Thank you Mr.Rembrandt?

I step out of my Apartment house with key in hand - all ready to scramble, Mahesh is waiting outside in the car with others,we are already late to the movie.

The minute i step out i just freeze in my tracks! I see this man in a golden helmet staring right at me! Something seems very vaguely familiar about him. I immediately scan my insanely crazy junkyard of facts in my brain trying to figure him out. The scan pops out with the result - Rembrandt! I am stunned. I am seeing the world famous painting of 'The man with the golden helmet' by Rembrandt right outside my door.I exclaim 'That's a Rembrandt!' This old lady who is trying to open her door turns around and says 'What did you say?'. I exclaim again 'That's a Rembrandt you have,where did you get it from?'.

She goes 'Oh! Is it, I don't know, I purchased it for the frame, I am throwing the picture away!' . I am left reeling. I touch the painting and realize its a print. But still its a Rembrandt - its art - you don't throw away art even if it's print.

Then i explain her about the painting and Rembrandt. She has never heard about Rembrandt. I sigh! But looking at my enthusiasm about the painting print she asks me 'Do you want it?'. Pat comes my answer 'Yes, of course! I cannot let you throw away something like that'. She says 'okay! I will let you have it once i take the frame'. I say 'Thank you!'.

Now after all this and being the curious kind, I just cannot help asking 'Why do you need just the frame?'.

She says 'Oh! I am a painter' . Now that's what you call a double whammy! My jaw drops! I just don't know what to say. A series of thoughts agonisingly goes through my head trying to make some sense,' a painter, does not know Rembrandt,but needs the frame, i never knew that the person in front of my house was a painter...'

I blurt out 'Oh! What kind do you paint?' She says 'Oil and water both,mostly landscapes and flowers and miscellaneous things'. Now being an admirer of Art,my curiousity just gets the better of me and i ask ' Can i see them?'. She thinks about it a bit and says 'Oh! Sure'. But i know i am running late for the movie and i immediately say ' I am sorry ,but i am running for a movie right now,can i come back later some other time?'. She says 'Oh ok! Fine!'. I run off.

Okay! Long story so far,but it's not concluded.

Days pass.I don't know how am i going to knock on her door and ask for that Rembrandt print and ask to see her paintings.I forget about it.

Fast forward to present.

I wake up today,sunday morning,11 AM,i brew a cup of hot filter coffee(yup the old fashioned way) and sit to work,lots pending.I hear a knock on my door and go to check who it is, its Ruchi, our neighbour,she is looking for her kid who normally keeps running around. I say he is not in our house.As chance would have had it,this lady is again entering her house and she turns around and says 'Hey! I have that painting print kept aside for you,would you like to see my paintings'. I have a hot cup of coffee ready inside waiting to be savoured,but i think heck 'Yeah,sure'.

I go into a very neatly kept house,there is a painting of lilies right near the front door. I admire it. Then she takes me to the living room with lots of painting. I am simply amazed,most of them are land scapes - mountains,sun,beaches,moon,houses.Then she takes me to her working room ,there is a half finished painting and it looks beautiful already.

Being the art lover, I started asking about her and her paintings. We were talking about the philosophy behind her paintings and i mentioned that 'I am really in awe of your paintings,I am always amazed by human talent and feel inspired when i see talent like yours that shows what humans can do, you know - i used to paint and draw quite a bit as a kid,mostly water colours, and somehow it dwindled as i grew up,maybe due to different interests and lack of time and somehow i am not sure i will ever have time to get back to it,though i would like to get back to it'

She looked at me. 'You look very young. How old are you?', I said 'I am 27'. She -'Hmm, Do you know how old i am?' . I said 'U look probably around 65+'. She gives out a wonderful laugh and says 'Oh dear! Do i look so young,thank you! But,I am 86 years old'. I am stunned, I just cannot believe that the human being in front of me is 86 years. She continued 'I started painting at the age of 80- I sowed for a living for 50 years'. I was in a dizzy, I just did not know what to say. She continued 'Don't ever give up on anything,as long as you have life in you , you can do whatever you want to do,don't ever give up!'.My heart just soared looking at her, I felt so much love for her and life at that moment when she said that.

Then she showed snaps of her family,her grandchildren. I finally got up and said ' You know ,i think i got up on the right side of the bed today, I am extremely privileged and honored to know you,thank you for sharing all this with me,you have no idea how much you have inspired me!'

She took out the Rembrandt painting and offered it to me.Then she noticed the painting print had scratched off a bit in the corners, she offered to paint that portion for me and give it to me later.

I got up to go and then i remembered i never asked for her name. I asked her 'Can i know your name'.She laughed and took out a pad and scribbled her name and gave it to me. It said 'Wilma K Farmer'. She never asked mine.I guess it did not matter.

I had mixed emotions and thoughts when i stepped out of her house.


Post script: I got to know that 'The man with the golden helmet' which was long thought to be painted by rembrandt was later discovered to be not his at all. Right now that painting stands painted under the name 'Anonymous'. Life's funny isn't it.

I sometimes wish i can find people who see the world a lot like i do!

Standing at the top of contiguous USA!!

Tomorrow i depart for my climb. This is going to be the biggest mountain i will have ever climbed. I am filled with mixed emotions. But there is no turning back, i will have to go ahead if i wish to achieve what i want to achieve.Wish me luck. More later ...

My latest quirk..

My latest hobby - Playing Bridge. Its a complex card game but extremely fun. I am still trying to get the hang of it completely. The bidding rules are so complex it just leaves you dizzy. I normally go online and play and i royally suck! I enter as a 'beginner' and play with the so called experts online and get royally kicked out of tables for wrong bids,wrong moves and have suffered enough online abuses. But heck I am under an alias and nobody knows who i am,so i just move on to another table. You have umpteen bidding rules which i still have to master. Give it a shot if you can,trying to remember 52 cards being passed is quite fun!

A humbling perspective...

But one can draw their own conclusions ..









Antares is the 15th Brightest star in the sky.
It's more than 1000 light years away.

Polar Bear plunge video!!

Okay!! Here's the video. Comments on my dance totally welcome!! Lol!! Yeah




Kinda reminds me of this girl dancing in the cadburys ad.. Lol!!

Watch out men!!

Saw the 'Watchmen' in IMAX yesterday after the plunge, Storyline is a bit complex,but visually stunning.Hoping to read the book.

Polar Bear plunge!!!

Okay, I decided to be a polar bear and take a plunge in icy waters!! Yup!! Craziness re-defined!! Polar plunge is an event where they cut a section of the frozen lakes and people jump into the sub zero waters just for the heck of it!! I decided to have a go and madhu joined me in this latest quirkiness of mine! The video will be posted a bit later on,but here are a few teaser snaps!! (wink)The temperature was 18 F(-8 C) and it felt numb!! The craziest feeling is when you hit the water,its like a shock going through your body. Totally cool!!You gotta experience it in life!!

link on fickr covering the event - http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkupbens/sets/72157614934872588/

Another wonderful snap on flickr covering this - http://www.flickr.com/photos/84853337@N00/2305791586/

Madhu and me taking the plunge!!







Doing a victory dance!! I went crazy after the plunge!!

Dear Ms. Earhart,

I love that you could touch the sky. I think about you sometimes and I wonder how it is that a little girl from Kansas learns to fly. I'm 48 years old and I still can't walk in heels.

Tell me, Amelia, did somebody infuse you with so much confidence that you always believed you could do anything you set your mind to? Or did somebody cut you so deep that you always believed you had something to prove to the universe?

Were you ever tired? Were you ever lonely? Did you get scared a lot? I like to imagine that from time to time you were all those things, but what I find so really remarkable is that if you ever did feel exhausted or isolated or fragile, you never let it stop you from taking off.

Still, I have to ask, didn't the concept of changing into something made of flannel, ordering in a couple of sushi rolls, and renting a good movie ever tempt you even a little? Because frankly, that's my idea of a perfect evening.

It's not that I don't experience a touch of wanderlust periodically, it's just that for all my talk of missing the swashbuckler gene, I'm currently off on an adventure of my own.


An article in CNN.com by Lisa Kogan,made me smile.

Down with a flu. The feeling pretty much sucks! A sore throat,combined with cold and a slight fever is a triple whammy. Hate Pandora for opening that box.

I do not want to give this post a subject line.. In life,if you see it the way i see it, you are born! Born somewhere in this world ,which you cannot decide. As a causal of that,you become associated with few people who you call as family,you develop a bonding with them, a very special kind of bonding which exists throughout your life,Life is all about memories and people. You may do a zillion things in life but ultimately it boils down to people. I keep thinking - of the 6 billion people in this world how many people do i know - maybe around 500-600. Of these 500-600 people how many do i really know and would share their pain,joys and sorrows? The number drastically comes down. I dont even know why i am writing all this,somehow i felt i had to give a preface and my mind is running like this now,maybe later i will think 'What the *#$% ?',Okay, enough preface! I will not justify anything here now for i am myself essentially flawed with my moods,emotions,knowledge,etc.

These are a few favourite people(favourite word does not justify what i feel for them) of mine whose snaps i have. We have come a long way in life..all my life or their life i guess.:)

Disclaimer: The photos are limited to only my childhood snaps(read below 9 years) and with people who had the honour of posing with me!! (wink) I wish i had a few more people who i had taken a snap with when i was young!










okay!! The goat was a joke!! Hey!! I like the snap!! I have another with a bear!!Ping me if you want to see it,of course i will charge you to see that!

P.S: I realized that in the course of writing this blog i changed from philosophical to cranky!! Please bear with me! That's me!!

Skiii away to your heart's content!

After coming to Minneapolis I have sort of become a skiing addict!! I cannot believe that two flat 6 inch plastic blades and two sticks and snow can be so much fun!
This weekend i had taken off on a two day skiing trip to Northern minnesota to a place called 'Giant ridges' which advertises itself to be the No 1 skiing resort in Minnesota. Not surprisingly its very good! Since i know the basics, I took intermediate skiing classes and pretty much licked all the black diamonds at the resort! It was an adrenalin oozing weekend to say the least! Good fun..



I am the guy in Yellow!! (wink)




Few snaps from the trip ..



With Rajendra and Divya,Don't i look wierd!! :)





Madhu,myself and rajendra


Shankar and myself!

A sample of my ice skating ...

Elements...

I have realized that I am most happy when I am interacting with the elements. As long as i am connected to nature in someway I am extremely happy, I have this feeling of peace,ecstasy,euphoria..

Water -I love Swimming,kayaking,canoeing,scuba diving,got to try snorkeling.
Ice and snow -Oh boy,do i love snow and ice -Has translated to Skiing,ice skating,Mountaineering
Air - Of course sky diving, Having tried it twice i want to take a course this summer in sky diving.Of course i love looking at the sky and clouds and gazing at the stars.
Earth - I love running(nowadays),trees,hikes through forests,canyons,deserts,nature in any form is wonderful.
Fire- I literally burned down my house playing with fire. :) I have always had a great fascination for fire.

I believe in a way i have found a connection between my passions.

Like me for who I am on the inside, because some day the outside will be saggy and wrinkled .. :)
Boy.. Am i getting old!!

I have realized that everything in life tends to reach the ideal. Every person tends to reach his ideal within his/her own circle of knowledge,experience,capacity, consciousness and circumstances and tries to live the best possible life he/she can.In the process they come to their own conclusions on life and definitions on various things like love,faith,trust,good,right,wrong,success,failure,tolerance and umpteen other concepts :)...

Why is life so much driven by fear and survival? When does one acknowledge his/her own inadequacies and grow beyond?When do people face the truth about their lives? Why does it all have to be such a sham?Why is it so easy to be complacent?

ASking tangently..

What is fear? What is an inadequacy? What is the truth?What is sham?Is complacency wrong?

I have grown into this habit of analysing and dissecting life logically and putting it into different compartments. I see that asking simple honest questions throws endless possbilities,expands horizons.You can derive different connotations.I am always extremely surprised by my own and peoples limitations and views about different things.It teaches me patience and tolerance with many things in life and myself.


But then i have also realized that not everything has a logical conclusion in life,some you just have to accept unconditionally.. The old adage of 'Actions counts more than words' still reign's supreme..



Currently hearing to Strings.

When does one wake up from denial?

Ice man..

Yay!! I am proud of myself. I have become reasonably good in ice skating. I feel i have a good balance and can weave through people without much trouble. I am able to do the turns pretty good too, Can skate on one leg pretty well balanced.Kinda fun...

Pity - winter is not so great this year.. not much snow to ski..the outside lakes are half melting already,relegated to the indoor skating rinks.

Abhishek has christened me the 'Ice man' - but the one who panic's when he loses the way.. Lol!!:)Hey, I dont panic, I get excited buddy! :)

My next climb ...God save me.. Can he?? :) :)

Humming bird...Wilco..

His goal in life was to be an echo
Riding alone, town after town, toll after toll
A fixed bayonet through the great southwest to forget her

She appears in his dreams
But in his car and in his arms
A dream can mean anything
A cheap sunset on a television set can upset her
But he never could

Remember to remember me
Standing still in your past
Floating fast like a hummingbird

His goal in life was to be an echo
The type of sound that floats around and then back down
Like a feather
But in the deep chrome canyons of the loudest Manhattans
No one could hear him
Or anything

So he slept on a mountain
In a sleeping bag underneath the stars
He would lie awake and count them
And the gray fountain spray of the great Milky Way
Would never let him
Die alone

Remember to remember me
Standing still in your past
Floating fast like a hummingbird

Remember to remember me
Standing still in your past
Floating fast like a hummingbird

A hummingbird
A hummingbird

I am an INTP - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving

I recently took a personality test curious to see what kind I am and i was thrown that i am an INTP.. I found it fascinating.Whether one believes it or not,its like astrology or zodiac signs or palmistry.Just for fun ..to get away from the monotony and drudgery of the routine.


Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.

Here are the links if you are interested - http://www.personalitypage.com/
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html - I just felt as if somebody wrote my biography here.Lol!! Kinda fun..

This is what it says about me...

INTPs generally have the following traits:

Love theory and abstract ideas
Truth Seekers - they want to understand things by analyzing underlying principles and structures
Value knowledge and competence above all else
Have very high standards for performance, which they apply to themselves
Independent and original, possibly eccentric
Work best alone, and value autonomy
Have no desire to lead or follow
Dislike mundane detail
Not particularly interested in the practical application of their work
Creative and insightful
Future-oriented
Usually brilliant and ingenius
Trust their own insights and opinions above others
Live primarily inside their own minds, and may appear to be detached and uninvolved with other people


As an INTP, your primary mode of living is focused internally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is external, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.

INTPs live in the world of theoretical possibilities. They see everything in terms of how it could be improved, or what it could be turned into. They live primarily inside their own minds, having the ability to analyze difficult problems, identify patterns, and come up with logical explanations. They seek clarity in everything, and are therefore driven to build knowledge. They are the "absent-minded professors", who highly value intelligence and the ability to apply logic to theories to find solutions. They typically are so strongly driven to turn problems into logical explanations, that they live much of their lives within their own heads, and may not place as much importance or value on the external world. Their natural drive to turn theories into concrete understanding may turn into a feeling of personal responsibility to solve theoretical problems, and help society move towards a higher understanding.

INTPs value knowledge above all else. Their minds are constantly working to generate new theories, or to prove or disprove existing theories. They approach problems and theories with enthusiasm and skepticism, ignoring existing rules and opinions and defining their own approach to the resolution. They seek patterns and logical explanations for anything that interests them. They're usually extremely bright, and able to be objectively critical in their analysis. They love new ideas, and become very excited over abstractions and theories. They love to discuss these concepts with others. They may seem "dreamy" and distant to others, because they spend a lot of time inside their minds musing over theories. They hate to work on routine things - they would much prefer to build complex theoretical solutions, and leave the implementation of the system to others. They are intensely interested in theory, and will put forth tremendous amounts of time and energy into finding a solution to a problem with has piqued their interest.

INTPs do not like to lead or control people. They're very tolerant and flexible in most situations, unless one of their firmly held beliefs has been violated or challenged, in which case they may take a very rigid stance. The INTP is likely to be very shy when it comes to meeting new people. On the other hand, the INTP is very self-confident and gregarious around people they know well, or when discussing theories which they fully understand.

The INTP has no understanding or value for decisions made on the basis of personal subjectivity or feelings. They strive constantly to achieve logical conclusions to problems, and don't understand the importance or relevance of applying subjective emotional considerations to decisions. For this reason, INTPs are usually not in-tune with how people are feeling, and are not naturally well-equiped to meet the emotional needs of others.

The INTP may have a problem with self-aggrandizement and social rebellion, which will interfere with their creative potential. Since their Feeling side is their least developed trait, the INTP may have difficulty giving the warmth and support that is sometimes necessary in intimate relationships. If the INTP doesn't realize the value of attending to other people's feelings, he or she may become overly critical and sarcastic with others. If the INTP is not able to find a place for themself which supports the use of their strongest abilities, they may become generally negative and cynical. If the INTP has not developed their Sensing side sufficiently, they may become unaware of their environment, and exhibit weakness in performing maintenance-type tasks, such as bill-paying and dressing appropriately.

For the INTP, it is extremely important that ideas and facts are expressed correctly and succinctly. They are likely to express themselves in what they believe to be absolute truths. Sometimes, their well thought-out understanding of an idea is not easily understandable by others, but the INTP is not naturally likely to tailor the truth so as to explain it in an understandable way to others. The INTP may be prone to abandoning a project once they have figured it out, moving on to the next thing. It's important that the INTP place importance on expressing their developed theories in understandable ways. In the end, an amazing discovery means nothing if you are the only person who understands it.

The INTP is usually very independent, unconventional, and original. They are not likely to place much value on traditional goals such as popularity and security. They usually have complex characters, and may tend to be restless and temperamental. They are strongly ingenious, and have unconventional thought patterns which allows them to analyze ideas in new ways. Consequently, a lot of scientific breakthroughs in the world have been made by the INTP.

The INTP is at his best when he can work on his theories independently. When given an environment which supports his creative genius and possible eccentricity, the INTP can accomplish truly remarkable things. These are the pioneers of new thoughts in our society.


Possible Career Paths for the INTP:

Scientists - especially Physics, Chemistry
Photographers
Strategic Planners
Mathematicians
University Professors
Computer Programmers, Systems Analysts, Computer Animation and Computer Specialists
Technical Writers
Engineers
Lawyers / Attorneys
Judges
Forensic Research
Forestry and Park Rangers


INTP Relationships


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INTPs live rich worlds inside their minds, which are full of imagination and excitement. Consequently, they sometimes find the external world pales in comparison. This may result in a lack of motivation to form and maintain relationships. INTPs are not likely to have a very large circle of significant relationships in their lives. They're much more likely to have a few very close relationships, which they hold in great esteem and with great affection. Since the INTP's primary focus and attention is turned inwards, aimed towards seeking clarity from abstract ideas, they are not naturally tuned into others' emotional feelings and needs. They tend to be difficult to get to know well, and hold back parts of themselves until the other person has proven themselves "worthy" of hearing the INTP's thoughts. Holding Knowledge and Brain Power above all else in importance, the INTP will choose to be around people who they consider to be intelligent. Once the INTP has committed themself to a relationship, they tend to be very faithful and loyal, and form affectionate attachments which are pure and straight-forward. The INTP has no interest or understanding of game-playing with regards to relationships. However, if something happens which the INTP considers irreconciliable, they will leave the relationship and not look back.

INTP Weaknesses

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Not naturally in tune with others' feelings; slow to respond to emotional needs
Not naturally good at expressing their own feelings and emotions
Tend to be suspicious and distrusting of others
Not usually good at practical matters, such as money management, unless their work involves these concerns
They have difficulty leaving bad relationships
Tend to "blow off" conflict situations by ignoring them, or else they "blow up" in heated anger


Introverted Sensing often plays an important role in the private world of the INTP. When he visits a place, whether new or already known, his Si function gives an overriding concern for the atmosphere or mood of the place. In his subconscious, he connects the present experiences of his surroundings with memories of his past, sometimes deep past. A sense of history, of universality, is almost always invoked. When on holiday, the INTP wants to experience above all the ambience of each location. Specific details in the present are relatively unimportant and will not be well remembered. However, the atmosphere or mood will be remembered long after, as though it were a solid object. Since people encountered on a holiday usually count as details, unless more personal contact develops, the INTP tends to be drawn more to lonely, isolated places where atmosphere is less disturbed. Nevertheless, the presence of people does add its own ambience which can also be appreciated considerably. The net result of this concern for past experiences and of mood/atmosphere is that INTPs belong centrally to those types referred to as melancolic. The INTP melancolic is typically drawn to wild polar expanses, to mountain ranges and all places on the edges of civilisation. Whatever his particular yearning might actually be, it has a common root. The homeland of the INTP's psyche is a small and cosy community, isolated in the middle of a vast expanse of wilderness.

Because the present is inextricably linked to a sense of the past, INTPs tend to hoard items which help solidify the connection to the past. They find it very difficult to let go of anything they have collected (or indeed created) and which may have a nostalgic meaning. They assume that any object which is of interest now is bound to remain of interest for the rest of their lives. This emphasizes a strong sense of universality in the progression of time, just as it emphasizes the seriousness with which INTPs approach their interests. Frivolity is not in their vocabulary. INTPs often love keeping lists and databases in areas of interest, especially when the lists are associated with things of the past. Collecting periodical magazines or other media of interest is also a very common INTP trait. Such a collection is usually taken very seriously. Yet the collective whole, considered as a temporal rather than spatial object, always assumes more importance in the mind of the INTP than the objects forming the collection themselves. Hence, INTPs are collectors, but they are collecters for whom the objects themselves are only important in so far as they evoke a connection to past events, in so far as they yield a nostalgic mood. The curious problem with any collection of an INTP is that he typically fails to enjoy it in the here and now. Items are stored away so that they can evoke this time at some point in the future, but such a point often never occurs. It may never occur because INTPs are always so mentally active that they continually delve into new interests, and continue to hoard items relating to these, so that they rarely allow themselves enough time to reflect on the ever expanding library of their past. The interests of an INTP would be enough to occupy him for several lifetimes if that were possible.

Photography is a classic interest of the INTP, which depends strongly on the Si - Ne combination, as well as on Ti for attention to technical detail. Landscape photography, for example, is the art of conveying a sense of mood/atmosphere to the viewer (Si). The correct employment of lenses, filters etc. brings out the Ti core, while the enjoyment of seeing the world as an fascinating varied object to be observed and captured in the best possible way brings out the Ne-Ti architect. Photos are also a way of capturing the present to evoke a sense of past in the future (Si). When involved in portrait or people photography, the INTP will also be primarily concerned with the mood conveyed by the person in the eye of the lens. Quality photographic skill, as well as an intrinsic feel for imagery, is usually second nature to the INTP and can make a good career choice. When viewing photographic images, say in magazines, the overriding concern is for how the photo is conveyed; its mood, its colour, contrast and shading usages, its perspectives and image quality. However, the actual subject of the image, which other types are likely to concentrate on first, takes a back seat unless it is unavoidably dramatic. Hence, INTPs may convey a very critical and impersonal approach in discussing images, which could lead to offence in some situations.

Another area of interest common to INTPs, where Si has a strong influence, is Music. INTPs are usually fascinated by music and may have deep and wide-ranging tastes. Indeed, each of their three main functions (Ti, Ne, Si) plays a role in the enjoyment of music, and indeed music is a key interest for bringing out the feeling shadow of the INTP. Si itself brings a fascination for mood and atmosphere in music as well as for a strong sense of personal nostalgia. INTPs are therefore often keen on melancolic minor-key music in which an introspective and/or esoteric mood is conveyed. Equally, INTPs enjoy hearing music that they heard and enjoyed when younger (provided they can still appreciate it now) and yearn for the sense of nostalgia that it yields. INTPs are also drawn to complexly structured music, thanks to their Ti core. An appreciation of modern classical music, as well as perhaps contemporary jazz, is therefore common with them. Such music types are usually too complex to be understood after a single hearing, which hence provides excellent material for analysis, exciting the INTP no end. Once the basic developmental structure of the music has been assessed, Ne provides the impetus to derive a general meaning of the piece. What does the composer wish to convey, for example? Why was that particular development chosen? Indeed, the Ne is usually hard at work during listening sessions, trying to grasp the meanings behind the often fascinating combinations of sound-world evocations, structural developments and nostalgic impressions.

Surprise..

I had an interesting idea when one of my client directors asked me whether i do wedding snaps. I politely said 'No' to her because I have a certain philosophy while taking photographs. I shoot only what i like,for me its a form of expression,the way i look at the world, I see it as an art.I am not in it for money,though i have costly equipment,many people fail to see that. But still she did put in an interesting idea. For me suddenly the question popped up..can i sell my photographs? in a common arena where hundreds of really professional photograhers sell their photographs? It was intriguing and challenging. My curiousity got the better of my idealism and i did post 10 of my photos in an online forum where they sell photographs. 8 of them got accepted,Philosphy is simple,you get paid if someone wants your photograph,I did not have much expectations as i see there are some truly fantastic photographers out there. I logged in after nearly 20 days today and surprisingly i have 40 hits in 20 odd days,it felt so good that 40 people wanted my snaps and to top it i get some royalty money,not too much though and dont start getting ideas. :) Photography talent has real cheap value till you get to a certain level..

Love is blue..

Here is a beautiful song .. Three versions of the same song ..each beautifully different :) Listen in order,you may find a strange fascination for this song.

I react to this music differently at different times,but right now my eyes just became moist when i listened to this. I just cannot help but think about the cruelty,indifference of humans to life. History ... past..suffering..pain..
There are many versions of this song being played by different people,but this video is my favourite because of the way she feels the music when she is playing this..

Beautiful..just rips my heart away.. reminds me of the russian word 'umilenie' ..it does not have an english equivalent..

I came across this word in Anatoli boukreev's book,It is an old fashioned word you might find in Russian Bibles and Dostoyevsky, describing a state of being in which you have been taken down, brought to your knees, humbled--when kaleidoscopic emotions of tenderness, humility, sadness, and rapture all wash though you....

musings..

Many a times in life,people hurt other people,it happens regularly either knowingly or unknowingly( I am also guilty of it). Most of the times its some sort of ego clash.Kind of conflict of interests or opinions or what one thinks is right or wrong or striving for survival,power or control,I always think people are invariably selfish and egoistic and its an inherent trait(everyone included - with varying degrees), even though people deny it. People mostly are thinking about or engrossed in themselves,maybe about the remaining 5% of the time they think about other people,even if they think about the other person its always in relation to 'You'.Not surprising ,because you relate to life from an 'I' perspective,otherwise there is no living.

So incidentally one always remembers people who have meant something to them or helped them or hurt them or inspired them. The focus being on 'You' or 'I'. Its funny,the rules of the game are very simple and yet its so difficult and complex to play. :) I hate as to why did god ever give emotions(an oxymoronic sentence :)),but i guess that's the beauty of life,you have but no say and have to play by the rules of nature. The study of emotions has been a fascinating experiment for me though i have not been able to comprehend it completely. Its really difficult to be a subject and a experimenter oneself.Self analysis is a difficult task and one may not come to the right conclusions as one maybe invariably biased or clouded by one's own emotions.

I am in one of my moods now..my brain is both my bane as well as boon...collective perception is reality..thought and emotion is ultimately electron impulses in your brain.. freedom is primary in life...then comes love...there is no love without freedom...Equanimity is a beautiful word...music liberates ...random thoughts..society...love..hate..fear..frustration..sadness..blind people..depression..knowledge..nature...god..insecurity..optimism..joy..happiness..past..present..future..death..purpose to life..thoughts..people..sky...lust..sex..
books....pain..suffering..creativity..dedication..motivation..disease..adversity..genius..illness..cancer...RA...brain tumour...suicide...depression..poverty..coffee..passion..movies...exhiliration..ecstasy..LIFE..PEACE..

Blessed..

In the morning its a glorious feeling to be walking from the bus stop to my office.It goes through the heart of downtown minneapolis for about 6 blocks.There is a starbucks coffee shop right in the middle which i am always enticed into. Sipping hot coffee and walking in minus temperatures has its own charm.With every sip ,you can feel the liquid going down your body and fighting the cold outside ,you always invariably think 'Thank you god for caffeine..',Lol!

It makes it even more cheerful when you see happy faces crossing you by ,nodding their heads or offering a smile or the more enthusiastic ones who shout out a 'good morning' and you respond back correspondingly.You get a warm feeling when motorists stop on the road and allow you to go by and you exchange a friendly wave. You see the hustle and bustle of downtown and see life in full swing with people moving around like busy ants with a purpose. On sunny days the sun is shining on your face and its a constant tussle between the warmth of the sun rays and the biting cold air ,fighting each other for supremacy which creates an amazing sensation on the skin.

You can smell the crisp cold air which kind of titillates the sensory cells in your nose,couple that with the smell of coffee,ummm... it smells like heaven.

On clear sunny days,you can see the azure sky with fluffy clouds being reflected in the glass towers of downtown.The 100 year old foshay tower standing between modern buildings sends across a philosophical message.Sometimes the church bells ring and when it starts ringing every walking step falters a bit.

With all your senses aroused you can only but feel blessed in life...

Happy living.

New personal milestone - 6.3 miles in 58 mins.

"The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become." - Charles Dubois

Scott had died the loneliest of deaths.His last hours had been full of nothingness.

I glanced around,then looked again at the body of my friend,frozen into the slope. I spoke out loud. "Hey ,Scott", I said,"How you doing?" Only the sound of the wind answered me.

"What happened,man?".

- No shortcuts to the top

This is one of the most painful lines i have read.

I remembered the song 'Seasons in the sun' by terry jacks. The following words came floating by in my mind.

Goodbye to you, my trusted friend. We've known each other since we're nine or ten. Together we climbed hills or trees. Learned of love and ABC's, skinned our hearts and skinned our knees...

A few book recommendations

I have not updated my blog in quite sometime with what i have been reading ..

Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt - intesting book.
Annapurna - Arlene blum - Very nice read.
Serious creativity - Edward de bono - Takes some time to plough through.
No short cuts to the top - Ed Viesturs - I am baised towards this book as its on a climber's life.
Freedom of the hills - Good self survival tips.
Homicidal psycho Jungle cat - Calvin and Hobbes - No comments! :)
Asterix and tintin still rocks!! :)

The officer and the peon!

This photograph is one of my most favourite photograph's ever.I call it 'The Officer and the peon'(You can guess who is who :) ). Me and my brother in raichur,the backyard of type 5.

Personal milestone - 5.25 mile run in 65 minutes.

'Pain' is weakness leaving the body...

Happy Couple..

It was one of those days where in nothing happened right. I guess everyone has these days. I took a bus all the way to office to fax something and the fax machine did not work and i combed around for another fax machine and tried to send across the fax and it did not go through, I went to a camera shop to find a deal that i wanted and it was already gone, I went to the library to get a book that i had ordered to be held and it was misplaced and they couldn't find it. I went into a Northface shop for it had a sale and came out disappointed. It was a very bright and sunny day in the morning and it had just got my spirits up to go and do all these things,now i was coming out of the northface shop and the time was 4:30 pm and the weather was gloomy and dull reflecting my mood. I stepped out and started walking towards the bus stop,while walking on the pavement I suddenly heard a couple of clangs behind me and i turned around to see what it was. There was this blind couple hand in hand and their other hands held their walking sticks which they were furiously waving in front of them. Their sticks had found the metal hoarding that was placed on the pavement to advertise something,that made the clanging sounds. They immediately stopped and felt around with their sticks and cautiously made their way around the hoard. I was surprised. I stepped back a little and let them go ahead,the pave ment was a bit slippery because of all the snow and ice and i was fascinated and curious to see how they would make their way across. I started following them.

It was perfect synchronisation ,they had held each other very close to each other arm in arm as in a lock and their eyes were their walking sticks,I followed them three blocks and they amazingly evaded light poles,hoardings,they found out the dips in pavements,they crossed roads(in america(atleast in minneapolis) pedestrian always has right of way,so vehicles always stop for people irrespective of whether the traffic sign says walk or stop)and vehicles stopped. All the while they were laughing and talking excitedly.They were enjoying life and each other's company. Infact the lady received a call in between and she took the call with the hand in which she had her walking stick and the man led her across while she was talking. It was as if they were two normal people. They did not feel despondent about their state.

I suddenly lost all my gloominess and felt elated. What started as a tang of pity for both of them suddenly turned into profuse happiness for both of them.They had touched my life and taught me something without even realising it. I suddenly felt i was very blessed in life and wished if there was a god to bless them. I have always found that one does not have to look somewhere for inspiration in life,they are right across your streets,in and around you,we are just blind most of the times consumed by our own thoughts and perceptions. I am sure every person who passed them on the street would have felt it.

I have made the leap of faith,now it all boils down to me.I have my fears to exorcise.

I am a big admirer of the brain.One of the most fascinating organs!! I keep admiring at its capabilities and yet again it surprised me yesterday by retaining most of my ski learning's from last winter. It overcame fear and recollected all the balance movements and within 1 hour of starting off I was doing the black diamonds. Impressive!I am satisfied with my performance,though got to hone it more!

Two of my favourite people!

I absolutely adore this snap!! :) :) Gives me a big smile whenever i see this!! Flicked it from Minty at dallas! :)

Dance Like No One Is Watching

Another inspiring video! Talk about human spirit!!

'Sara Tucholsky's first home run'

I had this wonderful video forwarded by a cousin of mine. Does inspire you to live right.

The video is titled 'Sara Tucholsky's first home run'

In a small town in the middle of Washington State, in a field inside a chain linked fence, in a game fewer than a 100 people saw, a home run was hit -- not memorable for the distance it traveled or the game it decided, but for the meaning it carried. Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky had never hit a home run in her career. Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman was already her school's career leader in them. But when a twist of fate and a torn knee ligament brought them face to face with each other and face to face with the end of their playing days, they combined on a home run trot that celebrated the collective human spirit far more than individual athletic achievement. ESPN reports on an unforgettable expression of sportmanship.

Fast and furious!

Minneapolis is known for its incredibly notorious weather in winter.Driving is treacherous. Daily we see atleast couple of accidents. When it snows its difficult to drive,but when the sun comes out a bit and melts a bit of snow and the temperature again goes down - a thin layer of ice is formed on the road and this becomes devastating. When vehicles go on it there is absolutely no grip. There is a very thin margin of error to recover from any driving mistakes.

Today as usual Mahesh picked us to office.Just 100 meters from the house there is a sweeping curve which joins the main road. I was in the front with him and remarked 'Today,the road is really bad'. Mahesh replied 'Yeah,if i speed up in the curve ahead a wee bit we will skid'. Even before he finished the sentence we hit the curve and imagine what - the car lost grip and did a swooping turn and did almost 270 degrees and almost hit the kerb on the opposite side of the road. Fortunately there was no vehicle coming from the opposite end. I was shouting 'woah,woah,woah!' all the time till the car came to a halt! Lol! Though it was scary at that moment,it seemed fun later on when we were all safe and found the car was not damaged in any way! So finally I got to experience this too! Lol!

Sabudana vada

I was in a bit of a creative mood for cooking today and wanted to try something different and decided to have a go at Sabudana vada. I must say ,I really exceeded expectations of both myself and my flat-mates. My flatie(i dont know whether this word really exists,but i am making this up) Abhishek infact rated it on par on what his mother does(that's pretty high for a guy to be saying that,because mother's cooking is the benchmark for most of them :) ). I will be a bit modest here and will attribute it to beginners luck for i am sure i won't be able to beat this the next time. ;)

Slip and Slide!

Well, After nearly 9 months since last winter I went Ice skating in the indoor rink at downtown. As usual we are the bunch of buffoons,this time trudging along in -30 C. Last winter I had learnt ice skating significantly well and i was not sure whether i still remembered all my skills. I started off gingerly on the ice and within 100 yards of going a guy cut me on my path and i couldn't stop and 'Thud' i fell,hard on my butt. I mused 'Wow,that hurts,its been quite sometime since i fell like this - okay,few more to go today- at this rate i will have a nice shapely hard butt!lol!', I got up and again started. After 5 mins i started gaining my balance and confidence and surprisingly in 15 mins i was back to my old winter state. I was in a bit of awe on the retention capabilities of the brain. All the leg,hand,body and balance learnings came through automatically. I had some thorough fun for a couple of hours!There are some amazing skaters out here who inspire me to reach atleast a fraction of their levels.Looking forward for more this winter!


Me skating!


Fire breathing dragons! It was damn bloody cold!


From left to right - Abhishek, Ankit, myself and nitin (A lady at the bus stop kindly offered to take this snap)



Playing around in the snow!! Its addictive for me, I always feel tempted to touch and throw around snow -though the after effects are painful. lol!

You know what, we just broke the record. We walked in -30 C (-21 F)today and let me tell you,it totally sucks!! :) :) My lips hurt like hell and the cold hit through 3 layers of clothing.

Hell Freezes over!

Though its an Eagles album,that's how i felt this week walking in -25 C or -15 F. Abhishek and myself had this certification exam to take on Monday. Since it was getting late we took a cab and went to the examination center,after our exams got over we thought it wasn't too cold(I am the culprit here saying to abhishek 'can't you take a little cold - mard bano! :) ') and decided to walk home and save some cab money.Little did we realize what we were getting into. The center is about 20 mins from home.

I told abhishek - 'I think the temperature is something around 10 F and shouldn't be too bad'. Boy!!Was i totally wrong. Half way through abhishek tells 'Mayur, I somehow think its lower than 10F - my butt is freezing'. I muse a bit and say 'Yeah, I am also feeling awfully cold and my lips are frozen and i can't talk, It maybe near to zero'. I stupidly don't even have my gloves on and keep my numb fingers within the pockets of my jacket trying to rub my fingers against each other to generate warmth. We trudge along on the snow filled footpath and abhishek says he can feel his toes going numb within his boots and his face is paining because of the numbness. I also experience the same. We keep walking and finally reach home. I rush inside the apartment and I see our neighbour near the door and i can't even speak to her for my lips are numb. After around 15 mins within the regulated 75 F within the house i can feel blood flowing through everywhere.I curiously go and do a google and I flip! It was -15 F temperature outside and we buffoons thought we were eskimos or something and froze our balls and walked in it. Abhishek looks at me and says '10 F huh?'. I smile and say 'Good fun,huh?'.He thinks a bit and then breaks out into a smile and says 'Yeah!'.
Hey! Come on! Not everybody gets a chance to walk in -25 C,do they? Give us some credit.We morons accomplished that and that too for 20 mins:)

King tut and kennedy!

It has been one of my most burning desires in life to visit Egypt. Two reasons - I am extremely fascinated by the Egyptian civilization and the other main reason being to see the treasures of king Tutankhamen.

When i was a kid i had this encyclopedia presented by my Dad which contained information about the egyptian civilzation,one section of it was the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb and the treasures found there and the mysterious deaths associated with people entering the tomb. This fascination was further augmented on my impressionable mind from the twin tintin comics of 'Seven crystal balls' and 'Cigars of the pharoah' which is very loosely based on the Tutankhamen happenings. What started as a fascination for curses and treasures soon moulded into an interest on one of the most fascinating civilizations of ancient history. I even had a go at learning the hieroglyphics and partially succeeded(though i have forgotten most of it now). The academic intensity of finding Tutankhamen's tomb drew upon me much later on as i grew older. I do not claim to be a egyptologist but my knowledge is pretty good on the more famous Egyptian Pharaohs and regions. Through my very small exposure to this civilization through books,Internet and National geographic society has grown this intense desire to view the remnants of this civilization in actual person. Of course,the childhood curiosity to see the treasures found in King tut's tomb still remains.

As providence would have had it, I sated a small part of my desire when I visited Dallas for Vinatha's graduation. The minute I got down from the plane and entered the lounge i saw this huge un-mistakable cut out - The death mask of Tutankhamen! Below it read - The treasures of the boy king at display at the Dallas Museum of Arts. Did my heart leap! My excitement grew! I desperately wanted to visit it but i was not sure if any of the others would be interested. Vinatha,being the sweetheart she is was more than obliging to go there as 'I' wanted to go there.She somehow even convinced her friends to go along who trudged along! Though the exhibit did not contain the actual sarcophagi and the famous death mask and the mummy itself,it did contain many of the important treasures like the dagger that was found laid on the mummy,the headwear which the mummy was wearing, the famous bracelets and necklaces and many more. This was my first exposure to any kind of egyptian artifact and the first encounter was a sort of bumper!! Lol! All i can say is I went around the entire gallery with a childlike enthusiasm jumping and savoring each of them and teleporting myself 3000 years back and imagining things.The treasures were exactly what they are - treasures! It was a fantastic feeling to be looking at such beautiful objects created by humans nearly 3000 years back.In fact I had this weird notion of stealing a couple of them and was imagining schemes to steal them.Lol!!

I guess my dallas trip was a huge blast for three reasons - Majorly because of seeing King tut's exhibition, secondly for having seen Vinatha and Kaushik after such a long time and thirdly - getting to see Kennedy's assassination site - yup,his assassination is another object of interest of mine! It was so fascinating to reconstruct the scene of his death. I have seen the Abraham Zapruder video of kenedy's assassination like umpteen number of times. To actually see that place live and reconstruct what happened nearly 45 years ago on that road sent a tingle down my spine.He is one of the most iconic president's of USA.
I felt a bit sad standing at the point where kennedy got hit by the second bullet which ripped open his brain. His famous words ringed 'Ask not what your country can do for you,ask what you can do for your country'.



The X marks the point where kennedy was shot.



I couldn't get vinatha clearly in view for a good snap,so i had to call her up and ask her to move a bit to her right so that i could take a shot! :)




I guess this is one of the most cliched shots but one of the most memorable and incredible moments to be doing it! Yay!!Way to go Minty!



In front of the dallas museum of Art!



With Kaushik!



Presents from thoughtful friends!

Busy December ..

December has been an extremely busy month. I cannot believe that half of it is already gone! It started off with the Philly/DC trip,then the string of certification exams,then the trip to Dallas for Vinatha's graduation,problems at work!(which is always there:) ).Keeping busy is good but many a times makes you suddenly stop and think , what am i doing with my life? Life is slipping away ,Am i doing the right things, Am i prioritizing,Am i giving time to the right things. I somehow feel the entire life will slip away like this and one day you will just sit back and think 'What happened?' and will probably have no answers. You simply got sucked into 'Living'.

Joy!!

I absolutely adore this new coke ad! Very refreshing and funny and very apt for the season! Happy holidays and spread the joy!!

Security breach!

Since the day i have got my camera,i have faced a few hassles. With who? The TSA people(Transportation Security Administration oF America). Every trip when i pass my camera bag through the scanner at the airports,i get frisked to the side at least once and an inspection is done on my bag. With all the lenses,cables,cleaning kit,filters and the camera itself i believe they are right in doing so just to make sure I am not carrying something dangerous! :) But this blog write up is about what happened at the Philadelphia airport.

As usual I pass my camera bag through the scanner. The lady scanning the bag suddenly squints her eyes,moves the conveyor belt to and fro couple of times and gesticulates to a guy to have the bag checked. I sigh! Here we go again.

Very politely the security officer says 'Sir, can you please step aside, We have to check your bag'. I say 'Okay' and open the camera bag. He looks at all the equipment and i can sense the look of awe. He asks ' Are you a photographer'. I say ' No, I am not, I am an amateur and photography is one of my hobbies'. He -'You got some equipment for an amateur'. I just smile. He says - 'So what kind of photographs do you take'. I say ' Anything i like -but i mostly like nature and night photography'.

He says ' I also like photography'. He talks about what modes i take my snaps with,he looks at my Nikon D300 more closely. I show him a couple of snaps i took,He asks me where all i went,He asks me what kind of lenses i have. Then he smartly says -'Thank you sir,you are good to go'. I give him a big relieved smile and take off.

Its kind of nice to meet a security officer who is interested in photography.I wanted to ask him about his photography but refrained from doing so and just stuck to answering his questions.That's one TSA officer who was more than happy to go through the contents of my bag i guess!!

3 miles..

Its always fun to discover yourself in someway, to accomplish something and feel good about yourself and to explore your limits and see if you can push further. I did a 3 mile run today in one stretch at around 7 miles per hour and I felt elated when i achieved that. I know its no big deal for many people but for me its a personal milestone for my body.Though i have hiked 40 miles max,i have never run. Its the first time ever my body has pushed to run and cross the 3 mile mark(it took me all of 27 years to do it,Lol!!) At the end though my legs were ready to collapse i could feel the satisfaction of doing something. I hope i can keep the momentum going and see how far i can stretch.

Somehow while running i kept thinking of Hermes,the olympian god - The messenger of gods in greek mythology,he has winged feet and i thought i was flying and kept running and running. Lol!

See what no one else sees. See what everyone chooses not to see... out of fear, conformity or laziness. See the whole world anew each day!

Winter is here...

Winter has started. I love the way nature turns herself around.Its like a 'catharsis'- It feels as if she had enough fun and needs sometime alone for herself and self contemplation and just shuts down or sits for a penance or deep meditation(though i know the scientific reasoning too,sometimes the literary reasoning appeals more). Under her direction all her children follow through.The trees have shed their leaves,the animals have all hibernated,the fishes have gone to the innermost depths of the water,the birds have flown. It's cold and dreary and no longer colourful as it was about a month back. The first little white flakes are falling down.

But just as brightness is beautiful,the darkness is also equally beautiful. Its -1 Degrees Centigrade. I put on my coat and stepped out of my apartment and the cold wind hit my face.It was a wonderful feeling.It felt as wonderful as the sun light hits you on a sunny day or the rain on a rainy day. My eyeballs hurt because it immediately went dry because of the cold dry wind,my hands started going numb and i could no longer feel my ears and the tip of my nose stung.But this is another shade of mother nature and i revel in those sensations and feelings which can only be experienced here and in this season. Winter is one of my favourite seasons and i am really looking forward for it.

I find solace in Knowledge, I find solace in Nature,I find solace in music.The greatest gift we have is of 'Life' itself.

Above the clouds.

I have always believed that looking into the lives of other people gives one perspective. People are inherently different and have varied views about different things in life and about life itself. The hardships faced ,experiences are different paving way for different character moulding and thinking.

Humans are inherently impressionable creatures,the brain observes,learns,follows and formulates idea and thoughts and solidifies its thought processes and logic. I have always believed you can learn something from everybody. But there are some people whose lives influence and inspire you a lot. Now ,why they influence and inspire a lot more than the others is a difficult question to answer and maybe very relative.
But,these people bring about phenomenal changes in the way you think and act and re-shuffle your thought processes and perspectives of life a great deal. We become followers for some reason.

Anatoli Boukreevs life is one such example. A high altitude mountaineer who was vilified for his judgements in the 96 everest disaster and who perished the very next year trying to do a winter ascent of the Annapurna.He had climbed 11 of the 14 8000 meter peaks and was one of the most accomplished mountaineers in recent times.'Above the clouds' is a book about his life. When you look closely at his life,his profession,his character and thought process in the book,you just keep wondering whether people like this also exist? You envy sometimes wishing you could live such a life or reach those levels and had such capacities, but you know in the back of your mind that you cannot ! We are just mere mortals!

I keep wondering about the profession of high-altitude mountaineers and suddenly have a deep respect for the likes of reinhold messner,ed viesturs,Jerzy Kukuczka,george mallory,etc. .. and many more.These people have a very different attitude towards life,that is all i can say.Very different from the common masses!

In the foreword Galen Rowel writes 'unlike genius, which is a personal quality that often comes to naught,greatness implies a recognition of unusual human endeavor by the minds of others. It always comes after the fact,and all too often posthumously.Besides involving a continuum of accomplishments,greatness seems to require humility and a willingness to wait for the world to make its judgements. I dwell at length on greatness because I believe Anatoli was robbed of it during his lifetime'. After reading this book and 'The climb' about Anatoli Boukreev i also somehow have reached the same conclusion.

I am touched!

Well, Photography is one of my passions and i do take a lot of photographs. For the first time ever i entered my photographs in a photo competition which was an internal Infosys one and i happened to win the third prize. For me,the main motive for entering the competition was to see how people would react to my snaps. I was really touched when Ankit came over to me and said he wanted to buy one of my snaps. He asked me 'How much?' . I had no clue how much. I said ' I have invested 3$ for printing each snap,so anything above that is fine with me' :) So he offered me 10$ and i gladly accepted and sold my first photograph! Its actually a great feeling that somebody wants to buy my snap. I felt really touched. Today Santosh came over to me and said he also wanted to buy and frame one of my snaps in his house. Well..what can i say. Thank you!! These tiny gestures does mean a lot to me.

Nothng else matters ...

Well, I have another dream come true and like someone in the crowd described ,it was an absolute 'Kickass' show. What made it all the more special was we were just 5 feet from the stage,right up in the front, I never ever imagined that i would be in a 'metallica' show and right up in the front. They ripped most of their famous songs for nearly 2.5 hours, I went totally berserk when they played 'For whom the bell tolls' - that is one of my most favourite songs and have heard it like hundreds of times since my college days,to think i would see them perform it live in front of me just 5 feet away from me was a mind blowing feeling. I was screaming like crazy 'Take a look to the sky before you die..its the last time you will ...' ..
Oh man!! I used to enact this song so much in my bedroom at high volume and stringing a dummy guitar and imagining a huge crowd in front of me and used to think how must james hetfield be feeling when he sings this song and now i KNOW!!!!

It was very much like i had imagined it in all my years! It was too much of an adrenaline rush to me and i felt exhausted completely at the end of the show,screaming and jumping and headbanging. All the pyrotechniques,the lazer lights,the stage lighting was mindblowing. You could feel their sweat up close. For some reason i am a big fan of james hetfield(lead singer),and he has amazing energy to keep it going for 2.5 hours straight,i even got to pat him on his back(lol!! talk about fan adulation..i get to touch him and it feels great,ha ha ha).

Anyways,it was an absolute dream come true for me and never expected it to be so good. I am just lucky to be living out this teen fantasy of mine up so close i guess.

I drove all the way to neighbouring state Des moines ,Iowa for this and came back to minneapolis driving back overnight after the show! Lol!

"I am interested above all in the character who is capable of sacrificing himself and his way of life... It is often absurd and impractical. And yet-or indeed for that very reason-the man who acts in this way brings about fundamental changes in people's lives and in the course of history"

- Andrei tarkovsky, russian film director.

New hairdo!

I have a new hair style -what kind? The no-hair kind. :) Yup, I just went to the barber and asked to shave off my head. I had about 6 inches of hair on my head and he almost fainted when i made the request. Funnily he himself was a bald guy! He pointed to his head and said ' You will become like me' . ' Once hair is cut, its gone!' - I retorted 'No big deal! It will grow back in 3 months,go ahead! '. It took him all of 3 mins to do his job,he went over my head like a lawnmover cutting grass on an overgrown lawn.After it was done- I said 'Perfect'. For that i paid 14$+3$ tip.Lol!! He was incredulously looking at the 3$ tip. I said 'Have a nice day' and left the shop. He just couldn't stop staring at me or my head!! Must have been thinking 'Crackpot!' Lol.

People flipped when they saw me! Many of them passed by me without even recognising me! Many stared at me as if i was a stranger when i said 'Hi' to them.

One of my more India-knowledgeable clients had a serious look on his face when he saw my bald head and asked seriously 'Somebody died?'. Lol!! I flipped when he asked me that!!

I became the talk of the town for a couple of days. People ran over to my desk to have a look at my shaven head. So after the 'Shock and Awe' effect subsided i have followers now. Today,one of the guys from TCS who sits across my aisle got a similar haircut,when i ran into him and looked at his head in surprise he grinned and said 'Inspired by you! ' Lol!!

So, it was good fun the first couple of days,now both people and myself alike have got used to it! :)

Here is how i look now, I unfortunately did not take a snap immediately after the cut, I have considerable hair growth now.