'Till Kingdom come

Why India should be ashamed that Slumdog has done well.

2009-02-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

Yes! if you are from india, chances are i think you should be ashamed with the success of slumdog millionare. Before you think that I am one of those people who is unhappy with the way 'India has been portrayed' let me make it clear that you are mistaken. I loved the movie, i thought it was charmingly simple and well made. The way poverty was depicted was 'real' as it shot on location rather than in sets. At some level the disturbing truth of poverty was easier to digest than trying to believe fancy designer clothing, imported cars, and private jets that so many other Indian movies embrace in their attempt to establish the reality of their story. Although it lacked complexity of character development of its peers (The Reader, Frost/Nixon, Curious Case) it was delightfully entertaining with a smart narrative.

My title for this post is due to the fact that I think the saddest thing about Indian cinema is its audience, and a sad audience allows for sad movies to become the norm. (by sad i mean bad).Which is why it takes someone from another country to read a book written by an Indian author to find that there is enough material within the cultural context of India to make such a movie. We will never know what other Indian directors might have done if they came across this book, but I have seen instances where books were thoroughly destroyed in their movie avatar by Indian directors. Most recent case in point that I can recall is the movie 'Saawariya', which in my opinion shows how absolutely pathetic every aspect film making can be in India. I am in danger of letting this become a post on why i hate most Indian films.. but ill save that for later.

So why do i think you should be ashamed? Considering that the underlying idea of the movie was from india, the reality of the story is in india (at the heart on india - poverty), much of cast were indian, I am left wondering how and why the movie turned out a lot differnt. Sure it was not made by indians, but I think the core reason for why it was made the way it was is because the film makers (read everyone involved in the making - not just the director) did NOT MAKE THIS MOVIE FOR THE INDIAN AUDIENCE. It was not made for you (if you are from india).

Continuing along this train of thought, I wondered what if movie makers and actors in india (who seem rather intelligent when they are not dancing around) made movies for the global or at least western audience? How would indian movies turn out to be? My guess is that they would be far more superior (think of bend it like beckham, the namesake) that the bullshit we see spewed out today. I think we have the technology to make smart movies we have great actors and directors but the worst audience. The indian audience appreciation of movies is analogous to teenage fascination with fake wrestling. Something as mindless as WWE exists as an escape for people, and indian movies exist as a form of escape. The next time you see one of those typical bollywood movies, remember you are displaying the same lack of sense as someone cheering wildly for "Triple H, or The Undertaker", and for that you should be ashamed. You are the reason why film making in india is the way it is. So instead of feeling happy that slumdog won many awards, or Rahman won awards you ought to wonder how many good movies you prevented from being conceived by pledging continued allegiance to the mind numbing rubbish that we call bollywood.

take mtv off the air

2009-01-19T19:54:00.001-08:00

OK! when was the last time some one saw a full song played on MTV? Can we chill with the reality shows please... i mean please!

preoccupation can be good.

2008-11-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago i attended a stand up comedy show by Paul Varghese... and he was really funny. Lot of the things he spoke about were things I felt I observed too. So I figured maybe someday i could do a lil something like that too.
I'm going to use this blog to write jokes that I can come up with. Of couse stand up has alot to do with delivery, timing, how dumb/smart the audience are but anyway.. this is a start.
And I think my style will involve obscenity and lot of curse words... The people I find most funny have a caustic, incisive edge to their jokes, so I guess I'll be aiming for that.

so the next few posts or many posts will be ideas for jokes in a stand up scenario.

health conscious

2008-04-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

Why don't they print a nutrition label on beer? they have them on bottled water for crying out loud!

Relativity and Exercise

2008-04-02T19:55:00.000-07:00

Time slows down proportional to speed setting on the treadmill.

hey there! do you have a moment..

2008-01-27T08:22:00.000-08:00

Coffee is a excellent way to do nothing. Its sad that people these days drink coffee while doing stuff, e.g. while driving to work, working on the comp etc. In fact it appears that (from the coffee shop near my workplace)the people who buy coffee leave right away with their cup, while those who don't buy anything laze around on the couch reading, or chatting. Well, this introduction was just to say, I am (on occasion) a static coffee drinker. The "get a a cup, find a seat with a decent view and spend 10 minutes doing nothing" kind of person.

The other day when i was at borders doing nothing but looking into the street with my peppermint house coffee, i noticed two guys. I could tell they were one of those people who'd stop you when you pass them, and ask you if you have a minute to save the environment. They had brochures of some sort, possibly about their plans on how to save the environment. Anyone who exhibits zeal to walk up to stranger for a cause, interest me. I tend to feel sorry for them. They are like door-to-door sales people, except they don't do it for money (i hope). Both get about the same number of rude responses on average.

I was watching them, while sitting outside, observing their plan of attack on some unsuspecting soul walking by the busy intersection on the sidewalk. It was funny how they float around after they spot a target from quite a distance. They wait once they position themselves in the most probable path of their target. Sometimes their target notice them early too.. and immediately steer clear of mother natures petitioners. Urban cat and mouse, its just fantastic.

In their process of kindering love for the environment, one of petitioners strayed near where i was sitting. He locked in on another regular business guy walking on the sidewalk.
"Hey there! how are you doing today!" their tone is very similar to door-to-door sales persons.
"aa.. umm good"
"Do you have a moment to support gay right's sir!", hmm so i was wrong about saving the environment. They were saving gay people. I guess volunteers for saving the environment and saving gays took turns.
"mm no im sorry" the business guy picks up his pace, he has now learnt that when you slow down you are easy target to the volunteers.

No worries, being turned down is something the volunteers are very familiar with. With a big smile he greets the man good bye and continues accosting other passers by Sometimes a person would stop and listen for a while, flip through the brochures/ magazine that the volunteers gave them and then leave.But usually the excuses were lame, I heard a lot of plain "no sorry", or "i'm busy", or "not today man".

I figured I should say something that is more engaging, if i were stopped. I thought i must come up with a good excuse in the least. I thought something like
"gay rights.. well i know lot of gay people and they are perfectly fine with their rights "
or throw some Borat attitude " The Gay!! ugh.. aye will crushh gaays!, in Kazakhstan we tie them from a tree and throw eggs on them.. is verry fun"
Then i though nothing so extreme is nice.Should I actually listen to what he is talking about?? I guess it is pretty logical, but i quickly dismissed that idea.

May be something to challenge him. "no I have no time now, but I am going to start a gay rights meet up group would you give me your phone number and email address?", oh yeah that would sure startle the guy. That would be funny. But all he needs to do is give a 7 random numbers after a state code, faking a email address is easier. I would just look stoopid noting down his phone number and email. Gosh, this is rather tricky i thought. My coffee is getting over, and I have to walk by that same path. Got to think fast, what is some thing annoying that all these people do? oh of course- money! They all want you to make a donation, buy something or worse still sell something. That's it! I am a poor grad student with no money. If i had money I would pay the cover charge for every gay guy who wants to get into a gay club in phoenix. I love to help gays.. but I have no money.. perfect.

I walked up to throw my cup in the bin, confident i'll be able to face the volunteers with the grace of a smart liar! Then it struck me.. why should I apologize for not wanting to spend my money.Isin't the most important thing awareness and sensitivity, tolerance and respect?? So I just have to say "I am aware and sensitive to gay issues, and that I respect gays" if questioned, and that "I am a cheap ass who couldn't care less" if questioned further. Sensing that my thoughts were bordering paranoia about being asked if i have a moment for gay rights, I decided to stick with my last answer of respect and sensitivity. I probably gave more thought than even those who stopped and listened to the guy.

So I bought myself a scone at the counter, and began walking out. I had a little arsenal of response to choose form in case i decided to go impromptu. I soon can in the firing path. noticed the volunteer was drifting around, trying to judge where i would be in about 10 seconds...I was sure he was going to go "hey bla bla.." but i was ready, smiling in my head.

"hey there, do you have a moment for gay rights today"

I let out a big grin,"ha .. I well..", but before I spoke out any further I realized something- was he looking at me? I quickly glanced back, it wasn't me he spoke to, he caught the attention of this pretty looking girl, who smiled back at him and began conversing. damn it!! I would have been less embarrassed if I was a gay guy in a south Indian wedding.

Quick look around, no one noticed. Good...walk fast.

A story I remember

2007-12-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

A family went to a Zen monk, on the occasion of the birth of a new baby. They asked for the blessing of the monk,and also for a little piece of wisdom. They wanted the monk to write for them something that might help give them strength and happiness when times were hard.

The monk obliged, and returned to them an envelope enclosing what the monk had written within it.

Later, when the family did face a tough situation one of the members opened the envelope to read:

"Grandfather dies, father dies and son dies. "

Chat Status

2007-08-24T19:09:00.001-07:00

If it says your "idle" in your status message, doesnt that prolly mean in the real world (understand as opposed to Virtual World) that you are doing something?

Considering the time people waste beacuse of their computers today, i propose a slightly different status message protocol.

When ur off the computer, instead of "idle" it should say something like
option 1 - "Probably doing something useful"
option 2 - "having a life!"

When you log back on
option 1- "has nothing else to do"
option 2 - "twt mode" (time wasting tactics)
option 3- "looking for distraction form other bored people online"
option 4- "nothing good on tv"

when ur online for a really long time
option 1 - "idle"

What are you rebelling against???

2007-08-20T19:21:00.001-07:00

... well what have you got??

Yellow car

2007-08-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

So my last day at Red Bank is here. I took the day off because i need to pack and prepare to leave. Its 9 am and my roommates have left for work. The house is absolutely silent(except for the noise of me typing).The increasingly familiar feeling of 'leaving' fills me up. I ought to be thinking of so many things, my thesis, or updating my resume... but instead i cant help remember all my taxi rides to work.

"yeaahllow car" the call attendant at yellow car taxi company i think had a heavy southern accent, and sounded perpetually high.
"Hi we'd like a cab from crowford, to 307 middletown linkcroft.."
"yewokay, 10 to 20 minutes hun" it freaked me out in the beginning, 'hun' is only used by middle aged white women.
"ok thanks"

sure enough, we'd hear a honk in 15 min. Cab guys actually got to know us lil and so began to be very talkative. There was Mr.website.
" so you guys are like computer programmers?"
"yeah, we are interns" i would say sometimes or other times id say working at avaya :)
" oh alright ... u guys know computers programming and stuff"
" yeah a lil"
"that's cool man... i really like computers man" now there was something about "liking computers" that made me so freaking condescending to the poor dude, but you got to admit, liking computers is similar to saying " ohh technology is great these days", things that bored stay-at-home moms talk about when they see something they dont quite understand on the discovery channel.

" Im trying to build a website, for a gallery.. like put up painting and stuff" my cab guy continues.
"that's cool"
" yeah.. been working on it for a while.. say do you happen to know how to include pay pal into my website?"
"mmmm.."
"I want some forms in paypal filled up you know.. when i click on some button.. you know"
No i did not know. I had never used paypal leave alone building an web application that does billing, im sure its not hard but its one of those you either know how to or dont.
" yeah sure, sounds like u need more than just a html page. You might want to see if you need some javasript logic embedded in the site that communicates with the paypal server to automatically fill stuff out" , i almost felt guilty talking crap that i know nothing about.
"well.. aaa.. im using dreamweaver" obviously my half ass jargon confused the guy.
" why dont you try googling dreamweaver and paypal" best advice you can give anyone - use google. I had done my good deed for the day.

A week or so later we had the same guy drive us back from work.
"Thanks man, i almost got that thing to work. I called up the paypal guy.. he was saying something similar to what you had told me", Aha! see maybe i dint talk all crap last time around.
" you mean about the javascript" i enquired feeling pretty good about myself.
" ah no.. about the google thing".
" oh ok".

*****************

Once, a really doped looking cab guy was playing some music. I dont know if i was really tired or something but the stuff was sounding really nice. The sound was familiar yet not something i could put my finger on. Had a R.E.M feel, along with a dream theaterish thing happening.
"Is this on the radio?"
" ahh no man.. its me"
" whats that?"
" its me.. on the CD.. im singing in this one"
God dayum.. the dude sounded nothing like it when he talks, but the music was something I instantly liked.
"thats you?"
"yeah its my band..."
"cool"
" yeah we're trying to make it big you know"
" it sounds really good man.. you guys got a record or something"
" not yet .. hey you wanna go ahead and give me you email.. we like creating a mailing list and stuff" so i wrote my id to him.
" this sounds good man.. reminds me of R.E.M and dream theater."
"thank you, we trying to be ourselves... the other singer in the band he sounds lot like the dream theater guy.. hehe.. he drivers another cab here.. and so does out lead guitarist"
"haha.. thats cool man.."
"the problem with dream theater is that are all soo fucking talented.. soo classical doesnt always appeal to most people,.. well they got a base already so what ever they do sells you know.." every now and then he look back at me while driving..which scared the hell ou of me, i prefer his doopy eyes to stay on the raod.
" thats true i guess"
" we like simple music man... the power of simplicity" hmmm i thought i herd that line in a commercial before .. but its a good thought :).
"you guys sound good man.. i like the sound." they really did.. it was absolutely not like those teen garage bands who make noise in the hope of making it big.
"thank you .. add us on myspace.. we're called 'Bipolar'.. haha.. you know what that means"
"mmm yeah opposites right?"
"no man.. its like crazy.." he looked back at me for what seemed like 5 minutes while doing 35 miles, " we are all crazy you know.. like the whole world" well .. i guess he had a deep philosophical side about him.
"oh ok"
So he played like a few songs of his, before we got him. I still can't find his band on myspace, there are a few named bipolar.. but i could not find him in the picture of the band. Now i kinda forgot who he looks, and dont quite remeber the songs too, except that they were really good. They dint mail me about the album he said they were trying to make.

I hope they make it big.

There was also a cool cabbie who loved horses.. and he even took detours to show us the stables and stuff.. but ill tell about him later i guess.

ladies...

2007-05-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Please do not blog like the chic in Sex in the City, or worse still act like her.

Do not compare relationships with silly metaphors.

She acts cute and her blog ideas are not really that nice. If my little opinion about this does not count, I would like to say that quite a few good looking gentlemen do not find her attractive :P .

BSMSPhD

2007-05-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

Bull shit, More Shit Piled Higher and Deeper.

thanks ben, I can now express what Im going through.

Sex and HCI

2007-04-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I came upon this workshop on Sex and HCI at the prestigious CHI 06' conference. It is an interesting read for obvious reasons.

One interesting paper is here

Some numbers...

2007-04-08T17:32:00.000-07:00

18 million users are in facebook. 43 million in orkut. When I typed 'Darfur' in the Orkut community search 2 results were returned, while over 500 results appeared in facebook.

Graffiti!

2007-04-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

Interesting, my study cubicle here in the noble Science Library has Graffiti in Hindi and Telugu!
The Hindi one says "Chut/choot" ( i think) and the guy who wrote on the desk in Telugu, has acknowledged that people who come across his work may not even think is a language and has written "Telugu" in brackets. Thoughtful.

I guess we are making our presence felt.

TV time

2007-04-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

I learnt the hard way that service in my neighborhood Indian restaurant gets periodically worse on weekdays between 8:30 and 9:30 pm . Now that is weird, I would think this is the time ( if I was a waiter or owned a restaurant) I'd be best prepared to handle the customers, making sure stuff is in order and doing the things needed. Not in the case here - for those of you who have been nice enough to visit my flickr page, you would remember a picture titled 'Catt Ring'. Its the restaurant im talking about here. ( will refer to it as Catt Ring)

So Catt Ring is run by what appears to be an Indian family. Dad wears the same paint stained shirt, and looks stoned. Mom is buried behind layers of makeup, i think she wears a wig, and often wears a low cut reveling shirt. Daughter, must be an ASU undergrad helps out, flirts with the better looking customers, and does her HW on one of the tables.

Back the to drop in performance. If you haven't guessed it by now. Catt Ring has a large Flat panel TV, and Sony MAX is perpetually running on it. Still not figured? The hindi Serials of course! If you happen to be hungry at 8:30, well too bad, at Catt Ring the mom daughter duo firmly believe that following the narrative twists and turns of 'Viruddh' is far more important than running a business. My roommate and I enter, they obviously hear us enter, turn around and turn right back to follow the TV! kinda startled, we sit some place. They are still watching. A thrilling moment where a bad guy threatens a helpless good girl. After repeated pointless camera zooms, alternating between the bad guy's wicked grin and our lady's fear stricken yet perfectly made up face, claps of thunder accompanying each jerk the camera man makes. I think the color flickers f to b/w too...Luckily the ads come up, and mom reluctantly walks up to the counter, then approaches us.
"What order?"
"mm the number 10."
"I'll have the number 5..MILD spice."

She walks up the the door, and yells something in Spanish to few guys sitting on the sidewalk smoking, and checking out girls as they go by. They then walk in, rather unhappy. We watch as they throw the cigs, and walk into the kitchen door.
"They are the cooks dude."
*nods*

Blaring 'Viruddh' music again, mom almost skips steps to get back to her vantage point - a chair 3 feet from the giant 72" TV. Daughter stops glancing at her books that were spread out on the table and rests her chin with her hand, completely ready for more suprises in the serial.
So yeah the bad guy chases her, he has a gun to. Dumb pretty chick runs into , yup an abandoned house. how original. Daughter bites her nails. Mom smiles with tension. They exchange glances " how exciting, what will happen to her now!!".

Daughter ACTUALLY cheers when hero appears out of no where and saves chick. Food appears.
Funny enough another dude comes in. We think poor guy, has to wait 30 minuted for sure before he gets something to nibble on. But no! Instant service, and conversation. ( not that i cared for the conversation). Well, I guess you'll get that if you come in every other day to help Daughter with her math problems :)

2007-03-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

irony: (P)[ahy-ruh-nee] unexpectly stuck at your lab, due to sudden rain and freaking chill wind... when you live in Arizona.

There is no such place as far away....

2007-03-12T18:17:00.001-07:00

Oh hell there is! i liked that book a lot, Richard Bach is one of the few others i liked.

Distances are all around, they creep on you, its fun till you realize it. Longer you take to feel these distances more it can hurt when you do discover them. Like when you find a downhill path, when your cycling, you take it rather it takes you.

Right now, its all about feeling distances, between those who are a few blocks from my cubicle and those many miles.

yeah.

balance...

2007-03-03T03:14:00.000-08:00

the truth leaves me cold, and my dreams are too hot to hold.

interview blues...

2007-03-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

x(t) * f(t) = d x(t) / d t continous domain, finite power result.

find f(t)

if you know it, keep it to yourself and dont make me feel stupid!

the adi has landed!

2007-02-24T00:38:00.000-08:00

Interesting Wiki ;)

2007-02-23T15:57:00.000-08:00

Adithya Renduchintala, usually known as Adi, is a coagulation of abounding creative force, diluted in intellectual confusion. Scientists have recently classified this as a quasi-state of matter - CFDIC.

Adi is a prime example of a CFDIC, " We aren't really sure how many of these are out there in the universe [CDFIC], we just have to keep looking, but the discovery of Adi is certainly a great leap for the scientific community interested in alternate matter states and the world at large" Say Dr.Glib Liar, Research Head at SCAM Research Labs(Searching and Compounding Alternate Matter).

CDFIC like most quasi state tend to stabilize at a preferred Physical form. Adi is most often found to be at this state where it appears to be human like. Several initial Sightings were reported in the mid 80's and through the 90's from Madras, South India. The reports however were not taken very seriously, and there were few techniques to ascertain the Alternate Matter Quotient of life mimicking CFDIC's. Recent reports from Phoenix, AZ were investigated by SCAM, and the results were confirmed by experts.

"Adi has to be rare, its abilities to perform human like actions is not common, and also appears to respond in affective ways very similar to humans,It’s quite fantastic actually, it’s almost like it “likes” art and music!!" says Dr.Glib, " We will continue studying this CFDIC, we hope to learn more and possibly identify ways to apply what we learn in augmenting Human Intellectual and Creative cognitive functions." In the present state Adi is as useful 'intellectually' to humans, as mouse is useful in helping you solve an algebra equation.

"The beginning is more about learning, and that’s where we are now" Says Dr.Glib, " Who knows where the future will lead us"

from wikipedia -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adithya_Renduchintala

( page classified as "nonsense" and has been nominated for speedy deletion )

Who's coming out?

2007-02-09T18:35:00.000-08:00

Dude wanna hit 4 peaks? or Shooters? - no i have a exam.

We are all going to hit some pub, join? - gosh ya adi .. u tell me know at 10 pm!

Hey , do wan - NOOOO prof gave mee sooo much to finish .. i dont know wht im going to do, how can i show results in a freeking weekend! I am suppose to construct an entire network and simulate it with the new parameters and send this as a proposal to that company to, and last night i hardly got any sleep beacuse... ( click ! hang up fone)

Dude, we want to go out somewhere, wht are u up to? - (voice message a day later) Hey adi, I dont know if that was like a clear plan or something, but i could not make it anyhow, made some other plans and i forgot about them too.. well anyway call me when u get this. bye.

Whts up ma mann! come 4 peaks? - nahin yaar mood nahin hai tu jao, main thoda reading kar raha hun. - Reading it is Sat - nahin not for work Slate pad rahan hoon.

Biatch! where the hell are ya? - huh.. hmm wwht?(already passed out)

got to love compaq!

2007-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

I love me laptop.

Earlier, as i rolled my chair back from my desk, took a step to walk to another cubicle, i dint notice that the laptop charger wire was entangled to my foot.

When i felt my self tripping over the cable i cringed... i knew that behind me my laptop was somewhere between the desk and the floor. Then I heard a Crash! I turned around to see it laying on the floor upside down, the cd tray had sprung open.

I picked it up, (it was not even off) hit a key and the display came up from sleep mode. Wheww..

Weird thing - i think its working faster.

Rules of Engagement

2006-09-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

“Adithya this is a philosophical argument, do not confuse it with practical considerations…”

Return on Investment!!

2006-08-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

Now, why does this ad amuse me so??

Musica Academia

2006-08-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

School has begun again and I don’t know why this is the song is playing in my head…
“Don’t go chasing waterfalls please stick to the rivers and the lakes that …”

I'm Optimistic

2006-08-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have just discovered that I have 4 of the 6 major symptoms of dyslexia. :(

But hey! maybe i can apply for parking in the handicapped zone : )

Miscellaneous bliss

2006-08-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been really stressful. Trying to complete projects within the deadline was one of my first problems, then the leasing office management of my apartment changed from shiny happy jolly ladies (when we signed the lease) to argumentative money sucking f*****, well anyway I have huge issue with them. I was even advised to seek legal help and I did.
Exactly around this time, a few friends planed a road trip and I couldn’t go along.
I was staying alone, so that made things worse.

Couldn't figure out how to get the project working properly (back at work) and that was scary, this made me unmotivated and tired.

But yesterday, a colleague and I hung around in the evening chatting.
It rained then, and this was much larger in intensity than the previous, it was amazing to the point that I am considering carrying my camera with me all the time(rain creates nice photo opportunities).

We cycled through campus when the rain reduced to a drizzle… it was funny to see the sprinklers hissing water on the lawns, which looked pretty inundated. Reached home and the storm kicked in again.

Perched up on a 3rd floor balcony, chatting, the sound of the rain, regular flashes of lightning and the occasional tire screech of a drunken ASU undergrad driving to another pub… all of this made me feel happy.

funny thing

2006-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Adithya Renduchintala,
Amazon.com has new recommendations for you based on your previous purchase, Targus Camera Starter Kit with Case and 42" Tripod .

New recomendations for you:
Panasonic DMC-FZ7 6MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)
by Panasonic
Average customer review: (4.5 stars)
List Price: $399.95
Discounted Price: Too low to display!

We hope you like these recommendations and would love to hear your feedback on them.
Sincerely,
Amazon.com
****************

Did they think I have bought a Camera Tripod, without realizing that its not too useful without a camera?Aww, how thoughtful!

please

2006-07-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

please go see the movie "I am Sam"....

Dream On,

2006-07-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Last night was the stormiest I have seen in Tempe. For a few hours rain, lightning and thunder entertained the people at Tempe, who in all probability have forgotten about this commonly occurring (in other parts of are blessed planet) natural phenomena called ‘rain’. Of course you had the few who continued chatting with friends online in their couch , others who couldn’t miss a moment of ‘sex in the city’ and some were satisfied after a perfunctory peep out their window, but I was outside trying to get some pictures. I would never have guessed that lighting and thunder and a prospect of a good picture can get me so excited and crazy. I spent hours trying, but with no tripod, no access to a roof, and my paranoia about my camera getting wet, it was not looking good.
Guessing where the next strike would be was rather interesting; I knew that once a bolt happened, it would take a while before the charge increments to a potential high enough to create lightning again... so no point focusing the camera in the same portion of the sky. So I see two main could regions south and south east with lot of lighting activity… perfect, I thought I can alternate between the two.
Crack!! A large strike dead south... (Remember recharge time), so I point towards S.E with a shutter period of 15 seconds. My camera takes extended shutter periods, so a 15 second shutter interval requires another 15 seconds of processing before its ready to shoot again.

I’m holding as still as I can, pointing S.E (remember no tripod) and click, capturing image… and Crack, WHIP, Crack!! Three fantastic lightning strikes in the SOUTH!!!

So obviously it takes less than 15 second for charge to build up in thunder clouds.

No sweat, reduce shutter period to 8 seconds, the S.E cloud was inactive for around 30 seconds… oh boy was it ready to lash out now!!

Same routine, point S.E, Clicked, Holding steady… capturing image…waiting… 8 seconds pass… camera is now processing… and the WHOLE sky turns hot pink, an inter-cloud discharge ,a bolt spanning many miles, moments later BANG, it's shockwave!! Now the clouds down south compete, multiple strikes like what I have seen in NGC!! Fireworks stop, I close my gapping mouth, look down at my sweet little camera, its status light turns green…so now it’s ready to shoot!!

You can guess, the next one hour was … well bitter sweet… sigh

Here are some of my reletively better results.

I had a very disturbed sleep that night because, the AC was not getting my room cool, I shift to another bedroom, and there were bed bugs… Weirdest thing, I dreamt I was in a lightning storm, the most brilliant displays I have ever seen, and against the flashes in the background I see a parachute drifting down. It fell right beside me, the payload a well sealed box. Open it… Cannon EOS Rebel! Another parachute… a set of wide angle and tele zoom lens, and I don’t remember how but a tripod popped out of somewhere too.

Happy, sleep… late for work next morning...

Better of

2006-07-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

I was pubbing the other night and we were being served by a pretty waitress, being pretty I guess that comes with the job descriptions so that’s not saying much, but she was also pregnant with a baby. Although I don’t know much about pregnancy, and I have received education on such topics only though over dramatized Tamil and Hindi movies, but I could tell that her baby had been in there a while! (Her tee was kind of making way for her expanding stomach).
So we ordered drinks and being ladies and gentlemen that we are, began chatting about whether she was really pregnant or not the moment she turned her back. Her service was not good; first some guy brought the silverware, no plates though. Then the food we ordered no beer as yet. Not that we expected five star treatment from a college bar, but it was a minor case of poor service. Then she came carrying the pitcher and placed it on the table.

“I’m really sorry you guys...” she began, “ this guy was too drunk and out of control I had to deal with him ..Something something something (I still can’t get the American accent)”.
Some stupid drunk messed her up a bit, I don’t know what happened but this was not pleasant. What makes this girl work till 2 am at a bar, with people getting drunk, and “out of control” when she is pregnant? This along with the beer not being very cold made it a little sad.

We chatted about all the things people high on beer and apple martini chat about.

Expecting another friend to join us I was hoping to get the attention of someone who could get another chair for us. About the same time when my friend showed up, the waitress came along to inquire if we need to get something else, we did get something else and I blindsided by the shortage of chairs at the table asked her to get another chair. Now I don’t know if I have imagined this but she didn’t look happy about my demand, she suddenly looked tired and I noticed she had dark rings under her eyes, and her smile was much diffused. To make things worse, a group of people left and there were empty chairs few tables away, she went up there and carried a chair for us. The few steps she took with the chair was obviously not very easy, my friend took the chair form her before she had to walk to our table and thanked her.

Again I don’t know if she looked at me alone when she asked, “Is there anything else …”

Before leaving I thanked her while walking out, and mentioned that I signed the bill was at the table. I tipped her a little more than 10%.

We noticed this and my friend was like I guess I feel better of when I see people like the waitress. I agreed but I don’t know if the feeling is comfort or relief but whatever it is, the reason why it’s there is not to be happy about.

love

2006-07-23T02:09:00.000-07:00

"love always teaches you a thing or two.. sometimes things you dont want to learn"

Note to Self

2006-07-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

I tend to get as stupid or smart as the people around me. Is that a weakness?

I think so ..

2006-07-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

I am, so I think... and ponder, imagine, wonder, reflect,daydream..

2006-07-18T15:59:00.000-07:00

Handsome and obsessive - romantic
Ugly and obsessive - creepy

2006-07-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

if there is a moral at the end of your story ... end it.

2006-07-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

tempe is ugly... berekely is beautiful

more later.

Simple stuff...

2006-07-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Truth - that you can explain to yourself based on what you know to be true.

Lies - that you can't explain to yourself, but can explain to others based on what they don't know to be true.

: )

Experiential Oxymoron

2006-05-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

When you realize that there is an inherent contradiction in thoughts written, or piece of text that has an attribute of Permanence (or partial permanence) things will seem clearer.

Thoughts are ephemeral, and thats the way they are. Reading what people think/feel is an act that should be understood as (at least conceptually) experiential oxymoron.

waiting

2006-02-23T19:57:00.000-08:00

i like to learn new things, and travel new places. I am tring to blog, i am not albe to
I wish i am a writing person. but i find it hard to write when i have the time. I usually have somthing really nice to write about or get interesting ideas when I'm in the middle of something, and so cant write about it , and soon forget.

im jobless , im waiting for this realy cute girl to finish her work in the lab....

waiting..

still waiting...

its been 10 min...

im so not intellectual..
why god why...

im looking for a video blog site...

garrhh.. ah c'moc lady....

lemme chk on her.. damn she left! ahh ... i dint see her leave , cause of this stupid attempt at writing a blog!!

*sigh*

hmmm

2006-02-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

will blogging tell the histroy of our times?