Journey of life

Master Stroke

2011-05-11T13:15:00.005+05:30

This is "M.K. Iqbal of Parry & Co leaving the field after a scintillating batting display against India Cements in The Hindu Trophy finals (1968) at the Marina grounds." It's from this interesting piece about cricket in Madras in the pre-technology era.

This picture reminds me of a gem of an innings played by my uncle N.L. Narasimhan some time in the late nineties in a Blue-Star (or a friendly) match at the PS High School ground in Chennai. He scored just 25 runs or something (if my memory serves me right) but it was a brilliant display of strokeplay, which also took his team to victory.

It was around 4 pm, and a huge crowd had gathered around the ground. They were all waiting for this match to end, so that they could start their daily/weekly tennis-ball matches. The crowd were taken by surprise when they saw him flick the ball off his pads nonchalantly through mid-wicket for four, with such elegance as is usually associated with the likes of GR Vishwanath and VVS Laxman. That's when it struck me that we were in for a treat. The crowd watched the rest of his innings in awe and applauded and cheered each and every shot. And when his team won, they all walked back with him to the pavilion and many of them took his autograph.

Classic!

"for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome"

2009-10-07T18:16:00.004+05:30

Press Release

7 October 2009

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 jointly to

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, United Kingdom

Thomas A. Steitz, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

Ada E. Yonath, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

"for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome"

-----
Biochemistry

One of my most favorite subjects. Infact, it's one of the subjects I wanted to pursue after graduation, but life had other plans. Following is an excerpt from an essay I wrote long ago (final year of graduation) about my career interests at that point:

Chemistry is a subject full of surprise and adventure. One can always learn something new whenever he/ she enters a chemistry lab, and the study of life through the eyes of chemistry (biochemistry) is what interests me most. This interest in chemistry was generated by an extremely dedicated chemistry teacher in my last two years of schooling and a wonderfully interesting professor of organic chemistry, Prof.S.Govindarajan, in my second semester at college.

Biochemistry and molecular biology are subjects in which lots of new things are discovered every day, or rather every moment, but still there is so much more to explore. This is exactly the reason why I want to master these subjects.

Congratulations to the laureates!

Maps and World History

2009-09-16T17:22:00.006+05:30

No, I'm not going to post the syllabus of some History (or Social Studies) exam.

-----

Well, it's that time of the year, once again, when I feel guilty for not posting regularly. Actually, that occurs more often than the number of times I take the next (big) step, logging in and posting.

Of late, I have become a cartographer of sorts. The maps I create, though, are not route maps or geographical maps. They are process maps. Microsoft Visio is quite an interesting (albeit expensive) software and since one needs to understand each process thoroughly in order to map it well, the learning curve is quite steep. Sounds like I'm having fun right? Well, I am, most often, when the deadline is not lurking in the corner. I didn't count amongst the 'deadline dudes' for nothing, in one of my very first assignments in the corporate world. I must say that my estimation skills have improved by leaps and bounds but the last minute rush and anxiety still remains.

As always, my "to read" list is increasing exponentially. I have started 'Glimpses of World History' and I really hope to finish it sometime soon. Having read the first couple of chapters, I think the man was a genius - no wonder he commanded such respect and led such a large, diverse, and "unnatural" nation, which was then just a nascent democracy and an "unlikely" one at that. Do watch this superb Ramachandra Guha interview, about 'India After Gandhi' (which I hope to read some time soon) where he explains why he thinks India is an "unnatural nation and an unlikely democracy".

Gift from a friend

2009-07-08T13:26:00.002+05:30

By the way, that picture was taken at our engagement. This post is actually the response to the comments here.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T18:58:00.003+05:30

A year goes by
new one begins
full of hope

Yes, among other 'hopes', I do hope to post regularly this year.

2008-03-10T12:16:00.005+05:30

This post was originally written on my flight from Chennai to Calcutta on 18th November 2007. It's just random rambling, about which I had thought earlier but never got down to writing. And my crazy schedule and enormously hectic work have ensured that it's coming on to 'ze blog' only now.
---------------

Sometimes I feel flight (in an aeroplane) is quite similar to realization of (and living) a dream. The most exciting part is the take off, just as working towards a dream, and all the effort put into achieve it, is. At the same time, it is the toughest part, as well. Then, just when you are going to achieve your dream, that is the lift off, you feel like you are being pulled down and there is some sort of a humbling experience. But once you get through that, you are there; you've acheived your dream and are living it!

Many a time, you feel normal while you are flying and you go about business, as usual (reading, writing, eating and so on), but sometimes the dream is not as smooth as it seemed; there's turbulence and problems due to the weather, clouds and other external factors.

And after a while, it's time to land. One needs to come back to where he/she began (certainly at a different point in time and at a different place), dream more (and new) and work hard towards those new dreams and goals. Every flight, I feel, is a miniature depiction of living a dream. You prepare, you work hard, you achieve your dream, live it and then go back to dream some more and try & achieve those new dreams, work towards achieving them and live them again.

One more thing which comes to mind is that sometimes you can see the ground while you are up there. Sometimes you are too far above and many a time, all you can see is beautiful clouds all around. That gives one the feeling of actually being up there on cloud nine. :)

P. S.:- It also seems apt because almost everyone wants to fly and dreams of flying. And pilots live their dream of being a pilot, every time they fly! :)

Gulzar

2008-02-28T12:44:00.004+05:30

Aadmi bulbula hai pani ka,
Aur pani ki bahti satah par,
Tootta bhi hai, doobta bhi hai,
Phir ubharta hai, phir se behta hai,
Na samandar nigal saka isko,
Na tawareekh tod paaiee hai,
Waqt ki mauj par sada behta,
Aadmi bulbula hai pani ka!
-----
Gulzar saab is a master poet! And his recitation of these awesome verses, before the song called 'Zindagi kya hai' (album: Koi Baat Chale), is brilliant. I had put this up as my gtalk status line and the snowbeak asked for a line-by-line translation. The following is what I could come up with:
-----
Man's a bubble of water,
And on the flowing surface of water,
He bursts, he drowns,
Then he emerges, and then again he flows,
Neither could the sea engulf him,
Nor could the annals destroy him,
Flowing eternally on the waves of time,
Man's a bubble of water!
-----
Another friend saw the translation and tried to correlate this to the laws of Physics. He said that the bubble is smallest when it's deep below the surface and its size slowly increases as it reaches the surface, where its size is maximum. And then it bursts. So, he said that water here is like problems and troubles and reaching the surface is some sort of an achievement and you literally get a 'breather' once you've achieved something.

Tagging along...

2007-05-12T13:03:00.000+05:30

One well wishing friend, Ms. Yasaswini, has tagged me and I think she did that more in an attempt to make me post something. :)

So, here goes...

I had written thus far, a week ago... and then, I got tagged again. This time by Krithika.

Now, it's high time I got my act together and acknowledged the tags:

So, here goes (really)...

1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it:

There's a scar on my upper lip, almost bisecting the philtrum. This was the result of a nice strong whack from the right paw of a "nice and friendly" (atleast that's what the master told me) German Shepherd named Whiskey. This is probably why I can manage a peg of Whiskey better than a "nice and friendly" German Shepherd.

I know the inference is vague... please don't scream! :)

2. What is on the walls in your room?

An empty 2006 year planner.

3. What does your phone look like?

"It's not one thing". It's 1100- Nokia 1100!

Another request not to scream and scare others around you. :)

4. What music do you listen to?

THE BEATLES, Dire Straits, Queen, some other classic rock, old Indian film music, any percussion...

5. What is your current desktop picture?

A silver Ferrari "Prancing horse" on a black background.

6. What do you want more than anything right now?

Sleep. I have been on the night shift, working for the past 14 hours!

7. Do you believe in gay marriage?

I don't know.

8. What time were you born?

04:50 PM, Saturday, 17th December 1983.

9. Are your parents still together?

Very much! It's been a year since they celebrated the silver jubilee of their wedding.

10. What are you listening to?

Tum- Euphoria.

11. The last person to make you cry?

No comments. :)

12. What is your favourite perfume/cologne?

Nothing in particular.

13. What kind of hair/eye colour do you like on the opposite sex?

Black and black. (and may be a very very slight brownish tinge)

14. Do you like pain killers?

No. I don't even take them.

15. Are you too shy to ask someone out?

That depends on how shy is "too shy". :P

16. Fave pizza topping?

Double cheese.

17. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

Poha.

18. Who was the last person you made mad?

Not sure. Actually, come to think of it, the number could be quite high. :P

19. Is anyone in love with you?

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps! :D

Hairy ponder

2007-01-16T09:00:00.000+05:30

I haven't been writing. But see, I am not all that good at it either so I thought that whenever the bug comes back to bite me, I'll react. I just got bitten. So, in an attempt to react, I started thinking. This is where things come to a dead end, most often. Thinking- I start scratching my beard ('goaty' or 'goatee', actually) and think some more, and then I ruffle my hair and then... I give up. But this time, the goatee-scratching part of the process gave me an idea- yay! And what would that be? Simple- write about beards, goatees (well, I don't even know whether 'goatee' is a word and I seem to have invented a plural already) and (my favourite) the French connection.

And you are not going to believe this (unless you already know) there's a whole website dedicated to goatees. Now, please take time to read the introduction before clicking the link- I think you might appreciate it more. Their tagline's the best "groom that goat". I just got up after rolling on the floor with laughter. Apparently, that's not it. What do they do- they teach people to *shave*. It just keeps getting better- they have "Goatee Haikus". And you know what, I feel better about this post now. After all, it's just one post and it does not have any poems about hair or any instruction manual for getting rid of it. People who know Tamil will appreciate this part of the post a wee bit more than the others, I think.
Here's the link: www.goatee.org

Anyway, I decided to keep one because it looks quite good on me (or atleast that's what I think) and it's a regular feature on my face now. It's not really what one would call a "French Beard" because there's no moustache. I've actually wondered why they call the other one (the one with the moustache) a "French" beard. French to me implies bad and/or vulgar. That's primarily because of this post and secondarily because "French" brings back bad memories of a Professor who hated me because she had not seen me for one month after she had started teaching my class. In any case, the origin of some phrases is quite vague and this one is even more so because (atleast, as far as I know) it's Indian. So, I think it's best to abort the attempt to reach the root, right now.

I have cleared the cobweb but there's too much hair, all around. So, I think I'll soon be back to clean it up. Until then, leaving you with some more hairy trivia: did you know that there are "World Beard and Moustache Championships"? Well, now you know. Caution: Heart patients and children below the age of 5 are advised not to view the following page. Others, please do so at your own risk: http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com

Harry Potter and the most powerfully magical number

2006-05-29T22:18:00.000+05:30

7

I've made a list of some significant references to the number seven in the Harry Potter series. Quite interesting.
The series is just awesome and I'm thankful to the person who's made a complete convert of me.

There are seven years of schooling in Hogwarts.

There are seven kids in the Weasley family.

Harry paid seven gold galleons for his wand, which is seven inches long.

There are seven players on each side in Quidditch.

As per "Quidditch Through the Ages", there are seven hundred ways of committing a Quidditch foul.

On of the obstacles on the way to the Philosopher's stone is a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line . "Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple."

There were seven challenges guarding the Stone, the seventh of which is faced in. The challenges were:
Fluffy (set by Hagrid); the Devil's Snare (set by Sprout) ; the winged keys (set by Flitwick) ; the chess game (set by McGonagall) ; the troll (set by Quirrell) ; the riddle of the potions (set by Snape) ; the Mirror of Erised (set by Dumbledore) .

Arthur Weasley wins seven hundred Galleons in the Daily Prophet draw.

There are seven secret passages connecting Hogwarts to Hogsmeade.

The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago.

The trunk in which Barty Crouch Jr. puts Moody has 7 keyholes.

The Room of Requirement is on the seventh floor.

Tom Riddle says "Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven -?"

Please feel free to add any other references. One reference, ofcourse, would be Harry's birth month (July) but I'm not sure how significant that is.

An attempt at modern haiku

2006-01-15T10:53:00.000+05:30

When I think of you
oh good lord
I go crazy

Is this a poem
i wish
you agree

i was lost then
i found you
myself

My attempt at Haiku. I don't think I can ever understand this form (or any form for that matter) of poetry completely but I enjoy composing these small verses and tell myself that they're not bad after all :P...

I have been reading 'House of Blue Mangoes'. It's a very well written book and I think the author has put in quite a lot of (both) research and imagination. One thing I did notice is that people who know Tamil and are familiar with places in Tamil Nadu and the peoples of Tamil Nadu will find it a lot more interesting that the others.

I bought a new book called "Roads to Mussoorie" by Ruskin Bond. It's a collection of small stories and essays about his experiences and life in Mussoorie. That is one of the places I went to as a kid and fell in love with. Would love to go there again...preferably with someone special. :)

Finance, Software, Poetry and Me...

2005-12-22T14:26:00.000+05:30

It's been a real long time since I posted. For that matter, I don't even visit blogs as often as I used to. Work's been very hectic- that's the sole reason I've stopped blogging, quizzing, solving crosswords, reading (it's gone down like crazy)...I couldn't watch John Lennon special on Star World (arrrgh!). I haven't watched any cricket match (in the last 4 months) for more than 20 minutes.

John Lennon said, "Life's what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Well, that's exactly what's happening with me right now.

One interesting thing is that although work's hectic, there is loads to learn. I am now maintaining Financial Software. There was a time when I did not understand head and tail of Finance (not that I do now, but it's slightly better) and thought I wouldn't have anything much to do with any software other than word and excel. Well, from that to being an Analyst in Financial Technology is quite a drastic change and things have been interesting and exciting so far.

My birthday just went by and it was wonderful. I decided that I would restart blogging that day and have finally got myself to do it.

By the way, I have started reading haiku poetry and yesterday I came across a beautiful one for the new year:

gasp goes up
from the waiting crowd
first sunrise

Check out http://www.worldhaikureview.org/2-1/contests_doublekukai.shtml for more.

Block and my attempt to Tackle

2005-08-26T22:29:00.000+05:30

Writing is becoming quite a task these days. There is no flow, no fixed thought process and no real motivation. I have wanted to update this blog for quite a while now but am experiencing some kind of a writer’s block. Even aside the blog, I used to write quite a lot but am not able to do that of late. It is quite irritating considering the fact that I have been reading(may be slightly less than earlier, but still), watching movies, visiting new places, meeting quite a few people (both known and new), having interesting conversations... Every time, I tell myself that I should blog about this movie or this conversation or this person, but once I’m at the keyboard, I just sit and stare at the monitor. So today, I thought I’ll just write about the problem itself. That way I can update my blog and also (hopefully) get over this block.

Well, it is still quite tough. It took me 10 minutes to write the first paragraph. Anyway, I saw the movie “Virudh” last night. It is about a middle class family which gets entwined in dirty politics and suffers at the hands of corruption and injustice. The movie has a simple story line, no songs and superb acting. Amitabh Bachan has proved, once again, that he is one of the finest actors this country has produced. Sharmila Tagore has done full justice to her role with an awesome performance. It is quite a serious and intense movie (initially, a bit slow) but is quite short (a little more than 2 hours) and in the end I would say it is worth the time and money.

I am not able to go on any further. I’ll try to recount some of my other experiences in the consequent posts. Let’s hope these posts come at short, regular intervals. (

Note: I have got this new blogger word addin and this article is being posted directly from word.

thebeatles.com

2005-07-20T21:53:00.000+05:30

It has been renovated/revamped/refreshed/rejuvenated...whatever!!

Trust me, it's superb now. The pictures especially are awesome.

All you need is love!!

Got it back.

2005-06-30T17:10:00.000+05:30

From... www.google.com/downloads

Moral of the story: DON'T PANIC.

Google Deskbar: Where are you?

2005-06-30T16:56:00.000+05:30

My Google Deskbar stopped working all of a sudden. I thought I'll uninstall it and download it again but when I went to http://deskbar.google.com I saw that there is no option to download the deskbar. I uninstalled it without checking whether it is available for download...just assumed it would still be there. Strangely, the deskbar page has info about the toolbar though they are both completely different applications.

I'm pretty sad because it was a very useful tool. I used it to google and find anything and everything and I didn't have to open a browser to google.

(K)All in One

2005-06-14T12:44:00.000+05:30

If you want to watch a spoof of The Ring, a spoof of LOTR trilogy, a spoof of Anaconda, a spoof of Predator 1 &2, a spoof of the Matrix trilogy, a spoof of Ghost and the Darkness and a spoof of the Scary Movie (yes, you read that right)....just go and watch Kaal.

That's what I did this weekend. If you are with a good group of friends with a decent sense of humour this movie is hilarious to say the least. We had one hell of a time and all the people around us were also entertained (they told us).

The best part was when Vishal asks Ajay Devgan for food in the middle of the forest and he replies " mere baap ne kya dhaba khol rakha hai yahan pe? " (does my dad run a dhaba here?)...but after a while, he disappears saying he get some food for everyone. Just then all three of us shouted "Baap ke dhabey se!"(from the dad's dhaba).

Isha Deol seemed to be in the movie just to show off her assets and Lara Dutta was there to cry and scream once in a while. Her rendition of the Gayatri Mantra in the beginning was totally funny. And Vivek Oberoi knows only one line by heart (he repeats it n+1 times)..."jee karta hai main tujhe jaan se maar daaloon!!)

All said and done, the last 20 minutes of the movie were pretty good (that is, if you manage to stay till then) and the first 5 minutes, during the title song were awesome. If you go on time for the movie, let me tell you, that one song with Malaika (looking hotter than ever before) and Shahrukh is complete paisa vasool.

************************
I'm back. The cobweb has been cleaned up and this blog will be updated more regularly from now on...hopefully!!

Black Crow Blues

2005-04-01T19:40:00.000+05:30

The weather in Hyderabad is simply amazing today. It is drizzling on and off and there is a greyish tinge. There's a romantic/ nostalgic/ lazy and happy feel to it.

A song leaped (or leapt; I think both are right!?) to my mind. I don't know why...

I woke in the mornin', wand'rin',
Wasted and worn out.
I woke in the mornin', wand'rin',
Wasted and worn out.
Wishin' my long-lost lover
Will walk to me, talk to me,
Tell me what it's all about.

I was standin' at the side road
Listenin' to the billboard knock.
Standin' at the side road
Listenin' to the billboard knock.
Well, my wrist was empty
But my nerves were kickin',
Tickin' like a clock.

If I got anything you need, babe,
Let me tell you in front.
If I got anything you need, babe,
Let me tell you in front.
You can come to me sometime,
Night time, day time,
Any time you want.

Sometimes I'm thinkin'
I'm too high to fall.
Sometimes I'm thinkin'
I'm Too high to fall.
Other times I'm thinkin' I'm
So low I don't know
If I can come up at all.

Black crows in the meadow
Across a broad highway.
Black crows in the meadow
Across a broad highway.
Though it's funny, honey,
I just don't feel much like a
Scarecrow today.

- Bob Dylan (Who Else?)

I guess it is because I don't feel like working today. Anyway, Life goes on...

Rocks, Blue Mug and all that Jazz

2005-03-29T09:32:00.000+05:30

I went for a play yesterday at "Durgam Cheruvu". Plays are not everyday events in Hyderabad (not even monthly events actually), so one cannot afford to miss the one off chances he/she gets. This is the main reason I (and a friend) set out to watch it. We called quite a few others but most of them weren't interested and the interested ones weren't able to make it because of other commitments.

The event was organized by Society for Saving the Rocks (we didn't know such a society existed). These people called us "Friends of Rocks". We were thinking what is so Rock-friendly about us because although we appreciate sculpture and rock gardens etc., we don’t really think about saving and protecting them and we can't exactly understand how people can take a liking to rocks.

There was a play and a Jazz concert. The play was by "The Theatre Company, Mumbai" and the "Charminar Jazz Collective"[I think that's what it was called :P. It was actually pretty tough to figure out the ending of words that the Dutch frontman and Saxophonist was uttering- btw, he did a lot of talking :(] played Jazz. The organizers realized that most people turning up will do so for the Play and not for Jazz (because not too many people (in Hyderabad) even know what Jazz is), so they split the Jazz performance into two. The first part was before the play and the second part was after it. Is that clever or what?!!

The Jazz performance was nice. Mainly because they played "Eleanor Rigby". The vocals were substituted by Sax and the performance was damn good. When "The Talkative Man" announced that they were going to play Beatles, both my friend and I clapped and cheered them. This cheering went on for about 8 seconds, after which we realized we were the only people clapping. The Band was pretty good but I don't think they've played together for too long, because they weren't all that synchronized. "The Talkative Man" on Sax and the guitarist Arjun Chandran were really good. The drummer and the Bassist didn't seem too confident. After listening to Keith Peters, it is tough to listen to Jazz without good Bass.

The play, which was called the "Blue Mug", dealt with memories and the self. How people perceive their childhood? How they remember certain events in their lives? How important memories are?... It was really interesting because it was somewhat like an impromptu performance. Although it was rehearsed, there was no set script. Most of the memories were the real memories of the actors themselves. The Director (Atul Kumar, the man in the "Mujhe Mil Jo Jaye Thoda Paisa" video) also said "it shapes up differently at every performance". The only problem with the play was that it was a collection of bits and pieces of the lives of five different people. So, it was slightly tough to put it all together. The actors [Rajat Kapoor (Mahesh Mama in Dil Chahta Hai), Vinay and Ranvir (former MTV VJs) and three other familiar faces)] did a great job. They didn't use mikes (probably because the voice modulation would be lost), so we had to change our seating position at the last moment and had to sit on rocks (I guess that's when I thought about "the" rocks :P).

After a nice evening (we didn't stay on for the second part of the Jazz performance) we had dinner at Cafe Odyssey, whose Hawaiian Burger sucks. We spent some more time talking and then got back home. On the whole, it was a great end to the long weekend spent reading (mostly) and lazing around. I finished "Losing My Virginity (Richard Branson's Autobiography)" and "Third Girl" by Agatha Christie. I also tried reading (Let Us C)...well; I don't know when I will be able to say "I can C".

Zero @ 99 zeroes

2005-02-10T15:51:00.000+05:30

A guy called Mark Jen used to blog at http://99zeroes.blogspot.com. I have not been to his blog before but my friend told me about the guy.

He had joined Google after quitting Microsoft. Seems like his sole aim (at least initially) was to tell people how good working in Google was as compared to Microsoft. He used to write about silly things like "Google gives an IBM laptop to its employees, Microsoft can't even do that"; "Google pays a lot more than Microsoft" (he didn't give the numbers); "How Google takes its employees on Skiing tours, unlike Microsoft".

Basically, he did extreme Microsoft bashing. But now, his blog is off and I am not sure whether he is still part of Google. The reasons which I can think of are:

1. In his attempt to prove Google's greatness, he gave away confidential/propreitory information.
2. He got fed up of Google and started criticising (negative) them.
3. He wasn't as good as Google thought he was when they recruited him. "Empty vessels make more noise".

This basically goes to show that one should be careful not to indulge in any negative criticism of one's employer in public. No employee is bigger than the company's image. One should never get carried away and give out confidential information on his/her blog.

Go through the comments on his blog(in case you haven't). Some of them are extremely funny.

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

I'm posting after a very long time. Prime reason: "WORK". Lots of it.
Other reasons are laziness, procrastination, lack of motivation... :)

Love Letters

2005-01-21T07:05:00.000+05:30

I was blog-hopping today, and found something interesting on http://visithra.blogspot.com/2005/01/i-want-love-letters-p.html#comments

I Googled and got a nice article and recipe for this delicacy.
http://www.tourismpenang.gov.my/page.cfm?name=lc09s

Looking at the recipe, I think love letters would be extremely tasty. I don't know whether I can get these in Hyderabad. People in Madras can find out whether "Pelita Nasi Kandar" (the Malaysian restaurant in Pondy Bazaar) serves this. The person who finds out and informs me first is entitled to a Love Letter (in case PNK makes it) when I come home (Madras).

Kuih Kapit means Cupid in Malay. I guess, every new year(Chinese), Malaysians eat a lot of these and try to make sure that Cupid strikes them at least that year.

Cheers

~Ab

Waiting- Afield at Dusk

2005-01-18T04:37:00.000+05:30

I have always loved Robert Frost's poems for the depth in meaning and the beautiful description of nature and natural phenomena. The first Frost Poem I read was "Mending Wall" and the next was "The Road not Taken". Both these are counted among the best pieces of English poetry.

Recently, I was going through one of his collections called "A Boy's Will" and I read this poem called "Waiting- Afield at Dusk". This poem is beautifully scripted and the description of dusk and twilight is wonderful. The theme, "Waiting", is interesting and I think the last two lines of the poem are the best.

Waiting- Afield at Dusk

WHAT things for dream there are when spectre-like,
Moving among tall haycocks lightly piled,
I enter alone upon the stubble field,
From which the laborers’ voices late have died,
And in the antiphony of afterglow 5

And rising full moon, sit me down
Upon the full moon’s side of the first haycock
And lose myself amid so many alike.
I dream upon the opposing lights of the hour,
Preventing shadow until the moon prevail; 10

I dream upon the night-hawks peopling heaven,
Each circling each with vague unearthly cry,
Or plunging headlong with fierce twang afar;
And on the bat’s mute antics, who would seem
Dimly to have made out my secret place, 15

Only to lose it when he pirouettes,
And seek it endlessly with purblind haste;
On the last swallow’s sweep; and on the rasp
In the abyss of odor and rustle at my back,
That, silenced by my advent, finds once more, 20

After an interval, his instrument,
And tries once—twice—and thrice if I be there;
And on the worn book of old-golden song
I brought not here to read, it seems, but hold
And freshen in this air of withering sweetness; 25

But on the memory of one absent most,
For whom these lines when they shall greet her eye.

6 Guys, 3 Bikes and the Road to NALSAR

2005-01-18T04:26:00.000+05:30

On Wednesday, at around 11:30 pm, 5 of my colleagues and I decided to go on bikes to a law college called NALSAR on bike. This place is about 30 km away from our place and we did not know the route. We only knew that it was off Karimnagar highway, so we asked our friends and set out.

We usually go on such rides to Hi-Tech city and ISB which are only about 10 km and 18 km away, respectively, from our place. This time we planned to go on a longer ride, to a new place.

We wore t-shirts with flimsy jackets (which actually saved us some suffering) because we did not think it would be as cold as it turned out to be. The temperature was around 4 Degree Celsius. It was that cold because most of the route falls under army area, which is full of trees, and rest of the route was quite densely forested.

We really felt the pinch and since it was pretty late, even tea shops weren't open. At one Dhaba, we thought we would get tea, but they told us that they were closed. So we just took a break for about 10 minutes and started again. When we reached NALSAR, we tried calling our friends but some of their phones were switched off and some others weren't on campus that night. So we just hung around at the gate and got back. Whenever we started after a break we felt the pinch of the cold. It was a tough ride but we had great fun, singing throughout and cracking jokes (mostly pj).

The road is great but the lighting is not sufficient. If it hadn't been very cold or if we had been better prepared, we would have enjoyed it even more. Nevertheless it was a great trip and in the end we realized that it was worth the effort.

Then, on our way back we stopped at an all-night bread-omelette shop in the city and had hot bread-omelettes and tea. Then we came back and had a good night's sleep.

These rides are interesting because you can have fun and at the same time get to know how to prepare for longer journeys.

I had a great time and hope to visit NALSAR more often especially because I have heard that the Shameerpet Lake, which is near the campus, is quite scenic.

Cheers

Back to Blogger

2005-01-18T01:25:00.000+05:30

I did not like msn.

Reasons:
1. It wasn't popular with my readers (friends, who else?!!).

2. The settings are not flexible at all.

3. Only people with hotmail or other msn accounts can post comments. The login process for posting comments is also very time consuming. [look, i don't get too many comments anyway...and if such things make the scenario worse, I can't just sit and relax]

So, here I am. And I will post the 2 entries, which are on msn, again on this page. "Powered by Ctrl+C, Driven by Ctrl+V"

My old blogger page (with a changed template): http://abhimanyuhimself.blogspot.com