Dogmatix first appears outside a Butcher's shop in Lutetia. This information is in the "compelete guide to Asterix" but the frame isn't there. Apparently, Dogmatix was drawn as a stray outside the shop waiting for scraps, who follows Obelix for the rest of the book. The dog is supposed to be discreet, and in the book, the dog IS pretty hard to notice, because there are a lot of elements around in crowded Lutetia. But once they get back to the villiage, it sticks to obelix. The hunt is on for the first frame where Obelix acknowledges the presence of the dog.
Note: Dogmatix is on the cover of the next book in series, Asterix in Corsica, but the problem here is that dogmatix's first appearence is apprently in Asterix and the Banquet, which is the twenty third book in the series, and chronologically, Dogmatix makes an appearence in book 2 itself, Asterix in Spain. So donno exactly how everything fits together BUT, dogmatix is not seen in the banquet till the frame above.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
oein burw
Rgua oiar ua qeurrwb ub xise. ud tiy xelxj ur, okw lae si bir ewcwlk ura xibrwbrs. rgua qgikw oein rgubf ua bir la sudduxykr la ur aiybsa. U fir lajws iyr vt bi kwaa rglb diye fues. Rglr'a eufgr, DIYE.
Diye fues. Rgw qgike rgubf ua l vewwmw.
Diye fues. Rgw qgike rgubf ua l vewwmw.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
A hate Pakistan mood
This may seem a little harsh, but sitting in your college through the day and having nothing better to do than pretend to listen to the lecture while you long to be out there facing the world (preferably with a REALLY fast vehicle and adequate ammunition), you cannot help feeling nothing but intense hate for Pakistan.
Erm... for a pathetic explanation, how about: true friends protect the fundamental right of sanity of future citizens of countries you have "diplomatic relationships" with by bombing up institutions intending to invent newfound ways to torture students under the guise of "education."
Some guy walked in, talked about a seminar which I may/not attend, and all I picked up from the mish-mash was
1) A soap opera is so named because when serials first came out on TV, only a soap company would sponser them
2) A movie is made of by frames in exactly the same way as a society is made of by people.
Erm... for a pathetic explanation, how about: true friends protect the fundamental right of sanity of future citizens of countries you have "diplomatic relationships" with by bombing up institutions intending to invent newfound ways to torture students under the guise of "education."
Some guy walked in, talked about a seminar which I may/not attend, and all I picked up from the mish-mash was
1) A soap opera is so named because when serials first came out on TV, only a soap company would sponser them
2) A movie is made of by frames in exactly the same way as a society is made of by people.
A brief History of the SMS
The marketing Sir sidetracked into a brief history of the short messaging service, and it was interesting enough to make a note of.
Some European companies had voice mail services for their mobile users. The problem arose as to how to notify these people that they had voice mail. Now one these companies which had a voice mail service, Ericcson, as a part of a research initiative for product enhancement of their voicemail service thought up of sending text to notify people that they had recieved voice mail.
Actually, first they thought of sending a flash message on the screens of the phones, but because of lack of uniformity in the display and user interface accross various models, this was not possible.
(Note: now, most service providers do allow you to send messages flashed on the screens of the user's mobile phones, but this will most definately be missed, and the message has to be sent via the SP's online portal. Orange.co.in has such a service. The charges exceed those of SMSes nominally)
Continuing the story, they tweaked the existing framework to accomodate text files. (Note: the format is .smil if you eve find a way of getting it onto a comp, which is possible only with message managers in series 60-90 phones.) Then the companies started sending text message notifications, and later gave the capability for subscribers to use the service directly. This is how SMS as a product was discovered.
Some European companies had voice mail services for their mobile users. The problem arose as to how to notify these people that they had voice mail. Now one these companies which had a voice mail service, Ericcson, as a part of a research initiative for product enhancement of their voicemail service thought up of sending text to notify people that they had recieved voice mail.
Actually, first they thought of sending a flash message on the screens of the phones, but because of lack of uniformity in the display and user interface accross various models, this was not possible.
(Note: now, most service providers do allow you to send messages flashed on the screens of the user's mobile phones, but this will most definately be missed, and the message has to be sent via the SP's online portal. Orange.co.in has such a service. The charges exceed those of SMSes nominally)
Continuing the story, they tweaked the existing framework to accomodate text files. (Note: the format is .smil if you eve find a way of getting it onto a comp, which is possible only with message managers in series 60-90 phones.) Then the companies started sending text message notifications, and later gave the capability for subscribers to use the service directly. This is how SMS as a product was discovered.
More from LAN
Not blogged for two days now. Feels unnatural. But it was because I rewired my dysfunctional writer because my hard disks were running out of space. Now that I had a functional writer, I burnt all the data I had accumulated, and pretty much got the hard drive usage down to zero, apart from the music, which I required to be on the Hard Disk(s), and which took up three compartments (over two hard drives).
And then that the space was cleared, I did the obvious and went on download overdrive. The prize catch of today was the ENTIRE collection of Asterix in .pdf format. Now this is something next to impossible to obtain, because the books are actually scanned by a fan. Clever thing to do, and includes rare volumes like Asterix and the Actress, How Obelix fell into the Cauldron and Obelix and Co. Also had a special guide to Asterix...
Hope this gets blogged now, although I promised I'd never do it from Opera, Netscape is hanging, and slimbrowser and IE hang my comp so I have no choice really...
Tomorrow's special feature: The ingredients of the magic potion!
And then that the space was cleared, I did the obvious and went on download overdrive. The prize catch of today was the ENTIRE collection of Asterix in .pdf format. Now this is something next to impossible to obtain, because the books are actually scanned by a fan. Clever thing to do, and includes rare volumes like Asterix and the Actress, How Obelix fell into the Cauldron and Obelix and Co. Also had a special guide to Asterix...
Hope this gets blogged now, although I promised I'd never do it from Opera, Netscape is hanging, and slimbrowser and IE hang my comp so I have no choice really...
Tomorrow's special feature: The ingredients of the magic potion!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
First time on the road
Did something headstrong and foolhardy today. Took my father's bike out for a ride on the road. I have ridden the bike only under my father's supervision, and only within my building before that. If my parents come to know, they'll freak out. Now that I am writing like this, you must have guessed everything is fine. But it almos't wasn't at least thrice.
So here is the picture. I have to head over to a friend's place. I don't have transportation in the form of a friend's scooter, who usually accompanies me. My father's out of town, so I can sneak away with the bike, and I think I can handle it. Keep in mind that I still cannot leave the clutch in just the right way to ease the engine into first gear. I still do a mini wheelie, and that's about as good as someone who knows to balance really well going out with a bike.
So I start, and amazingly enough, I do it without a weelie. I have to go out of my building and take a left. but I take a right instead, just to flow along with the traffic. I might have to take a long detour for this, but I do not care. I am on the main road now, and handle it pretty well. Change the gears perfectly, give the signal, and turn left so that I can go where I want properly. Refer map. The yellow line is my path,. I had to go to Hiranandani.
Damn I donno to write, giving things away in weird gusts of information, instead of a coherently packaged log. Anyway, maybe this style has its own (totally unintentional) artistic merits, so i will just barge right ahead.
You can see that i head into trouble as soon as I take a left again. There is this Jam behind a bus, and I don't know how to stop. I do slow down, ease the engine, and stop. But then I totally stop. cannot move. The bike is still in gear, the engine is switched off, I am at the main entrance of a housing colony, a car is headed my way. I change gear wuickly, and go to the side of the road. I start up again, leaving the clutch and starting the engine, putting it into gear, and for thesecond time in a day, managing to start a bike without a wheelie. Maybe, subconsciously, I had fooled myself that I could do it. There is this girl on a scooter, and I am in first gear, and I cannot stop in time. Nothing happened, it was just a bump that I didn't pay much attention to. I think it's time I go home. i circle back to my house, pass it thinking that I will go to the highway, and handle it. Big mistake. I navigate the stretch to the highway on the main road pretty well. I horn a lot, give loads of signals, and change gears somewhat expertly, and I find myself at the highway.
There I freak out. Because there are a bunch of lorries and trucks, two wheelers are darting amongst them like birds beneath the feet of elephants, and I know I cannot handle that. Moreover, I haven't figured out an elegant way to stop yet, so I close the enigine, the bike is still in gear, and I am on the fucking highway, next to a petrol pump.
I remove my helmet, wipe the sweat off my hands and forehead, and pretend to wait there for some time. My head is reeling with thoughts like "what the hell have I done" and "how the hell will i get back." Going back down the main road is out of the question, because I would either have to go the wrong way on a highway, or o down it for some time before I could get a U-turn. I figure my chances are better if I tackle the highway. I start up the bike, get it moving without a wheelie again, this is becomeing a habit now, and somehow, I donno how, I wriggle through the traffic. I pass cine MAx, and there is this family is a swift, going really slow. I donno how slow, but I was doing a cautious thirty fiver. This family is not letting me overtake, which i do from the OTHER side, going BEHIND a bunch of people waiting to cross the road.
Woah! I donno what I jsut did there. I KNEW it was a close call. I plough on, two turnings go by, and the last one comes. There is a signal. I approach the signal in first gear, going really slowly so that by the time I reach it, it would change. Bad luck. It doesn't. Bike is in gear. In the middle of the road. The engine is switched off. I have to come back to neutral before putting it back into gear and starting off. I put it in neutral, take it to the side of the road, and start. Then decide that I'd rather go home. Instead of going straight, I take a left, and then make my way home.
As I approach Vasant Vihar, and go around the corner where I once remember exploring past as a kid on a bicycle, and back then, I wasn't allowed to leave the bulding on my cycle.This was really long ago, but I remember the moment I exited Vasant Bihar. It was the longest I had EVEr gone unaided. Those were the days.
But now I was on home turf. Here, I had been embaressed so often that people didn't even wait for me to do something new, they'd just laughed. The place had been saturated with my embaressment, so I had nothin o lose her. And then things started changing.
Now I realise what is meant by intuitive driving. The trickiest parts were yet to come, but I was no longer tense. Looking back, I have no clue how I reacted the way I did. It just sort of came to me - there is no other explanation for it. Seems unbelievable if you've never felt it before, but its tis wonderful feeling of unlimited potentially.
Basically, cars were backing up, crossing the road, tricky stuff with rickshaws in the plural, and this guy who went slow in the middle of the road, leaving me unsure as to where to overtake him from, and onoming traffic that was hogging more of the road than they were supposed to. Dangerously rode around a car backing up, right into another car heading towards me, but avoided it like I always expected it there. Amazing drive home.
five minutes later, I put the keys back in my pockets ans swore I wouldn't do it again.
Once I get my nerves back, I AM going to go to Hiranandani.
(Today, however, I used the rickshaw, had paani puri, and narrated all of the above for some pseudosympathetic laughter.)
So here is the picture. I have to head over to a friend's place. I don't have transportation in the form of a friend's scooter, who usually accompanies me. My father's out of town, so I can sneak away with the bike, and I think I can handle it. Keep in mind that I still cannot leave the clutch in just the right way to ease the engine into first gear. I still do a mini wheelie, and that's about as good as someone who knows to balance really well going out with a bike.
So I start, and amazingly enough, I do it without a weelie. I have to go out of my building and take a left. but I take a right instead, just to flow along with the traffic. I might have to take a long detour for this, but I do not care. I am on the main road now, and handle it pretty well. Change the gears perfectly, give the signal, and turn left so that I can go where I want properly. Refer map. The yellow line is my path,. I had to go to Hiranandani.
Damn I donno to write, giving things away in weird gusts of information, instead of a coherently packaged log. Anyway, maybe this style has its own (totally unintentional) artistic merits, so i will just barge right ahead.
You can see that i head into trouble as soon as I take a left again. There is this Jam behind a bus, and I don't know how to stop. I do slow down, ease the engine, and stop. But then I totally stop. cannot move. The bike is still in gear, the engine is switched off, I am at the main entrance of a housing colony, a car is headed my way. I change gear wuickly, and go to the side of the road. I start up again, leaving the clutch and starting the engine, putting it into gear, and for thesecond time in a day, managing to start a bike without a wheelie. Maybe, subconsciously, I had fooled myself that I could do it. There is this girl on a scooter, and I am in first gear, and I cannot stop in time. Nothing happened, it was just a bump that I didn't pay much attention to. I think it's time I go home. i circle back to my house, pass it thinking that I will go to the highway, and handle it. Big mistake. I navigate the stretch to the highway on the main road pretty well. I horn a lot, give loads of signals, and change gears somewhat expertly, and I find myself at the highway.
There I freak out. Because there are a bunch of lorries and trucks, two wheelers are darting amongst them like birds beneath the feet of elephants, and I know I cannot handle that. Moreover, I haven't figured out an elegant way to stop yet, so I close the enigine, the bike is still in gear, and I am on the fucking highway, next to a petrol pump.
I remove my helmet, wipe the sweat off my hands and forehead, and pretend to wait there for some time. My head is reeling with thoughts like "what the hell have I done" and "how the hell will i get back." Going back down the main road is out of the question, because I would either have to go the wrong way on a highway, or o down it for some time before I could get a U-turn. I figure my chances are better if I tackle the highway. I start up the bike, get it moving without a wheelie again, this is becomeing a habit now, and somehow, I donno how, I wriggle through the traffic. I pass cine MAx, and there is this family is a swift, going really slow. I donno how slow, but I was doing a cautious thirty fiver. This family is not letting me overtake, which i do from the OTHER side, going BEHIND a bunch of people waiting to cross the road.
Woah! I donno what I jsut did there. I KNEW it was a close call. I plough on, two turnings go by, and the last one comes. There is a signal. I approach the signal in first gear, going really slowly so that by the time I reach it, it would change. Bad luck. It doesn't. Bike is in gear. In the middle of the road. The engine is switched off. I have to come back to neutral before putting it back into gear and starting off. I put it in neutral, take it to the side of the road, and start. Then decide that I'd rather go home. Instead of going straight, I take a left, and then make my way home.
As I approach Vasant Vihar, and go around the corner where I once remember exploring past as a kid on a bicycle, and back then, I wasn't allowed to leave the bulding on my cycle.This was really long ago, but I remember the moment I exited Vasant Bihar. It was the longest I had EVEr gone unaided. Those were the days.
But now I was on home turf. Here, I had been embaressed so often that people didn't even wait for me to do something new, they'd just laughed. The place had been saturated with my embaressment, so I had nothin o lose her. And then things started changing.
Now I realise what is meant by intuitive driving. The trickiest parts were yet to come, but I was no longer tense. Looking back, I have no clue how I reacted the way I did. It just sort of came to me - there is no other explanation for it. Seems unbelievable if you've never felt it before, but its tis wonderful feeling of unlimited potentially.
Basically, cars were backing up, crossing the road, tricky stuff with rickshaws in the plural, and this guy who went slow in the middle of the road, leaving me unsure as to where to overtake him from, and onoming traffic that was hogging more of the road than they were supposed to. Dangerously rode around a car backing up, right into another car heading towards me, but avoided it like I always expected it there. Amazing drive home.
five minutes later, I put the keys back in my pockets ans swore I wouldn't do it again.
Once I get my nerves back, I AM going to go to Hiranandani.
(Today, however, I used the rickshaw, had paani puri, and narrated all of the above for some pseudosympathetic laughter.)
Seminar on picking a career
Volunteering is one of the most boring things I've ever done. Ther's no work all day long, and the workload comes in sudden burst and you are expected to do everything at once. So I had finished doing everything at once, and was resting in the quadrangle, yesterday, when this ingenious teacher came and asked all us free volunteers to head over to the reading hall for this seminar on choosing your career. Apparently, they did not want an empty lecture hall, so they threw us all in there.
Damned people. Atleast I got a seat on the last row, where we could while time away at peace, pass comments, and even dare to listen to snippets of the match over radio. The lady presenting walked in, and I expected her to be so pathetic that she'd do a stand up comedy right there.
She was so good that she did a stand up comedy right there. The match was uninteresting, we were steadily losing wickets, so it lost its appeal. Anyway, not having a mobile phone myself, had to depend on neighbours for the updates. I listened to her instead, and she was pretty good.
some tips I picked up include
1) Every chapter that you read while studying for any exam can be a career of its own. In every science, com or arts book, each and every chapter must be looked upon as a career option. This struck me as a cool piece of advice.
2) Make sure there is potential for growth
3) Have eyesight, insight and foresight.
The rest of the seminar consisted of how to choose a career, judge its suitability and other such things, punctuated by jokes that while being laughed at out of politeness, it was a politeness that wasn't at least, too easy to fake. The kind of jokes that would make forty something half-educated middle class men laugh.
I would have otherwise missed out on this opportunity if I wasn't thrown in there. Definately an improvement from last time, when they gave us a brouchure, and were totally ignorant about what it all was about. I still ended up in a media related course though.
Damned people. Atleast I got a seat on the last row, where we could while time away at peace, pass comments, and even dare to listen to snippets of the match over radio. The lady presenting walked in, and I expected her to be so pathetic that she'd do a stand up comedy right there.
She was so good that she did a stand up comedy right there. The match was uninteresting, we were steadily losing wickets, so it lost its appeal. Anyway, not having a mobile phone myself, had to depend on neighbours for the updates. I listened to her instead, and she was pretty good.
some tips I picked up include
1) Every chapter that you read while studying for any exam can be a career of its own. In every science, com or arts book, each and every chapter must be looked upon as a career option. This struck me as a cool piece of advice.
2) Make sure there is potential for growth
3) Have eyesight, insight and foresight.
The rest of the seminar consisted of how to choose a career, judge its suitability and other such things, punctuated by jokes that while being laughed at out of politeness, it was a politeness that wasn't at least, too easy to fake. The kind of jokes that would make forty something half-educated middle class men laugh.
I would have otherwise missed out on this opportunity if I wasn't thrown in there. Definately an improvement from last time, when they gave us a brouchure, and were totally ignorant about what it all was about. I still ended up in a media related course though.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Dirt on LAN
Saw Monsters Inc yesterday night. Nice movie. Downloaded it off LAN. Downloading movies off LAN, along with other things. got both the Matrix sequels today, and watched the first one. Funny the things that you get on LAN. Many people have these files which tel you how to sabotage stuff, how to commit suicide, how to cause havoc in class, and basically how to be one of those anarchist. Downloaded a few out of curiosity, and it was damn disturbing.
For example, this text file had details on how to commit suicide. By details I mean which chemicals to ask for, which household substances to use, and for more painful methods, exactly how to cut up your wrists or to tie a knot so that you do not survive. Seems that you inject almost anything directly into your blood stream (even air), you die.
Most of these files have disclaimers akin to "the techniques contained are for information purposes only. Their usage in real life is not encouraged." the next line is always something like "now that that's done, let me give you the shit." The one on suicide had something even more... erm... amusing. "This file is provided for the purposes of amusement, and the actual use of any of these methods is not recommended without first considering other possibilities, such as dying of old age."
The text files are frighteningly professional, with a bibliography included too. There are actually books written for people who want to commit suicide? Unimaginable. "Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying" Derek Humphrey (publisher: Hemlock) is one example. If you overlook the funny files on how to attract a girl (using certain pheromones, and taking a suitable diet), how to increase your penis size (some exercise which requires one to massage it in the early mornings in specific ways), and table manners, there are books on carjacking, hacking, secret recipes, stealing from vending machines, lock picking, animal, and worst of all, human torture. Here is some text from a file which shows how to torture someone using an oven.
Well...I guess you know what to do. Turn on the oven and place his head inside it and keep it there until he speaks.
Well, that might be enough to drive home the point of what I am going to say, but there is more:
Me and my friend tried a rather advanced method last year, when we needed to know where our neighbor had his money. We placed his new-born child in the oven and turned it on.
They could have stopped there, I am sure they didn't actually do it, but writing it as if its something cool shows that you are almost as deranged.
He talked quick. But we didn't really care about the money, we just wanted to have some fun.
"Fun", apparently turns out to be:
We forced his wife to eat the dead child afterwards. Ha, good ol' days
For example, this text file had details on how to commit suicide. By details I mean which chemicals to ask for, which household substances to use, and for more painful methods, exactly how to cut up your wrists or to tie a knot so that you do not survive. Seems that you inject almost anything directly into your blood stream (even air), you die.
Most of these files have disclaimers akin to "the techniques contained are for information purposes only. Their usage in real life is not encouraged." the next line is always something like "now that that's done, let me give you the shit." The one on suicide had something even more... erm... amusing. "This file is provided for the purposes of amusement, and the actual use of any of these methods is not recommended without first considering other possibilities, such as dying of old age."
The text files are frighteningly professional, with a bibliography included too. There are actually books written for people who want to commit suicide? Unimaginable. "Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying" Derek Humphrey (publisher: Hemlock) is one example. If you overlook the funny files on how to attract a girl (using certain pheromones, and taking a suitable diet), how to increase your penis size (some exercise which requires one to massage it in the early mornings in specific ways), and table manners, there are books on carjacking, hacking, secret recipes, stealing from vending machines, lock picking, animal, and worst of all, human torture. Here is some text from a file which shows how to torture someone using an oven.
Well...I guess you know what to do. Turn on the oven and place his head inside it and keep it there until he speaks.
Well, that might be enough to drive home the point of what I am going to say, but there is more:
Me and my friend tried a rather advanced method last year, when we needed to know where our neighbor had his money. We placed his new-born child in the oven and turned it on.
They could have stopped there, I am sure they didn't actually do it, but writing it as if its something cool shows that you are almost as deranged.
He talked quick. But we didn't really care about the money, we just wanted to have some fun.
"Fun", apparently turns out to be:
We forced his wife to eat the dead child afterwards. Ha, good ol' days
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
SIES Update
Finally figured out what all the extra security was all about. Apparently, someone went and complained to the management that it was not returning some extra dough it had taken from the students. Everyone knew that SIES overcharged and the fees were atrociously high (11 grand for a YEAR as compared to seven grand for a term). What was surprising was that it took so long to happen.
The good thing is if I go tomorrow, I get two grand back.
The good thing is if I go tomorrow, I get two grand back.
First Time.
Have been dreaming of doing it for a long time, and finally plucked up the courage. Just when you are about to, you feel like you can never manage - but somehow... my exact feelings were "what the heck - let's give it a try."
Was pretty apprehensive at times during the process - but I stuck to it. A part of me told me that I might regret it later - and although there was plenty of potential for that, I did NOT regret later. Burned like hell after that, and the skin was pretty red. Was very careful, and took all the care I could, which is probably why there was no blood. Not even a little drop. This, I am sure, is somewhat of an achievement for a first timer. The skin was sore like hell though. So sore that I don't think I am going to do it again, unless out of absolute necessity. Made me feel more like a Man than anything else has. Like this was the most uber-Macho expirience ever.
If you are not waiting to read what all of that was actually about, and wondering why I was blogging about something like that, and STILL continued to read... get a 1) Brain 2) Life.
I have not stretched any of the facts for the effect. I started writing and then realised what I could convert it into. I really had been dreaming of doing it ever since I saw this stupid AD. First of all, the best thing about shaving with the knife is that you can reapply the cream with the flat side of the blade. Only a very thin layer gets applied, which does not obscure your view of your face like a shaving brush does, which means you can guide your knife with more expertise, which is something, you obviously need to pay attention to. You need to put a LOT of aftershave after you are done. there are also some places where you get scared like shit... like the point where your ears meet your cheeks. Imagine having a knife there, and you are shaving the hair in that region.
Another scary region is the underside of your kneck. Most females won't even know that hair grows there. The region is tricky enough with a razor... but a knife. Actually, it is easier with a knife, although more scary. five or six rapid strokes and you are done. That is what makes the skin so sore though.
Actually shaving with a knife, is by far one of the coolest things I have ever done.
Was pretty apprehensive at times during the process - but I stuck to it. A part of me told me that I might regret it later - and although there was plenty of potential for that, I did NOT regret later. Burned like hell after that, and the skin was pretty red. Was very careful, and took all the care I could, which is probably why there was no blood. Not even a little drop. This, I am sure, is somewhat of an achievement for a first timer. The skin was sore like hell though. So sore that I don't think I am going to do it again, unless out of absolute necessity. Made me feel more like a Man than anything else has. Like this was the most uber-Macho expirience ever.
If you are not waiting to read what all of that was actually about, and wondering why I was blogging about something like that, and STILL continued to read... get a 1) Brain 2) Life.
I have not stretched any of the facts for the effect. I started writing and then realised what I could convert it into. I really had been dreaming of doing it ever since I saw this stupid AD. First of all, the best thing about shaving with the knife is that you can reapply the cream with the flat side of the blade. Only a very thin layer gets applied, which does not obscure your view of your face like a shaving brush does, which means you can guide your knife with more expertise, which is something, you obviously need to pay attention to. You need to put a LOT of aftershave after you are done. there are also some places where you get scared like shit... like the point where your ears meet your cheeks. Imagine having a knife there, and you are shaving the hair in that region.
Another scary region is the underside of your kneck. Most females won't even know that hair grows there. The region is tricky enough with a razor... but a knife. Actually, it is easier with a knife, although more scary. five or six rapid strokes and you are done. That is what makes the skin so sore though.
Actually shaving with a knife, is by far one of the coolest things I have ever done.
unexplained security
something totally unexplained happened today. Normally the college has lax security, with people getting past by just pleading with the watchman - boys actually more often than girls. The watchman just smiles and lets you through. On a bad day, you are not allowed if you don't have the fee reciept, the library card or the i-card. Not having any one of these is just stupid. However, today, not only were the i-cards required, it was also paramount to have the i-card holder, which was practically unheard of. they had actually narrowed the grate down, so that only one person at a time could enter or leave. This was very weird, I sat for the lectures, and went back down and spotted around six policemen. I wondered about it for a while, went back it, worked on the computer for the college fest, came back out, and now there were four police vans. Actually two huge ones like the ones they use to cart pof criminals in, and two modest jeeps. There were around thirty or so policemen all around the college, some with walkie-talkies. Something like this hadn't happened since the time khadus aunty called in the police because we were disturbing her. The detour on that later.
Anyway, so the police came, and I had my sandwhich, bumping into what I thought was a third police jeep, which turned out to be a Star News press car with a sleeping driver. As things turned out, the college was not allowing us past even with i-cards. I got in because of being on the fest theme. We are allowed to roam the college all day and all night if necessary. But no one on the inside had any clue what all the fuss was about.
My best guess is that the refunds of two departments are coming, with cold hard cash worth atleast a crore. That is probably the cause of all the security.
The detour.
Some time ago, I blogged about this aunty calling up the police because a bunch of us were standing in the space in front of the shop, and making too much noise and obscuring the public from ehr precious notice board (which was kept in public territory). The Police, responded within ten minutes, and conducted a thorough investigation. They took notes from neighbouring shops, who said that the place felt livelier when the kids were around. The one who said this will be known as person A. she is a verys strong, very sweet, and very rowdy charachter. Her mother, person B, is also known as Aunty, and knows most of the college students. I've used her shop for three years, and somehow feel attached to it. Everyone hangs out there...
Anyway, so the police came, too some bribe from the irate shopkeeper's husband, and scolded THEM and left.
Obviously, the irate shopkeeper who had complained felt scandalized, (let her be C). Now C sent B a court order saying that she was causing nuiscance. C also bribed anyone bribable in charge of the city's health about the unlicensed fast food joints in front of B's show. The said unliscenced fast food joints got scared, and asked her to adjust. They don't even pay her anything for seeling stuff there.
damned sad thing. Will keep updating the story. Maybe.
Anyway, so the police came, and I had my sandwhich, bumping into what I thought was a third police jeep, which turned out to be a Star News press car with a sleeping driver. As things turned out, the college was not allowing us past even with i-cards. I got in because of being on the fest theme. We are allowed to roam the college all day and all night if necessary. But no one on the inside had any clue what all the fuss was about.
My best guess is that the refunds of two departments are coming, with cold hard cash worth atleast a crore. That is probably the cause of all the security.
The detour.
Some time ago, I blogged about this aunty calling up the police because a bunch of us were standing in the space in front of the shop, and making too much noise and obscuring the public from ehr precious notice board (which was kept in public territory). The Police, responded within ten minutes, and conducted a thorough investigation. They took notes from neighbouring shops, who said that the place felt livelier when the kids were around. The one who said this will be known as person A. she is a verys strong, very sweet, and very rowdy charachter. Her mother, person B, is also known as Aunty, and knows most of the college students. I've used her shop for three years, and somehow feel attached to it. Everyone hangs out there...
Anyway, so the police came, too some bribe from the irate shopkeeper's husband, and scolded THEM and left.
Obviously, the irate shopkeeper who had complained felt scandalized, (let her be C). Now C sent B a court order saying that she was causing nuiscance. C also bribed anyone bribable in charge of the city's health about the unlicensed fast food joints in front of B's show. The said unliscenced fast food joints got scared, and asked her to adjust. They don't even pay her anything for seeling stuff there.
damned sad thing. Will keep updating the story. Maybe.
Marketing dept
I am NOT supposed to blog about this, but I just have to. Our college has a fest - and they pull through pretty fine every year. YOu get to look at exactly how uly the picture is once you are behind the scenes. Don't make any mistakes, My college is one of the best in Mumbai (JAM rated it second for my course (but that's probably because a senior wrote the article)), and the fest is really one of the biggest in the city... and I am on the Comp Admin. That's Computer Administration. Know these two (get this: seniors) girls from Marketing come up to me and ask me to send this company a Patronship letter. Now this is a pretty good company, and the dough expected is to the tune of forty grand. These are the various drafts that the letter went through before it was finally posted. They kept providing new ideas, each worse than the one before that. They kept tweaking it to make it look better, but it only got worse. The final product was stupid, but still less stupid than it ought to be. I didn't help, and I am damned sure that i could have done a better job - and quicker - but the consignment leader had made us promise not to interfere in each other's tasks. Still, it becomes impossible to do this, when the people working ask you your opinion. I cannot exactly sacrifice the image of my college (I have no wonder how it got that) by keeping mum, so i gave my advice ONLY when it was asked, which, believe me, took more self restraint than keeping me from buying a fully functional motorised helicopter for a measly grand and a half.
Anyway, so here is Marketing letter Take I:
Dear santosh.
Hi, how are you. this is pammi here, who had just called you an hour ago, and had spoken about the patronship leeter (No mistake there). please give the letter your kind consideration, and the price is negotiable. we accept payment in kind or even cash.
sorry for the inconvinience caused (What the bloody fuck was THAT line about?).
thanking you
yours sincerely,
pammi:[phone number]
pushpa:[phone number]
Take II
Hi santosh.
this is pammi here, we had just called you an hour ago, and had spoken about the patronship letter. we have attached the patronship letter to this letter. please give the letter your kind consideration, and the price is negotiable. we accept payment in kind or even cash.
pammi:[phone number]
pushpa:[phone number]
yours sincerely,
pammi
Take III
Dear santosh.
this is pammi here, this is regarding our phone call to you. we had just called you an hour ago, and had spoken about the patronship letter. we have attached the patronship letter to this letter. please give the letter your kind consideration, and the price is negotiable. we accept payment in kind or even cash. please call us on this number.
pammi:[phone number]
pushpa:[phone number]
yours sincerely,
pammi
note: later drafts had various capitalisations, and a slight change in the position of commas and full stops in the totally wrong areas. The beggening of the sentences were capitalized, but the names were not.
After that, Pammi calls up Santosh from Pushpa's cell, leaving him totally confused on who to call back the next day. And By the way, they aske HIM to call THEM.
I have a gut feeling about the real world - and it isn't a very nice one.
Anyway, so here is Marketing letter Take I:
Dear santosh.
Hi, how are you. this is pammi here, who had just called you an hour ago, and had spoken about the patronship leeter (No mistake there). please give the letter your kind consideration, and the price is negotiable. we accept payment in kind or even cash.
sorry for the inconvinience caused (What the bloody fuck was THAT line about?).
thanking you
yours sincerely,
pammi:[phone number]
pushpa:[phone number]
Take II
Hi santosh.
this is pammi here, we had just called you an hour ago, and had spoken about the patronship letter. we have attached the patronship letter to this letter. please give the letter your kind consideration, and the price is negotiable. we accept payment in kind or even cash.
pammi:[phone number]
pushpa:[phone number]
yours sincerely,
pammi
Take III
Dear santosh.
this is pammi here, this is regarding our phone call to you. we had just called you an hour ago, and had spoken about the patronship letter. we have attached the patronship letter to this letter. please give the letter your kind consideration, and the price is negotiable. we accept payment in kind or even cash. please call us on this number.
pammi:[phone number]
pushpa:[phone number]
yours sincerely,
pammi
note: later drafts had various capitalisations, and a slight change in the position of commas and full stops in the totally wrong areas. The beggening of the sentences were capitalized, but the names were not.
After that, Pammi calls up Santosh from Pushpa's cell, leaving him totally confused on who to call back the next day. And By the way, they aske HIM to call THEM.
I have a gut feeling about the real world - and it isn't a very nice one.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
o+
That's my blood group. Thought it was AB+ after misreading a self-administered test. Not that the professional one was even slightly so. The cotton was the coars untreated kind. The spirit looked like the same old bottle had been refilled with second grade perfume. She jabbed the needle in, and the needle was bent while she was drawing the blood. She didn't even give me a reciept, it came with the results of the test.
Apart from the blood test, I was ill and had a headache. I was ill, because of a cold, and the headache was because of reading too much (read HP6 for a second time), sleeping too much (three to six) or sitting on the computer too much (downloaded 3 gigs off LAN, including Scary Movie 4, which I didn't know existed) or maybe only because my sinuses were filled with... you know... stuff, or becaues I hadn't eaten enough. Most probably it was all of the above.
1) Watched Madagascar - stupid movie, good animating, bad char drawing, low polygon count, probably had too little mem to render on. No story really, but the movie was pretty cleverly scripted.
2) Read HP6 for a second time, with friends already upto six. Convinced that Snape is not evil, because he lied to Bellatrix about a few things in the beggening of the book. Also, he had thesame look of revulsion while killing Dumbledore while Harry had while feeding Dumbledore the water in the chapter before. I'm all in for the Dumbledore-was-already-dead stopper death theory. I also have a feeling that Haarry will be the defence against the dark arts teacher, because no one else is likely to take the part. Ginny will most certainly die as no one's death except Potter's will have any affect, and everyone's half-expecing that.
Have a nice theory though, later. When this headache passes.
Apart from the blood test, I was ill and had a headache. I was ill, because of a cold, and the headache was because of reading too much (read HP6 for a second time), sleeping too much (three to six) or sitting on the computer too much (downloaded 3 gigs off LAN, including Scary Movie 4, which I didn't know existed) or maybe only because my sinuses were filled with... you know... stuff, or becaues I hadn't eaten enough. Most probably it was all of the above.
1) Watched Madagascar - stupid movie, good animating, bad char drawing, low polygon count, probably had too little mem to render on. No story really, but the movie was pretty cleverly scripted.
2) Read HP6 for a second time, with friends already upto six. Convinced that Snape is not evil, because he lied to Bellatrix about a few things in the beggening of the book. Also, he had thesame look of revulsion while killing Dumbledore while Harry had while feeding Dumbledore the water in the chapter before. I'm all in for the Dumbledore-was-already-dead stopper death theory. I also have a feeling that Haarry will be the defence against the dark arts teacher, because no one else is likely to take the part. Ginny will most certainly die as no one's death except Potter's will have any affect, and everyone's half-expecing that.
Have a nice theory though, later. When this headache passes.
Monday, November 21, 2005
The Beach
I just feel like everyone tries to do something different, but you always wind up doing the same damn thing.
Saw "The Beach" on Star Movies. Funny how quickly the movie showed up on television. It was released in 2005, and the shooting was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Not a very strong story, but the thing was pulled off really well. The dialogues in the movie were really clever, and the movie had one of the slickest editing I've ever seen. Half-hearted attempt at a review apart, I liked the fil, and woul like to get more from the director (I think Boyle). The video game sequence was really good, as were all the cut scenes with the guy who committed scuicide, giving Richard the map to the beach.
Should probably narrate the story. The story is that this Richard guy stumbles across a map to paradise and then ends up there, an island full of dope and two communities. One a bunch of travellers who hate beach resorts, and have built the most exotic beach resort of their own, and another, a bunch of hostile dope farmers. Richard makes the mistake of copying the map, allowing more tourists to come to the island. The islanders are very posessive about their secret and do not wellcome more guests. The whole cast-away thing happens with a larger community, with Richard battling a shark and things like that. Greed about enjoying themselves grows in the community, and people who fall sick or are injured are just left to die out in the open. The whole society deteriorates, but only Richard's fall is shown, as his is the worst. He ends up killing two people directly, and around four indirectly. There is a face-off between the islanders and the dope farmers, and finally the travellers leave for home, back to a normal life.
The funniest part was richard (DiCaprio) was contemplating the universe with this french girl, and he said something totally stupid like "Somewhere out there, in the eternity of space, someone exactly like you is looking back at you."
To which Françoise replied, "Richard, this is just the kind of pretentious bullshit that Americans always say to French girls so they can sleep with them."
PS, he did end up sleeping with her
Saw "The Beach" on Star Movies. Funny how quickly the movie showed up on television. It was released in 2005, and the shooting was affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Not a very strong story, but the thing was pulled off really well. The dialogues in the movie were really clever, and the movie had one of the slickest editing I've ever seen. Half-hearted attempt at a review apart, I liked the fil, and woul like to get more from the director (I think Boyle). The video game sequence was really good, as were all the cut scenes with the guy who committed scuicide, giving Richard the map to the beach.
Should probably narrate the story. The story is that this Richard guy stumbles across a map to paradise and then ends up there, an island full of dope and two communities. One a bunch of travellers who hate beach resorts, and have built the most exotic beach resort of their own, and another, a bunch of hostile dope farmers. Richard makes the mistake of copying the map, allowing more tourists to come to the island. The islanders are very posessive about their secret and do not wellcome more guests. The whole cast-away thing happens with a larger community, with Richard battling a shark and things like that. Greed about enjoying themselves grows in the community, and people who fall sick or are injured are just left to die out in the open. The whole society deteriorates, but only Richard's fall is shown, as his is the worst. He ends up killing two people directly, and around four indirectly. There is a face-off between the islanders and the dope farmers, and finally the travellers leave for home, back to a normal life.
The funniest part was richard (DiCaprio) was contemplating the universe with this french girl, and he said something totally stupid like "Somewhere out there, in the eternity of space, someone exactly like you is looking back at you."
To which Françoise replied, "Richard, this is just the kind of pretentious bullshit that Americans always say to French girls so they can sleep with them."
PS, he did end up sleeping with her
Party
One more party for a friend's eighteenth birthday. First there was dinner at Pizza hut, wth the new freshiza, or pizza made from fresh dough, but I didn't notice the difference. Also realised that I wasn't much into pizzas. Went to some emtpy apartment after that, without electricity, so the night was spent under candlelight. Boozed quite a bit, lekin i didn't get high. One guy was blaberrinh throuhout the night, ended up kissing me, and woke up in the middle of the night to take me on a quest to Mordor. he was believing himself to be on the quest of the fellowship. Was so hilarious that I was laughing despite being slightly tipsy myself.
Got up early morning, actually hardly slept. a friend came over to my place, we bathed, and unlike the rest of our friends in the party, we came to college on time.
The teacher noticed I was unusually silent, and enquired about it. I blurted out "hangover" and thankfully, she didn't hear it, although people around me burst ou laughing.
Got up early morning, actually hardly slept. a friend came over to my place, we bathed, and unlike the rest of our friends in the party, we came to college on time.
The teacher noticed I was unusually silent, and enquired about it. I blurted out "hangover" and thankfully, she didn't hear it, although people around me burst ou laughing.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Damning realisation
Just realised something about my previous term. I have learnt nothing. Nada. Zilch.
I already knew everything there was to know in effective communication skills, fundamentals of mass communication and computers. Where I didn't, I faked my way through the papers. I didn't study Eco, except for the last few hours leading up to the exam, and have forgotten everything I learnt already. I made up the Socio answeres compeletely. Alriht, I studied history, and learnt a lot there, but like that's a lot of use.
A shrewd guess would be that I will go through all the sems like this. Which means that I am ready to get my degree now and start working. Damn, the system is really messed up. And I am one of the toppers, but I KNOW that I haven't learnt much. Like there were no new skills I picked up during the presentations or projects.
I wonder if this is just me or it is with everyone, OR if you learn a lot and don't understand or cannot recognise what you have picked up, which I think is probably the answer.
PS: Madonna's Frozen is copied. She lost the suit, the song cannot be sold or broadcast. One of my favorite songs. I don't see the difference between covers, remixes and stolen songs. I know there is one, but I refuse to recognise it.
I already knew everything there was to know in effective communication skills, fundamentals of mass communication and computers. Where I didn't, I faked my way through the papers. I didn't study Eco, except for the last few hours leading up to the exam, and have forgotten everything I learnt already. I made up the Socio answeres compeletely. Alriht, I studied history, and learnt a lot there, but like that's a lot of use.
A shrewd guess would be that I will go through all the sems like this. Which means that I am ready to get my degree now and start working. Damn, the system is really messed up. And I am one of the toppers, but I KNOW that I haven't learnt much. Like there were no new skills I picked up during the presentations or projects.
I wonder if this is just me or it is with everyone, OR if you learn a lot and don't understand or cannot recognise what you have picked up, which I think is probably the answer.
PS: Madonna's Frozen is copied. She lost the suit, the song cannot be sold or broadcast. One of my favorite songs. I don't see the difference between covers, remixes and stolen songs. I know there is one, but I refuse to recognise it.
Black Friday
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind
The movie opened with that line. The movie was good, althouh it could have been shorter. Two sequences have been dragged for too long, but the movie drives home the point: exactly how damaging religion is. The movie covered all the aspects of the blasts, everything from how the bombers justified it ("Blass nahi oti to musalmanon ka jeena mushkil ho jaata is desh mein") ("if the blasts didn't take place, it would have been difficult for Muslims to live on) and a nice reply by inspector Maria "Dharm ke naam pe chutiya ban gaye tum log, aur bante rahoge. Tum bante rahoge, tumheinmaarne waala har woh hindu banta rahega. Har woh aadmi jisko kuch nahi hain karne ko, dharm pe naam par chutiya banta rahega" (loosely translated to "You became cunts in the name of religion, and you'll keep becoming. You, and every hindu who hits you back. Anyone with nothing better to do will, in the name of religion").
I also see why the movie was banned (got it off LAN). It took the names of real restaurants, godowns and places, easily affecting the businesses of these places. For example, the stomach restaurant of Bandra, where I recently lunched, along with the name of the owner who was questioned for connections, Rakhesh Khurana.
The movie skirted the Sunjay Dutt issue though. There were some pretty disturbing pictures in the end, of kids, people and properties injured or killed in the blasts. You end up feeling intense anger for Advani and all those perverted fanatics who got the Masjid down. If you ask me, the Hindu community should let the Muslims rebuild the Masjid as a gesture of friendliness.
Some notes I do not know how to elaborate, made while watching the movie.
Ak-56
Pakistan Army ka samaan hai (Pakistanis provided the ammunition)
cathay pacific (Plane used to escape)
khancha (setting, deal, so that the trainees could get into Islamabad without visas)
"6 december"
hamare masjid ko shaheed kiya
researched developed exploisive (fullform of RDX, stupid eh?)
madarchot- censored chutiya~cunt-not censored
CBI arrested Memom's brother from Khatmandu airport and left him at Delhi railway station and arrested hi again
Advani Thakery would be made into gods if they were killed
Hindustan mein musalmano ka jeena mushkil ho jayega
Kabhi musalmanon ko koi aankh uta ke nahi dekhega (has happened)
disturbing images of charred children
Liked the ending of the movie though. These lines showed up after the movie.
Rudraksh Khan is out on trust
Rakesh Maria is now inspector general of police, Maharashtra
Tiger Memom is suspected to be hiding in Pakistan
Bombay is now Mumbai
The message in the final line is so subtle, but so dangerous, and so explosive in its conent of what is exactly going opn and wrong in the city, that only the last line could have banned the movie.
The movie opened with that line. The movie was good, althouh it could have been shorter. Two sequences have been dragged for too long, but the movie drives home the point: exactly how damaging religion is. The movie covered all the aspects of the blasts, everything from how the bombers justified it ("Blass nahi oti to musalmanon ka jeena mushkil ho jaata is desh mein") ("if the blasts didn't take place, it would have been difficult for Muslims to live on) and a nice reply by inspector Maria "Dharm ke naam pe chutiya ban gaye tum log, aur bante rahoge. Tum bante rahoge, tumheinmaarne waala har woh hindu banta rahega. Har woh aadmi jisko kuch nahi hain karne ko, dharm pe naam par chutiya banta rahega" (loosely translated to "You became cunts in the name of religion, and you'll keep becoming. You, and every hindu who hits you back. Anyone with nothing better to do will, in the name of religion").
I also see why the movie was banned (got it off LAN). It took the names of real restaurants, godowns and places, easily affecting the businesses of these places. For example, the stomach restaurant of Bandra, where I recently lunched, along with the name of the owner who was questioned for connections, Rakhesh Khurana.
The movie skirted the Sunjay Dutt issue though. There were some pretty disturbing pictures in the end, of kids, people and properties injured or killed in the blasts. You end up feeling intense anger for Advani and all those perverted fanatics who got the Masjid down. If you ask me, the Hindu community should let the Muslims rebuild the Masjid as a gesture of friendliness.
Some notes I do not know how to elaborate, made while watching the movie.
Ak-56
Pakistan Army ka samaan hai (Pakistanis provided the ammunition)
cathay pacific (Plane used to escape)
khancha (setting, deal, so that the trainees could get into Islamabad without visas)
"6 december"
hamare masjid ko shaheed kiya
researched developed exploisive (fullform of RDX, stupid eh?)
madarchot- censored chutiya~cunt-not censored
CBI arrested Memom's brother from Khatmandu airport and left him at Delhi railway station and arrested hi again
Advani Thakery would be made into gods if they were killed
Hindustan mein musalmano ka jeena mushkil ho jayega
Kabhi musalmanon ko koi aankh uta ke nahi dekhega (has happened)
disturbing images of charred children
Liked the ending of the movie though. These lines showed up after the movie.
Rudraksh Khan is out on trust
Rakesh Maria is now inspector general of police, Maharashtra
Tiger Memom is suspected to be hiding in Pakistan
Bombay is now Mumbai
The message in the final line is so subtle, but so dangerous, and so explosive in its conent of what is exactly going opn and wrong in the city, that only the last line could have banned the movie.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
India Vs South Africa Bangalore one-dayer
Just saw the match.
1) India's game lacked style. They could have pulled of the win with more panache.
2) Although Pathan got hte man of the match for the three wickets, Sehwag was the real star. He is on his way to better Tendya.
3) Wished Dhoni would have gotten a chance to bat. He should be moved further up the order.
4) South African bowlers have a weird run up. All of them, without exception, have an erratic wobble just before they let the ball go. First time I noticed this.
I haven't blogged about Ganguly's spectacular burial yet, and I will be surprised if he does come back. It will mostly be through powerful lobbying. Here's something I heard that might put a new light on the whole issue.
The truth / utterly fabricated boast / irrational rumour / conspiracy theory and the inside word has it that Ganguly was removed because he was becoming a threat to the newcomers. It was because of Ganguly that the whole match - fixing machinery could operate, and because he is gone now, the bookies are angry. The political pressure, is obviously on, with the Bongs saying they will not allow the one dayer in West Bengal.
This inspite of the fact that interpol is keeping tabs on high risk matches. The matches fixed are mostly the Indo-Pak and Indo-Australian ones. Apparetntly, some SA matches are fixed too.
There are some of us, who, however, believe that all of the above is bullshit and match fixing died when Hansie Cronje was caught.
Pity about the unnatural plane crash though... and funny no questions were raised.
1) India's game lacked style. They could have pulled of the win with more panache.
2) Although Pathan got hte man of the match for the three wickets, Sehwag was the real star. He is on his way to better Tendya.
3) Wished Dhoni would have gotten a chance to bat. He should be moved further up the order.
4) South African bowlers have a weird run up. All of them, without exception, have an erratic wobble just before they let the ball go. First time I noticed this.
I haven't blogged about Ganguly's spectacular burial yet, and I will be surprised if he does come back. It will mostly be through powerful lobbying. Here's something I heard that might put a new light on the whole issue.
The truth / utterly fabricated boast / irrational rumour / conspiracy theory and the inside word has it that Ganguly was removed because he was becoming a threat to the newcomers. It was because of Ganguly that the whole match - fixing machinery could operate, and because he is gone now, the bookies are angry. The political pressure, is obviously on, with the Bongs saying they will not allow the one dayer in West Bengal.
This inspite of the fact that interpol is keeping tabs on high risk matches. The matches fixed are mostly the Indo-Pak and Indo-Australian ones. Apparetntly, some SA matches are fixed too.
There are some of us, who, however, believe that all of the above is bullshit and match fixing died when Hansie Cronje was caught.
Pity about the unnatural plane crash though... and funny no questions were raised.
Package deal
The final verdict on a long discussion on the ideal political system was Anarchy. Moorcock came across this long ago, and infact, so did mankind. The problem is that the life of mankind is like the prisinor's paradox, where steps taken against exploitation end up being against the general interests of mankind, but if such steps aren't taken, then it leads to exploitation. An example is the arms race, which, while seeming irrational, and actually not beneficial to either party, still occored to protect interests. Then there was mutually assured destruction (turns out to be MAD) that emerged out of the arms race during the cold war.
There cannot exist an ideal system. Everyone pretty much knows this. What I resent, is however, all those things that come packaged with life. There are some choices that are prtty basic which we do not make. Our religion, caste, creed, mothertongue, and worst of all, nationality. We feel alligience to all these things even without wanting to. Things like these bring about blind faith in an ideology, and eventually, when the realisation dawns, leads to a revolution, which is very likely to be violent.
The fact that life comes packaged with a bunch of political ideas that you are expected to follow, beyond the norms and practices of the society, is somewhat of a matter of concern. It is not MY choice that I am a Hindu. In fact, I have no respect for the Hindu idea of God, not for any other religion. I am however, expected to sit for pujas. I am expected to participate in functions like the thread ceremony. These have their benefits, but it gets irritating when you are expected to live your life according to some principles that you feel is detrimental to a normal life. For example, if I am to follow my religion to the book, I am not allowed to pee standing up.
The worst part is that these things cannot be easily changed. The system needs to be changed such that political ideologies are chosen by each person after compelete knowledge of all the associated principles.
Culture might be a fair price to pay for a compelete lack of blind faith, but I donno.
There cannot exist an ideal system. Everyone pretty much knows this. What I resent, is however, all those things that come packaged with life. There are some choices that are prtty basic which we do not make. Our religion, caste, creed, mothertongue, and worst of all, nationality. We feel alligience to all these things even without wanting to. Things like these bring about blind faith in an ideology, and eventually, when the realisation dawns, leads to a revolution, which is very likely to be violent.
The fact that life comes packaged with a bunch of political ideas that you are expected to follow, beyond the norms and practices of the society, is somewhat of a matter of concern. It is not MY choice that I am a Hindu. In fact, I have no respect for the Hindu idea of God, not for any other religion. I am however, expected to sit for pujas. I am expected to participate in functions like the thread ceremony. These have their benefits, but it gets irritating when you are expected to live your life according to some principles that you feel is detrimental to a normal life. For example, if I am to follow my religion to the book, I am not allowed to pee standing up.
The worst part is that these things cannot be easily changed. The system needs to be changed such that political ideologies are chosen by each person after compelete knowledge of all the associated principles.
Culture might be a fair price to pay for a compelete lack of blind faith, but I donno.
Death Eaters and the Klu Klux Klan
First Star Wars showed Anakin Skywalker as Bush, and now the Death Eaters in HP4:GOF or Aag kya pyaala are portrayed with those typical KKK pointy hats. Wanted a picture, but they are impossible to get this early. Ofcourse, mugglenet had them long ago, but they were removed on request from Warner Bros. Now I had to settle for this drawing from the Warner Bros site. KK hood, but DE mask. Tweaked it in photoshop to make it look brighter. Damned movie was too dark to make out the details, or maybe it was just because a low res version was projected on the world's largest dome.
Death Eater
KKK members
Cool eh?
PS, they have changed the blogger scripts.
Death Eater
KKK members
Cool eh?
PS, they have changed the blogger scripts.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Boils down to regionalism
Just started with Political Sciene, and it is a really interesting subject.
There was this discussion on the factors responsible for the creation of Nationalism. The factors were:
(The factors should be understood as: promotes the creation of nationalism because of common background)
-Geographical
-Historical
-Political
-Cultural
-Racial
-Religious
-Economic
-Linguistic
-Psychological
First of all, there are some factors like Racial, Religious and Linguistic factors that do not promote Nationalism in India. for example, you do not feel an association with India merely becaue you are a Tamilian (I am not a Tamilian, took the example becaues Tamil is spoken elsewhere in the world). But being in France, you feel an association for the Nation because you are proud that you speak French. The same can be said for being Catholic in France or Spain or say Muslim in Pakistan. I don't know if Pakistan as an Islamic state is a common misconception, but they have the symbol on their flag, so I guess I am allowed to use the example without being too politically incorrect.
The point is that we associate ourselves with the Nation for different things. While not all factors may promote Nationalism in all countries, all remain factors in some country or another. The point is, however, that everything boils down to regionalism.
The origin of all these factors is regionalism. Regionalism is such a fierce force that even within a nation, we feel more comeraderie for say the person of the same language or religion. There tend to be local concenteration of the people of similiar religion or language. For example, although Mumbai is said to be a melting pot of all cultures, it is a known fact that South Indians are concenterated in Matunga, Gujjus are concenterated in Dadar, Muslims are concenterated in Masjid, and idiots are concenterated in Mulund (Sorry couldn't resist). There is this fierce Thane-Mulund rivalry which I will have to blog about sometime. Regionalism is so strong that not only does regionalism produce the need for a nation, as well as build up the spirit of Nationalism, but it works the other way round, by getting together people originating from the same region at some alien/foreign location. An international example would be: New Jersey is said to be full of Indians, and Chinatown full of Chineese in New York.
Maybe regionalism is so strong a force because it is an evolved form of terrotorialism from our ancestors. Amongst other animals, we think that this is stupidly storng. Because some birds cannot fly out of their own territories, no matter how hard they try. They seem to suddenly hit a glass wall and turn back. That's how strong the feeling of territory is, and maybe we are not above such instincts.
There was this discussion on the factors responsible for the creation of Nationalism. The factors were:
(The factors should be understood as:
-Geographical
-Historical
-Political
-Cultural
-Racial
-Religious
-Economic
-Linguistic
-Psychological
First of all, there are some factors like Racial, Religious and Linguistic factors that do not promote Nationalism in India. for example, you do not feel an association with India merely becaue you are a Tamilian (I am not a Tamilian, took the example becaues Tamil is spoken elsewhere in the world). But being in France, you feel an association for the Nation because you are proud that you speak French. The same can be said for being Catholic in France or Spain or say Muslim in Pakistan. I don't know if Pakistan as an Islamic state is a common misconception, but they have the symbol on their flag, so I guess I am allowed to use the example without being too politically incorrect.
The point is that we associate ourselves with the Nation for different things. While not all factors may promote Nationalism in all countries, all remain factors in some country or another. The point is, however, that everything boils down to regionalism.
The origin of all these factors is regionalism. Regionalism is such a fierce force that even within a nation, we feel more comeraderie for say the person of the same language or religion. There tend to be local concenteration of the people of similiar religion or language. For example, although Mumbai is said to be a melting pot of all cultures, it is a known fact that South Indians are concenterated in Matunga, Gujjus are concenterated in Dadar, Muslims are concenterated in Masjid, and idiots are concenterated in Mulund (Sorry couldn't resist). There is this fierce Thane-Mulund rivalry which I will have to blog about sometime. Regionalism is so strong that not only does regionalism produce the need for a nation, as well as build up the spirit of Nationalism, but it works the other way round, by getting together people originating from the same region at some alien/foreign location. An international example would be: New Jersey is said to be full of Indians, and Chinatown full of Chineese in New York.
Maybe regionalism is so strong a force because it is an evolved form of terrotorialism from our ancestors. Amongst other animals, we think that this is stupidly storng. Because some birds cannot fly out of their own territories, no matter how hard they try. They seem to suddenly hit a glass wall and turn back. That's how strong the feeling of territory is, and maybe we are not above such instincts.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
They shouldn't show normal movies projected on the dome. That's just dumb. If it isn't a film in the iMax format, they should advertise this, and according to me, not show it at all. what's the point of wasting the world's largest dome on a filthy normal film. You do not get the iMax expirience, of losing the audience, and getting to be one with the camera. iMAx films have a LOT of camera motion that drags you along. That and the fact that there were no intervals.
Anyway, those dissapointments aside, the movie did not have the Dursleys, Most of the Weasleys, Ludo Bagman, Bertha Jorkins, Winky and Dobby. Even major charachters like Sirius Black and Reeta Skeeter have only the token appearence.
A friend noted more than forty one deviations from the plot ignoring omissions, and situations emerging from ommissions. Rita Skeeter is not even an animagus, although Maxime eats a bug off Hagrid's beard, which made me say "kinky" in a kinky voice.
the Harry-Ron and Ron-hermione fights are shown in a rotten manner. The Weird Sisters were cool though, they started singing a rock song. I wondered if they were from a real band, turns out I was right. Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead along with Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. cool eh? i want to see if I can get the soundtrack off the net now. The movie will appear on LAN soon.
The movies will always be a dissapointment for the fans, but this one had particulalry choppy editing. There were huge jumps in the plot, like they just showed the intro of the Quidditch cup, and then didn't show the actual match at all. They didn't even show the trophy. They didn't even show a glimpse of the first task of the other champions, and harry's own task was abnormally long. They could have cut the long bath scene with Myrtle hitting on Harry and showed the quidditch world cup. Priori Incatatem didn't have the web of golden rods.
But what the hell, apart from two sequences, the director has done a VERY good job of squeezing the entire book into a movie. Guess Harry Potter movies would have been populer even if they were an hour longer each. I don't know why people don't get that.
Downloaded Black Friday off LAN, will have a look at that soon.
Anyway, those dissapointments aside, the movie did not have the Dursleys, Most of the Weasleys, Ludo Bagman, Bertha Jorkins, Winky and Dobby. Even major charachters like Sirius Black and Reeta Skeeter have only the token appearence.
A friend noted more than forty one deviations from the plot ignoring omissions, and situations emerging from ommissions. Rita Skeeter is not even an animagus, although Maxime eats a bug off Hagrid's beard, which made me say "kinky" in a kinky voice.
the Harry-Ron and Ron-hermione fights are shown in a rotten manner. The Weird Sisters were cool though, they started singing a rock song. I wondered if they were from a real band, turns out I was right. Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead along with Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. cool eh? i want to see if I can get the soundtrack off the net now. The movie will appear on LAN soon.
The movies will always be a dissapointment for the fans, but this one had particulalry choppy editing. There were huge jumps in the plot, like they just showed the intro of the Quidditch cup, and then didn't show the actual match at all. They didn't even show the trophy. They didn't even show a glimpse of the first task of the other champions, and harry's own task was abnormally long. They could have cut the long bath scene with Myrtle hitting on Harry and showed the quidditch world cup. Priori Incatatem didn't have the web of golden rods.
But what the hell, apart from two sequences, the director has done a VERY good job of squeezing the entire book into a movie. Guess Harry Potter movies would have been populer even if they were an hour longer each. I don't know why people don't get that.
Downloaded Black Friday off LAN, will have a look at that soon.
About today
Caught an early morning train to sion, met up with friends, and headed out to Harry Potter and the goblet of fire on iMax. Was a dissapointment, about the movie later. Saw the movie, found out that I was almost broke, went to eat Pav Bhaji in the cafe next to the theatre. The food was slightly stale, and the pav was a bit too hard.
Then headed out to Mochas, smoked away to glory. I donno how much percent of Hooka is tobacco, but what the hell.
Then headed over to Bandstand, which was like a stone's throw away. Bandra is now familiar territory, because of the seminar, the visits for the memcard and bandstand. This is good news.
Went with one friend all the way to the edge of the sea at bandstand. Talked with him about this and that, but was mostly silent. The walk over to the edge was difficult because of the slippery rocks, and the sharp coral or barnacles, I donno what. Managed though, and had to jump over a small stretch of sea to do it. Finally we were at the edge, and we obsoerved the horizon.
You cannot blame our ancestors for believing that the world was flat. Somehow, at the horizon, according to my friend (I didn't think so), there seems to be a waterfall effect, where the water seems to flow off the surface of the planet (if it were imagined to be flat).
I imagined slight undulations in the line of the horizon. The setting was perfect for a sunset, but we had to come away, unfortunately.
Planned a trip with him to pep fort after two weeks though, which is a cool thing.
Then headed out to Mochas, smoked away to glory. I donno how much percent of Hooka is tobacco, but what the hell.
Then headed over to Bandstand, which was like a stone's throw away. Bandra is now familiar territory, because of the seminar, the visits for the memcard and bandstand. This is good news.
Went with one friend all the way to the edge of the sea at bandstand. Talked with him about this and that, but was mostly silent. The walk over to the edge was difficult because of the slippery rocks, and the sharp coral or barnacles, I donno what. Managed though, and had to jump over a small stretch of sea to do it. Finally we were at the edge, and we obsoerved the horizon.
You cannot blame our ancestors for believing that the world was flat. Somehow, at the horizon, according to my friend (I didn't think so), there seems to be a waterfall effect, where the water seems to flow off the surface of the planet (if it were imagined to be flat).
I imagined slight undulations in the line of the horizon. The setting was perfect for a sunset, but we had to come away, unfortunately.
Planned a trip with him to pep fort after two weeks though, which is a cool thing.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Indian blogging
The trouble with bloggers in India is that they take push-button publishing seriously. The internet is still something unnatural and alien, rather than familiar and personalised territory. A blog is not used simply as a web log, the very defining purpose of a blog, but instead used as a platform to showcase talent.
That is, people post articles and poems rather than thoughts and ideas. Blogging is your space on the web where you can basically do anything that you want to do. There are no restrictions in terms of what you can or are even expected to write. People do not use this freedom, and instead strive to be clever in each and every one of their posts, something to keep a reader glued to the blog, something innovative, and even strange.
I am not saying that people who want to do this shouldn't do it, but it does come across as slightly stupid if you treat blogs as merely, and I use the word merely, a platform to show off your talent. Almost all Indian bloggers have meaningful, intelligent, wannabe devilishly funny, and therefore hideously boring and extremely tiresome blogs. All of them have to mean something.
Bloggers from abroad, however, blog almost everything. Evens stupid things like "A spot on the wall interested me. Then I got bored and diverted my attention elsewhere."
Absolutely delightful to read such blogs. A no holds barred window into someone's life. Replete in embarrassing detail, unwarranted angst, and repulsive fantasies. More personal and candid than Indian blogs can ever be. Candid is the word.
I follow a few blogs, and I wish I could blog like that
That is, people post articles and poems rather than thoughts and ideas. Blogging is your space on the web where you can basically do anything that you want to do. There are no restrictions in terms of what you can or are even expected to write. People do not use this freedom, and instead strive to be clever in each and every one of their posts, something to keep a reader glued to the blog, something innovative, and even strange.
I am not saying that people who want to do this shouldn't do it, but it does come across as slightly stupid if you treat blogs as merely, and I use the word merely, a platform to show off your talent. Almost all Indian bloggers have meaningful, intelligent, wannabe devilishly funny, and therefore hideously boring and extremely tiresome blogs. All of them have to mean something.
Bloggers from abroad, however, blog almost everything. Evens stupid things like "A spot on the wall interested me. Then I got bored and diverted my attention elsewhere."
Absolutely delightful to read such blogs. A no holds barred window into someone's life. Replete in embarrassing detail, unwarranted angst, and repulsive fantasies. More personal and candid than Indian blogs can ever be. Candid is the word.
I follow a few blogs, and I wish I could blog like that
Joey
all this from notepad. Listening to Play by Jen Lo right now. Stupid girl went from Pop to Hip-hop. Bad move. Play it all night long.
5:58
just saw more episodes of Joey - and here's saying something - LOVE IT MORE THAN FRIENDS. It is actually a better sitcom, the jokes are cleverer, and they've still managed to take old things from Friends and turn it around - like Joey's sister (Ginny) thinks that Joey and Chandler were a gay couple. Joey lives in this apartment with his nephew Michael, and Ginny drops in frequently, along with the hot-and-she-does-not-know-it neighbour, Alexis, who has a somewhat troubled marriage with her husband Elric. There is also this weird-cute-stupid dude with dysfunctional tearducts. The best thing about the episodes is that Joey slowly turns into a big star over the first season, and at the same time, his relationships (notice that in the plural) become increasingly serious. In the last episode of the season, he starts going out with his "hot" neighbour, Alex, which is a give away if you haven't seen the entire season till THAT episode, and yet there are subtle clues if you look at the other episodes - including the first one - that they have a thing for each other. That shows that the sitcom is planned out really well. Wish I'd know how the story moves. Cannot wait for it to come to India. Cannot wait for Season II. The best episode so far was the one with carmen Electra in it - really hilarious. Tired out watching episode after episode after episode. Done five in a row or so. Like the song in the beggening, but am irritated by hearing it so many times over now.
Damn, just remembered, I have the first two shows from the second season.
Update: I'm typing this as I am watching... Season II is even MOre amazing than season one. If this come shere, this will be bigger than Simpsons and friends. another big give away, Joey gets a part in a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Maybe Joey will become another LAN/p2p phenomenon in india like Southpark.
Further update: Saw a few more episodes, and damn is this shit amazing. Simply cannot stop. Alex's real name is Alexis, Captain Fabuloso is a pirate, and the chemistry between Alex and Joey is obvious once you know of the outcome. Really well made. And yeah, there's Lucy Liu AND Carmen Electra as celebrity guests.
5:58
just saw more episodes of Joey - and here's saying something - LOVE IT MORE THAN FRIENDS. It is actually a better sitcom, the jokes are cleverer, and they've still managed to take old things from Friends and turn it around - like Joey's sister (Ginny) thinks that Joey and Chandler were a gay couple. Joey lives in this apartment with his nephew Michael, and Ginny drops in frequently, along with the hot-and-she-does-not-know-it neighbour, Alexis, who has a somewhat troubled marriage with her husband Elric. There is also this weird-cute-stupid dude with dysfunctional tearducts. The best thing about the episodes is that Joey slowly turns into a big star over the first season, and at the same time, his relationships (notice that in the plural) become increasingly serious. In the last episode of the season, he starts going out with his "hot" neighbour, Alex, which is a give away if you haven't seen the entire season till THAT episode, and yet there are subtle clues if you look at the other episodes - including the first one - that they have a thing for each other. That shows that the sitcom is planned out really well. Wish I'd know how the story moves. Cannot wait for it to come to India. Cannot wait for Season II. The best episode so far was the one with carmen Electra in it - really hilarious. Tired out watching episode after episode after episode. Done five in a row or so. Like the song in the beggening, but am irritated by hearing it so many times over now.
Damn, just remembered, I have the first two shows from the second season.
Update: I'm typing this as I am watching... Season II is even MOre amazing than season one. If this come shere, this will be bigger than Simpsons and friends. another big give away, Joey gets a part in a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Maybe Joey will become another LAN/p2p phenomenon in india like Southpark.
Further update: Saw a few more episodes, and damn is this shit amazing. Simply cannot stop. Alex's real name is Alexis, Captain Fabuloso is a pirate, and the chemistry between Alex and Joey is obvious once you know of the outcome. Really well made. And yeah, there's Lucy Liu AND Carmen Electra as celebrity guests.
Mithuenda's exploits in a new light
Had the most enlightening conversation about Mithuen Chakrobarty ever. We were discussing all his feats, and here are some of them liste for people whoa ren't familier with his antics
1) Catching bullets with his hand and throwing them right back at the criminals to kill them (yeah, his stunts are that outrageously stupid)
2) Putting oil on his chest so that all bullets just glide off him
3) A villian is standing on the far side of the way, threatening his girlfriend. He throws a gun in the air, fires at the trigger from another gun while it is in mid-air, and over the wall. So the bullet strikes the trigger of the airborne gun and kills off the villian.
4) He shows one sleeve to the incoming bullets, they go up the sleeve, round his back, and out the other sleeve, back at the baddies.
Alright, I made up the last one to join in the conversation mostly because I didn't have too much expirience watching Mithuenda films. Basically, the guy seems to be immune to gravity, ammunition (even those from aircraft) and any freak of nature that the big bitch can invent.
What was enlightening about the whole thing was the perception. One guy said Mitheunda reminds me of a Mallu star. Another guy said Mitheunda was a desi answer to the MAtrix. Would leave this at that.
1) Catching bullets with his hand and throwing them right back at the criminals to kill them (yeah, his stunts are that outrageously stupid)
2) Putting oil on his chest so that all bullets just glide off him
3) A villian is standing on the far side of the way, threatening his girlfriend. He throws a gun in the air, fires at the trigger from another gun while it is in mid-air, and over the wall. So the bullet strikes the trigger of the airborne gun and kills off the villian.
4) He shows one sleeve to the incoming bullets, they go up the sleeve, round his back, and out the other sleeve, back at the baddies.
Alright, I made up the last one to join in the conversation mostly because I didn't have too much expirience watching Mithuenda films. Basically, the guy seems to be immune to gravity, ammunition (even those from aircraft) and any freak of nature that the big bitch can invent.
What was enlightening about the whole thing was the perception. One guy said Mitheunda reminds me of a Mallu star. Another guy said Mitheunda was a desi answer to the MAtrix. Would leave this at that.
The contents of her bag
Mailed it to blogger, but somehow the post did not show up. Maybe its just me or maybe its the erratic manner in which computers work. Anyway, here is the post, salvaged from the sent mails folder/label in gmail.
The exercise was that someone would have to go onstage and reveal the contents of their bag. the other writer volunteered...
The writer removed the contents of her bag. It was not at all surprising that a few books came out, most of them written by her. What was surprising that a load of money came out. Writers and money have much the same relationship as talent show starlets and fame. Not meant to be together, against the order of nature, something terribly unnatural. A little further explanation revealed that the money, was infact, from her father, and I realised that the universe was its usual self - if not a normal one.
Another terribly unnatural thing was Hrithik Roshan. He adorned her bag, defaced and vulgarised more than high school students do with the pictures of him on their notebooks. He was dressed as a drag queen or her forthcoming film. That was worse than being lent a moustache, glasses and various piercings in places I do not want to explore thanks to the ball-point pens of students who are utilising their time for purposes better than education.
Stopped there because the time was up...
Should probably put in a more detailed sketch of the contents of MY bag.
1) A 32 MB memcard that came with my mobile phone, which is now dead.
2) A 256 MB memcard, that I purchased with sodexho passes, an almost impossible thing to do as I have already blogged about. Also for my mobile phone
3) A memcard reader from lamington road, purchased with a friend who was then a stranger. Somewhat.
4) A Michael Moorcock book. I read him because of his secret agenda that shows through...
5) Assorted pieces of paper that have their prints worn through....
The exercise was that someone would have to go onstage and reveal the contents of their bag. the other writer volunteered...
The writer removed the contents of her bag. It was not at all surprising that a few books came out, most of them written by her. What was surprising that a load of money came out. Writers and money have much the same relationship as talent show starlets and fame. Not meant to be together, against the order of nature, something terribly unnatural. A little further explanation revealed that the money, was infact, from her father, and I realised that the universe was its usual self - if not a normal one.
Another terribly unnatural thing was Hrithik Roshan. He adorned her bag, defaced and vulgarised more than high school students do with the pictures of him on their notebooks. He was dressed as a drag queen or her forthcoming film. That was worse than being lent a moustache, glasses and various piercings in places I do not want to explore thanks to the ball-point pens of students who are utilising their time for purposes better than education.
Stopped there because the time was up...
Should probably put in a more detailed sketch of the contents of MY bag.
1) A 32 MB memcard that came with my mobile phone, which is now dead.
2) A 256 MB memcard, that I purchased with sodexho passes, an almost impossible thing to do as I have already blogged about. Also for my mobile phone
3) A memcard reader from lamington road, purchased with a friend who was then a stranger. Somewhat.
4) A Michael Moorcock book. I read him because of his secret agenda that shows through...
5) Assorted pieces of paper that have their prints worn through....
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Non fiction seminar
So I mess up irst day of college by geng up at eight thirty for the seven fifteen lecture, run to the station in the hope of getting to the last lec, but instead catch a fast, that does not stop at Kurla, end up in Dadar waiting for the train that was ten minutes late, finally end up in college to find that only two lecs were held.
Did a few odd jobs for visions, waited around doing nothing till the tickets for the Hp4 were obtained. The IMAX fucking expirience. Bound to be cool.
Ended up in the Non-fiction seminar at Bandra. The fest is so huge that the location in Bandra on your phone does not come as Bandra, but reads "celebrate Bandra" instead. There was an excercise which I will blog about later. things I learnt at the seminar were:
1) keep it simple. Do not use complicated words.
2) Use short words. The word metric, the word count divided by the char count should be pretty low. the higher the word count, the more boring and complicated is the work.
3) There should be a basic aim in your writing which should show inadvertantly in the form
4) have something new to offer to the world, or do not write at all
5) Sweat out the details. Don't come home without the name of the dog.
(Eg: Dead soldier in Iraq: reporter told of the piece of tape taped to the switch in the soldier's room to keep the light eternally switched on. told more about the story than anything else)
6) Personalise the expirience
7) Make it captivating
nice speakers. Stupid audience. One guy was bitter his work wasn't getting published...
The seminar was at St. Andrew's church in Bandra. Saw the graveyard, and noticed that several generations of the same family seemed to be buried in the same grave/crypt. The church was cool. Then went to bandstand with a few friends, and then came home. After watching one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life.
Did a few odd jobs for visions, waited around doing nothing till the tickets for the Hp4 were obtained. The IMAX fucking expirience. Bound to be cool.
Ended up in the Non-fiction seminar at Bandra. The fest is so huge that the location in Bandra on your phone does not come as Bandra, but reads "celebrate Bandra" instead. There was an excercise which I will blog about later. things I learnt at the seminar were:
1) keep it simple. Do not use complicated words.
2) Use short words. The word metric, the word count divided by the char count should be pretty low. the higher the word count, the more boring and complicated is the work.
3) There should be a basic aim in your writing which should show inadvertantly in the form
4) have something new to offer to the world, or do not write at all
5) Sweat out the details. Don't come home without the name of the dog.
(Eg: Dead soldier in Iraq: reporter told of the piece of tape taped to the switch in the soldier's room to keep the light eternally switched on. told more about the story than anything else)
6) Personalise the expirience
7) Make it captivating
nice speakers. Stupid audience. One guy was bitter his work wasn't getting published...
The seminar was at St. Andrew's church in Bandra. Saw the graveyard, and noticed that several generations of the same family seemed to be buried in the same grave/crypt. The church was cool. Then went to bandstand with a few friends, and then came home. After watching one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Spam update
Hehe, how was I supposed to know there was more to come. So many of my buddies are falling for this. Writing a mail to vivekabharti did not yield any reply though.
bhan_sheetal (11/13/2005 2:45:41 AM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
keshav862000 (11/12/2005 12:04:10 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
bhan_sheetal (11/13/2005 2:45:41 AM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
keshav862000 (11/12/2005 12:04:10 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
Lan and shit
Went to sleep at fourish I guess. Got up at eleven, downloaded two movies on LAN, finding Nemo and I donno what else. Realised that LAN can act as a really good hard drive. I can delete all the SouthPark episodes on my comp, because I know that someone somewhere is bound to have all the episodes. Was seeing more Joey, and saw the Jay Leno show with the cast of Friends. I honestly thingk Shekhar suman is better than Jay Leno. Not because Suman is so cool, Leno simply sucks.
Went boating with a friend in the evening. Noticed a very cool trick that the eyse play on you if you are boating. The water flows from one side of the lake to the other right. No matter which side of the boat you look at, it seems as if you are moving along with the waves, even if you are not moving.
Weird phenomenon, wonder if there is a word for it.
Went boating with a friend in the evening. Noticed a very cool trick that the eyse play on you if you are boating. The water flows from one side of the lake to the other right. No matter which side of the boat you look at, it seems as if you are moving along with the waves, even if you are not moving.
Weird phenomenon, wonder if there is a word for it.
Joey
Still awake, and it is four bloody fucking ten. I was awake all night, and I have no clue why. Was watching the sitcom Joey, which I got off LAN yesterday. Amazing stuff. Although Joey in Joey is slightly more clever than Joey in Friends, the char actually manages to remain the same across both the sitcoms.
Small things from his past in Friends keep showing up in Joey. For example, he is getting nostalgic about things he has stolen from the Dre Remoray sets, which include a knee hammer (knee hammer), ear probe (ear probe) and necklace (stethescope).
The whole thing is set in LA, along with one of Joey's sisters and her son (his nephew) and this really cute neighbour who shows up in every episode. She is like Grace from will and Grace and Joey's sister is like the evil lesbian chick.
Only she is not evil except to Grace.
Nice sitcom, but will go by unnoticed. Wish they'd make a sitcom on Phoebe though - on her pre-Friends years. Would be nice to catch some of the pimp-sweat.
Small things from his past in Friends keep showing up in Joey. For example, he is getting nostalgic about things he has stolen from the Dre Remoray sets, which include a knee hammer (knee hammer), ear probe (ear probe) and necklace (stethescope).
The whole thing is set in LA, along with one of Joey's sisters and her son (his nephew) and this really cute neighbour who shows up in every episode. She is like Grace from will and Grace and Joey's sister is like the evil lesbian chick.
Only she is not evil except to Grace.
Nice sitcom, but will go by unnoticed. Wish they'd make a sitcom on Phoebe though - on her pre-Friends years. Would be nice to catch some of the pimp-sweat.
Cant sleep
This will probably become the most boring blog ever if I post things like "i cannot sleep and am editing and contributing to uncyclopedia to cure my insomnia"
Pretty ineffective cure for insomnia, but hey, you end up working for the better of mankind. Listening to a John denver song, BTW.
And nothing I guess, except the worlds shortest resignation letter:
Dear Sir,
Maa Chudao
Mein Chala
lol
Pretty ineffective cure for insomnia, but hey, you end up working for the better of mankind. Listening to a John denver song, BTW.
And nothing I guess, except the worlds shortest resignation letter:
Dear Sir,
Maa Chudao
Mein Chala
lol
Perception's fallacy
Somethings explained and notes saved for a future short story
-I see what I think I do, but you don't see what you think you do. You see what I think you do.
-If all your motivations, actions and speech is a matter of perception and interpretation, then they aren't yours
-Therefore, we live life like we want to anyway, (and THAT's destiny?)
-What the hell is destiny anyway? Just a name for your future history? (as in something that will end up happening to you anyway) or a drive to be everything you were meant to be
-Imagine, that you are actually being imagined by someone else, and you exist only as long as that guys (God's) consciousness continues to acknowledge you.
-Is the Cosmos like this?
-BUT if the Cosmos is YOUR illusion, isn't it YOUR reality?
-By definition, anything that isn't in your head, isn't an illusion. Therefore illusion does not exist.
-by the same logic, reality does not exist either.
A painful read now, but a beautiful short story later.
-I see what I think I do, but you don't see what you think you do. You see what I think you do.
-If all your motivations, actions and speech is a matter of perception and interpretation, then they aren't yours
-Therefore, we live life like we want to anyway, (and THAT's destiny?)
-What the hell is destiny anyway? Just a name for your future history? (as in something that will end up happening to you anyway) or a drive to be everything you were meant to be
-Imagine, that you are actually being imagined by someone else, and you exist only as long as that guys (God's) consciousness continues to acknowledge you.
-Is the Cosmos like this?
-BUT if the Cosmos is YOUR illusion, isn't it YOUR reality?
-By definition, anything that isn't in your head, isn't an illusion. Therefore illusion does not exist.
-by the same logic, reality does not exist either.
A painful read now, but a beautiful short story later.
The previous post is more meaningful than this one
Weird day today. Went to college, had worked on the website for Visions, the college fest and found out that I have to change all the backfuckinggrounds. Came out of college, work had finished, then went to cine Max to see if tickets for HP4 were available. Then went to Imax, and found that if I go there on wednesday morning, I can get tickets for the premier on Imax. Cool eh?
IMax. How cool would that be. Going there was not a smart idea, as I went there having no reason to, and with full knowledge that the tickets were going to be available from fing wednesday.
IMax. How cool would that be. Going there was not a smart idea, as I went there having no reason to, and with full knowledge that the tickets were going to be available from fing wednesday.
The real question
This is a short story that I thought would be longer, but it had the desired effect, and I saved up some ideas for another story. Maybe the 55 thing has caught onto me, but this is longer. Still shorter than your standard short story. The last line is my explanation for God.
This is an attempt at figuring out the questions that Mankind will be faced with AFTER his questions are answered. Which, really, are pretty straightforward answers, they cannot be anything else... and are painfully obvious.
“The problem is with man and not with the cosmos” said Ravi, although he knew for a fact that Einstein didn’t need this to be said as he was already well aware of it. “Human beings are completely ignorant of the very existence of perception, and therefore you cannot fucking expect them to understand.” Einstein smiled and looked at the drowsy afternoon sun shining through the mango tree outside the window. Soft golden shafts of light pierced the otherwise dark room. Einstein was sitting on a chair next to the window, and Ravi was sitting on his bed. Einstein reached out towards the shafts of light shining through the window, and Ravi saw something that was definitely something nature did not intend to happen. The rays of light bent, twisted and contorted against Einstein’s old gnarled hands. Einstein spoke “everyone knows that the universe is an illusion, doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”
Ravi had woken up to find Einstein sitting on the chair in the bedroom. Einstein had materialized to answer some of the questions that Ravi had prayed would get answered. He had prayed enough, and it was, after all, Einstein’s job. God had a lot of responsibilities.
Einstein retired to the realms or dimensions he claimed he didn’t come from, but a semitransparent image of him formed out of the shafts of light through the window, and just before Ravi went back to sleep, the light spoke. “The real question is, if I am a figment of your imagination or are you a figment of mine?”
This is an attempt at figuring out the questions that Mankind will be faced with AFTER his questions are answered. Which, really, are pretty straightforward answers, they cannot be anything else... and are painfully obvious.
“The problem is with man and not with the cosmos” said Ravi, although he knew for a fact that Einstein didn’t need this to be said as he was already well aware of it. “Human beings are completely ignorant of the very existence of perception, and therefore you cannot fucking expect them to understand.” Einstein smiled and looked at the drowsy afternoon sun shining through the mango tree outside the window. Soft golden shafts of light pierced the otherwise dark room. Einstein was sitting on a chair next to the window, and Ravi was sitting on his bed. Einstein reached out towards the shafts of light shining through the window, and Ravi saw something that was definitely something nature did not intend to happen. The rays of light bent, twisted and contorted against Einstein’s old gnarled hands. Einstein spoke “everyone knows that the universe is an illusion, doesn’t take a genius to figure that out.”
Ravi had woken up to find Einstein sitting on the chair in the bedroom. Einstein had materialized to answer some of the questions that Ravi had prayed would get answered. He had prayed enough, and it was, after all, Einstein’s job. God had a lot of responsibilities.
Einstein retired to the realms or dimensions he claimed he didn’t come from, but a semitransparent image of him formed out of the shafts of light through the window, and just before Ravi went back to sleep, the light spoke. “The real question is, if I am a figment of your imagination or are you a figment of mine?”
Sunday, November 13, 2005
HP4 on Imax
Harry Potter four is just around the corner, and they are pacing the movies, the books and the games in perfect synchrony to keep the interest for the series alive.
Bookings for HP4 in the World's largest dome thater are open, and we can catch it right here in Mumbai. I donno if there will be any seats free though. Will be fun to watch it before anybody else.
Word on the street is that Harry Potter is the seventh horcrux, or at least, his scar. This is such a nasty, common assumption, that it is almost bound to be untrue, or it is as painfully obvious as another huge death in Harry Potter four.
Personally, I think the only person left to die who will have the same effect as Dumbledore, is, not Harry Potter himself, but Ginny Weasley. She has been hiding in the sidelines, and come into the limelight only in the penultimate book.
The idea that Harry is Lily's horcrux is catching on, with many people wondering about the exact mechanism of the curse that rebound. My theory is that Lily made harry a Horcrux, and Voldemort killed the part of Harry that was Lily, but in doing that, he split his soul, and made a Horcrux in the form of Harry's scar, which, acts as an antenna to Voldemort's feelings.
Cannot wait for the last book, but I know it is going to be a long time.
And I need a life.
Bookings for HP4 in the World's largest dome thater are open, and we can catch it right here in Mumbai. I donno if there will be any seats free though. Will be fun to watch it before anybody else.
Word on the street is that Harry Potter is the seventh horcrux, or at least, his scar. This is such a nasty, common assumption, that it is almost bound to be untrue, or it is as painfully obvious as another huge death in Harry Potter four.
Personally, I think the only person left to die who will have the same effect as Dumbledore, is, not Harry Potter himself, but Ginny Weasley. She has been hiding in the sidelines, and come into the limelight only in the penultimate book.
The idea that Harry is Lily's horcrux is catching on, with many people wondering about the exact mechanism of the curse that rebound. My theory is that Lily made harry a Horcrux, and Voldemort killed the part of Harry that was Lily, but in doing that, he split his soul, and made a Horcrux in the form of Harry's scar, which, acts as an antenna to Voldemort's feelings.
Cannot wait for the last book, but I know it is going to be a long time.
And I need a life.
HP4 on Imax
Harry Potter four is just around the corner, and they are pacing the movies, the books and the games in perfect synchrony to keep the interest for the series alive.
Bookings for HP4 in the World's largest dome thater are open, and we can catch it right here in Mumbai. I donno if there will be any seats free though. Will be fun to watch it before anybody else.
Word on the street is that Harry Potter is the seventh horcrux, or at least, his scar. This is such a nasty, common assumption, that it is almost bound to be untrue, or it is as painfully obvious as another huge death in Harry Potter four.
Personally, I think the only person left to die who will have the same effect as Dumbledore, is, not Harry Potter himself, but Ginny Weasley. She has been hiding in the sidelines, and come into the limelight only in the penultimate book.
The idea that Harry is Lily's horcrux is catching on, with many people wondering about the exact mechanism of the curse that rebound. My theory is that Lily made harry a Horcrux, and Voldemort killed the part of Harry that was Lily, but in doing that, he split his soul, and made a Horcrux in the form of Harry's scar, which, acts as an antenna to Voldemort's feelings.
Cannot wait for the last book, but I know it is going to be a long time.
And I need a life.
Bookings for HP4 in the World's largest dome thater are open, and we can catch it right here in Mumbai. I donno if there will be any seats free though. Will be fun to watch it before anybody else.
Word on the street is that Harry Potter is the seventh horcrux, or at least, his scar. This is such a nasty, common assumption, that it is almost bound to be untrue, or it is as painfully obvious as another huge death in Harry Potter four.
Personally, I think the only person left to die who will have the same effect as Dumbledore, is, not Harry Potter himself, but Ginny Weasley. She has been hiding in the sidelines, and come into the limelight only in the penultimate book.
The idea that Harry is Lily's horcrux is catching on, with many people wondering about the exact mechanism of the curse that rebound. My theory is that Lily made harry a Horcrux, and Voldemort killed the part of Harry that was Lily, but in doing that, he split his soul, and made a Horcrux in the form of Harry's scar, which, acts as an antenna to Voldemort's feelings.
Cannot wait for the last book, but I know it is going to be a long time.
And I need a life.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Pointless spam
Not that spam has much of a point to it, but the least you expect is a link to some site that intends to rob you, or if you are willing to settle for less, a cheap ass porn site.
What really irritates me is the pointless spam. In the form of forwards that want you to pass the word around that Bill Gates will pay a cent to some demented and disabled kid in some obscure place in America everytime you forward the mail, or that a host will pop out of the keyboard if you DON'T forward the mail, or there is some non-existent virus in some kind of a mail, say from all your aunts. Almost as clever as those cheap fortunetellers, who rely on parrots to reveal secrets of your destiny. (Destiny is, by the way, a very powerful thing. It is the drive to realize everything you were meant to be, and are not, as commonly thought, as things turn out to be what they are in the end afterall. This sentence is just a further explanation of the BIG realization, see the next post (or previous, depending on how you look at it) for details).
coming back to the point, irritating spam is at its absolute worse when it creeps into your unread messages in messenger. Here are the unaltered unread messages in my messenger inbox. Totally pointless, but:
Notice the timings. Very important as to how quickly the news spread.
scary_aashola (11/9/2005 3:01:15 PM): > Someone by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.com may request to add you to messenger. Don't accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin > because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell > everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. I t is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. Pass this letter to everyone on your > IM list.. . Right click on the group name of your IM list and click Send > Message to allBUZZ!!!
rohitthegenius1 (11/11/2005 9:15:21 AM): who s der?
sandwaugh (11/11/2005 9:24:22 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
lavanya_chhabra (11/11/2005 9:25:06 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
candybull_22 (11/11/2005 10:28:45 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
(Representative and NOT exhaustive)
The first one come sunder the group of 'building friends' and the remaining three under 'BMM friends.' There is a connection somewhere, the message took two days to travel over this connection. I have to find out where. I think I will waste my time doing that now.
What really irritates me is the pointless spam. In the form of forwards that want you to pass the word around that Bill Gates will pay a cent to some demented and disabled kid in some obscure place in America everytime you forward the mail, or that a host will pop out of the keyboard if you DON'T forward the mail, or there is some non-existent virus in some kind of a mail, say from all your aunts. Almost as clever as those cheap fortunetellers, who rely on parrots to reveal secrets of your destiny. (Destiny is, by the way, a very powerful thing. It is the drive to realize everything you were meant to be, and are not, as commonly thought, as things turn out to be what they are in the end afterall. This sentence is just a further explanation of the BIG realization, see the next post (or previous, depending on how you look at it) for details).
coming back to the point, irritating spam is at its absolute worse when it creeps into your unread messages in messenger. Here are the unaltered unread messages in my messenger inbox. Totally pointless, but:
Notice the timings. Very important as to how quickly the news spread.
scary_aashola (11/9/2005 3:01:15 PM): > Someone by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.com may request to add you to messenger. Don't accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin > because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell > everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. I t is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. Pass this letter to everyone on your > IM list.. . Right click on the group name of your IM list and click Send > Message to allBUZZ!!!
rohitthegenius1 (11/11/2005 9:15:21 AM): who s der?
sandwaugh (11/11/2005 9:24:22 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
lavanya_chhabra (11/11/2005 9:25:06 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
candybull_22 (11/11/2005 10:28:45 PM): Somebody by name of Vivekabarathi@yahoo.co. may add you. dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from Vivekabarathi. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus.pass this letter to everyone on your buddy list. . Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to all
(Representative and NOT exhaustive)
The first one come sunder the group of 'building friends' and the remaining three under 'BMM friends.' There is a connection somewhere, the message took two days to travel over this connection. I have to find out where. I think I will waste my time doing that now.
A new feeling
So two days ago I was going to college in the local train, and hanging out. I wanted to know if I would have the guts to fall off and die, but I also knew that I didn't. I knew that no matter how much I experimented with the idea, I would not fall off and die. I got this feeling that I wasn't meant to fall off and die from the train.
Then I felt really weird. There was something pretty profound welling up within me, and I was racking my brains searching for a word for it. I knew that the feeling had a word, but because of the very nature of the word, and because of the nature of the feeling, which, by the way, I was feeling for the first time, it was not easy to place the word.
Eventually, I came across it, and realized a hell lot of things. I fully understood the meaning of destiny.
A long time ago I went on this trip to Yogi hills with a few friends, and the mother of one of these friends. There was this long talk on fate and destiny, and I was very skeptical about the whole thing. I did not believe in destiny, and had absolutely no faith in fate. Why, I thought, should I have even a modicum of faith in this so called destiny, when all destiny was was simply how things would eventually turn out to be with your damned life. I realized now how wrong I was, and also realized how destiny actually drives your life. Whenever I think about it, I have to try hard to get at the feeling again, it is this wonderful feeling of infinite potential, and it is hard to feel, let alone express.
But destiny can be felt, and it is always there like the air, but it takes considerable effort to actually notice it. It lasts for a fleeting second, but that is one hell of a second. You feel like things will eventually sort themselves out, and there is this long time ahead of you full of so many different things, and hope that you will enjpy everything. It basically fills you up from the inside, and you realize that it is infact, the thing that is driving your goddamned life. Dammed difficult to explain, but a wonderful feeling to experience. It's not like something you are fated for, like you have no choice, or that your entire life is written for you in some way. It is also not like you get to do whatever you want to do with your life. The best way to explain it would be... That it is a feeling that you will end up doing things that you were meant to do, that you were perfect for, fulfilling your purpose.
Then I felt really weird. There was something pretty profound welling up within me, and I was racking my brains searching for a word for it. I knew that the feeling had a word, but because of the very nature of the word, and because of the nature of the feeling, which, by the way, I was feeling for the first time, it was not easy to place the word.
Eventually, I came across it, and realized a hell lot of things. I fully understood the meaning of destiny.
A long time ago I went on this trip to Yogi hills with a few friends, and the mother of one of these friends. There was this long talk on fate and destiny, and I was very skeptical about the whole thing. I did not believe in destiny, and had absolutely no faith in fate. Why, I thought, should I have even a modicum of faith in this so called destiny, when all destiny was was simply how things would eventually turn out to be with your damned life. I realized now how wrong I was, and also realized how destiny actually drives your life. Whenever I think about it, I have to try hard to get at the feeling again, it is this wonderful feeling of infinite potential, and it is hard to feel, let alone express.
But destiny can be felt, and it is always there like the air, but it takes considerable effort to actually notice it. It lasts for a fleeting second, but that is one hell of a second. You feel like things will eventually sort themselves out, and there is this long time ahead of you full of so many different things, and hope that you will enjpy everything. It basically fills you up from the inside, and you realize that it is infact, the thing that is driving your goddamned life. Dammed difficult to explain, but a wonderful feeling to experience. It's not like something you are fated for, like you have no choice, or that your entire life is written for you in some way. It is also not like you get to do whatever you want to do with your life. The best way to explain it would be... That it is a feeling that you will end up doing things that you were meant to do, that you were perfect for, fulfilling your purpose.
About today
A blog is more or less a diary right. Therefore, more often than not, with the exception of people who pole noses where they don't belong, blogs would be exceptionally boring. Of course, this is barring those who blog highly intellectual posts, which are all meant to impress the readers with the intellects of the blogger. They are meant to be thought provoking, novel, and worst of all, remotely useful to the reader.
A blog is unfortunately something fundamentally different for me, so you (used to address the blog itself as a 'you' as in a diary, until people stumbled accross it) will occassionaly stumble accross posts like this, although I will try like hell to put up at least a show of intelligence. I will however, not compromise on what this blog was meant to be, no matter how boring or stupid it reads:
Today I had to pay the fees for the second term. The damage was fifty bucks short of seven grand.
The Sir spoke to the parent of a classmate, and found out exactly how the information with teachers and parents can be half terribly accurate and half grossly mistaken.
After that played two ames of cricket with friends, and scored a grand total of two runs, and that was about all I have to speak for for two fucking matches. You cannot expect me to exactly be a fan of cricket.
Had four limbu paanis, and one litchi sherbat, one cheese pav bhaaji with extra pav, two fruit beers, and one fourth of a cheese sandwhich. My appetite has increased after the Bangalore trip. Plus I was hungry after the match. Caught up with a friend on the way back home. He travelled ticketless, (I do too sometimes) so he was terribly nervous. Nothing else to report.
...
Told you so
A blog is unfortunately something fundamentally different for me, so you (used to address the blog itself as a 'you' as in a diary, until people stumbled accross it) will occassionaly stumble accross posts like this, although I will try like hell to put up at least a show of intelligence. I will however, not compromise on what this blog was meant to be, no matter how boring or stupid it reads:
Today I had to pay the fees for the second term. The damage was fifty bucks short of seven grand.
The Sir spoke to the parent of a classmate, and found out exactly how the information with teachers and parents can be half terribly accurate and half grossly mistaken.
After that played two ames of cricket with friends, and scored a grand total of two runs, and that was about all I have to speak for for two fucking matches. You cannot expect me to exactly be a fan of cricket.
Had four limbu paanis, and one litchi sherbat, one cheese pav bhaaji with extra pav, two fruit beers, and one fourth of a cheese sandwhich. My appetite has increased after the Bangalore trip. Plus I was hungry after the match. Caught up with a friend on the way back home. He travelled ticketless, (I do too sometimes) so he was terribly nervous. Nothing else to report.
...
Told you so
Divided city
Been living in this city for close to sixteen years. For some reason, the entire island is not Mumbai, but instead a small section in the top right corner is Thane. Now Thane has got an identity of its own, especially because it is the capital of the district that Mumbai is a part of, but somehow Mumbai is the capital of the state.
Being a Thaneite is different from being a Mumbaiite. You are more cultured but less cool. There are more differences, but I cannot pinpoint them. There are others, who can say from which area of the city any man has come from. I can figure out if any given guy is from which side of Mumbai, Central or Western, the goddamned city being divided because of the railway lines. They are going to bridge the gap in yet another place CST-Churchgate, apart from Dadar and Matunga, bringing the city closer, but there will always be very noticable differences for some reason.
Funny how you affiliate yourself with a part of a city, and become almost patriotic about it. For example, Thaneites are sometimes frowned upon as wannabes from the outskirts of the city. In an infamous article in the south Mumbai edition of the Times of India, a piece had a list of distinctions between The City and the Outskirts. I remember only one, an that is because it was an outrageous statement. Apparently, teens in South Mumbai dress casually, while we Thaneits dress in flashy, wannabe clothes. Basically that the city is more Urban than Thane.
This is in fact, the general attitude of all the people in Mumbai to anyone from Thane and downwards. However, people in Thane think people beyond Kalyan are uncultured. People in Thane also seem to think that all Mumbaiites are snobs with little or no intelligence.
Many stations have acquired infamy by being associated with a particular personality. For example, Mulund is said to be full of rowdy wastes and half-criminals and easily dissed people with short tempers. Andheri is full of high-class snobs. Masjid is dangerous and full of robbers. Curry Street brimming with sex trade. There are entire areas of the city (like Dongri) that are shunned.
Funny how a small piece of land can be divided so many times over.
Being a Thaneite is different from being a Mumbaiite. You are more cultured but less cool. There are more differences, but I cannot pinpoint them. There are others, who can say from which area of the city any man has come from. I can figure out if any given guy is from which side of Mumbai, Central or Western, the goddamned city being divided because of the railway lines. They are going to bridge the gap in yet another place CST-Churchgate, apart from Dadar and Matunga, bringing the city closer, but there will always be very noticable differences for some reason.
Funny how you affiliate yourself with a part of a city, and become almost patriotic about it. For example, Thaneites are sometimes frowned upon as wannabes from the outskirts of the city. In an infamous article in the south Mumbai edition of the Times of India, a piece had a list of distinctions between The City and the Outskirts. I remember only one, an that is because it was an outrageous statement. Apparently, teens in South Mumbai dress casually, while we Thaneits dress in flashy, wannabe clothes. Basically that the city is more Urban than Thane.
This is in fact, the general attitude of all the people in Mumbai to anyone from Thane and downwards. However, people in Thane think people beyond Kalyan are uncultured. People in Thane also seem to think that all Mumbaiites are snobs with little or no intelligence.
Many stations have acquired infamy by being associated with a particular personality. For example, Mulund is said to be full of rowdy wastes and half-criminals and easily dissed people with short tempers. Andheri is full of high-class snobs. Masjid is dangerous and full of robbers. Curry Street brimming with sex trade. There are entire areas of the city (like Dongri) that are shunned.
Funny how a small piece of land can be divided so many times over.
dishkyaon
There is a very happy truck driver somewhere. One of the craziest things I have ever done. Yesterday night, returning from a friend's house on another friend's scooter. So this truck driver came up next to us, and I stared at him, he stared right back wondering what was up.
I shaped my hands into a gun and 'shot' him by simulating a sound of a bullet that little kids normally do while playing with each other or parents of very little kids do to scare them, but exactly unlike a teenager does to a truck driver.
He burst into laughter because of surprise, and when I continued to stare at him, he laughed even more heartily.
And then we sped away.
The idea now is to do the kid-gun thing the next time we spot security cameras.
I shaped my hands into a gun and 'shot' him by simulating a sound of a bullet that little kids normally do while playing with each other or parents of very little kids do to scare them, but exactly unlike a teenager does to a truck driver.
He burst into laughter because of surprise, and when I continued to stare at him, he laughed even more heartily.
And then we sped away.
The idea now is to do the kid-gun thing the next time we spot security cameras.
What?
I never wanted to write a poem like this. Absolutely never. Many of my friends stick at doing nothing but this and hide it in notebooks that they don't shopw anyone, and do a big show of reluctance after strategically placing the notebook in a place where it is bound to be discovered by 'accident'.
I never wanted to be one of them. What?
And then..., But then..., and What then...?
This
What?
-----
Boiled in stale mustard sauce
I saw the friend I was not
Trapped in an unearthly mould
Not one I could break out of
And flutterby
I did as you were told
exactly as you were told
and you
Tried to die
And flutterby
Drink and smoke
Burn and choke
Look like the human waste
You always wanted to be
Reek of unhapiness
And celebrate
Your mistaken glory
Don't even try to break out
(Drink and smoke)
Of the mould
(Burn and choke)
Its there to protect you
Instead of the Gods
In incompelete wisdom
I keep track of them
To see what they have done
To deserve my devotion
They don't
Choose the words with care
And write the note
And sign off
With a flair
Fold the paper, call the reaper
Scratch the bitch till she bleeds
And write the odes to bolder deeds
Righer than wrong, and wronger
Than a first half of a
Vitruvian man
Perfect, Whole, Compelete
and Grotesque
Who came for the bastard
that he was
Or worse, was not
so
What?
I never wanted to be one of them. What?
And then..., But then..., and What then...?
This
What?
-----
Boiled in stale mustard sauce
I saw the friend I was not
Trapped in an unearthly mould
Not one I could break out of
And flutterby
I did as you were told
exactly as you were told
and you
Tried to die
And flutterby
Drink and smoke
Burn and choke
Look like the human waste
You always wanted to be
Reek of unhapiness
And celebrate
Your mistaken glory
Don't even try to break out
(Drink and smoke)
Of the mould
(Burn and choke)
Its there to protect you
Instead of the Gods
In incompelete wisdom
I keep track of them
To see what they have done
To deserve my devotion
They don't
Choose the words with care
And write the note
And sign off
With a flair
Fold the paper, call the reaper
Scratch the bitch till she bleeds
And write the odes to bolder deeds
Righer than wrong, and wronger
Than a first half of a
Vitruvian man
Perfect, Whole, Compelete
and Grotesque
Who came for the bastard
that he was
Or worse, was not
so
What?
Tha Bangalore trip
if I put of blogging this any longer, I will forget what I have to blog, and I suspect that I have already forgotten a lot of what I meant to blog.
On friday I decided that I would go to Bangalore, and I was sitting in this Volvo on Sunday, that was trying desperately to be orange, but failed. I was expecting a white or blue Volvo, but a maroon or even a pink one wouldn't be so bad. What showed up was an almost orange one, which has now become my least favorite color.
The interiors were not as garish, and contrary to popular belief, a journey by bus is in fact, much more comfortable than a journey by train. Mostly because you have to travel for a leser time, the seats are better, and they show a few movies to help pass the time.
While coming back, I came by train, the Udyan Express. I did a 'good deed' by allowing a family without confirmed tickets to sit on the lower birth from Solapur to Pune, while I sat on the top berth alternatively reading Eragon and sleeping. Met some guy called Vinod and his twin brother (who somewhat looked liked Hrithik Roshan). They seemed to be full of tall tales, like Kingfisher and Deccan Airlines giving away tickets for a buck. But I knew that they were tellng the truth afterall, when they made the rest of the passengers incredulous with the 18 hour volvo bus journey storey from Mumbai.
The stay was very comfortable. Althought it was raining, the water had reached knee high at the most, which is more or less a norm in Mumbai. Nothing to complain about. Was thoroughly pampered by relatives.
Changed a lot by the time I came back. People were saying I have grown taller, but I have remained half an inch short of six feet for over two years.
Amazing, just checked, have reached six. That means I am still growing. Good news.
Trip srved its purpose thoroughly, was a refreshing break. I did leave a lot of work hanging, but managed to work just enough from Bangalore to pass of everything as only slight irresponsibility.
Pictures badme.
On friday I decided that I would go to Bangalore, and I was sitting in this Volvo on Sunday, that was trying desperately to be orange, but failed. I was expecting a white or blue Volvo, but a maroon or even a pink one wouldn't be so bad. What showed up was an almost orange one, which has now become my least favorite color.
The interiors were not as garish, and contrary to popular belief, a journey by bus is in fact, much more comfortable than a journey by train. Mostly because you have to travel for a leser time, the seats are better, and they show a few movies to help pass the time.
While coming back, I came by train, the Udyan Express. I did a 'good deed' by allowing a family without confirmed tickets to sit on the lower birth from Solapur to Pune, while I sat on the top berth alternatively reading Eragon and sleeping. Met some guy called Vinod and his twin brother (who somewhat looked liked Hrithik Roshan). They seemed to be full of tall tales, like Kingfisher and Deccan Airlines giving away tickets for a buck. But I knew that they were tellng the truth afterall, when they made the rest of the passengers incredulous with the 18 hour volvo bus journey storey from Mumbai.
The stay was very comfortable. Althought it was raining, the water had reached knee high at the most, which is more or less a norm in Mumbai. Nothing to complain about. Was thoroughly pampered by relatives.
Changed a lot by the time I came back. People were saying I have grown taller, but I have remained half an inch short of six feet for over two years.
Amazing, just checked, have reached six. That means I am still growing. Good news.
Trip srved its purpose thoroughly, was a refreshing break. I did leave a lot of work hanging, but managed to work just enough from Bangalore to pass of everything as only slight irresponsibility.
Pictures badme.
Konfabulator
Yahoo! recently acquired Konfabulator, a nifty little program that
allows you to do anything with your desktop. Konfabulator is a base
programs which runs a number of smaller programs (called widgets)
right on your desktop. There are calenders, clocks, calculators,
notepads, music players, games and program launchers to replace icons.
If you have net connectivity, the possibilities are endless, blogging
clients, newsreaders, webcams, and forums all end up right on your
desktop. All these programs are, by design, highly configurable, and
you can fine tune them for your needs.
Konfabulator gives your desktop a major facelift, and all the widgets
blend seamlessly with any background, as fading and transparencies are
used for the XP OS. Konfabulator is cross platform and is available
even for Mac systems (was infact, originally designed for it). The
best thing about Konfabulator is that if you know a little scripting,
you can make your own widgets. You can program a widget to cycle
family photos on your desktop, keep track of the updates in your
favorite websites, and even one to show your current PNR status if you
are travel a lot. Konfabulator is based on JavaScript, which ensures
that you can convert your desktop to anything you want it to be.
Konfabulator can be downloaded from http://www.konfabulator.com/download
allows you to do anything with your desktop. Konfabulator is a base
programs which runs a number of smaller programs (called widgets)
right on your desktop. There are calenders, clocks, calculators,
notepads, music players, games and program launchers to replace icons.
If you have net connectivity, the possibilities are endless, blogging
clients, newsreaders, webcams, and forums all end up right on your
desktop. All these programs are, by design, highly configurable, and
you can fine tune them for your needs.
Konfabulator gives your desktop a major facelift, and all the widgets
blend seamlessly with any background, as fading and transparencies are
used for the XP OS. Konfabulator is cross platform and is available
even for Mac systems (was infact, originally designed for it). The
best thing about Konfabulator is that if you know a little scripting,
you can make your own widgets. You can program a widget to cycle
family photos on your desktop, keep track of the updates in your
favorite websites, and even one to show your current PNR status if you
are travel a lot. Konfabulator is based on JavaScript, which ensures
that you can convert your desktop to anything you want it to be.
Konfabulator can be downloaded from http://www.konfabulator.com/download
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The impossible
Added to the euphoria of coming back from the sudden trip to Bangalore (about which I will blog later), was the bonus of somehow managing to come second in my class. Apparently, 79% is a lot in arts... BMM at least, and I am second highest. The highest stands at a percentage of 82.
Never expected to be there. Honestly I thought I would be just a little above average. Turns out that bluffing and making up half the paper does not go a long way in Science, but is sufficient to get you the second highest place in the class in arts. If I just push myself a little more...
The problem with coming second is that you feel bad for not coming first. If I were to come say something like sixteenth, I wouldn't have minded much, knowing that I am better than most of the class would have been enough for me - and that was really all I had expected.
This is the first for me, and I just cannot wait to gloat too much.
Here... just for the heck of it, is my scoresheet
1: Fundamentals of Mass Communication (Mass Comm or FMC)
2: Effective communication skills (ECS)
3: Introduction to computers (Comp)
4: Landmarks in 20th century history (History)
5: Introduction to sociology (Socio)
6: Economics (Eco)
Should;ve pushed in Socio and Eco.
Funny thing really is in the grades
E - Exemption
F - Head of Failure (eh?)
QL - Qualified
NQ - Not qualified or female (What the fuck does this mean??)
Never expected to be there. Honestly I thought I would be just a little above average. Turns out that bluffing and making up half the paper does not go a long way in Science, but is sufficient to get you the second highest place in the class in arts. If I just push myself a little more...
The problem with coming second is that you feel bad for not coming first. If I were to come say something like sixteenth, I wouldn't have minded much, knowing that I am better than most of the class would have been enough for me - and that was really all I had expected.
This is the first for me, and I just cannot wait to gloat too much.
Here... just for the heck of it, is my scoresheet
1: Fundamentals of Mass Communication (Mass Comm or FMC)
2: Effective communication skills (ECS)
3: Introduction to computers (Comp)
4: Landmarks in 20th century history (History)
5: Introduction to sociology (Socio)
6: Economics (Eco)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Marks | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 600 |
| Term - I marks | 38 | 38 | 41 | 43 | 39 | 44 | 225 |
| Evaluation Marks | 42 | 41 | 41 | 43 | 39 | 44 | 250 |
| Min Marks | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 300 |
| Marks obtained | 80 | 79 | 84 | 80 | 75 | 77 | 475 |
Should;ve pushed in Socio and Eco.
Funny thing really is in the grades
E - Exemption
F - Head of Failure (eh?)
QL - Qualified
NQ - Not qualified or female (What the fuck does this mean??)
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Shift+Insert
Not everyday that you stumble across a new shortcut. Shift+Insert lets you paste stuff from the clipboard.
Dirt on the IPC #5: Immunity of public servants to sexual offences
The IPC seems to be determined to prevent punishments to all rapists. Women cannot commit sexual offences, Marital rape does not exist, forced anal or oral penetration is not acknowledged as rape (so as not to "confuse the public) and now public servants can squeam away with a lesser punishment than normal rapists. Although the clause 'sexual intercourse not amounting to rape' is used, it does not take a very proficient lawyer to get his client a lesser charge.
376B. Intercourse by public servant with woman in his custody
Whoever, being a public servant, takes advantage of his official position and induces or seduces, any woman, who is in his custody as such public servant or in the custody of a public servant subordinate to him, to have sexual intercourse with him, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.]
Although it seems to be pretty fair, here are some questions
1) Why have a seperate section for public servants at all?
2) If someone 'induces or seduces' any woman, doesn't that mean that the man has gotten her consent? Why should normal sex be punished? Isn't this rule unnecessary and coined only to let the public servant off easy.
3) If this is not the case, then it is more startling that the government sees fit to punish normal sex by a public servant
There are two more similiar sub-sections
376C. Intercourse by superintendent of jail, remand home, etc
Whoever, being the superintendent or manager of a jail, remand home or other place of custody established by or under any law for the time being in force or of a woman's or children's institution takes advantage of his official position and induces or seduces any female inmate of such jail, remand home, place or institution to have sexual intercourse with him, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.
167[376D. Intercourse by any member of the management or staff of a hospital with any woman in that hospital
Whoever, being on the management of a hospital or hem. on the staff of a hospital takes advantage of his position and has sexual intercourse with any woman in that hospital, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.
376B. Intercourse by public servant with woman in his custody
Whoever, being a public servant, takes advantage of his official position and induces or seduces, any woman, who is in his custody as such public servant or in the custody of a public servant subordinate to him, to have sexual intercourse with him, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.]
Although it seems to be pretty fair, here are some questions
1) Why have a seperate section for public servants at all?
2) If someone 'induces or seduces' any woman, doesn't that mean that the man has gotten her consent? Why should normal sex be punished? Isn't this rule unnecessary and coined only to let the public servant off easy.
3) If this is not the case, then it is more startling that the government sees fit to punish normal sex by a public servant
There are two more similiar sub-sections
376C. Intercourse by superintendent of jail, remand home, etc
Whoever, being the superintendent or manager of a jail, remand home or other place of custody established by or under any law for the time being in force or of a woman's or children's institution takes advantage of his official position and induces or seduces any female inmate of such jail, remand home, place or institution to have sexual intercourse with him, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.
167[376D. Intercourse by any member of the management or staff of a hospital with any woman in that hospital
Whoever, being on the management of a hospital or hem. on the staff of a hospital takes advantage of his position and has sexual intercourse with any woman in that hospital, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and shall also be liable to fine.
Dirt on the IPC #4: Unnatural offences
Here is the exact section banning homosexuality. It is common knowledge that homosexuality is forbidden by the law in India, but what is startling is that
a) Judging by the severity of punishment, homosexuality is more of an offence than rape
b) As penetration is defined and commonly interpreted only as penal-vaginal penetration in the rape section, oral or anal sex is also, therefore forbidden by the law, as it is against the order of nature.
c) While women who commit adultry are not recognized, let alone deemed unlawful, Lesbians are.
377. Unnatural offences
Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 152 [imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
a) Judging by the severity of punishment, homosexuality is more of an offence than rape
b) As penetration is defined and commonly interpreted only as penal-vaginal penetration in the rape section, oral or anal sex is also, therefore forbidden by the law, as it is against the order of nature.
c) While women who commit adultry are not recognized, let alone deemed unlawful, Lesbians are.
377. Unnatural offences
Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 152 [imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Shadeslayer
Would have been a better name than Eragon. Just finished the book... Althea an ending is something that it lacks. Although Eragon is just one letter away from Aragon, all the stories about similarities with the Lord of the Rings is not true. Although Galbotrix or whatever his name is, can be named Lord of the Wings, Harry Potter is more akin to Tolkeiniverse than Eragon - which is why it sucks more.
The beginning of the book is not only intriguing, but pretty promising too. Then the story just drifts across fantasy locations, settings and battles, similar to any fantasy book by Moorcock, but Eragon lacks that extra ingredient of hidden political meaning as in Moorcocks writing. What comes out is a pretty meandering tale which actually takes you nowhere... Including the ending. It is not even an ending, Paolini just stopped writing and thought he would continue the story in the next book: Eldest, only things is, there is no story.
Not recommended for people who have something better to do with their time.
The beginning of the book is not only intriguing, but pretty promising too. Then the story just drifts across fantasy locations, settings and battles, similar to any fantasy book by Moorcock, but Eragon lacks that extra ingredient of hidden political meaning as in Moorcocks writing. What comes out is a pretty meandering tale which actually takes you nowhere... Including the ending. It is not even an ending, Paolini just stopped writing and thought he would continue the story in the next book: Eldest, only things is, there is no story.
Not recommended for people who have something better to do with their time.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Dirt on the IPC #3: Ambiguity over sexual offence
Get this: A man forces a woman into oral or anal sex, it is apparently NOT rape, and instead of section 375: Sexual Offence, for which the punishment is a minimum of seven years, the man is charged under section 354: Assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty (for which the punishment is a minimum of two years only)
Pretty wooly over what modesty actually means.
The IPC is very clean. Rape is explained as penetration, but it is taken to mean that the penetration is by the penis only to the vagina.
For example, in the Major singh, AIR 1967 SC 63 case, whee the accused walked into the room where a female child of seven and a half months was sleeping and committed an indecent assault (guess what this means, it not 'rape' according to the Indian law, but penetration nonetheless as any normal person would understand it), he was held to have committed an offence under this section (354) as he had outraged and intended to outrage whatever modesty (how extremely sickening)the little victim was capable of. Read between the lines, no wonder that the law books shy away from saying it clearly. Therefore, anal or oral penetration by force is NOT rape, and in fact, not penetration at all!
In a judgment (which I might be able to get my hands on) sakshi versus Union of India, a public interest litigation, a sexual offence was charged under 354 (Assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty : 2 years)
, and not under 375, (rape : seven years), so as to (to quote the judgment) 'not confuse the public'.
No idea why they have a separate section. Apparently, forceful vaginal penetration is more of an offence, and more outrageous to the modesty than forceful anal or oral penetration.
Pretty wooly over what modesty actually means.
The IPC is very clean. Rape is explained as penetration, but it is taken to mean that the penetration is by the penis only to the vagina.
For example, in the Major singh, AIR 1967 SC 63 case, whee the accused walked into the room where a female child of seven and a half months was sleeping and committed an indecent assault (guess what this means, it not 'rape' according to the Indian law, but penetration nonetheless as any normal person would understand it), he was held to have committed an offence under this section (354) as he had outraged and intended to outrage whatever modesty (how extremely sickening)the little victim was capable of. Read between the lines, no wonder that the law books shy away from saying it clearly. Therefore, anal or oral penetration by force is NOT rape, and in fact, not penetration at all!
In a judgment (which I might be able to get my hands on) sakshi versus Union of India, a public interest litigation, a sexual offence was charged under 354 (Assault or criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty : 2 years)
, and not under 375, (rape : seven years), so as to (to quote the judgment) 'not confuse the public'.
No idea why they have a separate section. Apparently, forceful vaginal penetration is more of an offence, and more outrageous to the modesty than forceful anal or oral penetration.
Dirt on the IPC #2: Section 375: Sexual Offences
First of all, it is no big surprise that only a man can commit rape, (not going into the disclosure debate) the important thing to note, something pretty shocking, is that according to the Indian Penal code Marital rape does not exist.
There is an exception clause, after rape is defined, which reads, Sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.
Apparently, Marriage, implies a consent for intercourse.
What is rally shocking is the fact that the code recognizes under 15 wives, is not really shocking. Have to look up the child marriage bit, but it might not even come under the penal code.
Plus, there is a clause (the fifth), which states that an Idiot or a drunken female, who does not resist intercourse, the intercourse still amounts to rape. They probably do not know that an idiot is someone who does not vote. This means that if you don't have a voting card, and you are female, you are not in a position to give your consent, and that every time you have sex, you have been raped in the eyes of the law.
There is also a breach of promise, which amounts to rape. Like telling someone you'll marry her, or even promising a prostitute for a sum of money and not paying that much is rape. This I think, is a pretty decent step. The rape laws are framed so that they protect even the, to use their words, "unchaste women."
There is an exception clause, after rape is defined, which reads, Sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.
Apparently, Marriage, implies a consent for intercourse.
What is rally shocking is the fact that the code recognizes under 15 wives, is not really shocking. Have to look up the child marriage bit, but it might not even come under the penal code.
Plus, there is a clause (the fifth), which states that an Idiot or a drunken female, who does not resist intercourse, the intercourse still amounts to rape. They probably do not know that an idiot is someone who does not vote. This means that if you don't have a voting card, and you are female, you are not in a position to give your consent, and that every time you have sex, you have been raped in the eyes of the law.
There is also a breach of promise, which amounts to rape. Like telling someone you'll marry her, or even promising a prostitute for a sum of money and not paying that much is rape. This I think, is a pretty decent step. The rape laws are framed so that they protect even the, to use their words, "unchaste women."
Dirt on the IPC #1: Section 497: Adultry
Thought I might forget evrything the Indian Penal Code throws at me, so I thought I would post the flaws as and when they showed up.
Big revelation in the IPC: the cliched example of a boss bedding his sec, as long as the sec is unmarried, does not amount to adultry. Even if the sec is married, and the boss sleeps with her without the consent of his own wife, but with the consent of the sec's husband, it is still not adultry.
Whats more: A Woman, can never commit adultry. Yeah, that's right.
Section 497: whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who s and whom he knows has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to rape, is guilty of the offence of adultry, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. in such a case the wife shall not be punished as an abettor.
A wife cheating on a husband is not Adultry, but a husband cheating on a wife is. And it's cheating only when the other lady is married...
Weird eh? And it escapes me as to how the wife can escape punishment if she did not comply (which, by the way, if true, would certainly amount to rape).
This is the law of our land. More dirt to come...
Big revelation in the IPC: the cliched example of a boss bedding his sec, as long as the sec is unmarried, does not amount to adultry. Even if the sec is married, and the boss sleeps with her without the consent of his own wife, but with the consent of the sec's husband, it is still not adultry.
Whats more: A Woman, can never commit adultry. Yeah, that's right.
Section 497: whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who s and whom he knows has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to rape, is guilty of the offence of adultry, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. in such a case the wife shall not be punished as an abettor.
A wife cheating on a husband is not Adultry, but a husband cheating on a wife is. And it's cheating only when the other lady is married...
Weird eh? And it escapes me as to how the wife can escape punishment if she did not comply (which, by the way, if true, would certainly amount to rape).
This is the law of our land. More dirt to come...
As the crow flies
Just read the book, (actually two hours ago, is atleast, relatively, just)and it was one heck of a read. Kane and Abel was a very predictable one, and Quiver full of arrows was so cliched that I never liked Archer's style. As the crow flies has changed a lot. He can tell a story, and the only time I have read anything close to an original story by him. I hesitate to call it a story as it did not exactly have a plot, but was another example of a David Copperfield type of a book, which just goes through the entire life of a person. A very nicely written book, this one.
Things will stop making any mediocum of sense from here if you haven't read the book.
One of the things I noticed was the way he repeated himself when he told the story in different perspectives, and yet retained the interest of the reader. I only wish there was a section dedicated to Guy Trentham. Especially of his trial in India, if not for the occurances in Australia.
The chase to find Guy's daughter was beautifully done, even though I knew the outcome because I peeked. It was one of the most captivating segments in the entire book.
The initial setting of Becky in the Trentham's place brought back a wisp of memory that couldn't place for some time, until I realised it was similiar to Code to zero by Ken Folliet. That too, I realise now, was just the life story of one individual. There is no dearth of such books, as I posted a few posts ago. Damn. Would be nice to make up my own one. I think I like fictitious biographies.
Glancing through the Indian penal code. It is a punishable offence to spread infection to someone. I will promise, more dirt to follow in the next few hours.
Things will stop making any mediocum of sense from here if you haven't read the book.
One of the things I noticed was the way he repeated himself when he told the story in different perspectives, and yet retained the interest of the reader. I only wish there was a section dedicated to Guy Trentham. Especially of his trial in India, if not for the occurances in Australia.
The chase to find Guy's daughter was beautifully done, even though I knew the outcome because I peeked. It was one of the most captivating segments in the entire book.
The initial setting of Becky in the Trentham's place brought back a wisp of memory that couldn't place for some time, until I realised it was similiar to Code to zero by Ken Folliet. That too, I realise now, was just the life story of one individual. There is no dearth of such books, as I posted a few posts ago. Damn. Would be nice to make up my own one. I think I like fictitious biographies.
Glancing through the Indian penal code. It is a punishable offence to spread infection to someone. I will promise, more dirt to follow in the next few hours.
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Damned Opera
As an insult to Opera, I will let the post before the last one remain. Opera lost me two posts, and I was able to recover only one. As soon as I clicked 'publish', the text would vanish for some reason.
Basically, the post contained text from the Indian penal code, which said that rape in official and legal custody (as in a mental hospital or a police station) was not, in fact, rape but instead sexual intercourse not amounting to rape. Although the statement was just a little ambigous, it was still sickening as a lawyer interpreted it. Am going to brows through the IPC tomorrow to see if I can get my hands on something tasty.
Basically, the post contained text from the Indian penal code, which said that rape in official and legal custody (as in a mental hospital or a police station) was not, in fact, rape but instead sexual intercourse not amounting to rape. Although the statement was just a little ambigous, it was still sickening as a lawyer interpreted it. Am going to brows through the IPC tomorrow to see if I can get my hands on something tasty.
Chop Suey
I don't listen to too much heavy metal. I don't like system of a down too much as a band, but one of my favorite songs is "Chop Suey." Apparently, it sounded like a pretty meaningless screamshow, but only a few minutes ago did I realise the depth of knowledge of the songwriter, as well as the forethought that went into writing the song.
Here are the lyrics, will explain later. Or maybe with parenthesis within the song.
Chop Suey! Lyrics
Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable (Lines borrowed by Angry white boy Polka by Yankovic, but irrelevent here)
You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,
I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die, Die,
Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable
You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,
I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
In my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
Father, Father, Father, Father,
Father/ Into your hands I commend my spirit, (this is the clever bit, Last words of none other than Jesus of Nazareth according to Luke 23:46 : "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.")
Father, into your hands,
Why have you forsaken me, (Last words of Jesus according to another version. The last words (among very few) that are preserved of the Aramaic which Jesus spoke. (Mark 15:34 & Matthew 27:46)
Trust in my self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die,
In my self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die.
Here are the lyrics, will explain later. Or maybe with parenthesis within the song.
Chop Suey! Lyrics
Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable (Lines borrowed by Angry white boy Polka by Yankovic, but irrelevent here)
You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,
I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die, Die,
Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable
You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,
I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
In my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
Father, Father, Father, Father,
Father/ Into your hands I commend my spirit, (this is the clever bit, Last words of none other than Jesus of Nazareth according to Luke 23:46 : "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.")
Father, into your hands,
Why have you forsaken me, (Last words of Jesus according to another version. The last words (among very few) that are preserved of the Aramaic which Jesus spoke. (Mark 15:34 & Matthew 27:46)
Trust in my self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die,
In my self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die.
Padma ajji's death
It is a weird feeling to find out that someone is dead for some two months, who you are absolutely certain was alive. It is really a terrrible loss to know that you will never see a person again. My interaction with Padma ajji has always been restricted, mostly because she being in the slightly outer circle of relatives, I never made it to her place often. The last time I saw her, I remember taking a good hard look, just to etch the image in my mind, not knowing when I would see her next. It strikes me now that I will always remember her in that slightly wrinkled maroon saree with a rich gold border, and a pleasant, Julia Roberts smile. Damn she is dead. Don't have uch memories of her, except her pleasure in serving me food. This, I guess, as I have already blogged, is the pleasure of pretty much everyone in the family. it was in her house, in the VCR that I first watched the animated version of the Jungle Book. I remember getting addicted to the bare necessities, which is a favorite song till date, and which I, till recently, had on my mobile phone that hasjust met its demise. I also enjoyed watching the entire movie backwards, which was amusing to me. Watched the movie the second time I ended up there, never watched it since. Have to get myself a copy of the movie.
Padma ajji died two months ago, and I came to know this in passing. My father was apparently informed early, but he never told me. no matter how much I try, I cannot think of anything else about her... cannot recall any other memories. She was just always there, on every visit, to wellcome me with some sweets and show me photographs. One of her last projects was a collage of family photographs. Wonder if she ever completed it.
"You got enough nice pictures?"
~ from the movie Meet Joe Black
Yeah! remembered something... her laugh. A small, high pitched laughter, she usually laughed at everything I said, that's why it stands out. Like saying you were doing a tough course was a joke to her. No nothing else right now.
Damn I miss her, wish I'd come to know her better. No apt ending... so there's the quote.
"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."
-Isaac Asimov
Padma ajji died two months ago, and I came to know this in passing. My father was apparently informed early, but he never told me. no matter how much I try, I cannot think of anything else about her... cannot recall any other memories. She was just always there, on every visit, to wellcome me with some sweets and show me photographs. One of her last projects was a collage of family photographs. Wonder if she ever completed it.
"You got enough nice pictures?"
~ from the movie Meet Joe Black
Yeah! remembered something... her laugh. A small, high pitched laughter, she usually laughed at everything I said, that's why it stands out. Like saying you were doing a tough course was a joke to her. No nothing else right now.
Damn I miss her, wish I'd come to know her better. No apt ending... so there's the quote.
"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."
-Isaac Asimov
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