5 April 2011

Flexing the phalanges.

I’m so sorry. This is pretty much directed to myself more than anyone else. But due apologies to ANYone who was looking forward to posts. This tiny show of creativity is such a shame. Going by the saying that if you don’t use your brain it stops working or something along that line, I’m just going to push the little sleepy Escribtionist in my to just pelt out any kind of rubbish that can be written. So you’ve been warned. If you cannot handle everyday common rant just click on the little x on the upper right corner of the screen.

So I’ve been into devouring the newspaper for hours. Laziness and procrastination plus the old habit to give the same amount of importance to every little piece of writing that interests me. It’s just only after a couple of hours of broken newspaper reading and facebooking and day dreaming that I realize that I have to slog through the rest of the newspaper now. Can’t just abandon it.

And being the classic procrastinating perfectionist that I am, I actually THINK and talk to myself about things mundane to the common aadmi. Like the story in our Individual and Society textbook in which the writer talks about a little article on the plight of peacocks during a nuclear test that distresses him more than the effects of the nuclear bombs itself. He had a particular name for it. Which I’ll type as soon as I gather the energy to pick up the book from the shelf. *sigh*

In particular, yesterday’s newspaper was a real piece of art. A masterpiece. With the World Cup win covering almost all of it (yes!!). For the very first time I’m happy sports took up so much of space. AND I am sure I will not reach the same level of ecstaticness ever (exception : if India wins the World Cup again). One particular piece which caught me by surprise was that our own skipper Dhoni was a Railway TC at Kharagpur before he played cricket professionally. Wow. I mean, wow. Neither did my roomie know it. I may have heard it before but I may not have been actually interested enough in knowing about the man himself.

Now that he’s deemed the hero of the nation. Going into another territory that of choices and it’s outcomes. There’s the part that makes me very, very insanely happy and hopeful. For someone who doesn’t trust her choices too much (and is ALWAYS imagining up alternative scenarios), the move from the profession of a ticket collector to that subsequently of the CAPTAIN of the INDIAN CRICKET TEAM is astounding. Terribly, terribly astounding.

I’m always stressing about where do I throw the newspapers. I did get to donate them the last time but THIS one, sir.. is gonna be forever in my treasure trove. Morever, there were some more little articles of brilliance. Like the one about

Maybe I sound like a newbie to news, but maybe I just AM. Rediscovering paper news. But can’t they award a special distinction to 30 pages of pure awesomeness. That’s probably just my heart speaking. But what the hell. TOI FTW. Just cyberly much.

Another article spoke about some housewives turning wasteland into a herbal garden all on their own. While some people went against it and tried to discourage them, in more ways than one. They put in their own money and just went ahead. That's what makes it happen.

And I am rediscovering Rehman’s music with some of his older songs which I didn’t go into much. But since they were convered by Underground Authority at a fest, it was a treat discovering them. His earlier work sounds so much different in some ways and all the same in some. Much of it depends on the lyrics too. Hindi lyrics always sound so much more soulful. One example is the song from Guru called Shauk Hai. And Jaage Hain which has this crescendo of pure emotion. Needless to say I used to listen to that during the exams, pulling all nighters. It didn't make much of difference, except it made me feel like it did.

But of course, the song will have better meaning with something bigger.

Talking about something bigger, there was an out of the line article I saw today as well as yesterday. Today it was about the cricket hater's reaction to the World Cup frenzy. Of course I can sympathise, except when the World Cup FINALS are on with the country in it. Otherwise I can be as hypocritical as possible. Another article was on women striving for a 'male standard' at work while being the wife and mother. And the thing which clinched it were several facts, that I didn't know earlier, like women being more vulnerable to effects of smoke, having smaller airways, having less tolerance to alcohol, 42 percent women dying within the first year of having heart attaks, etc. etc. It's pretty dismal looking at these facts. The final one being that the male child of a woman who smokes may be born with a lesser number of testicular cells. Isn't that nice?

Another was about the Atheist and Freethinkers in the US Army 'coming out', so to say. Letting people know that they are there. The writers talks about being a non-believe or non-Christian in the army went against the norm. But that only just reifnorces that religion supports violence here. Just a few minutes back I came across an even on Facebook of a Balaclava march on the Royal Wedding Day, starting at Soho Sqaure in London. An excerpt from the description - "In defiance of the police abbusing the intrusive Section 60 powers to remove face coverings and search you at the recent 26th March protests. My proposal is that hundreds, if not thousands of us march with our faces covered." It's through a line of pages on Anarchy that I came across this.

And Shobaa De's article on the Mahatma being a gay icon. With it being banned in Gujarat and Tushar Gandhi calling the move very "Un-Gandhian". For starters, that's what happen when you put people on a pedestal. It was his life and we here can do nothing about what he felt and did. Even if it's only been just suggested. Looking at the reaction in these circumstances, it can only be imagined what would've happened if it'd been proved.

It's not a new concept of people being in a very close relationship based on sharing the same viewpoints, ideals and respect towards each other. But when it comes to someone as revered as him, it all comes down to national pride. A pride of a nation of homophobes. Even the suggestion scares them to no end. I don't understand what part of love do you not like. How does gender even define love. How can anyone even point fingers and say anyhthing about two girls or two guys in love. It must be unthinkable for them to imagine someone making fun of them being in a heterosexual relationship. But the same unthinkableness SHOULD have been there in the homosexual mind. But it isn't. Which is the main deterrent for them for "coming out".

The Kevil Keller character in the Archie comics will now have his own comics. He's just a guy. But for those who don't know, he's openly gay in the series. The most I saw of him was online with the cover showing him falling for Archie. But WHY does everyone fall for Archie. That's an argument saved for later, perhaps. Mane cartoonists have too dealt on that topic but it's pretty hard to understand, but being GIVEN he's the most wanted guy here, it takes a lot of time for anyone to question his credibility as Riverdale's sweetheart. I would say it's the same with Shah Rukh Khan.

I could just go on about everything.

Saw the movie Monster, on the life of Aileen Wuornos, the female serial killer who was exceuted in 2002. I didn't even need to look for this info again since I now just know everything about her. Videos of her interviews in prison are on YouTube. I suggest the movie to anyone who'd like to indulge in good cinema. But while being a very violent movie of sorts, it's the most sensitive one I have seen in days. I'm rediscovering watching a string of movies too. Since reading doesn't involve that much of a visual indulgence. Of course, imagine I can. But there's just been too much of that lately. There are a lot many movies to be reviewed in the days ahead.


Falling in love with The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony. With the soul stirring music and the lyrics as though have come out of my very own heart. Cut up and just stolen.

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Trying to make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
where all the veins meet yeah

No change, I can't change
I can't change, I can't change
But I'm here in my mind
I am here in my mind
But I'm a million different people
from one day to the next
I can't change my mind
No, no, no, no, no, no..

And every word speaks truth.