The Twisted Mind Within

Bang banged Khabba, Khabba banged bang

2011-09-11T19:26:00.000+05:30

http://numberfail.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/bang-banged-khabba-khabba-banged-bang

Seriously, this is what the Queen of Sheba has fallen to. Ridiculous.

There was a time when the Queen of Sheba expected the people to rush out and search. Now it promotes searching of a different kind. With bare minimum effort and lots of blabber on various forums. Seems like the very thing that people always accuse IITians of. Couch potatoes will definitely love this latest task. Bringing the whole hostel together in this Social event would never have been easier, especially when the inmates need not even move away from their beloved LAN.

As to the mystery that the whole world might have regarding Khabba, Banged (or Bang) or the whole act of banging involving these two, well let me not besmirch their non-existent honour by smashing down their closet door. But when else have two people given this much publicity to their amorous activities. Since India does not yet view homosexuality favourably, despite all the Pride Marches and everything, I would suggest these two new Cultural secretaries, in a long list of Officebearers in the past and the unending list yet to come, to kindly ruminate on the consequences of such actions.

New Blogger Dashboard

2011-06-09T19:01:00.002+05:30

It is good. I like where this is going.

A Birthday Invitation!

2011-06-08T23:54:00.003+05:30

Hello, and thanks for checking out my Birthday Wish!

For my birthday on June 15th, I'm asking my friends and family for a special gift: help me raise $250 for charity: water. It's a great cause that helps bring clean and safe drinking water to developing nations.

I chose charity: water because water is a basic need for all human beings and an essential means of survival.

Please consider giving to my Birthday Wish, and together we can make the world a better place. If you can't give now, I'd really appreciate if you'd share this page with your friends.

Thanks so much,

Rohit

Check it out

You have received this email from Causes. We like keeping in touch and letting you know about all the ways you can save the world but if you're not interested, you can unsubscribe.

Address: Causes, 88 Kearny St, Suite 2100, San Francisco, CA 94108 United States

The Way Things Work Out

2011-05-29T16:26:00.000+05:30

Never the way you want them to.
Never the way you thought they would.
Never following any reason.

10 Things about G

2010-09-18T17:03:00.000+05:30

7 things I like:

Her smile that beams like the sun peeking out from behind dark clouds.
Her voice - singing songs on the phone whenever I tell her to hold the line.
Her lips - the way she sips coffee or juice or cola or her vodka with sprite.
The way she tilts her head and flashes a smile every time someone tries to click her pic.
Her enthusiasm in dancing away any sorrow.
Her never-ending love for purple.
Her willingness to believe whatever I say, no matter how tall a tale it might be. :)

3 things I don't like:

The way she says nothing is wrong when things clearly are.
She never gives me any time to read my books and then goes ahead and reads her books. (iloveread.in)
She tells me to listen to a particular song but never ever sends me the song or the link to it. (My DC days are over!)

Drunken Ramblings (or Philosophy of Life from Inside Vat 69)

2010-09-13T09:59:00.002+05:30

Don't you just hate it when all around you things are changing, and they are changing fast? People quit and people start. People love and people leave. When there is turmoil all around you, do you cherish the challenge or give in to the urge to let yourself get caught in the tide of things? Does attrition mean a lack of motivation, a lack of incentive, a lack of respect or is it something more deep-rooted, caused by something people are born with?

I've seen people resign a week after joining. I've seen people struggle for a few years before deciding to call it quits. And I've seen people discontent with how things are but still going strong after decades of loyal service. What distinguishes these groups of people? Their desires. Their hopes. Their dreams. And what do these depend on? Their life so far. Their childhood. Their upbringing. Their experiences in the world. Who are the key social elements who are responsible, in part if not in full, for how their journey in life takes course? Their family. Their friends. Their lovers. Even, their enemies.

I have lived a life till now. I will continue living and I will shape my course in life. I have hopes. I have dreams. I have hopes of fulfilling dreams. I have a family and I want to extend it, soon. I have a girlfriend, who occasionally fights with me and I love her for that. Now that we are so far apart, every little things makes me want her close by, never to leave me. I might get irritated at times, but I can never stay angry at her. And I don't even want to. Its been a long time now, and there are always expectations that must be fulfilled. And I am sure most people go through life seeing most of their expectations left unsatisfied. But I don't want to be one of them. Nor do I want people whose lives I touch to ever feel so. It might not seem so, but trust me, I am striving hard at this very moment, to somehow figure out how I can make a difference in your lives. And until I do, there is not rest for me. For this is Life, and I am Alive.

Mistakes at Work

2010-08-23T16:21:00.000+05:30

I made a mistake which cost 8 days of lost production in the facility. I hesitated to take a decision. Even more, I forgot to make one. Now, production is back on track. I learnt from my mistake. And I still have a job. All is well that ends well.

Starting Life in a New Place

2010-08-11T17:25:00.000+05:30

Rent a Residence
Wake up on your own
Learn at work
Eat out
Make home liveable
Take on Responsibilities at work
Decorate home
Don't fall Ill
Battle Loneliness by means other than Drinking
Start Cooking at Home
Make new Friends

Blend in at Work
Yet Stand out
Help others Who ask
Ask others for Help
Soon you find yourself with a Pocketful of access Cards and loads of Plastic money.

Google Docs for Workplace Chatting

2010-07-28T16:00:00.002+05:30

Yes. I use Google Docs for chatting with my Google contacts and also mailing them.

Rediscovering the Joy of Traveling

2010-07-01T15:17:00.000+05:30

I turned 21 a few weeks ago and my brother turned 23 a week after me. Since my brother is already working and I am finally starting my job soon, we decided to celebrate together and that meant a trip to the northernmost state of our country.
We took a road trip from Udhampur (where my brother works) to Srinagar via NH1A (proudly guarded by BRO) through the Army guarded sensitive Jawahar Tunnel. And onwards to Gulmarg and Pahalgam with night stopovers (with drinks) at an Indian Army Transit Camp. At Gulmarg, we rode the Gondola up to Affarwat peak (13780 ft above sea level) which is the last point overlooking Pakistan (PoK). We skied there. And we got caught in a hailstorm. I cleaned a goat's skull and then decided to not carry it home. There was not much in Pahalgam so went on directly to Chandanwari where there is permanent ice cover. We lazed by the river, dipping our feet in the ice-cold clear water. We drank quite a few liters of it. We sat with the locals and drank Kahwah and ate Tsot and puffed on Kashmiri tobacco in a crude hookah.
In Srinagar, we roamed around during a strike. A lazy shikara ride resulted in jewelry and wooden carvings being purchased. We saw a magnificent view of Srinagar after a long trek up to the Shankaracharya temple. We hiked to the Mughal Gardens and realized that it was just a picnic spot with flowers to admire and nothing else. We had a tummy-busting dinner with 8 courses of mutton dishes cooked in the Kashmiri style. We bought saffron at Pampore and dry fruits at Qazigund.
People say Kashmir is not a safe place for travel. We were 2km away when Pakistan opened fire and killed 2 Indians at the LoC. We were there when the Police opened fire on a funeral procession and killed a youth resulting in a strike for 3 days. But all we saw were amazing vistas, friendly people, and a serene life.
We spent a week in paradise, doing things we normally don't do. And that is what traveling is all about. Going beyond boundaries and exploring new places, embracing new cultures and trying out new cuisines.

End Hunger: Walk the World

2010-06-01T13:40:00.000+05:30

1.02 billion people do not have enough to eat: more than the populations of USA, Canada and the EU.

More than 60 percent of chronically hungry people are women.

65 percent of the world's hungry live in only 7 countries.

"Walk the World" is an annual global event to raise money and awareness for WFP’s efforts to fight child hunger and malnutrition.

The walk takes place across a 24-hour time span, in 70 countries around the world, with over 360,000 people walking five kilometers. It begins in Auckland, New Zealand and finishes in Samoa. Last year, enough money was raised to provide school meals for one year to more than 20 thousand children in the world's poorest countries.

This year the event will take place on Sunday June 6. In India, there will be a Walk and a Painting Competition in New Delhi. Check out details here.

Check out the video and share to everyone you know.

Take a look at walktheworld.wfp.org to find out more information, find a walk near you, create your own walk or join the virtual walk. You can make a difference. You can be the change you want to be.Spread the word. 1.02 billion mouths depend on you.

Project Woes!

2010-04-29T14:24:00.000+05:30

A quick tip to all the people who are still in their third year and lower at IIT Madras.

Do not take up, in your final year, a project which will require you to step out of your room in order to get any progress done.

Absolutely no experimental stuff. Definitely nothing that would involve fabrication or sourcing of materials of construction. No field study of boring things. No running around from place to place asking for information.

Man has evolved, and made tremendous progress in technology, not for exercising his physical self for stuff which do not fulfill his desires, but in order to lead a life of comfort and expand his mental faculties further. I forgot that and took it as an insult when I was suggested a silly data-fitting job. Now, as I prepare myself to stay for another two months, I regret that decision. Pride cometh before the fall. Do not make the mistake I made. Make your own. But whatever you do, just remember this: "Graduate on time!"

Email IDs

2010-04-24T08:27:00.000+05:30

Email IDs, I feel, are something that reflect who you are to the world. In the age of Internet, it is your personal calling card. And, as such, should be given a prized place, not just as an identifier, but as the facilitator of inter-personal communication in these fast-paced times.
But, just as with a calling card, care must be taken to ensure that its look suits its purpose; its design should appeal to a person's aesthetic senses and be able to reflect, at just a glance, upon the taste and character of its owner,what he wishes to portray to the world. Just as one cares about the typesetting and information on a calling card, selecting an email-id should involve some thinking on the part of the person.
Mind you, I am talking about IDs created for professional purposes or anticipated for usage over a long period of time. For frivolous reasons or as a short term tool for some purpose, one can just let his imagination run riot. The pointers I list out now are for the more sober and should be kept in mind while creating an ID.

Include your name. Nothing identifies you more immediately than your name. Anything else is immaterial if the ID does not identify you.
Include your surname, it will help pinpoint you.
Keep it short. Nobody would remember or have the patience to type out warnakulasuriyapattabadigeusanthajosephchamindavaas@gmail.com
In case you have a very common name, try to include an association that will help narrow your identity down. Choose something that is known to people and something you want to be associated with for a long time.
People advocate the use of custom domains to bring across your uniqueness. It is total overkill and, at times, positively ridiculous. If you are part of a professional organisation, chances are that you already have a custom domain at your disposal. If not, rohitkumar@gmail.com certainly seems more professional and respectful than rohit@kumar.in

If you are reading this, chances are, you already have an email-ID which you like or would not want to change or would find it difficult to re-integrate all contacts and convince them that it is really you and not some random impersonator. In such a case, almost all major email providers offer you with aliases which you can use out of the same login. Go ahead, and have a respectable online life.

Minutes

2010-04-22T19:38:00.000+05:30

Image by Guus Krol via Flickr

every affair of the Heart
last a number of Beats,
some last long, while some don't Succeed.
Listen to each Beat
and Savor the Music,
some Notes last long, while some Fade away.
it matters not whether
'tis the Heart or the Spade,
some Gambles last long, while some just don't pay.
Prophecies; the Fates foretold
in Carnival fortunetellers' folds,
some Dreams last long, and they Hurt every day.

Bribes and Empty Promises

2010-01-23T03:37:00.000+05:30

People will do anything to get what they want. The means, the path, that does not matter. What matters is whether we have achieved what we set out to. The society we live in is completely goal-oriented. Moral and ethical, heck, even legal, issues are purely academic discussions which are considered as long as they are not obstacles to achievement, fulfillment, glory and success.
Think back to the last thing you really wanted. Driver's license. Passport. Your dream home. The girl next door you so want to be with. One of these things or one of countless others. Chances are high that you paid more than required. Or cashed in a favor to gain preferment. Or threatened someone. Or promised them something. Or otherwise manipulated someone, solely to gain what you desired. It does not matter whether you are male or female. Studies might show that one gender is more likely to bribe than the other. But that is not true. You can't really trust surveys. Men and women, they are not that different. Very nearly the same, in fact. Manipulators to the core. The only possible difference could be in the method of manipulation.
The act of bribing is very simple. You give the person something, something he wants, that would entice him to give what you require in exchange. But what would entice him? The answer is definitely not simple. What a person wants is as varied as the different kinds of people in the world. The most common bribes are material. Money. A cool new gadget recently launched in the market. An ultra-expensive flashy car. A bottle of the most-remarkable wine. But it need not be so.
Emotional bribery is rampant but sneaks away unnoticed, unrecognized. It is more effective and dangerous than material bribery due to the after-effects it may have on the person bribed. Promises, and threats.

"We are growing old. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. We don't want to die without having seen our daughter married. Not without holding our grandchild in our arms. Marry soon. We won't force you."

"I love you. And I want to marry you. As soon as I can. You trust me, don't you? I want to be with you. Body and soul. Come to bed. Or else I will leave you."

"I'm going to be the mother of your child. Yes, I am pregnant. Marry me. Or else I will tell your wife about us."

Empty promises. Powerful enticements. How can one find the strength to refuse such bribes? Dash their hopes for the future or risk the fulfillment of threats? Is there really a way to fight corruption when we fear so much that it has become the way of life? I cannot provide you with the answer to these questions. But I hope you seek them out.

Sober or Not, A New Year Has Come!

2010-01-01T09:41:00.000+05:30

Today marks the beginning of another new year, 2010 A.D., of the Gregorian Calendar. There are several more calendars and several more New Year's Days to celebrate over the said calendar year and we can all consider this to be a start. Everyone ushers in the New Year in a different way, with a different custom. I don't really have one. There was a time when I made resolutions, actually thought about them before making them, wrote them down on good quality paper, sealed them in a purple envelope and burned it first thing in the morning. (And tried to interpret the symbols in the smoke!) Then there came the time of New Year's Eve dinner phase where I used to sit down with my family for a heavy and special meal.

Last year, I drank with my friends on the beach and wished loads of strangers with heart-warming hugs and hearty handshakes. This year, there were fewer friends around. But, it was the beach again sans alcohol. The handshakes were still there. The hugs were toned down. My cheerful, holiday-spirit filled wishing phrase for this holiday this year is "Wish you a Happy New Year, if you are sober! Wish you a Happier New Year, if you are not!" I don't know if people like it. I don't know if it even makes sense. But, I like how it rings when I say it, and so, will continue using it.

Christmas was a slightly dull affair this time round. I did cook dinner again. But, it didn't turn out that well. Especially the dessert. After the wonderfully delicious Floating Islands from last year, the Cossack Honey Mousse turned out to be a huge letdown, to say the least. The Banana-scented Pan-fried Chicken Breast was good, if not great. The Split Pea and Sauerkraut Soup was the best part of the meal, a little sweet, a little bitter, to symbolize both aspects of what life has to offer.

On another note, I realized that the reason my posts have diminished in number was because I have been uncertain about voicing my opinion in the public domain, all of a sudden. Not being an anonymous blogger had not prevented me in the past from saying what I felt, but somehow, over the past few months, the ideas have piled up in Drafts and they just never seem to roll out into the blog. I cannot be certain if will be able to amend that in the near future, but I can surely try based on the half-chance that there is.

Semester begins anew from Jan 4th. My last ever semester in college. I have a job offer in hand. So the future is not bleak. All I need to do, is successfully cross the finish line and immediately continue forward to the next race, a marathon, not a sprint. But, that is still a long distance away. Till then, Wish you a Happy New Year, if you are sober! Wish you a Happier New Year, if you are not!

Last Semester I Gave You My All

2009-12-14T17:44:00.000+05:30

A very hectic semester has come to an end. Finally. Starting off slowly, it picked up speed through the mid of September with the beginning of the B.Tech. Project and the start of the placement season. Résumé writing, editing and re-writing was a major part of this semester. No one takes the BTP seriously and neither did I. I did not "put" too much "fight" for my résumé either. For what has been done, what has been achieved cannot be added unto, only sugar-coated so that the underlying truth is made much more presentable and palatable. Another one of those dreadful drugs people ingest as medicine.
I should have taken some sort of medication when I got bitten. The acting bug has long pincers and a nasty bite. Starting with the Insti's production of Blackadder Goes Forth: Corporal Punishment at IIMB's Unmaad (where we didn't place), followed by a mono-acting performance of the scene from Hitchcock's Rebecca where the truth is revealed about Rebecca's death (non-competitive performance, of course!), culminating with the highly professional, colorful, elaborate and touching stage production of Shakespeare in Love (barely missing out on the top spot but coming away with all the other honours), I took steps to doing what I wanted even if I was not completely talented at it.
The stewardship of the hostel goes on at a dreary pace. My readers can imagine my plight to be that of a King whose kingdom is being broken apart. Or that of any Indian in present times, with the land being carved out into so many states that even Chetan Bhagat would have a hard time situating his novels.
Placements are over for me. The loss of an expected Pre-Placement Offer added some pressure, but it is all done now. What Royal Dutch Shell lost out on, Dr.Reddy's Laboratories has gained. Or so it seems, for now.
This semester also saw me celebrate Diwali for the first time on campus. Sweets, fireworks and friends. Bailey's and Absolut also had a cameo role to play. So did Kingfisher, Carlsberg and 5-Star Vanilla Vodka (For Sale only in TN).
Life goes on. Friends and Family are satisfied. Others demand more and receive as much as I can offer. I know I leave some people unsatisfied, some slightly miffed with me. But there is nothing that a little bit of holiday cheer can't rectify. A drop of cider, some mead, a bit of sherry, loads of rum, mounds of chocolate, and heaps of presents should put a smile on even the dourest Grinch.
With this I bid college adieu for the time being. I leave the place with the promise to return a bit before Twelfth Night. Last semester I gave it my all, And the very next sem... ?

Time for Heroes (is Past)

2009-10-27T04:32:00.001+05:30

This tale we begin, ages ago

In the land of Camelot

Where lives our hero from lore.

And move on to Now,

To our global, little home

Where heroes remain no more.

Arthur, his name,

Pendragon's son,

King he was destined to be.

To prove his worth

Right from birth

Trained he his body and mind.

Dallying forth on his mighty steed

In search of adventures galore

Our hero slew monsters

White, black and blue.

Lived in our times, if he had

Served with a lawsuit, would he be.

Activists knocking on his door

For decimating endangered species.

Not only killing, but saving was too

A task he took up himself.

Nay, not those monsters,

Those distressed damsels.

Saving them bonny lasses;

All able bodied men?

All left behind

Doomed to fend for themselves.

"Sexist Pig," would he be called

Feminist Associations on his case.

Chivalry is a dying breed,

Women's Lib is the order these days.

With the mighty Excalibur,

Knights sitting round a Table,

The fights were over maidens

The quests for Cups and glory.

The swords have grown shorter

Cups sought after no more

Maidens are being fought for

By maidens who want them too.

But when all was done,

Adventures aplenty and fun,

'Twas time to claim the crown

And his rightful place on the throne.

People came out to rejoice,

For their Lord, to cheer, to chant.

Heard above them all - one phrase -

Loud and clear over the rest.

"Down with Monarchy

Democracy be blest."

There is a time for heroes

That time is not Now.

There is no place for heroes,

No, not anymore.

This was my submission for the course on Humour which I am doing. Anyone care to find the underlying theme or instances of humour in this? I would give all those who do a Brownie point!

Submissions of others in the course can be found here and here.

The Little Things We Overlook

2009-09-10T14:09:00.000+05:30

Over this summer, I got hooked onto watching Lie To Me. This series is about The Lightman Group and how they use micro-expressions to detect liars and potential threats and thus assist third parties, usually local and federal law enforcement, which consult them for cases. It is really wonderful to see the concepts of micro-expressions and the Facial Action Coding System used to depict how emotions are displayed by people, automatically and subconsciously, in a universally similar manner, irrespective of race or gender.
How cool would it be to know whether that hot girl you are on a date with has the hots for you or not. It would be so easy to pick-up girls at any place. Or guys too. What if you could detect every single lie told to you. Be able to find out when someone is hiding something from you. Now, what if that knowledge could hurt someone else's feelings. Would you reveal it or would you keep it to yourself? What I mean to ask is if there is such a thing as too much knowledge?
But then, people can't really read micro-expressions on other people. Especially when they are so oblivious to macro-expressions and to indications that people around them give out. Changes in behaviour, habits, lifestyle. People don't even know that someone is going through a severe bout of depression until it is too late. The Flame that is extinguished cannot be lit again because there is no Fuel and there is no Spark. If we could even manage to stop being so immersed in ourselves and pause to notice others around us, pause to find out about the people we say we care about, we would be able to prevent fights, misunderstandings, destruction and so much loss. Perhaps, just perhaps, the world would be a better place. But for the little things we overlook.

The New Semester

2009-09-08T20:42:00.000+05:30

With the start of the new semester, a lot of things have changed. My courses, my work, my ways of relaxing, my love life and my look.
It has been a month since the semester started and I now find myself at the helm of the hostel council as the General Secretary, with a humongous budget at my disposal. Loads of work to do for the hostel, but everyone in the world is lazy, it seems, and not just me. Most of the coursework load has been laboratory based with the especially painful Prof-in-Shorts making sure to mentally torture us. Take today, for instance. He requested four of us to help him in the lab and we went. What ensued was half an hour of verbal abuse meted out to us and the repeated question, "When does the Apathy set in?"
The cooking has been at an all time low. So has the blogging, as you all must have surely noticed. But this is a fresh start, ain't it. Things have been like a roller-coaster ride on the love life front. A word of advice to people (mainly guys): If you want to have a girlfriend, be prepared to bear the trials and tribulations in the life of the whole pack (or is it gaggle?) of girls who she hangs around with. G moved out of her hostel and now lives on her own in the city. Not alone, but independently. It is a cozy little place where I can go and sleep, away from all the noise that is caused due to the construction crew working on building a new floor in my hostel. Trust me, sleeping while a jackhammer pounds away leads to very strange dreams.
The new ragging punishments and availability of a toll-free number have made it so difficult for us to interact with the freshmen. So, well, we don't care to. Why risk expulsion to talk to a bunch of guys who are just like what we used to be like and will eventually turn out to be just like we are? We did organize a Freshie Nite in the hostel so that they could showcase their talents. They apparently practiced a lot for the same event on an institute level, which never happened after a bunch of postponements. Was it because of Swine Flu? Or was it because the Director's wife (may she rest in peace) died, as should be apparent?
Swine Flu was the biggest dud of the year, if not the decade. So much hoopla over something that has a mortality rate of 1%. Statistically speaking, that is not much. I would put up a separate post about the entire thing, but that it even got a mention on this one makes me want to delete it.
As for my new look, well, I thought I would take pics and put them up. But I forgot and then the look changed. And now I roam around the institute roads in the scorching Chennai sun, wearing my new sunglasses and effectively revealing no bit of my face. I check out girls without their feeling weird. Yet, people recognize me, acknowledge me and pass comments. I guess I have become famous.

An Update Before the Start of the New Semester

2009-07-31T16:19:00.000+05:30

Back from a trip to Delhi where I met most of the people that I wanted to meet, forgot to meet a few and was avoided like the plague by a few. There were lots of memories surging back to me. Memories of people, friends and foes alike. Memories of incidents, pleasant and distasteful. Memories of places where I used to hangout, places where I shopped. There was an air of nostalgia about me, amplified by the fact that the city was becoming unrecognizable, more so in certain parts than in others. NOIDA, for instance, was completely changed, from the mediocre neighbourhood populated by slum-dwellers to a sprawling high-rise locale. All thanks to the arrival of The Metro.
Traveled on it at last. Wasn't there when the first phase got completed and didn't have time when I was there to shift. It was quick, smooth, easy and not at all a hassle. Plus, it was fully air-conditioned, a necessity (believe me!) in the soaring temperatures that Delhi was facing in the lack of rains. It did start to rain, a day prior to my departure. And it poured there, the day I arrived in Chennai, leaving the city roads water-logged like Mumbai and 18 cracks in the Metro line under construction.
Anyway, it feels weird being back in Chennai. After being on roaming for two months, AirTel decided to change my prepaid plan. What earlier used to cost me a rupee a day as rental and nothing more, now costs me a rupee for each SMS I send! I need to get to an AirTel Zone and crack some heads. And then get back to the Institute and get my room sorted out. And then it would be a whole new bunch of meek and frightened fresher meat. Not before a haircut though. I look horrible!

As I Look Back

2009-07-13T23:38:00.000+05:30

It has been a really long two months and I am finally happy to be free of any obligation to stay at this place. Even before arriving here, I thought I wouldn't like this place. After all, it was a state where prohibition was the law because of Gandhiji's principles. Also, most of its people being strict vegetarians on purely religious grounds, I had cause to believe that I wouldn't have easy access to my favorite dose of protein. Thus, I had no reason to feel happy about the fact that I had to do my internship in Surat, Gujarat. While my friends lived the happy life in Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Tokyo and other such places, I was stuck in place which gave an impression of utter dilapidation upon my first setting foot here.
Things with the internship too didn't look too bright as it seemed that I was stuck with working on a project which was totally mechanical and monotonous, something so not suited for a guy like me who needs something to keep his creative juices flowing. I didn't have any resources to let me cook. Deprived of any creative challenge, I turned to the only avenue that I could find open to me: Restaurants. I spent every last penny I had on the restaurants in town. I spent my evenings trying everything from sweet-laden Gujarati Thalis, where everything you expected to be spicy was sweet, to vegetarian pasta dishes with names resembling Italian footballers. We even found plenty of non-vegetarian fare at buffets around the city at very reasonable prices. Food, I would say, was both filling and draining me; filling my stomach, draining my wallet.
Reuniting with old friends, making new ones, birthdays, sightseeing trips to nearby places, both planned and unplanned, finding a drinking hole after a bit of effort, these involved a few highs (pun unintended) and lows for me.
Despite, and because, of everything that happened over here, I will miss this place a little bit. I will miss the people and their weird habits. I will miss merry weekend pavement carnivals, where beautiful girls populate the pavements and guys on bikes don't watch where they ride. I will miss my fellow interns who shared a little bit of their joys - a little bit of their life - with me. And I will miss Reliance Industries Limited, because I can't milk any more money out of thee!

OST of My Life

2009-07-07T00:38:00.000+05:30

Flicked this from NerdyBerdy. Would be a poor compilation for me at the moment with the sad music library I have. But that is the OST of My Life at present.

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, Zune etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button

Opening Credits: Always Be My Baby - Atomic Kitten

Waking Up: Amon Hen - Howard Shore

First Day At School: Push the Limits - Enigma

Falling In Love: Hot - Avril Lavigne

Fight Song: Not Sorry - The Cranberries

Breaking Up: Start Me Up - Rolling Stones

Prom night: We are the Champions - Queen

Life: Room on the Third Floor - McFly

Mental Breakdown: D-Generation X Theme

Driving: Rebellion - Britney Spears

Flashback: Tainted Love - Pussycat Dolls

Getting back together: Bella's Lullaby - Carter Burwell

Wedding: Locking Up the Sun - Poets of The Fall

Birth of Child: High Voltage - Linkin Park

Final Battle: Ou Va le Chat - Maya de Luna

Funeral Song: Cry - Mandy Moore

Final Credits: (Pick 3 songs)
You're Still The One - Shania Twain

Can't Tell Me Nothing - Kanye West (ft. Young Jeezy)

In The Midnight Hour - Wilson Pickett

So there. Several songs that seem highly inappropriate for the situations. But that is shuffle for you! Tried it on Winamp v5.35 Maybe I should try it sometime again on iTunes. In case you take this up, post link in comments.

Loneliness

2009-07-06T03:04:00.000+05:30

There are times
When you just want to
When you just have to
Hold on to
Hold on tight
For the warmth
For dear life
Something
Someone
But

A Day to Celebrate

2009-07-03T19:54:00.000+05:30

After the long drawn out case regarding the validity of Section 377 (Indian Penal Code, 1860), the hearing into the PIL filed by Naz Foundation has drawn to a close with a verdict in favor of excluding homosexual practices from within the purview of this law. A landmark decision in India, especially considering the Delhi High Court, which gave this ruling, previously dismissed the petition on the ground that "there is no cause for action in favour of the petitioner" and that such a petition could not be entertained "to examine the academic challenge to the constitutionality of the legislation." Thankfully, Supreme Court overturned that order while observing that this matter indeed required consideration and remitted the case to the Delhi HC for a fresh decision.
The cause of this petition and the resultant controversy is Section 377 (IPC)

377. Unnatural Offences - Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Explanation - Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.

This statement has had several legal interpretations in the past due to its extremely vague wording (as is common with most laws which have been inherited by us from the British Raj era). Its interpretation, prior to the present ruling, rendered sex other than heterosexual penile-vaginal criminal. The legal interpretation in the past of this law has varied down the ages from non-procreative to imitative to sexual perversity. This law finds its place in the IPC as a copy of the British law which criminalized sodomy and buggery based on dominant religious grounds. Judeo-Christian belief, one must remember, proscribes sexual intercourse as necessary only for the purpose of procreation and sodomy and buggery remain as a crime "not to be mentioned by Christians". This Buggery Act of 1533, re-enacted in 1563 by Queen Elizabeth I, became the charter for criminalisation of sodomy in the British Colonies with the guilty being punished by hanging. Despite being a "gift" of the British to Indian Law, it should be noted that English Law was reformed in Britain to de-criminalize homosexuality and acts of sodomy between consenting adults by the Sexual Offenses Act, 1967 based on the 1957 report of the Wolfenden Committee to the Parliament.
Naz Foundation, an NGO working in the field of HIV/AIDS intervention and prevention petitioned to challenge the constitutional validity of this legislation on account of "it covering sexual acts between consenting adults in private infringes the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 19 & 21 of the Constitution of India." Though they limited their plea to submit that Section 377 (IPC) should apply only to non-consensual penile non-vaginal sex and penile non-vaginal sex involving minors. Regarding the respondents, it was interesting to note that the two wings representing the Union of India, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, gave contradictory affidavits with MHA justifying the retention of Section 377, relying on the arguments of public morality, public health and healthy environment, and MHFW affirmed an affidavit submitted by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) insisting that Section 377 has hampered HIV/AIDS prevention efforts by making the LGBT community fear action against them by the law enforcement and driving homosexual activities underground and, thus, making it difficult for public health workers. The petitioners argued that "sex" in Article 15(1) should be expansively read to include not just discrimination on the ground of "gender" but also on the ground of sexual orientation.
As a thinly veiled threat to the bench, MHA contended that "there is a broad separation of powers under the Constitution, and the three organs of the State – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, must respect each other and must not ordinarily encroach into each others' domain. The legislature is a democratically elected body which expresses the will of the people, and in a democracy, this will is not to be lightly frustrated or obstructed" and "the Judges must maintain judicial self-restraint while exercising the power of judicial review of legislation."
The bench, after hearing the arguments put forth by the petitioner and the respondents, in its ruling declared Section 377 (IPC) to be violative of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India, insofar it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults (18 years of age and above) in private, clarifying that it will continue to govern non-consensual penile non-vaginal sex and penile non-vaginal sex involving minors. According to the ruling, this clarification will hold till Parliament chooses to amend the law pursuant to the 172nd report of the Law Commission of India which recommends the deletion of Section 377 due to its being obsolete in the face of the rewritten Section 375 to 376E dealing with rape laws, leaves only the matter of voluntary carnal intercourse with any animal and suggest that such individuals be "left to their just deserts."
What this ruling and possible amendments to the law mean for the LGBT community is that it is a step in the direction of gaining full rights that their heterosexual counterparts enjoy. The struggle is not yet over, but it is a major victory and a cause for celebration. A celebration of human spirit. Join me in this celebration, won't you my dear readers?