Silence must be a vector

He said to her : nice, kind, beautiful, positive, negative, passionate, resentful, angry, spiteful. I think I understand words most of the times. The silence.. that's the problem.

She thought for a while and replied : May be you were not born for dimensions. :)

He said : hmm. I was always bad with vectors. :)

~nightflier

P.S. The day's been rather dull and boring. Plus the allergy and cold are doing the rounds. UGH! 

This list did make me smile. If its not to-do lists, I am not much into them. But its always great to get a perspective. I am doing a 27 on 30 on that list! Guess I would grow up to be a fulfilled woman! :D

I belong to the cricketing nation!

I never call myself a cricket fan. Never have I understood the game in its full technicalities. I don't remember names of players except if I have a crush on them. I don't even care about the turn or the dead-ness of the pitch.

I lived outside India for 2 years sans cricket. I tried my hand at a lot of sports I did not fully understand or know before. We would sometimes watch the NBA or super bowl with friends. People of different nationalities trying to make home out of another country by accepting its culture. (I don't consider such people being show offs, I think trying to adapt to a countries' sports is very open minded) Something always felt amiss. Not in terms of differences but the feeling of belonging.

Now I have come back and trying to find my place here. I miss life back there. I sometimes feel like living in a cultural exile. You know trying to be at two places at the same time ?

Having been exposed to cricket from a very early age, thanks to overenthusiastic father and brother, who can watch any cricket game, old or live, and give you gyaan; not knowing cricket as I stated earlier, seems ridiculous. Moreover I did not turn out to be a devout India (or any team) supporter, in terms of knowledge, stats or talk. I have always felt left out somehow.

Today as the big India-Australia game unfolded, the three of us, I, pregnant friend and the baby (he/she) in her belly, shifted the entire house in front of the television set. Lunch happened way before 2.30 pm as we wanted to finish every related chore and be at peace while watching the match. Both of us on previous occasions have generously cursed the length of the game FYI. Today was going to be different, may be. We talked cricket, we discussed powerplays, the team selection, technicalities, statistics, the pitch, the crowd. In short we had opinion about every move of the Indian team. Unknowingly we were the very epitome of cricket fan-dom the country is proud of and famous for.

When things were not looking so bright, after the Gambhir run out, I even indulged in some small talk with the tv. With chants of 'Steady Bhuvan. Steady' and 'I will not move to pee until India reaches 200' the match progressed. In some other world the twitter time line was bursting with emotions. Every second of it. I would hastily snatch away the laptop from the friend who was working on a remote desktop and see how people were coping with the pressure.

And then the realization dawned. Even though I know not a single player's bio or the real stuff, the very obligation to have an opinion about cricket, without being asked for, makes me belong. To the cricketing nation. Sachin Tendulkar must be the very basic first reason. So much that, I indulge in bargains with the cricket god, fix matches sitting at home by offering the players a share of my awesome lauki (kaddu/doodhi) paratha, swear and curse (inside my head), gasp, do a little jig and duck when the watchman notices me, ...

The brother calls exactly 5 seconds after Yuvraj has hit a boundary. We congratulate each other (quite the filmy ones) and cut the call. A part of the self imposed (?) cultural exile seems to loosen itself. I feel like finding a connecting thread.

~nightflier

Flooding 101

All the comments, observations in this post are all out of jest. I mean no offense to anyone actually experiencing these calamities in the nature's fury sense.


So I was all ready to leave house at 6 in the morning for a short trip to Mumbai. The brother out of a sudden burst of sisterly love, got ready to leave me to the bus stop. In a feat of machismo he did something to the wash basin valve and the pipe broke. YES! there he was standing with the valve handle in his hand and two separate pipes hanging in mid air, oozing forceful bouts of water. Within minutes we were standing in a pool of water.
Here's a few things you should try or avoid.


* STOP laughing hysterically. And if you can't control yourself, go smother yourself. [person in picture here is yours truly. I still cannot get that scene out of my head and stop laughing]


* Run for all the things lying on the floor. Common Sense. [We did not. And house is full of wet chatais, chappals, clothes bag etc]


* Try to remember all that fluid mechanics (FM) related physics. Try applying the knowledge to the situation. And if you still cannot figure out the piping structure of the house, open random taps elsewhere and let water flow. The objective here is to try to relieve the broken pipe of water pressure. [A civil engineer and an electrical engineer could not figure this out! I am sure it has got nothing to do with those bunked FM classes]


* Knock on neighbors' door even if its 6 am on a Friday morning. Even if they curse you seeing your grinning face while explaining the situation, ask for their help. [dear neighbor was very reluctant to hand over the terrace keys to me, saying people will start needing water in half an hour, until I told him how they might have to visit our house to get/use all the tank water puddled inside our house]

image courtesy Google

* Call up that plumber whom you befriended on his last visit to the household. And rejoice when the saint like figure with a halo, arrives equipped with all the war material at 6.30 am. [Seriously if it wasn't for the god like plumber who agreed to visit us, our house would have resembled a scene from waterworld] 


* While the plumber is fixing the issue, don't just stand there and imagine various swimming techniques. Start gathering old cloths and start wiping the floor. Great wrist and arm strength comes handy while wringing those cloths. Otherwise life can be a bit difficult. [I almost got out 2 buckets full of water using this technique in half an hour despite blessed with skinny arms.]


* Leave the house relieved once the problem has been fixed and catastrophe has been avoided. Pray to god that nothing disastrous happens when you are away.


~nightflier

books I am reading

I have read some horrendous, some fair enough and some interesting books in the past few weeks. Penning down my few cents on the same.

* Don't lose your mind lose your weight - Rujuta Diwekar

Oh! for beginners I am skinny. All the raised eyebrows apart (why do you need to read the book and all that) I read this book because I had finished reading something heavy and needed something lighter. But what a horribly written book. All the interesting gyaan on diets and food habits apart, the anecdotes in the book sucked. I agree and understand that it is aimed at more common public to be able to relate easily (not that I belong to some elite fraternity, but please get the drift). But fir bhi yaar! It could have been a very very better better book. It did serve the lighter read purpose and added to my fitness knowledge. But what the book advocates is common sense and hence I would have preferred a different format. I know I am sounding repetitive, SO I will STOP.

* Stay hungry stay foolish - Rashmi Bansal

This falls in the fair enough category. Credit goes to the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs. The book sticks to an interview kind of format with most of the footage given to the interviewee. But the problem here is again presentation, considering Rashmi Bansal herself is an editor of a youth magazine and writes a wonderful blog. Anywho aai who is more into Marathi books, picked up this book and found it interesting and read worthy enough. So Mrs. Bansal good job!

* The 4 hour work week - Tim Ferris

This was a great read. Simply because of the presentation and interesting quotes. Plus the passion with which the author advocates his life choices and tells you how he made it work for himself. One immediately gets hooked and wants to know more. Plus the book gives you a vicarious joy of knowing that if you are stuck in a situation there are ways you can make it work. Good Read.

* A song of ice and fire (series) Game of thrones, Clash of kings,  - George R R Martin

This is the serious stuff I was talking about (which I needed a break from). This is the first fantasy fiction after LOTR and harry potter which really appealed to me. Its very very dark and epic. Like Mahabharat! And the character wise chapters kept me hooked. Warning - Each book must be at least 500-700 pages. Takes patience to read. I have finished first two and slowly moving towards the third. Recommend it to fantasy fans. Also HBO is producing a series based on these novels, I am sure it will be awesome! Because it is so epic that movies will not do justice to the story.

* The difficulty of being good - Gurucharan Das

I have read many a books which interpret some part of the Mahabharat. Very frankly I did not like this one. As in not his interpretations but the way he has presented the epic. Anywho to each his own. Good read if you like philosophical reads and Mahabharat. 

* The diary of a wimpy kid - part 1 - Jeff Kinney

Read about it on sunshine's blog, immediately found a copy and devoured it within 4 hours spread over 2 days. It was a fun and a very light read. Plus the sheer joy of getting nostalgic. iLike. So planning to read other parts as well!

I also read Vault's guide to top 50 consulting firms btw. But I will leave it as a informational read. Definitely not a fun read :D

Actually the title of the post should have been 'books I have read recently'. :D

Now I am planning to start Haruki Murakami (have 2 not decided which one to start), and a few classics. I would love any suggestions or good reads which you guys might want to recommend. 

~nightflier

back to business

I do not know if this is what happens with you, but if I am pressed beyond a point regarding anything, I shut myself in my own world. Must be some childhood incident or reaction that I still behave this way. (I think I have watched lots of movies and read enough books which co-relate weird behavior patterns to childhood memories hence have this concept inside my head of relating any (traumatic :D) thing to childhood)


Escapist ? May be. It isn't about happiness or peace of mind, its about being myself. There is this constant struggle, chaos, strife. As it is trying to live life on one's own terms is dramatic enough. And some people can't get enough of adding more spice to it. I would seriously prefer people to turn less nosy.


With my share of problems and troubles, I have enough on my plate already. If you cant be supportive then please at least don't be revolting. Oh and despite all this if I appear happy to anyone, that's cause I am. My problems don't stop me from being so.


****End of Rant directed at general public****


And what's with people cracking Rajni jokes over the Japan quake!! People are dying there. Its a threat to mankind if those reactors explode anymore. I think these people need some sensitivity transplant. I am bugged beyond measure by such people.


****End of Rant  - II****


I think we all act self righteously at some point in life. Though I would like to believe to each his own, sometimes situations make it difficult to have a single sane perspective. Of course relativity wins. 
Genuine people are being missed out here. Kindly pay heed to my rants.


****End of rant - III****


~nightflier

The best friend's (II) wedding!! - II

The worst part about any function is it gets over so soon! As in you are busy planning, strategizing, anticipating hiccups and bam its over!


I am in the wedding hangover phase. Considering how I have never liked attending weddings, I suffering a hangover, is an urban myth (:P). Well, I basically dont like the superficial conversations and artificial warmth oozing out of people on such occasions. But I have now grown over it and can actually mingle with loads of people without getting typecasted in the above mentioned evils. Thanks to my improving social skills (in my own way) over time. :D


So apart from enjoying my hot favorites in the entire wedding hungama, mehendi and good food i.e. I did a lot of people watching, as my busy schedule permitted. And since there is a huge possibility that the bride will come to know that I missed being on the stage when the var-maala (wedding garlands ?) were being exchanged, I will confess it in public.


There was lots of running around, search parties for trivial stuff, amends in plans, attending to friends' parents and relatives, where did this go and where did that go crises but the wedding went on pretty smoothly. And since India eventually lost the cricket match on 12th evening (which took place in my home town btw and I was really psyched about missing an opportunity to watch the match sitting inside the stadium) things remained normal in the wedding household. People had given up any hopes they had, after that abysmal batting order collapse. So yes things did go smoothly. ;)


This was my first time at a wedding organized entirely by the bride and groom by sharing responsibilities. Quite a proud moment for all of us remotely involved. And this is my cynical touchstone, when it comes to the concept of weddings inside my head. 


here's wishing them both the very best out of life together :)


~nightflier

The best friend's (II) wedding!! - I

After promising each other unconditional love, support and wait, the better one is leaving me for greener pastures of marital bliss.. Sigh..
(all the drama is quite necessary as it basically revolves around the two of us :D)

Lee and me are a lot alike. Totally unaware of a lot of girly things out there! Though we dream of princes like Collin firths and smirk at overly girly behavior, we are not needlessly called soul-mates by fellow groupies.

So 3 days before the wedding, today was spent in a beauty spa getting all lady like treatment and us behaving in courtesy. Amidst the steam caps, bleach layers, facial creams, moisturizers, toners, lotions and weird hair bands not a single opportunity was spared by the two of us, to wink, giggle, make faces, gush, choke ourselves with sarcasm and laugh inside our heads uncontrollably. We get each other. Totally! And when we don't we make up for it by being there. Life is simple actually :)

It is true that you don't choose your friends, but life chooses them for you. And with those chosen few are formed some of the best memories one can ever make :)

~nightflier

P.S. despite the not so straight undertones of the post we really do compliment each other ;)
And lee I hope you shed some tears if you ever happen to read this post:P

absolute < 3

This is absolutely <3 <3 <3 !!!!!
Apart from dev anand's lankiness and the heroine's (who is she ?) sighs though :D
Absolute treat for ears.
I need breaks from work. And this fulfills them. Totally.

~nightflier

childlike theories

Picked the tag from Neha's blog. 
(This is more for posterity btw :D)


# Guys give birth to boys and girls give birth to girls. I know, right ? :-| 
But then it would have been a little easier for the woman kind no ? Also do not ask why. It was an original (:P) theory based on looks and traits.


# As a kid I used to think that my aaji (grandmom) has met all the people in her stories. And I used to be in awe of her. Well eventually I did understand that most of the stories are just 'stories'. But it was fantastic. 


# I used to think that mirrors had real people inside them, who would look and dress like us. It was a very strong belief. So much that I had to actually see the back of a mirror to change it. Reflection, refraction started making sense much later.


# After watching Hum Aapke Hain Kaun in standard 5, I used to think that that's how weddings happen. Good food, great clothes, songs, dances, crying etc. Before that weddings meant meeting all cousins my age and racing with them or playing out-out. Reality did open my eyes btw.


# As a kid I have eaten lots of oranges and hence orange seeds. Well, its common to swallow one of those while eating an orange. No ? Hence would go to sleep dreading a plant growing out of the navel. And be relieved in the morning that nothing of that sort has happened.


# Anyone who knows a lot about medicines was a doctor. 


# Those who ate lots of mangoes were blessed with long, shiny hair (scalp). Every summer I would eat loads of mangoes praying for them. A cousin supported me in my theory and admitted she had eaten loads of mangoes too, the reason behind her long hair!


# Not touching any tree/plant after twilight (divelaagni as they say in marathi) because plants sleep in the night like us, I was told. And if I did then used to ask them for forgiveness :D


# God is a person.


# My barbie dolls were real people for me. I would make make them drink water and pepsi. Talk to them. Play with them. Style them and what not. Had also made a small bed for them to sleep in beside my own.


# I actually used to believe that money plant's leaves had economic value. Once when I broke a vase at home, I plucked some leaves and went to aai and guiltily told her she could buy a new one with those. Not only did she not scold me, but she laughed. :D


# I had a pair of elephant slippers (there were elephants on its belt) and I would not wear them thinking I would turn into an elephant.


# Believing any and every thing told by teachers. Like a teacher once said tea is bad for health (which is quite debatable) and I did not drink it for an year despite loving it! (this was in standard 8 I think and I hate drinking plain milk) I can be stupid that way.


# The thinking that closing my eyes hard enough will make any bad stuff pass. 


# There are actual, real people inside a TV. And hence never wanting to make it on TV. Who would like to be crammed inside a box ? It was shattered (drama) when a mechanic opened it in front of us at home. (remember those old black and white box type TVs ?)


Cannot think of more as of now. 
But will update if aai tells me anything.


~nightflier