ! .. Bangalore roads are even worse ! Move 3kms away from ITPL ( the hub of Software Companies and where even the Chinese Premier and other international 'figures' are brought in to impress ) and you would find one of the worst maintained roads in or around bangalore. Even worse are the speed breakers ( back breakers ) so steeply made that prompts me to think that the makers were inspired by the Pyramids.

Worse even still ... the roads that have more than 7 speed breakers within 1.5 kms ( not a tinge of exaggeration) have no street lights. So a first-timer on these roads would definitely have a roller- coaster ride ( literally ) .


Recently I got a forward from Gods own country .. A picture that reflects the sense of humour and the exasperation of the people in Kerala. The best roads in Kerala are something to be "fished" for. ( Worth travelling to Gods own country once in a lifetime... )

How much beer can one drink in a life time ?

A brewery in New Zealand has offered a reward of a 'life time worth of beer' for anyone who brings back (or give clues leading to the recovery of ) a laptop, which was a part of a loot after a break-in.


Later this 'life time worth of beer' turned out to be a dozen bottle of beer per month - that comes to roughly 50 liters of beer per year ! And assuming the 'lucky one' gets to live another 30 years ... thats 1500 liters of beer ( and according to their website ... it costs close to USD 9700 ) .. Hmm not a pretty bad deal !

The company has blatantly publicized the latest happenings about case of the missing laptop. I would definitely come back to their site and check out what happened ;)

If gossip were the food for soul ..

New ( useless ) research has proved that gossip has the unlimited potential to influence people's opinions . Now tell me something new ... Did we need a research for this ???

Animal Farm

My living quarter has been reduced to an Animal Farm. 2 rabbits and 10 fishes give me constant sleepless company.

Companionship has never been cheaper. We crave .. therefore we adopt.
Amen.

A perfect moon

Today for the first time in my life ... I saw the moon through a super-zoom telescope. And I was staring at it for hours - almost 3 hours. I saw the craters, the channels .. and the 'connections'. I realised that if the moon were to be unblemished, it would be uninteresting ; without its craters and deformations .. it would be like a shining white paper - how very boring !
Arent humans too like that ?? Why should I like someone who is perfect ??

More ways to stay young.

Q.What do i like about magicians and musicians and tight-rope artists (funambulists??) ??

Ans: They donot stop at perfection. Perfection is not their goal.


Obsession is a young mans game . Grow wiser and Older, and he gives up.
He covers himself in the comfortable blankets of pragmatism and escapist wisdom. I have an obsession ... And now you know what keeps me young.

Jhoom Bar-Bar Jhoom

Aah finally something weird for my eyes ! ( Feels good when all things are NOT perfect ! )
Read the wonderful review by NDTV.

1) Its okay to mess up with the gender once in a while ... ( highlighted on to the left ... so that you dont miss the writing on the wall !!!) but ...
2) further ... it says "the two strangers start enjoying each other" Wow . Did the reviewer really mean it ?? Or is it the real story ..wait wait ... I bet he meant to write "the two strangers start enjoying each other's company"
... Aaah Now I get it !

Click on the pic to get a "barabar Zoom".

Epitaphs, Epigrams and Life ...

Even in death, people can have a sense of humour ... epitaphs are their way of saying ... "Time for one last joke ? "
I never dedicated any serious thinking time on what I ( technically speaking, the mason) should be writing on my epitaph. I had a spark of thought and decided I would write ...
"NO REGRETS". Hmmm as of now ... that sticks.

Some good epitaphs I found on the net ..

• That's all folks! - Mel Blanc
• Here lies Johnny Yeast, Pardon me for not rising. - found in a cemetery in Ruidoso, New Mexico
• Here lies an Atheist
  All dressed up
  And no place to go.
• I TOLD you I was sick! --Epitaph of a hypochondriac. (lol)
  

Things you should never do .. in relation to epitaphs.

1) Never call up your dad and talk .. "Hi Dad... I was just wondering what you wanted to be inscribed on your epitaph"
2) Never have this 'printed' on your epitaph "SHIT HAPPENED".
3) Dont make your tombstone really really light

... more 'DONT DO THIS' to come.

Irrevocable laws of nature ( Part 1)

Law 1 : If you’re a guy with good hair, over 6’4” ( 6’ in India ) , and can talk like a jay bird, you’ll probably have a career in upper management. The universe will also allow you to be an entrepreneur, lawyer, or doctor. You are not allowed to work in a toll booth or be software programmer.

Law 2 : Nature loves chaos. There is more chance for chaos to penetrate into a discussion than order. Chaos comes above order in the pyramid of natural forces. ( Gravity comes way below, due to obvious reasons )

FreeWrite #117 - Purpose

Last night an angel came in my dreams and told me "Son, Tomorrow is your last day ... Prepare for the eternal silence"

My past flashed in front of me and suddenly life seemed to have a purpose. And I said "All these years I have lived my life .. But I havently done anything worthy . I havent achieved anything yet ... Can you grant me another hundred days more ?"

And the angel said "What will you do in hundred days that you did not do in sixty years ?"

What do you say before you start drinking ?

or ... Infamous first words ( before you are drunk )

These are the lines I usually use/have heard people using when you want to drink.

1) Hey you wanna check out the new dance pub ? They have good music ...
( And you end up with a little dance and lots of drinking )

2) Oh .. I so want to unwind today. Lets go for a drink. ( I had a boring day at office .... at least now ??? )

3) Just one . Absolutely. Just one ( two ..three .. four ... eight .. until you loose count)

4) Long time since I met you, Lets catch up over a drink.
( Was drinking the excuse for catching up .. or was catching up the excuse for drinking ? )

5) My social life is dull . Can you brighten it up by coming with me for a drink ? ( Geez ... nooooo ! You really should have a stupid social life. )

more to be added next time I drink ....

How do we begin to covet ?

Dr.Lecter : What is the first and principal thing he does, what need does he serve by killing?
Clarice : Anger, social resentment, sexual frus-
Dr.Lecter : No, he covets. That's his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer.
Clarice : No. We just -
Dr.Lecter :No. Precisely. We begin by coveting what we see every day. Don't you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? I hardly see how you couldn't. And don't your eyes move over the things you want?

Silence of the Lambs ( 1991 ) - Thomas Harris

Two sides of the story #1 - The Haneef Detention

Fact -
Dr. Md.Haneef was charged two weeks after his arrest with giving support to a terrorist group because of his links to two brothers suspected in the failed British plot - distant cousins of Haneef's. He left a mobile phone SIM card with one of the brothers when he moved to Australia.
A magistrate on Monday granted Haneef bail, ruling the evidence did not justify holding him in custody. Hours later, the government canceled his visa and said he would be detained on immigration violations if he posted bail.

Side A-
Leaving back a SIM card, your car keys, etc are normal among NRIs who go back to India. The officials should not detain him just on this small connection, even after the court had granted him bail. The evidence is not stark enough .

Side B- Its perfectly okay for a nation to detain people to who have even the remotest link to terrorism, to uphold the safety of itself and its citizens. Didn't India have a dangerous period when innocent people were arrested on charges of terrorism under POTA and TADA ?

The Fox

A fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, "I will have a camel for lunch today."
And all morning he went about looking for camels.
But at noon he saw his shadow again -- and he said, "A mouse will do."

- Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), The Madman

Strange Names

No denial ... names do provide an edge ... If you have a fashionable name ... you are sure to get noticed ...

Do it yourself Excercise #1 - Pick the most noticeable name

-Mahesh
-Dinesh
-Sumesh
-Rajesh
-Paresh
-Rumpelstiltskin

I always have been 'subjected' to questions like "Why do you have a strange name ?" And I have been forced to come up with ever more creative answers ... like my roots are from Portugal ... or my forefathers we were slaves from Madagascar ... etc.

I find these (and many other) names strange... ( And I should give virtual points for those who come up with creative names like these !! )

• Zig-Zag Driving school
• Pin-point Marriage Bureau ( really exists !!! )
  
• Elizabeth Tailors
• Pimp-ils Beauty Parlour cum massage parlour
  
• Guillotine Barbar shop ( i recommend only steel hearted people for a haircut here )
  
• Winfrey Opera Company and ...
  
• Yogi Beer !!!!
  

Neverthless ... it works ! Everything works .... Anything works ... Ask a philosopher ... a name is just a label ... not the thing ... just a name ....

Whats in a name anyway !!!

P.S: For the do-it yourself Test.... Even I picked Paresh, you unholy dim-witted attention monger ... trying to be different !

FreeWrite #83 - When Goa was heaven ( circa 1978)

We roamed around holding high the spirit of the 70s when the poppy was beginning to wilt in the Mid-West. The ashes flew down half the globe to the coastal state of Goa, once dominated by a freewheeling Portuguese crowd. The US had eschewed us .. and India was inviting - the mystic land of snake charmers and false Goddesses.

Anjuna, Day 5- It was heaven. We rested at the fisherman's poor hut staring at the big ball of fire sinking down the horizon like a giant vessel slowly sinking down the Atlantic. Our days began when the sun went down. It was usually cold ... but the fire kept our bones warm. The smoke of delirious pleasure leading to the imaginary stairways of unreasoned calm appeared in front of us. Those had not beginning ... no end and no limits. I reached the dizzying heights of that dreamy land that we had left behind in Jefferson land. Desire took over our bodies . Lust was everywhere; it was love that was difficult to find. Little silhouettes of naked human bodies twirling in random unison dotted the unending dark beach. The only other sound was that of the waves lashing against the old high black rocks staring at the bodies.

Calangute - Day 37 . Life was an aimless journey .. Its almost over a month we are here. Everyday seem to pass like the last days of our lives. No worries, no ambitions, no false-promises. Iam having all that i can take. The mass of the freewheels have left, but we decided to stay back and make this our homes. Theres nowhere else to go. End my life, happily I will. Life has taken all its twists, turns and curves. Theres nothing more to see. Our bodies were addicted to smoke and passionate love .. nights were rough and days slipped by unnoticed. Washed down the shore, sometimes we looked like bodies abandoned by soul. Woke up when the sun was shining directly above us and it was no longer pleasurable to lie on the sand naked. Skin was red and soft with burns and there seemed to be no end to intoxication.

Baga - Day 44 . We met new friends at Baga. Hitchhikers trapped in the eternal journey to find meaning out of this disaster called life. I met her across the bonfire. Eyes glowing like that of a she-wolf and her golden hair flowing like the waves itself. Desire simmered in me. We passed the pipes of joy across in circles and every time I smoked out of it, I saw her staring deep into my eyes with an intensity of a predator. Flesh was calling. We danced around the fire like an ancient ritual, picked our mates from the lot and caroused the moment and held onto what ever we were loosing. We knew .. we were to be separated for ever - Unabashedly, carnal desires turned into wild bouts of uncontrolled orgy until numbness overcame us. I could barely keep my eyes open for long. Sometimes it is impossible to stare at darkness. There were sounds of moans all around me ... deafening me nauseating me ... I felt like drowning down a whirlpool slowly into the depths of the unknown and uncaring.
Silently i uttered "Jesus keep our souls from eternal decay. Amen. "

Spare the road ..

Helmets were made compulsory from last week in Kerala ! Or else pay Rs.100.
My dad doesnt like to wear a helmet because it spoils his hair do ! He spends approxiamtely 3 minutes grooming himself before he walks out of the door. ( Which, I believe, is too much of a time for a guy ! )

Another catch to the law .. The person sitting behind need not wear the helmet .. Now people started abusing the law :) Creative thinking !

On A mother's curse

Gandhari is one of the most profound characters in the Mahabharata. A wife confined to darkness, a mother destined to loose her children, mother-in-law who has to live the tears of all her 'daughters' wailing over their husbands' death. A character of suffering . The most absorbing female character. My second most relatable one after Karna.

I watched Mohiniattam performed by Sridevi Unni on TV over my weekend stay in Cochin and it was more to the aesthetics of the art form than the emotional dramatisation of the story. It depicted Gandhari's curse to Krishna, ( Mahabharata in that way is a balanced epic, democratic and justified. Every character is given a fair share of justice or atleast never denied the chance to fight for it.)

Gandhari's curse

"I curse you, Krishna. I hate to do that, but I curse you. I cannot forgive you what you have done to all these men. I cannot forgive you what you have done to my sons. Look at Duryodhana lying there! Look at Dushshasana! Look at my other sons, all lying dead! All my sons are dead, every one of them, all hundred of them. Killed by you. For, I know you could have saved them if you wanted to.

And look at my daughters-in-law, Krishna. Look at them. They don’t know whether to weep over the dead bodies of their husbands or of their sons. They run from one to the other, possessed by the madness of sorrow, their hair wild, their eyes wild, their speech wild, their hearts wild. Women whom the sun has never seen, women who have never stepped out of the inner apartments of the palace without their heads being covered, without being surrounded by their maids, women whom the world has never seen in the open. Look at them now, Krishna, their cheeks bathed in tears, their eyes red, their lips quivering in uncontrollable sorrow as they try to give expression to their grief in meaningless words, in words that are incomprehensible because they are choked. Look at the women hugging each other, in their vain attempts to find consolation, to give consolation. Look at how they pound their chests, pull at their hair. Look at how their tender faces are streaked with fresh blood as they tear at their skin brutally in their savage sorrow. Listen to their shrieks, Krishna, listen to their wails that fill the battlefield and echo from the distant hills. "

Now thats just the beginning ... The curse is even more deep. For more read here ..
Years later death engulfed krishna .. Death of krishna marked the start of Kali-yuga and they asked ...

Gopis :"Have you abandoned us lord?"
krishna : "How can I abandon those who love me? In Vaikuntha is Go-loka, the divine pleasure-garden. There, surrounded by celestial cows, under flowering trees, beside sparkling rivers, I play the flute and dance with Radha. Come, come and join me in my paradise, sing and dance around me for all eternity."

An eternal message of hope . The gopis should have found their way to Vaikuntha for pleasure is the eternal hope . An undeniable truth. Pleasure is so pleasurable, its worth all the pain.

I want you addicted to my perfume

Don't you know that when you touch me baby that it's torture
Brush up against me I get chills all down my spine
When you talk to me it's painful
You don't know what you do to this heart of mine

- Amber, Sexual ( Li-da-di )