"R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means"

Today the entire day we had three men pounding our roof with whatever it is that they pound it with. The ENTIRE day. Bang Bang Bang Bang bang bang BANG BANG BANG!

I read somewhere that the best thing about humans is that they get used to things. And I suppose that's what happened today as well. I was up very late last night and since I had no train to catch or attendance ledgers to sign in the morning, I slept. These folks came in very early in the morning and started their bang fiesta. When I did get up at bleep bleep o'clock, my folks were really surprised that I could sleep when the roof was falling. Oh well. Pfft. So Mr.Bush, if you wish to bomb us, do it, say at 6 o'clock. Unless I've an exam that day or an interview, chances are I will be sound asleep then. I seriously wouldn't know.

Alongside I did wonder about the people who were working. It must be sort of dolby surround sound for them up there on the roof. You are banging and then right next to you, you've two others doing the same. I have a whole lot of respect for people doing any kind of job. I think anyone who does his bit to survive and earn deserves it. I believe that, in contrast to the west, that is something we lack. We tend to compartmentalise everything. Give it a label, usually based on caste, creed, religion, proportion in population figures so on and so forth. It saddens me that we forget to understand the background that a lot of people come from and the struggles they've had, the pain and abuse that they've had to endure. I do not claim to understand the gravity of them myself, and that is the reason why I respect them. They are people who have gone through times that are unimaginable for us. I also believe that if God were to put anyone in a particular situation, He will also give you the strength to get through it. I do not wish to preach and I don't intend to take away anything from these people by saying that they'd have the strength to do it. I think it all comes down to our power of choice. Even if you've the strength, you may choose to not acknowledge it and go on a different path, one that eggs you on to give up and let go. It is the one who chooses to use the strength to get out of the situation that survives. More than anything else, more than what these people do, I believe we should respect their decision, their choice to not lie down and let time consume them. They have decided to make time their own, to try and make sense of what has been given to them and to try and go around the obstacles. In a country where we preach about tolerance and unity in diversity, it is time that we just let go of all the preachy utopian principles and vow to respect one another. I think it will go a long way in cleansing the country of dirty manipulations and abhorrent living conditions.

pooF.

PS: In case you happened to notice a lot of "I believe" sentences, you know that I've been writing college essays! :D

Words and tunes.

It's been an interesting week so far. I got to talk to someone from school and by school I mean, class 5. It was a nice flashback and those were good times!

Another good news. I am done with my applications. So at least I won't be whining about those for a while. But the wait, that's another issue altogether. The dreaded wait! Blat.

I did manage to listen to a few new songs. Channel V and MTV suck big time these days. Haven't watched either for some time now. My source these days are either some internet news clips or just songs I pick from shows on AXN. I am a huge fan of House MD. Must say, Hugh Laurie serves sarcasm hot! Also, I enjoy medical mysteries. So the show tops my list of must-watch. Mostly towards the end, they play some really good tunes, in bits and parts. And then over to the two saviours of mankind- Google and YouTube. For all the technical buffs, I know, I know. But I shall still write them separately. So here are a few songs I ended up with over the week in the order Artist, Song.

1) Zero 7 : In the waiting line

The song is decent. Maybe when you're attacked by boredom and you're waiting for something to come your way, like I am at the moment, you'll like this song just for the lyrics and the melancholic ring it has. I found the lyrics to be simple and yet something I wished I had written. Poignant.

2) James Morrison : Wonderful World

I love the Brits. And nope, no colonial hangover here. I've patriotic aspirins for that. In my opinion, when it comes to music, Brits are more creative than the Americans. The lyrics. The music. The videos. They're not the same as the Americans in that for the latter, these are repetitive. A case in point - hip-hop and pop. Plus, I love the Brit accent.
Now onto the song, it is catchy. And for the lyrics, in all probability, it is written for a lover? But the way I take it, maybe it's about the dichotomy of an individual. How at times you think you have just lost your self and you want your spirit to come back. There are times when you think your self has left you stranded and the things are just not working out 'cause you're not your whole self. But then, that's just me. And for that, I like the song!

3) James Morrison : You Give Me Something

It is quite pop-pish. So the song as such does not really go down well for me. But I like this song for these words

" 'Cause you give me something
That makes me scared, alright,
This could be nothing
But I'm willing to give it a try,
Please give me something
'Cause someday I might know my heart.

You already waited up for hours
Just to spend a little time alone with me,
And I can say I've never bought you flowers
I can't work out what the mean,
I never thought that I'd love someone,
That was someone else's dream."

4) Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up

I have to thank my brother for forwarding the link to me. Apparently, this song is from the 70s. And I love it. Especially the lyrics.

" Just move on up
and keep on wishing
Remember your dreams
are your only schemes
So keep on pushing
Take nothing less -
not even second best
And do not obey -
you must have your say
You can pass the test
just move on up
to a greater day
with just a load of faith
if you put your mind to it
you can surely do it"

There are parts of the lyrics that I am doubtful about. But the song is really a treat nonetheless. A song that will definitely make you move. With two pairs of left feet(!), I did!

5) U2 - Window In the Skies

During one of the few times that MTV actually did telecast good songs, I was fortunate to be right there, watching. And that's when I saw this song. The video is really catchy. Darn! How do they think of such stuff and how do they manage to do it?!? I love the band. And again, some great lyrics.

" I know I hurt you and I made you cry
Did everything but murder you and I
But love left a window in the skies
And to love I rhapsodize

Oh can't you see what love has done
To every broken heart
Oh can't you see what love has done
For every heart that cries

Love left a window in the skies
And to love I rhapsodize"

I won't rhapsodize about U2, 'cause heck everyone knows they rock! :)

Bonus!!!

Check out the Nike commercial set to the tune of "A little less conversation" by Elvis Presley. Any footy fan would love the video, esp Henry's little smartarse move at the end. :P But I did feel bad for Roberto Carlos! It's a pretty old one. But got to see it again, Hail YouTube!

Ok that's that.

pooF.

Update!

It has been a long time since I have blogged. Timestamps are rotten reminder of that. Anyhow, I am hoping to make a come back. Not that I have much to talk about, just that I want to write. Sort of like an itch. I have been toying with the idea for quite some time now. I never could manage to go through with it so far because I was swamped with a few other itsy bitsy thingummies. Anyway, I am hoping to give this a better try this time around! :)

A quick update on what's been happening. My life's been pretty boring and yet 'happening' in a way. I was on an exam-writing spree from April last year till Jan this year. Percentages and percentiles were all my life was about. But now that's done with and I have to say that with around just 4 months of preps, I am sort of happy with my results. Based on those numbers, I am currently applying to every god darn university on the face of the earth. If there was one on Pluto, I'd go for that as well. When you're in school/college, it is so easy to despise exams-the only thing that sucks then! I suppose we are sort of programmed to despise them even before we get there and with the pressure from all quarters that comes with an admit, it's impossible NOT to hate them. But what is most inexplicable is that once you're done with them, you kind of miss them. Of course, in conversations with your juniors who whine about it to you, you can gloat and say "We went through the same thing. What makes you think you're so special and should be spared of this torture, which by the way, right now, is unbelievably entertaining for me?". I don't think I'd agree to write another exam any soon given that my last exam was just last month, and GMAT at that, which is scary in that you cannot flip through the pages and get a feel of the exam before taking it 'cause there ARE NO PAGES! But anyhow, I scored 750. So woohoo! But I am already missing those tests. Sending applications is the worst thing you can ever do. Essays and Statements of Purpose. Especially when we have to write essays for foreign universities. We have a very "academic" process here. We don't do part time jobs. We don't do baby sitting for hourly rates. We don't flip burgers while we are in 10th grade for extra cash. And we really don't have the system of allowances or lawn mowing to make our pockets a little heavier. We also do not have pet sitting or working in super markets. It just doesn't happen that way here. And most Indians believe in finishing all the degrees they can at one go and then apply for jobs. So basically, most of us with a Master's Degree have no work experience. So when you ask for that, we have nothing to show. And also, with the rise in software jobs and such, there are people who can show a year or two's work ex who probably got a lower score and is no better, or even worse off, than the one with no work-ex with respect to the qualities you're after. This cultural gap seems so much more pronounced when you are trying to make the jump. All's well that ends well. So hey, pray for me. I want my happy ending! :D

pooF.

PS: Hope everyone is doing great. I shall return! :)

A Birthday to Remember

First up, those of you who did not wish me on purpose or owing to your brain with a 3 second memory span shalt hereby be bombarded with the worst kind of spam until further notice is issued.

Terms and conditions of Zhe Spam Attack

1) You shalt receive 'at least' ten mails each a day.

2) The size of each mail will be inversely proportional to the remaining capacity of your inbox.

3) No one other than the parent spammer will have the authority to "junk them".

4) You shalt not be allowed to forward them to anyone other than the list that shalt be provided to you, and this list would most definitely include the indifferent and forgetful ones!

5) The above mentioned souls shalt address me as Zhe Master until further notice.

6) You shalt not whine or complain.

Conditions for Pardon

1) You shalt send wonderful belated b'day wishes to me, still addressing me as Zhe Master.

2) You shalt be generous and send me at least 3 of the below:

i) CDs
ii) Shoes
iii) Chocolates
iv) Watches-And not the ones with the teeny dials.
v) Fuel my mobile, I use Airtel!
vi) Gift certificates, and no, I don't need free hair transplant from the nearby salon.
vii) Clothes (not high on the list though)
viii) Cash. Money. $$$$. Ka-ching!!!
ix) A laptop.
x) If you're good at taking tests, impersonate Zhe Master for her next test.

3) A signed undertaking stating that you shalt never forget Zhe Master's b'day and will seek her forgiveness for this year's omission for the rest of your life by being
a ) Generous.
b ) Apologetic.
c ) More generous.
d ) All of the above.

4) Zhe Master makes it clear that poetic, artistic or literary and artsy things are not loopholes to reprieve. As sweet as they are, they shalt not be taken into consideration when Zhe Master goes through the Pardon petitions.

5) Anyone spamming Zhe Master shalt be permanently deleted from Zhe Master's circle and shalt live the rest of his/her/its life as an outcast.

Zhe Master shalt wait for two days.

At 0000 hrs on 06-12-2007, Zhe Spam Attack Begins!



pooF.
(I will zhe back!)

Put climate change 'behind' us?!?

As a Math student, I am prone to equating things. They tend to give a sense of symmetry that every Mathematically inclined person yearns for, and apparently symmetry is something almost everyone looks for in the myriad of images the nature presents us. So here I was with the Sunday Express. Yes, I do read the newspaper. *confetti shower* My qualities apart, I reach the "World" section and what do I see? Butt cheeks staring at me. Apparently they are all protesting against climate change. A Greenpeace sponsored initiative which is to tell us that glaciers are melting so we need to start using CFLs instead of bulbs and all that jazz.

Click here to check out the story and the butts.

If this is the a rip-off of the "sex sells" mantra that is ruling the ad-world of today, God save us. And my equality sign passed through the crowd of butt cheeks and into oblivion with the hope that there prevails some better sense beyond that glacier.

pooF.

(Miss)fortune?

My Orkut fortune cookie says

"Today's fortune:
You and your wife will be happy in your life together".

Oh well, I don't swing that way.

pooF.

Thank you Rashmi.

I spoke too soon. Right when I was so happy for one person having moved on after the death of her husband of less than a year, I hear the news of the passing away of one of my hostel mates. She suffered from liver cancer. An only daughter to her parents. I will be lying if I said that I knew her very well and I do not deserve to eulogize her. But it did make me recall a poem by John Donne.

"Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee."

I do not claim to suffer from depression each time a soul finds its way out of the madness that is earth. I am not being cynical for I use madness in the best possible way. This madness has a sense of beautiful chaos. Intertwined with its most apparent secrets you've pieces of the most inexplicable of truths. It overwhelms you and alongside fills you with a sense of belonging like nothing else can. When you look at the bigger picture and know that you're part of a much bigger family, the collective sense of achievement and joy outweighs the losses. But looking at the bigger picture is a tough job, especially when each one of us is programmed to look at self first and foremost. It is next to impossible, if not impossible, for most of us to think beyond a few set boundaries and goals.

Ah! I digress. Recalling the poem made sense for the instant I heard the news, the first thought, after feeling for the loss of her family, was the instances I had spoken to her. She was always very cheerful. It is almost an uncanny coincidence that each person who dies young somehow has the power to grip you with their cheery self and nonchalance.

Maybe her body knew that it'd give up on her soon and somehow shielded her from the chemistry of depressing and worrisome hormones doing the things they do on lesser mortals who have the luxury to whine and cry at the most frivolous of things for a long time to come. Whatever it was, she was very calm and cool about most of the things we students loved to fret about, for instance, the universally dreaded phenomena of exams. Every exam was easy for her. And mind you, she scored well.

These and many more instances flooded my memory. And I wondered whether those few moments with me made any difference to her life, cruelly short though it was. Did it make a difference in my life? I think it did. If I hadn't known her, maybe the sense of loss wouldn't have been so much. And the fact that we exchanged mostly just pleasantries wouldn't diminish it. The length of someone's life maybe predetermined. But one thing that I suppose we all do is take too many things for granted. The few smiles we exchanged taught me the difference each one of those smiles made, for I know that each smile and every word I've seen and heard has made my life better. They have shown me that I am a part of this big family. That I've been accepted. Thank you Rashmi and may your soul rest in peace.

pooF.