Can Chuck Norris kick?

Its not safe to let people know your weaknesses. I mean, pjux tagged me with two days left for my exams to begin. Clever tactic, wouldn't you say? Its exam time! How can anyone refuse a blog post?! Dang!

So anyway, here I am, making a public diary out of my blog. The year '09. The year that wasn't.

January - The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning.
The wonderful Quiz Corp trip to Saarang happened and I missed it. Yes, I'm still sore. Will always be. If you didn't go, you should be sore too.
This month, born with a bang, brought with it some cheer, a few tears, tough choices and general confusion. And all along I pondered about the truth in that thing they say, "What goes around comes around".


February to May - Electric Feel.
A good semester. It was no match to the previous, but good nonetheless. One fantastic UTPT* and brilliant company all through : this semester had it all. Apart for a few misses, it was a fine period.

Almost all my lady friends had broken up with their men by now. Did I mention, it was a fine period?

*RV Quiz Corp conducts India's biggest Quiz Fest. You didn't know? Be ashamed. Be very ashamed.


June - White and Nerdy, still.
So I turned 20. In contrast to everyone else around me, I welcomed the 20. In contrast to how a 20 year old would be expected to behave, I ran around town, wholly excited, announcing that I'd turned 20. But it didn't really sink in then. It hit me a month later, when my brother got know I'd turned 20 and expressed shock. 'Why', I asked him, 'How young did you think I was?'. 'Not young, but dumb. You still have so much to learn...' and his voice trailed off. For this, he got a pillow shoved into his face but I can't quite shake those words off my head. There is indeed so much to learn!


July - Schism.
This period was all about Hugga Bubba Love. Many mistakes made but many more lessons learnt. What is Hugga Bubba Love, you ask?

"T-rex is the man!"
Go read that nutty web-comic. Go.


August - Get Innocuous.
On one side connections were lost ; on the other, devious connections with old mirror images were renewed.
And right in the middle, we set up the fence. Fence101 : lessons in diplomacy, courtesy okienowwhat. I can vouch for its benefits. But it is a very hard thing to implement, this diplomacy. Definitely hard for a female Gemini. And harder for a female Gemini who was born with her foot -wait,scratch that- feet in her mouth.
But there has been some visible improvement. Like the other day, I totally didn't guffaw when my friend asked me how her outrageous outfit looked.

Honest! I only just chuckled! Jeez, give me a break already.


September - The F-word.
Hair trouble.
It is not done. It is just NOT fair that guys can have longer, nicer, healthier hair than us. Than me. Yes, I do believe that the sight of long maned males is delightful, but its not particularly exciting when you are bald in comparison. They don't care, they wouldn't notice if birds laid eggs on their heads but nature doesn't seem to understand where the demand lies!
It pays to be a male, it really does.


October - Take a bow.
The Nobel Quiz was set to happen. Quiz Corp worked hard for it. It wasn't quite the show we expected it to be though. Lessons learnt, yet again. For the event, I was asked to correspond with the media.

Wait, why am I not making this glamorous?
I was the Media Representative. Heh. I have to admit, this PR job, however insignificant it might be in its overall effect, gave me the biggest thrills of the year. Heck, I'd never been this excited to make phone calls! Seeing mum's joy when she saw my name in the newspapers(in grand, 5-5cm sized articles) was full-filling, to say the least. Must thank pjux for opportunity - and for all those phone numbers!

November - Winds of change.
I , for the first time in the history of my being, have issues with Ferrari. Buying Kimi out of the sport itself? Sigh. Saying goodbye to Kimi and welcoming Schumi into another team has been tough. I still dance with all tribal joy when I listen to Ferrari Polka*. So it definitely stings, but now, it won't kill to see the Reinmeister in overalls that aren't red.

*Ferrari Polka by Cuki. Fun track,this.


December - Paint it black.
I'm writing this just before a final exam that I'm not prepared for, with a sore throat, heavy head and runny nose : can't paint with any other color.
I'm surprised none of us died of exam overdose this month. I had an exam outside of college too! The Deutsch exam. I got that German course certificate alright. After a year of working hard, coercing and waiting, the poor lady from the institution finally got me to write a small test and collect the certificate. I slacked off yet again, despite being so passionate about the language. One day though, I'll learn enough to post in German. Count on it.

And Books. Try not to judge me, but I have a serious problem with books. I like them. I want to read them. But I can-not read them. Suddenly though, there are books everywhere. Every conversation I have, I'm introduced to a bunch of book names. So I finally give in, with sincere hopes that I won't give up on the third line of the first book. Little women to The Great Gatsby, the list is ready. I'm hoping I am.
Err..Don't worry, no matter what, I'm not reading anything that might result in MLIT.


In conclusion, this year ends like it began. Some cheer, a few tears and a lot of that general confusion. In Talking Heads' style, when I compare the first month to the last, its the "Same as it ever was". No useful knowledge gained, no substantial achievements made. No milestones conquered. No, crossing that mark by weight is not counted as a milestone.

I did, however, learn a few life-lessons. Like how to sit on the fence and not taste my feet repeatedly. If I sound cryptic in this post, then I've learnt how to not use the internet for dramatics. Also, that Karma goes by a pseudonym. Karma is Chuck Norris. What goes around not only comes back around, it also roundhouse kicks you in the face! And that brings me to the most important thing I learnt this year : Chuck Norris can kick very well and I'm most definitely not Bruce Lee.


Edit : All ranting and invisible/unsuccessful attempts at humor aside, I must add, this year did bring me many smiles and cherished friendships, from January right until December. And I can not, not be thankful. Taking into 2010 nothing but goodwill and the good times, here's my toast to a wonderful year ahead! Happy and Prosperous New Year, everyone. :)


I tag Mirror Image, Vinay, Swathi, Meghana and Idle-in-Thoughts.

Of Sport and Passion.

This article happened after raking the brain for hours. Six hours. Five of those six came after 00.00 hour.
Anyway, I wrote this for a department fest magazine called Transit. The theme, hence, being 'change' or 'transition'.


Change. One knows not whether it is for good or for bad . Change is all pervading, all affecting. There are many things that change , as we grow. Grow out of our shells, grow out of our habits, grow into adults. All the while, moulding our personality, making us the people we are. And then there are those changes that we have no control over, but still make a massive impact on our lives.
As a Formula 1 fan for about ten years now, I have seen the many changes that this sport has undergone. Be it rules and regulations, new teams, departing teams or simply the change into becoming a sport with theatrics, I have been there to watch. But nothing changed me, as much as Michael Schumacher did.

Michael Schumacher drove his last Formula1 race in October, 2006. It was a breath-taking race, a spectacular display of the Meister's capabilities. Watching him drive would have filled the heart of every fan with pride. After 71 laps, it wasn't just the race that had come to an end. For most people around the world, it was the end of an era. For me, it was the day my childhood ended. I had grown up watching his shiny red car take him to the podium every alternate weekend. This man, along with the team he revived, was the constant change that my life grew around.

Michael Schumacher gave me my identity. He defined my existence as a human being , driving most of my instincts and my puerile opinions. A Schumacher victory or defeat would decide my mood for the following couple of days. Being a tomboy who rarely cried, there was, surprisingly, no resistance for tears that rolled out of my eyes when he crashed. When the same happened to his opponents though, my neighbors would have monstrous laughter echoing through their homes. Defending him or cheering for him was all I ever did. There have been many friends lost over arguments. Countless hair strands were pulled out and plenty of blood vessels threatened to burst, while I watched every race.

It might seem like taking things too far if I said his wins inspired me to do well at school, but yes, they actually did. I particularly remember a project we were asked to do, on our favorite sports person. It was the first time I worked on a project with all of my heart and soul, making helmets and wheels out of paper , scanning the internet for hours and eventually ending up with a mini-biography. The appreciation I received from my teachers only made me love this man more. There have been times when I'd vow to not watch the sport again , all because Schumacher came second and not first. Until Schumi, I wasn't one who thinks of competition. Stories of his dedication to his team and to winning, of how he worked on his car all night , would leave me in a trance. A state of complete awe which would eventually have me motivated and full of energy. I was always told, it was an absurdity to let celebrities and their exploits affect us to such an extent. But how Schumacher drove his races would always show in me and my work. And more often than not, it worked to my benefit. The era of Schumacher was and will always be, the period when I had 'the time of my life'.

Lets jump to the less inviting present. One might say the sport hasn't been drastically affected by Schumacher's retirement. Yes. Only, now there is more drama off-track than on it. If we recall the huge wave of excitement that swept the world when Michael announced a come-back earlier this year, we realise just what he did for this sport. There are many talented drivers, agreed. But no one for whom I would ignore sleep , skip work and ensure that races were not missed. There are Britons who have the whole nation rooting for them, charming Finns who never fail to spice up races , young Germans who don't stop proving themselves. But I, like many fans, still look for Schumachers in them. It is both a matter of pride as well as pain, when every driver who performs well is compared to Schumi. Pain, because no matter how good the newbie is, he is not Schumi. For Schumacher made the sport heavenly. His drives were nothing short of magical. My vocabulary restricts me from expressing articulately, the euphoria he brought to us, Schumacher fans. Michael was special. And he is irreplaceable.

So when Michael retired, I was stranded. For a while, there was nothing that could interest me or inspire me. I believed that it was the end of following the sport. That I wouldn't have anything to look forward to, week after week. That my passion for sport and enthusiasm for life would die a quick death. But three years on, I look back at his retirement as a refreshing reminder of reality. A change that was foisted upon me. After three calm years of introspection, I realize, it was not merely the person that had given me my identity, it was a whole body of ideals. Of heroism, of victory. Of dedication and will. Of simplicity and supremacy. He had been but the embodiment.

With his retirement, a defining feature of my childhood was taken away. And I didn't have a say. I knew then that it was time to grow up. Schumacher, and what he stood for , changed me as a child, helped me grow as a teen and stand by me still. I reiterate, nobody will ever affect my life, like Michael Schumacher did.



A big Thank You! to Nihal and Sid, for getting this piece and me out of our ruts.

Not an F1 post.

Music is love. If music were a person, I'd want to marry him. (Its another thing that I'd say the same for Batman). There's isn't an instance when music hasn't helped me, there isn't an occasion when music isn't welcome. And I believe one of the most satisfying experiences, apart from living it yourself, comes from sharing music.

I've been blessed to have many generous people around me, who don't take too long to post links to the new discoveries they make. I've also been extremely jobless in scanning arbit sites and well, profile pages (I don't stalk, honest!) , to collect new music. Making an attempt to list out my favorites would be futile, with no doubts. Attempting to post an article about shady songs would be useless as well, because I can name a good number of crazy dudes around me, who'll know songs that are just that much higher up on the weird-o-meter.

So, this edition of my tribute to music will simply list ten artists/songs that are non-english! Famous or unknown, pronounceable names or otherwise, the music is definitely good! :)

1. Hedningarna.
The inspiration behind this post, I love how the male and female artists blend their voices in with the mystifying beats and enthralling music! They are brilliant. Listen to 'Räven' and tell me if I'm flattering them. I LOVE this song. Love it so much, I can sing those Swedish words even. 'Vargtimmen' meaning 'Hour of the wolf' is just as good. Try this band, if thats the last thing you do. This band and their songs are among the many things that make me want to shout out, All hail Scandinavia!

2. Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla (from the album Takk)
An Icelandic band, these guys play music that I would call exotic! This song is rather famous and has been used for/by various events and networks, including the BBC. Trailers of Slumdog Millionaire used this song as well.. Oh well, the other day TV9 Kannada had this on while talking of the floods in North Karnataka. Famous? Oh yes.
Must give it a listen!

3. Beirut - Prenzlauerberg (from the album Gulag Orkestar)
One of my shadiest search expeditions on the Gulag story got me the name of this album. Initially, I concluded this band was noise. But this song changed my opinion of them. Gotta admit, they are American, they do sing in English, but not much of the song sounds like English to me. Heh!
Mum loves this one. Aunties, please do try.

4. Avial! :D
Yes yes, our very neighbours, this Malayali band won me over. Thanks to an over-enthu quizzer-classmate , I decided to give them a listen. And I'm glad I did. They remind me of Linkin' Park, ever so slightly. If you haven't heard 'Karukara' , you're missing out on some genius here.
Really.

5.Sergio Mendes - Magalenha (OST Dance with me)
Thanks HBO. Most songs from this movie are fantastic, but this one stood out. A Samba number, if I remember right, do give it a listen. You will most definitely pull off a couple of dance moves you didn't think you were capable of. And while you're at it, give the OST a shot as well. There's lots of Latino jazz and Salsa and Cha Cha Cha and what not. Oh oh, do watch the actors perform in the movie. Splendid!
Sigh. Love dance.

6.Gypsy Kings
Discovered them with their version of 'Hotel California' (featured in The Big Lebowski!), which I definitely recommend. And there's 'Oye como va', 'Volare' and many more! Fast and uplifting songs, most of them. They're all Spanish, in case you wanted to know.

7. Manu Chao - Me Gustas Tu
All thanks to Facebook and kind seniors who post links regularly. Fun song. Very catchy!

8-10. German bands.
Of course I had to mention them! There's plenty I haven't been able to get my hands on, in spite of all that searching I do. But among the bands I have heard, here are the ones I really like and songs I suggest you try first. Rammstein - who dun-know-'em? Plenty songs to list, but I'm currently hooked to 'Sonne', 'Engel' and 'Zerstören'.
Oomph! - Rammstein credit them, listing them as a major influence. Try 'Labyrinth' and 'Augen Auf!'. If you like German, you'll like them.
Steinkind - Boy, can they scream! 'Deutschland brennt' provides an entire week's dose of screaming, for me. 'Larissa' is addictive and 'Ich Muss' helps me stay up till 5 , while I try to mug for an exam at 9.

I would add a few Tamil songs to the list, but since I can't spell any of them properly, I'll let it be. Here's hoping you have the patience and time to listen to all of this. Opinions and of course, more artist/song suggestions(with links, preferably) are very welcome!

An F1 post.

One post I say I miss seeing Alonso on the podium, he wins the next race.
Last post I said, bring Michael back! Well, it almost happened!

..
Ahem!
..
How I wish Vettel will be world champion this year!!!

Well, all the wishful thinking apart, I really do miss Michael. All I have is this small tribute(flicked off some blessed site) to share with you. Best bits of his last race.



Michael is, without doubt, the best.



(Is this to be mentioned?
Well, the entire clip is a property of the FIA ..I suppose. And I only intend to share some greatness with the people of the world. Please don't take it off,pretty please!)

The kind of post that gets deleted -3

*Arbit rants that are supposed to pull a disappearing act*


1. Life's been giving me more than my fair share of lessons lately. (Its another thing that I don't seem to learn well.) Coorg is a wonderful place, I love it. (who doesn't?) But on my latest trip to the native, I had a lot to learn - the hard way.
a. When your mother tells you 'take a thick shawl and a sweater' , you take a thick shawl AND a sweater.
With the monsoon season paying a visit, its been raining non-stop in Coorg. We got off at the station there at 5 in the morning and I realised, it wasn't as cold as I'd expected it to be. It was far worse! And the I-can-freeze-the-shit-in-you type weather and I didn't really bond. Not only did my fancy, good-for-nothing stole make me crave sunshine, my feet went defunct. Each foot under two pairs of socks and a shoe, stung so bad, I almost felt the need to check if my toes had turned blue. The weather was unbearable and it got me thinking about the unfortunate many who have no option but to endure it. Until my brain went numb, that is. And to think, when I was younger, I used to wonder why Eskimos wore that many warm clothes. I'd say to myself, it can't get that cold now, can it?
I have nothing to comment on degrees of coldness anymore.

b.My favorite Nike shoes aren't waterproof.
Whats worse than cold feet? Wet-cold feet. Skipping and hopping across the puddles and pits on the almost tar-less road, I tried my best to step only on stones/rocks. But when you come across a pond , you can't really do much but walk across it, placing your foot as lightly as possible. Now knowing me, placing-my-foot-lightly wasn't going to help in anyway, so I told my shoes I was sorry and walked on. And then I hear my shoes go 'I'm sorry too'. You know the feeling of having your intestines twisted and yanked out through your mouth? That's pretty much what I felt as my socks soaked in and passed on the dirty water to my feet.Having to walk on ahead, with my feet going *squish squish* was a feeling that I'd need a whole new set of intestines and cutting tools to describe.

There were a couple more. Like, when you hear a creepy sound, don't locate the cause because the goddamned insect might jump you. And don't say you aren't hungry when you haven't tasted the food. You won't like it when you see others relishing it.
Really.

2. Current obsession(s) :
I'm not depressed, no. I'm just fond of the following lines ; from songs which you should give a listen to, definitely.

"Death makes angels of us all
and gives us wings
where we had shoulders
smooth as raven's
claws "
A Feast of Friends- The Doors

"Our freedom's consuming itself
What we've become
It's contrary to what we want
Take a bow."
Take a bow- Muse.

"I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life //... I'll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone // ... Love must be forgotten, life can always start up anew //
...We're fated to pretend. "
Time to Pretend- MGMT.

3. I'm a new addition to an already massive fan club. Batman Begins happened a little too late in my life. But it did. And all I have to say is this :
Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale are amazing.
Batman is incredible.
Gary Oldman owns all. (He always has, even before the Batman movies) The Oscars mean less than insect pulp until he wins one.
I'll use this space to thank a certain Jim Gordon for all the help rendered.

4. Harry Potter is heeeeerrreee! I'm not 1% as faithful a fan as most friends around me, but this series brings back fond memories of pre-univ college when everyone's-favorite-blogger(A, indeed) and I,along with another friend,spoke about Harry, Snape and darling Sirius every lunch break, made kick-arse badges and wore them to the theater, to watch movie 4! That was the first time I had bunked college for entertainment purposes and you could tell I was thrilled! heh!
Cheers to those days. :)
Hope the movie won't disappoint!


5. Everyone's saying it. And I can-not not agree. Formula 1 is getting boring. I don't know what should be done, I don't know how the changes can be brought about but I do know what I want to see. Bring back Schumi, bring back Mika, bring back Montoya if need be! Give Alonso a good car , throw Lewis in along with him, say bye-bye to tracks that provide no opportunities for racing, kick Mosley under his chin, do whatever it takes but just give us this :




And when/if that happens, BAN stewards from penalizing the drivers.

Something old this way comes.

The average age of drivers in Formula1 today is about 28. Young drivers, that's a good thing. But there's many things old in F1 now. Old people managing the circus, old stewards, old parents and aging controversies. And no, old ain't gold here.

To explain :
1.The old, slow-brained stewards penalize people a little too much. The penalty for Sebastian Vettel at Australia, for *racing*, completely blew the concept of such penalties for me.

2.Old parents are Ok, I have no issues with them-as long as they do not hog the camera. Call me a cold slab of Granite if you wish to, but I haven't the slightest desire to watch them exult with joy on seeing their genes on the podium or express deep shock over a smoky engine. (You can add slightly old pussy cats and dolls to this list.)

3.Controversies. F1 seems to have a theme for each season. 2007 had the Spy-gate controversy (whatte-story! Make a movie anyone?).


2008 had bored Stewards playing snake and ladder with the drivers for pawns. But whatever the gurus had planned for this year, certainly isn't working. F1 is getting boringly monotonous. I say 'boringly monotonous' because Michael's dominance was still enjoyable. Like a wise friend (a non-Schumi fan,mind you) told me, "Michael's victories were a lot more classy". And whats worse is, we have tasteless battles being fought by the oldies. Talking of whom, I move to the finally category of annoying oldness.

4.I only want to express my irritation on the itch in everyone's butt- Mosley. The old dictator who likes turning Jewish in bedrooms , can't seem to get the message. *Everyone is sick of him!* We had the F1 greats, most teams and drivers breathe a sigh of relief when he announced he wouldn't stand for re-election. And what do you know? It doesn't take him too long to go back to the media and say something to the effect of "Looks like I'm needed. I can't leave F1 like this. I may stand for re-election if necessary. I won't walk away from a fight." @#$%*!
Cost reduction is required, yes. But in my opinion, if teams want to spend, they should be allowed to! Its not like they would spend without a cause. How about we let them decide their budget? If teams cant find enough money, they should look for more means of survival, like its always been done. Else, there are other racing series they can walk into (and perhaps dominate?) I firmly believe Formula1 is a class apart from all other forms of racing and I'm not for lowering its standards in any way. I agree the budget cap will help new teams come in, help the weaker teams do better, but quite frankly, I don't care-not as much as I care for Ferrari anyway.
You can tell a person's brains are rusted when he makes a statement like this , "F1 can survive without Ferrari". *ahem* HAHAHA! Wait, isn't this the team that's been with F1 since forever? Isn't this the team with (arguably) the biggest fan following? Isn't F1 almost synonymous with Ferrari, to a large part of the audience? With the big teams failing to deliver this year, we see a decline in F1's popularity. And our old buddy actually believes F1 will survive without them? "Survive", it will, perhaps, but on life-support.
If I haven't been able to convey the reasons for my dislike well enough, get this ; I just don't like his face. I can-not wait to scream out "auf Wiedersehen, sucker!". If Mosley has his way or stays on as the chief of the FIA, I'm all for a new series with FOTA taking charge.
In which case, I will hold an Indian-ised funeral in the loving memory of Formula 1. You are invited.

With fingers crossed on hopes of seeing a German win the German GP next weekend, I'll sign off by wishing Formula 1 a speedy recovery.

A little game called go insane.

Doors dedic, yes.

Funny is my thing. Atleast, I badly want it to be. And so, I keep myself from posting when what I have to say cannot accommodate funny. But I couldn't find a better place to proclaim my love.Status messages do not look good when you have epics written on them. So well, the latest addition to my list of obsessions and fetishes, what manages to drive me insane : Voices.

I have nothing much to say, really. Just that I love deep voices. Yes, there was a time when I thought nothing or no one could surpass Shane. The lead singer of Westlife, remember? (no? thought so.) And then there was Bryan Adams and a few years later, Bon Jovi. After three years of listening to Jovi's inspirational songs, I discovered Gothic rock and oh, did engineer-in-the-making-depressed-me love it! All the black , the deep voices, dark lyrics..heavenly. Nothing gets better than Finnish Rock, when you're looking for deep or opera-ish voices. Try HIM(a good looking front man can never hurt) and Theatre of Tragedy, you'll know what I mean.
Right now, there's The Killers. The lyrics, the voice, the music-all addictive. Also, Eddie Vedder. 'Into the Wild' ,anybody? \m/ Cannot articulate better.

Whats better than just deep voices? Jim Morrison. The long-hair/Greek-God look only adds to the baritone I so love. The first time I heard 'The End' by The Doors, I sat still for over half an hour, in complete awe. Morrison's voice took me to this whole other place! When he sings 'Riders on the storm' , I put off all work at hand and let my soul enjoy music,at its best. As (awesomely) weird as the man was, nothing compares to his poems or songs, and the way he voices them. I could mention many,many lines that I absolutely love, but I guess I'll leave them for you to discover, if you haven't already.

There's a whole lot of other artists I love, obviously. Many brilliant artists. Probably many,many more that I haven't come across yet. But I'll limit this post to so much. After all, it started of with me wanting to put up a status message saying 'I love deep voices'.
If there are any artist/band/song recommendations you'd like to make, please do! :)



P.S. GO VETTEL!!!!!
Yes, I'm still loyal to Ferrari.