Question

Don't you ever get tired of running to stay in the same spot?

An eventful weekend

The weekend kicked off to a promising start with the Legend of Zorro on Friday night. Clean fun, tempered to suit family audiences. Nice action, great chemistry between the leads, cute kid. The only dampener was a rather lame second half. Lazy day on Saturday - re-read The Lighting Thief, night out with friends. Terror on Sunday morning with the Delhi blasts, calls to friends to make sure they're alright, thoughts for the one I cannot reach, movie in the evening. Into the Blue was a good way to kill time. Jessica Alba, Paul Walker - what bodies! Got back itching to read my new SFF.

Rocking on Saturday night

Prerna, the annual fest hosted by NITIE, Powai organised a rock show on Saturday night. The anchor performance that night was by a band named Orange Street. Their music is what would be best termed as progressive, fusion rock. Great show. The band made up for a poor sound system by playing real good stuff, including Nirvana and Pink Floyd. But the highlight of the show was one of their own numbers "Naash". Try it on their website. Cool guys. Anirban, the frontman, was a real treat to watch, incredible energy. And the rather cute guitar player, Donny. A real treat after a mad, mad week at work.

Lithium

I'm so lonely, but that's okay, I shaved my head ...
And I'm not sad
And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard ...
But I'm not sure
I'm so excited, I can't wait to meet you there ...
But I don't care
I'm so horny, but that's okay ...
My will is good

I like it, I'm not gonna crack
I miss you, I'm not gonna crack
I love you, I'm not gonna crack
I killed you, I'm not gonna crack...

God bless Kurt Cobain!

Right now

A weekend of languor never fails to recompense for a week of toil. But languor also bring thoughts, rushing through the head like a herd of stampeding bisons. Memory, touch, taste, something precious shattered to smithereens, blood, fear, something trampled upon, crumbled to dust. The past is sad, the future scary. Right now is blessed.

The new bond

Its official, Daniel Craig will be the new 007. Haven't seen any of his movie yet, but really wanted to see 'Mother' and 'Layer Cake' when the reviews came out. Bookmakers have been quick to write him off. Apparently he isn't cool enough,and people feel he's going to be a big flop. I say, give him a chance.

On marriage

Met a friend who is getting married in November to this guy her family has found for her. We spent some time discussing what it is like to move into a new family, with a man who is just short of a stranger. I am 26, an age where all my friends have either settled down, or are getting married soon. Earlier, it used to be just family that pestered me with questions like 'When are you going to get married?', but now even friends, colleagues and just about everybody else is doing the same. And a simple explanation like 'I don't feel like it' doesn't not suffice. A long winded explanation that includes my dislike for an arranged marriage, not having a boy friend etc doesn't satisfy people either. 'You better get married before you get too old, else you will have very little choice left' is the normal reaction. Well, I am enjoying being single right now, and I am prepared for the repercussions of choosing at do so at 'my age'. This definitely gets people to shut up. For a while.

How appalling!

The JAMMAG article not withstanding, IIPM has made sure that it gets enough negative publicity by threatening to sue (I wasn't aware that B-schools needed a "head of the legal and compliance counsel"!!) Gaurav Sabnis, who linked the post of an anonymous blogger claiming to be an ex-IIPM student, and causing his subsequent resignation from IBM. Perhaps its time that some authorised body was set up to validate B-schools and their claims in order to protect the interests of aspiring MBAs who end up spending a fortune on nothing at all.

Real dolls

'Aside from Sidore, Davecat has never officially dated anyone. He compares his interaction with women to a bodily reaction, something over which he has no control, much as he wishes that he could meet a woman who breathes. "People who are allergic to roses can enjoy artificial roses," he says. "In the same way, artificial women serve the same purpose for men who are, in whatever way, allergic to real women".' This is as weird as it gets. Not to mention scary!

A tough choice

Recently, a friend had to choose knocking her career into shape over having a baby. Needless to say, it was a very tough decision, not to mention the guilt and pain associated with it. When she told me about her decision to terminate her pregnancy, my first reaction was shock, but then I realised that it must have been quite a difficult decision to make. After all, she has worked hard to get where she is, and made enough comprises to accommodate marriage and a husband, and she needs more time before she is ready to have a baby. While some people might question the ethics, morals, and everything else of an abortion, at the end of the day, it is the woman's choice, something she'll have to live with, and not anybody else's concern. Its all well to express outrage and shock over 'killing a new life', 'couldn't you have been more careful' and all that jazz, but one should not presume that it was easy for the woman to do what she did.

Just one of those days

Ever had one of those day when nothing is apparently wrong, the boss is not yelling at you, your parents are proud of you, your friends are all around, and yet there is this nagging feeling that you aren't as happy as you should be, something does feel right? Then you tell yourself that you're just being absurd and things are really hunky dory, but that feeling wont go away.

God bless Tim Foreman

While record companies are trying to prevent fans from "ripping" off their CDs through Digital Rights Management (DRM), some musicians are actually telling their fans how to beat the system. "It is heartbreaking to see our blood, sweat and tears over the past two years blurred by the confusion and frustration surrounding new technology." said Tim Foreman of Switchfoot, who actually posted a link to CDEX, a software that disables DRM protection. Good to know that atleast a few musicians are worried about their fans.

Don't read trash!

The sight of someone reading Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist never fails to make me wince! Paulo Coelho is supposedly "one of the most widely read, influential authors" today. I consider The Alchemist to be one of the most trashy books I've read. Pop philosophy makes good bestsellers, but what about gullible kids (and adults!) who get carried away by such absurdity? I do what I can by telling people I know not to read authors like Coelho and Richard Bach. So, if you are reading this blog, let me tell you this - If you want to read something good, read Dostoyevsky or Sartre instead. Or if you want something newer, try Ishiguro. But stay away from books like The Alchemist!