I'm it.

I shalt now take up the responsibility of taking up the tags bestowed upon me by two people. They art : Iyer and Iyer maami. (Copyrighted even. Only me and shrey use this name.)

The wishing tag :

1) One religious work from a non-familiar tradition you’ll read…

Something on Cao Dai most probably.

2) One song that you like–from your ‘least likely to listen to’ genre…

Least likely to listen to genre : Opera

Song : All of them go "AAAAAAaaaAAA".

3) A book from a genre you almost never read, that you have read, or you will read (promise!):

Philosophy. I should have read "Like a flowing river". Given that I bought it a year back.

4) Somewhere you’d never thought to go on holiday/vacation, and why it might be fun to go there?

Hawaii. Need I say why?

5) A specific food you’ve never tried, but will because of this meme, honest!

Pineapple upside down cake.

6) A sport or game you really hate, or haven’t tried yet, but are willing to give one more go:

There's no sport I hate. But lots I haven't tried. Golf or sumo it is.

7) A style of dance you probably won’t try (we won’t make you promise on this one):

The conga. (Dum dum dum dum dum hey!)

8 ) A career job you don’t feel you’re suited for, and why:

Stunt double : The spirit is willing but the body is not.

9) What is it that you will dare to wear which you have never worn before?

Pattaapatti. (striped undroyer for the less knowledgible folks :P)

10) If there’s one thing in life you wanted to do, and will do because of this meme, what will it be?

I resolve to write a 100 page story on "My pet cat". It was a challenge posed by a friend of mine --> Hari Babu

Now for the second one.

3 JOYS:

A perfectly well-timed witty/sarcastic/funny/ mokkai remark by me.

An excellent movie or a wonderful song or a great book.

A job well done.

3 FEARS:

Fear of waking up one day and finding out that my sarcasm bone is missing. Worst fear that is.

Fear of heights.(a little)

Fear of getting stuck with people like my teachers for the rest of my life. They suck the 'interesting' out of interesting stuff even.

3 GOALS:

To write my autobiography before I'm 60.

To have a pet dog.

To climb Mt.Everest.

3 RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS:

My left leg is longer than my right.

You make eyes at a girl and you'll find that she becomes curious and starts looking at you. Works like a charm. :)

Scribbling is an excellent way of easing your pent up frustration.

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS:

Garfield.

Origami.

Java.

(quite a weird combo eh?)

That's it. I'm the done. Next on my list, the long pending travelogue. Patience is a virtue, I've heard. :P

Tiddy Boom!

BSNL and a few other unknown antagonists are plotting against me and reducing the frequency of my posts. It happens every month towards the last 5-6 days. If a lie be told. :P

If truth be told, I should be careful with when I switch on my downloads.

Anyway I'm back and this post is for him. He who kept me entertained during this internet farce.


And also to Jeremy and Kimi, my origami creations.

A sneak peek.

I'm back.

Coming soon --> a 19 yr old's take on his trip to badrinath. Do not expect his undying chants of the God's name.

~ The Enlightened one.

Sunshine. Daisies. Butter mellow

Books, music, House, Food, a Chennai Victory, a good workout and some work done. Isn't it the perfect combination? (This is a rhetorical question just in case any one wants to say no :P)

I've had quite a tough time managing time between all these activities. Seriously. I should get an award for this.

I wake up from 6:30 to 7:00. That itself is quite a workout :P. Then I hit the gym from 7 to 8. Overa onnum nenachikka venaam. Know how an old machine needs oiling? Adhe dhaan.

F.R.I.E.N.D.S episode for the nth time, be it whichever episode, on Zee cafe with food in my hand from 8 : 30 to 9:00 AM. See Multitasking helps.

Then bus ride to college. I get a seat, and take a book and read. Catch-22 and Three mistakes of my life. Former is simply magnificent. Latter is quite good too. Please read catch-22.

Then it is time for work. Sign in time 10:00 AM. Sign out time 7:00 PM. Two hours wasted here and there in the middle in the name of Lunch, Coffee breaks, Vada breaks etc. Working on something you don't know anything about and solving the problem it causes is really fulfilling. You get to learn a lot and also it is quite an experience working at a research centre. The computer I use needs to be rebooted minimum 15 times a day, thanks to the numerous seg-faults. It helps to have someone like Vibhu with you, with his crazy art-pieces on the scrapbooks and mutual leg-pullings.

I reach home invariably around 8. Then it is IPL time if I'm in the mood. Otherwise Music+Food, a mini-combo. I'm exploring the genres that I haven't heard yet. Melodic death metal next. 8)
Recent favs -->Black hole sun and Blow up the outside world(Soundgarden), How to save a life (The fray), Zero 7 - In the waiting line, Slither ( Velvet Revolver).

The day invariably ends with the second half of a match on TV. Somehow I started the tournament rooting for Chennai Rajasthan and Mumbai. But somehow I did not feel like cheering for Rajasthan after 7 games. They don't look as appealing as Mumbai and Chennai. Of course Rajasthan has a lot of team spirit and all, but you look at the team, you see Ntini poking Parthiv Patel int he ear, Murli with his ever-present smile, Albie Morkel just being himself, Dhoni's Thondi-edukkara shot, Goni, all big and burly, Sanath, so thrilled to finally play alongside Sachin, Sachin diving and an uncharacteristic Pump up after having completed the catch, Pollock ( who will not like him) , you don't care even if they lose once a while when they're so much fun to watch. But it did ache to see Mumbai go down. Three last ball losses.

And then I give in to sleep.

And oh I almost forgot. House fits in right in the Music/IPL slot at 8:00 clock when I don't watch the match. House is cold. House is rude. House is sarcastic. House is a genius. House is a T.V show btw. :P

Bleddy awesome. First time in my life have holidays been so NOT boring even for a bit.

Seat no. 14

The doors slid open. An old woman hobbled out on a cane with a handle shaped like a vulture's beak. Very similar to the one he'd wanted to buy at Hobbs' place. Cost quite a fortune for a little wooden stick. Anyway it's not as though he can't walk. Atleast now, it is not that bad as it used to be. He managed to get in just as the doors slid shut, thanks to the fat jerk with the hotdog with extra mustard in his hand. He raised a brow in frustration. That is all he did. Fate takes its toll on men. And apparently train travels too.

He went in and took the seat by the executive looking man who read the business magazine all the time. He never got what fascinated him so much. And he never tried to get it. He looked out the window. The grim walls of the tunnel passed by fast, moving in the opposite direction as fast as him. Had it been a little sign which he'd forgotten to interpret?

The train stops. He looks out expectantly. And there they are. The red haired woman with her equally red haired little girl. He couldn't help but smile. For a moment he forgot about his three missing teeth and grinned. The woman sat opposite to him with her girl. He had been waiting for the day he's see them again. The day he'd hear the kid's surprised laugh whenever he pulled the penny trick on her. Worked like a charm every single time. The day he'd have a peaceful chat with her again. He called out to the little girl.

"Hey kid. Remember me? "

The kid stared at him. She then turned to her mom

"Mommy I'm scared.."

She picked up her kid, cast him a look which wiped the grin off him took her girl and went to the next bogey. She got down at springfield avenue, as she'd always done. She walked left after getting down as she always had done. He looked at them till the train started off again.

He sat there, head bent down. A tear waiting to breach its boundaries. He looked up. There was the lady with a the kid, sitting there opposite to him. The kid was looking misty eyed at the young man who pulled a penny out of her ear. They looked happy. the kid kept asking "Tell me how uncle J tell me tell me please pretty please??". "I'll tell you when you get older kid."

The young man vanished into mist. the lady and the girl too. He was left staring into the window pane opposite him. A wornout face, Scars right across the right cheek, a plastic cone where there should have been a nose, 3 teeth missing, a hat drawn low over the forehead to hide the scars that were there. But the eyes. They were still the same. The very same blue eyes which twinkled while pulling the penny out of the ear. He tore his eyes away from the pane. Put his hand inside his pocket and pulled out a grimy penny. A wry smile was all he could manage.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four months earlier.

"See you tomorrow kid! "

"bye uncle J!"

The woman smiled at him. He smiled back. they got off the train. He took his newspaper out and turned it to the comic section. Then it happened.

The train derailed. the first two compartments were badly damaged. Ten dead and 15 more injured. Jake summers was one of them. Two metal rods through his face, missing the brain by an inch. Half a compartment crushing his legs. He wished for death. But it eluded him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I thought you wanted to know. Uncle J would have told you now that you're older.", He thought to himself. He placed the penny in seat no 14. the same seat he'd taken on that fateful day. His stop had come. He stepped out gingerly, adjusting his weight on the better foot. He walked away with his hat low over his face against the breeze. The train pulled away. He took the bus to work from the next day on.

Into dust.

Still falling
Breathless and on again
Inside today
Beside me today
Around broken in two
till you eyes shed
Into dust
Like two strangers
Turning into dust
till my hand shook with the way I fear

I could possibly be fading
Or have something more to gain
I could feel myself growing colder
I could feel myself under your fate
Under your fate

It was you breathless and tall
I could feel my eyes turning into dust
And two strangers turning into dust
Turning into dust

Enchanting. Song played for like an hour. Very very slow song. I heard this first in season 3 episode 3 of House M.D. The scene so went with the music. The scene still stands in my mind. Beautiful song.

My life - a musical

A musical on my life? It's gonna be a really weird combination of tracks, i say. Tag Courtesy Iyer.

I was supposed to put up the links as well.

Opening credits:

The opening music of he was a quiet man ( no link avlbl)

Teardrop by massive attack

Waking up:

Chasing cars by Snow patrol

Nothing else matters- Metallica

The Who - Baba O' riley

Average day :

Dream theatre - Change of seasons

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

Fort minor - Where'd you go

First date:

Chumbawumba - Tubthumping

K.T.Tunstall - Suddenly I see

Mika - Grace Kelly

Falling in love:

GnR - Sweet child Of mine

Aqualung - Brighter than sunshine

Love Scene:

Avril - I'm with you.

INXS - Afterglow

Fight Scene:

Sound garden - Blow up the outside world.

Nirvana - Smells like teen spirit

Godsmack - I stand alone

Breaking up:

Iru vizhi unadhu (Minnale) ( If I still love her)

Hinder - Better than me (again)

Tainted love - The ramones (If I don't)

Pink Floyd - Comfortably numb (Again)

AFI - leaving song ( No reason)

Getting back together:

Green day - holiday

Alexi Murdoch - Home

Secret love:

James Blunt - you're beautiful

Outlandish - Aicha

Life’s ok:

Led Zeppelin - Stairway to heaven.

Sick puppies - All the same

Mental Breakdown:

Linkin park - Numb

Driving:

Green day - Boulevard of broken dreams

Green day - Holiday

Learning a lesson:

Metallica - Unforgiven II

Deep thought:

Brian Mcfadden - Demons

Scorpions - Dust in the wind

Flashback:

REM - Mad world

Partying:

Mika - Grace Kelly

Paul Oakenfold - faster kill pussycat

Happy Dance:

Green day - American Idiot

LFO -Every other time

Regretting:

Audioslave - Wide awake

Linkin park - Somewhere I belong

Long night alone:

Limp bizkit - Home sweet home

Jeff buckley - Hallelujah

Death Scene:

Eminem - When I'm gone

Iron Maiden - Hallowed be thy name (Cradle Of Filth cover is better)

Anastacia ft Ben moody - Everything burns

Closing Credits:

Chris Cornell - You know my name


Who's ready to start filming? :P

I tag Annette, Shreyas

An idle mind

Some days all you want to do is sit down and let your mind wander....

Doing nothing, just staying there wistfully thinking or blissfully reminiscing.

Getting up whenever you wanted and not because you were in somebody's way or somebody wanted something.

Some days you don't get that....

You just have to work, get it done by the end of the day.

Those are the days which give you something to think about when all you want to do is sit down and let your mind wander.