Architecture Idol

......Not wonderful enough ????



It's Official. The Taj Mahal IS more beautiful than the Eiffel Tower. Or the Statue of Liberty. Or the Sistine Chapel. Suck on THAT, Michaelangelo !! Millions have voted ladies and gentlemen, but we can have only seven winners. And lets face it, with all the hoopla and hype surrounding the brand new, sparkling seven wonders, you know what they are. Seven of the most excusite, glorious examples of architecture reduced to being reality show contestants. The only thing missing was the caustic "wit" of Simon Cowell or Anu Malik. (Can you imagine what that would be like ? " I have seen a lot of architecture in my day, but none that made me want to shoot myself....Until NOW!!!!" I'd pay good money to have seen the Statue of Liberty booed off the stage). So now, it is set in bold, clear terms, what the seven most wonderful pieces of human creation are. Absolutely impartial judgement folks. The fact that india and China have more than ten gazillion more mobile phones than Spain, France or Australia didn't even matter one tiny bit. And Jordan. An average Jordanian has more money than God, so let's face it, sending a hundred messages a day shouldn't have been too problematic for them. Especially since there was no limit as to how many votes could be sent from one mobile phone. Real democratic, that process. OK there was Mexico, which is neither rich nor very populated, but seriously, how many Christians are going to vote AGAINST the imposing statue of Christ the Redeemer? My point is, what gives us, or ANYBODY the right to judge the beauty of these timeless creations. They are beautiful, we all agree. But which one is MORE beautiful? I am sorry, but that just makes no sense. The only person associated with this whole affair who I admire is the guy who organised this. I take my hat off to you dude. To have suckered millions of people into actually believing in this charade of your's has led to you minting money. And with virtually no input from your side whatsoever!!! Granted that after years of mother-in-law daughter-in-law soaps and repeated reruns of Temkptation Island, the average brain has been softened somewhat, but still this is genius. So now I intend to cash in on this . I propose a poll to decide on the world's .............holiest saints. Seriously, just name a saint, give him a score on holiness on a scale of one to ten, and SMS it to me. You know what? On second thought, scratch that. Just decide it yourself and send me half a dollar each. Later I'll tell you who the winner is. And unlike those guys deciding the wonders I'll be flexible. Don't like my winner? fine . Select One for yourself. I wont Mind.

Just a quick post

Long time, no see, I know, this is just a quick post to add some photos taken with my mobile camera *sigh*. I really have to buy a real camera, even if it's a cheap ass one.



Awwwww.



For nearly 21 days I was cooped up at home studying. The kids playing in the field brought back too many memories.




The chrome and glass of Kolkata



Say mooouuuussseeee !!!!

Just a pic

This is just a picture my friend took with the cruddy VGA camera on my mobile. It spite of the technical limitations I thought it was a beautiful picture .

Censorship HO !!!

Maoists raise banners against the miss Nepal competition, saying it debases women

A cleric in Islamabad burns hollywood and bollywood DVD's and vows to restart the talibani regime in Pakistan

2 channels are taken off air in India. Reason ? Yup, they're "indecent"

One is tiny little country, very recently a democracy, the other torn apart by a west loving president and a population who mostly think different, and the third , a democracy 60 years old and bulking up to be one of tomorrows major power players. Two of them have fought bitter wars against each other. So how come, when it's a question of what constitutes decency, fools seldom... well, you know.

No, I am not a hormone addled adolescent dying to see a flash of nipple on screen. When you can buy anything from softporn to bestiality from you friendly neighbourhood pirate, and at a cost less than a burger and coke, I doubt ANYONE is. So how come anyone believes that clamping down on television channels will help ?

The simple answer is, No one does. No one even imagines in their loveliest pink frilled fantasies that censorship will solve any problems.But the simple equation is if you pretend to be "decent" and "wholesome", other's will be forced to wear masks with you too. And both people AND society at large loves thos little masks. Anything to shy away from the naked, raw, base human nature. But why ? Because what lies in there is really VERY scary ? Because underneath all the layers of civilizations we are cruel,sadistic,harmful beings . Because if they really let it loose, hatred and violence wins over love any day ? I really don't know the answer, and nor do you. I realize this entire post sounds like the mutterings of a depressed drunk, but let me assure you, I am not drunk.
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Just really really depressed.

Summer of '69

We all have our summers of '69. A land far far away. For me it would be the entirety of my school life. The day I skipped school was the day I lost touch with all my friends, all the boys I had known for 10 years, ever since consciousness had dawned. Busy drowning the little pinpricks of guilt and regret for never saying goodbye, I never realized how much I missed them

Until now

Until almost 8 months back I entered the metro and a voice called out my name.

Until I turned to see a face I thought I had never seen, but actually was one I had not seen in the last 9 years.

Over the last 8 months I revived old contacts, talked to old friends over the phone, and I was amazed at how warm everyone was. People I didn't think even remembered my name would tell me anecdotes about me, ones I barely remembered ! And it all came to a heady reunion when the six of us resumed our old friendship in a seedy little bar. There was mostly laughter, a bit of seriousness, and basically just getting high.... on memories. For a few brief hours, we were all back in our summer of '69.

If It Be Your Will

This is an amazing video to the Leonard Cohen song If It Be Your Will, made from the Final Fantasy : The Spirits within movie. Its lovely. Check it out.

Music and lyrics - Part II

When destiny calls you, you must be strong
I may not be with you, but you gotta hold on
They'll see in time, I know

Well show them together cuz...
You'll be in my heart
Phil Collins

The first time I heard these words in Phil's amazingly expressive voice, shivers went down my spine. And guess what, they still do. Its a wonderful, tender and yet so powerful ballad and its about the love that is universal. Really, play it for your mother, father, sister, lover, wife, children, friend and every time it means something. But right in the end... it just jumps into uncharted waters with this verse. It is about the love that lives even when your loved ones are there no longer. Its about being strong, its about believing. Really. Just look over your shoulder.

* This song even has a fan listing at http://teapot.fan-tasia.com/inmyheart/



I still hear the sound
Of his hooves on the ground
And I never know
If it was a dream
Or a cloud of some steam
From the lake below

I only know That I'd search till I die
For a stallion that flew into the sky
You May think that I'm mad but I know what I saw
And I'm glad

This is my absolute favorite kind of song, a song that tells a story. A story with no beginning or end , but a story nonetheless. And isn't that the best kind of yarn, one which lets you imagine ? Who is the rider and what did he really see. Was it really a mythical , fiery beast, or a cloud of some steam from the lake below? Did he ever find what drove him mad. We don't know. But is through what we don't know that legends are born. And in a thousand worlds, in a thousand ways, the same story leads a thousand lives.

My nighttime visitor

I can hear the ink black drops splashing on my window sill.
Each raindrop, dashing against the glass, shattering into a hundred tinier drops, their swan song forming an alien language of the eternals.
From creation to destruction is but a matter of milliseconds, forgotten before they could be remembered.
What if they live ?
Would they know how insignificant, how fragile they are? How quickly they go from perfect aerodynamic shapes sculpted by that deceptive element, wind, into a shapeless , growing puddle on my floor?
Or would that be as aeons to them?
What is a long time ?
50 - 60 - 70 -80 years?
Centuries ?
A millenia ?
Eternity ?
What time does it take for a human life to be fogotten as though it never was?
What time does it take for a civilization to vanish ?
What time does it take for a planet to be barren and devoid of life, to go from green to red?
What time does it take for star to snuff itself out, greedily devouring everything around?
What time does it take for a galaxy to die?
Maybe out there, there is someone to whom there is only one answer to all those questions.
An instant.

Pepsi Gold

Ok radical shift in tone here, but now that the boys in blue has pretty much screwed up the world cup aspirations for a billion Indians, I want to talk about the newest cash grabbing attempt that might just turn around and bite Pepsi in the ass. I am , of course talking about their RADICAL!!!!!! new drink Pepsi Gold.

First of all, why gold ??? I mean last time they made it blue, which is fine cos the Indian team has an unhealthy obsession with blue. But gold ?? why. Cos the cup is gold(en). What next?? Pepsi green, cos the boys play on the green green grasses of home (considering their performance in the away matches, where they not so much play as surrender) ?? Or maybe Pepsi black and White (perhaps black'n'white for a more radical zing) to emulate the umpires clothes. Looks like Pepsi wont stop until they take us through a whole range of toxic colors.

Then again its not really gold. Seriously, take a look at this and tell me whether YOU would buy gold that looked like this.

But then again calling their product "Pepsi piss" perhaps wouldn't have the same impact, would it now?

So anyway now that India is pretty much all out of the world cup, what is Pepsi to do ?? This requires some deep thinking. Now that the blue billion rises(to boo the team out of the
building) maybe , just maybe showing ads that go hoo ha India makes no sense. It makes us look like deranged monkeys. So perhaps they should portray a positive message , all the time keeping in mind the recent debacle. Something like " Ok so the world cup is out of the question, so this is your last chance to get your hands on some gold :)" Or maybe
they should just ignore the whole affair and pretend they colored it gold for a different reason ." Hey it has been 10 years since the Golden Jubilee year of your independence. Thats why we colored it gold. Yeah thats it. It has NOTHING to do with the world cup. At all. We Swear.
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Please buy our drink"

Music And Lyrics

Songs?
What are they?
They are stories. They are poems. They are ancient tales of wonder and victory. They are ditties about insignificant little affairs. They uplift and sadden. They create and destroy.
Well not really. All those things are what we make of songs. But what they really are, just music and lyrics. Some of my favourite ever.


Another missing person, One of many we assume,
The young wear their freedom, Like cheap perfume.
(its useless information), Returning my call,
(to help the situation),Theyve nothing at all,
Youre just another message, On a pay phone wall
- Carrie
Cliff Richard
The young wear their freedom, like cheap perfume. Too easily gotten, too quickly squandered. And ultimately, you aren't even a brick in the wall my friend. Because the wall needs the bricks. without them, there would be no walls. Youre less. Youre a crude little message scrawled on a pay phone wall. Unnecessary, unwanted, destined to be covered up by a hundred more scribbles.


Do you believe in rock ’n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.
- American Pie
Don Mclean
The words can lie. Even the eyes can lie. But the language of dance, THAT is immune to deception. I knew you loved him, when I saw you dance. And music.....music is redemption. Music can save your soul. Don't believe it. Know it.


I lived my life in the words of a Storyman,
Watched my dreams from the years gone by,
Heard my voice in the songs of a Storyman,
Always by my side, always by my side
- The Storyman
Chris de Burgh
My earliest memories are stories. Of Gallant princes and captured princesses. Of Wise wizards and evil viziers. It was an affair that is yet to end. The first time Long John Silver hobbled onto the deck of Hispaniola, when Holmes and Watson waited for Moriarty, When Bertie plopped down on the sofa and said " Jeeves , I need help" and when Vimes killed warewolves with his bare hands, I was there. I will always be there. Because I live my life in the words of a storyman.

To be cont....

Once upon a time, there were two kinds of literature. 1) For adults and 2) For kids. And then a certain J.K.Rowling came along and the world went topsy turvy. Suddenly Rowling was the new god and Harry the new Jesus. But she is not the one I want to talk about. Because as much as I love the Harry Potter Books, I am primarily thankful to Rowling for opening my eyes to the huge world of fantasy literature out there. And thats how I got to know about my next hero.....

TERRY PRATCHETT
I always loved humor, and I always loved fantasy. So its easy to imagine how I feel about Discworld. About a year back , following the trusted close-your-eyes-and-jab-your-hands-on-the-shelf-and-pick-up-what-you-touch method of buying books, I stumbled into Men At Arms, and a certain character called Samuel Vimes. Nobody, but nobody wearing knee leangth leather breeches has ever been or will ever be that manly. Don't ever compare Vimes to Dirty Harry, Vimes is so so much more. Of course t wasn't just Vimes. Brilliant characters like Carrot, Colonobbes(its impossible to consider them apart) and the Patrician, Pratchetts amazing ability to shift from humor, to drama, to action, at the flick of a sentence. Long story short, in the last 12 months, yours truly is on Pratchett like Kate Moss is on crack (not that for a moment I am suggesting I am anything like Miss Moss). Anyone who loves fantasy OR humor should definitely look this brilliant author up.

Top Five Pratchett Characters
1. His Grace, The Duke of Ankh, Commander Sir Samuel Vimes - Did I mention I love Vimes. The man who is at once a believer and a cynic, overwhelmingly noble and a beast, a self declared speceist but an equal opportunity one . The climax of Thud! and the warewolf chase in The Fifth Elephant still gives me chills.
2. Colonobbes - What would our intrepid hero be without his comic sidekick ? One long unrelenting rant thats what . And whats better than ONE comic sidekick ? Thats right, TWO comic sidekicks. Not only are Colon And Nobbes a perfect foil for Vimes, they are the perfect foil for each other. And we know as long as they are around, all major Bridges in AnkH morpork shall remain safe.
3. Death - Yes. The black clad dude. The not-so-grim reaper. The ultimate fashion model. Who knew he could make such a hilarious character. And although the man in different shades of black can be as scary or noble as the situation calls for, he is mostly a super powered, slightly confused but always understanding character. In other words, he's a dad.
4.The Patrician - Just how brilliant is the expression "carniverous flamengo" . The benevolent dictator for life of Ankh Morpork could send chills down Hannibal Lecter's spine. Hell the guy likes to READ music. I don't even know what that means, but its brilliant.
5.Nanny Ogg - Granny Weatherwax is a bit too cold for me, but Nanny is a sweetheart (just don't marry any of her sons). Cool under pressure, I think she's a lot smarter than she's letting on.

Honorable mention -
Detritus - The dude packs a siege crossbow that becomes a de-facto firball thrower as his sidearm. That is so extremely cool. Now if someone could just teach him the nuances of a safety catch......

HEROES

Ok now that I'm back in ernest, I wondered what to start with. And well, I have decided to dedicate the next few pages in my tiny little corner of cyberspace to my heroes. The people who I idolize and try to be, or at least would have tried to be if it didn't involve so much work. So without further ado let me present the only possible person I can start this with . Ladies and gentlemen , I give you .
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ahem
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helloooo !!!!
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will someone please start the.....
(DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLLL)
Thank you

CLIFF RICHARD !!!!!

Is anybody surprised ?? Not the people who know me certainly. I have been a Cliff fan, ok make that fanatic since God knows how long. Ever since my mother handed me a casette called Over the years way back in 1995 or 96, a decision I believe she has regretted ever since. But what an album it was. For Cliffophiles trying to introduce anyone to this lovely singer, its absolutely the best thing to get started. With songs like Evergreen tree, Spanish harlem, Devil Woman, Congratulations, Wired for sound and Summer holiday it rocked so hard that I couldn't help but get sucked in. And after that of course there was nothing else to do BUT swipe money off my dad's wallet and buy Cliff Albums (Hmm, on second thought, maybe, JUST maybe, my parents have a reason for their grudge on Cliff) . Aaaanyway, Cliff has hugely influenced me, my taste in music, and my pocket . First album I bought with my first salary, My first DVD (ok NON pirated DVD) hell, anything I can get my hands on with Cliff Richard stamped on it, I will buy.