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Nadir
2007-05-06 12:41:00
To be a fat, ugly, short, stupid, poor, mentally/physically disabled, anarchist, black, lesbian, Muslim woman is to be at the nadir of the discrimination hierarchy.Thankfully I am a skinny, average looking, tall, moderately intelligent, middle class, relatively stable/able-bodied, centrist, brown, straight, Atheist-Hindu boy-man. Phew. Narrow escape.Just wanted to highlight what labels are and what they do. So let's do away with them! From now on, I'm just a boy-man.Wait, the moment I say I'm a boy-man, I discriminate against the girl-women. Sighs...Then I'm just going to label myself a human being. But hey that makes me a speciest!Ok fine I'm just a complex, carbon-based, hypocritical life form. Shut up now. And quit labelling.

It was the slavery, stupid
2007-05-06 12:21:00
Whoa.So the American Civil War was really about Slave ry . At least both the Union and Confederate soldiers thought so. American Heritage explains.Interesting to read about how white men from the same country, the same era could hold such opposing views about human rights.
More About: Stupid , Avery

Poaching & Terrorism: Dirty Bedfellows
2007-05-06 11:44:00
Guardian's Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark do a fine coverage of Islamist militants poaching in Assam to fund Al Qaeda sponsored terrorism and an insight into the Assamese separatist movement. Do read if you have the time.An excerpt:Islamic militants affiliated to al-Qaida are sponsoring poaching in the reserve for profit. These groups have established bases in the formerly moderate enclave of Bangladesh and have agents operating all along the country's porous 2,500-mile border with India. They have gone into business with local animal trappers and organised crime syndicates around Kaziranga - as well as in parks and reserves in Nepal, Burma and Thailand - in a quest for horns, ivory, pelts and other animal products with which to raise "under the wire" funds that they can move around the world invisibly.That's why the rise in Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh isn't just India's headache anymore. A poacher elaborates:"The Tibetans and Chinese are big men in [poaching] but w...
More About: Terrorism , Dirty , Dirt , Error

The Dhoom-Dhoom man
2007-05-06 10:08:00
Hilarious audition from Indian Idol Season 3. Apologies for the noisy background. Enjoy!
More About: The D , Dhoom

At fault
2007-05-05 23:36:00
Fighting over religion is akin to fighting over who has the best imaginary friend. But the imaginary friend doesn't careth who wins because he exists solely to provide a sense of companionship to the imaginator.Read something similar to the above sentences when I was young. I mention the above to emphasize my general non-religiosity.A week ago, my primary school going, 9 years old kid sister came home pretty sad. Reason: some kid from a different race was mocking the 'Ramayana' along with Indians in general during a Civics and Moral Education class. Yes, the irony is noted.Let me digress now.Indians (not accounting for religion, caste, color and what not. if your ancestors are/were from the Indian federation of the subcontinent, then you are a fucking Indian to me, hyphenated or not doesn't matter), you see, are not really a widely appreciated people. Often perceived as a laughing stock yet not as hated like the Jews or blacks. The resentment usually lies somewhere in between. O...
More About: Fault

Labels
2007-05-05 23:03:00
I wonder why I always find myself unavoidably drawn to stories of injustice, discrimination and hatred; even though the sheer senselessness/irrationality disgusts me right down to my soul.The truth is, we all have 'labels' stuck upon us. Or often we stick them to us ourselves. Label s which dictate our thought, actions as well as of other's toward us. Labels which define us: who we are, what we must do and what we can't do.These labels can be indicative of anything ranging from race, caste, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, social order, sexual orientation, political inclination, physicality, economic ideology.I hate them because they restrict our full potential while making us adhere to ideas/opinions/beliefs/practices someone else came up with. We must learn these principles instead of letting evolve them internally. And most of these labels do not let us explore issues from another point of view or express solidarity with a conflicting label without being labelled a traitor....
More About: Abel

Shucks.
2007-05-05 22:42:00
Just don't feel like blogging much since exams have finished. Here goes nothing:Found this trivia chat. Check it out if you're a trivia lover. There are folks down there who never even log out.Watched Remember the Titans. Nice mostly-true movie dealing with a racially polarized U.S. of 1970s and American Football, a sport I've been looking up on recently. The movie made me want to watch American History X and will try to do so.

IKEA
2007-05-04 22:17:00
A trip to an IKEA store can be more insightful than a year spent in prison. Bad and useless analogy but proceed to read.I would like to thank IKEA guys for not having salespeople in their stores, who otherwise hover around displays like hornets guarding the love nest. In other stores, even before you can slide your butt onto a nice, comfy couch put on display, a salesperson is asking you if he/she can help you out.This is what I say to them: "Oh no, not really. I'm just looking around."This is what I really want to say them: "Look lady/dude. If I need help, I'll ask. &No I won't steal the fuckin' couch. How do you even suppose I will bring it out of the store? Up your ***?"Phew.But I do understand that retail can be a shitty job to do. Especially for the salespeople. You have to stand there, make sure no one mucks around, ensure no hanky-panky's going on in the fitting-rooms, help idiots who can't find the 'on sale' top in one size smaller. Plus you gotta have that fake smil...
More About: Ikea

Lights. Ellroy. Action.
2007-05-04 17:38:00
I bought this fine piece of wax from IKEA today. The candle stand was a mere 95 cents. And boy, does the candle burn or what. I initially thought I will indulge in medieval living by reading under candle light as my fluoroscent lamp had gotten wasted yesterday night. But I realized that when I turn my fan or airconditioner on, the flame gets extinguished. So I guess I don't have a choice and will have to buy a replacement lamp tomorrow. Shucks.Also, I borrowed James Ellroy's The Big Nowhere. As the story unfolds in 1950s L.A., dealing with post-WWII commie influence in Hollywood, we get a fine dose of thrill, intrigue, sleaze and characters with dubious moralities (mostly no morality). Perfect film noir plot. Fantastic.The Post-Its pad in the background is a subtle product placement. Hope I influence you to buy it by the dozens. In all sizes and colors. Note to self: Finish the L.A. quartet this vacation.
More About: Action , Light , Lights

Traitors
2007-05-03 10:30:00
South Korea plans to seize lands of those who collaborated with the Japanese when they were occupying South Korea.I wonder if the same can be done in India. Are there individuals/families around who amassed property and money by siding with the British? Can they be called traitors in the present scenario?I wonder.
More About: Traitors , Traitor , TRAI

Exam 5
2007-05-03 10:26:00
I was to write a critique. And I did that. Subjective exams' scores are hard to tell. But I guess it went alright.And officially, I'm not a freshman anymore!projected grade: B-
More About: Exam

I heart RSS
2007-05-01 09:54:00
RSS. Not Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh. But Really Simple Syndication.And I really love this syndicate. Thanks to it, I get my daily fix of Foxtrot, Garfield, B.C., Dilbert, Doonesbury right on my browser. Not to mention International Herald Tribune, The Guardian, CNN, Christian Science monitor, SciAm, NYT, Slate, India Uncut + Amit Varma's excellent crosswords, The Economist et cetera, et cetera. Without once having to look through the Favourites list. Everything you need will be delivered to you if your favourite website provides RSS.So get hold of the latest version of almost any Internet Browser: IE 7, Firefox and I guess Opera too. And enjoy the pleasures of RSS:)
More About: I heart , Heart

How to succeed
2007-04-29 21:48:00
Learnt this from the Suze Orman Show-To succeed in an endeavour, along with hard work you need:There must be an undivided focus on trying to achieve what is expected from it.There must be a differentiation between expected time vs. real time. Expected time is the time after which you expect/want your endeavour to show desirable results. It is often an unrealistic assessment. You will most often need to work harder for a time period longer than this for your efforts to be a success. Do not give up before this time period.Real time is the waiting period you set before you wisely decide to end your endeveour as a wasteful pursuit if it doesn't show any positive results. Continuation after this time period is only recommended if resources are ample and risks are low.

Emblem or Encasements?
2007-04-29 21:30:00
Why is breast feeding in public frowned upon by many western(ized) societies while cleavage baring is seen as a sign of being comfortable with one's body/sexuality and an expression of freedom?How utterly stupid.Aren't breasts encasements for mammary glands first and an 'emblem' of sexuality/freedom later?
More About: Case

Tropical Rain
2007-04-29 21:01:00
An aspect of tropical living that I love is the frequent rain (as long as it doesn't inhibit me from travelling to another place).With raindrops the size of shotgun pellets for a heavy downpour, and considering the brute force with which they fall from the skies, I think awesome is a suitable adjective for tropical rain.To put this post into perspective, it is raining outside as I type. The fierce pitter-patter on the ledge overlooking the living room window is utterly soothing. The windows are half shut but I can watch the rain fall. The draft is cold and sleep inducing in the pre-dawn hours. Most of all, the rain is therapeutic; it takes my mind off any worries.So as I enjoy the sound of raindrops ricocheting off tree leaves and concrete walls, let me enjoy a moment of serenity.
More About: Tropical , Rain , Pica

A letter to Richard Gere
2007-04-29 19:49:00
Dear Dick,I am thoroughly surprised at your apology for kissing Ms. Shilpa Shetty. Why did you give in to the so called moral-police of India which objects at everything which alludes to intimacy of any sort?You are a Hollywood star, a Buddhist, an active supporter of the Tibetan cause and from what I can tell, you seem to be a man of reason. You were also the Sexiest man in the World for 1999 (well, at least for the folks at People magazine) plus you were married to Cindy Crawford for 4 years. The latter being an apt certification of your virility and celebrity. Also, you are a rich, white, married (with a kid) American male who is well on his way to be a sexagenarian.So why did you apologize for kissing a woman who has already forgiven you for your silly act? Are you afraid or just considerate?To let you know, an arrest warrant has been issued against you by a session/district court because the judge ruling over the 'obscenity' case found the kiss "highly sexually erotic". That ...
More About: Letter , Richard Gere , Richard , Gere , Char

Predictions come true; ego inflated
2007-04-29 16:48:00
I correctly predicted the outcome of the two semi-final matches and the final match of Cricket World Cup 2007! Which was pretty much a no brainer. A fittingly boring end for an ultra-boring World Cup.Well, so Australia has won the cup for the fourth time (out of the 9 which have been organized), and thrice in a row.Congrats to the Aussies for the treble. Hmm. Wonder what do they eat for breakfast.
More About: Predictions , True , Come , Late , Predict

Exam 4
2007-04-28 19:57:00
Was the worst exam I ever took. Et tu, Physics?projected grade: D or worse
More About: Exam

The Atlas
2007-04-26 22:11:00
How many of you have used an atlas before?No, using the mythological Greek who carries the world on his shoulders (as if strength training for an intergalactic shotput competition) doesn't count.Instead, I enquire about the wonderful book which literally carries the world in it.Because as you all should know, an atlas in its most rudimentary form is a collection of maps. Duh.I remember that every school year in India (where I completed my primary and middle school), buying a new atlas for Geography would be made compulsory. It used to be nearly the same as the one which had been used the year before, save for certain updates to statistics which didn't matter to the teacher anyway. Even in the years we were not taught Geography, we were still made to buy them. And since school book suppliers need to make their ends meet, parents were grandly ripped off every year of an unneccesary sum in order for their progeny to be educated on how the world looked like on paper. With all its manm...
More About: The A

May 19, 1924
2007-04-26 21:17:00
Sir Michael O'Dwyer was Governor of the Punjab during the Amritsar riots of 1919.Sir Sankaran Nair, member of the Indian Government, recently published a book about Sir Michael's administration in which he charged that Indians had been flogged, etc.Sir Michael read the book, brought suit for libel against Sir Sankaran.In the witness stand the ex-Governor admitted that Indians had been flogged, but qualified his statement by adding: "Floggings in India are not inflicted with cat-o'-nine-tails but always with bamboo, sometimes with a cane. They are mild compared with the cat."He even went so far as to state that Indians were flogged for failure to salaam British officers. But he endeavored to explain this away by asserting: "At that time there were rumors circulating about that the British raj in India was going and there was rebellion about. This order [requiring the salaam] was one of the means by which it was sought to bring home to the Indian people that this was not so."Found ...

Exam 3
2007-04-26 13:42:00
C++/Data structure & algorithms exam wasn't as horrible as I was fearing it to be. Just hope I pass this module.Projected grade: C/D
More About: Exam

Smartest sentence I read today
2007-04-25 17:29:00
"A politicianlavishes flattery on his audience for the same reason that a man compliments awoman on a date - he wants them to like him."
More About: Today , Read , Test , Marte , Sentence

The misery of choice
2007-04-24 22:18:00
Barry Schwartz on choice, misery and happiness. Brilliant.(contains cartoonal nudity)
More About: Choice , Miser , Choi

Ok so I did something stupid...
2007-04-24 21:45:00
I walked onto the mats of the Aikido people (who were having their training outside the MPSH) after exam today. The embarassment.But I can beat that!I walked into a glass wall the other day in the library*. Now that's embarassing!So if anyone ever mentions them, they might get hurt.Mean it. Now quit sniggering. Quit it, I say!*I was looking behind, for Godsake.
More About: Stupid , Methi , Something , Thing , Some

It's 4 already?
2007-04-24 17:25:00
Misprint is 4 months old today.So on the count of 3:1..2..3......Yay!
More About: Ready

Mmm. Bullets.
2007-04-24 15:57:00
Whoa. You can buy ammo off eBay?Cool. And God better bless America.One thing I have noticed (in the aftermath of VATech shootout) on US based forums/websites, and many others around the world, is that people are often saying that 200 people died in Iraq on that same day. In an illegal and immoral war, to top it off. So why does no one care about that while everyone is grieving for Virginia Tech victims?Well actually, no one cares for anyone. Lets be honest here. You can only care for someone if you know them. Therefore, the out pour of public emotion is not so much 'care' as it is empathy; something which separates a 'normal' person from a psychopath. If you can feel someone else's pain, or at least understand their situation, congrats! You are a fuckin' human being. Join the club. If you don't, then someone should have put you in a straitjacket by now and hauled you off for treatment.Also, Iraq's a war zone. It is unavoidable that people will die, clichéd as it may sound. ...
More About: Bull , Bullet , Bullets

Exam 2
2007-04-24 15:44:00
Material science & eng. went much better than Math.Made a few errors and couldn't do some questions. But it was alright, I guess. Also I forgot one formula:(Stupid photographic memory of mine. Only can remember upto 5-6 formulas by just looking. That's why I like physics because the formulas are easily derived and plus there's a 8 page jumbo list of formulas provided. And then there's some more.Also, I finished the 2 hour paper in 45 mins. When 25 minutes were left, I realized I had left one 20 mark section untouched!Luckily I saw that in time. Phew.Anyway, it's Data Structures + Algorithms for now. Ouch.Peace..Projected grade: B+
More About: Exam

Last predictions: Cricket World Cup 2007
2007-04-23 16:52:00
Semifinals:Sri Lanka will win against New Zealand.Australia will win against South Africa. Finals: Australia will win the Cricket World Cup 2007. For a fourth time.Anyway, who really cares.
More About: World Cup 2007 , Cricket World Cup

Psst. Wanna clean your laptop?
2007-04-23 15:13:00
If you are a cheapskate, or simply can't afford a commercial cleaning solvent, AND you have a dirty-dirty laptop, here's how you can make it spankin' clean and good as new:Get a fine cotton cloth. Old cotton T Shirts are good if you can't buy a proper cloth. You can also use the cloth used to clean glasses/specs.Dust your laptop properly. Dust not wipe, I emphasize. Or the screen will get all scratched. Now you don't want that do you?Make sure it is turned off or you will get BZZT!! Remove the battery just in case.Mix 1 part of Isopropyl alcohol with 2 parts of distilled water in a cup or something alike. Do step 5 away from your laptop. You wouldn't want it to get wet unless it is insured.The ingredients mentioned in step 5 are easily to obtain. And cheaper than commerical solvents for cleaning laptop screens.Dab the cloth into the solution you have created.Gently clean a small portion of your laptop's screen first. Just to check if it is sensitive to the alcohol. If nothing...
More About: Laptop , Clean , Anna

What I did on Earth Day
2007-04-22 19:14:00
I released 22 canisters of Carbon Dioxide into the air. It would have been a glorious sight had the gas been visible. I imagined all hues of the visible spectrum and superimposed them on the invisble gas for a wonderful make-believe gas show. Gases can be such a delight! Plus plants need them for photosynthesis so it means more trees! Goodies! Afterwards, the metal canisters were promptly thrown into the 'Recycling bin for Cans' near my house. A task well done.I also burnt all the plastic bags I had. Around 523 of them. Of all colours and sizes. Now those bags are not biodegradable, you see. Plus there is no 'Recycling bin for plastic bags' near my house. So I took the matter into my own hand & I chopped down a small tree which was growing on State land (and was thus trespassing! Bad tree!). I used the wood to set up a nice bonfire. And I roasted every bag individually till all of them had gone up in an acrid *poof*. It smelt pretty bad and the marshmallows I roasted in the ...
More About: Earth , Earth Day