Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Person in Glorious Flat in Gurgaon

I've traveled far and wide (far anyways, I’m not sure how you travel wide?!) over the last month and have realised a couple of things - of which most relevant is that when left on my own...I don't really have too many substantial thoughts! So anyways, while shamelessly lifting this title from Borat, I’ve decided to put together whatever I noticed there.

For the sake of background, I went to the states for about a month, covered 3 very different states - the small town, the busy cold big city, and the warm chilled out county near the city (no this is not a tally of my air miles!) and found that each place was different in almost every aspect while at the same time being very similar in some others which I find remarkable considering that that country is so vast!

This was my first trip there and on my own so I really got a feel for the place(s) (by that I mean that instead of touristofying, I took in (while being aware of the villager quotient of it) things like how big a Wal-Mart is! some less village type experiences which were really fulfilling was going to the parks, walking around and riding the subway looking at all the people coming home from work - regarding this last one, by the way, I must say we human beings look incredibly depressed and sullen when sitting quietly in a public place (like a subway)...its just this look which says "leave me alone I’m sooo tired" and everyone has it..even I tried it on for a bit (when I wasn't staring all cross eyed and confused at the route map) ... it just seems to fit the place. While at the same time, you do get little insights into stranger’s lives (in a non voyeuristic way!) and get an amazing cross section of emotions in that 10 minute ride...and for some reason I liked that.

Other than that, I'm sure everyone knows how people in the city are in a rush and people in California are laid back and blah blah blah so I won’t go into the differences. What I will talk about are the similarities. So here goes:

· FLAGS - Ok, national pride is a wonderful thing but I really don't know why there’s an American flag after every 10 houses / buildings / streets! I mean ya ok we get it, love America, its a great country and all that but after some point I couldn’t help seeing one and thinking "oh thanks for reminding me!" aside from that I also thought "someone's making a butt load of money exporting flags!" cos that’s the other ironic thing - that these precious flags are all made overseas by "evil companies that are stealing American jobs" - so much for being the symbol of a mighty nation!

· FLIP SWITCHES - I can't understand why in the year 2007, in a country that's had it all for the last 100 years, that the only type of electrical switches that I saw were FLIP TOGGLE SWITCHES! Come on, are they trying to say that a place that gives you 50 different types of water only felt that one type of switch is good enough?! I find this hard to believe so i’m hoping someone can show me otherwise. As for now, I know what I saw and what I saw (in every house, hotel, shop in every state that I went) were just flip switches!

· TOILET PAPER: This may be slightly unpleasant (not cos i’m gonna get graphic - i’m not so don't worry!) cos of the subject matter, but again I couldn’t help wondering why every toilet ONLY has Toilet Paper for clean up - No automatic spray, faucet or even mug of water. I come from the land of lotas and all but every house here in the city had Toilet paper AND the water stuff. Isn't it just more hygienic? And I can't help but think of just how much paper is consumed every day!

· IGNORANCE and WONDER: I'm sure many of you have experienced this or noticed it on your visit. Excuse the generalisation, but mention that you're from India, and instantly the conversee (the local) is shooting questions at you like no tomorrow! And ofcourse 3 questions in, you realise that it is assumed that you are EVERYTHING that years and years of TV has told them we'd be. I met a lot of people, young and old, respected members of their communities, school kids, my age lot and at some point they all asked or said stuff like:

Ø "How come you speak English so well?" - I decided that instead of telling them about the high percentage of English medium schools (I slipped it in at some point), I would go into how we were under British rule for 200 years and apparently picked up the odd word here or there while we were being lathi charged! I mean only our entire judicial system, railways, postal and all round general administration are thanks to them so why not add language to that too!

Ø “Will you have an arranged marriage?” – My response was “No, it’s an option, but I can pretty much marry whoever I want” – They were quite surprised.

Ø “Do you have Clubs and Bars back home?” – (Basically it was a follow up question to how girls and guys meet in India). Come on! What do I even say to this?! I did say “yes” and gave an expression like “seriously??!” and it worked.

Ø “Do you have Margaritas there?” - Considering this came from a college student, I wasn’t gonna hold it against him but you can imagine the shock.

Ø “Can you have a girlfriend?” – Again, more questions leading up to or following the whole arranged marriage issue.

Ø “What will you eat? It’s all non-vegetarian” – Very popular question and asked out of concern everytime so not soo bad, but basically stemmed on the belief that we are all leaf eating sadhus. Doubts were settled as I put away my second helping of popcorn turkey, ham steaks, and tenderloin!

Ø “You’re from India? Gandhi right?” – Ok not really a question but this came from the very friendly girl at the flight check-in desk who for some reason asked me if I had any rupees on me cos she’d never seen one before. I flipped out a note and she pointed to it and recognized him, which was nice since it caught me unaware. I thought that this friendly chat would get my overweight bags through – It didn’t!

Ø “You have a driver and a servant? God you are spoilt!” – It’s probably not how society was meant to be but good or bad, we do have servants. And the average house hold here does have atleast 3 helpers (counting a sweeper, washer etc.). Ofcourse for them, this translated to a lifestyle enjoyed only by the uber wealthy so I enjoyed telling it to the shocked bar tender.


All said and done, it really is a wonderful country and what I liked most was the level of humanity that you show one another there. You smile at people when walking past them, you always greet someone you’re interacting with – salesman, subway attendant, co-passenger who’s giving you vital info (cos you’ve gone 5 stops down the wrong subway line!), everyone, and basic things like that that we were taught to do when growing up but tuned down for one reason or the other (that’s probably why we Indians are on our best behavior there – greeting, not littering etc., cos the whole atmosphere is conducive to gentle living) ….and I think its things like that that we need to examine in ourselves back home and see just how we can bring in a little more of that into our lives here.

But come on! We have bars here!

No Additives, Preservatives, Added flavours, Colours and Emulsifiers

Give me some good ol basic emotion and situation any day. You fall, you get hurt and you cry. You meet someone, you feel happy, you smile. You don't like something you say it out, it's over.

I don't know what thats like anymore. I look for it, strive for it, yet i know that i don't work that way anymore, and whats worse, is that i don't think people are that way either. We lie to sound more believable! and we smile and say how nice to see you, when all we want to say is f@#k off and die! I'm just so sick of not knowing what i'm saying or supposed to be saying anymore!

have you ever been in a situation where you know that nothing you do or say or feel will fix it? that feeling that you've lost something and it'll never come back. and when everything you say just means something else entirely to that other person.

it's the worst feeling in the world when you can't be honest to the people you want to be true to. and worse still when you are being honest, but the person doesnt believe a word of what youre saying. add to that the general feeling that nothing can be fixed and you have yourself a nice lethal cocktail that leaves you drunk and stupid and all in all, a little dead inside.

i suppose its human nature that time drains away all your feelings except for the complex stuff. kind of like that thick line of coffee left at the bottom of the filter- potent, and strong and will it'll wake you up! i'm awake and very aware that we all live like this day in and day out, we just change the filter, fill our coffee and put on a fresh pot knowing full well that the filter's gonna fill up again.

not that we all lie all the time, but on a daily basis we choose the level of honesty we wish to maintain with everyone we talk to. it's about convenience really - you talk about the things you wish to talk about. the second you have to explain something, it becomes painful...and who has time for that right?

i actually don't know what i'm getting at here, i know that everything is fine as it is and honestly, i don't think i want more at all. but i just don't want to care about what is being said and why it is being said anymore.

guess i just like my pure apple juice to just be apple juice.

Super Songs and Why They're Super and Why You Should Hear These Super Songs

(actually if you find the reason for why they're super good enough, then i don't have to tell you why you have to hear them)

At the risk of sounding like i know what people around me should listen to, here's my second installment of songs that i hear day in day out without ever thinking "damn- that song again!" (Which by the way, is my way of rating a good song). You see songs, according to me, are of six kinds (i started by thinking three but as it turns out, way more):-

1. The kind you change within seconds of playing and never hear again.
2. The kind that is currently playing all over the place so you listen to till its "hot". And occasionally hear it playing many months later at some obscure party and you go "oh yeeaah, this song was good once.
3. The kind that is always good or played anyways- the classics. Guaranteed to be played for decades and decades no matter where you are. Infact, at parties (the slightly grown up ones) the DJ will HAVE TO play summer of 69', that thing you do, uptown girl, i want to break free etc. etc. at some point. It's like a zone or dimension that you just slip into.
4. The kind that you don't particularly like, don't hear very often, but for some reason, you know the words and can't help but hum along to. Or worse, you get a phrase stuck in your head! This usually happens by keeping your radio on all the time.
5. The kind that are great songs and, for a while they're all you listen too, but then for no reason, you get tired of them. No real explanation for it, but we all know the songs that just fade.
6. My kind! The ones that you know in a few seconds that the song is going to be amazing. And it is, and all is well with the Earth and all its beings. Unfortunately, these ones are rare and so when one comes along, Earth and its beings MUST be happy.

My last list (posted many months ago) had a lot of these level 6 songs...and since then, thanks to my well musicified friends (you know who you all are, stand up and take a bow (and it's even more fun if you say "take a bow" like Austin Powers! )) I've gotten to listen to a LOT of music and have, therefore, come across quite a few of my now favorites.

But first, about me (calculated move to build suspense about upcoming list while servicing my blog infused ego by talkin about me) -

To begin with, as you may have picked up if you know me (the stuff i listen to) or have read my previous list, you'll know that i prefer the slower ones. Slightly sad, little melancholic, good lyrics (ones that make sense, and sometimes ones that done make any!) and all together, ones that make me imagine myself in the mindset of the song. Also one more measure for me to know if i like the song, as I've found out recently, is that i try to imagine a good music video for the song (i really should pay more attention to the road while I'm driving!!!). Other than that, I pretty much listen to everything else. Hip hop and Psy stuff and lounge are all i want at a party but in the end, they wont be part of my list as they don't say anything more than boom boom boom boom (and if its lounge then you'll hear an om shanti in the back ground.) And i can't really connect with a song that goes "flippin a wittin fa shizzle ma nizzle on tha dizzle"!!

And like last time, i would love if you send me some of your favorites so that i could hear more stuff and expand my list. No pressure , ofcourse, but consider this- While I'm riding high on this wave of lots of good music to hear, i fear that if the list ever runs out, I'll turn rabid!! I need my fix ok!

Anyhoo, here's the list, in no particular order:

1. Far Away Blues - Joe Purdy: Song about missing someone. I like the song for its simplicity. He misses her, he thinks of her and its just about that. And that's how it is with us all. We all have that person we think off, and then it passes as we get back to life and its issues. Love the lines "oh the water's mad, she's been fighting with the wind" and "things are fine and people are great, but I've been thinking of you."
2. First Day of My Life - Brighteyes: Song about love, those happy moments and everything great about it. I love how the song brings across so much happiness, love and sincerity in such basic ways. The lyrics are real and meaningful and are way more special then all the "i love yous." I love the lines " remember the time you drove all night, just to meet me in the morning" and " glad i didn't die before i met you". So simple and beautiful.
3. Walk Away - Ben Harper: Song about a relationship that's over and how you just have to move on. I like that it tells you that life is life, and that at the end of the day, you just have to get on with it. But for the moment it hurts and that sucks. And thats what it's about. Run me through a carrot grater and roll me around in salt if you haven't gone through this or don't know how it feels. Come to think of it, if you don't know what its about then maybe i should do that to you! Love the line "so many people to love in my life, why do i worry bout one."
4. This Year's Love - David Gray: Song about new love, doubt and vulnerability. He has been scarred before and is hesitant to allow himself to fall in love again. Cos he knows that we will lose himself entirely and he can't take getting hurt again. By the end though, he lets go and decides to go for it regardless of the consequences. Love the lines " when you hold me like you do, feels so right, start to forget how my heart gets torn"
5. Isn't Love - Joe Purdy: Song about hating this girl and all that she is because he doesn't want to love her. But he already does! I love the situation. Sometimes you think everything's wrong about the person but you cant help feeling like you do. So you have this inner fight that leaves you frustrated and lost. You can see it in these lines "i wish you had not been born, why'd we have to meet......and i hope this isn't love." Love the lines "go away why can't you leave me be, cos i love your face and you need to hurt me." He love's her but he hates her cos he hates himself for loving her.
6. How To Be Dead - Snow Patrol: Song about a fight between a couple. I like to think that the whole song is a dialogue between the girl and the guy. (and you'll get it if you hear the song enough. Infact call me up next time you're listening to it so i can explain it.) The whole song is an argument about those typical problems - time and space and all the things between. And that's it. No after effects, no conclusions - Just the fight. And maybe that's why i like it. It's just about what it is.
7. Chemistry - Teddy Geiger: Song about a relationship that just isn't working out. And all they have for each other is chemistry and that's not enough. I like the line "beneath our walls is chemistry." Just wish the song was longer - by the time you get into it, it's over.
8. For Blue Skies - Strays Don't Sleep: I think its about separation, longing, loneliness and a drug addiction! The whole song brings across this image of a cold machine like life, where at the end of the day, you come home to an empty house and an empty existence. The drugs come in cos of the line "wanna burn this filth, you alone with those pills" (as if he wishes to start anew and break free). And then, by the end the entire song sounds hopeful with the words "i forgive you."
9. Lost Cause - Beck: Song about something or someone too far gone to even try saving. The song brings across all the darkness of this place where everything's coming to an end. I like the lines "noone standing at your door, and that's what you thought love was for." and "i'm tired of fighting for a lost cause"
10. Perfect Blue Buildings - Counting Crows: Song about tripping and rehab (i think atleast). Awesome lyrics, the types that make a lot of sense about something even though you don't know exactly what that something is. To me, it's about despair, release and desperation all seen in a guy with a drug problem. The vivid colours (blue buildings, green apple seas) along with lines like "wanna get me a little oblivion" and "help me stay awake, i'm falling" all paint a picture of someone who wants to be saved but can't do it on his own.
11. Goodbye My Lover - James Blunt: Yes, as the title suggests, it's a song about the end of a relationship. What i like about it is that it doesn't say why it's over. Infact, all he sings about is how he never wanted it to end (as seen in the lines "I'd be the father of your child, I'd share a lifetime with you"). Strong lyrics that show just how close they were at one time and how killing it must be to not have that anymore. The video's great too cos it's one of the few that bring up images of what the song's about (remember i mentioned my "picture the video" criterea earlier?). You see this couple who are making love, but its shown in bursts - so you get a sense of the passion, and end with him sleeping alone on the bed. I like the lines "shared your dreams and shared your bed, I know you well, i know your smell, Ive been addicted to you."
12. I Love the Rain the Most - Joe Purdy: Just a song about good times. Folksy, rythmic song that gets one thinking of a picnic by a river, on a warm sunny afternoon. And i love it for just that. I love the line "we can jump in the river, don't know if the water or sky is clearer."
13. Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry: A going away song. Really nice lyrics. And what i like most is that you can feel the supressed sadness that one feels when you have to go away, and when you try to block it out by doing whatever you have to avoid thinking about leaving someone. Love the lines "fight the break of dawn," and "tomorrow comes to take me away."

Blogorrhea

Urban Dictionary defines it as; To write a blog entry just for the sake of posting an entry, not because you have done anything interesting today.

Very sorry but i've been brain dead for weeks now and im beggining to get withdrawal symptoms (the voices in my head are getting a bit loud now)...so i've shamelessly lifted this off geek goddess's blog (so shamlessly infact, that i've kept the heading and first line also some)..somehow it seems easier when you're being asked a bunch of questions - may just be inbuilt strength on account of all the interviews i have to give to the press and all...ahhh dillusion - my favourite side effect of lackofbloggingatitus! anyways here goes...

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? "i gotta start getting up earlier"

2. How much cash do you have on you? hmmm...about $25 - in rupees

3. What's a word that rhymes with DOOR? that's easy, i can tell you what it doesnt rhyme with - ant, noodle, long johns, egg, propellor, song, briefcase, phsychosomatic, phantasmagoria....yes i know it doesnt make any sense.

4. Favorite planet? considering i'm staying here and doing my planetary duty of screwing it up good and proper, im gonna have to say Earth. Mars, on account of "third rock from the sun" (which was hilarious) will be my second choice.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? call from very close friend who called after a long time (not too long acually but it sounds way cooler this way)

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? have different ones for different groups and i love em all...for friends, i have "eef you come today" - its undescribable. you NEED to look it up on youtube now! and for others i have "jump on foot" - the song from the sony erricson add.

7. What shirt are you wearing? white half sleeve polo t shirt.

8. Do you label yourself? not really (and more so cos i don't really understand the question)

9. Name the brand of the shoes you're currently wearing: Adidas - good ol superstars (hmm considering im at work, i should maybe up the professional get up now)

10. Bright or Dark Room? Bright - but not colourful..i love nice clean fresh cream coloured room

11. Why is there always a missing question? Cos the african river frog doesnt eat quiche.

12. What does your watch look like? round dial, silver grey colour face and neat metal hands. the highlight of my watch and my week is that sunday is written in red..its strange but that little diffrentiation brings out the importance of sunday.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night? dancing and drinking like a madman at a friend's brother's wedding party.

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell phone say? "party at 8tmrw. dress so superfoxy that you make peoples jaws drop." guess i got lucky on that one...i usually get texts like "where r u?"

15. Where is your nearest 7-11? 10 minutes away - yup gurgaon's pretty with it.

16. What's a word that you say a lot? "blimey" i love it. you can use it everywhere, and more often than not, its throws people off.

17. Who told you he/she loved you last? can't remember...damn thats sad.

18. Last furry thing you touched? the most adorable and docile doberman ever.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days? none- not my thing...though i'm currently using an ointment for tooth pains that numbs up the mouth..its so great, i'm fairly certain that its a drug and if not, it bloody well should be!

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed? none. sadly, the age of rolls is over.

21. Favorite age you have been so far? everything upto now. somehow, by 24, life is mostly a whole lot of your past years filtered down and governed by grown up serious issues of life and work etc etc. but im sure by next year, 24'll be good..and so on and so on.

22. Your worst enemy? my mind. sometimes, i swear, it turns against me!

23. What is your current desktop picture? normal windows xp picture of green hills and blue sky.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? "will have the samples sent over to you tomorrow"

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, what would it be? I'd wanna fly. Mind you, this is not cos i think beyond the money or anything, i just figure that if i could fly, i could make a million bucks pretty easily...then i'd be incredibly rich flying man!

26. Do you like someone? no...yes...maybe....every now and then i come across 'i could like her' types but thats it.

27. The last song you listened to? i love the rain the most - by joe purdy. really nice slow, chordy stuff with strong folksy vocals...current favorite artist

28. What time of day were you born? evening 6ish.

29. What's your favorite number? 7..dont know why...but apparently it's supposed to be generally lucky.

30. Where did you live in 1987? in a beautiful place called srinagar in kashmir.

31. Are you jealous of anyone? nope

32. Is anyone jealous of you? don't know.

33. Where were you when 9/11 happened? dont remember exactly..i may have been sleeping..i saw it on the tv when i was sitting in a cafe and then spent the rest of the day on the phone frantically trying to get in touch with my parents who were, at the time, due to fly in to New York.

34. What do you do when vending machines steal your money? not happened so far. vending machine culture is very different here.. the few machines that i actually have used here (get this) have assistants sitting by the machine...you give them the money, they unlock the cabinet and hand you the stuff!!! yessiree virtually self service!

35. Do you consider yourself kind? difficult to say. have to take in feedback from friends and all

36. If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? either on my right shoulder blade or back

37. If you could be fluent in any other language, what would it be? french or spanish or swahili

38. Would you move for the person you loved? yes

39. Are you touchy-feely? no...may have the odd stroke of it every now and then

40. What's your life motto? don't really have one..find it too difficult to live by a rule whatever it may be...but going by how i am, i think it could be "live and let live"

41. Name three things you have on you at all times: cellphone, car keys and cash

42. What's your favorite town/city? don't travel too much but so far favorites have been delhi (cos i live here), gulmarg (beautiful hillstation in kashmir), and everyplace i see on the travel and living channel.

43. What was the last thing you paid for with cash? fuel..on my way over to work

44. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper and mailed it? toooo long ago..but for that matter, i barely wrote one even when it was the ONLY way to communicate (in word form anyways)

45. Can you change the oil on a car? ya but would rather not...messy stuff this. i know it sounds all cool and self reliant to say you can but whn it comes down to it, you drive to the nearest work station to get it done.

46. Your first love: what is the last thing you heard about him/her? first love was as girl i met in college. heard from her a few days ago.

47. How far back do you know your ancestry? i'm fairly familiar uptill my great grandfather. other than that i do know the odd bit here and there about great great grandfather.

48. The last time you dressed fancy, what did you wear and why did you dress fancy? Hmmm not too fancy...but a normal 3 button suit to a friend's wedding....and why? cos my friend made it clear that shorts and a t-shirt were'nt gonna fly for this one.

49. Does anything hurt on your body right now? nope.

50. Have you ever been burned by love? Nope...but im fairly inexperienced in that area so im expecting it to happen sometime.

51. Do you have a crush on any bloggers? nope - given the whole anonymity thing. but i find some of them pretty fascinating and would definately like to have a conversation with them sometime.

52. Where would you like to live? dunno...will have to travel a bit to know for sure.

Of hibernation and coffee (but not really about coffee)

A lesser known side about me for those who don't know me (kind of redundant isn't it, given that someone who doesn't know me surely won't know the lesser known things about me) and sadly, an increasingly known side about me, for people who know me, is my knack for random conversation. I say this sadly because you have nooo idea how hard it is to sound credible when that happens. I noticed it (rather, it was pointed out to me) long time back when I’d chill with stoner friends and have stoner conversations-and I don't smoke! For me, though, it’s just about talking – doesn’t matter about what, why and with whom. And thankfully, I have a varied and interesting bunch of friends who always keep this side up and running in me.

And this post is written in particular for T-“the gentle mind.” There’s randomness bubbling underneath and every now and then, some of it breaks free. There’s lots more where that came from, I’m sure of it! :)

“Imagine if we hibernated like bears!” said T

Yeah! What if we hibernated? What if for 3 to 4 months in the year, we all just said our goodnights and “see you in spring” and passed out?

Personally, I’m not sure how I feel about it. On one hand the thought of feasting royally and then going to bed makes me all smiley and happy (not to mention the thought that when I wake up, I’d have actually lost all that weight on its own) (and at this T, who’s tiny, points out that she would probably disappear!) on the other hand even when I sleep past 1 on a Sunday, I wake up with that depressing feeling that my holiday has gone by – imagine that feeling after sleeping for months!!??

By now, a little of my rationale has decided to kick in (NOTE: I am a product of television and interaction with other people. A little knowledge IS a dangerous thing. I know, cos I use it!) as I begin to explore the realistic side of it. First up, I would need a verryy comfortable bed, one that probably fluffs my pillow automatically - cos I do not want to wake up from a season long snooze with a crick in my neck! Maybe an inbuilt music system (I know it sounds irrelevant, but I cannot sleep without some soothing music on and I know I’m not alone on this one) and massager (just seems right). The room too, would probably have a climate control device so that it always stays just perfect. Also, for the couple bed, I think it’d be nice if a device could flip one of the two people close so that they could automatically cuddle for a bit, and then the thing would flip you back so that you’d get space time too!

I don’t want to get into the real realistic side (that involves the bodily functions) so let’s just assume it takes care of itself.

All in all, I think 7 hours a day, every day is ok with me. I hate the thought of going to sleep next to someone and knowing that I’m going to see her after months. And I don’t even want to think about the number of people who won’t ever wake up (if you know what I mean.) Damn, I thought about it! Now I feel compelled to actually work it out – that’s about 1,24,41,600 people!!

On the other hand, maybe if people spent more time sleeping, there’d be less people dead!

And just like that, this seemingly pointless post about people being bears has ended up about humanity and hope– now that’s random!

The two kiss dilemma!

How you greet people says a lot about you. That’s actually true, though it’s just not relevant right now cos given the social situation that I’m taking, how you greet is really just a norm – step one in a huge list of steps in the procession of a “social” evening.

We all go to them and if you’re a city dweller you can’t run far from the air kisses and the whole shabang! And after years of partaking in the whole nonsense, I’ve come to accept it as just what it is - we play out our roles as is expected of us and the whole night runs like clockwork.

But that’s not what this is about.

It took me a while to evolve and master “the greet”. Having been brought up in a place where EVERYBODY was a friend and you said hi just like you would, I was a bit lost when I was suddenly thrown into this place where you met girls in a whole new way. I became aware of the slight-lean-in-and-cheek-to-cheek. Nothing too fancy, nothing too scary or invasive, just enough to say hey and not push any comfort buttons. And that I could handle. Mind you, those, too, can be tricky. We’ve all had those moments when you lean in when all of a sudden, the greeting party holds out her hand!! Or then there’s all kinds of things that can go wrong when it comes to the hug – you may go in for the hug and then the little cheek to cheek with accompanied muah sound while she may do the hug and that’s it! Oh the awkwardness!

Guess what I’m trying to say is that we’ve all got accustomed to the hug n kiss routine and everything’s fine. Then why the hell would someone go and rock that whole system and come up with the kiss on both cheeks thing!!?!

As grand high pooby (read as supreme being!) of ineptness in social situations, I cannot tell you the kind of havoc this relatively new practice is wreaking on our delicate social systems…cos all of a sudden you have these girls who have suddenly decided that one leans in for the first cheek, and then the other! and the greeter is somehow supposed to know this via some astrally connected network. So what you see (and experience especially if you’re me) is someone who leans in, kisses one cheek and steps back – only to see that the girl has turned the other cheek (forgive me gandhiji!) and is still in mid greeting! And then you smile sheepishly and lean in for the second one while the girl mumbles “two kisses” as if you’re supposed to know that!!

And on the other hand, one might say that just to be on the safe side, you yourself should initiate the “two – kiss.” Well let me tell you, please do so but tread verry carefully, for you could find yourself in an equally embarrassing situation where you could be greeting a “one-kiss” girl!! The disaster writes itself

I guess the main reason why I’m rambling bout the greet and the potential danger at this stage is cos while the greeting may not say a lot about you in these semi-real social events, they damn sure make the difference between a pleasant chat (or more who knows!) and hours of standing around awkwardly trying to find one’s bearings all over again.

And so I’ve decided that there’s gotta be some sorta sign! Something to say “hey, I’m a two-kiss greet kind of girl.” Happiest time for me (for this stuff) was at a family wedding some years ago where the girl’s family was French. On day one, they said “we are French, so we say hello by kissing on both cheeks.” Till date, and for the rest of my life, saying hi to them will be stress free and great (great cos there’s a certain small kick one gets when conforming to so called sophisticated customs smoothly!). Of course one can’t hope for that always but there’s gotta be some system. And maybe that’s what I’ll have to evolve over hours and days and years of meet n greets. Tirelessly I will move from party to party forever searching for that hint! And hopefully all you future greetees whom I intend to at least embarrass once in the process, forgive me! I am, after all, like all of us, a work in progress.

Chickens are doomed!!

lets face it, chickens are screwed!

throughout history (or as much history as i have gathered through years of schooling, tv documentaries, and good movies!) the chicken has always sufferred.

For one thing, no religion in the world protects it. Cows are spared and even worshipped in India cos of their being regarded as holy by Hindus. Pigs are spared by muslim countries as they are considered dirty.....but thats it. no religion says "the chicken is sacred." Even through ancient times, paegan rituals, roman / greek / barbarian religious practices all involved sacrifices and all but wouldnt you know it, chickens (amongst other birds) were right up there with all the buffaloes and goats on the sacrifice blocks! I mean sure cows and pigs and all other animals do get killed but they are relatively better off.

a little while back it looked like there was going to be some respite for them with the outbreak of SARS bringing about an overnight decline in people eating the bird (i suspect that the whole SARS thing was an undercover mission carried out by the special chicken task force to stop the continuous massacre) and guess what? that actually ended up messing them up even more - thanks to the outbreak, a whole mess of them were down with a killer virus, and the rest of them were torched just in case!

and forget man's role in all this, lets look at what the creator / divine light / energy / powers-that-be / nature / gaya went and did - look at the chicken! It's a plump small bird that can't fly or run to save it's life - literally!! It doesn't have particularly sharp claws or a deadly beak, infact no real protective mechanism at all! so what chance does it have against earth's greatest hunter?!

to add insult to injury, even the damn eggs don't have a chance! I mean, even cows and goats are eaten but they do have other functions too - milk, cheese, wool etc., but our bird really doesnt have a whole lot to do except eat, screw, lay eggs so they can be eaten, and when they get bored of that, get eaten themselves!

while all these things are factors for the chicken's ill fate, the number one reason, the real driving force behind all the above is that they are frickin delicious!! and to make matters worse, its healthy too. can you imagine?? beef and mutton consumption has slowed up owing to how unhealthy all that red meat is, and now all of a sudden, chicken is a healthy choice. so no relief there! i googled chicken recipes and i got 3,840,000 results. granted that a lot of those may be overlapping but im willing to bet there must be atleast 20,000 ways to cook the damn thing. and we humans can be pretty insensitive when it comes to that too! not only do we do slice and dice the poor thing up in every which way, but we've even concocted recipes that involve shoving a big fat lemon up it's pooper! i mean come ooon...first you take this thing's life, then you strip it, and then violate it!! and what about exotic dishes like meat loaf stuffed with chicken?! the poor bird could've actually skipped being in that dish alltogether but hey! if we can find a way to add some chicken to a dish, we'll do it!

and god bless the selfless chicken for not even being an endangered species or showing any signs of getting extinct.

so people there you have it, the chicken is here to stay, and i'm off to KFC to pay my respects!

the ideal girl
(finding and losing - for dummies)

After a fairly long period i've pieced together various traits and qualities to come up with some notion of the perfect girl.

Over countless cups of coffee, friends have at some point asked me the ever popular question - describe your ideal woman (especially if one is single). Due to which, i've actually had to give thought to the whole deal. And when you do, you tend to think back to past experiences, chance meetings, striking moments and the like, and form mini lists. Ofcourse, once one starts to list them, you start to feel like a kid in a toy store and before you know it you're asking for the entire shop when your mom looks at you sternly and says if you want the remote control car, then you wont get the aqua man action figure. So you gotta keep a fairly good grip on reality, statistics and the all important, all depressing, self-potential rating (I shall call it SPR). (In case the last one is new to you, the self potential thing is simply when you look at yourself plainly and know whether so and so is in "your league" or no. This concept is pretty tricky, cos self confidence and esteem play a hidden hand in your rating. Plus the whole system is designed to make one not jump off any proverbial cliff. But at the end of the day, it can either save you from some heartbreak or kill you with the "i shouldve gone for it" scenario!) For me, though, I'm realistic enough to know where i stand so when something does or doesn't happen, it's easier for me to put it in perspective.

So anyways, life, with its wicked sense of humour, decided to have its way with me after a looong time. I finally made my list (for the moment atleast) (i will not put the list down here so that it still reads like a post and not a wanted add!!), was almost resigning myself to the thought that she doesn't exist, met some people, and out of the blue, met her! And she WAS the list (as close about anyways and albeit with limited info about her) She was hot and funny and smart and really cool and all of those things and i was happy and feeling good. Super you say? Good for me and all that? I am talking about life's sense of humour, not miracle remember? Well get this........the cherry on top....the part where life really steps in to back slappingingly laugh in your face.......just when everything looked good and i began to look at things more clearly and measuring everything (stuff tat normally takes me a while to get to)... i got to know that she was seeing someone else!

Yes yes boo frickity hoo right? I know everyone's gone through this at some point or the other but it threw me off cos it'd been long since it was me feeling all those things and besides, you havent come to weallhavegonethroughthis.com!!

There's really not much else to say bout that. Just like that and just as quickly and easily, i returned to being me....

Strangely though, this wasnt one of those shattering kind of deals. Maybe i hadnt gotten to know her much, or that i hadnt stepped too far into the quick sand...or maybe my SPR just gave me some cushioning (yes she was way outta my league). but whatever it was, it stirred up plenty of bittersweet things that i hadnt felt in a long time and you know what? I was happy. I was happy cos it had given me a lot to think about...days to look forward to and generally a side of me that had been sleeping for some time.

Ofcourse, If i'm gonna learn through any of this, or more importantly, if i'm to give any direction to this post so that you don't feel you've wasted your time (more time that is! your time has already been wasted) i think its quite clear to see where I've gone wrong in the past. I don't jump off any cliffs. I've always liked sitting on the tiny grass patch with the great view. And sadly, I'm not entirely sure if I'll do anthing about it. We are what we are, and unless a strong gust of wind (and it'll have to be strong, im not exactly mr. feather!) comes along, im gonna be there for some time to come. Only difference being, I'm now hopefull of gusts of wind and breathe deeply when i feel a breeze every now and then.

Ofcourse, since ive learnt so much, i also know that thinking and notioning is all very well, but as we all know, the second you see her all the SPR's and grassy patches and blah blah will be thrown out the window. Cest la vie

NOTE TO ALL: I dont want any awwww's or anything like that. This happened a long time ago. Ive just written it now.

the reluctant philosawhatchamacallitizer

Sorry people, but like ive mentioned before, theres a reason why most of my ideas are half baked, not thought out, and far fetched - I'm lazy. I like the initial rush of feeling like ive uncovered some of life's deepest secrets whereas, at best, i come close to offering a different view of nothing. Bottom line, i feel smart for a bit so back off!!

Anways, in the regal tradition of that laziness, I'm gonna put forward some "concepts, " some core ideas, thoughts, queries and what not in the hopes that you fine, amazing, super (whatever it takes to get somebody else to do the job) beautiful people will offer your unique, priceless thoughts.

Here goes:

1. Is centripidal force the same as gravity?

People seriously, im not trying to sound intelligent by using big words or aything, this is something ive wondered about for some time so i really wanna know. I'm not gonna explain centripidal force cos if i have to explain it, then you arent the person who'll be abswering this question (no offence. thank you come again)

What i wanna know is, cos what ive been given to understand is that it's the force thats keeping us on the surface of this rock. Therefore, that would mean that the apple falling to the ground etc etc is cos if this and not what we call "gravity" right?

In that case, are we saying that if the earth's rotation starts to slow up, then, we should prepare to be flung into space??

Looking forward to some answers.

Will put in another query soon.

Law of transfer - of pieces and feelings

Heres another hair brained quasi-theory (I say quasi thoery cos its mostly based on one-off instances that i like to generalise and call reliable data!):

My line of work (manufacturing) involves a lot of numbers; Specifically, pages and pages of spreadsheets giving breakups in every which way, of quantities of pieces that are circulating in different departments at all times. These spread sheets, detailed and specific as they may be, still cause a whole lot of confusion cos by the time the tally is put down, pieces have moved from one dept. to the other and you end up doing the whole thing again after a few hours. (Yes, there may be some serious problems in the systems at my work but thats not the point right now!) So what i usually end up doing after all that research is looking at the overall figure at the end and obtain whatever little piece of mind by knowing that whatever the breakup, atleast i know for sure that x number (the total) is somewhere in the building.

........

Ever since ive been in this introspective mode (i think blogs and inertia do that to you) ive come into contact with more and more people who all seem to be down on some issue or the other (notice how the above line somehow sounds credible while being no more than a general statement!) which sort of made me wonder where all the happy people are? (incase youre one of them, go to http://www.listofgoodthings.blogspot.com/ and pen some thoughts down so that we not-quite-as-happy folk can take some pointers!)

........

So when the whole spreadsheet business started getting too much, coinciding with my awareness of the low / bored atmosphere around me, i began to wonder if there are some parallels to be drawn between the two.

What if there's a set amount (one final figure) of emotion - happy, sad, angry, peaceful, jealousy, pride, shame etc etc in the world. Would that mean that everyday these emotions are just being transfered from one person to the other? (if theres a total set number to be shared, anything increased for one person will cause a reduction by the same amount for the other) Flowing in and out from one another in one continuous motion.

If so, imagine the process. Imagine that every moment that you are getting happy, sad, angry, ecstatic, depressed, theres someone else, somewhere offsetting what youre feeling. Seems like a good deal no?

However, while further playing with the hypothesis, it also brings to light that while our "quota" of emotions remains fixed, more and more people are added to the equation every day. Would that imply that people would begin to feel lesser and lesser (smaller slices of the "pie") ? Im already aware of the general desensitization that we have undergone, and we blame it on T.V etc. Could the real reason be that theres simply less feelings available in the "emotion-pool?" Or maybe it means that the rate of transfer between people will be slower (like an overloaded internet server) or faster (like 8 players using multi-taps playing ea fifa 06 on PS2)? Thereby meaning that depending on the case, people will either be explosively bi-polar or victims of long periods of joy or depression. (not quite sure whether people experiencing long periods of joy can be described as victims. or can they?)

Maybe thats why people refer to older times as better times? (More for everyone)

That would definately explain why countries with big populations seem less happy or more numb (on the whole).

I suppose most sports and competitions show a clear transfer of happy and sad (think of Italy and France in the Fifa world cup finals 06). Its easy to see it there cos the transfer is instant.

Maybe, things like jokes came about to artificially boost the flow of happy. If you really think about it, whenever you go out or meet someone or talk, you always share the funny stuff. Maybe we all are just trying to put more funny and good out into the "system" in the hope that it'll come back to us sooner too. Sort of like a ripple effect. Is that where "what goes around comes around" came from?

Once again, i seem to have opened up a whole lot of questions that i'm too lazy to elaborate on.

At first i thought this theory (like my daily production reports) would give me a sense of security as it implies that whatever may be the current situation, somewhere out there, is your share of happiness thats gonna flow into your life. Nothing more, nothing less (cos the bottom line will not change) However, instead, its made me more aware that in between all the fluid times of good, is gonna be long periods of bad just cos youre experiencing someone elses share of happy! and we all want to be happy now!

All i know is that next time i'm feeling sad, i'm gonna be on the look out for the joker whose stolen my share of happiness!!

theory of chaotic harmony - the delicate balance of our traffic

This is from the paranoid part of me. (Rather, I WANT to be paranoid about it, but thick layers of oblivion prevent me from feeling it)

So its like this - Imagine a circus performer walking a tightrope, high over a pool of sharks, balancing 5 razor sharp knifes on his tongue, while running a fever. Maybe just be able to pull it off no? Now multiply it by all day everyday from now till god knows when!! - It's an accident waiting to happen right? (Ofcourse one could hope that the knifes fall and kill the sharks and the guy falls into the pool safely, while the cool water from the pool brings his fever down, but thats another story!)

Well believe or not, that is how i see our traffic (delhi) nowadays! and i cant help but muse as to just how lucky we are just to get home everyday safe.

I call it chaotic harmony cos everytime i head out, i see a road filled with irate drivers swerving and screeching and braking. Everyone judging just how deep the next guy will cut into his lane, and when the car infront will slam its breaks. It all plays out like some extremely complex dance or ritual. And somehow, it works! (For now atleast!) People get to where they have to, and we're all ok(more or less), we only have a few minor scraps and scratches on our cars.

I mean think about it. How is it that the sumo behind you passes you from the left, squeezes through the two tempo trucks ahead swerves back into the extreme right lane and finally takes a hard left turn on from the other end and still not effect our road casualty tally (by and large that is, some accidents do happen)?? Somehow, it works.

But i say "for now" cos the drivers are fast devolving from responsible motorists to intoxicated, dyslexic muppets.

I imagine it went something like this. Somewhere along the way, some idiot (and surely i cant blame one guy for the entire situation, but rivers begin as trickles blah blah) must've said "hey, everybody else's stupid, the cops are too busy having chai pakora, what if i swerve through all the lanes and break the signals. That way i can even zip at a 100. And hey that pesky last stretch for which i have to drive that extra km, screw it, i'll just go down the other way!" And now there are probably ten thousand guys having that same thought right now!!

It is only unseen forces and our knack for adaptation that has brought us so far. (Incase you're ever feeling down about your skills as a decision maker or manager, take some time to marvel at the number of split second decisions one makes literally every moment one is on the road!) Now when im approaching an intersection, i pretty much bring the car to a stand cos im expecting the joker on the other side of the road to drive onto my side. Expect the worst, most irrational, unexplainable behaviour from every driver around .. is a motto that i, along with many other "consciencious" drivers (that is, compared to others) sadly, are having to get used to.

guess what im trying to say is that our low accident rate (compared to rate of recorded and unrecorded traffic violations) should'nt be mistaken for ok traffic but rather, it should be taken as an indicator of things ahead. a situation similar to a balloon lying on floor scattered with nails.

tic tic tic tic....

When the shine fades away...

I find myself in so many places right now that its diffcult to tell what one's feeling. Sort of like the rainbow wheel (5th class science experiment not some fancy candy or amusement ride) that spins faster and faster till all you see is the colour white.

Just when i thought this blogging stuff is here to stay, (probably cos for the initial weeks my mind would be on constant "blog alert" always on the lookout for stuff that i could put down at the end of the day!) i find myself less inclined to do the same. The duration between my last entry and this are evidence enough! Unfortunately, my mind didnt' switch off (contrary to popular belief!) during this time so im left with some 50 odd semi blogable notions and thoughts....you know how it is, you're driving around suddenly "hey, that would make a great post" followed shortly by "but how would that....aw forget it!" Guess my ideas are constantly battling this feeling of mental saturation and laziness!

I do find some solace in the the discovery of my fellow blogsters (the ones who were getting swept up like me) slowing down their post rates.

Of the blogs that i do visit everynow and then, the more i read bout like minded and aged people having very different and somehow more fulfilled lives, the more it brings up feelings of things i couldve done and seen and been. Though i cant imagine what those would be cos at the given time, everything seemed to make sense as it does now. A case of the grass is greener and all that i suppose...

Anyways, my white life (i refer to the colour wheel again not a 30 something suburban banker / financial analyst driving his volvo!! god im such a product of cable tv stereotyping!!!) and the recognition of it makes me turn to the web once again in hopes to find some answers, some insight, some anything!!! Cheaper than therapy no?

Inertia is a terrible thing

Cellular Sub-Culture

I had first written this post about a month ago and when I had almost finished it, I decided to give it a quick read. After which I found myself thinking that this stuff isn’t relevant anymore and it all sounds like nonsense as a result of which, I didn’t post it.
(That, and the fact that my comp switched off before I could save or publish it!!)

Anyways, a recent experience at a friend’s place totally affirmed my theory, so much so, that throughout the evening I had this self praising grin on my face. I even brought it up a couple of times. (I guess it was just a full on pat-my-own-back fest!) With renewed faith in my views I’m now putting it down.

On more than a few occasions, I’ve noticed a whole new social behavioral pattern that I like to call the cellular sub-culture.

I’m sure we’ve all noticed it or done it, you walk into this place, meet up with your friends, new and old, say hey and blam – “hey is that the new N blah blah blah? Whats the internal memory? How many Mega Pixels? Edge? Gprs? Air-bag? Anti-rape alarm? DVD player? Solution to end world suffering??!!!” Yes, the cellphone of today has everything and more but that’s not the problem. The fact that we all talk about the phones from time to time also isn’t that bad. It’s when it replaces all other topics of conversation and ends up sounding like elvish, that you know isn’t commonplace behavior. Whatever happened to "so whats your favourite colour?" rather than "the N XXXX comes in a variety of colours." If, you know what i mean?

I consider myself the average tech loving guy but even for me, phone talks get outta hand. I actually have friends who can talk entirely in numbers and know exactly what they mean. Stuff like “have you seen the 1232? It got a higher processor than the 6738 or the 63532. I love the i373o’s looks, it’s been based on the 3435!!!” I just stand by like “is the 3435 the one with the squiggly lines on the back?”

I think back to a simpler time (not too long ago) when you went from one place to another and weren’t paranoid that people can’t reach you, and wonder how it’ll ever be the same. It won’t. Infact, there’s gonna be more of it, all around us. But living with technology and spending all your spare time talking bout it are two different things of which the latter one, atleast, I hope I can avoid....for now.

Meanwhile, I’m gonna go check my phone cos it hasn’t made a sound in 15 whole minutes and my hands are beginning to tremble. I am hopelessly addicted.

that guy on the titanic

In the past week ive had, and continue to have, a completely harrowing time. Workwise anyways (though considering the hours, my life has only been work!!)..ok!.. ok!.. i can literally sense people saying "whats so great bout that?" "stop complaining" blah blah (once again, i don't have voices in my head)...so moving on...like i was saying, in this time, even though ive barely had a free moment (no im not saying how hard i work, again, believe me this is going somewhere), ive caught myself wondering, on more than one occasion, about our survival instincts...Man's (and i dont mean "man" but humans) way of coping with the urban jungle, of dealing with hassles and basically stress!!

We all go through a mess of things all day everyday...petrol pump guy tries to rip you off, parking's full, supplier's promise you the solar system and all the planets and stars in it but show up with one lump of coal which, and you know this is true, they will insist is the natural evolutionary product of all they promised!! deadlines will always be due 24 hours ago! and the printer and all connected will not function when you need that report...oh sureee it'll work when you want the guitar chords to "someday" but never when you need it. .. night brings with it a whole new menu of pain...you go out with a bunch of friends...ther is no going out in delhi...atleast not since places shut at 12!!! so you loiter around till you give up and go home...i wish i had more exciting issues but they'll have to do for now... I guess im stepping into Murphy's law territory here..

now that Murphy's law has come up, i must say that i am eternally optimistic by nature so ive always found the collective laws amusing, sometimes coincidentally accurate, but by and large-not true..after all, if everything is gonna go wrong, why do anything?! right? But this time around, and ive seen it in work atleast, everything HAS gone wrong...which again, strangely, didnt make me think about Murphy's law, but rather, about stress and how to deal with it??

Why i thought about that, is because while everything around me seems to be breaking down, i have been able to sleep at night, chat with friends, WRITE THIS POST, sing and whistle aimlessly, and i mean aimlessly, and do pretty much all that an average HASSLE-FREE guy does. Even while im running around from one dept. to another, im whistling or singing or humming!! what is wrong with me?? It's not like i dont care for the work (i do-intensly. otherwise i wouldnt do it at all) then why? and then.......... it hit me. That is my survival mechanism /instinct. I do (atleast subconciously and effortlessly) anything that keeps me disconnected enough from the problems of life...and for some reason, the movie-titanic popped in... is that what the violin players were doing on the titanic as it slipped into the sea? No ofcourse not, they were playing tunes to give the dieing (themselves included) some solace and i, in no way think myslef to be achieving any such noble goal..infact, i would probably be the singing, whistling idiot sitting around behind the players looking at all the people slide by!! but think about it...is being sufficiently detached, the best way to really take in reality?? ok ok sorry didnt wanna go for a "does that blow your mind?" moment...but seriously, the realisation of subconcious, almost involuntary, behaviour in trying situations makes you question all people's behaviour in general...did your girlfriend / boyfriend just shout at you cos he/she's a pain, or is that how they keep people at a distance (survival for some)..or did the supplier (stupid freakish cretins..die and burn in hell) give you a bogus target cos they're lyeing cheating bastards and that's what they do or did the guy have aishwarya rai dancing in kajra re while talking to you??!! eitherways, i feel that ever since i thought about this, ive become aware of the larger forces at work. I mean, if everyone has an embedded mechanism, then i can assume that all the people (all the people i care about anyways!!) will be alright..that everyone will survive this madness that we go through everyday.

damn! really thought i was on to something here...bottom line, i'm not an alien (or atleast that's what i would say if i wanted you to believe that i was'nt an alien).

would love inputs on the instinct thing..not me being an alien (cos im not)

all time songs that "get me"

I gotta have music on all day everyday (don't get too literal on it, read as much as possible), when i feel good, feel bad, remember a particular time, up, down..well basically anything!! and i think thats the brilliance of music (any audiophile would agree)... the funny thing is i can relate to songs that i dont even have a personal equation with..that is, if its a sad song, i don't need to have gone through that feeling, i actually just kinda project myself into the situation (if you're thinking this is wierd, think back to the last time you heard a sad song and said "oh that'd be a great song if i had a fight!!")

Anyways here's a list of great songs (old and new and in no order of preference). Don't be alarmed by the high number of sad songs...im not manic depressive or anything, just like em.

If any of you have some songs (and we all do!) or feel a particular way bout the ones ive listed lemme know. post them in the comments.

1. Falls Apart - Sugar Ray: Song about a girl who's alone and puts up a brave front but is broken inside. Feel like i know people like that. I think we all do. Love the line "hold her hand, it seems to dissapear."
2. I'm on fire - Bruce Springsteen: Doesn't really have any theme. Just a guy totally into this girl. The video gives a slightly sad picture of a guy who likes this girl but doesn't ask her out. The eternal "what if" situation.
3. Sparks - Coldplay: Brilliant mellow song good for an afterparty or when feeling down. Hopelessness of an unsavable relationship. Love the line "I won't let you down...oh yeah i will, yeah i will"
4. Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime - OST Eternal Sunshine of A Spotless Mind: Reminds me of the movie and what the guy goes through. Have to watch the movie to understand.
5. Cocoon - Jack Johnson: Mellow (as all of his stuff). Super song about a relationship thats fallen apart and how one wants to "heal" ourselves and the other by taking support from each other. Love the line "I guess all we have, is really all we need" and "Mend your broken heart and leave"
6. You're beautiful - James Blunt: Yes! we all've heard this one and we love it. I like how the song's about an amazing moment you sometimes have and the sad realisation that nothing will ever come out of that. And in the end it's all ok cos there'll be more moments like these. Love the line "She could see from my face that i was..fuckin high"
7. Your Body is A Wonderland - John Mayer: One of the best, if not, the best tribute to a women's body. A love song for our generations. Love the line "I'll never let your head, hit the bed, without my hand behind it"
8. Life Goes on - Tupac: Old Skool rap number about death and life in the 'hood. (Central theme for a lot of his tracks). Sad song of death, seperation and unfulfilled dreams.
9. The Scientist - Coldplay: Super song about a broken relationship and how the guy try's to find out what went wrong in a ery logical way, when the truth is that some stuff can't be sorted out with the mind. What can i say, Coldplay rocks! Love the line "Noone ever said it would be so hard."
10. Creep - Radiohead: Strong sad song about wanting to be more and feeling left out. Love the lines "wish i was special, you're so fuckin special"
11. Blower's Daughter - Damien Rice (OST Closer): One of the most powerful and raw songs of a guy hopelessly in love and the regret one feels after breaking up. Love the last few lines "can't take my mind of you.......till i find somebody new." Human Nature right there!
12. Yellow - Coldplay: An unexpectantly happy, even romantic song. Love the line "Look at the stars, she how they shine for you."
13. She don't want nobody near - Counting Crows: Amazing song, one of the lesser known counting crows tracks. All about how people don't wanna get close cos they're afraid of getting hurt. Love the lines "she don't want noone around, cos she don't want anybody to see, what She looks like when she's down, cos it's a really sad place to be." Beautiful and sad.
14. Ready for a fall - P.J. Olsen: Song about a guy whose expecting the relationship to come to an end. Sad pre-breakup break-up song. Love the lines "Where will you go after me?" and "If it was this easy to find you, i should...be ready for a fall"
15. Crash Into Me - Dave Mathews Band: A boy's fantasy. DMB perfectly portrays his / all of us's boyhood fantasy of seeing and making love to that one fantastic girl. Just takes you away! The most killer drums too! And if you love the song, the video will blow your mind!!! Love the line (for no perverse reason, the choice of words is brilliant!) "hike up your skirt a little more....show your world to me.)
16. Mr. E's Beautiful Blues - The Eels (OST Road Trip): One of the most happy, chiller tracks. Makes one feel completely at ease..like all is good! Love the line "God damn right..it's a beautiful day."
17. Colourblind - Counting Crows: Song about being completely locked up inside and wanting to break out and open up. Another Counting Crows masterpiece. Dark, sad but strangely happy song. The last parts makes one feel hopeful of a better time. Love the line "pull me out from inside."
18. Everybody's Changing - Keane: Song about that feeling when everyone and everything around you is changing. To me, the feeling of things changing around me is unsettling and a bit upsetting and the song relays of all that. Love the lines "everybody's changing and I don't know why."
19. Are you in - Incubus: No real theme just a great good feel song. Perfect after party song. Somehow seems fit to be played when you're with a bunch of good friends chilling at night on some beach. Well, takes me there anyways! Love the lines "it's so much better...when everyone is in..are you in?"
20. Say Something - James: Song about two people in a relationship and how the guy is literally begging the girl to open up to him. We all have had or have come across this feeling of being "shut out". This song just reflects that desperation. Love the lines "Take a drug to set you free...strange fruit from a forbidden tree...You've got to come down soon"

XXXXXX

will add more soon..

drunk!! in first person

10 am sunday morning. im feeling surprisingly good (considering the situation)...no headache, no nase.. naseo.. naseau....oh let it go- feeling sick!! grab a glass of juice sit back and start to go over the events that transpired the night before....

i passed out?? no way! couldntve happened...i was having such a great time...hey who was that girl? havent met her before? wasnt so-n-so there...where did that guy go? strange inconsequential questions being shot back and forth between me and my friend...(the guy who apparently dragged my drunk ass so that id crash on bed instead of on some cactus patch!!).... i passed out?? no bloody way!!!

the night before (quite late into it)...

oye give me a another..what is this?...bartender- caprioshka with mint....its good give me more...easy on the mint..bal!! (voices from behind) you gotta have one of these shots...so i take two! (at this point number really doesnt seem to matter)...woahh what just happened to the room...it's begun...heyy!!! (more voices from more poeple) whats up?? you're looking "happy"!!....weLL i MAy hAVE hAd A feW SHotS AnD THe CApRioSHHkaaa with MInt is BRiLLiAnt...(Wait! did i say caprioskha right? and why's my voice echoing?)....wheres that music coming from? god damn!!what i killer track! gotta get on the floor...walk straight don't let people know you're drunk! don't want people to....hey shes cute!..keep walking...almost there...COMPLETE BLANK FOR NEXT 15 MINUTES (probably needed all of my mind to keep my motor skills in checks so that i didnt fall all over the place)....back off the floor...you're back (voices..nice ones this time) really were into that song huh?...uh huh (language becoming a mess of mono syllables and simple noises)...i think im gonna just sit down for a bit you know, till i get my focus back....just a little while to ... hey where the f**k has so-n-so gone...he's been gone for like an hour...probably on the phone with...man!! she is so wasted!! she should drink some water and maybe even throw up!! hehe so-n-so (the guy whose place it is) is gonna be so pissed cos he was dreading the "accidents"...hey where is he? havent seen him anywhere too..dog must be hitting on some....dude, ive gotta get me some water...begining to lose the room!!! ok bal easy does it...get up and walk to the bar..10 steps thats all...10 little steps....can i have a..bartender-caprioshka with mint?..no not this time man, wanna come down a little...some water please..thats right...drink the water....bal!!(voices again!) whered you go man? looking all over for you..gotta have to a shot with me man cmon!...i dont think there was any thought process going on at this time..no moment of "should i or shouldnt i?"...grabbed two...heres toooo..oh screw it..down it....man that was good!...back to the couch... ohh boy..begining to lose the room...wait can make it to the couch..ahhh bliss..im right where i wanna be right now...maybe if i shut my eyes the swilring will sto..wwooaahhh!!! bad idea!! keep eyes open!...why's this place so hot??!..maybe some fresh air will do me good...stumble outside...walking now doesnt seem to be an option...sit down you fool! take it easy..ahh the porch...the garden..had a good game of cricket here the other day...this house has too many damn dogs...how come she didnt come? even so-n-so didnt show up bastard!!....eyelids getting heavy...maybe just close my eyes one more time....bal bal bal bal bal BAL!! (voices-the nice kind again) you ok? can we get you anything? have a little water..cmon just a little....such nice sweet people..god why am i so drunk? why did i have those shots? damn so-n-so killed me with those shots!! why am i so high?? god god god!!ok easy does it..can still snap out of it...take the water..take the lemon salt mix thing...damn! cant do it...its ok you guys...thanks a lot but i really just need to sit here for a whileeee... my voice is trailing off..why is my voice trailing off?? one eye open...good enough for me right now..hey isnt that.. but i thought she was outta town...and who is ...ok eyes closed again..and i dont think they be opening now....BAL! (so-n-so saviour) what the f**k you doing here? (the nice voices and so-n-so) he's been like this for a bit..maybe you should make him crash upstairs...give some of this water (their voices sound like their coming from the other side of some wall or far away place)..BAL! alright man? cmon up you go!

i passed out??? no way man no frickin way!! i was having such a good time....

all good things

recently (and i dont know whether its been around for long and ive just become aware of it now, or that this stuff has just started happening all around me) ive noticed a lot of people around me (friends specifically) who all seem to be in this funk about their lives, love, relationships and what not..and ive found myself increasingly thinking about three things - 1. why do we all have such annoying problems? 2. how will i ever lose weight? and 3. are there any good things in life to look forward to and why aren't my friends seeing these things? (i realise that that's 2 questions but i count it as one!).

So in an effort to atleast look at the third problem (1. and 2. may be beyond me) i think it would be fun if we could all just take some time and write a few things that're fundamentally good. they can be anything, either specific to one person's life or stuff that is good for us all!!...

for that, please go to this link www.listofgoodthings.blogspot.com and post your lists in the comments box there..

theory of gravity and relationships

dont ask me why or how i came up with this one but it occurred to me one day while driving (apparently one has a lot of free time when driving endlessly through frickin bumper to bumper traffic with pissing off drivers who deserve to die! die! die!! - still dealing with road rage issues) that there may be a parrallel that can be drawn between our being in relationships and the gravitational behaviour of objects...heres how it goes...

any two objects in space or wherever (my theories are never completely thought out) will be pulled together owing to the gravitational forces around them...this movement goes on till the two either a) collide and are destroyed, b) collide and unify or c) are repeled and pushed away from each other...

in that way i feel we all are roaming around on some invisible orbital going about our lives...when suddenly we come across another person and the whole attraction / gravitational pull thing happens..in that period you go through all the movies and dinners and stuff that you do to get to know the person which in turn draws you closer untill you collide...here on, the three outcomes come into being (as im sure we've all experienced)...and the future of that relationship is decided..if you really think about it, there are parrallels to be drawn on how a larger object (the bigger person-personality-wise, not some giant!!) absorbs / swallows the smaller one etc etc but then the theory will get too long and i dont like to type very much!

ofcourse as far as the whole theory is concerned, one could argue that gravitational pull and attraction are not the same cos a lot can go wrong and its not necessary that you will get together for example two planets are getting together but one accuses the other of hitting on another planet, or not remebering its birthday or if many objects are getting pulled together, then we just talking some freaky nasty stuff!! if you know what i mean...but for that i say that apply it only to cases where the two people have got together and if you still wanna argue it, i say your argument doesnt fit well with my theory so i dont believe it yaaah!!

more to come soon (or whenever i feel like it)

arrival to blogland

And here i am...on this miniscule part of the so called cyber world..why blog? i have no idea. for me its probably a combination of things (as always and for most people)..for one, it may be a good outlet for all the inane semi-coherent nonsensical babble that i have literally briming up inside me (no i am not insane and i dont hear or talk to the voices in my -stop telling me what to do!! why should i paint my face blue?? hey that rhymes!!!- head!!!. sorry if i lost you there but like i said--incoherent! another reason (or atleast pushing factor) was me going through a friend's blog (you know who you are - it is brilliant by the way!) and that made me wanna get on this too...

I think (and im being serious here) that we have this need to reach out, to connect and share our lifes' experiences with each other.. logically speaking there isnt any reason (logical anyways) to explain this.. we aren't rewarded in anyways, theres no need for acceptance or achievement that we fulfill here....so why? Hey if you were expecting some insightful enlightened answer sorry!! but my serious talk quota just ran out at the words "so why?"

But on the topic of frogs and marshmallows, i do have a few theories about a few things which i plan to post soon...check back for lots more exciting stuff and the chance to win exciting prizes!!! Not really just wanted to say that..