a dozen HNTs..

ok, so this one's not really half-nekkid! we moved recently, and i unearthed this pair of jeans, which i wore to death back in undergrad! unfortunately the waist doesn't fit anymore.. a shame really, considering the effort that went into carefully stitching and trimming the slits and unravelling the frayed edges!

for newbies, this is what its all about.. and here is where you can see all the entries for the day!!(scroll down till you see Hiding Half-Nekkid This Week in the Back Row on the right!)

fooood!

time to tickle your tastebuds again.. here's presenting pork chops with sauteed vegetables! the recipe is pretty simple, and you'll find it on the recipe blog

updates

it's been a while since i wrote about how things are going with me.. so here's the blurb! this post has partly been brought upon by the slew of people mailing me up and buzzing me on IM asking what's up.. y'all know i'm too lazy to mail back and stuff!!

- things are going pretty well with the thesis.. i've managed to move most of the data from lab journals to spreadsheet files, so now its just a lot of plotting and stuff, making the data look more presentable to the layman's eye.. not that i see any reason why a layman would want to read the thesis!!

- on the health front, i'm just getting over a wicked cough.. damned hacking kept me awake quite a few nights! luckily i didn't get a runny nose and all that, i absolutely detest that! this cough really cramped my life though.. haven't touched any alcohol in umm.. let's see.. ten days now.. *eyes widening in horror* has it really been that long?!!

- work at the library has been quite peaceful.. ever since i got promoted to Student Co-Ordinator it's been pretty good. lots of new staff at the library, so i think my dreary days of shelving in the stacks are over! hehe! the measly payrise was a bit of a let-down though, but i do have over 70 hours of back-pay still due.. so can't really complain!

- my sports teams are having a miserable run of it.. in football the Buffalo Bills are hobbling now, with injuries and confusion plaguing the team, and the UB Bulls are just hopeless, firmly entrenched in the bottom ten of the college rankings.. yep, bottom ten! and in soccer, Juventus are 100% in the Italian league, which is a great sign, they look really strong, but in England, Everton are in free-fall. despite all the money spent, the influx of so many players, and actually playing decently, they're still yet to catch a break. enough said.

- finally, despite all the things whirling about in my world, there is a sense of calm and serenity. there is a purpose in life, and i seem to have found it again. and there is a lot of happiness too, and it's about time i had some of that! :-)

smells like teensick spirit

Bush bombards Afghanistan, and takes over the oil pipeline management.
contracts awarded to Halliburton.

Bush 'liberates' Iraq, and starts reconstructing what he's blown up.
contracts awarded to Halliburton.

Bush visits New Orleans, and initiates rebuilding of the city and state.
contracts awarded to.. Halliburton.

George Bush's running mate Dick Cheney once led Halliburton, and despite his claims that he has cut off all his ties with it, he receives deferred compensation from Halliburton under an arrangement he made in 1998, and also retains stock options. for a government that claims to be democratic and transparent and all that jazz, isn't that just glaringly wrong?!

song of the day

i like to listen to some music in the frenzied few minutes between waking up and leaving home in the mornings.. frenetic cos i'd rather sleep some more than wake up an hour before and be all chilled out as i go about the morning ablutions!

i try to get up thus with some kickass rock to jumpstart the day.. some System Of A Down, Linkin Park or Ill Nino usually does the trick, though i will listen to Live sometimes too.. but the one song i love starting off with is Metallica's 'The Outlaw Torn'.. it anoints me with equal doses of vim & vigor, humor & humility to face the day..

Hear me, And if close my mind in fear.. Please pry it open
See me, And if my face becomes sincere.. Beware
Hold me, And when I start to come undone.. Stitch me together
Save me, And when you see me strut.. Remind me of what left this outlaw torn

what song do you start the day with?!

HNT for Texas!

this HNT is dedicated to all the folks in Texas preparing for Rita, and especially to L and her family, who found the time among all this to send me a care package! the cap is from the Texas Longhorns.. who are 3-0 for the season, including a thriller against the OSU Buckeyes..


also, my friend Kavi, the webdesigner par excellence, took some time out to make us this HNT button, which y'all can use.. enjoy! feel free to drop her a line if you need a website or a blog template designed.. girlunfettered(at)gmail(dot)com


for newbies, this is what its all about.. and here is where you can see all the entries for the day!!(scroll down till you see Hiding Half-Nekkid This Week in the Back Row on the right!)

engineering school explained

B.S.  - Bull Shit

M.S.  - More of the Same

Ph.D. - Piled Higher and Deeper

is this it?

the portents are all in place, the signs clear to see. i really feel that this time it's the real thing. the feelings struck me in the middle of the night.. flushed face, sweaty brow, increased heartbeat.. bright eyes, clammy palms, garbled thoughts.. a wry smile creased my face. i hadn't thought this would happen again, not with this intensity! oh well, i guess this really is it!

i have the flu.

a little Disturbed for your ears.. get up!!

ash and i went for a concert yesterday.. a band that we'd been planning to add to the substantial list we've accumulated over the two years.. Disturbed!! They're touring in support of their third album 'Ten Thousand Fists' coming out on tuesday, along with Ill Nino and 10 Years..

Get up, come on get down with the sickness
You mother get up come on get down with the sickness
You fucker get up come on get down with the sickness
Madness is the gift, that has been given to me..

"Down With The Sickness" - Disturbed

make no mistake, this is one angry band!! Disturbed make no pretenses to play to keep purists happy. they release a lot of fury with their music.. staccato machinegun drums, heavy heavy basslines, tearing screaming guitars and David's unique roar.. RRRRAAWWKK! he certainly knew how to play to the packed crowd, and took quite a few breaks to speak to the crowd about the ineptitude of the government, the struggles of life and keeping the spirits up.. it was a really stuffed place, a closed pub actually, with 2,000 people jammed in.. moshpits, bodysurfing and all.. bouncing in unison and fists pumping in the air.. Disturbed!!

earlier on Ill Nino had taken the stage.. i really love this band! their music can only be described as Latino nu-metal.. really rhythmic with latin-toned harmonies, but with the most kickass shredding guitars and thundering bass, they even had two drum kits!! their set looked more Slipknot.. with long braids flying everywhere, and the stage chock-full. they actually have spanish lyrics in most of their songs too.. makes for very interesting music!

Y mi futuro es Negro, que yo soy un peligro.. The vision that is sold
Just never seems to grow.. The life that you cannot mold
Tu dices que es tu dolo.. The fact is played and I'm fucking cold

"Revolution.. Revolución!" - Ill Nino

finally a quick word about 10 Years.. definitely one of the better opening acts we've seen.. they certainly have the potential to go further.

what defines good writing?

a couple of weeks back, i got into a mini-argument with someone who said that he felt Kurt Cobain wasn't a good writer. i am very biased in such an argument, because i happen to be a fan of Kurt's. yes, he was a crack addict who couldn't handle his life and chose what seemed like the easier way out. very few people know about the other side to his life, that he was plagued by stomach ulcers and couldn't eat anything for years and years.. its not a wonder he was emaciated and pallid, a steady diet of alcohol, painkillers and dope would do that to anyone. but i digress.

what makes a piece of writing good? is it some sort of alliterative rhyme that makes it melodic? is it the vivid use of words that describe emotions? is it the stark honesty behind it that strikes a chord? is it just the fact that it simply relates to something you feel or have felt?

after all, what are words? aren't they just keys to the soul of a reader, much like beauty lying in the eye of the beholder. what defines good writing?

new tech

**EDIT: sorry folks, no HNT today.. way too much work!!**

it's been a while since i last did one of these new-tech posts.. and there's lots of amazing things out there y'all need to get your hands on! here i have them in two sections.. applications, and gadgets. not surprisingly, all the funky applications here are from the Google stable:

Google Earth - this has been around for some time now, and for those of you who haven't heard of it, it's time you got out of your bomb shelters or wherever you may be hiding! of course, for those who believe in conspiracy theories and that Big Brother and/or The Man is watching them.. think about this: if this kind of technology is available to you and me.. then what does the government have?! scary eh?

Blogger have been working it too.. they finally have a search engine for blogs!! read a blog once and just can't remember how you got there? forgot to bookmark it?! here you go!! they also have a Blogger Toolbar for Word now.. so you can post directly from Word!

Apple do it again, this time with the iPod nano! all your features from the regular iPod, but even smaller now! besides, you can download iTunes directly onto your cellphone now, how far is the iPod cellphone eh?! what do you think they'll call it.. iPhone?

but wait, that is NOT the smallest mp3 player in the market! the mobiBLU steals a march on the iPod with this teensy weensy cube!

any funky things you've seen recently? drop me a comment!

are you reading me?

i was reading a blog somewhere, and in response to a comment of mine, a blogger asked: " i wonder if we ever get to know a person through his/her blog?" he went on to express his doubts about the notion.

my take on this is that from all the people i know personally whose blogs i read.. the blog is a pretty accurate and fair reflection of the person and his/her thoughts. of course, there are people who try to project on their blogs an image of themselves that they are not.. but like any false pretenses, they eventually trip and the truth comes gushing out.

this blog has been a very honest and down-to-earth portrayal of what i've been through since June 2004.. you've all floated with me in my highs, and plumbed the depths in my lows.. i've shared with you tidbits of my life over the years, and i've met so many of you and learned so much about your lives.. after all the truth shall set us free, however bitter it is at times.

what do you think, how much of a person can you understand from his/her blog?

void

sometimes you have no time even when there's lots of time

sometimes you have nothing to say when there's lots to say

sometimes, there's just a void as you float through space

looking back + 5 faves

haven't done a tag in a while now, and right on time Kfarmer tagged me.. so here goes! it's a pretty long one, so keep the holy words in mind: "And thus shall ye read it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall read it in leisure"
(no offense meant to anyone celebrating the Passover)

10 years ago: i was in nairobi, kenya.. grade 11 (junior year of high school). being in a boys-only national school, life was only about two things: academics and sports. Strathmore was one of the top schools in the country, so the pressures in class were intense. one point drop in overall percentage and you could fall fifteen places in rank! with eight core subjects and six equally weighted exams in the year, it was enough to make a man out of you! and if that wasn't enough, being one of the top rugby-playing schools, did the rest in the man-making business!

5 years ago: i was in kgp, india.. second year of engineering college (sophomore year). i think to date this year was my best ever, and i won Best All-Rounder too! did it all: did okay in class, played lots of sports, sang in the band, did the whole range of extracurricular activities (drama, debate, elocution, collegefest etc.), was in a good relationship, and best of all, was drinking like a fucking fish on crack! in the first few months i'd built up a fierce reputation of being the last man standing at just about any booze-up.. it would all go down and stay down too! time will tell how much damage the ol' liver suffered.. hehe!

1 year ago: i was in buffalo, NY.. grad school. i had two courses to do for the semester, and an on-campus job in the library. life was all about getting through the day, then coming home and toking up! day was like the time that came between lighting up another one! watched some foreign films, listened to ambient trance, cooked up exotic recipes, and revelled in being as lazy as possible!

Yesterday: i was still in buffalo, NY.. just that now i'm almost done with my thesis and will be leaving college (and college life) behind me very soon! got off work at 2, went home and had lunch, then went off to the lab to do an experiment, then went back home and did the citations for the thesis, and went off to bed around 3.. simple life! :-)


5 songs bands I know all the words to: Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Godsmack

5 Snacks: potato chips, cheese fries, corn chips & salsa, trail mix bars, buffalo wings (umm, are those really snacks?!)

5 Things I'd do with $100 million: pay off all my student debt, give the parents all that they need, save some of that dough, party like a crazy millionaire, and finally.. give some to UNICEF to feed all the poor kids

5 places I would run away to: Kenya, West Indies, California, Seychelles and the Amazon

5 things I would never wear: skin-tight tshirts, baggy pants, any trousers that are not blue, black or brown!, speedos, coloured socks!

5 favorite TV shows: M*A*S*H, Dave Chappelle Show, Scrubs, Rome, and NFL baby!!

5 greatest joys: the rock n' roll lifestyle, the research work, my family and friends, the Buffalo Bills, and.. just life, i guess!

5 favorite toys: my die-cast toy Matchbox car collection, my music system, my laptop, the kitchen(!!) and my infra-red microscope (yep, geek!)

5 people I'm tagging: Sush, Corinna, Di, Jaded Sorena and Stunuh.. thank you folks! ;-)

HNT - 10

here's to a fast-fading summer.. this is from last summer in Florida.. it was an awesome fortnight, lying around in the pool, and loads of beer!

for newbies, this is what its all about.. and here is where you can see all the entries for the day!!(scroll down till you see Hiding Half-Nekkid This Week in the Back Row on the right!)

the thesis tree

man this comic strip completely describes my life!! this is exactly what is happening with my thesis now as i write it!

for more grad school humor, go to PhD Comics!

dorky tuesday!

from the great mind that brought you Half-Nekkid Thursday aka HNT.. here is Osbasso's latest creation, for one time only.. Dorky Tuesday!!


this is from first year of undergrad.. don't we just look like freshmen?! sometime in spring 2000.. five years have really changed us all! i hope all my friends in this pic can forgive me for this one!!

NB: the glasses, the moustache, the hairstyle.. aaargh!!

a gal called Anita and a guy called George

two of our best friends, Georga and Anita got married a couple of weekends back. i only wish i could have been there, after all, they were the first of the gang to get married! glad to hear it all went off well, and here's wishing you guys all the joy and happiness in the years ahead! :-)


for more pics pop over to their website

when i first joined kgp (kharagpur for the uninitiated), it was the first time i was going to live in india! it was so weird, that even being of indian origin, i was still undergoing a measure of culture-shock! and then as i looked around, i noticed that there were 8 other blokes looking quite similarly shell-shocked.. we were the 9 guys who joined as DASAs.. i.e. we were foreign students (or indians living abroad).. george was in the room next to mine, and the gang usually was chilling in either his room or in the open foyer area outside his room..
grg and i, holi '99
we hung out together, as we seemed to understand what we were going through better.. went down to the mess together, got ragged (hazing in the US) by allcomers together, struggled through the hardships of studies together, shared the miseries of hot, humid and bug-filled nights together, and showered together too.. umm, NOT!! hehe.. in fact, the first party we held in the wing was the first time drinking alcohol for a lot of blokes! Old Monk Rum and Coke!
the first booze-up!

we called ourselves RSF.. Road Side Fuckers!! it was a common habit, hanging out by the roadside at Veggie's! damn, we even got t-shirts printed too!!
this is some of the gang.. hehe, veeery geeky looking!

second year we all moved away into our senior halls, and the gang slowly drifted loose, but friday nights we still got together for more fun and revelry! i kinda hung out less with the boys.. i was in a relationship then.. and i made the mistake of letting that control my life. i came to regret that greatly later. ani was different.. not only was she ever-smiling, always calm and poised, she was equally at ease being with the boyz, and we really appreciated that! usually after the drinking at Park we'd come back to someone's room for more booze and rock..
hangin' out in my room

throughout college, george and i came up against each other in various extra-curricular fields, and were quite fierce competitors.. so people found it quite weird that we could be friends or even hang out together! but hey, once we were hanging out with the gang the professional lives were checked at the door! this is our dramatics production when we were Governors of the drama society:
the night of Sept. 11th

over the years, we took lots of trips together, but this would have to be one of the best! goa, in october 2002. we drank like fish, and enjoyed the amazing weather!
partying at Florentina's
here's to good times *cheers*.. and once again, congratulations and bestest wishes to George and Ani!! :-)

this alcohol ..

off the lyrics of Pankaj Udhas, famous Indian classical vocalist and poet.. thinking about you Dad, and all those pegs of Johhny Walker Red Label, and Tusker on sunday afternoons.. take care and see you soon

this alcohol is such a thing,
that it can't be quit
my friend, that is what it's like,
that is what it's like..

i've seen every step changing in itself
but the alcohol stays the way it is,
this alcohol is such a thing..

it might soften with someone's breath
and the weight lightens marginally,
but this water is such, that it can't be quit..

this is the cure for broken hearts,
how else can i tell you, how it is,
this is like my friend is, that's how it is..

this alcohol is such a thing,
that it can't be quit
my friend, that is what it's like,
that is what it's like..

i've seen every city change over time,
but it all stays the same,
cannot be left as it was..

it melts with someone's breath,
and it lightens with someone's burden of love,
but it's like water it can't be left..

this is the cure for broken hearts,
how do i tell you what it's like,
that it just cannot be quit..


EDIT: (10.13 am) whew, how drunk was i last night?! heheh!!

The Muppet Show

well, Muppet fever has hit again with the release of the DVD! some of my oldest memories of childhood are of the Muppet bunch.. doing their crazy stuff! i guess it was the first 'cartoon' i ever watched!! they revamped the website to coincide with the DVD.. and it's a pretty fun site too.

i loved the whole lot of them, but i guess Animal was always my personal fave! how about you guys, who do you like best?!
animal / beaker / dr. bunsen / swedish chef
   

electric mayhem / fozzie / gonzo / kermit
   

pepe / miss piggy / rowlf / statler & waldorf
   

sam / scooter
 

back to HNT!!

hehe, am back to HNT!! sticking with the football theme.. this is at our regular pub Third Base waiting for the Buffalo Bills preseason game last friday! it gets pretty crowded during games.. but this was before all the festivities. the best part of fridays at Third Base is the 'Mexican Happy Meal'.. a shot of tequila chased by a Corona.. perfect! ;-)

for newbies, this is what its all about.. and here is where you can see all the entries for the day!!(scroll down till you see Hiding Half-Nekkid This Week in the Back Row on the right!)