Saturday 14 December 2013

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Shakuntala

This is my version of Shakuntala, a character from an Indian classic.


Thursday 28 November 2013

The Deaf and The Dumb

Its human nature to be unable to listen to what ought to be listened to. Its human nature to be unable to speak what ought to be spoken. But is that righteous?
It reminds of a not so pretty scene of a courtroom; the defense attorney unable to completely prove the innocence of the defendant and a biased jury unwilling to listen. Again, is that righteous?

It so happens that many deal with this among their peers. They say friends are a part of a support system; that they should listen to one's problems and help them out. But what is one suppose to do when that system is filled with the deaf? And even if they could hear, they are like the elderly; a more selective type of hearing. Are they truly your friends or are they just mere imperfect human beings?

What about the defendant, in this case that one singled out who is trying to sing their troubles. How willing is one to sing? Even if they had the will, how good are they at singing? Either they can express themselves perfectly or they choke; in other words, a case of dumbness; Cat caught your tongue?

It seems like its both of their fault, the deaf and the dumb. But wait...is that entirely correct?
Isn't that why a support system is for; to help a person express their worries and to help them with those? Shouldn't friends help the dumb find the words? Shouldn't friends overcome their deafness and listen open mindedly? Or, is it that my entire conception of friends wrong? Or am i just underestimating the imperfectness of humankind?

Is it right for people to act deaf when they can hear? According to me, it is wrong and unfair to the dumb. So, if you aren't "deaf", listen, because there is a story to be told!

Post Note:
The above was just me rambling about a confusing and over-thought thought. Hope that justifies the rhetorical questions. It is meant for those who have a lot of patience and have perfect "hearing" (reading ability in this case).

Saturday 2 November 2013

Portrait


A portrait of my friend. I wouldn't say its a good resemblance but, as my friend so often says, its ‘close enough’ (inside joke).

Thursday 31 October 2013

Doodle art


Tried my hand at the art done by artist ahelplessheart, an artist I follow on tumblr.
I love her doodles because I find the relationship between the colours and the drawing to be very symbiotic.

Friday 18 October 2013

Saturday 31 August 2013

My 3 E's rule

Its been a long time since I wrote something. I have been busy working on a project. While working on my project I managed to coin a particular concept. 

When an engineer designs a machine they want it to be efficient. Secondly, they want the machine to be harmless to the environment. And finally they want the machine to be cost efficient. These are three major factors that an engineer tries to achieve in the design.

This concept can be applied to each and every work carried out by us. I call it the three E's rule.
Any work we do must satisfy the 3 E's:

  1. Efficient 
  2. Economical
  3. Environmentally friendly
It sounds pretty unimpressive when you read it. But its exactly these sort of ideas that help in structuralisation of any work you take up. So, try applying this rule because it might actually help. 

Monday 19 August 2013

Another charcoal sketch


I love drawing human figures. If you are starting to think that I try avoiding drawing faces, though I hate to admit it, you are right. 

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Another doodle



I actually saw this on the hind of a taxicab.I was a bit bored today, so I just ended up trying to draw it. It was pretty simple.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

A do over

A year ago a friend had asked me to make an artwork for his band. I told him several times that I was really not good at sketching. But he insisted that I give it a shot. The music my friend was into was of the transitional sort. So, I wanted to make it a bit more (lets say) hip. I had just doodled something and I had come up with this.
The idea that I had was to be rid of sight and speech and too only hear the music. As you can see, I literally stuck to that idea. Well in the end my friend's band broke up and I completely forgot that I had done this doodle. But today while I was rummaging through my books I found this doodle. I had some spare time so I sat and redid it in charcoal. So here it is.

I got to say, it was pretty fun doing it again though I didn't make any major changes.

Sunday 4 August 2013

Doodle!

Doodling is the most easiest thing to do. You don't have to be good at art to do it. Its the most ideal way of clearing your mind. Just get a pen and paper and let your hand do its thing. Happy doodling.

Friday 26 July 2013

My 50th post! The pearl in the sky.

Its been just a bit more than a year since I started writing here. So, for my 50th post, I decided to write about one of my favourite things.

I have the habit of taking my dog out for a walk at precisely nine o'clock in the night. And without fail the first thing I do when I get out is lookup and search the skies for a glimpse of the pearl that sits in the oceanic sky. I should say this before I continue, I find the moon to be the most beautiful thing I have ever set my eyes on.

I'm sure many people find the moon is be pretty and astounding. But, how I feel about the moon is tremendously different. A vague way of describing it would be to call it a mixture of emotions. Desperation as I scan the sky; Anxiety as the time passes by looking at darkness; Uneasiness when I fail to locate it; Relief when I do spot its halo; Bliss as I capture its beauty with my eyes.

The moon sometimes reminds of a geisha. Don't misunderstand, I mainly refer to their mannerisms and their beauty. They were known for their infamous dances that usually is performed with props such as hand fans. I find this similar to the way the moon hides behind the clouds. I feel like its actually dancing with a grey veil, that it chose in order to perfectly complement its complexion. It wraps the veil around itself unmasking once in awhile, similar to the way a rhythmic gymnast twirls her ribbon. Also geishas had particular ways of conducting themselves with their clients. Though their entire body was covered by their kimono, they still manage to catch people's eyes when they flaunted their skin through graceful hand movements. According to me, the moon behaves likewise. It just peers ever so slightly through the clouds, just enough to taunt you and make you ask to see more.

To many, the moon signifies loneliness. I believe this conception is imposed by the idea of a lone wolf howling at a full moon. But to me, the sight of the moon is comforting. I do not feel lonely, rather I feel the opposite. As I gaze upon the moon, I think that there is someone, somewhere, at sometime or probably the same time, who does exactly the same thing. A person who feels the same way as I do when I look at the moon. When I think about that person, whoever they might be, I feel like I'm reaching out to them. After all, we are two people in this vast world who share the same feelings.

You might think of me as a fool to feel like this regarding an inanimate object. To that, all I can say is, I am what I am. The wholesome feeling the moon inducts into me, is so satisfying. Be it a crescent or a full moon, it never fails to please me. That is why, I found it very apt to write my 50th post on this miraculous thing.

So here is to the moon and to the next fifty posts. Happy blogging!

Tuesday 9 July 2013

Silhouette

I always wanted to do a silhouette. I finally did one. I committed a huge error by doing it on a thin sheet. So, I wasn't able to get the proper shade of blue I wanted because I was afraid the paper might weaken further. 

I know the image is pretty clishe. But, I wanted an image that was without complications since I am not good with a brush. To be honest, I borrowed the idea of it from a friend. Hope the next one turns out better.

Sunday 30 June 2013

Big difference

Its surprises me sometimes, how such a small thing can make a big difference.

This was one of my charcoal sketches. I love drawing trees without leaves. Though they seem monotonous and a bit creepy, there is a beauty in it.


But when I asked my mother how it was, she suggested adding leaves. I hesitated at first, but when I finished drawing the leaves on one branch, I actually thought it looked good. Just a couple of leaves made a huge difference.


Friday 21 June 2013

And another one

Simple work

I always wanted to try stencil work. But I did something different instead. Though its still the same concept. Its really simple to do, and it has a pretty nice outcome.

I realised my mistake later that, I should done it using a pen, rather than charcoal.

Friday 14 June 2013

Carry on my wayward son

We go about our lives sometimes without even noticing the feats that we overcome. Its only when we are most vulnerable or beaten down that we realise what we have achieved.

This song by Kansas, though has many meanings, has a special meaning to me. I have never ventured into the deeper meaning of this song, for I have always enjoyed listening to this song at face value.

The song according to me is a man singing it to himself in order to convince himself to keep living. The man looks at himself as a wayward son. A son who is now lost and almost defeated by all the endearing tasks he had to face.

The theatrical start is pretty much like any life ought to begin. Its absolute silence with only a chorus singing in an angelic manner. Its as if the man's inner voice is forcing him to believe in himself; To believe that what he is going through is not will not be in vain. As the chorus fades away, the starting beat kicks the story off. The story of his past.

The man's childhood and adolescence is narrated in those 45 seconds of sheer music ingenuity. half a minute into a song the music gets a slight sense of darkness; almost signifying the period where the person deals with the temptations of life. Either that or I could be way over my head in this song. Hopefully its not the latter.

What follows is when the true story starts. The story of the man's troubles.
Well many say that the the para that follows is about Icarus. For those who don't know the story of Icarus, here is the gist. 'Icarus and his father Daedalus, were imprisoned by minos. In order to escape, Daedalus who was a master craftsman, made wings out of wax for both his son and himself. While trying to escape, Icarus got way too ahead of himself and flew too high near the sun. Obviously, the heat melted the wings and Icarus fell into the sea (also known as the Icarian sea)'. So, the song speaks of something similar if not the same. It tells us how a man can get too proud and allow his pride to burn himself. But in order to gain pride, the man had to overcome some difficulty;
"Once I rose above the noise and confusion, just to get a glimpse beyond the illusion. I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high"
So though he achieved something, he achieved nothing because he was too proud.
"Though my eyes could, I still was a blind man. Though my mind could think I still was a madman"

All of us are victims of pride. We all have the tendency to get carried away when we accomplish something. Our ability to stop and get back to reality is what makes us wise. In the song this over proud man continued in the same egoistic path believing he was undeniably right. He was so unaware of how illiterate he was about life, that he became the utter opposite of what he claimed to be, a fool.

But in order to change, the man had to realise he was wrong. He has to awaken from his daftness. After all, in order to realise that we need a map, we have to first accept that we are indeed lost. I like to believe that the refrain that followed the part about the man's awakening is that map that guided him.

The song's bridge is the turning point. The energetic riffs just make your mind bobble. Its like the part where the man started making a change. When he started living for the right reasons, and filling his life with the right experiences, the right people, the right objectives.

The last refrain has an emphasising feel to it. To me in this refrain, I feel like, the man is now singing along with his inner self, for he now believes in himself and he's hope has been revived.

My favourite bit, is the guitar bit that trails off after the last refrain. This is the end to the man's story. The music is like it is glorifying the man and his wins.

This song always has a way of lifting my spirits. I am not sure sure how much of what I wrote was understandable. I hope I was able to convey how I interpret this song. Until my next post,
"Carry on my wayward son, there'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more"

Saturday 8 June 2013

Losing that something

You know how they say that "you never truly appreciate something until its gone"? Well I guess it is true after all.

It could be even the smallest negligible thing. But once its gone, it doesn't seem so negligible. Its funny how our mind works. How does something that didn't matter, matter so much once its gone? Is it that we start realising how much we care for that thing or is it just an instance of the selfish notion of "what's mine should always be mine'?

That something could be anything(pretty funny how my blog title slips in once in awhile during my posts). It could be a person, a pet, a nonliving thing, an abstract thing. Absolutely anything. It needn't make entire sense. It could even be something foolish like a catch phrase. It could even be a song. When you like a song or anything a lot, and when others start saying they like it too, its not an entirely nice feeling. You will feel terribly annoyed when you know that they don't like it for the right reasons; or they haven't understood the real meaning of it. Of course, it all depends on what sort of a person you are. But why is it that we feel that way? It is possessiveness, like "you do not deserve that thing because you will never like it the way I do"!

Well those cases are to some extent understandable. What I don't understand are the cases where you don't want that thing anymore. You want it gone. But when you see it fading away, you are displeased. These are definitely not those situations where you realise that you don't want to lose that something because you start remembering how much you care about. No, it isn't. Then what is it?

Or is it just that you are scared of losing something that used to be yours? The fear of knowing what was yours will no longer be yours. To not want something, but at the sametime want it! Is it naive to feel like that? Is this how the human mind works? Its frustrating the fact that we act so foolish when we are so well educated! So frustrating that you can even tend to lose focus at times.

So what do you do at times like that? I guess, if you want that thing to stay with you, you have to learn to appreciate it. If others like that thing, be it for the wrong reasons, you have to learn to share it. And if you no longer want that thing, no matter how aggravating it is to see it go, you have to learn to let it go.

Tuesday 21 May 2013

Mediocrity

The past couple of days have pretty much been indistinguishable from one another. In other words its been a normal couple of days. But the only thing that was out of place was my annoyance. For some reason, on most of those days, something just kept pestering me. Though they seemed entirely uneventful days, I didn't feel the same.

Day after day it was the same thing; Almost periodic; Absolutely nothing apart from the ordinary. Yet, after every day, I felt agitated and frustrated for no clear reason why. I guess it was the repetitiveness of it all. I was so put off by the mediocrity that I had no interest in even writing about anything.

Do you know how it feels to hear the phrase "whatever..." from an immature's teen? It is highly irritating, but you aren't bothered enough to do anything to change it. Well, that's exactly how I felt about the past days. Its like watching a normal movie over and over again. The predictability of it allows you to utter the dialogues before its occurrence. That pretty much describes the past few days.

I don't understand why I found it so aggravating. Those days were not bad. I laughed, had fun. But the normality of it was just irksome. Is that what happens when you stop enjoying? Or when you start picking out the tiny troublesome things though might be insignifiant?

Perhaps that is the answer. Tiny things that don't go according to your liking usually have a tendency to affect you and wash away the effects of the good things. Maybe that's what I have been doing wrong. I've allowed the petty things get the better of me.

The only solution that I can think of, is to change my view on things. I have to stop ignoring the good events. I have to cherish them more. If I overlook such stuff, I'd be basically going against the point of this blog. Even if it is a small good event, it shouldn't go unnoticed. It could be a cackle, or the feeling of a soft slightly overgrown lawn, the comfort of the shade of a tree on a sunny day; no matter how little it is, it deserves my attention. Like I said, 'In a world like ours even the most inconspicuous thing could actually be something'.

Thursday 9 May 2013

An Experience - part II

I left my last post saying I lacked the ability to put into words how I felt after I spent half an hour with a group mentally challenged adults. I'm gonna give it a shot now.

Its pretty clear that I was speechless. Well it was because I was experiencing mixed feelings. I was withdrawn by the fact that the people I was dealing with were adults who were devoid of the usual mentality. At the same time, I was overjoyed by the sight of their happiness when they were painting.

Continuing with my story; While I waited for the others to return from their lunch, I saw a child of perhaps 3 years of age. She was unable to stand, so they had strapped her a board and made her stand against the wall. She did not speak. All she did was swing her arm a bit. Her head was bent down and she was drooling. I went near her and touched her little hand. She immediately grasped hold of my finger. I was so taken away at that point. As she held my finger and tightened her grip around it, I realised that all she wanted was compassion. And is exactly what she was receiving at that institute.

When the residents of the institute returned after their lunch, I took on another group. This group consisted of three males. I was not able to gauge their age. I started painting with one of them, in the same manner as I had done with the previous group. The person I was working with was highly enthusiastic. Even when I moved on to work with the second person, he was refusing to let go of the brush. But the best part was he kept repeating that what he was painting was really good and very much to his liking. Secondly, he referred to me as an older sister.

The second person was very calm and not interactive. It was upon my insistance that he actually took part in painting. He barely spoke. All he did was repeat a couple of words which I uttered in emphasis. The third person didn't want to do anything apart from looking at us paint. He did laugh once or twice which I believed to be a sign of being entertained.

How I felt at that moment is so hard to put into words. Ironical, isn't it? Well it was as if at that moment all that existed in the world was me, those three unique men and our happiness.

After that, a kid approached me asking for help with his painting. He looked about nine years old. I sat down with him. The manner in which we collaborated was much different from how it was with the adults. The children don't want to be spoon fed. They have a sort of inner confidence that they can do it. I found this factor so surprising. The confidence that most people lack is so abundant in this children who are underprivileged.

After completing each one of their art pieces, the children would show it off so proudly. I admired this quality of their's. They were so fearless of being judged. You might say that their mental challenges is what allows them to feel like that. Even so, it is a respectable quality.

I helped the child with quite a few paintings. Soon as I was done, we had to wrap up and leave. We had taken photos of us working and were just taking the last few shots to add to our album. Suddenly the child I was working with came up to my friend who was taking the pictures. Devoid of speech, the child pointed at me, then himself and then the camera. It was pretty clear what he wanted. I was elated by what he just asked for! I had spent probably less than an hour with him. Its such a nice feeling when you are able to connect with a person over a very short period of time. We had our photo taken and we took off.

Through out the journey back to my college I kept thinking of the past few blissful hours that I spent in Navachetana institute. Those few hours are probably one the most happiest and overwhelming hours of my life till now. It was an experience that made a permanent imprint in my life. An imprint that I will treasure and try to deepen over the next visits to Navachetana.

Friday 3 May 2013

Star wars day!

I'm a star wars fan. So happy star wars day to all the star wars fans out there!
May the force be with you!

Monday 29 April 2013

An Experience - part I

A couple of weeks ago, my university celebrated its annual cultural festival. Being part of the arts club, I had quite a lot of work to do in its preparation.

The arts club try to do their bit of charity by raising funds for needed groups. This time they wanted to contribute to the Navachetana institute for the mentally challenged. The plan was to raise money by selling artworks created by the people of Navachetana institue. A couple of us were made to go and get those pieces of art made. I was a part of them.

Before I continue I should state the fact that I had never indulged in any sort of charity work apart from donating clothes or books. So it is understandable why I would be hesitant to participate in this event. Apart from that, I had never interacted with any mentally challenged person till then. So, what I was about to step into was a completely uncharted territory to me.

I was actually reluctant to go because I had a lot of pending work. But upon insistance of my superiors in the club, I agreed.

So a team consisting of five of us headed towards the institute. The ironical part was that none of had any experience in dealing with the mentally retarded. All we had were some paints, markers, crayons, paper and our ever friendly glue. I hate to admit it, but I was not enthusiastic about visiting the place even when we were enroute. Buy all that changed in due course.

Upon arriving, we were greeted by who seemed to be the head of the institute. I say so because of her obvious dominating character. She lead us inside and gave us some simple instructions on how to interact with the children and adults of the community. She told us that without any help, they didn't stand any chance in creating any sort of presentable art. So if we wanted results, we would have to guide them, however tedious it might be.

Having soaked in what she said, we stepped into that unknown land. We split ourselves into two groups. One tending to the adults while the other managed the children. I took on the adults.

I approached a group of adults that sat in the corner of the room. They consisted of a female and two males. Due to my anxiety, I failed to ask them their names. My conversation with them was carried out in Kannada (the language spoken in my state). I asked them if they wanted to draw or paint. The lady was more proactive unlike the males. She told me that she would love to do so, as long as I guided her through it. To which I replied that, that was my intent. I placed a brush in her hand and held it. We dipped the brush in black paint and painted an elephant. She was terrifically pleased with what she had done.

I, then turned my attention towards the males and asked them what they would like to paint. But I got no answer. I assumed that they were just scared. So I took my brush and placed it in one of their hands and guided it through the paint. We painted stick figures. By the look on his face I felt that he was amused.

Soon after we finished, the head of the institute came and announced that it was lunch time. She advised us to use the time to plan out what to do next, now that we had an insight into what we had to deal with.

And plans we did make. We cut out certain shapes for them to colour and stick on. We thought that was an easy and simple way of accomplishing what we had sought out to do. But through out that break, even while we were planning, my mind was else where.

My mind was too busy trying to comprehend what had just happened before the break. I'm afraid, I still don't have the right words to describe what I felt. Hopefully I will be able to convey my feelings in my next post...

Monday 15 April 2013

My first go with charcoal!

This is the first time I'm using charcoal. Hopefully I'll get better at it. If you have any tips or comments, let me know because it'll help me in learning the art.

Sunday 31 March 2013

Uncertainity

I have been having a blast this last month. Things have been pretty great except for a few petty misnomers. For the first time the phrase "too busy having fun" actually makes sense to me. But at the same time the phrase "All good things come to end" has always made sense to me. The uncertainty of whether things will continue to be the same is not a pleasant thing. The feeling you get when you realise that someday it will all go down the drain is just haunting.

I know I've said change is a good thing. But I'm human, I go back on my words. Nobody likes it when things go bad. Especially when it happens all of a sudden. There is no way of preventing it. All you can do is handle whatever comes your way.

Here I am having the time of my life, with absolutely no idea of whether its going to last or not. I feel terrible when I think about it. Leading a life in anticipation of what is going to occur next, sounds wasteful.

People say we ought to live in the present and not pester about the future or the past. But is that really possible? Can we actually move on? According to me its impossible to do so.

No matter how hard you try, there will always be a part of you reminiscing about the past or wondering about the future. The past is a part of us and the future is something that will soon be a part of us. Being human, its inevitable to ignore any part of us.

I guess all we can do is try to lead our lives with minimal worries. Try not to plough our past with scythes. What's done is done. No point in digging unnecessarily when you know that no treasure lies down below.

As for the future, try having fun with its uncertainty. There is no point in brooding about the future, because all it holds is just more future. Its like what Isaac Asimov said "In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate". So just enjoy while the game lasts!

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Sketch

Been a while since I last posted something. Reason being because I've been a bit busy. Thought I'd just upload a sketch I did. Nothing great as usual. Just some usual amateur work.

Monday 18 February 2013

Thickheadedness

I didn't have a great day today. I took the bus to my college today. While walking from the bus stop towards my college, I noticed a lady on her scooter. She had rode up onto the pedestrian pathway in order to ask the shopkeeper for some goods. I was irritated by the fact that she was so lazy to park her scooter and walk up to the shop. I ignored it and walked past her. Within a few seconds I heard a horn go off behind me. When I turned around and I saw the same lady still on the pedestrian pathway, asking me to give her way. I was terrible annoyed and I asked her what she was doing driving on the footpath. But the answer I got was just a simple shrug of the shoulders. That's when I lost my nerve!  She managed to nudge her way through and got off the footpath. As soon as she did so, I caught hold of hand with my left hand and I applied the breaks of her scooter with my right hand.

She was scared. I questioned her why she was driving on the footpath. She replied that there was no space for her to remove the vehicle. I stated that she should have used the same way she got onto the pathway! Then I spent the next few minutes yelling at her for not using the vehicle lane. I realised that there was no point in trying to get through to her. I just asked her to leave and I walked on, towards my college.

You might think that I was rude and shrewd. If so, then that was the exact idea that passed me as I narrated the story to my friends. But, at that point I lost my calm. I just hoped that the lady realised her mistake. Another incident occurred towards the end of the day.

After my class I hopped onto a bus towards home. I was fortunate enough to get a seat. Feeling relaxed, I turned my attention towards the woman across the aisle. She was engorging a piece of sugar cane. What disturbed me, was the sight of her throwing the piece of sugar cane out the window after chewing on it. She kept at it. I wanted to correct her. But, I thought I should try a different approach this time. So I took out a book from my bag, tore out a sheet and handed it to her. Then I requested her to put the chewed pieces onto that sheet and throw it away once she reached home.

The good news was that she actually obeyed. She put all the chewed pieces onto that sheet. I felt happy and I thought being kind actually helps gets the message through. But boy, was I wrong. As we approached her stop, she got up, crumpled the sheet containing the pieces of sugarcane and through it out of the window! I was angered by that. But I didn't react much apart from a sigh.

The lady in the bus was clearly an illiterate. Still that is no reason to not have simple manners. But the scooterist was a literate. I know so because she spoke to me in perfectly good english. Yet, she failed to be able to follow simple rules. To be an illiterate and do wrongs is one thing. But to knowingly go wrong being a literate is plain disgusting. This isn't the first time I've seen such unattractive events. I've lost count the number of times I've seen educated people spit in public places. The act of spitting is according to me one of the most ugliest habits. And to see people spit is just depressing. I fringe every time I see a person do it. Be literate or illiterate, certain amount of social behavior is a necessity.

Well, people knowingly committing social "do nots" is only half the problem. The other half is their inability to listen to a person when they try to correct you. In other words, thickheadedness! There I was trying to correct two people. And most probably I've failed in both cases. Not only did I waste time on such pointless people, I also wasted my energy. What do you do in such cases? Do you just ignore such events and move on? Or do you fight a gain-less battle hoping to win? My mother advised me to do neither. She told me to pick my battles. Fight the ones you know you stand to gain and avoid the ones where defeat is inevitable. I'm going to try following that advice. Seems like the most sane thing to do. Doesn't it?

Monday 11 February 2013

Ramble on!

If you had read my ealier posts, it'd be clear to you that I'm a Led Zeppelin fan. One of my favorite songs is undoubtably "Ramble on".

One of the best parts of this song is the soft percussion by Bonham. Its as if he was just tapping his sticks upon a softer cover. But I know it isn't. The way the Jones bass and Bonham's drums play with each other as if dancing in a feud is impeccable.

And the lyrics! Oh gosh, its probably one of their best ever written. Page and Plant did a great job on it. The most interesting part is how it has references to the poem written by Tolkien in his "Lord of the rings". I, being a fan of the Lord of the rings, enjoy these glimpses into Tolkien's poem.

Mine is a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear
How years ago in years of old, when magic filled the air
T'was in the darkest depths of mordor, I met a girl so fair
But gollum and the evil one crept up and slipped away with her, her, her

The comparison of the woman to the ring and the two guys fighting over her to gollum and sauron is so playful, yet brilliant!

The opening lines of the song reminds me of middle earth. Ah, middle earth!

This song was one of the first few songs I ever heard of Led Zeppelin and has remained one of my favourite rock songs of all time. The variations in the vocals was carried out by Plant in a perfect manner! Can't think of anyone who could've done a better job.

Page's brilliant riffs and Plant's vocals which intertwine each other like creeper and enveloped by the warm sunlight provided by the the bass and drums play off make this song complete and pretty much flawless!

The song is literally about a man trying to find the perfect woman. But the woman is just a metaphor for our desires. The idea of just wandering off in to the world in search for what our hearts truly desires is a thought that would have occurred to all of us. To get away from everything and go backpacking, would be great. But right now, I wanna complete my studies, get a job, build my life. I do have quite a lot on my plate right now...

But I know I've got one thing I got to do, Ramble on!

Wednesday 30 January 2013

Complexity

Nirvana was one of the greatest rock bands of the 80s. I am not a huge fan. But who doesn't like a few of their songs. I guess I never became a fan because I really never could understand what Kurt Cobain was trying to convey. Yes, of course, his enunciation was terrible. But the complex issues that he tried merging into one song was what I could never break down. Random phrases like "mosquito", "albino" in "smells like teen spirit" still don't entirely make sense to me. Well it might not have been just random phrases to Cobain. It might have been his way of conceptualising the deranged world that he and all of us tried and are trying to live in.

I admire him for trying. A man in his 20s who tried to fight; A man who mustered support from masses aka "Y generation"; A man who was idolised. The reason behind his suicide is still unclear. But one reason is that the pressure got to him. The pressure of being an idol; of being the leader of the Y generation; a hero of the rock world. All that pressure and the want to unravel the complexities of life itself, might have been too much for him to handle.

We all have had our share of complex situations. The kind that make you want to pull your hair out and shout out so loudly that people miles away from you should know of your troubles. They happen more often than we'd like them to occur. Sometimes a simple task which should be overcome without any hassle, turn into a mess. It could be as simple as brushing your teeth in the morning. You could run out of tooth paste. And what should take usually five minutes turns into ten minutes. The extra five goes into salvaging what is left in the tube. Maybe you could manage to squeeze some out using both your hands, but by the time you get your tooth brush near the tube's end, the roll of paste just crawled back in. Complexity is annoying, especially when it occurs in little petty things. But those cases are overcome easily.

Well, that's not the case when complexity hits the big stuff. When that happens, at times it becomes hard to comprehend the situation. We then stand immobalised, not knowing what to do next. If we panic, we will trip over. The only option is to take a step back, consider everything and take it from there. If you are successful, then its a lesson learnt. Not only do you get to know the mistake you made, you will also get to know how to tackle the problem if it ever happens again. But if you fail, then you can't do anything but see your pawns topple over. The most you can do is minimise the injuries. But even then, if you learn from your mistake, then you haven't lost out entirely.

Complexity isn't always healthy. Its like poison. In tiny doses, it makes us stronger. But in large doses its fatal. Much like what might have happened to Cobain. If we take the right measures, we can avoid it. But if it still manages to slip through and create chaos, that isn't the worst case scenario. The worst case is when you are unable to defeat it. So, the least you can do, is fight! Don't succumb to it. Give it your best shot! Cobain tried. And I admire him for that.

Friday 18 January 2013

Company

I've had a pretty lazy day today. Got up late didn't do anything apart from the usual. In the evening, I sat on my bean bag, jumping from one website to another aimlessly on my laptop, with my itunes running through songs in the background. But it wasn't till I heard Led Zep's "Tangerine" playing that I noticed the being curled up next to my feet. It was my dog Bubbly. She had pretty much drifted off in a sound sleep, almost exactly how "Tangerine" can capsulate you and transport you to summer's eve by a lagoon.

As the song went into its chorus I focused on her breathing. They were deep and slow breaths. I understood then, that she was so comfortable sleeping beside my feet. I didn't want to disturb her sleep. She was so happy and pleasant. It was as if in her mind nothing existed apart from me and that my presence was the most ultimate aspect for her.

I started thinking about our time together and it dawned upon me that she is such a beautiful creature. She has never asked for anything beyond the necessities. Obviously she can't ask verbally. If that were the case, then I'd be stinking rich by now. She gives these looks which convey what she wants. The "I'm dying" look usually means I'm hungry. When she goes near the door, it means she wants to go for a walk and empty her tank. When jumps around, it means she justs wants to play and try ripping my limbs off. Haha! Just kidding, she plays by the rules and my limbs are very much intact just like the way I like them. But as she laid there, I knew that all she wanted was my company.

I couldn't help but smile. I was so tempted to wake her up and give her a hug. But I resisted it. My mother has told me stories about when I was a baby. During her maternal leave, she'd watch me sleep and resisted the want to wake me and play with me, much like how I felt with Bubbly. I do realise that I compared myself to a dog. But, what can I say, Bubbly is the only being I've watched grow up and loved through each and every moment.

Bubbly in our yard
Of course she's awake now, running around the house scrounging for food with her "i'm dying" look. And I write this post thinking about the moment we shared during that song. Its hilarious I share a bond like this with a dog. I write this singing the song in my head. The lyrics make a lot more sense to me now than it ever did. The song is about a man reminiscing his times with the woman he loved. I laugh because I'm relating myself to the lyrics because of how I feel with a canine. But, like I said, I love that dog.

Makes you think, doesn't it? I don't blame you if you think I'm a crazy person. Heck, I feel like that about myself sometimes. Doesn't everyone get thought that they crazy once in a while? Apart from you the probable heebie jeebies I do hope, I made you think about 'Company'. When you have the right company, nothing else matters apart from those people. It could be friends, family or even your pets. Anyone can become a part of your comfort zone, if you allow it. So go on! Get out there and be with the people you love. I on the other am off to play with Bubbly.

Sunday 13 January 2013

Space out!

The idea of "nothing" is so bizarre. But yet at most times when I've been asked what I was up to, thats the answer I gave, nothing. Usually that means I wasn't interested in giving them an answer regarding what I was doing or I was doing something of no significance at all. But there are times when I was doing exactly nothing.

The past couple of weeks I've been busy with exams. But whenever I got down to write anything, I could not think of anything to write about. I was surprised. I have so many thoughts that run through my head every single day. But when I tried pinning down some of those thoughts, all that came to my mind was "Nothing". So that is what I finally thought of writing about...nothing. Sounds funny, doesn't it?

Its happens many times. It could be anywhere. You could be sipping a cup of coffee or eating or in the middle of something important. All of a sudden you realise that you had stopped doing whatever you were doing for a few seconds. Then it comes to your understanding that you have no idea regarding what you were doing during those few seconds. In other words, you were doing nothing, absolutely Nothing!

I love those moments. It might be hard to understand what I mean. You might be thinking that how is doing nothing a good thing? Well, of course, its not something you ought to do often. If that were the case then our lives would utterly boring.

Those moments of void, if I may call them so, happen unintentionally. May be I can explain how I feel regarding this by taking a few examples. Its like the gulp of water at the end of the race. At that instant all you think about is the water running down your throat. I could even compare to the how you feel when you slip into your blanket on a very cold day. Once you are finally under your blanket, the only thought that runs through your mind is how warm and comfortable your blanket is and nothing else. Those moments of void are exactly like that. Your mind won't be racing against time to come up with answers, your body be moving and exhausting you, your mouth won't be blabbering out pointless words. When you space out, things are calm.

When I space out, I understand the meaning of serenity! I feel as if there is caribbean song in the background and all I can feel underneath my feet is the heat of the sand at the beach. This might sound weird, but after I space out, I feel like speaking the way people of the 80s used to, using words like "groovy", "funky", "mamma". I find it hilarious when I think about it. But its true. May be thats how people of that time period felt when they spoke like that.

So I look forward to the next time I space out. Till then peace out!