Disconnect & Darkness :-(

Last few days I feel a huge disconnect - between me and the world. I no longer relate to lots of things that I am supposed to- to things that would have hurt me, pained me, made me care about, made me think- even a year ago. I scoff at almost anything I see. TV shows, newspaper columns, advertisements... I can't relate to any of the stuff shown there. Agreed, most of it is junk, but still.
If that is not such a big deal then I can't relate to my friends either, it seems, they don't understand me either. Why blame them, things they discuss seem so trivial to me. Surely we shouldn't be wasting so much of our time on these topics. Discussions about relationships being an apt example.
In the past year, there have been only a handful of intellectually stimulating discussions with anyone at all. Although they have been fun, I seem to not want to argue with people most of the time. Everyone should form his or her opinions on their own. Arguing, discussing with others is a crutch that you need when you are unsure about yourself, when you need the approval of someone else to know that you are right.
As Ayn Rand put it, privacy and seclusion is a sign of human development. Since the world began, we have been moving from a herd mentality to living alone. So is this mental isolation yet another sign of progress?
I view most of the world in a disconnected way. Like I am removed from it, and that it cannot affect me. And even if it does, I don't care. I shall live through the pain.
Living up to my name I guess - 'Aniket' - it means unaffected, or one who is above worldly matters. :-)


Or maybe then again, I am just losing touch with reality. Going crazy...

Beckham!

A tribute to his genius. Not only as a wonderful footballer, but also as an awesome marketing guy :D

This was supposed to be posted long back. Somewhere in March. Wanted to edit somethngs, but that is not likely to happen. So decided to post as it is.

David Beckham is awesome. He is a fighter and coming back into the English squad and complete his 100^th match is what showcases his fighting spirit. Just a year back he was down in the dumps, McLaren not picking him, not even playing for Madrid. From there he has really taken it upon himself to do things. Leading Madrid to the title, after all his coach put him through is a glimpse of his brilliance. And its not the first time either. It was like this when he was not picked by Sir Alex in that fateful Champion’s League match against Madrid, when he had it in him to come off the bench and score two. Though that didn’t keep him at Man U, it certainly proves that the guy loves a fight and will give his all when cornered.

Maybe I should put up a poster of his!

Of Street Urchins and Humaneness

Today I happened to see a slew of these young street-urchins all over the place. Maybe, beggar-kids even.

Incident 1: I was parking my bike at this one-single free parking slot at a crowded roadside market. These young boys – some 7-8 years of age – were poking hands into every open bike pocket that they could lay them upon. Any documents, papers, grocery items that the unsuspecting owner had left there would be gone. I stood there, wondering whether too reprimand them or not. From their point of view, they were just trying to earn a few extra bucks. Sucks to the careless, moneyed class. I decided to remain a mute spectator to there deft stealing fingers.What would you have done?

Incident 2: After dining out, when I was returning to my car, another of such kids was playing with a stray dog, tickling away the playful puppy into fits of pleasure. For a fleeting moment I had a thought: Was the street-urchin kid more like a puppy than like a Yuppie-bred kid who struts around in jerseys of his favorite soccer team?

On my getting in the car, I have no idea why (or how) he did this, a kid of 8 years, he opened the other door and tried to come and sit in! My natural reaction was to stoccatedly scream at him. The poor thing shrunk away like a puppy would have done. On second thoughts, maybe I should have granted him a joyride. He took pleasure in forcefully slamming the car-door at my face. Then he went on to beg for another rupee…

Big Eyed Fish

Story of a man,
Who decided not to breathe.
Turned red, purple, then blue.
Colorful indeed.
No matter how his friends begged,
Well, he would not concede,
And now hes dead.
You see, cause everybody knows,
You got to breathe.

But, oh god,
Under the weight of life,
Things seem brighter on the other side...
Lighter on the other side...

Another one: see this monkey sitting on a tree,
One day, decided to climb down,
And run off to the city.
Look at him now, tired and drunk
And living on the street.
As good as dead.
You see, a monkey should know,
Stay up your tree.

But, oh god,
Under the weight of life,
Things seem brighter on the other side.
Oh, god,
But under the weight of life,
Things seem much brighter on the other side.

No way, no way, no way.... out... of here...

Another one: a big eyed fish,
Yeah, swimming in the sea,
Oh, how he dreamed.
He wants to be a bird,
Swooping, diving through the breeze.
One day, he caught a big blue wave,
Up onto the beach,
And now hes dead.
You see, a fishs dream,
Should stay in the sea.

But, oh god,
Under the weight of life,
Things seem brighter on the other side.

No way... no way...no way...out... of here...

No way out of life.

Friends and Perception

Times change..

Priorities change..

People come into your life and drift away. Some just drift away, others move away as if on purpose. Sometimes it hurts though... Other times you don't give a dime... And thats in relation to the same person!

You change opinions about people, in fact you even question your right to have an opinion about others. Does it really matter?

About 'second winds' and public urinals...

Have you ever noticed how we generally feel sleepy after dinner. Say around 10 30. Then once you get thru that drowsiness, you can stay awake till 2am effortlessly.

If you feel hungry and not eat, the hunger dies down. Then you feel hungry for a second time. This time its for real. This is when even Atish food is lovely!

Marathon runners are supposed to get a high while running. This is what pulls them through the whole race. This is the ‘runner’s high’

I wonder whether, when you are working, and feel very tired and still continue, do you get a second wind? I think so…

Why do we have this? Why aren't we biologically programmed to do whatever we are till it is no longer REALLY possible?

On a random note, is it totally pointless to wonder whether the distribution of people at public urinals is spatially Gaussian? :P

Indian Railways

I fail to understand how the man who fell on the tracks had such a bad experience. Right in the middle of the cuty, you fall and it takes you 1 hour to get treatment for a severed leg, its just too disturbing.

If Mumbai aims to be a global city, basic amenties like an ambulance at railway stations is a must.

Laloo, are you listening? Or just busy dolling out sops with the elections at hand...