Forgive them father

That's me after spending a night in the office, working on a presentation for 3M. It should have been a simple enough presentation untill the higher ups decided that this was to be a show of might. An example of our prowess and our willingness to prostate ourselves in front of anyone who flashes a wad of the goodies. And I'm led to the slaughter. Yet again.

Newbie

Just bought myself a spanking new Nikon D70s. Actually my Da bought it for me. I'm going to pay him back in installments. I've finally gone digital. After years of resisting it and doggedly staying with my Nikon F75 film camera.

One of the things I'm going to do is upload a large number of photos to my blogger that's been empty since the last time I borrowed my Da's D70 (When I went on my last Europe trip)

This photo is the first in a series where I intend to display my mood during the day with my wodden dummy. How long I'll remain interested in doing this over and over remains to be seen.

This is me in an intensely reading mood. I rarely read fast paced action novels but I managed to get my hands on a Ken Follett double paperback with 'Triple' and 'On wings of Angels' and can't seem to put it down. I'm shirking work and other useless stuff just to be able to cover a few pages more. The 'Eye of the Needle' was the first Ken Follett I read way back in boarding school and I was hooked to the man. The love scenes were mind blowing. Especially for a 10 year old.

I have since been able to complete quite a few of his novels and love this one too. I'm halfway throught Triple and hopefully should be able to complete it if servicing doesn't come around troubling me.

Gaana

One of my favourite Monty Python songs. They're the best.

And thanks Ravi, for the compliment. I'll try to keep up to your high standards. ;-)

Decomposing Composers

Beethoven's gone, but his music lives on,
And Mozart don't go shopping no more.
You'll never meet Liszt or Brahms again,
And Elgar doesn't answer the door.

Schubert and Chopin used to chuckle and laugh,
Whilst composing a long symphony,
But one hundred and fifty years later,
There's very little of them left to see.

They're decomposing composers.
There's nothing much anyone can do.
You can still hear Beethoven,
But Beethoven cannot hear you.

Handel and Haydn and Rachmaninov
Enjoyed a nice drink with their meal,
But nowadays, no one will serve them,
And their gravy is left to congeal.

Verdi and Wagner delighted the crowds
With their highly original sound.
The pianos they played are still working,
But they're both six feet underground.

They're decomposing composers.
There's less of them every year.
You can say what you like to Debussy,
But there's not much of him left to hear.

Claude Achille Debussy-- Died, 1918.

Christophe Willebald Gluck-- Died, 1787.

Carl Maria von Weber-- Not at all well, 1825. Died, 1826.

Giacomo Meyerbeer-- Still alive, 1863. Not still alive, 1864.

Modeste Mussorgsky-- 1880, going to parties. No fun anymore, 1881.

Johan Nepomuk Hummel-- Chatting away nineteen to the dozen with his mates down the pub every evening, 1836. 1837, nothing.

How Now Brown Cow

I pass a curious spectacle most days on my way to office. One that makes me smile as well as feel warm around the general direction of the heart.

If you ask me about the milk of human kindness, I'd say that it's pretty much run dry at the teat. But I'm glad to report that the milk of animal kindness is still flowing like the Nile in spate. It gushes like the Ganges, flows like the Florence and pretty much brims over like the Brahmaputra.

What I refer to is the unlikely alliance of a cow and a dog. While most dogs chase cows, and most cows kick dogs, these two exhibit a friendship based on nothing short of mutual respect. They are to be found lying in the middle of the road at a busy junction on my way to work.

I'd like to this moment to explain to my readers from other countries that cows are to be found commonly running amock in towns and cities all over India. It is not therefore a surprise to see an 18 wheeler humbled to a complete halt, to make way for a bovine being. And though my friends from foreign climes often whip out a camera at the sight, I simply yawn to show my disregard towards this mundane manifestation. And so it is common to see a cow lying down to rest in the middle of the street, while VIP cavalcades, buses, rickshaws and other methods of transportation amble by without a glance.

What makes this different is that the aforementioned duo sleep in each other's lie. The cow lies in the shape of a spoon so that the dog can complete the formation and lie in the space left over. This way, the dog is assured of uninterrupted sleep which would otherwise be cut short with either unabated honking, or death.

And since most relationships are two sided, I can only assume that the dog does something for the cow in its time of need. What it is, I can only imagine. Maybe it challenges other dogs that might otherwise pester the cow. Maybe it pesters other cows that seek to displace the cow from its appointed bedroom.

No matter what the reason, I am amused and humbled. If two species that are so genetically apart can be so accomodating, maybe there is hope for mankind after all.

That said, I need to go now. Got to kick servicing's ass for giving me the wrong brief. Wait till I get my hands on that little runt. Why I'm going to.......

Paro and I

Ours is an uncomplicated relationship. Mine and Paro's. When I've been with her, it's always been about just us. Our pasts and futures don't matter. The other people in our individual lives don't matter. We truly live in the moment. Shielded in an invisible cocoon, completely oblivious to the others around us.

I treat her to dinner and she in turn, grants me the privilege of her company. I don't mind. What's a few morsels of food compared to the immense pleasure of her company. And for the moment, she's mine. Completely mine. Brimming over with short-lived but unbridled love. And when the meter in her head clanks, she walks away from me.And I don't grudge her. She of the wayward ways. She of the full belly.

But today all that changed. She met me with her usual enthusiasm. But I had nothing to offer but my company. And that's not much to subsist on, even on a full belly. Not even enough for dessert.

And when the time had come for me to indicate an offer of nourishment. I had kept quiet.

At first she looked baffled. And though, I could see that she had realized that I was skint, her deameanour didn't divulge it. Maybe it was because I had never failed her in the past and she was willing to forgive one lapse in protocol. But soon the novelty had worn off. We sat there like two drinking companions meeting during Lent. She didn't want to leave me and go since I had been good to her. But her time was precious and there was nothing to be gained by sticking around.

And so, when she turned away to go, I still didn't grudge her. She of the scruffy neck. She of the wagging tail.

Apni dhun mein rehta hoon!

Apni Dhun mein rehta hoon.
Main bhi tere jaisa hoon.

Oh pichle baras ke saathi
Ab ke baras mein tanha hoon

Teri gali mein sara din
dukh ke kankar chunta hoon.

Mera diya jalaye kaun.
Mein sirf tera kamra hoon.

Apni laher hai apna rog
Dariya hoon aur pyasa hoon.

OK Computer!

My art director (the guy who designs the ads) told me about an interesting phenomena yesterday. Since he sits all day on the computer using software like Corel Draw and Photoshop, the effects of the software linger on long after he's left the office.

Like for example, whenever he does something wrong, he finds his fingers reaching out for Ctrl + Z cos his brain is saying 'Undo'. So if he's forgotten to carry his cellphone to office, his fingers reach for an imaginary Ctrl + Z. The same if he spills some coffee, or takes a wrong turn while driving his car.

He says that the effect is getting more pronounced every month. It is growing from a physcal act to a mental one. He finds himself wondering if he can 'Undo' words he has said, things he has done.

And I believe him. Something similar happens to me when I play NFS of FIFA 06 on the X-box for too long. It becomes difficult to drive normally on the road. You keep wanting to go to Nitro everytime you get a straight stretch of road. Similary, I keep wanting to press A or B to pass or score while watching a Football match on TV.

So of the effects of a 5 hour game is so pronounced, what about using the same software everday for over 7 hours at a stretch, 6 days a week, 4 odd weeks a month, 12 months an year.

So there might be something to the entire "Don't let kids play violent games" debate. After here we are two grown up, educated people feeling compulsion that don't make sense. The effects on an impressionable mind must be more pronounced.

Hmmmmmmm!!