The new normal

As a rule, I don't get too candid in my posts because I just don't. But I must take this opportunity to introduce you to the new normal of life, the universe and everything. I really hope someone (anyone) would prove me wrong.

If you have a problem with a person, just say it stupid. No don't put up a smile on the face for the person and then go whacko behind their back and bitch it out. The occasional bitching may be one of the small guilty pleasures of life, but persistant serial bitching is just evil masquerading around with a hologram halo on the head. Hologram halo on evil head - the new normal.

If you have issues in the head, then call it and deal with it. Don't run away from yourself and be someone you were not meant to be. Don't break homes, don't break love. Don't break promises made to yourself, don't snuff the life out of your self respect. Gullibility and stupidity is not a good excuse for lack of humanity. Be what you are, and know what you are, and do not pretend to be someone else. At least that has a touch of dignity. Hollow caricature dolls - the new normal.

If you have taken a decision, stick to it stupid. Unless you are a butterfly with the intellectual capacity of a sock, take a fucking call and stick to it. Its not that easy you say! Well of course it isn't, but you have been blessed with the gift of human mind and strength, do not be in denial of these gifts. The whole world isn't out to get you, make a call and stand up for it. "Its hard" isn't a good excuse for being a butterfly. Sock butterflies - the new normal!

Question life, question facts, and learn before you snap. Understand the reasons, and stop being ignorant and gullible. Blind refusal to see facts or lack of inquisitiveness will make you ignorant, and, consequently stupid. Please don't be stupid. If you do not want to keep in touch with a person, then don't. But DO NOT tell the person during a forced chance conversation that "we ought to catch up, lets figure out a way." Unless you are from the stone age and a complete arse of a person, do not pretend to want to keep in touch in a glorious era where we need to come up with technology which will actively prevent this keeping in touch business. Must murder intelligence with stupidity - the new normal.

Find love and smile. God bless you my friend, keep the music within and without (just like the highness.) The occasional smile for a friend who cooks brilliant chicken, the occasion content from the most touching birthday lunch, and the occasional joy of getting a yummy cake smashed on the face. Love the moments - the new normal.

And no, the last point is not where you have to prove me wrong! 

What’s going on?

Chaos is the answer. 

Its been there since the beginning of time, but off  late its been dancing around with some nonsensical catchy song, and it just refuses to leave. Chaos happens when you order 1 plate of Biriyani and the restaurent sends you 8 plates. When you get blisters from water hitting your finger, or when you tumble down a cliff after getting stuck in tree. Chaos happens when you fall up the stairs and the whole world explodes in your head. When you don't know where you are going or what's coming at you. It's not as fancy as Alice falling down some random hole into wonderland. Its like being in a dark hole struggling to make sense of it all. Its about hoping to find the right answers and asking the right questions. 

All I have learnt of hell is that it never leaves you, the only thing you can do is carry a piece of heaven within you.

refreshing perspective

Well ET did phone home and took off for a while. A fresh new perspective on all the things that meant nought and all those that are a bit close to the heart somewhat. While I can most sincerely say 'good riddance' to the year about to go by, well most of it was rather terrible, I realize that it would be quite a futile gesture. Here's to a year of absolute miseries, of utter chaos, of the bluest of blues, of a few moments of pute joy scattered here and there, and of a struggle for peace. There are some battles you lose, and some that you win, there are some that you won't fight, and there are those that you must. And then there are some battles that you go on fighting... for like Gamgee said, "coz there's some good to fight for."

With all the glorious battles, the dramas, the comedy of errors, the stolen kisses, and the moments of small romance, all those smiles and tears make one look at the past with such wistful glances. But the beauty of the past is only limited to what has been; the beauty of what is yet to be is unlimited, without a horizon beneath a golden sun. Here's to one step closer to the dream within, one step closer to loving, knowing, and feeling. One step closer to peace, to life, to God.

Happy new year!

ok now time for my cuppa ale. drink up me hearties. 

ET Phone Home (100th post)

Law 1: I have met 0.000000001 %  of the world's population, and I am allergic to 95% of the ones I have met. This law is also known as the Law of the Penguin.
Corollary: Ergo, all the people I love, are therefore, aliens. I am not allergic to them.

Here's to the froody aliens I know. Mama Roy and Mannequin, well, neither of you ever stood a chance of being from this world. Hobson, Akki, Tuli, Priyanka and our Jackass have demonstrated distinct Betelgeusean qualities too, and of course there are the occasional inter galactic travelers like pattoo, moony and such.

Thanks for visiting the third rock.

Oh and another thing...

We need Batman!

It took me 3 hours to get back home in the crazy rain, Anna Hazare and accident hit Delhi traffic. This gave me some time to reflect on the apparent 'in' thing today, the (so called) revolution that's changing our country's landscape.

The solution to all my problems, and Shoiba's problems (Shoiba is my househelp,) and all of Debu's problems (Debu is the dude who cleans gutters in our building) is an institution called Lokpal, which has baby brothers called Lokayukta. They are completely independent of the government (like Supreme Court and Election Commission,) and no minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations. They can prosecute any corrupt official (basically anyone who 'they' think are corrupt,) and put them behind bars. But of course this is a very honorable and noble thing.

Let's create a parallel body which is arbitrarily elected, and give that body the power to undermine democracy. Oh, and the ironic part is the demand to create a bill within the Indian constitution which will undermine the constitution. Let's all beg for future annihilation of democracy and the advent of dictatorship in the world's largest democracy.

With all due respect to Mr. Hazare, who I am sure has a noble cause, I fail to understand how this bill will effect the common man. The common man doesn't have a say in this bill, and if the common man wanted to invoke his right, he had the RTI! Who judges the 'integrity' of the Lokpal members? Who guarantees that the Lokpal won't hold democracy to ransom, and send off the the cabinet to jail, replacing the same with a dictator?

I am very sure the cabinet deserves to go to jail, and the entire system is corrupt. However, creating another system to undermine the fundamental policies (re:democracy) of the country is insane. Of course the bill will get Modi and his folks back in power, who will definitely not pass the bill. And somewhere down the line this revolution will be forgotten, and we will +1 the next big 'in' thing.

Below, more blah blahs of the Lokpal bill:

The members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.  The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months. CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.

We need Batman. End of story.

The Triumph of the Procastinatoros

Things that make you go hmm.  Lets get this straight. We like to mull over every single decision and action, pretending as if the ‘to be history’ of the world depended on that particular decision/action.  Thank God it does not. For if it did the history itself would have been wiped out of existence. This is just one of the many imaginative reasons that we give ourselves, and conveniently delay the moment of action/decision.

Once upon a time, right after the point there was no time, a giant walked the earth. He gazed across the lush untouched greens and the sweet gentle rivers gleaming beneath the young sun. He was asked by the powers that be to look out for places where life could begin. He thought for a while, he sat for a while and thought some more. He slept through the night and then went for a stroll in the garden, and then when he reached the deadline given to him by the boss, he extended it and thought for a bit more.

Yes my friend, procrastination is the reason behind the late coming of life on earth. Not evolution as some (read Darwin) would have you believe.  Procrastination!

The reason behind all the madness of life – the last minute creativity that leapt to the aid of Procastinatoros.  Calvin knows best.

finding god

I used to have faith in God. I say 'used to' because afters years of trial, the faith seems to have eroded a bit, and what used to be a massive boulder of strength has gradually eroded into a pebble - a rather small glimmer of hope that flickers on at times. Strength being energy still remains, not drawn from faith, but from forces of stubborn indifference or fear.

It's possible to find God in the most simplest of things. God, as Graham Greene put it, is possibly as simple as a perfect equation. The perfect poem read at the perfect time, the right words said at the right time. The song that soothes away the bitterness, the melody that brings a smile. That perfect shade of blue in the sky after a red sun. The perfect shade of red on the Goddess. The scent of a green forest or the sound of a sea upon rocks.

Misery, I suppose allows us to retreat into a shell and look upon the self with utmost care, sympathy and there begins a road of self understanding. I guess it would have been better to do the same in a moment of pure joy. Finding the self in a moment of a smile. Perhaps, thats what finding God is about. To know the misery and not let it touch the small pebble at all. To know the smile and let it shine the pebble.

Over and out

What?! That's it. Nothing much else to say.

Long live the left eye

My right eye punched my left eye after they had this huge fallout. On a brilliant Saturday, they woke up and argued over who made the better dream. They went on bickering until the evening,

and then they tried to resolve it over a drink. That of course didn't help.

The left eye went 'Fuck you! You don't have to be right always,' and the right eye shouted ' thats it I am tired of doing all the work.' He got up and punched left eye. Left eye had to pay for the bill too. And I am the one stranded without any dreams.

Sigh.

Depth of Field

There are those moments when you want to write, when you are desperate to put down an infinitesimal fraction of the thoughts fleeting through the head on paper. A drought of words to complement a flood of thoughts, a bit of an irony.

I wonder what one would think if they fell down a rabbit hole, the thoughts that would cross the mind as they fell past, and if it was possible to know and be aware of every single thought. I am not sure whether that would be a good thing, but what I am sure of is this: there is a lot of information in the mind which we knowingly or unknowingly ignore. Strands of thoughts that simply float with in a set frame, coming into focus at the set focal point. (Depth of field)

And here we go again

Thanks to the World Cup we have been witness to several showdowns. Here are a few forgettable ones and some more memorable ones:

• Several German ones and a handful of English ones... The match made every single English fan hope and pray they develop a mild form of partial amnesia. The defense was non existent and the strikers were on another planet. In fact England's game had the potential to cause severe internal hemorrhaging in the very few people rooting for them. To cut it short, they were horrific.
• 2 Oranje fans and a handful of Yellow Green ones: Brazil was 1-0 up and the quintessential favorite was all set for another semi final. The Brazil fans in Monsieur Basu's atrium were content with the team they were rooting for. Enter two Oranje obnoxious fans screaming their support for the other team. To the utter consternation of the green yellow jerseys, Netherlands won. It was quiet a treat to see the crest fallen faces of the very same people screaming Brazzzzzzzzziiiilll! I was loving it.
• Argentina and Germany: I have no recollection of this match.
  
• Netherlands vs Spain: Its the 2 Oranje fans against one octopus and a bunch of red Spaniards. We shall scream, we shall win, and then we shall cook the Octopus and eat it!

A letter to the Moi

* Written in Dublin, on Canal road on May 16th. This is a letter to myself. All characters implied are very real and are, therefore, not named. It can be yawn inducing, avoid reading!

Well this will probably add to the collection of posts that will not see the light of day for sometime. Its hard to imagine my world without the comfort of my own speech and the ability to express myself, which I do rather rarely.

Its even harder to imagine my world being a person I am not comfortable with, not giving every moment the best shot I could, out of fear of loss and disappointment. That was never a sustainable option, it could be a short term therapy. In fact, it is a great short term therapy! The keyword is 'short term.'

Its hardest to be the person I am at times, give every moment it's worth, and move on without expecting anything out of it... the amount of emotional turmoil that effort involves is borderline inhuman and can drain one of everything they loved in the first place. It does ultimately end up in a wondrous climax of a rare blissful moment, where you know you have achieved something after much toil. A sense of personal pride, content and a precious moment of romantique glory.

Its wonderful to dream, and to know, and then dream some more. Sooner you hope to reach a place where knowledge and dreams merge into a rather heady cocktail. Talk about the best bartender in the world!

The reason I have written this rather long discourse to myself is because I tend to overlook the quaint magic of these moments in the face of fear and disappointments. Its stupid to let it go, or even think of letting it go. Life would be far more ordinary without it, and of course then it would short term therapy time again, which is such a sheer waste of time.

* This is the first thing you should read when you are pissed off. This. Not Murphy's law.

** Do not listen to Radiohead or Floyd right now. Do not listen to U2 either.

*** Think about Tuna

**** If none of this has worked, have 5 shots of Whiskey and sleep, and wake up with a terrible hangover. The stupidity of the morning moment will overwhelm all other possible stupid courses you might have taken!

His holiness

*Photo: Satrajit Basu

*Photo: Satrajit Basu

*Photo: Satrajit Basu

*Photo: Satrajit Basu

*Photo: Satrajit Basu

*Photo: Aruni B

Fleeting thoughts

A race between time and dreams, seems like one of them will run out. Eventually.

Jump

Places and faces 2

Random blabberings

I have been trying to figure this one out for a while. As a rule I never dwell on a topic for more than five minutes. Some would tend to disagree, but I am referring to the thought process and not the associated mood. Why must everything be as insanely not right as it is, and why must it always be this tragically desperate?

Its highly annoying if the moment you solve one problem, another crops up instantly, and before you know it, the whole field is full of problems which have popped up like mushrooms. I love mushrooms. I, however, detest problems.

It like the moment you think you have nailed it, the 'it' is gone. whooosh :|

Places and faces

Winter dew and Old stone

Here and there

Sunshine ...

Portraits

Humayun's tomb