Thursday, January 18, 2007

A Beautiful Day

It turned out to be one of those very mornings.

You wake up on the right side of the bed, there's warm sunshine everywhere. Oh the joy of it all. You have a few tasks to do, and upon completion, immense satisfaction will be derived. Important tasks at that too...

And everything goes haywire.
Starting with the fact that you are late.
No smoke to start the day with. (I postulate that it could be the lack of a smoke which twists the fabric of space and time in a manner so as to cause the universe conspire against you and cause grevious hurt. It will be found 50 years down that Arcane Crapper was indeed right when he postulated thus, and unknowingly gave rise to Cigarettostatics.)
And traffic jams. Let me not even get started on that.

If you're familiar with the traffic jams in Bangalore, you will probably have realized (and it's surprising how most people have not) that you spend a considerable amount of time each day at traffic signals.

On an average, 2 minutes at each major junction and 5 minutes in the case of a traffic jam - assuming a daily travel estimate of 30 kms. Multiply by at least 25 junctions per day, of which 10 junctions are experiencing a jam during peak hour. Add it up, and you waste 80 minutes per day. A very reasonable average. Totals to 29200 minutes or roughly 20 days per year. So the next time you want an excuse, use this. Of course, it must be understood that I cannot even start discussing the tortures of all those poor IT professionals who spend hours on the road, simply because I am not one.

So there's this guy on a bike who I guess figured out how much of his life he wasted at traffic signals and broke a red only to have the Arcane Crapper crash into him.

Newton would have been proud. His laws, and the principle of conservation of momentum were so beautifully exemplified. I mean, come on, in this Einstein-crazed world, who even remembers Newton? Yes, I did him proud. In scientific language, it's called 'Collision of two POINT particles'.

A nice bike skid on a busy traffic intersection,
an indifferent cop who just wanted the affected parties to 'clear the area',
and the surprise of actually realizing that I knew the guy who I collided with,
a twisted handlebar,
a semi-broken footrest and
some yelling from dad (who coincidentally grounded the bike and in the process, the Arcane Crapper also. He will now be highly encouraged to explore alternative forms of transport such as the BMTC bus service which many people say, has highly improved.)

I guess this is life's way of keeping things in check. A little disaster here and there. Makes life complete. Fulfilling, almost. Some might even say - "Builds character." Yes, definitely one of those mornings where enlightenment flows free and unconstrained. Realizations follow.

I still cannot forget the sick thud that went through my ears when I fell. I shudder to think what would have happened had the helmet not been there.

Some stinging dettol and avoiding my grandmother later, here I am, in front of the screen staring at the beautiful (yeah right!) screen, listening to Children of Bodom riffing out Warheart, while fingers press the right keys to convey to my fellow human beings an important message.

Life is calling. Where are you?
:)

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Buddhism and Science

Awakening the Buddha in us: Buddhism and Science - Ajahn Brahmavamso

One of the most inspiring articles I've read in a long long time. A little more insight, and I just might find my true calling.

I

I'm the havoc of the war, upon us you wreak
I'm the blood you forever spill on the streets
I'm the tears of the children you force to weep
And the foul smell of your carcass in defeat

I'm the evil shadow that sleeps
I'm the misdeed's fruit you reap
I'm the blasphemous omen you seek
And the wound you cut so deep

I'm the sin that slowly seeps
I'm the golden-hued whisky you drank neat
I'm your future so bleak
And your pathetic soul so weak

I'm the wolf, not the innocent lamb that bleats
I'm the timeless entity you refuse to greet
Open your eyes, I lie within.
It's time you and I, face-to-face we meet.

Friday, January 12, 2007

2 years of Razorblade Dreams.

Happy Birthday. :)

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Confession 13

Had you stayed,
Would you have
Made me happy
As I was, once before?

Life was simple back then
Unlike the words you said.
Along with conversations
The dreams too, are dead.

Into the unknown,
Now that you've gone
Are you happy
As you were, once before?

A debt and a life
For me you left,
Along with realizations,
Induced
By bitter vodka of truth and time
And of memories kept.

Were you truly happy?
I guess not...
Deluded as I was,
Once before.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Motorcycle Diaries 4: Madurai.

Lies. All lies. And so it started.

Signature whisky.
3 hours of knockout sleep. 20 missed calls. A hurried plock of a hurried departure.
A certain person in Madurai needed to be made happy.
200 kms solo. Non-stop. Ghat sections. 4 lane highway. Salem.
STD calls.
Fuming friend.
250 kms more, to Madurai.
Battery dead. (I found out a coupla hours back that it was caused by some leaked up acid which burnt the electrical contacts.)

Friend's hostel room.
His and his roomie's undies and Excalibur shirts - Foot mats.
Roomie got belted by me. Literally. (I think the bruises on his body from my leather belt still haven't disappeared.)
Dry ice burns.
TASMAC with the hostel gang. (TASMAC - Govt. approved drinking place. Cheap and shady.)

Signature whisky.

Midnight celebrations. Friend's birthday. New year celebrations in hostel.
Friend 'birthday bummed' by 50 guys.
Mixture of leftover fruit salad and crushed banana poured on him.
Friend drunk. Smears banana goo on everyone including me.
Gets kicked by me. (For those of you who have SEEN my shoes and the size, you might be able to estimate the pain caused.)
Riot and wild dancing by the hostelites.
Firecrackers in the ten foot bonfire. (Firecrackers - the ones that light up HUGE portions of the sky.)
Fire extinguisher!
Was forced to dance.
Hose pipe.
Water shot at everyone.
Specs falls and breaks. Bleh.
Retire to room.
Take out spare set of specs.
No sleep.
Friend comes much later.
Blood clots and marks (big ones) where I kicked him. (Had called him. Apparently, his bum and thighs are sore even now.)
Dropped plans of biking to Kanyakumari and decided to head back to B'lore to make another person happy.
The others rent a Scorpio, decide to head to a water park in Coimbatore.
Friends get worried about me deciding to night ride for 2.15 hours from 0400 to 0615. Decide to give me company till Dindigul. (70 kms from Madurai)

Tea stop before starting.
Scorpio up front. Me behind.
Blazing headlights of inconsiderate truckers.
Potholes I couldn't see.
One hour. 65 kms. Fastest yet for a night-ride.
Maya overtakes Scorpio while it's overtaking a truck. Left indicator.
Screech to halt. Friends extremely worried.
I raise my index and middle finger, place 'em in front of my mouth and wave it forward and backward.
Smoke.
3 awake. 4 asleep.
Friends full of awe.
Driver amazed with me.

Bharat Petroleum pump. Needed air. Saw a loo, with Hamam soap. Chucked the air and headed to plock.
BP guy gets all pissed and exclaims - 30 mins (In Tamil.)
I replied - Sorry. Urgent!
Saw some amazing sights on my way back.
Fell asleep while riding.
For a few seconds I guess. Otherwise I woulda been dead.
Weird thoughts in my head.
Voices yelling random things in my head. In Tamil. (The Tamil Nadu influence, I guess.)
Slept in a highway hotel for 30 mins.

Lunch at Krishnagiri - Khuska, Gravy, 2 Half-boiled. Very intelligent girl at the cash counter. Handling cash with such efficiency. My god. Would have been no more than 8 years old.
Last leg of the ride.
Krishnagiri-Hosur-Bangalore.

Krishnagiri to Hosur is a rider's dream. Winding high-speed curves, awesome road, breathtaking scenery - mountains, fields, grass, slopes. Go there. You'll know what I'm talking about. Remember. Krishnagiri-Hosur, not the other way.
54 kms in half an hour. 120-125 kmph for the full half an hour. Steep downward road, almost touched 130.
Got back.
Made another person happy.

Signature whisky.
(No drunken driving either folks.)
No sleep.
1000 kms.
800 kms solo.
36 hours.
Again, one hell of a time.