Brown's Where It's At!!!

Even Evolutionary Theorists know this to be true:

"Racial differences will be ironed out by interbreeding, producing a uniform race of coffee-coloured people."

Brown IS here to stay people, here to stay!! :)

Maybe it's time...

That I started writing again. After a "long" hiatus of three weeks, I think I am back in the groove of things here in Seattle. I uploaded the pictures from my trip on to my computer but need to weed out the blurry and redundant ones. There are also some pictures missing from this trip, for instance, the ones from my birthday so gotta find those. Oh well, it feels weird to write about the mundane.

I watched a very disturbing episode of CSI last night, at the end of which, Gil Grissom very eloquently summarized the problem with American culture today. He said (sic.),

The truth is, a moral compass can only point you in the right direction, it can't make you go there. Our culture preaches that you shouldn't be ashamed of anything you do anymore. And unfortunately this city is built on the principle that there's no such thing as guilt. "Do whatever you want, we won't tell."

Not having someone point me in a particular direction allows me to make my choices as I deem fit. This lifestyle is such a contrast to life in India, where there is always someone looking over my shoulder. Having to think through how my entire extended family (in Bombay) will perceive my actions is reason enough to not do something remotely sacrilegious. Since there are no such compunctions in America, I tend to lead quite a profligate life. I wonder if I'll ever buckle down...

This Friday has their number

This is not a good day for paraskevidekatriaphobics -- those who fear Friday the 13th. It's double-13 Friday. All the numbers in the numerical notation -- 10/13/2006 -- add up to 13 as well, giving great pause to the superstitious.

The phenomenon hasn't happened in 476 years, said Heinrich Hemme, a physicist at Germany's University of Aachen who crunched the numbers to find that the double-whammy last occurred Jan. 13, 1520.

All ye superstitious ones, today isn't a day to venture out. But if you do, make it worth it just in case it's the last time you do! :)

Vista vs Mac OS X

Round 1 goes to Vista. The Window effects, the alpha blending, the transparency all add up to a very visually pleasing experience. Compared to Vista, this Mac OS X box UI feels cledgy and curmudgeonly.

Now that I'm back...

I thought I'd write a post through the jet lag induced haze. Coming back this time around was harder than it has ever been. I sit wistfully in my living room half expecting Nikhil to come rushing in and insist I get ready now so we can go out or play cricket or play badminton. The silence that an American existence affords is grating on my nerves now. I'll have to do laundry soon, buy groceries, do the dishes, cook!!

As Nietzsche said, "There is no fact, only interpretation." My perspective at this moment is skewed and it will take some time before I get accustomed to my life here again. It might help if I have some family here, in close proximity. Regardless, I've learnt that this is a passing phase and all will be well soon. Here's to happier times then, from the past and into the future...

The Bombay Reality - Final Post

September 25 2006

I just witnessed the sun set on a beautiful Autumn day in Bombay. On this terrace I stand content, the unencumbered evening breeze in my face. Like this day, this sojourn in my home city is coming to an end. As night falls on this last day, I choose not to reflect on the two weeks gone by. That would only make me despondent; the unadulterated fun, childish exploits and idle reveries have rendered me devoid of stress and despondency. If only I could capture this trip, no wait, just this moment in a still frame.

The orange hues in the sky are beginning to dissipate as the cawing of the crows is supplanted by the honking of cars. I strain my eyes to catch a final glimpse of the sun beyond the horizon. I take a deep breath, and then another so I can feel the salt from the sea in my nostrils. If there was another moment of sheer bliss, it's not one I can recall. Time to snap back to reality and walk the steps down to my flat. Some final items need to be packed but as I leave I take pause. A white crescent has just emerged from behind the dark clouds and demands my attention...

The Bombay Reality - Post 3

A Pleasant Tuesday Afternoon

I can hear the birds chirping outside my window as I write this. The sound of cars whizzing on the main road I choose to drown out now - it's a constant that reminds me how bustling this city is. A BEST bus just took off from its stop right outside my apartment building carrying tired workers back home. There was a time when Bombay was blanketed by smog. The smog, with that time has passed and has given way to blue skies and cleaner air.

The birds continue making music as a soft, balmy breeze laps at me through the open windows. Today is the first day that I don't need a ceiling fan to keep me cool, an upshot of my acclimatization to the warmer locale. This blissful deadline-free existence is addicting, a narcotic that has rid me of stress and freed me from the trappings of the corporate rat race. It has to be a ringing phone that breaks my idle reverie.