2010

1) Intern
2) Graduation
3) Job
4) History
5) Economics
6) Anthropology
7) Astronomy
8) Chess
9)
10)

Hail Thee

Imagination is the strongest weapon one can possess.
No government can steal it. No torture can destroy it.
And most importantly, you can turn the bitch around
that dumped you and fuck her the way you want...all in your head.
Hail thee.

O

Life goes full circle---> We struggle our asses off through this life, just to achieve "shooonya"?
Is that what it means?
p.s-For those who don't know what "shoonya" means--> You've learnt/missed "nothing".

Swine Flu

The pigs are flying. That's what a granny told her grandson when she heard about swine flu. And that kept ringing in my ears. There has been too much of a hype regarding swine flu. People
are so scared. There are masks. There is Tamiflu. And there are plenty of other industries burgeoning thanks to the fear of "swine flu".

I fell victim to the mass hysteria too. I fell ill day before yesterday. I mailed my prof telling him that I was not feeling quite well and that I couldnt work. So, I bunked work yesterday. And stayed back home and slept the whole day. Kuttappa prepared soup for me at 1am. Srikari put an extra blanket on me and I woke up today morning feeling all warm and comfortable. Rakesha made super delicious rasam and I devoured the food as though I'd never eaten before.

It was Melissa that instilled in me the fear of swine flu. My nose was running and there were these occassional coughs. I had a very slight fever which am not sure if even the thermometers would detect. But well- "it could have been swine flu".

And so, today, I paid my visit to the Health Services office after what seemed to me like ages. Yeah. The last time I visited was for the mandatory TB test that all international students have to undergo. That was over an year ago.

I find it very funny the way these guys handle patients. The nurse was a caucasian woman with a very thick accent. She must have been about forty. She asked me a hundred and one questions regarding my health and general well being. I was taken to the point of getting "pissed". And then she took my temperature and told me that I had a very slight fever and that my symptoms were not pronounced enough to make any proper evaluations. She said "from what you have told me, I think you have the normal head cold and not swine flu. But in case you do fall extremely ill during the weekend, I would suggest you to get admitted in the emergency ward immediately. "

What made an impression on me was the detail in which these guys tell us things. After telling me what to eat, what to drink, how to take rest and how to avoid exersion, she went on to tell me that it would be very wise for me to not have sex during the weekend. She said "don't have sex this weekend and avoid kissing... you don't want your loved ones to fall sick right." I could'nt help smiling. If I'd visit a doctor in India- this is one thing I wouldn't be told for sure! Now I guess I ll hit my bed again. Let's hope: "the symptoms don't get more pronounced." :)

Doomsday

Everyone is worried about 2012 and Doomsday that has been the point of discussion- not just between friends or religious leaders but also between scientific communities the world over. Since times immemorial human beings have been worrying about the D-day and what they would say to their loved ones when it actually arrived.

School kids would say to their moms: "Mom, see, you know I love you, but you stupid woman you forced me to go to school. Whats the point now?." Teenagers would confess their true feelings: "I have loved you all my life." Married Couples would crib too:"I always hoped Doomsday would be true only for you..holy crap.. why me?"

Religious people would do lots of things too: Celibate monks, Ulemas and evangelists would visit strippers, the Brahmakumaris would join Osho's Ashram, the Digambaras would wrap themselves up in clothes for a change and Putabharthi Sai Baba would make love to a kid in public.

The Americans would nuke the middle east, people in the middle east would castrate each other, India would give away Kashmir to Pakistan and Pakistan would give it away to Taliban and Taliban would in turn give it away to the Lobbies controlling The White House. And if Barack Obama continues to be the president upto that day, he ll name it The Black House.

And when all this is happening- The Australian paratroopers will be busy hunting down camels in airstrikes in the deserts of that stupid continent down under. And if you think I am bull-shitting you better read this piece of shit.

Ah!

Ah! Life is good. Things have finally fallen in place.
That was one thing that was eluding me for quite
some time and here I am, totally enjoying myself
at the moment.

My research is going on smoothly and summer has
been very productive so far. My routine is kinda set.
I wake up around 9 in the morning, have a quick shower,
quick cup of coffee with a few slices of toasted bread,
then I work from 10:30 to 2 and come back home for lunch.
I get back by 3:00 and work till 6:30. One good thing that
has happened is that I've started concentrating on my
physical fitness. I was a sloth all these days and owing to good food,
I put on weight. My frail body somehow revolted against
the burden of extra fat that accrued along the circumference
of my belly. I started feeling "pregnant". And there
was nothing else to do but burn it up.

And so started my quest for physical fitness. I've been running a lot.
Apart from running on peoples mind, I've started running on the
special running tracks that are housed in UTA's
Mavericks Activity Center(MAC).
I started off day before with almost 10 laps.(9laps=1 mile).
Today I increased it to 15. Burnt additional 300 calories on some
weird equipment that I used for the first time.

There are so many varieties of walkers and cycles that come
with the incentives of semi clad chicks who work out on those.
So, lets hope this good habit of mine continues for a long time
(Am sure it will! :P) My MAC partner is Rakesha with whom
I discuss all kashta-sukha and thanks to him, I cant complain of
lack of company to walk all the way upto MAC. I will have to first
get rid of the extra 2Kgs that I have put on.

Running feels good. I've always wanted to run a semi marathon.
But never had the dedication. And with pathetic fitness levels,
I had lost all motivation also. Good things are happening at last.
I get back home and have a quick shower again and then do
some naatak/kirik and sleep off between 12:3o and 2:00.
And the cycle continues. It is already 2:15am and So........
Ciao! I hope I get a chance to write more often!

Shit Happens

And it has happened yet again.

India, R.I.P

Taradiddle of a Renegade

Birth begets life, life sires tragedy.
the ignorant hail birth, the philosophers use condoms.

Money begets education, education sires desires,
the ignorant preach nonchalance, the philosophers abhor balance.

Job begets money, money sires honey,
the ignorant seek job, the philosophers just rob.

Naivety begets heartbreak, heartbreak sires experience,
the ignorant seek experience, the philosophers pursue pleasure.

Love begets hate, hate sires misery,
the ignorant seek love, the philosophers raise a brow.

Trust begets deception, deception sires cynicism,
the ignorant seek trust, the philosophers go after lust.

Time passes, life moves, beget and sire, the cycle continues,
the ignorant live in sobriety, the philosophers champion depravity.

At 60, the days are numbered,
there is nothing to beget, nothing to sire,
the ignorant run to Agra and the philosophers resort to viagra.

Do we really need God

I have modified this post because a few of my friends did not want me to show the extremism that existed within their respective religions. By no means were the videos that I had posted previously "factually erroneous". However, if people choose to be ignorant, that's their personal choice.

My Hindu friends said "That is not true, Hindus are never the attackers. Drinking cow's urine is good for health. etc" Health reasons?? Give me a break!!
My Muslim friends said " The videos you posted were biased. Yes, true that The Quran says kill all infidels, but that is not without a reason. " Killing cannot be justified, it is barbaric.
My Christian friends said " Extremism?? What are you talking about, We indulge only in charity". Dangerously subtle but the real motive for doing charity cannot be hidden for long.

This being the case, all I can say is, people are ready to believe their respective scriptures even though they have "flagrant human rights violations preached" such as "Kill all non-believers", "Beat up your wives to establish control", "Either convert or kill" etc. Theists come up with unreasonable arguments to establish the infallibility of their (un)Holy(?) Scriptures.

Raise your kids as atheists. Nobody is born "an infidel", religions make them so. Just recollect the mere numbers of people killed due to religious fanaticism. The magnitude is staggeringly alarming. Get rid of religions. This is my sincerest request to all the people who are capable of thinking for themselves. Let not the hypocritical society that you are surrounded by botch up your "free thinking" ability. For further information on this : Check out Richard Dawkins videos on Youtube.

This Morbid Reality

Haven't you never wondered, How hurt I could be,
You left me undead, torn apart, for everyone to see.

Haven't you never wondered, what I'd do, where I'd go,
with dreams dissolved, hurt heart, you left me so low.

You were always the seeker, you preferred affected affection,
than the true love, that was never part of the painted perfection.

Haven't you never wondered, how you would feel,
if your memories were maligned, with no hope to heal.

Haven't you never wondered, why I loved you,
It was the faith feigned, that I believed was true.

Haven't you never wondered, why this heart still aches,
there never was love, no trust,everything was what you faked.

How will you ever wonder, you are debauched, wanton filled with dope,
you got me addicted to you, and left me with a noose, a rope.

And all along, I withered like a carrion,
writhing and squirming, silence was my clarion.

And now, look what you've made of me- a libertine, an incontinent tope,
I am the benighted beloved, don't fetter me to the misery of hope.

And you, you'll never understand, what you meant to me,
You could impale me, tear me apart, but you'd still see yourself in me,

You are now the living dead, you have become like me..
this morbid reality..this is how it was always meant to be...

This morbid reality.. this is how it was always meant to be..

p.s- This work is a product of the inspiration I derived from a poem by Mirza Ghalib.
People who associate it with anything else.. Go get a life! And yeah- misery sells!

The Divine Plan

He had been a devout Christian all his life. Till yesterday.
He lost faith. Into him, entered the feeling of incompleteness.
He did not feel at peace anymore. He did not feel the
"Love of God" anymore. All he could feel was the "Chaos"
in this world that he was a part of for the last 64 years of his
existence. His gray hair had nothing to do with the wisdom he had
accumulated. It was a reflection of the days he had spent on this
planet.

Twenty four hours ago, he declared, to the world,
that he had disowned his religion, his trust in God
and in the power of an Almighty who controlled everything.

And Today. A drop of tear rolled down from his misty eyes.
His wife, his Love, and his companion for the last 40 years, who
was everything to him, lay cold and still in front of him.

Uneasiness filled up his head as guilt crept into him.

God Reloaded

This is the most hilarious video I've ever seen.

Irony

His silence was not his inability to speak. It was her inability
to understand. Yet, his inexorable belief in his capacity to turn
his destiny around pushed him further into the bottomless abyss
of hope.

He used to play around with words.
He hadn't realized.

She was playing around with him.

Lost in Translation

Be the tear, that'll drop down for the dear,
Be not the hope, which will keep them stranded, forever.

Be the night, that lasts for some hours,
Be not the memory, that stains their dreams, forever.

Be unfaithful, at least the mirage of faith wont last,
Be not the broken promise, that'll shatter someone forever.

Be the adversity, that'll help them learn their lesson,
Be not the sweet dream, which will not last forever.

Involved in this life, be a symbol of permanence,
cause transitory obsession, will lose Love, forever!

This is a very primitive translation of an explosive Hindi poem
written by a good friend of mine. Translations can never deliver
the impact of the original poem, but I am hoping that I've
done a decent job.The title of this poem reflects my state.
Please read the original here.

Defining Democracy

Democracy is when 100 people share 100 different views,
and finally, 51 gang up against the other 49.

And it becomes "DemoCrazy" when UPA comes to power!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Yes, "Once in a While" has turned one year old! Muaaah!!
My blog likes chocolates more than cakes!! :)

Scientist

Pre-Script:All pun intended.
Post-Pre-Script:Format used as in Technical Paper.

Problem Definition:

What Is Scientist?? We have,
1.1]His About me says:"I would like to hear that from u".
1.2]Look at his communities:
1.2.1]8085,Embedded Systems, HAM radio,ISRO layout
1.2.2]Save Trees of Bangalore, Civic sense

Experimental Evidence and Results:
2.1]Logical Deduction:
From 1.1 it is clear that in spite of his genius,
the scientist would like to hear more about himself from you. I am not sure if that is because he has got habituated to hear other people praising him or its because of his simplicity and humility. However, upon closer examination of his other communities, you will see him being a part of "Madhwa Brahmins", "Deshmukh family" and "Srikar" communities which strongly indicate his pride. This is quite contrary to the deduction that one makes from 1.1. However, I would like to add, from personal experience, that this chap out here, is going to make a difference whether you like him or not.

I would base my claim on the following:

2.1.1] He took up the responsibility to be the Father of our house!{I shall not entertain questions such as "who is the mother", cause that is beyond the scope of this testimonial}. He made sure there was law and order within the family and also took up the responsibility to cook twice a week because others were lazy to do so.

2.1.2] Myself and Rakesh were too tired and lazy to go out for lunch after the "pest control" that affected us more than the pests. We were lying like logs on our sleeping bags when "Scientist" gave us 10 minutes to get ready. Then, scientist left us to our plight and went off to subway to have lunch. And we, realized that there was nothing we could do and finally decided to wake up from our slumber. 10 minutes later, we got a call from Scientist asking us if we needed anything to eat from Subway.

That my friends is the real scientist for you. Pretending to be inconsiderate on the outside, but doing exactly the opposite! ]

2.1.3] Having said all of this, I d also like to add that He was the ONE, who deserted us at BIAL when we were all scared and apprehensive about our first journey abroad!


from 1.2.1-He is a Scientist without any doubts. It will be a (Inter)national loss if he doesn't take up PhD. Ask him anything about technology and he knows it. Yes. You'll feel he is putting your meanly existence to shame but at the same time you'll wonder in amazement at his technical knowledge and his skill sets.
Where else would u find a person who would go to his lab even on International Holidays and work for 15 hours a day. Where else would u come across a person who gets a technical paper in his name within 4 months of becoming an RA.
Scientist was the first person who started cooking in our house. Clearly shows how well he can "engineer food".He makes the best "Rasam" in our house.

from 1.2.2-He is part of "Civic Sense" and "Save Trees in Bangalore" which is quite ironic because he is the first person who pollutes the house with his large reserves of Hydrogen Sulphide!!! Scientist, was a good boy when he came here. So we thought, until one fine day when he suddenly cracked "Ganji" joke. And from then on, me and Scientist have been battling for the "MOST POLY PERSON" Award.I would say, he is the only person who could give me close competition.

Conclusions:
Anyway, all in all, Scientist/Srikar/Dexter/Sricurry is one person I totally adore. I Love you scientist.{He says he doesn't love me ..anyway..} May God bless you and give you the best in life.

Important: Scientist had offered me 10$ to gross out Rakesh which I successfully did. I still haven't received the payment. I shall not let u go so easily putta..

Race Horse or Donkey?

Me: I m bored of technical stuff dad, let me study what I feel driven towards....... There are so many things to do in this world.

Dad: Are you Mad? Why can't you be practical and pragmatic I say? What do you want to do anyway?

Me: I am considering literature courses. After coming to the US, I've developed deep interest towards Indian History. I've also realized that I cannot keep doing technical stuff throughout my life.

Dad: Immaturity. I thought I'll make a race horse out of a donkey. At least donkeys are made to carry weights. You were better off before going to US!

Me: I guess so. Anyways, this is what am considering. I'll finish MS for your sake :) (I said that),
then I ll take up History/Literature courses. I am even planning to invest some time everyday in Chess.

Dad: Who ll feed you? You think Chess will earn you your bread butter("yup, he thinks bread-butter has become my staple food")?

Me: I'll manage. Besides, am just 21. People who are here doing MS are at least 24 years old. Do you realize what this means??? I've stepped into the "World" a lot earlier than all my peers. I can do lot more things for self improvement. For me, money is not the only thing in life.

Dad: You have totally lost it. If you pursue all those things you mentioned, no company will hire you, they ll think you would have forgotten technical stuff. Then you ll have to become some history teacher for which you ll not even be paid properly. Think about it.. Your friends will be earning lot more than you and you ll feel stupid about everything. And am not talking any further. You have become very stubborn and indifferent. If you respect my feelings, you will not do anything stupid.
(End of Conversation)

And I started to listen to:
Heart Sutra
God bless all!

Spring Break

......and so, I invested the last 24 hours in recuperating!All I did was watch arbit stuff on YouTube. That was before I crashed into bed at 4:00pm. I slept through the evening and finally woke up at 11.00pm. Upon the insistence of Srikar, I finally decided to watch "Swades-We the people". I was touched.
I realize what am missing. Home sweet home! Sometimes weird thoughts cross my mind. Staying away from home, my family, friends and my whole world that defined me till I was in India, now, trying to carve an identity for myself. Is it really worth all the effort am putting in here? What I ve learnt after coming to US is that no matter where a person goes, the emotions, memories and the sense of belonging, associated with "Home" always stays!

Anything associated with India or home makes me nostalgic. I go back in time. It is such an incredible experience to feel the moments you had once experienced pass by you again. This time, its just that you are watching it with awe, like a spectator, but remembering the emotions that ran at that time. Yes, I reiterate. Remembering the emotions. Feeling is what happens only once. I ll leave you to think about it.

But here is something that I would love to share:

The 10 best posts of mine till date and why I like them the most:

10)Diamond Studded Golden Shoes
My first attempt at fiction on a blog. I remember the days, when laptop was a luxury. I used to write in a diary. That tiny diary that housed the figments of my imagination. That tiny diary of mine had more stories than all these posts put together on both my blogs. It is just that they were all one page attempts at writing something creative. And I have experienced evolution. I feel it deep within. Anyway, this was written aeons ago when I was new to blogging. Clearly, it is written in the most informal way. Sms style "de" instead of "the" has been used indiscriminately. I must admit, I was an sms addict. I wonder how I am able to survive here in the US without my phone beeping! This post tries to connect the past with the present. Magical Realism?? Let me know!
09)Time
When I read this post, I smile to myself. I am pretty good at writing. The beauty of this post is that it was written at a Time when I was emotionally wrecked. Being in that state and writing everything that would indicate to that state of mind, I did not reveal the reasons for it on the blog. I think its that subtle aspect which stands out in this post.
08)Global Warming
I had got my admits. There was the writing on the wall. US was just a Visa away. I was still not sure about what I wanted to do in my Masters. I had watched "The Inconvenient Truth". It had brought in a new sense of direction in me. I knew what I was going to be working at. And what amazes me is, today- I am actually working on something that belongs to the future- the generation next stuff. An ecologically safe fuel. In writing that post, I had made use of a dictionary in order to come up with all those hi funda words. I did not want to forget the words I had learnt for GRE. And the best part about that post is I did "think of" 5 reasons that make Global Warming a "Good phenomenon" :P
07)Skewed Sex Ratio
This post was written with respect to my sister. Now she is married and settled in life with an awesome guy. I am glad. It ll take a couple of years before I ll have to look at that post again and start feeling scared. Till then, you guys can read it and comment.
06)Ignorance is Bliss
Description of pain. Of leaving the innocence of sobriety and venturing into the depths of benighted inebriety. It is a memorable occassion when alcohol and smoke find their way into your body for the first time. And it leads to Ignorance. Ignorance is bliss.
05)The Girl
Horror story. Was narrated to me by my dad when I was a kid. Such lasting memories!
04)The Hostel
Another Horror story again, a personal experience of my dad which I masalafied to result in The Hostel. Also added some elements from personal Hostel experience. This one got good reviews.
03)The Atma Theory
I thought it out. Creative work. Thats why this comes up on top. This post reveals my perception of why I turned out to be the Bad Kid in the family.
02)Human Beings can never be 100% Efficient
This one is probably one of the most profound posts you ll ever come across. Einstein would have applauded my efforts had he been alive. I wrote this as a response to our project guides constant taunting. Human beings can never be 100% efficient, but, compared to animals, aint we better?? Find out!
01)Excerpts from a Heart
Read it yourself! And yes, you got it right, I lost patience.

Present

Present is when the Past and the Future collide.

Past=Reality;
Future=Dreams;

Present is the intersection of Reality and the Dreams.

This post requires more thought.

OFF LOGIC

"When Love takes over, Logic is lost and when Logic takes over, Love is lost."
Thus spake Cheeku, when discussing life with his sister.

"And when both are lost, you become a Grad Student."
This struck me as an afterthought.

A Comedy of Errors

Srikar had the Rasam that I had prepared. He kind of liked it.
Later he complimented me "Macha, the Sambhar was sexy da" :)

A comedy of errors. Undoubtedly. I generally don't know what I am
cooking till I actually complete cooking. I usually start off by
frying onions which in 99pc of my dishes forms the main ingredient.
Once that is done I mix veggies along with it and generously add
various masalas that I can get hold of at that instant. Depending on
how the initial "mixture/concoction" has turned out, I decide on
the future course of action.

Today, again, I ventured into my cooking expedition. Started with
"oggarne". Once I was done with it, I added some mixed vegetables
that were left in our refrigerator. I wanted to get rid of that packet
since we had planned to go Wal-mart shopping. Once that was done,
I mixed the "bele" that I had cooked. Having done this much,
I thought I could make Rasam since the "mixed vegetables' were
insufficient to make regular "Sambhar". I added Rasam Powder.
The moment I tasted what I had prepared I knew what a mess
I had made of the "Rasam". Anyways. I boiled the concoction
for sometime. Added tomato puree to mask the taste.
This is one important lesson I've learned while cooking.
If you mess up-add as many things as possible.
Somehow, the resulting mixture becomes palatable :)
And another important rule: Never disclose what you are cooking.
Clearly- expectation leads to misery. If I had told Srikar that it was
Rasam that I had cooked, I wonder what response I would have got :)
All is well that ends well.
And am glad that am done with my cooking turn for this week :)

And how the flames saw their end......

And how the flames saw their end,
And how the flames saw their end,

The embers of love that were drenched in pain,
still trapped in the heart of the romantically slain,
the words congealed and the emotions drained,
acceptance of the reality forever restrained.

And how the flames saw their end,
And how the flames saw their end,

Valentine comes and goes every year,
memories of loved ones and all those dear,
the agony trapped in the parched lone tear,
and to love again is the biggest fear.

And how the flames saw their end,
And how the flames saw their end,

Cheating, lies and everything that you faked,
that stifled sob and the heart that ached,
and vice that tore emotions that were staked,
A thousand different lies leaving all the trust flaked.

Evolution

An year passed so quickly. Feb 10. See, I do love "dates" :) Charles Darwin rocks. Evolution is so true :) Ah... God bless me!

“There are no shortcuts in evolution.”
Louis D. Brandeis

Last Day

My last day of stay here before I get back my NRI status. Life as I see it is a collection of memories. I've now collected memories for 21 years. What astounds me is that this trip to
India tops the excitement and action that I ever experienced in my life. Change is Constant.
I used to contest that statement. But now, well, I can only sit and wonder. The person who came up with that statement must have been a saint or a philosopher. Such simple words. Such a profound implication.

This trip to India was real fun. I covered almost all topics that can be discussed in conversations with friends and relatives. Some memorable one on one conversations with a few of my friends. My "Dates". My active participation in making my sisters wedding a grand success. Those accidents on the roads of Bangalore and the ensuing arguments between people that I witnessed. People haggling over money matters, business, land, water, air, ego etc... The list is endless. The amalgamation of all these memories is what will keep me going for the next couple of years before I get back to India.

A sudden sense of dejection fills up my heart. I Love India. Genuinely. I prefer the miseries of the "developing country" to the luxuries of the "developed world". Yes. Please go ahead and call me a sensitive, sentimental fool. I accept it. I am. My home. My parents. My streets. My barber. My bus driver. My bus conductor. My autowala. My friends. My relatives. My land. My air. My water. My people. My Rupee....... Do you think these incentives are insufficient for me to make a decision? US may give me money but not the warmth that India gives me. I get a high when I see how rich Indian culture is. Our history is beyond what other people can even comprehend. I will definitely come back here. Cos, this is where I belong. Only when you go to another country will you realize that the only place on this earth for you is your homeland which will accept you unconditionally.
I just hope this kind of realization hits the people dwelling here. I hope by the time I return to this place people become aware of what we are heading towards. I see now, that it is imperative for us to try and revive a dying culture that has lasted 3000 years in spite of all the odds. Ah.. I love India.