The Stronger

This is a monologue from a play by August Strindberg.

I loved the peice,its interesting how the author has interwoven a myriad of emotions, he has a way with words...its almost poetic.

Do read it at your leisure.

Our acquaintance has been so queer. When I saw you for the first time I was afraid of you, so afraid that I didn't dare let you out of my sight; no matter when or where, I always found myself near you--I didn't dare have you for an enemy so I became your friend.

But there was always discord when you came to our house, Because I saw that my husband couldn't endure you, and the whole thing seemed as awry to me as an ill-fitting gown--and I did all I could to make him friendly toward you, but with no success until you became engaged.

Then came a violent friendship between you, so that it looked all at once as though you both dared show your real feelings only when you were secure--and then--how was it later?

I didn't get jealous--strange to say! And I remember at the christening, when you acted as godmother, I made him kiss you--he did so, and you became so confused--as it were; I didn't notice it then--didn't think about it later, either--have never thought about it until--now!

Why are you silent? You haven't said a word this whole time, but you have let me go on talking! You have sat there, and your eyes have reeled out at me all these thoughts which lay like raw silk in its cocoon--thoughts--suspicious thoughts, perhaps. Why did you break your engagement? Why do you never come to our house any more? Why won't you come to see us tonight?

You needn't speak--I understand it all! It was because--and because--yes! Yes, now all the accounts balance. That's it. That's the reason I had to embroider tulips--which I hate--on his slippers, because you are fond of tulips; that's why we go to Lake Mälarn in the summer, because you don't like salt water; that's why my boy is named Eskil--because it's your father's name; that's way I wear your clothes, read your authors, eat your favorite dishes, drink your drinks--that's why--oh--my God--it's terrible.

Everything. Everything came from you to me. Your soul crept into mine, like a worm into an apple, ate and ate, bored and bored, until nothing was left but the rind and a little black dust within. I wanted to get away from you, but I couldn't; you lay like a snake and charmed me with your black eyes; I felt that when I lifted my wings they only dragged me down; I lay in the water with bound feet, and the stronger I strove to keep up the deeper I worked myself down--until I sank to the bottom, where you lay like a giant crab to clutch me in your claws--and there I am lying now.

We got Da'ed

The deadline-afflicted one

I cant think of a vacation where DA has made it without getting entangled in some sort of mess.Deadlines seem to chase her everytime she has to take off.

Some sort of panic button seems to trigger in her "manager/client/people we dont know of" everytime she needs to get interstate.

Then we have these two wise women(some kinda oxymoron...) who thought they would save themselves the trouble of walking down to the stipulated platform by jumping into the first moving train they see.Kacheguda Express.Even if I were running for my life,this would still seem like an odd name to me.Before the two wise women throw daggers at me,in their defense,apparently the inhabitants of this train thought they could do with more female company and pulled them in..ala bollywood style..so lets add to the drama..how about crying out aloud??..lol

We were the cool ckicks from IT.We dint have any geograpghy to fall back on.It dint strike us fast enough that the two trains would probably head in opposite directions.

The two horror-stricken/dumb struck women on the right platform went through periodic bouts of giggles and deep thinking.Being panic-stricken would have helped their cause a little more but it somehow seemed too messed up to be true.They dug into kurkure when they could get their hands of their phones.

Defintely the two wise women would find their way out and salvage us this "once in a blue moon" trip.Life would be back on track.

So we board the train,Trivandrum Express.

The kind-looking TT turned into a monster when he realised the woman who booked the tickets dint grace his 2-tier AC coach.We smoothly morphed into women who knew their trains and its rules.Did not work.We switched to pleading and begging in high-pitched shrill tones.We dint have time for a last ditch switch to vernacular gibberish as suggested by our smart ass friend.He dumped us out before we knew what struck us.KR Puram.

We gotta first hand experience of what the Metro could be by hitching a train ride on the most-filthy looking compartment there ever was from KR puram to Cantonment.

We tried forcing the smart ass to make it to the trip.But when she makes up her mind,you dont argue.Just chuck it.

We got ourself a bus to Cochin with some help from the kind samaritan.Thank god for small mercies.It was a happy reunion.Got there in one peice.Had a lovely holiday and a sinful food feast.But for the elusive train ride...:-)

Sense and Sensibilities

While the concerned authorities are doing their bit to ensure that roadizens have their seat belts and helmets on ,while they dip precariously into potholes they cant fix,how about pitching in with some common sense..??

Trivia:1.2 lakh people killed in road accidents in 2007 in India.

Delusions of Grandeur

"The-Wary" s Top 6 Weight loss techniques

1>Convince people that you are thin.Assume that they are fools.

2>Convince some people around you that they are too thin.Convince the rest that they are fat.Relativity.

3>Eat only one meal a day.A 4-course one.

4>Aerobics is for pansies until you do it yourself.

5>Weight accumulation is heredity.Put the thought "behind" you.

6>Think like Ram.Count like Ram.Talk numbers.Three quarters.Scare yourself.


Backdrop:"The-Man" thinks he belongs to a country called Darjelling.Love made his world grow "round".

Cosmic Disconnect

I want everything.I want nothing.
I contradict myself.Morning blues.Every day is a fight.A fight for nothing.

Soaring Ambition.Lingering thoughts.Little nothings.Meaningless titter.Careless whispers.Boundless imagination.Food for thought.

Kind gestures.Unadultered laughter.Innocence.
Stolen moments.Partners in Crime.Belonging.Tranquility.

Desire.Fear.Ego.Solitude.Void.Imbalance.Insensitivity.Narcissism
Mediocrity.Hysteria.

Chaos.Struggle.Drudgery.Patterns.Choices.Denial.Endurance.Turmoil.Acceptance.

Pit Stops.Dead Ends.

Paradise Lost.Futile attempts.Hope.Divine Intervention.Genesis.
Lost and found.

Disparity.Charmed existence.Genuine people.

Sublime Vision.Aesthetics.Sound of music.Rhythm.Colours.Twinkle toes.Brilliance.Euphoria.Elevated mind.

Creative geniuses.Dafts.More dafts.

True lies.Cruel truths.
Peace.Pristine nature.Seamless time.

Theres more than one me in me.They are not in sync.
They want different things.At different times.

Musings of a 'muggle' d mind

While the entire world has gotten over Potter mania and the subsequent lack of it,I am a late and hesistant beginner.Everybody who has read the book,recommend it vehemently.Juvenile.Fanatics.

From my past history,I had a preset notion that I would not be able to get too far with this book.I just cannot sit through animated movies and my appetite for comic strips and the witches and the gnomes is alarmingly low.I can never ever watch Superman,Spiderman or the Matrix s of the world to save my life.I understand Calvin and Hobbes with high level of difficulty.Men flying around defying gravity just about elicits a yawn.Maybe they have some scientific way to attribute this to brain mapping or something more complicated.I bet they have a term for it.

I did think Shrek was quite cute though.But I do recollect being in a pink mood and demanding a romantic candy-floss movie and Shrek was what my roomie had to offer.Perspective.

I had given reading a big break over the years,once the college humdrum was a thing of the past and the corporate life took over.

Suddenly I had time on hand.It was time to go back to my books.I drew up a list.In fact I drew a list of all things I wanted to do before I die.I have this weird side to me.I attribute it to being 25.I can scare myself by just saying out the number aloud.

I wanted to know what the fuss around Harry Potter was all about.It induced mass hysteria.And I still do not know if Mr.Potter eventually died.

I have not progressed beyond the first 50 in pages the last 2 months.Infact I had even forgotten about it until I chanced upon it again this morning.I am stumped.There must be an explanation.Guess I fall woefully short in the imagination front.Well,not really.

When I look back I do think my choice of books and the ones I have thoroughly enjoyed fall in a definite pattern.I like real people,real emotions.Drama.

I intend to give myself another chance with Harry Potter though.Here goes.

PS:I have already misplaced it,and it does not particularly upset me.

The Perfect Guy-A Mirage

Trust me,25 is not a good milestone to be at,more so if you are a girl(...tsk tsk woman..on the threshold of the beginning of a stage where singledom could be called spinsterhood) and single and think prince charming is an illusion like Bigfoot or a once in a lifetime occurence like the Haley's comet.The next appearance is scheduled for sometime after 2050.Good riddance.

I have reached a stage where I would rather get hooked cause its really hard and traumatising to explain my single status.

So,do you even want to get hooked ??...Is not even the point of contention...er,but..I think..er...Shut up.

Time for relevant questions.What is the type of guy you would like to get hooked up with??

Er,no clue...(romanticism is something that put me to sleep in the only Mills and Boon book I read).....(It dint take me too long to figure that tall,dark and handsome are mutually exclusive)..(..the brainy ones are probably doing something adventurous like encircling the earth,so that was never on my demand list..)

No Clue..Thats not even a possibility.What is wrong with the existing guys(prospective suitors...well,not really..but planting a idea in a male's ill-logical neurons dint really kill anybody,rt??)..

(..regaining composure..)..ahem..ahem..if the sparks had to fly they would have like ..er..(Somewhere at the back of my head I did know that sitting through Dil To Pagal Hai just might help me save my ass someday..)

It din't.
(..shucks,should have quoted the exact lines,Ek Dhuje ke Vaaste...kahin na kahin koi mere liye bana hai..come to think of it if they had tried to sell the movie as a horror flick it might have worked...)

Dont lose Focus.

Sparks???Are you mad.Be practical(..damn).There's nothing like Mr.perfect(..damn,I dont exactly kid myself.).

(..Dont ever hang out with married people and with those who cant make up their mind..)

(..Then there are those people on the threshold of marriage who still cant give up on beer and football .Memory flashes,tribal fixation,haunted corridors.Obnoxious titter.)

Er,I never wanted one.

Shut Up

(...damn)

PS:Travails at breakfast table in the company of the Devil and the Illegal Immigrant.

Verdict:There are some games you never win.

Jalsa

Jalsa is a high end restuarant with Mughlai/Tandoor cuisine.The spread is quite impressive ,albeit a good meal can burn a hole in your pocket.The ambience of the place being a crowd puller,the place is designed to look like a Mughal darbar,with slow ghazals playing in the background and the intereiors being super bling and extremely jazzy.A definite one time visit for the uniqueness of concept.











Brilliant colors of brocade all over in rustic Indian shades...!!



The waiters were dressed in accordance to the theme...topi N all...



The Lighting was intentionally bling N Jazzy..!!

Messiah of Death

The recent assassination of Benazir Bhutto and a spate of suicide bombings over the last couple of years have raised pressing questions about the mindset and thought process that dominates the mind of these suicides bombers. While the initial bombings were considered more of a meteoric incident that sent chills down our spine for their sheer cold blooded intent and nature....these inhumane episodes have become more common place today and show their venomous face in different forms regularly whether it is aimed at the powerful and power hungry politicos or just target hapless innocents as an act to induce mass hysteria as seen in the 9/11 bombings ,to get their message across.
The attacks range from the usage of explosives on these self destructive entities to bombing of vehicles which are the most common modes, hijacking of airplanes and various other modes. With the type of innovation involved one never knows when and where terror will strike next. The repercussions of these attacks are far reaching and it will probably take thousands of victims and innocent spectators a lifetime to recover from the aftermath of this unprecedented onslaught. Honestly I think these scars are irrevocable.

I did a spot of research online and looked through some articles, blogs and even read some of the interviews with these suicide bombers and held some conversations with regular laymen about what they think about these heinous crimes. All of these leave me unsatisfied as to what is the propelling factor that draws hundreds of youth worldwide into committing such misdemeanors in the name of being fanatic about certain beliefs and propaganda. I have ended up with more questions than answers...

What is so important that suddenly ones own life is worth giving up for? What kind of brainwashing goes into creating such fanatics who do not have mind of their own? How much hatred does one harbor against certain individuals and why is this anger sown or may I say drilled into their minds by the "manipulative brain behind the scene"..??Is money and a more secure future for the families a luring factor??Who’s funding these organizations??

Where is our world headed to??Isnt peaceful co-existence beyond and above the boundaries of religion, beliefs, borders? Why can’t we live and let live??Is murder in the name of faith the only resort when ones demands are not met? Will people have the strength to stand up for their beliefs if death is the price to pay? Has life become so cheap? Innocents have been massacred in the name of a cause...while realms and realms of news print and television coverage has been devoted to the bigger names and faces that have fallen prey to mindless executions...maybe we should also spare some thought to the hundreds of innocents and their hapless families, who’s life's have been cut short so brutally...


While suicide bombings are a sure shot way of ensuring that there is a high level of effectiveness and certainty of death and murder of the target is executed to perfection, it’s a chilling thought that these bombers have no value for their lives...are they devoid of emotions? They do not even live to see the fruits/after affects of what would be considered a heroic act by the ethnic groups/causes they represent? What kind of martyrdom do they seek? What kinds of redemption do they gain in their willingness to perish? Is this their means of venting out frustration because certain amount of research quotes statistics where a substantial percentage of these suicide bombers are either crippled for life or suffer from life terminating ailments or are mentally deranged and are incapable of thinking for themselves or have endured intense emotional trauma.

At this point a curious thought rises in my mind. Once these people, who are victims in their own right are drawn into this conundrum of terror, can they ever back out...??If and when they do...do they still have to pay a price with their life's..??Most interactions with some of these perpetrators of death show a pattern of identity crisis, or unnerving belief and embracement of crime in the name of religion and ethics .A deep sense of hatred and remorse seem to be the underlying emotion.

Majority of these misdeeds have been attributed to two of these infamous groups who have no qualms about owning up to their acts of brutality namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam who are fighting for a homeland for the Tamil ethnic minority in Sri Lanka
and the Al-Qaeda which is an Islamic terrorist organization who wage a holy war or Jihad against non-Islamic principles and practices.

A case to note is that most of these suicide bombers are very young. They fall in the age range starting as tender as 12, a classic case to note would be the 14 year old female suicide bomber, who detonated herself at an election poll booth in Sri Lanka to mid and late twenties, which goes on to show that young, impressionable minds have been identified, lured and brainwashed to fight for a cause they probably do not know much of or believe in. When you read articles about how children are trained in school to become suicide bombers you are dumbfounded. Another startling figure being a good number of these miscreants come from affluent,influential familities.


To quote some statistics I picked up from the thousands of pages on the net dedicated to deciphering the minds of these "human missiles", only going on to show the gravity of the issue - "The number of suicide attacks has grown rapidly, from an average of 4.7/year in the 1980s to 180/year in the first half of the 00s,[1] and from 81 suicide attacks in 2001 to 460 in 2005".These extremist elements range from the poor strata of society to the educated, affluent middle class.

...The most important question that crops up is how do we bring an end to this cult? The process is going to be next to impossible because how do you corner something that is so fearless and hence almost invincible? How do you combat such unrestrained aggression? It’s not like we have a specific target and with the mindset so cold and brutal, it’s going to be really hard to fight this formidable enemy. We do not even know what the kind of compromise they are looking at is or will they settle for??

While its heart wrenching to hear of these cold blooded killings and fill us onlookers with a deep sense of remorse and apathy, one can only imagine the magnitude of pain the kith and kin and immediate families and friends of these victims have to endure. In my opinion even these suicide bombers are victims in their own right, and it’s rather overwhelming and tragic to think of those millions of youth who are drawn to this circle of gore. My heart bleeds just as much for the victim as well as the predator.
~ Ireveller