Alone

My first day living entirely on my own. Hurray!!

Technically, the day ain't over yet but I feel compelled to declare it as a success. My mum left yesterday. I am amazed at the detailed arrangements she had made before leaving for making my life easier and convenient post departure. You know, these are the kind of things that makes a mom a mom. The funny thing is I will notice most of these things only after she has left. Lots will unravel in the coming days.

I kinda feel strangely independent. I've lived away from my parents since after school. But there was always an element of security. Or something like that. This is my first living totally on my own. I don't know why I insisted on mom not sending her mom over to take care of me (like I needed "taking care"??) I just want to get by 2 weeks on my own. Its a mind thing. After that I really don't mind my grand mom coming over or anybody for that matter.

Two weeks baby, two weeks of unadulterated fun...hmmm....uhmmmm...yea....i think so.... (doubtful crease over my forehead)

My magical larynx

My favorite word - serendipity

Love the sound of it. Can speak it over and over again. Trouble is, don't come across a lot of situations where I can use it convincingly. Actually, have been able to use it just once. Felt real good. Engaged dad in a doctored conversation (Took a total of 12 minutes), and when the moment came, used my best voice (yes, I have different sets of voices I use for different situations) and said it with slow deliberance. Oh, that felt good. Totally worth it.

Must suggest everyone to have favorite word. Makes sense.

Blood is fun!

Lets play critic!
Movie at hand - KILL BILL

I know, I know, its old, almost ancient for most, but I chose this because it has changed my perception of cinema. I am not from the Vin Diesel-Van Damme-Wesley Snipes fan club, and Chick flicks are just plain stupid - barring a few.

I come from the comedy-thriller-adventure movie genre. So I was pleasantly surprised when Tarantino managed to combine all these into a single movie reel. We all are aware of exaggerations in movies, but this guy takes it to a whole new level. Fyi, this was one of the few Tarantino movies I have seen and a die-hard fan is what he has turned me into. (I seriously did like the Batman series!)



Both the volumes are equally fantastic, but if asked to pick a favorite, I would go for the first part, coz it contains all that action and gore! The pace of the movie is excellent. 5 stories, called chapters are shown in non-chronological order and are testament to Tarantino's story -telling abilities. Each chapter has been dealt with surgical-like precision. The limited "hall-of-fame-making" dialogues are indeed a treat - wholly blending in with the theme of the movie - which is revenge.

Uma Thurman is magnificent! The role was tailor-made for her and she sure does justice to it.

Completely unconventional filmimg - comic-book type. (Again, remember the Batman series??)

But I think what sets this movie apart from its contemporaries is the use of different kinds of sequences - including Japanese Anime - which shows blood in all its bloody detail! Here is where the deliberate over-the-top bloodletting comes in. Strangely, this is what ends up making the movie a must-see and a archivable item. if this bloody gore wasn't there, I am sure it would be another glamorized Tomb Raider!

Holler with me!

Its been a long wait! I know!

On the pretext of sounding mundane, I'd like to stay that nothing new has happened during the eternity-like phase that has elapsed. I did nothing adventurous, crazy or just plain Apeksha-like. Nothing at all.

Oh yea, I did graduate and got a job. But thats MUNDANE to the core. So again, nothing new.

I have a couple of really long posts coming soon, something I wrote while enduring endless lectures and seminars inflicted on us like goodbye wounds from college and welcome hits by the organization we were being oriented into. I am not much of a writer, but believe me, I could have become Kaavya Vishwanathan had they made me glue my posterier to that chair marked 1 (nice!) a day more!

So I wrote and I wrote till my hands were numb, not from the writing but from the 17 degree C ominously blinking from the a/c panel, and dropping. I wrote till my next seat neighbors started inquiring about my state of mind and well being. They probably thought I am one of those rare species of nerds who manage to absorb every word coming out of the presenter's mouth and encapsule it for life on paper! Their bad!

As for the content of the scribblings, it will come soon. Unedited (who will know?!). Right here.

I am back.

Pay it forward!!

For those of you who have seen the movie by the same name, you'll know what it means. For the uninitiated, - its a practice where A helps B, B helps C, C helps D and so on. So instead of returning a favour, you "pay it forward".
I always thought of this idea as utopian and totally unworkable. Only coming into final year of arch has made me realize its significane and use. As juniors, we are asked to specifically help out our seniors in doing sheets, reports, dog work, etc. For the most, seniors harldy return the favor by doing our sheets and submissions. Its not because they consider themselves as 'superior' or something. Its simply because they have goine through the same routine themselves.
Final year thesis is the actual testing ground of this theory. Each senior 'recruits' a number of juniors to work for him/her exclusively. What does the junior get in return (besides the 'learning experience', bah!)?? The junior gets an assurance of sorts that when he/she reaches final year, he/she will get to do the same. A classic case of paying it forward. And not unwillingly.

Is it worth it?

Its been five long years of Architecture and endurement of my classmates, who I have been bound to (some willingly, others totally out of neccesity and helplessness!!). So thought its high time I actually write about this precious half a decade of my life. Yes, you are going to learn a lot more about my "life" and the meaning of the term in general.
I figured the reason my engineering counterparts don't really have an opinion on all their classmates is because they are simply too many to even count! We are a tiny class of 26 and believe it or not, no one gossips like we do. Wildfire spreads very easily when there are just 26 trees to be consumed!! This is not a comparision post(or an upmanship post, though we all know who will come out as the undisputed winner, don't we??). Our lives are practically inter-twined with each other - lots of sharing and caring going on!! Jokes apart, enigneering students spend close to 3 years with their fellow classmates as opposed to our 5 long, gruelling years. These years do take a toll on you. I think I've finally gotten to know my fellow classmates inside out. I'm not underlining the statement yet. And I find quirky madness everywhere. Which makes me wonder (yes, daydreaming again!) how many types of personalities are there in the world. Is it at all possible to classify them into neat moulds? Zodiac signs just tell you what you want to hear. I cannot believe they've stood the test of time for this long. Surely people by now would have seen through them?? Nope. Human nature baby. We want to be constantly told from outsiders, people we don't even know, about our "feelings", "character" and "future". Blah.
How much time does it take for you to know a person? Sure, first impressions form in a second, but do they always last? I remember forming my own sweet opinion about everyone I saw on my first day of college (funny, it seems like reminiscing!) Anyway, 9 out of 10 turned out to be the opposite of what I had thought them to be. Conclusion. Human nature is fickle, prejudiced, racist (believe me on this one!). But its not all that bad too. It can care and love and give hope. And it makes people gossip. That isn't bad at all!!! ;)

PS: On a different note, is it worth trying to know someone through or just manage superficially (I fall in the latter category)??

Heroes vs. Shaktiman

Was watching this new series - Heroes. Initially, seemed like mayhem - characters getting introduced after every commercial break and each one of them having weird powers. Looks like something out of Nickelodeon? Well, it is. Its as crazy as it sounds. But some how these firangs have the capability to take a bizzare topic and turn it into 'edge of your seat' interesting (think Independence Day and X-Files). We don't for once think of it as stupid and impossible. Hell, its the impossible factor that draws us to it. We call it - entertaining the child within us. Superman, Batman, Spiderman - hugely successful films - not because of special effects but simply because they are larger than life.
Shaktiman - I don't remember being an avid fan of this serial but I have cousins who swear by it (well, I don't think thy've reached that age yet!). And I scorn. How can you like a serial as inane as Shaktiman? It shows a middle-aged, potbellied man saving lives and the world - in a costume. Is it because we don't have the CGI and special effects upto the standard? No. Its our mind, and the way we think. West is the best. However crazy, dumb, stupid, incomprehensible it may be. Dhoom 2 is a smash hit. I know why. I will probably never like Shaktiman, I am blinded by the phoren culture. But someday I would want to appreciate those K-serials as much as Baywatch and Beverly Hills.

Vanity

"Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

This ain't a book review. Pride and Prejudice, being one of my all time favorite books deserves a worthy mention here. And if you know me, you'll probably expect a lot more posts of this kind, books being the one of the few things I am passionate about.
I like feeling nostalgic. There is something about nostalgia and memories that stirs up some chemical in our body which invariably makes us feel good - even if the memory is bad. I cannot believe that a thought about one's past can invoke such a strong bodily reaction. Amazing.
Coming back to the post, Jane Austen has taken love as a metaphor in explaining this simple vice that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives. Pride - is it ever justified? I knew a girl back in high school who had it all - looks, brains, luck. And she was proud of it. I hated her back then. Why she and why not me? Everybody has a right to an opinion, be it of themselves or others. So why did most of us hate this rather sweet girl who just revelled in what god had given to her? I wouldn't have understood it then. I do now. They say maturity comes with age. Rightly so. I have still to meet vanity in her human form.

RED

Those of you who know me would have predicted very correctly that my first post had to be on the color red. Whats my obsession with this alluring color?

Well, first of all, you cannot call it an obsession so much as a strong liking. Everyone has a favorite color - no denying it. It is just one of the many trivial things that seem to describe a person rather completely - don't agree with me? Check your inbox and you will invariably find at least one email telling you your personality with a fair amount of accuracy on the basis of your favorite color/day/number etc. But this is not the point of this post.

I wanted to write about something as simple as red. It means nothing. It means something. It means so much. Go to a restaurant and red will tell you that you are hungry (its an appetizing color). Red will tell you to stop at a traffic signal. Red will tell you are married. Red will tell you went to Harvard. Red will tell bloodshed. Anger. Frustration. Passion. A color can tell so much.

But this is red as you would know it. Red, for me is childhood. (I remember saying it with an emphasis on the D - REDDD - I want a red dress, toy, barbie, schoolbag). Red for me is serenity (I wouldn't have painted a wall in my house red if I didn't think so!). Red for me is my future - bright. strong. undefeatable. Also, hello Harvard. ;)

UPDATE (Nov 2009): Red = Stanford too!