The Year So Far

So, yet again I find myself thinking about,what has been and what's going to be. It is February, and two months into the new year. Life is rolling along like an out of control vehicle that's lost its brakes. And I'm like the driver inside who is fighting with the steering wheel to avoid crashing onto something. Just hoping that I'll be able to bring this analogical vehicle to a stop. Get fixed up and start again. Lets wait and see. 

What have I done in these 2 months? Well, I started writing my journal, again. Picked up on the  weekend runs, began reading books - Completed four so far. The last one I finished was "For Whom The Bell Tolls" - by Ernest Hemingway.  I traveled to Pondy and Mahabalipuram on the third week of January (Planning to write a detailed blog post on that). The only thing pending was blogging, but I guess when I publish this one I can tick it off my list. 

A special note - Today is Feb 14th - Valentines day and also a Sunday, and my heart goes out to all the people working on this day. Yes I am in my office, monitoring logs, checking orders and learning Python, waiting for the so called incidents to occur. Not like it would've made much of a difference otherwise. (Who am I kidding?) I'm listening to The Cure as I'm composing this, and from this day forth I might make this a tradition. Listening to the following songs on 14th Feb every year -

• A Letter to Elise
• From the edge of the deep green sea
• To Wish Impossible Things
• Just Like Heaven
• Pictures of You

Even though they are said to be the best breakup bands, masters of gloom and doom with Gothic vibes, I personally find their songs peaceful and easy on the ears. My relationship with their songs began during my first year of college. It was 'Pictures of you' that came to my mind and refused to leave me alone. The overall mood of their songs might be about loss, regret and sorrow, but the lyrics are some of the best. Period.

So , this is me signing off for now

Here's a valentines day special heart I made in python :

from turtle import *

def floatingRange(start,stop,step):

    while (start != stop):

        start = start + step 

        yield start   

color ('red','red')

begin_fill()

left(140)

forward(120)

penup()

home()

pendown()

left(40)

forward(120)

for i in floatingRange(0.0,14.5,0.5):

    forward(i)

    left(i)

right(140)

for i in floatingRange(0.0,14.5,0.5):

    forward(i)

    left(i)

end_fill()

done()

And here's the output :

 

 (I know it needs some modifications, but whatever)

Top 10 Melancholic songs (according to me)

We're almost half way through the year and I was shocked to see that there were no new posts this year. Damn! I need to be more consistent. So today's topic( its more of a list) is Top 10 Melancholic songs. This list is made up of songs that I've heard over the past few years, and somehow even today when I think about some sad tunes, the lyrics from these enduring works pops-up inside my mind. Now for those of you who have heard more, or much better songs than the ones listed here, i please do feel free to share them here. 

When I started writing this post, I just pinned down all the sad songs that came to my mind. As expected there were more than one song by the same artist/band. In order to span across  multiple genres and create a more versatile list, I've limited this list to one song per artist. I haven't included any oldies. Maybe those songs are better off in a list of their own.

Also, these songs are not in any  particular order. You can assign any rank you wish.

You're Beautiful - by James Blunt

James Blunt is always quite the melancholic, but with 'You're Beautiful' he has touched something deep within our hearts. The intro seeps with sorrow, the song itself is crying. The captain at his best. Here he meets this former lover at the subway with another man. He goes on to say that he wont lose no sleep on that, cause he's got a plan. The original music video is also worth watching. You cant help but start singing this one, (at least in your head) whenever you see a beautiful face irrelevant of the fact that you know them or not. I think I did this very recently while going to work.

     Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton

                       
                        Would you know my name, if I saw in you in Heaven.
                        Would it be the same, if I saw in Heaven?
                        I must be strong and carry on,
                        Cause I know I don't belong, Here in Heaven....

                                   

I came to know later that this one was written following the death of his four year old son. But,  you really don't need that piece of information to start crying when you hear this one. One thing that i find most fascinating about Clapton is the simplicity of his lyrics. But don't be fooled, its  often simple words that reach out to us. A very good example of this is 'Wonderful Tonight'. Few songs do this as good  as Tears in  Heaven.

Hurt - Johnny Cash Version

                                   

The Nine Inch Nails really deserves credit for writing this song, but it was Johnny Cash's rendering of this piece that stole the show. Cash passed away shortly after recording the song and its music video. His distinctive voice brought out something more dark and hidden in the lyrics and gave the some more meaning. It was an fitting song for Johnny Cash, and the music video attempts to draw parallels from his turbulent past. What more can I say? Here's how the song goes..

       What have I become, 
       My sweetest friend
       Everyone I know goes away
       In the end.
      And You could have it all, 
      My empire of dirt
      I will let you down
      I will make you hurt....

Every Breath You Take - The Police

Do you want to learn how to rhyme? Then do listen to this one. It lesson 101 in rhyming. Nowadays we are made to sit through stupid crap that tortures your ears, because somebody wanted their lyrics to rhyme and the end result is some garbage words mixed together to make half-sentences and what not. I do believe that this one is the quintessential stalker song. The music video is too simple and shot in black and white which makes it even more endearing.

Creep - Radiohead

Creep is really a creepy song, with the longing to be recognized and accepted rather than be a nobody in the crowd. It's about how a person admires his lover and he describes himself as a just a creep compared to her, who's just perfect maybe too perfect for him. It begins with this line

"When you were here before, couldn't look you in the eye..."

But my favorite part is this one :

"I don't care if it hurts
I want to have control
I want a perfect body
I want a perfect soul
I want you to notice...
When I'm not around... "

Pictures of You - The Cure

This was 'the' song for me for a long long time. All of us, at some point or the other goes through a phase and during that time, we will hold on to song, day and night and make it our own personal anthem. Somehow I felt that Robert Smith had written this one, just for me. Its a powerful song, and the long intro sets you right in the mood for it. I strongly suggest that you don't skip the intro.

   "I've been looking so long, at these pictures of you,
    That I almost believe that they're real
    I've been living so long, with these pictures of you
    That I almost believe, that the pictures are all I can feel.. "

Heaven's Not Enough - Steve Conte (from Wolf's Rain)

I dont know what makes this song, so great, when I heard it for the first time on Wolf's Rain (an awesome anime series) I was lost in it. Ever since that day, it has always been on my playlist. 

Once you finish watching the anime series, you need to play this song once again, that's when this song hits you hard, for the second time. From a slow start it picks up only to wind down again and then you go for the replay button, over and over and over...

Heaven's not enough

if when you get there..

just another blue

and heaven's not enough

you think you've found it

and it loses you

Mad World - Gary Jules

So I was watching Donnie Darko, and suddenly this song starts playing....

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere... 

It was Mad World. The song was originally composed by Tears for Fears, when Gary Jules made a cover, it became slow and agonizing. Compared to the fast paced original one, this version lingers on, emanating pain your head. My favorite part of this song :

....And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had...

Need I say more? I am not gonna write much about Mad World, except that I always like to hum it when I 'm at my office. Somehow it seems to describe my surroundings with utmost perfection.

The Scientist - Coldplay.

The music video to this song, is as depressing as the song itself. They've made good use of the piano and it adds to the somber mood .The video is played backwards, and finally we get to see what happened and why Chris Martin is singing his heart out. Coldplay has given us some really good songs like Clocks, Paradise, Viva la Vida, Fix You etc.But this one right here, with its haunting tune and melodious rendition of a lament about wanting to start over, and how he was sorry (for something) takes the spot. The mention of science in between is what resulted in the title - The Scientist. 

   "....I was just guessing at numbers and figures
   pulling the puzzles apart,..questions of science, science and progress
   do not speak as loud as my heart..."

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

                             

Good Riddance by Green Day is also pretty depressing, but I feel this one here is their magnum opus, when it comes to sad stuff. 21 Guns is more of an anthem, so I wont consider it here. It follows the general anti-war theme prevalent in American Idiot. It's got one of the most recognizable opening chords. Even when the beat drops and the drums start pounding away, you'll feel pain. Trust me on this.

Wikipedia tells us that this song deals with the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father when he was a kid.  

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That's all folks, share your comments and let me know if you liked this post. Have a nice day...

Rainbow - Shades of Love (Book Review #2)

Let me start off by saying a big 'Thank You' to Mr. Aman Jassal for asking me to write a review about his debut work and for sending me a signed copy. I haven't blogged anything new in almost a year. Your request through Goodreads asking me to write a review on my blog was unexpected and I was reminded of something that I  love to do, but slowly, over time forgot about. Thanks again for the motivation.Now lets get to the review part.

Rainbow- Shades of Love by Aman Jassal.
This is the author's first book and is published  by Teenage Publishers priced at 150 rupees .The synopsis of the novel is as follows :
_________________________________________________________________________________

This is not a book to teach you about love or how to get a beautiful girl to bed, rather it reveals how bad things can get if you don't set your priorities right. It's a story about the most explored life aspect ' Love' 'Sex'.

YUVI, a pleasure seeking boy, falls victim to the same notorious life facet called love. Simran's beauty sweeps him off from his feet and he leaves no stone unturned to seek her special attention.As he falls in love, he also sleeps around with all the erroneous girls, and when his fate threatens to take his love down, he promises himself to stop all of this and come out of the wreckage … But then, his past deeds come back to his present, and that tears his life apart. 

What follows is an uneasy course of getting his love back on board.The story reveals the life of today's youth, their friendships, feelings, priorities, and ineptitude to handle relationships while not forgetting their turmoil between the two critical facets of life: LOVE & SEX.

Love makes the world go round … Or is it Sex? Based on real life experiences and tea time gossips. _________________________________________________________________________________ 

Too much details for a synopsis if you ask me. Could have trimmed it a bit and left out some details like his life getting torn apart. As written in the synopsis the main characters are Yuvi and the love of his life Simran, who happens to live right across his PG and by sheer coincidence also happens to be so damn beautiful. (What an opportunity!! The universe seems to plotting for you Mr.Yuvi). Its narrated as a flashback. Yuvi  is an experienced Casanova kinda guy. He is well versed in the various techniques to get ladies. But for the first time, he feels something different, an he falls for this girl, Simran. He lies to her from the very beginning and doesn't come clean at all. The lies keep on piling like back-papers in B.Tech.

Amidst this he has the nerve to sleep with two other women and cheat on Simran. The author has tried to imply that Yuvi succumbed to the advances of the other two women rather than acting on his own accord, but thats not how I felt while reading. Its not that he forgot about Simran before jumping into bed with them, rather he remembered his love for her on both occasions before nailing the coffin shut on his relationship. How appalling! And we are supposed to feel sorry for such a guy? Sheesh!! Give me a break!

Things go south with Simran (as expected) and he finds himself in a crisis. The characters in this novel are kind of hollow. They dont leave a lasting impression on our minds, especially Simran. She is boring, annoying and to put it plainly I didn't like her at all.  To me it felt like just another story, with all the familiar recipes found in today's Indian books - hero, heroine, friends, love, trust, betrayal , blah, blah ...blah!! There is little or no character development.

The story is simple and doesn't go in to explore the theme which is, to quote the author : "...the most explored life aspect 'Love' 'Sex'." One other thing that I found amiss was the title. It says rainbow and shades of love, but the story doesn't do justice to the title, or rather should I say the title doesn't do justice to the story? I am confused. I read the book, but that's just it, it's bland and feels somewhat hastily written.

However, considering that this is Aman's first book, I commend and congratulate him on the effort. Everyone has to start off somewhere. I hope to see more works of his and better ones at that. All the best.

My rating :

The Sea, the Lake and a whole lot of memories........

So I came back home after two months in Mysore. And as always I visited my grandmother. However, first i went to the lake. And by 'Lake' I mean Ashtamudi Lake and more specifically, the piece of this lake which is near my grandfather's house. He passed away recently and I haven't been there since. Here the lake sweeps into the land in such a way that a small circular portion of it lies touching the road leading to the house.Its pretty shallow and calm in this area. Anyway, as I walking towards the house from the opposite shore, my head was filled with images. Random scenes started flashing through my mind. I used to stay here every year during my summer vacations for the annual feast of St.George which is held at our church. The gates were locked with a chain. I grabbed the bars of the old iron gate and stared into the compound through the bars. There I saw the house standing silent. Even the trees seemed to be in mourning. Dead leaves littered all over the ground. Only weeds seem to thrive here. Somehow I felt that the place was emanating sadness and despair. They say that home is where your heart is. If that's the case then a part of my heart lies here and I see myself justified if I call this my home.

I remembered my grandpa. They say that a man's worth is measured by the number of people who attend his funeral. He was a great man. And i say this not because of the multitude that was present for his funeral. I'll call him great because he fits the definition of greatness. A man can achieve only so much in a lifetime. My thoughts ran back in time to the days i spent there with Joe n' Ryan, Isabel, Ria and Annie and Anne. Isabel, Joe and the others were the late comers, they always showed up in the middle of the vacation.We used to get together for the summer vacations and did whatever kids used to do for vacations. We played and fought. We tried to do a bit fishing but soon learned that its not as easy as you see in the movies and comics. We ate mangoes, lots of it. Jack-fruit was another common item. I was the oldest among the group so I used to go for long walks to the north of our house along the lakeside. Skipping stones was another pastime. It was like a ritual that was to be performed twice a day , in the morning and in the evening, without fail. It was because they were staying outside Kerala. We used to go for early morning walks with grandpa. Along the way he would stop and talk with everyone and they all had time for him. As a kid I was always amazed how he knew so much people. Years later on a sad October morning I knew the answer to that. Its not that he knew them all, it was the other way around. They all knew him.

Slowly but surely the sun was going down. The watch is over. There's only melancholy here..

The next day I went to Tanagasseri Beach and the breakwaters. My  favourite spot in the whole world. Just sat and stared at the sea. You'll never know how time flies. The sound of the waves breaking on the rocks have a rather hypnotic effect on you. There are people fishing here. Some are here for the view, others for exercise and I for the memories. I sat and saw the sun go down. After a minute or two the skies were painted in brilliant pink and in the dying hours of the day, I captured this on my camera. It's time to leave. My short vacation is almost over. Mysore and my work beckons...

Till we meet again...

(Originally written on March 2014)

Salaam Bombay! (Movie Review #4)

Hello and welcome,to yet another movie review. Our movie under discussion today is Salaam Bombay! There are only a handful of movies which can truly leave a lasting impression on us as the credits start to roll. In my honest opinion there are only two types of movies in the world- the kind that i just said and all the rest. I don't know about you, but once in a blue moon when i see a movie, it stirs me up. Like i said the movies we watch either leaves a lasting impression or becomes just another flick in our list,so that when your friend asks:

"Hey,have you seen that movie ?"

You reply : "Yeah. I have. Its...ok,...watchable."

 As for the ones that catch you by your self-pretentious 'i have seen it all' attitude and pulls you down to the ground, well my dear friend,those are the ones you have to watch and watch out for. The sheer intensity of emotions in them are so powerful and unrelenting  that they'll break through our self made armour of belief that we cant be affected by pictures on a screen. Salaam Bombay! is that kind of a movie. For me the high-point of the film were the last 60 seconds before the screen fades to black. I came to know about this movie through Quora. Salaam Bombay! was directed by Mira Nair and released in 1988. It is a movie which focuses on the lives of people living in a red light district area. The protagonist is boy who is called Chaipau (tea guy). His real name is Krishna. In retaliation to his brother's bullying Krishna burns a scooter that his brother was repairing (Krishna's brother is a mechanic). So his mother takes Krishna to a circus manger and leaves him to work there. She places a condition that Krishna can return home when he has earned 500 rupees( for the burned scooter). But one day while packing up the circus manger asks Krishna to go into town an get him 3 tins of pan masala. Upon returning Krishna finds that the circus had left without waiting for him. So he goes to the railway station and takes a ticket to the nearest city- Bombay. On reaching Bombay he soon finds work as the delivery boy for a tea shop......I think i have revealed enough of the story. One by one all our characters are introduced- Chillum, Baba, Sola Saal, Manju, and so on..... Each of them somehow or the other effects the life of Chaipau. The scene with Irfan Khan was also good. It somehow acts as a hint to the oncoming tragedy. After watching the movie  i checked out Wikipedia and  came to know that the child actors were all children from the streets of Bombay. It seems that they were given dramatic training at a special workshop.Special mention goes to the sound track.The music at the end credits is exceptional and has an optimistic tune to it. It is so good that i had to put it in a loop in VLC player, and i am currently listening to it while writing this. The movie is not abound in violence or gore nor does it appeal for our sympathy, and it doesn't rely on any plot twists or anti-climax. Perhaps the reason why i was able to connect with the movie was due to its simplicity and predictability,and of course that is the beauty of this particular piece of art. Now with absolute clarity and reassurance i can say that Slumdog Millionaire is by all means an overrated movie catering to the masses who expect nothing but a 'feel good' film.

I have one request and only one- Please,just watch the damn movie and you can thank me later!

"Till The Last Breath'- by Durjoy Dattta (Book Review #1)

'Till The Last Breath' is a romantic novel by Durjoy Dutta. Though this was my first book by the author, i wouldn't mind reading some more of his works. The book is gripping enough to be finished in a day or two. I liked the book, to be honest, but i also feel that it is below average on many aspects.

The plot for instance is all too familiar. At about the 30 % mark you can see the climax that's coming. On a personal note i always root for the unexpected to happen. So, when all the puzzle pieces fell together in place (like i knew it would) i was a bit disappointed. So if you are one of those people who like to have an unanticipated twist in the plot, or a shocker in the end that leaves you numb for a couple of days, then you might nor like this book very much. To be honest you don't have to get to the 30% mark to guess how the story will end. All you need is the prerequisite of having seen a handful of your typical Bollywood movies and the synopsis at the back. Yes this is pretty much like the script for your average Hindi movie.

The synopsis runs like this:

************************************************************

The death sentences of the patients in Room No. 509 have been written.

One of them is a brilliant nineteen-year-old medical student, suffering from an incurable, fatal disease hurtling her towards a slow, painful death. She counts every extra breath as a blessing. The other is a wasteful twenty-five-year-old drug addict whose every organ system is slowly shutting down. He can’t wait to get rid of his body--to him, the sooner the better.

Two reputed doctors, fighting their own demons from the past, try everything to keep these two patients alive, even putting their medical licenses at risk.

These last days in the hospital change the two patients, their doctors and all the other people around them in ways they had never fathomed.

Till the Last Breath is a heart-warming story about love, life and friendship that reminds us what it means to be alive.

******************************************************

Coming back to the book. Well as for the characters, i find that the author has given thought to character development. To me the main protagonist in the movie is the drunk guy in the room, not the chirpy little girl. This guy's mind is a blend of emotional frustration and addictions. Addiction not only alcohol and drugs but also to love. His strained relationships are portrayed perfectly. I can say with utmost confidence that Dushyant is much much better than the average Chetan Bhagat protagonist. Clearly a step or two ahead. The narration also deserves special mention. It was good to have a view of the story from different perspectives. This is all the good i can say about this book. 

Now, as i was browsing through Flipkart looking at the reviews of this book, i found that it has been severely overrated. And can someone enlighten me as to why all the girls(most of them) are swooning after this book. Huh? What's the deal? Did i read something else or was there another version with extra material or something? You know like the post credits scene in every MARVEL movie. Here is a snapshot of some of the comments and what's annoyed me most is that they've given it 5 stars. WHAT THE HELL?

In most cases the reviewer says that she cried when she got to page so and so and that page is still wet with her tears. Bullshit. Yeah that's my answer. If you cry at such a simple story. Then i advise you not to watch 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' the only movie that almost made me cry.

As i have already said the book is good,not great. It's one of those books that you pick up to read only for the sake of passing time not for the reading per se. Yes the book is a great hit. But have you wondered why? This stuff is aimed at a particular age group say 14-27 and the author has succeeded in reaching out to them. Yes as an author Mr. Durjoy Dutta has done a good job. But at the end of the day it doesn't mean that he is a good author (case in point Stephenie Meyer).

My Verdict - 

The end of what was B.Tech (or was it?)

So i've officially reached the end of my B.tech Degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering. It took me four years. These four years are quite significant. Why? Well for starters, i grew out of my teen years and into the twenties. Another reason is that there's no more studying. (I mean if you choose to). If you want to go for M.tech well then you get to study for another two years. If not then within the next few months, you have to find yourself a job and start working. 'Working'- i am not too familiar with that concept, but i guess i have no choice but to get used to it.

Coming back to the topic, that is the end of my B.tech, well i have to say that i'm surprised that it ended so fast. I thought i would be happy when it ended, but now i miss college and my back bench in the middle row. I dont know who is destined to take that seat in my classroom. Whoever you are, i just want you to know that it's the best seat in the whole class.Why? You may ask. I have often said this to my friends but still here are the main reasons:
1.) Its the bloody back bench, how's that for a reason?
2.) My seat is exactly in the middle of the back bench so it gives a better field of vision of the entire class.
3.) Its in the middle of two ceiling fans so i get the right amount of breeze.
4.) There is also that sliding window behind me which helps me during power cuts, light and easy access to     dispose off chewing gum and other stuff
5.) Since it is way back i get more reaction time to use phones or write assignments and stuff.
I wanted to draw a picture depicting these advantages, then i thought that i would rather spare  you the torment.
*********
We wanted to organize a farewell at our college. So we approached our principal with this request. But that old hag  being a person devoid of principles came up with the most impressive answer she could think of- "No!". Ha, she couldn't even consider the fact that we spent some of our best days walking in those classrooms, or in the grounds or in and around the campus. All she could come up with was a bloody "No!".
All this happened when our classes were ending. We celebrated holi in during our last day and had a small skirmish with the police. Which ended as the most unforgettable last day of any batch. If only she had allowed us to have a farewell day. Hmm. So after our exams we approached her once again and made the same request. You know what she said this time? "No..cant do that, you are no longer students of this college, i cant let you celebrate farewell day inside the campus." Thanks a lot ma'am.So we decided to organize it at a hotel at Quilon. Shame on you who calls yourself a principal. Shame on you!! You are not fit to occupy that room where people of great character and caliber once sat. I am not perfect, so i have no right to judge you but still i cant help but say that you are a disappointment.

Another source of sorrow was my discovery of the real faces of some of my friends, dont ask me who they are or what they did. Cause i'm not gonna tell. It is true that appearances can be deceptive. And i found out that only at the end of 4 years.. actually on the very last day..

Guys, i'm not gonna write my whole college life where cause in the very near future i'm gonna write a book. Go and buy it ok?
I am ending this post now..!