Friday, October 27, 2006

Fact: TOI cares nothing about quality reporting


Fiction: They also claim to be the leading newspaper in many leading metros in India.
Proof: circled in the image (Main page headline news of TOI Friday, Oct 27th 2006)

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Gayle through Australia


And how!? One man. Just one man, one quiet, calm and cool man. But what he did to the Australian team yesterday is pull off an almost impossible win. Just him. He was growling, on the move constantly, and nipping at the heels of Clarke, working him up, and getting into his psyche. He did get under his skin, the two warnings from the umpires to prove. Clarke getting worked up pushed Gilchrist on the other side to fall first. Things almost went out of hand towards the end of Gayle's spell, but some mistakes from him forced him to cool off. His spell didn't get him any of the wickets he wanted (his only one was of the dangerous Symonds) at the end but was enough to spark of the collapse of the Australian middle order. Super match! Super Gayle!

Friday, October 13, 2006

Cafe Tacuba - Puntos Cardinales

My favorite band. They are from Mexico and I have given them the credit of having redifined music for me. Yeah! that much.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Synaps at Zero G, Bangalore

Synaps - Soundcheck before the show.

Synaps at ZeroG






Synaps got a gig going at ZeroG on Friday. They ended up playing in the empty pool on the 10th floor and a frightened sound team that screwed up their sound as it was raining on and off. The still managed to pull off something energetic enough to get the audience into the pool! Great stuff guys. Do full electric shows and no acoustic stuff!

Saturday, October 07, 2006

EL INCONSTANTE - Pablo Neruda

Los ojos se me fueron
tras de una morena que pasó.

Era de nácar negro,
era de uvas moradas,
y me azotó la sangre
con su cola de fuego.

Detrás de todas
me voy.

Pasó una clara rubia
como una planta de oro
balanceando sus dones.
Y mi boca se fue
como con una ola
descargando en su pecho
relámpagos de sangre.

Detrás de todas
me voy.

Pero a ti sin moverme,
Sin verte, tu distante,
Van mi sangre y mis besos,
morena y clara mía,
alta y pequeña mía,
ancha y delgada mía,
mi fea, mi hermosura,
hecha de todo el oro,
y de toda la plata,
hecha de todo el trigo
y de toda la tierra,
hecha de toda el agua
de las olas marinas,
hecha para mis brazos,
hecha para mis besos,
hecha para mi alma.

(I wouldn't translate this one)
(Sorry)
(But like its title, this one is about The Inconsistent Man)

Distracted men

she said she was painting her walls green
he said he was distracted
she said she'd be there at noon
he said that he loved the local cuisine
she said her kitchen was open
he said he'd bring some wine
and a friend
she later said the friend was a vulture
he said that he looked like one too
she said that he was a simpleton
he said that it was alright for her to think that way
she said it was nice to meet again
he said he reminded her of fresh green apples
she said he should explore the local cuisine more
he said he never noticed the twinkle in her eyes
she said that he had attention problems
he said he had left his heart behind
she said that she'd look anyway
he said that she should act her age
she said she thought she found his heart, elsewhere
he said nothing
she said that someone once said jealousy can't be infatuation
he said he'd pay attention to the local cuisine
she said that he was naive
he said he'd rather not notice
she said that he was playing hard to get
he said he'd rather miss the boat
she said she never pushed hard
he shrugged his shoulders
she said they'd have to go down that road
he said he hadn't packed
she asked how could it be wrong
he said there was nothing
she said she'd never change a thing anyway
she said he broke his heart
he said he never saw it coming
she called him a fool
he was ok with that
she said they needn't run into each other anymore
he asked her to stay a little longer
she smiled that winning smile
he said he hadn't noticed, again
she said she'd look in his kitchen
he said there was nothing in there
she went in and found his heart
he said he'd love for ever
she said he dare not break her heart
he said he won't forget
she laughed
and put the saucepan to the flame

Friday, October 06, 2006

Vedhoo at Lalbagh












Picnic time at Lalbagh for Vedho and me. Am still impressed with the place - organised, accessible and very well maintained.

Cebiche Monday!






Monday was a totally fruitful day - my bro managed to cook up some awesome cebiche at his place.

Allow me to convince myself

some part of me likes to lay down
and smell the grass
find peace with everything around
everybody and anything
absent-mindedly putting a smile on my face
feeling trippy and content
only getting a little edgy
when I get this urge
to spread the warmth
a tooth ache would give up
with the optimism and joy

the other part says that this
was laziness
and that I should get to know
the devil in me
the devil that I am

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Give me a little bit of your heart

At seventeen I found myself in another place. Strangers around me. What a wonderful place. Rich in culture, natural resources and complacent, happy people. I read that it is known as the heart of South America, Paraguay, land of the fearless and the absent Guarani. They went to war once, the terrible Triple Alliance War. Fought like the mad men they were, driven by a despot, against Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay put together. From the two hundred thousand odd, only around twenty thousand men survived, that too because they were too old or young to go to war. What was once a magnificient land was left to the vultures.
What I saw was something incredible to believe at that time. This country could live of itself without a hassle. Why would German missionaries and Mormons buy land in the interiors and get lost there? They figured it was the perfect place to do just that, get lost. No trouble makers to stalk them, no advanced civilization and modern amneties to entice or lure them away from their lives.
I met many interesting people there. There was Silvio, the frustrated mechanical genius who could finally explain the difference between a 2-stroke and 4-stroke engine. There was Ruben, the young kid from a small village trying to make it big in the city. There was Gustavo, the gentleman from Uruguay who felt it compelling and necessary to be kind and gentle in a madhouse. There were the Castillo brothers, Ramon and Luis, local boys who had to live up to their madness - lewdity and honesty running through their blood like the beer available. There was Noelia, totally gorgeous, atleast to me, with that lisp that drove every guy crazy. There was me. Trying hard to learn the ropes from the very bottom. There were the crazy sisters from next door - Luisa, Elsa, and Mirtha. Wonder how many times I got daggers stuck into my back as I happily went over, invited by their brother, Raul, where the local boys always wanted to be.
I don't know if the weather made the people there crazy. Summer was hot. Incredibly hot - atleast 44 d.c. Then the rains that never stopped. Then the winter. I remember how my bones ached when the wind from the south came in. I was told that this is how it is in the pampas. Yes, I forgot, Asuncion, was part of the great pampas that stretched across 4 nations.
The soil was red and very rich. Silvio used to joke about how a tree would spring out from his shit if he ever made the mistake of doing it outdoors.
Raul lived in with Liliana downstairs. Liliana is this heavy person with beautiful features and Raul, was pretty tiny compared but had a heart of gold. Guess that's how they pulled through. Raul worked at the national power company, so we'd go out to the club every once in a while to play tennis under lights and get a glimpse of the city. Life was kinda settling in till I met Roberto and the gang from Villa Bonita.