Why so random - II

I hate people who try too hard to be random. I know this is the second time I am ranting about it on the blog, but it is just too much to handle. It’s not these acts of randomness but the reason why they do it, that gets on my nerves.



Get attention. Now being random is very post-modern, but trying to get attention is so not! Convince me that you truly believe in all that you say not by overdoing it but by living by it.


So next time you spot someone trying to be all over the place in the name of post modernity, please stop and slap their butts. Do not encourage such people because that is exactly what they are looking for.


Exist because you love to rather than to prove a point. Try to be cool because you are born that way rather than putting an act on. It is so not cool.

This or That?

I have been thinking of buying a really nice pair of Ray Bans. But I am confused as to what style should I go for, though I have my eyes on the Wayfarers for a while, especially their rare prints collection.

Also I checked out this cool application called Virtual Mirror that lets you try out different styles.

Check it out if you got a webcam and lots of free time! Its a nice app to keep you company during those tedious late night study plans. At least for me ! :)

                                              

Hail dementia!!!!!

Fucked and sucked: Arab Strap

It is quite a pity that I discovered Arab Strap fairly late. Now theirs is not the kind of music I was hunting for, but it was more of a chance encounter and boy! do I love them or what?? I have been listening to all their albums since the 1990s on the loop now. And they are amazing company during these painful examinations.

Arab Straps last album, The last romance is quite a mix of alternative and profoundly indie numbers. My favourite being Stink for its eclectic and bold lyrics. Check it out :

"Burn these sheets that we've just fucked in



My weekend beacon, I've been sucked in


Just one more time and then you'll get tucked in


I think you might still be my best"

I checked their lyrical theme and I was sure it would be : bold, brash and real. These lyrics are about raw emotions that we usually try to hide in the niceties of the romantic-dreamy-starry eyed narrative. Vocalist Moffat's unpretentious voice lends the perfect blend to the crude lyrical notes. It is quite clear how much he hates the drama morning after ;) I am not surprised they call themselves Arab Strap ;)

Note to self

It is quite a wonder how most of my reflective experiences occur in unusual places namely the toilet seat, in the bathroom while washing clothes or while waiting in the queue to fill water amongst many others.



Today while washing truckloads of clothes that accumulate due to my habit of changing clothes at least four times a day, it occurred to me how I need to adjust my focus. For a very long time a constant thought had been bothering me. I simply could not pinpoint on the reasons but at the back of my mind, it kept nibbling on my tiny brain.


As I was clearing out my stack of dirty laundry, I was simultaneously clearing out my mind as well; very metaphorical it turned out to be. I smiled and thought of putting down this experience on the blog.


It occurred to me that, though I am existing now I need to start living again. Do things I used to do to be happy. Think of good things so I dream of them at night. Though I know all of this will happen only after the next five months pass. But at least I can look forward to the time after so that these five months pass soon.

“A person is a success if they get up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.”  Bob Dylan

Bitch Talk

If I ever see something I do not like to see, I swear I will tear it, break it or burn it.

Six hours in Shillong

Shillong happened just like that. On an evening when I was supposed to be in Delhi, on a whim I decided to first go to Guwahati and then to Shillong. I took the first flight out and with just two days in hand head out to a place I had only heard of or read about.


I planned to travel with a Maharashtrian family who were staying in the same hotel as I and we shared a cab together right upto Shillong. I had six hours, a bunch of strange people for company and whole lot to see. It wasn’t exactly an ideal situation but I wanted to make the most of all that I had. Though the initial plan was to travel to Tinsukhia, but my Daddy rubbished all demands within minutes of putting it forward and I settled for Shillong.

The drive from Guwahati to Shillong was laced with more than just potholes. What caught my fancy were tribal women selling neatly cut pineapple and jackfruit all along the highway. Not to forget the spicy bamboo pickle, I think it is the only pickle that I’d ever like to have considering I hate pickles. The weather was gloomy, the mountains green and people friendly. I read somewhere that the only places one can locate any culture is in its people and their behaviour.


It was a perfect milieu of bonhomie and a whole lotta love. Now there is something more to this story which may also be the reason for me smiling ear to ear throughout the drive. It was so overwhelming that I could even get through the pain of travelling with a bunch of people who knew nothing about the place or its people; they were just there to spend money and boast of a vacation to a far off land.


As I neared Shillong I saw why my friends gushed about Shillong so very often. There were tiny houses, pretty girls in their best and little boys with pink cheeks waving at every passing car. Group of teenage boys strumming Californication on their guitars and all of it happened in perfect rhythm. Music was everywhere, to the extent that I paused  my iPod and within seconds put it off. I wanted to hear the sounds of Shillong and sink into the sights of the city. As instructed by a friend I headed straight to City Hut for a nice meal and strolled around the Police Bazaar locating places I had only heard of before.

                                    
Next pit stop was the View Point. The winding roads up to the point had by now drenched in rains and very little was seen of the Military area around it. As I stepped out of my car, I sudden spell of cold gripped all of me. It was too much of a change from the warmness of the city to the chills of the mountains. I saw all of Shillong washed in bright sunshine from where I was.


Like this very piece my trip was half done too. I couldn’t see more than half of the places I wanted to. Couldn’t listen to all the beautiful music I wanted to, couldn’t meet all the people I wanted to yet. Yet I loved every bit of whatever little I saw. So a next one should be planned soon. Till then, a little tip for all travellers: Never travel with ignorant fools, trust me no matter how smart you are, they will make you feel like a fool as well. I wish I had known. 