I am a paranoid dolphin

Dude, I need a break of sorts. I need to stop everything. Like that CBSE poem telling us to stop walking, talking, breathing, breaking and building. I am paranoid. I get irritated too easily. I lose it too soon. I forget there is time, so much time left for so many things. I dont need to overload myself. It has to come one at a time. Everything has to just pause for some time, lets say a week. I should take a break and go jump in the ocean.

I want to float in water and just keep on wondering about buoyancy. More like a dolphin, I want to keep going in the water. As the water level rises while I slowly immerse myself into the pool, I want to feel that tingle that runs through your chest making you shiver. And then the slow walk from the iron step to the center of the pool while your head remains dry and then waiting for the moment. Looking up at the sky almost like waiting for that eagle to fly across the blue expanse, you let go of yourself and fall into the water. In a mad rush of temperature and touch, the water runs through your hair and inside your ear and in an instant, you feel lighter. Suspension is probably even better than sleep. You come up again and wipe your hair off your face and through the back of your ear. You're ready now. Now waiting for the planets to align and then synchronous with the sudden spring of a cheetah you're picturing, you kick hard on the back wall and launch yourself forward. Tearing through the water surface, you wonder how long this surge will last. 6 tiles, 7 tiles, 10 tiles...you're slowing down. Just a couple more, 16 tiles...17...and you swing your arms up into the air and splash down cracking the velvet. Dolphins get to do this everyday...

A post about everything

This post is literally about everything that I have bottlled up inside me till internet came back. Like I always say, its like Army Camp out here. Every day, a new challenge comes up, be it water, electricity, food, internet, or just people acting weirdly, which happens more often than you think.

So, first up I'll take the case of a couple of movies I have watched...some which have left a mark. NOKJ failed miserably, maybe because I expected too much. And also because I saw the Sea Link in a scene set in 2006. So...blah to that!
127 Hours was impressive! OST was as brilliant as Rahman could ever get, and for some reason, I liked it more than Slumdog's OST. But, sadly Sigur Ros stole the show with Festival, the 9 minute, 26 second long masterpiece playing when Aron cuts his hand, gets out and runs to a helicopter. Hair raising scenes those were, but they make you wish Rahman had composed it. Danny is bloody brilliant with his attention to detail. While watching, do notice the lips of James Franco as they dry up due to lack of water and turn pale and crack. Superb!
Megamind Despicable Me have started this villain-centric animations and I am in love with them!

Next is my account balance which is going down like talktime while making an ISD call! I just dont get it. Where is the money going? Am I dropping notes while I walk? Does someone owe me a lot of cash? Whoever it is, I need it back! Every time I walk past UCO, I feel I need a job, real soon. This GRE, CAT thing is not for me. I should get a job and start earning if I have to sustain all this. Then, next moment, I buy a 20rs Lays and kill myself.

Winter is finally retreating but I don't want it to go completely. This weather is just perfect, not too warm and cold enough to keep the fans off. I hate fans.

This year is turning out to be a year of learning. Learning to deal with people, their moronic ideas and acts and deciding "This is the last time I am doing this!"
Tagging along stupid decisions is as bad as making them. So, I dont blame anyone. But then I do.

A:"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

B:"What?"

A:"Thats a stupid idea!"

B:"No its not, Lets go!"

A:"Fine...."

And we all end up where we never wanted to be.

A: "I never wanted to go."
B: "Everyone was going so I went along."
C: "He's an idiot! I am never going with him!"

And the circle of life completes.

Quizzing toh chal raha hai. There is so much to write but I will leave the topic for now. I leave for Allahabad on Friday for a quiz. Wish me luck...

Internships? Who me?
Neah...didnt get any yet. All I got was a consent from 3 professors from Brazil but I couldnt apply. "BIT is not centrally funded" but BIT is as poor as NIT Patna!

Hot Chocolate and Maggi Soup keeps me up and running in this cold. Till next time I find time to sit and write while listening to Halo 2's OST [Listen to Halo Theme Mjolnir Mix], I hope you are ok.

After this stupid post, maybe this C&H strip will cheer you up.

Tomorrow’s what I’m waiting for

Its that time of the year again! When you hope you were a christian [if you're already one, you should still read this], when you wish you had a christian girlfriend, when you wish you stayed in Bandra, knew more about the Bible and not just skewed facts from Da Vinci Codes, always thought why didn't Hindus have hymns like Silent Night which somehow sound better than the ones we have, how you have always wanted that christian name was Arthur or Stella or Scarlett, or how much we like the anglicized names of the roads, Park Street, Connaught Place and Brabourne, when we think how did people buy virgin/Virgin birth or how cooler it is  to give out cake instead of laddoos, when we think of Christmas sms's but then don't really care but still send it because we have those unlimited schemes, how much we prefer the customs of candles instead of crackers but still feel the burn from the latter on the fingertips and how Christmas has and always will be special to us.

After studying in a particular Clifton School for three years and having sang hymns every morning, Hallelujah and Hark the Herald makes me pleasantly nostalgic. Silent Night just reminds me of Cartoon Network.

Remember this?

Silent Night, Smelly Night,

All is raw, All is rice...

*Smiles and high fives*

As always, Bill Watterson captures exactly what I think and imagine. Here is one for today, perfect, poignant and warm.

And keeping in tune with 2010 and Time Man of the Year, here is a video of Christmas, 2010-ishtyle!

I love Christmas. We all do. But, frankly, there is nothing in particular I like about it. Apart from the morning of I think 25th Dec, 2004 when I woke up to find a US Army soldiers and fighter jet figures beneath my pillow. For an entire day, I sincerely believed nothing wrong can happen in this world, as long as my parents are sleeping in the next room. That, Santa can gift you even if you don't have a chimney. Or, lets make that last statement figurative. I hope everyone has a chimney in their life!

Prudence is imperative

I don't need to elaborate on the news. Just the point I need to make before you. As much as we like reading about the world reacting to the arrest, the release of the documents and memos and the subsequent comments from leaders all over, I need to bring to your attention something very important. Pointed out by a dear friend from the States itself, this entire story could spell disaster for you.
A recent memo from US agencies clearly spell out this in layman terms :
The release of the documents does not change its status as classified. So, viewing, downloading or sharing the documents still counts as breaking the law.

So, you risk losing your job because of a silly distraction at work or home or wherever you find a free wi-fi connection!
Infact, this doesnt apply only to Wikileaks. The case is of one Juan Williams who was fired from NPR because he apparently felt nervous when around Muslims. Numerous companies are now pouring into the new recruits' Facebook and Myspace profiles to dig out dirt - Profanity, nudity, alcohol use and the likes.
Existing employees also stand losing their jobs over a silly hat with a pornstar stitched on top or even a status update criticizing work policies.

I picked up the following points to keep in mind all the time, from flockpost.com. I suggest you should memorize them :

1. Don’t add your bosses in your facebook network
2. Don’t add colleagues who is not so good with you
3. Don’t post anything good or bad about your job, company, boss or any colleague.
4. Don’t post pictures which are consider to be very private.
5. Don’t write about your past, if it was bad. We all have bad pasts.
6. Use facebook privacy settings always.
7. Don’t write anything, just anything.
8. If you are a student today, tomorrow you will be on job, facebook will prove your character and HRs love Facebook.
9. Avoid comments containing, nudity, abuse, controversies, religious remarks, insults or bashing with F**** languages.
10. Respect your company’s policies and save your job.

 Prudence really is imperative. You sure don't want to be headlining the news tomorrow morning, over a silly photo upload from tonight's slosh party you don't even remember tomorrow morning. Get a hold of yourself and don't discuss sensitive issues.

Playing hard to get

Harsh playfully pointed out a very important thing we all have to remember. After getting rejected in the first round of interviews in Microsoft as well as Goldman Sachs, I feel weird. A bit irritated and dejected to be frank. But philosophical at the same time. So, I will discuss this with you.

Big or small, famous or infamous, rich or poor, all companies look for what they do. Its pointless to think you have X talent, which will be your ticket to glory. It aint gonna work. No one cares what you have or know. They look for what they want.
So, the midnight call from TnP or the morning knock from some other batch-mate only makes your heart skip a beat and you start to shiver. You feel : Oh dear god! This is the moment! I am better than that PQR moron who beat me at long jump. And you get ready for the interview in almost 3 .5 minutes. No bath. Almost tooth-brushed.
TnP is the coldest place on earth. You want to pee every 10 minutes but you dare not get up and leave, or else Anshuman'll see you! Slowly, the company-wale come and make their way to the various rooms (MR-2 is the worst). Once inside, I dont know what they discuss but it always sounds pretty serious. You wonder what the MBA and Abacus magazines are doing in the corner. Why on earth would someone come here and read Competition Success inside the "Training and Placements" Cell?
Once you're in, you feel the HR guy could've looked better. Why does he get to wear jeans and Adidas shoes and I have to wear a vest and put on my dad's tie? He asks you "Tell me about yourself" and you recollect your prepared statement "I am an extremely determined creative enthusiast yada yada yada I am impressed by your company's profile ...gilachimocojojo... a hard working perfectionist like me" BAMMMM
You're out.

Next company comes and you learn squat. You still think you can make better of this HR guy coz he's bong. Well, hate to break it to you but he's a hotshot C++ "enthusiast" as you call it, and he ain't intersted in what you say. He wants you to code for determining the most suitable move for a knight on a chess board. Mind you - CODE. The last code you wrote was for union of a set in MATLAB!

And, that's how I got rejected. Twice in a row...Best of luck!

Missile Man of India v/s The Defused Bomb of Maharashtra

I rarely write about such stuff because it includes politics and I consider myself to be as dumb as Joey about it. But, here goes nothing.

---

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam

Our favourite president.
Or is he our most famous president? I personally can't name more than 4 and I will never forget the name of two of them. APJ and Pratibha Patil. Lets say this post is devoted to the two of probably the most famous presidents of our time, for very different reasons.

Everbody loves APJAK. No one has a reason to hate him. He's super-intelligent, super-nice and talks about including youth in the movement for the nation's growth. Why wouldn't you love him? There are videos of his speech's standing ovation in the UN.
His 10 books sell like hot cakes. 6 people have written his biography. He's the first Asian to get the Hoover Medal, which has been awarded to the likes of Alfred Sloan Jr., Dwight Eisenhower as well a couple of other US Presidents.
But, really what all this brings to light is how many years it took the Government to include a scientist in office. And only 2 presidents have gotten the Bharat Ratna before him. Aren't presidents supposed to have it by default?
So, there is a wonderful sentiment in the air about our APJ. He always laughs. He always impresses. He got us into space and gave us the power to kick Pakistan's ass. But then, suddenly, just like a hot shower suddenly spewes cold water on you, his tenure gets over. Is he going to be there for the next 5 years?

Along comes Pratibha Patil, from godknowswhere, reeking of univocal support for Congress. The late Bhairon Singh Shekhawat had no chance whatsoever and she won with almost double the number of votes. So, did APJ not contest? Well, he was advised to do so by AIADMK, SP and TDP combined. He needed assurance to win, which he couldn't get. So, he never tried.
So, Pratibha Devisingh Patil becomes the 12th and the first woman to do so. She claims to have spoken to the spirit of a deceased leader in Mount Abu. But, that's ok. She apparently forgot speeches. But that's ok. She is embroiled in countless controversies regarding banks, sugar and purdah, dating back to 1975. But that's ok.
A self-confessed hippie and an associate of Bob Dylan (So writes Wiki) is now our President.

I am not against woman becoming Presidents. Lets get this fact straight first. Phew...

Now, what image comes into your mind when you hear Patil's name?
An old lady in a silk saree, slow to move. Slow to talk. Figure of enough prominence to represent us in front of 190 countries? I think not. Rather, I expect Her/His excellency The President Of India to look, talk and walk like the name sounds - The Supreme Commander. Honorary, heavy and capable of sweeping the meeting off its heels in one go with sheer intelligence and humility, with so much as a smile on the face. That was APJ for me. I failed to be ignited by Pratibha. I failed to feel proud when she delivers the message to the nation on 15th August. I failed to listen to that message anyway. :P

Personally, APJ being President again would have been a response to the popular demand and the assertion of the national sentiment and pluralism on the face of the UPA. Did UPA want Pratibha to be President or did it need her to be? We'll never know.
What we do know, for a FACT, is that the highest office has been devalued, robbed of its sincerity and austerity. Sha!

Home is closer than I thought

Homecoming is more sacred a feeling than any other. Its more moving, more picturesque, more "right" and more effective compared to anything you'd do in life.
The anticipation of the train station arriving and looking out the window to see your mom and dad waiting for you, smiling away to glory...
The hurried steps you take to get out of the train and jump to give them a hug...
The little fight with your brother to hold the heavy luggage...
The recollecting of the funny stories of the journey...
The feeling you get when you open the door of your room and you see all your stuff still placed just where you left it...
The smell of your home...the removing of shoes and socks to feel the tiles( i do this...i dont know about you. it relieves me)
The "Jaldi jaao...naha lo...fir khana kha lena...bhindi banayi hai..."...

The younger ones opening your bag to see if you brought something for them...
The joy of giving it if you actually did remember to buy it...
The messaging your girlfriend "I reached. luv u."...
And the list goes on...
on and on
till the time you have to eventually go back. No matter where you're going...its just not good enough to be called heaven. Because mom's not there...If mom came to Jharkhand, it wouldn't be as bad...really. apart from the food and the people, what else do I hate about jharkhand anyway?
Homecoming for me is 3 weeks and a couple of days and away...Still far, but I can already feel it. I can already picture the high-5s in the train on "We're goin' home baby!"...I can already see dad's cry for the newspaper...bhabhi's smile when she comes back from the clinic...the tired irritating voice of my brother when he returns at 11pm...and ofcourse mom's everything.








Mom's are always special huh? They are they are! In everything, they're there. You wanna go and buy her the whole world everytime you withdraw from the bank...

Why is Damien Rice playing when I am writing? Or is it the other way?