Nobody's gonna take my car, I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody's gonna beat my car, It's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooooh it's a killing machine, It's got everything
Like a driving power big fat tires everything
Deep Purple sang this song thinking they were so special ... they were so wrong !
You come down to any Indian road, and you don't just see one lunatic who thinks he's a highway star, you see a the whole freakin galaxy !!!
Seriously, it's a known fact that Indians have absolutely no traffic sense. Unfortunately I think that's just a mild way of putting it and more so, dismissing it lightly.
But putting the more obvious suicidal and murderous tendencies of the drivers aside ... I have come across a more peculiar observation. It's like this - I'm going down in my car in this narrow lane probably meant for bicycles, and there's a car coming from the opposite side as well. Now I know I can bank my car next to the paan-waala allowing just-enough room for the other guy to pass through just barely. But I can see even the other guy has a place close to him just like that. Now, for more birth-related reasons (namely : I'm Indian), I don't bank next to the paan waala and think, due to some psychopathic reasons, that the other guy would stop. But ofcourse, due to the same birth-related reasons, he doesn't stop as well. So now we end up stuck headlight-to-headlight in ... a glaring competition !!!
Oh yes, that's what I am talking about - The Glare. Almost anybody who's been on Indian roads on any mode knows exactly what I'm talking about. It's the deadening-frozen glare that u get from the person sitting behind the wheel telling you that you're an idiot and you don't have any road-manners and probably were abducted as a kid and also should be whisked away now. It's the glare which says "What the hell are u doing man !". It kinda reminds me of the way the profs in MDI used to look at me after I'd just woken up from my mid-lecture nap.
But this one's especially amazing. That's because I know that the person giving me the glare is probably as inept at understanding traffic rules and is a mass murderer of traffic sense and rules himself. But still ... there's the glare !
I've gotten ga-zillion glares from uncles, drivers, shorties, one-foot-in-the-grave old women and even a 13 year old ! Well I had to peep down onto the driver's seat to get the last glare.
Earlier I used to glare back. You know the drill, be a man on the road, don't let your guard down and all that crap. But now I just smile. It's loads of fun, you should try it. Next time you get a glare from the man with the bushy mustache because u turned a little too fast into him, give him a nice big smile. Even show your teeth if you have to. That just turns that glare into a gaze - confounded, extremely.
Nobody's gonna take my car...
I'm a highway star, I'm a highway star.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Cursed to be Born
It was one of those days when you are just chillin ...leading ur mundane life the 'coolest' way you think .. and then something just happens and brings the world in your face ... smashing the comfortable cocoon that you build around yourself.
I was just meeting up with Indranil and TAG at PVR saket ... sipping onto some iced eskimo outside Cafe Coffee Day and having a couple of doobers. We were discussing people, old times and the usual stuff.
Four little boys came running towards us. 2 of them looked around 6-8 years old while the other 2 looked around 13-14 ... harmless. They all wore the ragged, torn, dirty clothes that the slum children wear. They were all dark skinned .. probably from the dirt that sticks on them and the sun they have to face due to the lack of a roof on their heads for much of their days. The two younger ones were visibly running away from the elder ones.
One of the bigger ones punched a younger one in the back and he sort of stumbled towards where we were sitting. The other younger one followed suite. The young ones grabbed the legs of mine and TAG's chair and started complaining generally to everybody that the elder ones were beating them up. The elders tried to drag the kids away from us but they held on to our chairs tightly.
Till that point we were pretending not to notice the ruckus. We were pretending to have one of those 'coffee shop' discussions (u know the kinds ... 'so how's he/she' .. 'that one was a bitch' ... 'that movie was awesome' ... highly shallow in comparison but necessary and entertaining). But the scene unfolding next to us was getting a little too loud and a bit violent to be ignored and to be allowed to be in the background. The little ones were, every once in a while, looking at everyone sitting there and tellin us that they were getting beaten up with the hope that someone would come and help them.
At that point, since this was happening right next to our table ... and chairs !! .. we decided to tell 'all of them' to buzz of and not bother us. I looked at one of the elders and told him to beat it and stop bugging them and us. He just looked at me .. with no fear in his eyes .. or rather a slight arrogance, said that the little kids were not coming with them.
We thought that this would subside and the went back to our 'conversations'. At that time one of the elder kids took out a match, lit it and pressed the lit stick on one of the little kids' bare legs. Hearing the cry of pain I snapped back at the elder kid to stop this immediately and buzz off. He again looked at me with those eyes and told me that the little kids owed 'em money and they were not returning it. We again got back to our 'conversation'.
Then I heard the thing that gave me goosebumps. The elder kid came close to the kid who was holding on to the leg of my chair, and said to him politely that if they came now then 'he' would just take the money or else later on 'he' would take the money and cut off one of their hands or legs. At that moment the scene next to me no longer remained the background radio static and my ears were riveted towards them.
The elder kid repeated that threat again.
He tried to pull 'em again but to no avail. That's when I told ID that these kids were probably a part of those begging rackets and it was so unfortunate for the young kids. At which he reminded me that it was equally unfortunate for the elder ones as well as they had probably lived through similar ordeals. Then we discussed our 'helplessness' in this regard.
We tried telling the elder kids again to take a walk while they kept hovering around and coming in once in a while.
Finally, after a while, the elder kid managed to pull one of the kids free from his grip on the chair and dragged his some 2-3 feet before picking him, ruffing him up and then dragging him towards the back. The elder kid then came to the little one sitting next to my chair and told him politely that they'd already taken his brother and that if he didn't follow suite then they would cut off his brothers arms and later his as well.
The other little kid wiped his tears, stood up .. and walked with him.
We were silent for a while. I suppose the same things went on in our heads ... sadness, disghust, anger, helplessness, frustration at the helplessness ...
All my way back I kept picturing those little kids howling while they got their hands or fingers or something chopped off ... and then back on the road again the next day showing their disability and begging. Out of which they'd have to pay the leaders who run this racket.
I hate this feeling .. this feeling of helplessness. It is so obvious that a war or a movement (or whatever you wanna call it) has to be raged against these gangs at a social, legal and even a physical level to stop this menace.
I hate lamenting about these things to other people ... acknowledging that these things happen and it's such a shame and we're so helpless .. I hate it. I think it's quite looser-ly.
It's like the way I feel about Bombay or Delhi or our country and it's people as a whole. We like to call ourselves resilient. We take pride in the fact that we have our families blown away by terrorists one day and then we still manage to go to work the next day like it was nothing more than a cockroach dying in our bathrooms. Well that's just stupid .. there's nothing to be proud in that !!! The same millions of people travel by the same trains that were bombed the last day simply because they have no other option !!! Most of those people simply cannot afford to not go to work the next day and they just don't have any other mode of transportation but those stupid trains ! It is not resilience or bravery or an ability to pick ourselves up after we fall and other fabled things like that ... It is just helplessness, cowardice, indifference and a hope that it won't happen to us ... it's just disguised that way in which the media also plays a major part. It's a sad state of affairs.
Now ofcourse I am not saying that those people should mourn the next day or not go to work or pick up arms against the perpetrators ... I am just saying that let's not be hypocritical about it ... and let's maybe .. slowly if it may .. do something about it !
The same goes for things like the begging racket that I came to see a side of today.
If all that we .. the 'educated' people can do about it is discuss it intellectually and criticize it .. then I guess a lot of those 21 odd years of our lives just went down the drain .. and then got their limbs chopped off.
I feel like such a loser.
Oh yeah ! and by the way .. the amount that the little kids owed the elder ones was 50 Rupees. I don't even get a fucking Iced Eskimo in that much !
I was just meeting up with Indranil and TAG at PVR saket ... sipping onto some iced eskimo outside Cafe Coffee Day and having a couple of doobers. We were discussing people, old times and the usual stuff.
Four little boys came running towards us. 2 of them looked around 6-8 years old while the other 2 looked around 13-14 ... harmless. They all wore the ragged, torn, dirty clothes that the slum children wear. They were all dark skinned .. probably from the dirt that sticks on them and the sun they have to face due to the lack of a roof on their heads for much of their days. The two younger ones were visibly running away from the elder ones.
One of the bigger ones punched a younger one in the back and he sort of stumbled towards where we were sitting. The other younger one followed suite. The young ones grabbed the legs of mine and TAG's chair and started complaining generally to everybody that the elder ones were beating them up. The elders tried to drag the kids away from us but they held on to our chairs tightly.
Till that point we were pretending not to notice the ruckus. We were pretending to have one of those 'coffee shop' discussions (u know the kinds ... 'so how's he/she' .. 'that one was a bitch' ... 'that movie was awesome' ... highly shallow in comparison but necessary and entertaining). But the scene unfolding next to us was getting a little too loud and a bit violent to be ignored and to be allowed to be in the background. The little ones were, every once in a while, looking at everyone sitting there and tellin us that they were getting beaten up with the hope that someone would come and help them.
At that point, since this was happening right next to our table ... and chairs !! .. we decided to tell 'all of them' to buzz of and not bother us. I looked at one of the elders and told him to beat it and stop bugging them and us. He just looked at me .. with no fear in his eyes .. or rather a slight arrogance, said that the little kids were not coming with them.
We thought that this would subside and the went back to our 'conversations'. At that time one of the elder kids took out a match, lit it and pressed the lit stick on one of the little kids' bare legs. Hearing the cry of pain I snapped back at the elder kid to stop this immediately and buzz off. He again looked at me with those eyes and told me that the little kids owed 'em money and they were not returning it. We again got back to our 'conversation'.
Then I heard the thing that gave me goosebumps. The elder kid came close to the kid who was holding on to the leg of my chair, and said to him politely that if they came now then 'he' would just take the money or else later on 'he' would take the money and cut off one of their hands or legs. At that moment the scene next to me no longer remained the background radio static and my ears were riveted towards them.
The elder kid repeated that threat again.
He tried to pull 'em again but to no avail. That's when I told ID that these kids were probably a part of those begging rackets and it was so unfortunate for the young kids. At which he reminded me that it was equally unfortunate for the elder ones as well as they had probably lived through similar ordeals. Then we discussed our 'helplessness' in this regard.
We tried telling the elder kids again to take a walk while they kept hovering around and coming in once in a while.
Finally, after a while, the elder kid managed to pull one of the kids free from his grip on the chair and dragged his some 2-3 feet before picking him, ruffing him up and then dragging him towards the back. The elder kid then came to the little one sitting next to my chair and told him politely that they'd already taken his brother and that if he didn't follow suite then they would cut off his brothers arms and later his as well.
The other little kid wiped his tears, stood up .. and walked with him.
We were silent for a while. I suppose the same things went on in our heads ... sadness, disghust, anger, helplessness, frustration at the helplessness ...
All my way back I kept picturing those little kids howling while they got their hands or fingers or something chopped off ... and then back on the road again the next day showing their disability and begging. Out of which they'd have to pay the leaders who run this racket.
I hate this feeling .. this feeling of helplessness. It is so obvious that a war or a movement (or whatever you wanna call it) has to be raged against these gangs at a social, legal and even a physical level to stop this menace.
I hate lamenting about these things to other people ... acknowledging that these things happen and it's such a shame and we're so helpless .. I hate it. I think it's quite looser-ly.
It's like the way I feel about Bombay or Delhi or our country and it's people as a whole. We like to call ourselves resilient. We take pride in the fact that we have our families blown away by terrorists one day and then we still manage to go to work the next day like it was nothing more than a cockroach dying in our bathrooms. Well that's just stupid .. there's nothing to be proud in that !!! The same millions of people travel by the same trains that were bombed the last day simply because they have no other option !!! Most of those people simply cannot afford to not go to work the next day and they just don't have any other mode of transportation but those stupid trains ! It is not resilience or bravery or an ability to pick ourselves up after we fall and other fabled things like that ... It is just helplessness, cowardice, indifference and a hope that it won't happen to us ... it's just disguised that way in which the media also plays a major part. It's a sad state of affairs.
Now ofcourse I am not saying that those people should mourn the next day or not go to work or pick up arms against the perpetrators ... I am just saying that let's not be hypocritical about it ... and let's maybe .. slowly if it may .. do something about it !
The same goes for things like the begging racket that I came to see a side of today.
If all that we .. the 'educated' people can do about it is discuss it intellectually and criticize it .. then I guess a lot of those 21 odd years of our lives just went down the drain .. and then got their limbs chopped off.
I feel like such a loser.
Oh yeah ! and by the way .. the amount that the little kids owed the elder ones was 50 Rupees. I don't even get a fucking Iced Eskimo in that much !
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Man on the Moon
Many a times, I have looked up in the night sky, looked at the moon and wondered ... What if there was a man sitting up there who had nothing else to do but to look down on earth and look at everybody. At the outset it may seem that I am talking about this 'god' person. But I am not. Reason : Going by the whole concept of the omnipresent , all -knowing god, he would already know what we would be doing and would do eventually and therefore he would not need to look at us !
Anyhow, back to the man on the moon. So this person has nothing else but to look at us (Don't ask me why). With the shit loads of people breeding and crawling on this planet, he would probably not have time or the attention span to look at everyone. I mean we all go through the same miserable routine of growing up, puberty, first kiss, first job, first heartbreak, first marriage (increasingly nowadays :D), shitty relative, rebellious kids, estrangement, death, etc. So all this being so mundane and common wouldn't really interest him. Even the special ones ... Charles Mansion, Nithari, Steve Jobs, etc. have become plenty over the thousands of years of human evolution, development and eventual self-destruction. So what I am trying to get at, is who exactly would he be watching ???
If you insist, I am talking about that thing which everybody wants (well ... mostly), to be remembered, to be noticed. But I'm not talking about the fame and legends that are made due to impressive acts of bravery, crime or foolishness, etc. What I am saying is, if we are alone in this universe (what freaks !!!), then all these things would really become ... well pointless. Thousands of years from now when this rock becomes lifeless thanx to our leisure's (optimistic estimate), when that man would sit next to his fireplace with a drink in his hand and gaze at the planet ... who would he remember ? The guy who made the ipod (nothing against apple here ... just an example) ? Or the nuts who flew an airplane into buildings mistaking them to be doors of nirvana ? Or the skinny guy wearing a dhoti and holding a stick who lead a country called India to freedom. ? Or was it the man who wrote a book that lead a whole race of followers to a nonsensical isolation from the rest of the world and at war with them ? Or was it that one who walked on water and got nailed to a cross by the same people who he thought he loved so much ?
Or was it the anonymous couple who loved each other to the limits ? Or was it the anonymous man who lived his life the best way he thought he could ?
I guess the man on the moon is really me when I'm taking my last breaths ... or maybe when I'm dead and my conscience is floating about aimlessly in limbo. What would i think about myself ? Would I have been able to see myself from the moon amongst everybody else ?
The answer to this I do not know.
Anyhow, back to the man on the moon. So this person has nothing else but to look at us (Don't ask me why). With the shit loads of people breeding and crawling on this planet, he would probably not have time or the attention span to look at everyone. I mean we all go through the same miserable routine of growing up, puberty, first kiss, first job, first heartbreak, first marriage (increasingly nowadays :D), shitty relative, rebellious kids, estrangement, death, etc. So all this being so mundane and common wouldn't really interest him. Even the special ones ... Charles Mansion, Nithari, Steve Jobs, etc. have become plenty over the thousands of years of human evolution, development and eventual self-destruction. So what I am trying to get at, is who exactly would he be watching ???
If you insist, I am talking about that thing which everybody wants (well ... mostly), to be remembered, to be noticed. But I'm not talking about the fame and legends that are made due to impressive acts of bravery, crime or foolishness, etc. What I am saying is, if we are alone in this universe (what freaks !!!), then all these things would really become ... well pointless. Thousands of years from now when this rock becomes lifeless thanx to our leisure's (optimistic estimate), when that man would sit next to his fireplace with a drink in his hand and gaze at the planet ... who would he remember ? The guy who made the ipod (nothing against apple here ... just an example) ? Or the nuts who flew an airplane into buildings mistaking them to be doors of nirvana ? Or the skinny guy wearing a dhoti and holding a stick who lead a country called India to freedom. ? Or was it the man who wrote a book that lead a whole race of followers to a nonsensical isolation from the rest of the world and at war with them ? Or was it that one who walked on water and got nailed to a cross by the same people who he thought he loved so much ?
Or was it the anonymous couple who loved each other to the limits ? Or was it the anonymous man who lived his life the best way he thought he could ?
I guess the man on the moon is really me when I'm taking my last breaths ... or maybe when I'm dead and my conscience is floating about aimlessly in limbo. What would i think about myself ? Would I have been able to see myself from the moon amongst everybody else ?
The answer to this I do not know.
Falling in love is hard on the Knuckles !
Yes I am committed again ! And again .. this time it seems for good !
I met her through a friend of mine .. Animesh. He had been dating her for a while but now he didn't have enough time for her. Since I am not doing much till I join work, we thought it would be a good idea if I took her for a while ... till I start working.
It was pretty much love at first sight ! I had heard about her here and there but till now I hadn't had enough time and money to afford her ! But this time I got her cheap.
She's a bit old and outdated .. but then she's got loads of experience .. Lots of variety !
She is amazing ! The second day I went shopping and bought new stuff for her ... various different things I could put in her (damn ! very corny ! and a bit disghusting as well :D).
And for the last 4-5 weeks since I've had her ... I've done nothing else but play with her ! (This has potential of being very corny ! :D). I start at 9 in the morning ... and am spending time with her continuously till 5 PM ! And then we resume our activities in the night as well ! And not for a single moment do we get bored !
Although falling in love with her has been a bit hard on my knuckles .. and my fingers ... especially my thumbs .. as they tend to get a bit tired after a day of fondling and hand holding ... but still .. noone's minding !
She's the best .. I think every man should have her ... atleast for some time ! :D
Now i really didn't want to address it as feminine .. but then I didn't wanna sound gay as well ! :D
She's my PS 2 :D
I met her through a friend of mine .. Animesh. He had been dating her for a while but now he didn't have enough time for her. Since I am not doing much till I join work, we thought it would be a good idea if I took her for a while ... till I start working.
It was pretty much love at first sight ! I had heard about her here and there but till now I hadn't had enough time and money to afford her ! But this time I got her cheap.
She's a bit old and outdated .. but then she's got loads of experience .. Lots of variety !
She is amazing ! The second day I went shopping and bought new stuff for her ... various different things I could put in her (damn ! very corny ! and a bit disghusting as well :D).
And for the last 4-5 weeks since I've had her ... I've done nothing else but play with her ! (This has potential of being very corny ! :D). I start at 9 in the morning ... and am spending time with her continuously till 5 PM ! And then we resume our activities in the night as well ! And not for a single moment do we get bored !
Although falling in love with her has been a bit hard on my knuckles .. and my fingers ... especially my thumbs .. as they tend to get a bit tired after a day of fondling and hand holding ... but still .. noone's minding !
She's the best .. I think every man should have her ... atleast for some time ! :D
Now i really didn't want to address it as feminine .. but then I didn't wanna sound gay as well ! :D
She's my PS 2 :D
Sunday, April 15, 2007
The Big Fat Indian Wedding
Celebrity weddings have always made big news. I have never understood people's obsession with the setups, the invitees, the dresses, the rings, which champagne was used, how many coloured flowers were there, what size were the biceps of the bodyguards and how many jobless mindless reporters were present to make it look like a fish market.
I mean face it people, you all may dream about it, but exactly 0.0000000034% of you will actually get to be a part of these weddings ... in any role whatsoever. And that's if you count the reporters as well. The rest of you will have those typical weddings where you try to be different by choosing that unique brownish red coloured cards and the taj mahal styling tents (WoW!). Yet exactly 67.8% of the people i know are just so stuck up on that Abhishek Bachchan - Aishwarya Rai wedding like it was theirs !!! Even my dad, who hardly watches anything substantial on television, was glued to the screen when the low down on the marriage was coming.
I can somewhat understand people's obsession with this couple ... after all u have a woman who probably appears in the wet dreams of most of the male population of this sex starved country and then this dude who's the son of the greatest actor who ever lived on the Indian silver screen (that's all the credit that i'm willing to give him so far... and oh well he acts O.K. so far). But what I just can't understand, is a half an hour special on the marriage ... on prime time television on the top Hindi news .. and yeah I'd like to repeat here ... NEWS channel !!!
The special covered the following events in very shallow detail :
- The groom's dad went to some famous temple to ask god for blessings for the new couple ... and he gave a wedding card .. yes I'd like to bold it again ... wedding card ... to God.
Makes you really wonder ... is god stupid ? I mean if he is the God then he must know that the wedding's going on and wouldn't really be needed to be invited for the wedding ! Quite clearly it's a very juvenile stunt for the cameras .. but hey ! who said common sense was in surplus nowadays !
- Who all the family is inviting and who all are the unluckiest people on the planet to have not been invited for the wedding. I mean Jeeez ! Was the girl who had cancer and then got raped at a hospital in Mumbai really so unimportant and real that they had to put this shit in the slot instead of her ? And It's obvious that the crippling electricity shortages, the farmers' suicides and the whole north east and eastern part of the country which is on the verge of a civil war is really not that consequential as compared to the fact that Shahrukh Khan is probably (mind it .. it's not confirmed .. it's just speculation) not invited for the wedding.
- Some 500 cops will be stationed around the venue.
Now that just infuriates me. I just think ... if these 500 cops could be actually patrolling a city ... and if they would actually be doing their job instead of siphoning money some way or the other to feed their already gargantuan bellies, then the crime in the city would be so much lesser. But then .. I'm just dreaming.
The worst part of the whole ordeal was the fact that this shit was coming on prime time national news. Damn ! I hope they kill some politician soon to get this crap off the air !
What's even worse .. i mean what takes the cake .. is that most people in the country of 1.2 billion people ... have nothing better to think about / talk about / watch / etc.
Fascinating !
I'm off to watch some movie now.
I mean face it people, you all may dream about it, but exactly 0.0000000034% of you will actually get to be a part of these weddings ... in any role whatsoever. And that's if you count the reporters as well. The rest of you will have those typical weddings where you try to be different by choosing that unique brownish red coloured cards and the taj mahal styling tents (WoW!). Yet exactly 67.8% of the people i know are just so stuck up on that Abhishek Bachchan - Aishwarya Rai wedding like it was theirs !!! Even my dad, who hardly watches anything substantial on television, was glued to the screen when the low down on the marriage was coming.
I can somewhat understand people's obsession with this couple ... after all u have a woman who probably appears in the wet dreams of most of the male population of this sex starved country and then this dude who's the son of the greatest actor who ever lived on the Indian silver screen (that's all the credit that i'm willing to give him so far... and oh well he acts O.K. so far). But what I just can't understand, is a half an hour special on the marriage ... on prime time television on the top Hindi news .. and yeah I'd like to repeat here ... NEWS channel !!!
The special covered the following events in very shallow detail :
- The groom's dad went to some famous temple to ask god for blessings for the new couple ... and he gave a wedding card .. yes I'd like to bold it again ... wedding card ... to God.
Makes you really wonder ... is god stupid ? I mean if he is the God then he must know that the wedding's going on and wouldn't really be needed to be invited for the wedding ! Quite clearly it's a very juvenile stunt for the cameras .. but hey ! who said common sense was in surplus nowadays !
- Who all the family is inviting and who all are the unluckiest people on the planet to have not been invited for the wedding. I mean Jeeez ! Was the girl who had cancer and then got raped at a hospital in Mumbai really so unimportant and real that they had to put this shit in the slot instead of her ? And It's obvious that the crippling electricity shortages, the farmers' suicides and the whole north east and eastern part of the country which is on the verge of a civil war is really not that consequential as compared to the fact that Shahrukh Khan is probably (mind it .. it's not confirmed .. it's just speculation) not invited for the wedding.
- Some 500 cops will be stationed around the venue.
Now that just infuriates me. I just think ... if these 500 cops could be actually patrolling a city ... and if they would actually be doing their job instead of siphoning money some way or the other to feed their already gargantuan bellies, then the crime in the city would be so much lesser. But then .. I'm just dreaming.
The worst part of the whole ordeal was the fact that this shit was coming on prime time national news. Damn ! I hope they kill some politician soon to get this crap off the air !
What's even worse .. i mean what takes the cake .. is that most people in the country of 1.2 billion people ... have nothing better to think about / talk about / watch / etc.
Fascinating !
I'm off to watch some movie now.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Drive me Crazy
With the latest traffic laws coming into enforcement one really has to wonder what the next set are going to be like. Already talking on the handsfree and smoking while driving are prohibited. This really makes me question how capable or incapable do the law makers actually consider the drivers to be !
I mean the logic behind the handsfree is that there is too much distraction because of it. So let's see ... hmm... i wanna call Santa Claus ... so I'll pick up my phone ... look up on the road .. quickly unlock it and bring up the names starting with 'S' (since most people can do these things without actually looking at the phone) ... look down and confirm if it's on 'S' .. then get back to looking on the road ... then scroll down on the phone and in my memory ... then glimpse down on the phone to confirm if I'm pointing at the right number, then click 'dial' while looking up and then talk away and make my wishes and tell him what a nice boy i've been and that i've been keeping the toilet seat up ... all while having my eyes on the road !!!
All in all ... that musta taken me about 2-3 seconds max of focussing on the phone and not on the road and the traffic. But then ofcourse, one could give a very valid argument that the 2-3 seconds distraction could actually mean the difference between life and death. But then there are so many other things that can cause distractions for that crucial time !!! --- For starters, passengers should be banned from indulging in any kind of conversations with the driver .. even if it includes giving directions as such acoustic vibrations and distortions could mess with the driver's head and cause a pile up as long as the wall of china. Babies should be a strict no no as the driver may be forced to tend to the baby or the child while in the middle of the mission critical process called driving. Besides the cute toddlers may actually tempt the driver to look at them and smile thus causing a catastrophe. Basically, passengers of any kind should just be banned as anything they do (for example talk on the phone to a third person or sing) may cause a disturbance and thus a distraction for the driver.
Next, advertisements in the form of big boards, etc. should be banned as the pictures and the messages actually tempt the driver to look away from the road and focus on them thus again causing the 2-3 seconds fatal distraction.
Being a guy, I would also like to suggest to the courts to prohibit good looking women from walking on the sidewalks or anywhere in the proximities of 'driving zones' as they definitely take focus away from the road and life in general and also risk being picked up by the rapist gangs that patrol the roads more often than the cops.
... and that was just from the handsfree bit !!!
Smoking and driving is another story. I would just like to rest my argument with the fact that music systems should be banned as they have little buttons which require the driver (at times) to leave one hand from the steering wheel (watch out !) and press 'em. Also, all those guys who drive vehicles should have their balls cut off as they have a tendency to start itching at the wrong times and the wrong places and may, again, distract the driver's hands to indulge in some 'unhealthy activities'.
What I'm basically trying to drive at, is the fact that the courts should not insult the intelligence of the population as a whole and should consider them human beings with normally developed brains which are capable of handling minimal tasks simultaneously.
Secondly, they authorities should actually take a driving test for people rather than handing them out like chocolates for Rs. 500 a piece thus ensuring that the person would have enough cognitive abilities to manage chewing with the mouth closed at the same time.
The rest should be trusted upon free will and self regulation which generally rides on substantial rationality with a little acceptable exceptions without which the world would be a boring place and the car insurance companies would go bankrupt.
I mean the logic behind the handsfree is that there is too much distraction because of it. So let's see ... hmm... i wanna call Santa Claus ... so I'll pick up my phone ... look up on the road .. quickly unlock it and bring up the names starting with 'S' (since most people can do these things without actually looking at the phone) ... look down and confirm if it's on 'S' .. then get back to looking on the road ... then scroll down on the phone and in my memory ... then glimpse down on the phone to confirm if I'm pointing at the right number, then click 'dial' while looking up and then talk away and make my wishes and tell him what a nice boy i've been and that i've been keeping the toilet seat up ... all while having my eyes on the road !!!
All in all ... that musta taken me about 2-3 seconds max of focussing on the phone and not on the road and the traffic. But then ofcourse, one could give a very valid argument that the 2-3 seconds distraction could actually mean the difference between life and death. But then there are so many other things that can cause distractions for that crucial time !!! --- For starters, passengers should be banned from indulging in any kind of conversations with the driver .. even if it includes giving directions as such acoustic vibrations and distortions could mess with the driver's head and cause a pile up as long as the wall of china. Babies should be a strict no no as the driver may be forced to tend to the baby or the child while in the middle of the mission critical process called driving. Besides the cute toddlers may actually tempt the driver to look at them and smile thus causing a catastrophe. Basically, passengers of any kind should just be banned as anything they do (for example talk on the phone to a third person or sing) may cause a disturbance and thus a distraction for the driver.
Next, advertisements in the form of big boards, etc. should be banned as the pictures and the messages actually tempt the driver to look away from the road and focus on them thus again causing the 2-3 seconds fatal distraction.
Being a guy, I would also like to suggest to the courts to prohibit good looking women from walking on the sidewalks or anywhere in the proximities of 'driving zones' as they definitely take focus away from the road and life in general and also risk being picked up by the rapist gangs that patrol the roads more often than the cops.
... and that was just from the handsfree bit !!!
Smoking and driving is another story. I would just like to rest my argument with the fact that music systems should be banned as they have little buttons which require the driver (at times) to leave one hand from the steering wheel (watch out !) and press 'em. Also, all those guys who drive vehicles should have their balls cut off as they have a tendency to start itching at the wrong times and the wrong places and may, again, distract the driver's hands to indulge in some 'unhealthy activities'.
What I'm basically trying to drive at, is the fact that the courts should not insult the intelligence of the population as a whole and should consider them human beings with normally developed brains which are capable of handling minimal tasks simultaneously.
Secondly, they authorities should actually take a driving test for people rather than handing them out like chocolates for Rs. 500 a piece thus ensuring that the person would have enough cognitive abilities to manage chewing with the mouth closed at the same time.
The rest should be trusted upon free will and self regulation which generally rides on substantial rationality with a little acceptable exceptions without which the world would be a boring place and the car insurance companies would go bankrupt.
Friday, March 30, 2007
I'm sleepy ...
Doctor : "Check his vitals to see if he's still alive !"
Nurse : "There's is not much activity doctor ... the pulse is barely there ... pupils are dilated ... and ... but but ... what's this ! it sounds like a ... like ... damn ! it sounds like he's snoring !"
Patient : ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz [snore...]
P.S. : apologies if u didn't get it ... meant for a small audience :)
Nurse : "There's is not much activity doctor ... the pulse is barely there ... pupils are dilated ... and ... but but ... what's this ! it sounds like a ... like ... damn ! it sounds like he's snoring !"
Patient : ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz [snore...]
P.S. : apologies if u didn't get it ... meant for a small audience :)
Friday, November 24, 2006
A Babel-y experience …
I’d seen the movie
All Hollywood movies are played with polish subtitles in
Shit Happens…
One of the things common amongst all cultures (of my generation) that I noticed was the increasing clarity and therefore, humour on religion or popular ideologies. The following descriptions of various religions/ ideologies was given to me by Jack (his real polish name is beyond me) over some sheesha. Here are some of the ones I liked/ understood. If you Google on this you’d probably find more …
CONFUCIANISM : Confucious say, “Shit Happens”
ZEN : What is the sound of shit happening ?
ISLAM : If shit happens , take a hostage.
COMMUNISM : Equal shit happens to all people.
CATHOLICISM : Shit happens because you are bad.
RIGHT – WING PROTESTANTISM : Let this shit happen to someone else.
JUDAISM : Why does shit always happen to us ?
ATHEISM : I don’t believe this shit !
EXISTENTIALISM : Shit doesn’t happen … shit IS !
BUDDISM : Shit happens, but pay no heed.
HINDUISM : This shit has happened before.
OBJECTIVISM : Our shit is good for you.
REAGANISM : Don’t move .. the shit will trickle down.
RASTAFARIANISM : Let’s smoke this shit ! :)
Disclaimer : My own view of religions, the one I was inherited in and the one I adopted later on … are also included in this list. This is merely a compilation from a bigger list. If I have missed out your religion and you feel offended by it … well shit happens ! If I have missed out your religion and you are happy about it … don’t worry … sooner or later … shit happens ! If I have included your religion and you feel offended by it … well read the subject line again ! You may think your religion may deserve more respect than others but I don’t. Besides, any religion should have a big enough heart to take some humour !!!
Back online ???
The posting activity by the author of this blog has been … well to say the least … very confused ! Random posts have appeared and then later removed for absolutely mystic reasons.
The author would not like to apologise for that … only acknowledge it. :)
The author would further like to add that normal activity and senses are returning and so would the posting. This is due to the following two reasons in order of importance:
1. The author feels much better now … happier if you must.
2. The author’s blog appears as the third link on Google when queried for the author’s name and he strongly feels he should do something about it. :)
-End of transmission-
The author would not like to apologise for that … only acknowledge it. :)
The author would further like to add that normal activity and senses are returning and so would the posting. This is due to the following two reasons in order of importance:
1. The author feels much better now … happier if you must.
2. The author’s blog appears as the third link on Google when queried for the author’s name and he strongly feels he should do something about it. :)
-End of transmission-
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Budddddday post !
well it's my birthday eve ... so i was just trying to recall all the birtdays I could remember. I was ... and still am quite shocked !
Out of the 22 such apparently 'most important days' that have passed, i could just remember 2 !!!
Ok let's discount the first 2-3 buddays on the reason that I was probably too young to understand and remember them. But after that ... there is no reason that I shouldn't have !
The first one that I remember happened sometime when i was around 10 (See ... i don't even remember the date !!!). There was a kiddy birthday party at our house. There were lots of little kids. We all had them cone shaped birthday hats. We played musical chairs. Then I cut the cake and everyone sang them birthday songs. Then we all ate some cake and chips and patties and had some coke. I recieved lots of gifts ... but I don't remember any of them. Then i gave them return gifts and they all went back home by 10.
The second one was last year. It was in MDI. It's the sweetest birthday that I'll remember for the rest of my life probably.
Well this year there's nothing much to look forward to. It'll be the usual. SSDD.
I don't get it what's the big deal about birthdays anyway ! It's just any other day. I don't even remember being born ... I was just told I was born this day ! Just an excuse to party though :) But out here in Poland even that's a commodity !
Anywayz ... happy birthday to me ;)
Out of the 22 such apparently 'most important days' that have passed, i could just remember 2 !!!
Ok let's discount the first 2-3 buddays on the reason that I was probably too young to understand and remember them. But after that ... there is no reason that I shouldn't have !
The first one that I remember happened sometime when i was around 10 (See ... i don't even remember the date !!!). There was a kiddy birthday party at our house. There were lots of little kids. We all had them cone shaped birthday hats. We played musical chairs. Then I cut the cake and everyone sang them birthday songs. Then we all ate some cake and chips and patties and had some coke. I recieved lots of gifts ... but I don't remember any of them. Then i gave them return gifts and they all went back home by 10.
The second one was last year. It was in MDI. It's the sweetest birthday that I'll remember for the rest of my life probably.
Well this year there's nothing much to look forward to. It'll be the usual. SSDD.
I don't get it what's the big deal about birthdays anyway ! It's just any other day. I don't even remember being born ... I was just told I was born this day ! Just an excuse to party though :) But out here in Poland even that's a commodity !
Anywayz ... happy birthday to me ;)
Monday, November 20, 2006
Wake me up when september ends ...
I thought I'd start embedding some videos i've been making here in Poland. To start off with it, here's a little test.
It's one of my old favorites ... just discovered it again on youtube.
It's one of my old favorites ... just discovered it again on youtube.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Freebird ...
Recieved a mail a couple of days back ... this is what it said.
If i leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me ?
For I must be travelling on, now
'Cause there's too many places, I've gotta see
But if I stayed here with you, girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you cannot change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Bye, Bye, babe it's been sweet love.
Though this feeling I can't change.
But please don't take it so badly,
'Cause lord knows I'm to blame.
But if I stayed here with you girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
and this bird you'll never change.
And this bird you cannot change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.
Would you still remember me ?
For I must be travelling on, now
'Cause there's too many places, I've gotta see
But if I stayed here with you, girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
And this bird you cannot change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Bye, Bye, babe it's been sweet love.
Though this feeling I can't change.
But please don't take it so badly,
'Cause lord knows I'm to blame.
But if I stayed here with you girl,
Things just couldn't be the same.
Cause I'm as free as a bird now,
and this bird you'll never change.
And this bird you cannot change.
Lord knows, I can't change.
Lord help me, I can't change.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Vampires and Warewolves
A couple of days ago i was introduced to the Monsters Game 4 by a source I do not seem to remember right now. I seems like a really interesting online game.
You choose to be either a vampire or a warewolf. You have certain attributes such as strength, agility, defense, stamina, etc. You have to earn gold coins to do anything either by working in the graveyard or by raiding a town of innocent victims or you can loot them by attacking a warewolf.
I was introduced to strategy games by Red Alert (see previous posts) and I instantly fell in love with them. The fact that it's a battle of grey cells rather than hand-eye coordination appealed to me the most. It basically gives me more people to challenge ;).
The game's pretty appealing at first. But just like Red Alert ... it turned out to be a simple game of numbers. Once you figure out the investment in a move, it's possible payback and the variable risk, the game turns black and white. It being a browser game is much more simpler than Red Alert. So the novelty or the mystery of the game is already lost for me. All that remains is probably the ego of being on top. Which'll take no less than a year I suppose.
If anyone's interested in checking it out ... here's the link.
You choose to be either a vampire or a warewolf. You have certain attributes such as strength, agility, defense, stamina, etc. You have to earn gold coins to do anything either by working in the graveyard or by raiding a town of innocent victims or you can loot them by attacking a warewolf.
I was introduced to strategy games by Red Alert (see previous posts) and I instantly fell in love with them. The fact that it's a battle of grey cells rather than hand-eye coordination appealed to me the most. It basically gives me more people to challenge ;).
The game's pretty appealing at first. But just like Red Alert ... it turned out to be a simple game of numbers. Once you figure out the investment in a move, it's possible payback and the variable risk, the game turns black and white. It being a browser game is much more simpler than Red Alert. So the novelty or the mystery of the game is already lost for me. All that remains is probably the ego of being on top. Which'll take no less than a year I suppose.
If anyone's interested in checking it out ... here's the link.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Carpe Diem
Was forwarded this quote by monkey today ... really liked it ...
It's from Dead Poet's Society .. I guess I need to watch that movie ;)
They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
It's from Dead Poet's Society .. I guess I need to watch that movie ;)
They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
Monday, October 09, 2006
A ‘pinch’ of Brown
Till now I’d read a lot about racial discrimination. About apartheid. About the ‘blacks’. About the ‘dalits’. About the ‘untouchables’. About the great leaders who tried to fight it. About wars. About various genres of music being inspired in slave ghettos.
I’d seen movies like American History X showing a side of the white supremists. I’d read about some of them ‘punks’ here in Poland with their haircuts and swastika tattoos, etc.
But finally when I came face to face with racial discrimination … it was in the form of a sweet looking girl not much older than I am. We went to this restaurant to have dinner … 5 Indians. We sat and ordered whatever we could understand. We were just sitting and talking like any other human being in the place. Then this sweet looking girl comes up to us and asks us “Where are you from ?”.
We reply normally, “India”.
She asks “You’re a long way from home … how come ?”.
We tell her how we’re in Poland and that we’re just traveling in her city.
Then all a sudden ... the sweet smile changed into devilish grin. “Well you chose the wrong country to come !”
Puzzled, we ask, “why do you say that ?”
With contempt in her eyes she answers back, “ because you are not welcome here”
Still confused with why suddenly the world was shifting under our feet, we ask her, “why ?”
And that’s when it hits us when she says very matter of factly with a remorseless smile, “Because you’re brown”.
Whatever happened after that is not worth mentioning. To say the least after a little more conversation we just left the place … with our prides hurt.
The very next emotion that hits you after experiencing something like that is anger. Immense, uncontrollable, irrational and scorching anger. Your mind races, it replays that moment again and again in order to understand what just happened and seeks to answer why the hell … why ? I mean we had done nothing wrong. Beneath our Brown skin we were like just any other mortal sitting under that roof having a meal just like anyone else. And still we were not welcome. Still we had to gather the pieces of our shattered egos and prides and walk away. Irrational. And exactly that is the reason why we shouldn’t have. We try to fool ourselves to believe that we should’ve stayed there and ‘stood by our rights’ only to have been more brutally demeaned later on. Anger.
That night it was just so difficult to sleep. Lying in bed, the transition from a smile to those contemptuous eyes kept reappearing again and again. A big question mark kept knocking on my forehead with a hammer. Finally, somewhere in the midst of a million thoughts and feelings, I drifted away …
The next morning was much calmer. My brain more rational. I re-winded to time since we came here. I met all those nice people again. Normal people. I realized that this was just one bad incident. One in a million that I’d had so I shouldn’t be bothered. I remember reading about the little fraction of people who were like that.
And then I miss home. I remember not remembering a single incident in my country where some white or black or brown or small eyed or big nosed human being was told that he was not welcome. Sure we do harass people … probably for their money or probably some really horny Indian touches a white woman in a place where he shouldn’t have … but then they’re still all welcome. They’re still not told to leave. Sure we may have racial discrimination within our country …. But then that’s here as well ! I don’t understand for what reason the western countries call themselves great while belting out such humiliation to people on the other hand. Yes I am hurt. Still. I know it’ll get better. I know I’ll meet more people here who’ll gradually erase this bad memory. But the lesson still remains. The comparison will still stand tall with my country’s shadow on the others. My respect for my country still increases.
Of course one of my other brown friends also experienced a similar incident … but chuck it.
Thinking about it more rationally. You realize how insecure these people are. Someone’s not welcome in your house only when you consider him in some way a threat. Now whatever the reason may be … superstitious and irrational, religious, economical or whatever … these people just show their insecurity.
Anywayz … I’ve overturned this experience on its head as everything has a good side to it as well.
Moreover, as someone with a more progressive thinking I realize the kind of difference that exist and the cross cultural gaps that need bridging. One realized the kind of challenges facing the third rock from the sun from becoming a whole. One appreciates the efforts of people like Nelson Mandela and countless others in history for fighting something so arbit and irrational and yet so strong. One realizes the greatness about being brown.
I’d seen movies like American History X showing a side of the white supremists. I’d read about some of them ‘punks’ here in Poland with their haircuts and swastika tattoos, etc.
But finally when I came face to face with racial discrimination … it was in the form of a sweet looking girl not much older than I am. We went to this restaurant to have dinner … 5 Indians. We sat and ordered whatever we could understand. We were just sitting and talking like any other human being in the place. Then this sweet looking girl comes up to us and asks us “Where are you from ?”.
We reply normally, “India”.
She asks “You’re a long way from home … how come ?”.
We tell her how we’re in Poland and that we’re just traveling in her city.
Then all a sudden ... the sweet smile changed into devilish grin. “Well you chose the wrong country to come !”
Puzzled, we ask, “why do you say that ?”
With contempt in her eyes she answers back, “ because you are not welcome here”
Still confused with why suddenly the world was shifting under our feet, we ask her, “why ?”
And that’s when it hits us when she says very matter of factly with a remorseless smile, “Because you’re brown”.
Whatever happened after that is not worth mentioning. To say the least after a little more conversation we just left the place … with our prides hurt.
The very next emotion that hits you after experiencing something like that is anger. Immense, uncontrollable, irrational and scorching anger. Your mind races, it replays that moment again and again in order to understand what just happened and seeks to answer why the hell … why ? I mean we had done nothing wrong. Beneath our Brown skin we were like just any other mortal sitting under that roof having a meal just like anyone else. And still we were not welcome. Still we had to gather the pieces of our shattered egos and prides and walk away. Irrational. And exactly that is the reason why we shouldn’t have. We try to fool ourselves to believe that we should’ve stayed there and ‘stood by our rights’ only to have been more brutally demeaned later on. Anger.
That night it was just so difficult to sleep. Lying in bed, the transition from a smile to those contemptuous eyes kept reappearing again and again. A big question mark kept knocking on my forehead with a hammer. Finally, somewhere in the midst of a million thoughts and feelings, I drifted away …
The next morning was much calmer. My brain more rational. I re-winded to time since we came here. I met all those nice people again. Normal people. I realized that this was just one bad incident. One in a million that I’d had so I shouldn’t be bothered. I remember reading about the little fraction of people who were like that.
And then I miss home. I remember not remembering a single incident in my country where some white or black or brown or small eyed or big nosed human being was told that he was not welcome. Sure we do harass people … probably for their money or probably some really horny Indian touches a white woman in a place where he shouldn’t have … but then they’re still all welcome. They’re still not told to leave. Sure we may have racial discrimination within our country …. But then that’s here as well ! I don’t understand for what reason the western countries call themselves great while belting out such humiliation to people on the other hand. Yes I am hurt. Still. I know it’ll get better. I know I’ll meet more people here who’ll gradually erase this bad memory. But the lesson still remains. The comparison will still stand tall with my country’s shadow on the others. My respect for my country still increases.
Of course one of my other brown friends also experienced a similar incident … but chuck it.
Thinking about it more rationally. You realize how insecure these people are. Someone’s not welcome in your house only when you consider him in some way a threat. Now whatever the reason may be … superstitious and irrational, religious, economical or whatever … these people just show their insecurity.
Anywayz … I’ve overturned this experience on its head as everything has a good side to it as well.
Moreover, as someone with a more progressive thinking I realize the kind of difference that exist and the cross cultural gaps that need bridging. One realized the kind of challenges facing the third rock from the sun from becoming a whole. One appreciates the efforts of people like Nelson Mandela and countless others in history for fighting something so arbit and irrational and yet so strong. One realizes the greatness about being brown.
Wait for me
A beautiful song by an Indian Band.
The website is a must visit and you can download their songs from there as well.
Here's a sampler ... wait for me
All around me I see light I see the darkness in full flight
All around me, when I touch your face You fly away like the butterflies
Into the night, into the light You never wait for me
Into the night of sunshine Please won't you wait for me
Surrounded in smoke and sound
In clouds of dust I go and drown
In the distance you run again
You scream out loud just turn around
And you wait for me For I couldn't see
you never wait for me
Into the night of sunshine
Please won't you wait for me
Running in the sand, like a free bird
All that you wanted
And you're coming in to land
To fly away again
Into the sand
And you're drowning in the sea
You're alive and you're free
And from the mountains
You will fall but you won't crawl
Never again never again
You my moon
You kiss the waves goodbye
You show your same face to me
Crying, yet so free
And you wait for me
For I couldn't see
you never wait for me
Into the night of sunshine
Please won't you wait for me
The website is a must visit and you can download their songs from there as well.
Here's a sampler ... wait for me
All around me I see light I see the darkness in full flight
All around me, when I touch your face You fly away like the butterflies
Into the night, into the light You never wait for me
Into the night of sunshine Please won't you wait for me
Surrounded in smoke and sound
In clouds of dust I go and drown
In the distance you run again
You scream out loud just turn around
And you wait for me For I couldn't see
you never wait for me
Into the night of sunshine
Please won't you wait for me
Running in the sand, like a free bird
All that you wanted
And you're coming in to land
To fly away again
Into the sand
And you're drowning in the sea
You're alive and you're free
And from the mountains
You will fall but you won't crawl
Never again never again
You my moon
You kiss the waves goodbye
You show your same face to me
Crying, yet so free
And you wait for me
For I couldn't see
you never wait for me
Into the night of sunshine
Please won't you wait for me
Friday, September 22, 2006
Flight of ecstacy
That's how my first flight was :)
not because of the service ... Turkish airlines service is really crappy and the cabin crew is pathetic. It was because of the thrill of being 10,400 m in the air and cruising at 840 km/h !!!
The take off is the best part of the whole experience. You're sitting nicely in your seat when all of a sudden there's this huge force and u start accelerating ... 50km/h ... 100 km/h ... 300 km/h ... and then just take off !! All of that just in some 10-15 seconds !!! Fast cars are a fantasy of the past now for me. It's the skies now that I wanna zoom in !
After climbing to around 10,000 meters it's just a completely different world up there. Walking around in some serene landscape with waterfalls and streams and lush greenery etc. etc. like they show in wall paintings is one thing. Zooming around in mammoth but so still as those wall sceneries is something completely different. It's a very humbling experience of sorts as well. Each cloud is a gigantic island in themselves ... yet they float so calmly over the skies.
I dunno about someone else ... but i thought they were very beautiful !
Here's some pictures as taken from my window :)
not because of the service ... Turkish airlines service is really crappy and the cabin crew is pathetic. It was because of the thrill of being 10,400 m in the air and cruising at 840 km/h !!!
The take off is the best part of the whole experience. You're sitting nicely in your seat when all of a sudden there's this huge force and u start accelerating ... 50km/h ... 100 km/h ... 300 km/h ... and then just take off !! All of that just in some 10-15 seconds !!! Fast cars are a fantasy of the past now for me. It's the skies now that I wanna zoom in !
After climbing to around 10,000 meters it's just a completely different world up there. Walking around in some serene landscape with waterfalls and streams and lush greenery etc. etc. like they show in wall paintings is one thing. Zooming around in mammoth but so still as those wall sceneries is something completely different. It's a very humbling experience of sorts as well. Each cloud is a gigantic island in themselves ... yet they float so calmly over the skies.
I dunno about someone else ... but i thought they were very beautiful !
Here's some pictures as taken from my window :)
feels like you can just walk on them :)
flying into the sunset
Thursday, September 14, 2006
My new phone :)
Due to the sad demise of my previous, Nokia 1100, I have just purchased a new Motorola L6. The 1100 was washed and rinsed thoroughly in the washing machine as someone forgot to take it out of the pocket before putting the shorts in for washing.
But thanx to that .. I have this beauty now :)
But thanx to that .. I have this beauty now :)
Sunday, September 03, 2006
T minus 16 days and counting
Counting very fast at that !
Now that I've come back home from college, I feel as clueless as Alice in Wonderland.
I have this danting feeling that I have to do a lot .. but just don't know what !
I know I'm leaving in 16 days ... But I haven't even made a single checklist till now. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem if I was just going down to Ooty. But this is Poland ! And I'm staying there for 90 days exactly ! I think I should start making atleast a rough list rather than sitting on the net and typing away arbit stuff... But then that wouldn't be even half the fun :)
I have finally decided to not travel to the schengen countries. There are a few reasons for it but money being the main one. I just don't wanna spend more than 50k travelling for just 10 days in Europe. For my mind it just doesn't make sense that I'm taking so much money from my folks just for travelling and that too just 10 days. I think I can make that trip later as well.
But that doesn't mean that I won't travel at all ! Surely I'll travel to every nook and corner that Poland has to offer. And then I'll go skiing and mountain climbing :)
I really don't know the kind of people that are coming with me to Poland. One seems spaced out, one seems too serious and one I just don't know. I'm sure they're all pretty nice people ... But I just don't know. And they're nice doesn't mean we'll gel.
All said and done, there's one reason that's really holding me back from going. I just don't feel like leaving when some people are here. (It's crappy)
But nonetheless, the countdown has begun ... :)
I think i'll start making a list now :)
Now that I've come back home from college, I feel as clueless as Alice in Wonderland.
I have this danting feeling that I have to do a lot .. but just don't know what !
I know I'm leaving in 16 days ... But I haven't even made a single checklist till now. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem if I was just going down to Ooty. But this is Poland ! And I'm staying there for 90 days exactly ! I think I should start making atleast a rough list rather than sitting on the net and typing away arbit stuff... But then that wouldn't be even half the fun :)
I have finally decided to not travel to the schengen countries. There are a few reasons for it but money being the main one. I just don't wanna spend more than 50k travelling for just 10 days in Europe. For my mind it just doesn't make sense that I'm taking so much money from my folks just for travelling and that too just 10 days. I think I can make that trip later as well.
But that doesn't mean that I won't travel at all ! Surely I'll travel to every nook and corner that Poland has to offer. And then I'll go skiing and mountain climbing :)
I really don't know the kind of people that are coming with me to Poland. One seems spaced out, one seems too serious and one I just don't know. I'm sure they're all pretty nice people ... But I just don't know. And they're nice doesn't mean we'll gel.
All said and done, there's one reason that's really holding me back from going. I just don't feel like leaving when some people are here. (It's crappy)
But nonetheless, the countdown has begun ... :)
I think i'll start making a list now :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
