i, idiot!

okie.. i just missed out on an Oscar for Best Idiotic Performance!! today was my day in.. i have found no better way of beating monday blues than actually eliminating mondays from my schedule altogether! so mondays i don't do research work, don't go to my job, don't use any more braincells than the minimum required to decide what to eat.. you get my drift! ;-)

right, back to the Oscar performance.. at two in the afty i went out in my pyjama-trackies, to get the mail from the mailbox.. and turned back to see that i'd locked myself out! damn!! and to top it off.. it started snowing! i would have gladly stayed to admire the beautiful crystalline snowflakes gently swirling.. but my toes were going numb, so i walked as fast as i could in my flip-flops the two blocks to 122, where thank god nats was home.. she had a spare key to our place.

well, the waffles i had left in the oven were a bit more 'toasted' than i had wanted, but nothing an extra dollop of jam couldn't fix eh?! looking back at the episode, i can laugh now.. but when i was walking around the house trying to pry open locekd windows with numb fingers, it wasn't that funny then at all!! anyways, i have learned my lesson, am not gonna leave the house for anything on mondays from now on!!

awesome weekend!

celebrated february's last weekend in style.. what a trip it's been.. starting friday evening.. all the way into the wee hours of monday morning.. and for one weekend we were short of nothing.. alcohol, herbs, meat..

nats' friend chkta came over for the weekend from outta town.. had dinner at Fast Frank's.. the only diner around that we haven't done to death yet! after that was back to 33 for a party.. we ended up being up till six in the morning talking and having a good time all around.

saturday i slept through the a.m. and went straight to work at 1.. another bleak day! *yaawn* ash and i went grocery shopping.. then returned the logitech gamepad we'd gotten at circuit city, that's cos we saw a much better one on e-cost, and we ordered three online.. ladies & gentlemen, meet Logitech® Rumblepad™ 2 Vibration Feedback Gamepad!! this bad boy kicks ass!!

the boys at 87M had a house-warming for the new 'safe' house at 97M now.. 87 remains the party house, while 97 will now be for rehab and other serious pursuits. with just under three months to go before end of semester.. suddenly the thesis bug is biting everyone. well, that bug don't bug me.. i ain't quitting this extremely hedonistic lifestyle i'm on just about yet!! hell no!

sunday a.m. slipped by similar to saturday.. and by the time i got up and started setting up the barbecue.. it was already 2! it does sound a little insane having a barbecue outside when its 10F and there's a foot of snow in the back yard, but then that's us.. any excuse to have a barbecue!!

when eventually it got too cold to stay out.. we came inside and watched the Oscars.. for a quick peek at who won what.. go to IMDB.. Martin Scorsese's The Aviator might have picked more awards, but Clint Eastwood & Million Dollar Baby won the ones that mattered..

and so yet another weekend ends.. hopefully monday i will finally get some real work done.. resumes to ship out, job fairs to attend, lab work to be done, income tax returns to fill, monthly bills to pay and more Molson Export to down.. have really started chugging down those red babies!!

NB: for those of you wondering, the unshaven, grungy look is not in again.. i've just been too lazy!

spirit of the night

swathes of black crisscross across this sky..

pinpricks of white flame peer through oddly almost as they didn't belong.

the edges mellow into warm fuzzy yellow neon..

the city will not permit me to enjoy this vista in its glory of darkness.

hands buried in the pockets of a down-jacket..

my eyes roam, scanning the skyline above, seeking the power of this night.

someone i know loves this deep darkness..

drawing lifeblood from nothingness to hold a sword over its head in control.

someone walks dark, wet, quiet streets..

pulling back random thoughts by their kite-tails, colorful ribbons in tow.

someone gazes at the sallow, full moon..

dreaming how this beacon of night draws together like-minded free spirits.

the floorboards creak as i gently rock..

puffs of night's chilled wind bear manna gifts of delicately frozen crystals.

the crick in my neck fades away in time..

the white dots line up to spell feelings that no spoken word can name.

you are what i want to you to be for me..

this mere black putty that i can shape and create the life i want out of it.

in a forest of time fire meets darkness..

neither fire removes all darkness nor darkness can swallow the fire's vigor.

late nights and life insurance

for those who didn't already know.. i'm a certified M*A*S*H addict! every night 11 to 1 will find me with my feet up, sitting back, eyes glazed, with the occasional chuckle at hawkeye and bj's antics & witticisms!

the one thing that really gets me though are the irritating commercial breaks. and not just the ads, its the common thread running through all the ads at that time.. each and every ad is old-age and medical oriented!! today i saw three separate life insurance ads, the regular idiot who promotes the needle-less insulin shot, two lawyer ads for mesothelioma and vioxx complaints, an ad for how to pay for your funeral costs, one ad for a powerchair that can be covered by medicare, retirement holiday cruises, and two more slimming programs..

ok, i need a break. i'm gonna get me some fruit cocktail with whipped cream on top! funny story here.. the only times we get cool-whip and fruit cocktail from the gas station convenience store, the counter guy knows what we're upto ;-)).. so yesterday i picked up a tub of cool-whip and two bottles of mike's hard lemonade.. and the counter guy's eyes go agog, and he stammers.. "damn! i know you dope-trip with the fruit & the whipped cream, but what are you making with cool-whip and mike's?! nooo.. no way?!" and i have to laugh and tell the bloke that its for different trips!!

so yeah, back to the ads! who do they think watches M*A*S*H at night anyways? do they really think old and sick people will be up till 1 watching a show about a bunch of drunk prankster surgeons stitching up G.I.'s and innocent koreans during the war?! i totally understand the niche the ad people are aiming for.. but wrong timing!! yeesh!! besides, i have a very strong suspicion that the only people watching M*A*S*H these days are stoned grad students feeling too mellow (and old!!) to paint the town red from wednesday to monday every week!

my Creed

a very cliche'd band.. with very cliche'd music.. and cliche'd lyrics.. but yet i listen.. i take comfort in the angst.. a deep roaring voice, pain tearing at its edges.. carried over by the rending notes.. the eerie C-chord..

I can't find the rhyme in all my reason, Lost sense of time and all seasons
Feel I've been beaten down, By the words of men who have no grounds
Can't sleep beneath the trees of wisdom, When your ax has cut the roots that feed them
Forked tongues in bitter mouths, Can drive a man to bleed from inside out

i don't know why people have to be this way.. i don't know why i have to be this way, why i let what people say affect me.. "detach, detach!" i keep telling others, and yet, how often do i do it myself?

What makes you touch? What makes you feel?
What makes you stop and smell the roses in an open field?
What makes you unclean?

what is it inside me that makes me the person i am? genes.. environment? what is the life in me made of? i think, therefore i am.. really?!

She wears a coat of color, Loved by some, feared by others
She's immortalized in young men's eyes
Lust she breeds in the eyes of brothers, Violent sons make bitter mothers
So close your eyes, here's your surprise
The Beautiful is empty.. Beautiful is free.. Beautiful loves no one
Beautiful stripped me

yes.. alas.. i let Beauty get under my skin.. and she ripped me apart, and tore me to shreds.. another of life's lessons learned so bitterly!

The rage in my eyes, Could have compared to the eye of a sun
Then rain, Took it's course through the hands of the Son

my passions, my desires.. they are mine entirely. i have found myself, and every day, as it passes.. i grow, and i live life again.. one with no regrets, so that i sleep easy and can look myself in the eye,with no guilt.

I see your soul, it's kind of gray, I see your heart, you look away
You see my wrist, I know your pain, I know your purpose on your plane
Don't say a last prayer, Because you could never find, What's this life for

and yet.. the angst in my soul does not leave.. it resides in a permanent corner there.

yes, Creed shall live on with their music.

Thank You

well.. i met a lot of people during my travels in india.. some old friends, some new friends through blogging, and some through old & new friends who blog.. but a lot of them made the trip very memorable.. often taking time off their schedules at work/college to hang out, go out.. or simply booze out!

i mentioned some in the previous blogs.. in bangalore -
Nits, BD, Aru, Tongu & Sid you guys are way too cool..
Anin - not a day passes and i don't think of you..
Sidhu - i was glad when i met sank.. and very glad to meet you too ..
Varsha - still remember good ol' times in buffalo..
Arunima & Jenny - very nice to meet you both!

.. then in iit-kgp -
the whole of present RK-CTM: i don't need to name you guys, but you are all amazing.. and i am very happy and proud that you have kept up our unity!..

.. at iim-cal -
my brother-in-previous-life tayal.. and the rest of you rkites-kgpians there still raising hell like only we can do!

.. in allahabad -
my cousins - bonty.. rahul & boudi.. rohit & boudi.. ambika & niharika.. sid.. good times for the labour union eh?!
good to meet you kriti.. you're the most intelligent, fun, pretty and with-it sixteen year old i have ever met!!
and the pretty woman in the red & blue sari.. i wish i could have said more to you than "w..w..we..welcome" at the reception!!

.. in calcutta -
dreamcatcher.. the younger sister i should have had.. you're a cute mischievous li'l imp aren't you?! ;-))
deepbluesea i eagerly await your films.. cos you're gonna make helluva lot of excellent movies!
my cousin sis rimi.. be yourself, that's all you need :-)

.. and finally in bombay -
koshman - dude those dancebars shall have to wait till next time!! a big hi to mota-sunil too! thanks boyz for everything!
deeps.. was really great to finally meet you.. we are yet to spring some more surprises on our very sexy friend, arul!!

a very big shout-out has to go to all of you who i couldn't meet this time around, but spoke to on the phone -
the incomparable and legendary ms. reshma sanyal.. my lord don't you make women like her anymore?!
diamonds.. you go mech girl!!
damn i just missed meeting you beatrice.. fear not, we shall meet this summer in buffalo!
sorry i couldn't call back heylady, maybe next time i'm in delhi..

take care y'all.. and see you again next time around!! :-))

India Trip Wrap-up

- Allahabad is growing, and no more remains the sleepy town i spent my vacations in. Civil Lines is too crowded these days, most of the chaat hangouts there are not that good anymore, and the cinema halls are falling into disrepair, thanks to VCD/DVD rentals. i didn't get to go to the 'sangam' (the confluence of three rivers, and a pilgrimage site) this time around, but my cousins tell me that there are proper four-lane highways there now. the 'dahi-vada' (fried savories in yoghurt) at medical campus is another thing i didn't get to try this time, but well, hopefully that will never change.
- my cousin brother's wedding in allahabad was like all indian weddings, a whole lot of pomp, glamor and fun for all parties involved. it was a pretty long-drawn affair too, over some 6 days but since it allowed half of the Mittra clan to get together and make merry every night, it was all good!
- this might sound quite chauvinistic and all.. but i had all these family friends and other strange people (i'll call them 'aunties') like almost throw their daughters/nieces/granddaughters at me during the wedding!! yes, and the reason for that is that i am the next in line in the Mittra clan for the ritual sacrifice!! yup, that's right.. i am supposed to be the next in line to go down that aisle, but i did pull a damper on all my relatives' plans when i told them that wasn't happening for another three years at least!

- Kolkata is growing too, growing old that is. much as i love cal.. (by the way, i am going to insist on calling it cal.. deal with it!) i am losing patience with it. flyovers & bypasses zigzag over the city, and yet the traffic never diminishes. traffic jams, road blockades, pollution, filthy roads, stupid drivers, even more stupid politicians.. God, cal makes it so hard for one to love it!
- you like people for their qualities, but you love them for their defects.. i have never heard a truer statement to describe calcutta. so despite all the cribbing and all.. cal is still cal.. and some things will never change. the moronic crowds at the kolkata book fair, the overeager ushers at roadside restaurants, the know-it-all uncles sitting in the buses, the mad pandemonium that is Howrah station, the tastebud-confusing aroma of 'jhaal-muri', the quiet walks through calcutta suburbia.. i wouldn't give it up for anything!
- cal trips for me have always been all about two very different things.. on one hand going home and vegetating, watching tv, eating like crazy and tutoring my little cousin.. and on the other going out with friends, and watching movies, shopping and eating out. this time was no different again..

- Mumbai still rocks! some things never change! didn't get to travel much due to the brief nature of my sojourn there this time around, but whatever i saw i liked. the traffic i could do without, but its good to see them switching to concrete roads like here in the US. strangely enough, i didn't get to see too many of the 'beautiful people'.. but that's probably cos i wasn't there over the weekend!

well, that pretty much wraps up my trip to india.. a whole concoction of memories and experiences.. i have a lot to reminisce about from this trip, thank you very much to everyone i met for making it even better! :-)

Control

The streetlights are a pale yellow-orange frame in the darkness behind me. I lay here looking up at you change. As you stand there in your nightshirt, i see you staring at me, but i hold my gaze unbroken, then you look down. You stand at the end of the bed, looking down, hands folded in front of you. There's silence, occasionally a faraway car horn wafts by in the night's stillness. You kneel on the bed, sitting on your feet, hands still locked together. Finally you look up, and i can see the innocence of letting-go in your eyes. At this point, you can, and will do absolutely anything for me, but not yet. That is yet to come.

I'm sitting propped up by the pillows, watching your fingers shake slightly as you unbutton the nightshirt you're wearing. The yellow neon from the window suffuses your face with a glow. You bite your lower lip, and lean forward to kiss my chest. Your hands are cold, and you raise goosebumps on my arms and legs. My hands are interlocked behind my head, as your open hair covers my belly; tingling sensations as single hairs travel over places you've sloppily kissed. It might be cold outside, but i see little sweat droplets bead up on your forehead. Your touches bring hot rushes of blood, then cold as little drafts gently drifting inside the room settle.

'Enough' i whisper, and sit up straight. You use the back of your hand to wipe your flushed face, then try to pull back all your hair from where sweat has stuck it to your bare shoulders. I don't even have to say anything, as you lie back, eyes firmly closed. I hold your hand in mine, fingers intertwined, leaving your other hand free to roam. My dark shadow hovers on the wall, over your prostrate form, like a vampire poised to strike. I'm looking intently at your face as i breathe gently on your vulnerable, exposed neck. Your eyelids flutter like the wings of a trapped butterfly as each breath brings promise of contact, and each time there's none.

I'm holding your hand, and it guides me, but again, i don't touch. Just the thought that i'm so close is already causing your breathing to go haywire, as your chest rises and falls dramatically. Your free hand is scrambling frantically, like grasping at sliding stones rolling down a hill. Your eyes are scrunched up as tightly as they can, as i blow gently again, and you're panicking wondering where i'll be next.

A little more of this and your head is thrashing from side to side like a beached fish, blood rushing to your face and your breathing like punctuated gasps of gunfire. Finally i say 'Yes', and relief floods your features. Like the passing of a storm cloud, only to be hit by a tornado. Both your hands are scrabbling in my hair, holding my head down as your legs kick out, beating out a manic tattoo in sync with your breathing.

For a second your back arches violently, the damp sheets sticking to you. You scream. A primeval, guttural noise that escapes your lips, reverberates across the room, and is lost in the midnight sky outside. You fall back onto the bed, and your whole body unwinds like a released spring as you exhale noisily.

I go back to my sitting position, as you try to regain semblances of your usual composure. You lean over and kiss me on the lips, mumbling a 'Thank you'. You seem almost confident, and all traces of shyness have disappeared. Yet now you definitely know that you will do absolutely anything for me. That brings a smile to my face.

cold is..

i broke one of my own cardinal rules in life, and took a saturday shift at work. i have made it a point to never work on weekends.. never. and yet i sit here on saturday afternoon.. when i could still be nursing last night's high and watching 'Scrubs' reruns.. sometimes mind wins over heart.. besides i could really do with the $24!!

so i look outside, into this mini-blizzard raging.. and think to myself.. which is colder.. the one you feel physically, or the one in your mind?

cold is.. when it's so gloomy outside that it looks like a grey blanket has been drawn over the sky.. when the biting cold whips up powdered snow, and it sneaks into the crack at the back of your neck where the jacket doesn't quite reach your woollen cap.. when howling little wind-elves slash at your face with their icy fingers and freeze-stick your eyelashes together.. when the tears streaming out of your eyes form little ice-drops that stick to your cheeks, and rip a top-layer of skin when you scrape them off, leaving raw little red dots.

cold is.. when the voices in your head turn into a maelstrom of noise, and you cannot decide which one to listen to.. when there is such a hollow emptiness sucking away inside your heart that it feels you swallowed lead-shot and are falling down a dark elevator shaft.. when you want someone (that someone, only) so bad that you fall to the floor, head down, eyes clenched, one arm reaching out, fingers splayed on the cold floor, hand upturned, hoping that she would just even look at you again with a warm smile.. when it hurts so much inside that your throat feels like a concrete-burn, and you taste blood with every breath you take, and you want to cry but the tears won't come.. for you have nothing inside, nothing.

hide n' seek

started off a pretty downkey day.. snow flurries in the bitter cold of 8F.. full day shift of 8-5.. fortitude, chips and good IM company kept me going.. luckily workload wasn't too big..

came home, had a leftover sub.. then went over to 122 as nats had made chocolate cake. smoked up, then we played Pictionary.. nats, arul, mal and i gave the game a whole new hilarious dimension! then we went to watch 'Hide N' Seek' with ash and mohit. the movie was pretty okayish.. but the story twists keep you glued to the screen, and creeping crescendos keep you in your seats!

robert deniro plays this psychiatrist whose wife dies, and is left to raise his young daughter himself. he takes her into upstate new york to forget her mother's memories.. and then slowly hell starts breaking loose! very creepy at times.. good stuff.

came home and we all chilled out.. had dinner and a couple of drinks. broke out the bottle of Johnny Walker, Black Label (thanks Dad!!).. and lived it up.. it was nice lively banter.. then arul n' i pushed off to 87M for more merriment.. had a very interesting focussed analysis on cricket.. got back late, and tried yet another episode in the 'Stoned Cooking' series!! came out pretty well too.. Iron Chef Saurabh has not lost his skills..

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JUST A THOUGHT.. i really need a Reiki cleansing period in a couple of years.. when i've got a job and stuff. after that it's gonna be a vicarious existence for me (seriously!!).. i've set 30 as the age to continue my insane party lifestyle until.. so am gonna keep full on as i am now.. ;-)) i have to admit though, that my best drinking and doping days are now definitely behind me.. but that's not to say i'm not gonna give it my best shot.. still lotsa partying to do!!

"it's John Constantine, asshole!"

so when keanu reeves walked onscreen and delivered that as the opening line.. you always got the feeling that this was not going to be a regular soppy movie. 'Constantine' premiered at school today.. and it was worth the cover charge.. wait a minute.. it was a free premiere.. so no charge! but it was a pretty good movie nonetheless.. ash, nats, arul n' i enjoyed it.

constantine plays mediator between the forces of good and evil.. making sure the demons stay down, and the angels stay wherever they do.. the line between is often blurred.. he doesn't give a shit, smokes 30 cigarettes a day and kicks demon ass whenever he gets a chance.. all in his search for personal redemption.

along the way he ends up helping rachel weisz solve a few personal problems, helps his assistant grow up, and works with his eclectic bunch of cronies in keeping the above-ground free from intrusions.. i think he smiles a sum total of twice in the movie! some excellent graphics and stunts.. pretty good music and very slick editing.. this should do quite decently at the box office.

NB: i have since seen the critics reviews, and they have torn it to shreds! personally i have stopped listening to the critics.. but those who do.. be warned!

IIT-Kgp & IIM-Cal

-i bunch these two together, cos the boys of kgp go to joka and re-enact the whole kgp lifestyle again! for those who don't know, IIT-Kgp = Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur & IIM-Cal = Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. both are premier institutions of higher learning in india.. the IIT system producing the cream of the engineering crop.. which upon graduation either takes a software job, joins IIM or goes to the US for MS!!
-going back to kgp was such a sentimental trip.. the dreary train ride from howrah.. jumping tracks on platform 3.. the rickety cycle-rickshaw ride to campus.. chedi's at puri gate.. the entrance to RK.. the whitewashed corridors.. the hall foyer (i quickly take a peek to see if they still have my name on the Honors Board.. yes they do!!).. past the unevenly clumped footer field.. up the dark cement stairs.. and there i am again.. RK-CTM.. this is my wing!!
-walking down the narrowish corridor, the 'scoreboard' is still painted on the wall, albeit the paint peeling. C-313 has been painted, so none of the graffiti that adorned one whole wall.. and the Victoria's Secret wallpaper on the other wall is long gone.. the hundreds of empties in the balcony have been trashed.. this was my room for three years. i partied, drank, hung out, entertained in this room.. i painted all the walls here.. i sneaked my gf in when the watchman was asleep.. i set up multiple speakers all over the room from a home-made amp to create the ultimate home theater.. i did so much in this room.. laughed, cried, studied (kinda!).. i lived and died in this room, over and over again.
-i'm very proud of the boys in the wing now.. they have kept the RK-CTM name flying high. we had a great little party the one night i was there.. the wing is much smarter now, with people scoring 9.0+ CGs.. and high-flying internships.. most of the big drinkers and smokers have moved on.. and people seem almost scared to try pot.. but oh well.. it's all good.
-kgp itself seemed the same.. you can't gauge the college when you go during SpringFest.. it takes on a different life then.. it felt a bit funny walking around and not knowing most of the people, but it felt great when you'd walk past a group of kids and immediately muted whispers would break out in awe going "is that mittra?! oh god, yes it is!!".. especially in the SF arena.. where i virtually lived for the entire period of the four SFs i saw.. and personally worked with most of the kids running the show. met the current Steering Com. and i have to say they have great ideas, things we never even thought of.. Kgp is in good hands..
-watched Indian Ocean and Strings.. Indian Ocean were as great as always.. especially the newer stuff from the Black Friday album.. while i didn't really like Strings.. everyone else did.. i had great company (thank you DeepBlueSea!!) and didn't notice time pass at all!! one sight completely blew my mind though.. one of the slower songs.. all lights dimmed.. ten thousand kids humming.. and instead of lighters.. some five to six thousand Nokia cellphones, with their trademark blue-green screens, being waved in the air in unison.. like a million fireflies at a convention in an amphitheatre.. beautiful.
-IIM-Cal in joka was fun in a different way.. all the RK boys had a get together the night i was there.. got some booze, scored some pot.. and remembered glory days! my best friend from undergrad tayal.. wingies raju & slowmo.. ankur, mehta, doku, pondy, gollu.. and they regaled us with stories of how they have completely kept up their RK heritage by living absolutely the same way here as they did there.. really good to see all of you boys too :-))

Bangalore!

-so i land in Bangalore, with two bags and a lot of expectations.. after years of hearing how much of a party place this is! my friends nits & bd are still the same.. as soon as we get out of the airport we land up at the aiport canteen for "chai n' sutta" (tea n' cigarettes). Bangalore unfortunately is very crowded and polluted now, thanks to the software boom.. which is a shame, cos its a great place.
-the famous MG & Brigade roads are exactly like i'd pictured them.. though the ladies say they prefer not to walk the strip to avoid being groped! some things in india never change.. lots of pubs n restaurants in that general area..
-the Forum Mall is the best thing to have happened to bangy.. it still remains a hangout for a lot of the younger crowd, and a monument to visit for a lot of families, who come to the Mall and gawk at how much Western culture has infiltrated the Indian mindset! MickeyD's and KFC have outlets there too.. catering to the indian palate.. with the 'Dollar Menu' being just Rs. 20 and spicy fried chicken in KFC! the Inox multiplex at the top floor there is cool..
-BTM First Stage is a software engineers' slum (as my friends put it).. but that's a little extreme.. it wasn't too bad at all. places like Indiranagar are really posh; apartment complexes and flyovers are fighting for space and time in the construction world..
-Cafe culture is a huge hit! replace the name Starbucks with Barista / Cafe Coffee Day and you have exactly the same thing as here in the US. techies discussing geekspeak, yuppies dropping names, gaggles of girls like geese, aunties having kitty-parties.. everyone's at coffee shops these days!
-Rock pubs are another huge fascination, especially for the younger crowd. there's no dearth of them.. Purple Haze, Legends of Rock, Styx, Pico's.. i wont say they're all the same.. people have their own favourites depending on which DJ is more amenable to what they wanna hear.. but it was definitely a great experience.. and had loads of fun too.. glugging pitcher after pitcher and 'beating chests in a very manly fashion' whenever Metallica or Nirvana played!!
-there was an ill-fated trip to Ooty.. but the damned rental car kept breaking down, and unlike in the US where Enterprise would ship you out in a higher class to make up for it.. this is India.. and "we are like this only"!! :-) thanks anin & aru for your patience as nits, bd n i coaxed and cajoled that damned radiator!

-Nits, BD, Aru, Tongu & Sid.. thank you people for a most wonderful time.. i shall definitely be back again!!
-Anin.. i'm really glad to see everything working out for you. you showed me a completely different side to you.. and i must say me like!! thank you very much, and i'm still thinking about you! ;-)) wish i could see more of you while i was there, but alas.. it's always been this way with us.. right from that SpringFest in 2003!
-Sidhu.. really good to meet you.. and you were exactly like Sank said you'd be.. good times my friend!
-Varsha.. you're looking great! it was good to meet you after buffalo.. hope all keeps working out just roses for you! :-))
-Arunima.. you are what you portray yourself on your blog!! full of life, and fun to hang out with!! shame i didn't get to spend more time.. but maybe next time! good to meet 'J' too :-))

Three Philosophers

so Jason n i went pubbing yesterday, with a mission.. the new bar that's opened at the old Coffee Bean Cafe is called Shango's, and it's a pretty excellent place! the staff is friendly.. Brian's the bartender, and Corey by far the prettiest waitress.. Brian is really knowledgeable, so it was great conversing with him..

this place has a wine-type beer collection, where you can go beer tasting, so our mission was to drink Three Philosophers.. out of Cooperstown, NY.. a dry cherry-lambic, dark beer, cloudy orange/red pour with a small brown head.. the aroma is caramel and dark cherries. first taste is caramel, brown sugar and raisins, leading to dark cherry flavors that finish with a sour bite.

at $6 and 12% alc. per bottle we'd decided to have just one each, but when does that ever happen! brian very kindly kept plying us with taster samples of other beers too.. so some four bottles, endless samples and three hours later we landed up at Jim's Steakout, grabbed a bite to eat.. then got home and opened the bottle of Ricard's Pastis, which i got in Paris. this is aniseed alcohol.. and is as close you can get to absinthe in the US.

jase (smart man!) had carried his smiling-face pipe too.. so we ended up completely tripping out.. man that aniseed stuff is beautiful!! along with the right things, it's totally hallucinogenic too.. just like absinthe!!

errant thought

a million little dervishes spinning around in my head.. each one a riot of color.. whirling around in a frantic rhythm.. driven by a million drum beats.. thoughts come flying out like asteriods.. only to be smashed to bits by the dervishes.. who relish the power of controlling your mind.. sustained by the life-giving light they provide.

one thought, one concept.. just one piece of information that your nerves transmit.. how difficult its flight to the mind.. undergoing all manner of perils to its existence.. to finally break through in the bright chambers of the inner mind! here words are added to give the thought form and shape.. and finally the rest of your mind knows what idea has been resolved..

my face lights up as the thought finally is in my mind.. and i decide to act upon it.. and i write about the dervishes that kill thought.. and how resilient, good thoughts always break through.. they inspire me, they nourish me.. and i write about these thoughts, that lead me on.. and make me what i am. i am that thought.

back to work

felt good to get out of the sickbed and out of the house today.. went back to work on my 8 a.m. morning shift.. yes, some things never change! we had half-decent weather today actually.. 45F and almost no windchill..

work itself was good.. it was pretty quiet.. christine seemed extremely glad to see me again.. she was chock-full of stories.. so that actually helped pass time!! i was actually glad to be back.. as all the regular beautiful people decided to drop by to ensure i didn't get bored!! ;-)) the fact that it wasn't snowing meant that all the groupies broke out their miniskirts and boots.. hmmm!! *silly grin*

Buffalo-NYC-Frankfurt-Mumbai-Bangalore

Monday 10th Jan.. the morning is rushed.. shutting down my experiments, then coming home to toss a few last things into my bags. Tracie drops me off at the airport.. my luggage is well within the limits.. JetBlue have done great with their Airbus A-320s.. leather seats and individual DirectTV flatscreens with 30+ channels. Only problem with the Buffalo-NYC flight is that you barely take off and its time to land again!

The Delta Airways flight is delayed 45 min.. i dont mind, cos its my first time changing flights at JFK, and it takes me an hour working out what terminal i have to go to using the AirTrain. I have a good window seat, and my neighbour is a soft-spoken German woman who doesnt look overtly talkative. There's nothing quite like sleeping on a night flight.. its very relaxing once you slip into REM.. the throbbing of the engines rocking you gently. i wake up a few hours later.. the roar of the engines no longer lulling.. in fact i am hardly able to hear myself think.

I peer out into the darkness. The window is a black oblong set against the internal ambient lighting. The bright white light on the wing tip flashes like an incandescent flame against the pitchblack sky. Finally i make out some stars in the sky, and ridiculously enough i feel closer to them! We are 35,000 feet above the N. Atlantic.. the temperature outside -52 F. Yes, that makes me feel warmer inside.

I choose the roast beef and baked veggies for dinner. Portions are grossly small, and i am not impresed so i dig into my backpack and pull out two cereal bars i'd carried for emergencies.. this counts as an emergency! To my dismay and my neighbour's consternation, i'm still hungry.. but no luck with second helpings, the flight is full. One of the radio channels has a grunge review.. i catch Pearl Jam's 'Alive' and Alice in Chains 'Would' and immediately feel better. Over the night i try the ambient and modern concerto channels too, both pretty good.

I wake up to the voice of the captain announcing in German that we are above London, and if we looked to the left we should see its lights. Suddenly i feel i've been carried 70 years back, sitting in the rear gunner's cockpit of a Messerschmitt bomber, during the blitzing of London. Unfortunately we are too high to make out any details.

There's nothing like a sunrise on a flight. It's truly a breathtaking experience. First all is black, and its almost impossible to distinguish the horizon if its a moonless night, then suddenly a line of pink appears on the black to define the line of the horizon. The line turns into a band slowly, a curved band bending with the earth. The band itself is a spectrum, going from deep-red to pale-pink. I was kicking myself for not having my camera in reach.. and then just as suddenly it's all over as everything takes on the soft cottony white of an early winter morning. Could you ever tire of seeing the sunrise?

I am disappointed in Frankfurt.. as during the two hour layover we are restricted to the lounge at the boarding gate. I rue the lost chance of meeting pretty German girls, to say 'Guten Tag', 'Auf Wiedersen' and 'Danke' to, some other time i guess. Luckily my next flight to Mumbai is half-empty, so i get to put my feet up and relax. Two pretty stewardesses are plying my aisle, and both are a delight to behold, and talk to. They look like twins, but i guess its cos of the uniforms and similar hairstyles. That's like TWO fantasies now.. hot twins, and pretty blondes in stewardess uniforms.. enough said!! ;-)) The two airhostesses keep plying me with food and drink, and with the seat next to me free, i hunker down and catch some sleep. I wake some time later to see one of the stewardesses tucking in a loose end of the blanket under me. She hears me stir, looks up, and gives me a huge thousand-watt smile.. happily i drift back into happy dreams. :-))

I land in Mumbai, and get an air-conditioned luxury coach transfer to the domestic airport. I'm pleasantly surprised, as Jet Air are no longer the nifty little outfit i saw two years ago.. they've turned into a fully professional and efficient enterprise.. Asia's no. 1 domestic airline. This being a 3 a.m. flight though, we get put onto a ATR!! This is a tiny (40 passenger) twin turbo prop plane! I thought these went out with Charles Lindbergh! But the pretty stewardesses and great service make up for any shortcomings. When i finally land in Bangalore at 5.30am local time, i have been flying for 20+ hours out of 26 on four flights!

back to buffalo

as the mighty Led Zep once sung.. "back to the land of the ice and snow.." yes.. i'm back in buffalo again after a whirlwind trip.. forgive me if the next hundred or so posts are about the trip etc.. have to get them off the scraps of paper in all my back pockets etc..

just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who kept dropping by to say hi.. thank you for dropping by.. and i will be getting in touch with all of you again as soon as i'm settled down. take care.. stay in touch :-))