Comfortably Numb

So, like I said in some older post, we recently shifted house. Now you KNOW what that means..unpacking.! Just picture this- a room full of boxes, insects and dust and you, a lone soldier armed with just a knife..depressing no? But I found it fun to unpack the things I grew up with and to put them in their places again..maybe I'm used to it and that's why I enjoy it..it is good to change after all!

But this post isn't bout that..and what I've just blabbered was to get you to keep going..so onward..!

While I was unpacking, I came across a book by Enid Blyton entitled Treasure Trove. The reason why it struck a chord was coz it was the first book I ever read..and the first bit of education I had, courtesy my mum. I assure you I wasted no time in triumphantly clearing a section of my bed, casting a furtive glance to ensure that I was alone and then gently slipping into that tome..and it broke my heart to see the state it was in..dust poured out of it and some sort of fungus was stuck to it But, the print was intact and so was the nostalgia...the message on it in mums handwriting, the spex that came the next day and then just slipping into it..gently..and unconsciously letting it lift me higher and make me fly...that's what magic is...how a simple event can turn time back by decades..suddenly I was six again..

Forgive me, I'm ranting..but then again what else can one do? Don't you feel somewhat excited when you find something you thought was gone? As I was reading, my childhood returned..my first spex, the first golguppa I had, sitting n enjoying a cuppa joe that I made meself, the first piece I wrote for the school's mag..those few minutes brought back ALL of that and more..just like Potter's Pensive

Have you guys read "The 3rd Level"? That story's bout an escape..into a world without boundaries, where you can breathe..that’s kind of the feeling I got..I could compare it with Neruda's "Keeping Quiet", just standing and breathing quietly..

And unavoidably, I started to think of the stuff I have lost..the fights, the pens, the assorted books or other meaningless junk and the people..and it created an interstice in me..and I'm trying to fill it by turning to music, or to writing..it's why I'm writing this now..I just lost someone whom I havent met much, but whose memories are "right here" as ET said...

And I’m thinking of Fix You by Coldplay..

“Tears come streaming down your face,

when you lose something you can't replace..”

Only, I want to, but I can't cry...

But perhaps a more appropriate quote is the last para of To Kill a Mockingbird-

“Neighbours bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbour. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies and our lives. But neighbours give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took from it, and it made me sad.”

I dunno why I'm writing this, maybe I too just wanna find the 3rd level of the Grand Central...it's something I can’t explain...forgive me, and permit me to take your leave...

My December

This one's by Linkin Park and is from their album Hybrid Theory..the song's really soft which is what makes it one of my fave tracks...

To start off, I wish all of you a happy new year...have a good one people..and now, without further ado..to the bilge!

Did I ever tell you that winter was my favourite season? Well, it is...I LOVE IT! And why the hell not? The quilts come out, the black coffee flows like water, mums old sweaters are in demand and we all wait for good ol' Santa to go HO HO HO! (Yeah, I'm almost 18, but Santa's Santa people!). Its a season of good cheer and leaves us with the promise of spring and the new year still to come doesn't it now?

This month was also an eye opener for me.. My pre-selection papers came out and they were horrible.. I hadn't cleared ANYTHING..quite serious here...so, I've started to study for once..and to help me, I've raided the library (so to speak) that is our house. We have 3 cupboards full of books ranging from classics to kid's lit..and it's no surprise why I read so much now is it?

 So, in addition to studies, I also finished Papillion by Henrì Charriere, King Rat by James Clavell and am reading The Haj by Leon Uris now..

As for music, I started listening to Black Veil Brides recently and am impressed with the guitar work and the vocals. Give em a go guys if you like slightly unconventional rock. I also revisited Black Sabbath and as usual they blew me away..not surprising as Iommi and Ozzy never did disappoint now did they? But, the album that stole the show was undoubtedly Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto. It's perfect in every way and it has to be experienced, I can't explain it's beauty verbally. If you havent heard it yet go out and buy it. I guarantee you'll be hooked. Trust me on that. Unfortunately, my mp3 player's on the blink and some insolent brute of a rat has made a nice dinner of my earphones so I'm listening to them on my cell now. Hope to get that mp3 fixed after the exams.

Well, that about covers my escapades this month and mum's glaring at me from yonder, so I'm gonna wrap this up.

Oh and as always, I'm counting on some comments from your side..hope you liked this post..

And here's a lil extract from “Paradise” from Mylo Xyloto

When she was just a girl

She expected the world

But it flew away from her reach

And she went away into sleep

Dreamed of para para paradise

Para para paradise

Para para paradise

Every time she closed her eyes...

Until next time guys!

May your swords stay sharp!

Gone Till November

First things first. I owe all of you an apology for not updating recently. The thing is that times were a bit rough. We had to shift house recently and I wasn’t so well. But, better late than never eh?

I also have a confession to make. The first few posts in the blog are all random and they don’t have any chronology as such. However, thanks to some blogs I came across, I’ve decided to take things to another level. From now on, I will be updating posts on a monthly basis and I’ll tell you all what I’ve been up to. That to me seems like a good plan. I will also attach a picture with the post, since as we all know “A picture speaks a thousand words”.  I’ll try to keep to the style but and will still refer to the posts as bilge. It’s good to change but some stuff should be constant!! I would welcome your criticism and your comments people. So, let’s begin the bilge!

The title is one of my fave Wylcef Jean songs. It played frequently on vh1 and I used to hum it a lot. Nowadays, TV’s not really my thing so vh1’s taken a backseat. As for my escapades, read on oh fearless one!

Right, so like I said, we recently shifted residence coz our landlord had some issues with the water consumption of the family. The fact that he attended the same school as Shylock and used to pump water up for like 6 and a half minutes per day was of course overlooked. So one fine day he just popped over and cooler than a few cucumbers wearing sunglasses and Gucci suits handed us our exit note. We were only too glad to comply coz let’s face it, water is water!

Within the next few days, the following happened. One, I fell into the septic tank out back and almost broke my leg. The agony was quite divine I assure you. It made the Cruciatus curse seem like an effing feeding bottle. (Effing stands for the “F” word……what? You think I WANT the Censor board on my blog???? No thanks!)

Two, I got ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King for a b’day present and it was spectacular. Sorry Twihards but Edward doesn’t hold a candle to Kurt Barlow. I loved the part where the priest and Barlow have a confrontation. “It’s so sad to see a man’s faith fail him” to quote from the text. Please read it people it’s worth it!

Three, we shifted. I am not going to give details. Suffice to say it was exhausting and really irritating.

So, here I am in the middle of December writing this from the Housing Complex we shifted to. It’s a cool place and I’m making some friends. It’s also a really good place coz a lot of buses are around that can ferry me to almost anywhere. So, whenever I get time, I bus it around!

Also, I met my aunt. My dad’s childhood friend who’s thick as thieves with my mum! (As if I didn’t have enough guardians!!! But that’s a different tale). Her son, Abhishek and I are as thick as thieves so there! Plus he’s got a DSLR camera which is like Uber Cool! You should see the quality and in fact, to hell with Alienware, I’m getting one of those ASAP! But I feel that you should be told a little more. We hit City Center mall with ‘em after picking them up from the hotel. My aunt wasted no time in first drooling over some pastries in Kookie Jar (egged on by me….) and then tried to buy an ochre colored sari made of what I thought was “opium silk” (It was actually dupium silk….please don’t ask what that means and I’m not sure the spelling’s right). We then had lunch with ‘em. Really delectable Bengali cuisine topped off with the evergreen ice cream. The twist of course is that we had treacle flavor (you read that right…don’t bother changing your glasses).For more details, head to 6 Ballygunge Place. It’s worth the slow service…the food’s awesome!

Speaking of cameras, I also started editing with Adobe Photoshop. It’s really easy! Having fun doing it. I’ve posted one edited picture here.

(The Logo of Bullet for My Valentine…)

As for music, I picked up Bullet for My Valentine recently. They are mind blowing. Some songs are really good and the guitar work is spot on. Be warned though, there’s a lot of screaming involved so please don’t try this with a sore throat. But hey, if it’s too loud, you’re too old babe! Iil ;)

To wrap up, let me wish all teens a best of luck for the upcoming boards. To the people who don’t have em, let me remind you that you guys are real lucky devils!

And before signing off and hitting the shower, please turn your attention to a little extract from “Gone Till November” by Wylcef Jean

“January, February, March, April May

I hear you crying but girl I can’t stay

I’ll be gone till November…gone till November”

Ciao guys and do please comment! See you next time! Iil ;)

Coming Back to Life

OK, who HASN’T heard this one by Pink Floyd? It’s an often repeated track on my mp3 player. Put that down to addiction!

This month is a biggie for so many reasons. For one (the Painfully Obvious) it’s the holidays for the Pujas. For another, its my Birth Month. Yes, on the sixteenth day of this month about a decade or so before, I was born. It is also the month that my dad was born; (though he has been here since the mid fifties) and the month on whose 9^th day Mr John Lennon was born. So yeah it’s a HUGE month, a significant month. Fitting that I churn out a little bilge this month.

So first the new stuff. I got back the “funk” to quote Marshall from “How I Met Your Mother”. Video games and FaceBook are becoming less appealing. I attribute that to my sisters for giving me some VEERRRYYY interesting reading material. (A girl with pyrokinesis and a Skeleton Detective who packs a six gun…need I say more?). Happy that the reading bug has bitten me again as this means I can ditch the PC for awhile. Not that Assassin’s Creed isn’t appealing!

I’ve also tried my hand at diary writing. But it holds not much appeal. Dunno why…guess it isn’t my thing. I sort of prefer the occasional write-ups that I’m posting in the blog. Recent downloads include Switchfoot and Paramore which are both good bands and Dream Theater’s new album which is a HUGE disappointment. Expected a lot better though John Petrucci is spot on with his guitar solos and raffs.

I cant help but be excited coz this is the year that I turn 17. One more year and I’ll be an adult. But there are a few things I will NEVER beable to outgrow. Call it immaturity, or plain old obstinacy I couldn’t care less.

These include Tinkle Digest, which has been a part of my life for as long as I care to recall. Uncle Pai, (I should say Anant Pai) who passed away recently, taught me a lot bout this here world of ours and I miss him a lot. His magic will remain even tough he is no more.

Another must have on this list is Music. I still remember the days when I didn’t have the PC and the old record player was functional. I used to spend a lot of time just listening to songs, not caring about understanding them. One of my evergreen faves is “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel. Guess that one will also be on my mp3 list for a long time. Of late, I have gotten a soft spot for hard rock music and stuff like Pink Floyd, Dire Straits also have a hold on me.

Reading also belongs on this list and HOW! I love reading although as mentioned before, I took to video games a little more than I should have! Forgive me for that people. I know they aren’t all that good and nowadays they don’t hold that much of appeal.

I also wanna go on with this blog of mine, even tough there aren’t many people following it. Those who are, a little request…please tell me how to make it better, what you like what you don’t and why.

Joking, now that’s another one. Ask anyone, I’m always joking and its become ingrained in me now. Cant stop it and don’t want to!

Crappy stuff on TV. Stuff like a guy in a pair of tight jeans leaping from one end of a skyscraper to another and then taking on 35 people at once….y’know what I mean!

Now, it’s time to wrap up. One can only write so much.

I have to mention how grateful I am to my nearest and dearest and by that I don’t just mean my family but my friends too…I shudder to think what would have happened to me if I hadn’t had people like you to (literally) kick my ass from time to time…you guys mean a lot to me, although I don’t show it.

Especially my classmates….the “CHEER-FOOLS” as we call ourselves. I joined the herd as a new boy; a green leaf and now I’m turning into a brown one…..growing up with you guys has been awesome and I’m not gonna forget the moments we had…..

OK I mean it this time I’m gonna wrap up! Just a few lyrics by Rod Stewart…they say best what I wanna say….

“Ever since I was a kid in school

I messed around with all the rules

Apologized then realized

I’m not different after all”

Wraith Child

I’m the son of strife and desolation

Plague is my satiation

I am an embodiment of Evil

I wallow in Filth, thriving on Despair

As I Seep among your thoughts

Unhinging your mind

I’m crafted from Sin

And Breed all that’s Unholy

I’m a Wraith Child

Bow before me or be left Undead

Your mind will be my Work Shop tonight…..

Inspired by Cradle of Filth and Iron Maiden, not to mention the Dementors of Azkaban and the Nazgul…and HOW can I forget master of the macabre Stephen King!!!

GIVE IN TO THE NIGHT

I’ve been staying up late for sometime now and funnily enough I kinda like it. Not that my bedtime was ever adhered to before. It’s just that it’s really cool at night and it’s dark. I like the dark. The darkness. The silence. And I hear better. Mom snoring, the dog scratching itself and the omnipresent nocturnal marauders which no Pest Exterminator really manages to exterminate. I feel strangely relaxed when it’s dark. The serenity strikes a chord. I mean look at it this way: there’s no one around, and it’s just me awake with a tube light on and an open book on my desk, ballpoint in hand. No interruptions or unwanted noise. Things sort of sync together seamlessly and I really have fun. Yesterday, I was doing a chapter dealing with Phenols and Ethers. Organic Chem and me DO NOT see eye to eye. Yet somehow, I think something got into my head yesterday coz this morning I was able to answer to some degree the questions at the back of the chapter.

Yet there is a flipside, which is showcased brilliantly in horror movies. Come on already you know what I mean. Fear of the dark!! It is scary at night, I cant deny it! I speak from experience. I had taken my dog out during a blackout and there was this sand heap with some leaves on it, lying on the road and call me melodramatic but I thought it was a disembodied hand sticking out instead of a leaf. I laughed loudest at myself but there it is. Things look different without the sun. Everyday objects like trees and lamp posts take on a fearsome aspect like things have gone all topsy turvy. Even the wind seems to have a voice of it’s own and maybe it’s fulfilling the request that Shelley made to it in his poem “Ode to The West Wind” I think the lines are

Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:

What if my leaves are falling like its own!

The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,

Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,

My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe

Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!

And, by the incantation of this verse,

Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth

Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!

Be through my lips to unawakened Earth

(quoted from “Ode to the West Wind” by P.B. Shelley)

So, it’s got a mesmerising charm to it and it is a time when things sort of settle down. Night seduces you, soothes you and yet on the other hands it’s time for the shadows to come out and play. It‘s this duality that makes me wait each day for the onset of dusk. Speaking of dusk, have you read that story by Hector Hugh Munroe called “Dusk”? It sort of reflects what I want to say. Things are a little different when seen in obscurity or if you prefer it almost total absence of light.

A SMILE FROM A VEIL

I was reading this story the other day by Isaac Asimov. Don’t recall the title of it but it was about Multivac and a scientist feeding some jokes into Multivac in order to find out the importance of humour. It got me thinking. Why DO we smile anyways? I can see no reason other than to feel happy or cheer up. I mean take me for example. You won’t ever see me without a smile on my face.  In fact, I’ve written this far and that’s the 9^th grin no tenth grin that’s crossed my face. Weird! SO, why exactly do we smile? More importantly what makes us want to cheer someone up to bring a smile to their face? I guess it’s because we feel good. I mean aside from the scientific benefits of it viz. the exercise of about 40 odd muscles in and around your mouth….

Think of the different places we choose to smile. When we hear a joke be it a PJ or a whopping great joke we tend to smile and in some cases if the joke is really good, we burst out laughing. In fact there are many people who are addicted to jokes, such as myself. I’m a grade A jokester and cant resist a rib tickler! Ample reason to join a group on Facebook that deals exclusively with jokes! But what’s the purpose of a joke? Just to make humans smile! So, smiling is pretty damn important if people go to such lengths for it. (By the way grin count is up to 13 now!). Then again, jokes aren’t the only things that make us smile. When we pass an exam or beat the living daylights out of a really hard bit on a computer game or just listen to our favourite tracks we smile. We smile when we see something beautiful, when we see something that we wanted to happen happen. We smile at almost every inconsequential thing in our lives & at almost every moment of our lives. We smile in company of our friends, we smile when we are at peace and can’t help thinking that that old chap Browning was right when he said that “God’s in his Heaven and All’s right in the world”.  When we recall a memory from our past like a tiffin fight in the 3^rd grade we smile. So, I think I’m justified in saying that smiling is more than just a little twitching of the jaw; it’s a BIG way of expressing your innermost feelings. It’s the best way to say you’re happy.

So, back to that story by Asimov. As I was saying, this scientist feeds 4 jokes into Multivac and asks it to analyse them thoroughly. His aim is to find the origin of jokes. When other people learn of this they all think this scientist has flipped. But then Multivac gives them his conclusion. Jokes are from outer space. To quote “of extra-terrestrial origins”. Then, Multivac drops the bombshell. It appears that these aliens have decided that the people know too much for their own good and have obliterated humour and the capacity to understand it from the minds of humans. The last line of the story is

“I know that if I ever hear a joke again, I won’t laugh”.

And I’m not laughing either. Just think for a moment about this scenario. What would happen if we woke up and found that all the humour in the world was gone? Would we shrug it off and continue as before? Could we continue as before? No more smiles all just zombies with the same expression on their faces? Tell me, what would you do if you could never smile again? Would you be able to think clearly?

I know what I would do, I would walk to the middle of a highway during rush hour traffic and just wait there for someone to put me out of my pain….because that’s the reason we smile isn’t it? To forget our pain?

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