These Photographs

Dear friend S made up for a dreary evening last night with her cheerful disposition, optimism and enthusiasm in embracing new beginnings by diving right into the thick of action.

You never know where life will take you ( a lot of times), but you have your anchors. The inner circle of people who are totally game for counselling sessions, drinking binges, impromptu road trips, hazy philosophising, reality checks and being asswipes in general. Life gets even better if they end up being where you are, or vice versa. Sadly, when all things mostly good and occasionally bad come to an end, the material and virtual memories are what serve as remainders of the better times we have had. The people who matter are the ones you want to see all the time.

Quote, unquote, these pictures bridge that gap and keep us closer, however cliché it is:). Very aptly put. Well said S.

P.S: This post was hastily written on a peaceful ride to Longwood and enthusiastically transcribed to cyberspace before one could say internet.

P.P.S: I did not know quote unquote and quote, unquote conveyed different meanings until 10 minutes ago.

Niceties

You turn to me and ask whether it hurts to be so nice? Is it difficult to be this person? I smile. I am not making an effort to be so. This is me. I do what comes to me naturally without thinking twice. Why is it that this nature seems daunting, odd, fearful and unaccustomed to many, including you?

You are not convinced. You still tell me it is not possible to be this way. I tell you I have not been any other way. I do not know if you will ever agree with me.

We continue walking and you lean against me. I sense your taut shoulders pressing against my ribs. You seem bothered. I put my arms around you as you lean against my nape. A smile escapes your lips while you find your own cozy corner. I kiss your forehead. the cold skin makes my lips quiver, while the warmth permeates you. I look up at the CITGO sign looming over Kenmore square for an instant, only to reacquaint myself with the curious brown eyes looking at me inquisitively. Its going to be a long night.

We walk across Brookline ave and watch the revelers make way from Fenway. The crowd intimidate you for a bit, but the myriads of happy faces and red caps have an aura of their own. The energy that permeates the biting chill of the night makes everyone put their best step forward. You take my hand in yours and drift aimlessly. I wonder what you are wondering. You look at me and smile. The same smile that caught my eye, the one that makes your eyes light up and curves the corners of your mouth. That same smile, following which I cannot comprehend what could happen next.

I know we have our tribulations, doubts, insecurities and faith (or the lack of it). I know that during this winding course, things will not end up being what it seemed. We still carry on, being ourselves, believing in the things we always did and said, say and do. Thats what makes cold dreary nights not so gloomy. Our world conforms to us eventually.

I bend down to kiss you as you tug my lapels, arching your neck and closing your eyes. It will take me a while to get back to planet Earth. But I softly land, my feet firmly in the ground.

More Slides

A great presentation should hold your attention from the very first word . It should convey the contents to the audience presuming they know little but not take them for granted at the same time. It should make you think, raise questions in your head, try to answer them yourself and then look forward to the next slide.Having been to hundreds of and delivering a few of them, the thin line of demarcation between grades of presentations actually becomes much clearer. I sat through one of the best talks of my life this afternoon. Suddenly the grass seemed greener, the skies bluer and the science more familiar.

Behind fantastic presentations lie minimal words, simple explanations, visual representation, eye contact, acknowledgement, punctuality, sincerity and a smile on the face. Practice does make a lot perfect.

Sad Eyes

On a lonely bus ride back home via Dorchester, the Ipod's shuffle program chanced upon a song which I had all the while thought to be one of the better works of a musician whose music I did not particularly enjoy. To my surprise, it was being crooned by one of my most revered artistes.

I come back home to do some research only to find out that the song in question sad eyes was originally composed by Bruce Springsteen as part of his 1990 album tracks. Enrique Iglesias, citing himself to be a major fan of the boss, covered the track in both spanish and english.

The original version of the song:

and when Enrique Iglesias takes over:

Dynamite Division

More reason to be proud of the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Medical School, as Dr. Jack W. Szostak, who is faculty shares the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2009 along with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn of the University of California, San Francisco and Dr. Carol Greider of the Johns Hopkins University.

Their work mainly concerns the enzyme that build Telomeres- Telomerase. What are telomeres? Chromosomes are now an integral part of our vocabulary and their importance in genetics is the equivalent of the importance of alphabets in this sentence. Telomeres are essentially repetitive DNA strands which are formed on the edges of dividing chromosomes, preventing damage to the chromosome during duplication. Telomeres play a part in controlling cellular division. Their function and action is regulated by the enzyme Telomerase. The works of these scientists also show that the activity of the telomeres, which is controlled by telomerase, plays an important role in limiting the number of cell divisions to a fixed number, thereby effecting the aging process and limiting life span. Cancerous cells produce telomerase in abundance, which causes them to constantly replicate.

Bapu

We may not always agree with him.
We may not always pay heed to his words.
We may not follow his path.

Where we are today, is because he was there then.
Where we will be henceforth is because he was there then.

Bole to, Happy Birthday!!

(pic courtesy: herosworkshop.wordpress.com)

Thought for the day

I promise never to whine. I really do.
I do not want to turn into one of the million who think its their prerogative to whine first and breathe later.
I promise to suck it up and live to tell.
I will not make any one's life as miserable as mine, by a simple whine.


I amaze myself sometimes.

40 Questions

Another blast from the past. This was written a while ago.

[one] have you ever been asked out?
yes.

[two] where is your default picture taken?
At the Shark Exhibit at Seaworld. Whats behind me is the actual jaw span of a great white shark and next to me is one of the coolest chica I know.

[three] what's your middle name?
Its probably ebullience or Attention Deficit Hyperactive

[four] your current relationship status?
I'd like to keep 'em guessing

[five] does your crush like you back?
I think so. Even though she is marrying someone else, she intends to shrink me and take me along with her.

[six] what is your current mood?
Desperate-to get back to work and breathe normally

[seven] what color of underwear are you wearing?
its black actually, with grey checks and a tiny little label which says joe boxer.

[eight] what color shirt are you wearing?
White interspersed with blue.

[nine] Missing something?
my motorcycle.

[ten] if you could go back in time and change something, what would you change?
coming to the US right after graduation. It wouldnt have hurt to spend more time in India, but then the profession demanded that I move my ass here.

[eleven] if you must be an animal for one day, which one?
My favorite Bottle Nose Dolphins.

[twelve] ever had a near death experience?
Thrice and it isnt pretty.

[thirteen] something you do a lot?
Change my mind.

[fourteen] the song stuck in your head?
" Better Days" by Bruce Springsteen from the album "lucky Town".

[fifteen] who did you copy and paste this from?
Parvathi Menon

[sixteen] name someone with the same birthday as YOU?
I can name two. One was a senior from high school named Rajiv and the second person is pretty popular, Herr Adolf Hitler.

[seventeen] when was the last time you cried?
A couple of months ago because I deserved it.

[eighteen] have you ever sung in front of a large audience?
No. but do playing instruments or yelling at team mates count? If so, then Yes.

[nineteen] if you could have one super power what would it be?
I would ideally like two. Wolverine's ability to heal rapidly and Mystique's morphing abilities.

[twenty] what's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
I'd be lying if I say the hair, but yes their smile and enthusiasm always wins me over.

[twenty-one] what do you usually order from starbucks?
Tall white chocolate mocha with no whipped cream, made with 1% reduced fat milk. Starbucks is an addiction that is slowly dying in me.

[twenty-two] what's your biggest secret?
That I almost went to the IIT but chose to write the all India CBSE PM/PD examinations instead.

[twenty-three] favorite color?
Blue

[twenty-four] do you still watch kiddie shows or tv shows?
It depends on whats on. I am still a fan of the Warner Bros Bugs Bunny toons. Animated flicks count as well.

[twenty-five] What is a line from one of your favorite songs?
Its actually a translation of a line from Anbe Sivam
"The length and the breadth of your mind determines your lifespan"

[twenty-six] what are you ?
A bored individual wondering why he giving a crap about this list.

[twenty-seven] do you speak any other language besides English?
Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Tulu, Spanish and ASL. Peer pressure demands I brush up on my malayalam and Marathi these days.

[twenty-eight] what's your favorite smell?
the AXE Snakepeel Bodywash (for now), Amma's drumstick Sambhar and Gayatri's rasam..:)

[twenty-nine] describe your life in one word what it be?
Diverse and lots more to do.

[thirty] what is some things you would like to learn how to do?
a) Perform an openheart surgery
b) Compose like AR Rahman.
c) Return a Serve like Andre Agassi.

[thirty-one] have you ever kissed in the rain?
Yes.

[thirty-two] what are you thinking about right now?
two words-UNEMAPs and LINUX

[thirty-three] what should you be doing?
looking for apartments.

[thirty-four] who was the last person that made you upset/angry?
Lebron James. Dont ask me why, but if the Cavaliers continue to play like this. Its tatabyebye for the Championships.

[thirty-five] how often do you talk to God?
A lot actually. I call it peptalk and motivation.

[thirty-six] do you like working in the yard?
Depends on whose yard I am working on.

[thirty-seven] if you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
Actually my dad's name is quite cool..:) I am happy with the Kumaraswamy behind my name.

[thirty-eight] do you act differently around the person you like?
Nope, though I am not really sure if a lot of people like me..:)

[thirty-nine] what is your natural hair color?
Black.

[forty] who was the last person to make you cry?
Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. in the Soloist. Robert Downey Jr. is Hollywood's answer to Kamalhaasan.

I still haven’t found what I am looking for

U2’s second single from their uber hit 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, is my favorite single from the band, beating the usual suspects like One, Sunday bloody Sunday, The hands that built America and A beautiful day.

For their 1988 album and movie Rattle and Hum, U2 recorded this song with a choir from Harlem called the New Voices of Freedom.

A live version of the song from Zagreb, Aug 2009

Bruce Springsteen performs with U2 during the latter's induction into the rock and roll hall of fame.

Finally, David Cook’s rendition of the song during the 2008 American Idol finale.

Lessons from the one Part 2

( This is the second in a series of posts that aim to translate the complex lessons of Rajinikanth songs to a more eloquent, absorbing, influential and effective form. This post could be unintentionally funny, but keep looking at the larger picture and make the most out of it)

Rajini's Muthu was released in 1996 and was widely considered by many as one of his celluloid platforms for his political aspirations, which was largely speculated by many (The fizzle of his dizzle is a shizzle for another day). The dialogs, songs and scenes were inadvertantly assumed to be political statements and revisited many times by loyalists. Also, it was the first time AR Rahman was composing for Rajinikanth and he did not disappoint. The song in question was the title number, which has Rajini ride his horse chariot, leave the reins midway, turn around, do an impromptu dance-all while sitting, stop and check out the ladies of the village, eat their festive cookings, shake a leg with them, and finally compete and win a race with a 4 wheel automobile. The song by itself is a fantastic composition, involving symphony style scores orchestrated by the late H Shridhar, and SP Balasubramaniam does complete justice with his full throated rendition.

There's only one master.

The rest are all his minions.

A fool contemplates his fate.

One who overcomes it is great.

There is no weapon to win over this world, no ploughs to pluck flowers.

Why do we need material comforts, when this world is yours when you relinquish desire.

Man loves the earth and the earth reciprocates it.

The earth eventually wins over us but we do not seem to understand it.

When we have money in our hands, we are its boss.

When we are submerged in money, then its our boss.

Understand the meaning of life, live life in your own terms.

The sky is yours and so is the earth, but why do we keep bickering in vain?

Nature tells us its our prerogative to live, its natural to have problems in life.

The birds look at me and say "wassup"

The flowers bloom and say" home boy, you are too cool!!"