Update

Sometimes it is just so hard to state the obvious.
(and I do not mean the answer to 'Does this dress make me look fat?')

But you chip away at the matter, careful to only take it away piece by piece, hoping, trying to avoid the big blow. But sometimes, that is not always the best strategy.

The flip side is that one really can't be sure which was the way to go until you look back after its all over.

I, however have shifted the thinking a little. Decided to give it a push. Let's see how it goes.

In other news, I find the Sony Ericsson default ringtone more than a little irritating these days.

Where's your crown, King Nothing?

Careful what you wish
Careful what you say
Careful what you wish; you may regret it
Careful what you wish; you just may get it

Even though its intended to be as a warning of sorts, I would welcome my wishes coming true sometime. Hell, how will I know regret if I don't get my wish in the first place. Considering how contrary to my wishes everything is running, a little optimism will be a nice thing. Regret - I'll deal with that later. I'm used to it now.

Sunset

The good thing about a West Coast is that you don't need to get up early for scenes like this. A nice relaxing nap and afternoon tea are way better than alarm clocks and bleary eyes.

The one with the movie review

Its the season for movie reviews. Past two days, every blog update in google reader is invariably a movie review. Even when I asked someone (yes, you know who you are) a simple question on the lines of 'what's up?' - I got a full 500 word review in reply. So I thought I would write one myself. Here goes...

An american friend of my uncle's had seen it already. 'Its such a sad movie', she said. 'I was crying all the time.' But no, Slumdog Millionaire is not a sad movie at all. Infact, if anything, its a tale of hope and joy, of picking yourself up when life has you at its lowest, of never giving up.

As Jamal recounts his life (in a British accent, but lets ignore that), its not hard to see what would make people think its a sad movie, depressing in its tone. But perhaps because we are immune to the sights of extreme poverty, conditioned to look the other way when the child-beggar knocks on our window, we can look beyond the despair to what is ultimately an optimistic tale. While the sight of kids playing cricket on the runway may tug at many heartstrings, we know that at that moment, those kids are truly happy, without a care in the world, enjoying themselves - no holds barred.

Not exactly a helpful movie review, I know, but there are 4 (maybe 5) loyal readers of this blog, one of whom has already seen it, one won't, one doesn't trust me (yes, its you again) and one who swears by my word. So me recommending it helps nobody, really. Anyway, do watch it if you have the chance. Like Andy Dufresne, Jamal Malik too crawled through shit and came out clean.

In other news, a song that I keep listening to these days.

Shine on you crazy diamond

According to WHO data, the average life expectancy of the Indian male is 62 years. Which means 39.5% of my life is over. Gone. Of course, if the genes I have inherited play their role, it could be lower than 30%. Which is a small relief - yes, but it does nothing to dispel that feeling of 'what have I done so far!'. People my age have won a F1 championship, bagged a Nobel Prize in Physics, started billion dollar companies and committed genocide. Some are even getting married. [shudder] . The point is - people lead exciting lives. Mine has about as much excitement as wallpaper paste and the future prospects are of a similar texture and consistency.

But it is heartening to see that while you may have a very low opinion of yourself there are people who prop you up, add a little chaat masala to your bland life. I refer of course, to the dewd, whose probing questions about my personal life make me feel like a celebrity on a colonoscopy table. Sure, most of these questions are related to the mystery surrounding the presence (or absence) of a female influence in my life. But hey, someone cares. And that is what matters. Plus, questions like 'when was the first time you held a girl's hand?' make you feel like its 3rd standard all over again. By WHO reckoning, that's just 13%. Which gives me plenty of time to practice my left foot braking and diffract X rays around crystals.

This post would have ended here if it wasn't for the fact that me and the dewd are so close that we are almost brothers. Which means my brother is his brother. Which means he is fair game.

Cartoon penned by Meera, who surprised me with this when I told her the tale and commented that she would do a good job of cartooning it. Which she has. She also turned out a solo one starring me but that is for another day.

Tunnel Vision

Sometimes the tunnel is so long and winding, you cannot tell if there is light at the end of the tunnel or if you will emerge in total darkness - lost - not knowing where to go or what to do.

What one can hope for, however, is that there are tiny specks of light along the way to show you that you are on the right path - that you aren't lost yet. Just a little bit of reassurance.

Of flowers and people

Oft quoted is the nature of a rose, with its thorny stem leading to a beautiful, fragrant bloom. Yet, that big negative does not in anyway detract the rose's position.

Aren't people the same way. Especially the ones we hold close. We know they have faults. We know there will sometimes be pain. Clashes and conflicts. Does that mean we discard them? No. What stays with us is not the prick of the thorn but the texture of the petal.

If anything, it makes it more worthwhile.

A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Roses are relationships. They don't claim to be perfect. But they do light up your life.