Random Musings

Yeah, I’ve not written in ages. Been over a month since I wrote. I’ve been quite busy with stuff, and was lazy and all that blah.

Anyway, so what’s new? Well, quite a bit, in fact. Work remains the same; it’s good fun and I am enjoying it. Besides work, life is good. I’m no longer single, so that’s news, I suppose. Bangalore gets crazier every day, what with the Metro construction going on all over, but the weather just keeps getting better.

I’ve been driving all around town, so I’m learning the city. It’s fun

That’s pretty much it. Will be heading home around the end of this month for my convocation ceremony. Toss the hat and all that. Heh heh.

So that’s it. Quick update on my life.

Later all.

A nice alphabet there. Stands for so many things. Delhi, dreary, devastating, dull, dastardly.. see what I mean?

Of course, being a regular to this journal, you’ll know that an opening like that signifies that I have nothing to write about, and so am trying desperately to hold your attention with a catchy opening line.

Well, it worked, didn’t it? You’re still reading. So stop complaining.

I’ve been hanging around in Delhi more than I have been in college this sem. Been coming here every chance I get. This time, I came for the CLC debate, and had fun. My teammate was debating for the first time, so we ended up having loads of fun, and heck, we actually managed to qualify for the quarter-finals! Got knocked out eventually to another DU team doing another prepared debate (sigh!), but at least we did fun debates.

Now I’m hanging around with my brother and Choti, my sis-in-law.  We are eating lots of food, watching lots of movies, and having nice long conversations. I’m probably going to be hanging around here for a couple more days, before I head back to college.

I’m watching bits of Gone With the Wind.  Viven Leigh and Clark Gable.. What a movie! The sets, the acting, the whole spread out lavish extravaganza. Bravo!!

Oh yeah, I may be going to watch Iron Maiden perform live at Bangalore! My bestest friend (heh heh heh), has agreed to pay my way, some part of it at least.. So B’lore, here I come!! It ought to be fun, considering that Maiden is supposed to be one of the best live performances around!

A friend of mine is down in the dumps, and I’m hoping to help out. I guess February is a blue month. I was down and out too for a while, which is why I wasn’t writing at all, but now I’m better, for the most part.

Oh well, I have no job, no money, no admission to any Univ, anywhere in the world, and no idea what I am going to do next! Sounds like fun!

Over and out!

Been ages since I wrote anything. Why is that? Is that because my life is so full of thrills that I have no time to write, or is it because I have nothing to write about.. Hmm, what do you think? This could be a half-full/half-empty kinda pseudo-psychological test, heh.

Anyways, the reason that I did not write is pretty much the usual. Too bored to, putting it off, not having anything to write about, you know, the usual jazz. But now I am determined to write, even if little pink unicorns gore me to death in retaliation!

I’m going to LinuxAsia next week. This should be good fun. They’ve invited me as a delegate, which essentially means that I get free food.. and when the food is catered by India Habitat Center, it’s going to be good food. Of course, I shall get some serious journalistic work done as well

Oh yeah, thanks to BSNL increasing speeds on their DSL network, I can now run a Linux server at home, and me being me, of course I’ve set up a VPN using OpenVPN. Why? Just for kicks! It’s always fun to vpn through your own server, with absolutely no restrictions, do what you want kinda thing. I’m going to set up more network-y stuff on the server, and have geeky fun. Geeky Fun is the best kind of fun. You set up something cool, and then walk around smirking at people, because they have no idea of the power you wield.. heh heh heh.. minions! Of course, the flip side is that all the women think you are leering at them, and all the guys wonder why you have an idiotic grin, and you end up with no friends, and a case of eve-teasing.. not that that has ever happened with me, thank you very much!

On the subject of Linux, I must say that Edgy Eft, the latest version of Ubuntu is pretty damm good on a laptop. I’ve set it up on my Thinkpad T-43, and it does fly! Everything worked pretty much out of the box, and I didn’t need to tinker with any config files.. almost disappointing, I tell you. Of course, my server is running Ubuntu server LTS as well. I keep Windows on my desktop to play games in, but am seriously beginning to think about getting rid of it. Once I master Pro Evolution 6, I’ll do that

All my classmates are now avidly hunting jobs. Recruitment is on in college, and the air is full of rumors about huge pay packages and wonderful perks. And what am I doing? Sleeping, mostly. No one in their right mind would give me a job! heh heh. Oh well, I shall venture forth into the world, and get myself a job soon enough. Unless I get in abroad.
I just bit into a chocolate chip cookie.. I bet you want one too now, don’t you? Heh heh, Polly want a cookie? No cookie for you!

I’m off now, chasing cars.

After yet another trip, this time to Bangalore, I’m back, and have exams from tomorrow. Of course, I don’t feel like studying at all.. So what else is new? The trip was great fun, got to meet some of my relatives whom I haven’t met for ages. I spent a day in Bombay, and hung out with my cousin sister, who is sixteen and crazy, in the nice way that we all are.

My basketball aspirations came crashing down after my first game, thanks to a mistimed jump and a bad landing that led to a bruised heel and knee. We won that game 51-12 , but promptly lost the next one to get kicked out of the tournament. So what’s a guy to do? Buy lots of books, of course! I found a very nice second hand bookstore and went slightly mad, snapping up hardcover editions of C.J Cherryh, Forster, Bradbury and Bronte. Always nice to have a stack of books to keep the blues away.

And then I went and met my Uncle and Aunt, who might possibly read this entry.. heh heh. Had a great dinner at their place, and some wacky conversation as well. My aunt is extremely sweet, and she actually went to great lengths to make some great food. And since I am always hungry, and miss home cooked food, I pigged out.

However, all good things come to an end, and I have my end of semester exams starting from tomorrow. Obviously, I don’t know anything, and even more obviously, I am not studying at all   Got six exams, back to back, so it’ll be over quickly at least. And then.. HOME! For a longish time. I have all sorts of plans, none of which will come to fruition, but hey, what the heck, right?

So, as the man said in Punch Drunk Love ( great movie) , That’s that. I shall probably be writing after I get home now.

Despite what you might think this post is about, you would be wrong. This is not a tale of my misery and woe. This is a tale of a late nights and little hedgehogs. !, you might say? It goes like this..

There I was, sitting pretty with a nice book, late at night, a few nights ago. Reading peacefully, and munching on junk food, in a futile attempt to gain weight (not). And then (drum roll), from outside my window, I hear the dulcet tones of Shashwat ( well, not really dulcet, but hey, I have artistic license and I’m not afraid to use it) calling out my name. “Nag”, he says, “Come out, and I’ll show you a hedgehog”.

…

…

!!!

For a few seconds, I am wondering what wormhole I’ve gone through, and what EXACTLY he means by that.. A quizzical look, and Shash hastens to explain he means the little brother of a porcupine. Having cleared that up, I must admit that I am intrigued. So I hop out of my room (literally.. over the balcony) and we go hedgehog hunting.

The interpid hunters, armed to the teeth with sarcasm and rhetoric, stalk into the long grass of the African plains ( remember what I said about artistic license). We fear no man, and certainly no animal, with the possible exception of that rarely sighted creature, chief wardenus horribilus. Communicating only by gesture, we use our phenomenal tracking skills to trace the cowering creature. Convinced that his ( her?) doom is upon him ( or her), he (or she.. arrrgh) is curled up into a little ball of spines, presenting what we in the trade call a Rakhee Sawant camoflauge.

The two of us freeze instantly, and disappear into the background. Time passes. The moon rises and sets, owls fly by, and curious animal sniif at us.. ( and a dog almost pees on one of us, won’t say which one) before he realizes that we are not trees, or lampposts, or other peeable material. The hedgehog cautiosly pokes it’s snout out, and takes a sniff… and instantly ducks back in. Why? Dunhill Desire is the answer. The intrepid hunters forgot that animals have a keen sense of smell, and that it might not be the best idea to go in there smelling of haute couture . Ah well, we slink away, safe in the knowledge that our dignity at least is safe, since no one saw us.. or did they.

A shadow filts across the hostel, and the two of us pause to wonder who that was. Was it a junior? On the other hand, everyone is a junior, since we are in the fifth year, so that don’t really help us much. The sound of footsteps running up the stairs, and we begin to wonder just what kind of opium smuggling operation we have stumbled into. The crab with the golden claws comes to our minds, and we don our trench coats, and adopt our hard bolied detective accents…

heh heh heh.. I am going crazy now, so I shall stop.. more in the same vein will be too much of a good thing. later all, much more much later.

Where have I been, you might be asking, gentle reader. I wish I knew. The last couple of months have passed by in a blur. My brother got married, which was extremely hard work for everyone except him! Indian weddings are no joke, especially if your family is as fantastically crazy as mine is. (in the nice way!)

Post wedding, I think I lost my geek touch for a while. No more did I want to install the latest and greatest Ubuntu and Xandros… Oh, the horror! This lasted for a while, till I realized that I’ve never seen what XGL/Compiz looks like.. One Dapper install later, a suitably amazed me felt a disturbance in the force. The Earth Masters awaken! I wake from my bewitched daze and spring forth, ready to battle Cybermen and Battle-droids, and maybe, possibly, in a pinch, even Daleks!

Extra geek points to you if you got all the references in that post. Leave a comment if you did. And Manu, no using Google and pretending you are a stud.. heh heh heh

Aaanyways, I am back, and writing about nothing much as usual, boring my millions of avid fans till their eyes pop out of their head. Talking of eyes popping out heads.. Which movie had the main actor wearing bloody eyeballs as cufflinks??

If you thought “A Clockwork Orange”!, more power to you.. I just saw that yesterday for the first time. I’ve read the book before, but the movie is fantastic.. Weird, violent, and makes you want to throw up occasionally.. or is that laugh? A must see movie.. if you are above 18. Lots of the old ultra-violence here, my brothers.

I’ve been on a classic movie kick for a while. Watched the Graduate, On the Waterfront, Rebecca, Philadelphia Story, and a coupla others. All good movies.

As you can tell, my life is pretty damm boring right now. Consists of reading, movies, and the odd bit of studying thrown in for a change, like oregano in biryani.. not a good idea. Still, we are moving along, and I’m off to Delhi today, to spend a few days with my brother and sister-in-law. Loads of good food, some interesting converstation, and dollops of sleep. Not a bad recipe for a holiday, what?

This is my last year in college. By now, one is supposed to know exactly what one is going to do.. well, this one has no clue! I mean, seriously, I am actually beginning to get a little worried about this.. What will I do with myself after I pass out? Graduate school is an option, but my grades aren’t exactly exemplary.. On the other hand, they ain’t THAT bad.. I could get in! ( Hope springs eternal!) Maybe I could get a job with a law firm, if anyone would hire me. Some people say that I would be hired instantly, others say I would never be hired.. Oh well.

Or I could stay at home and be a burden on my aged Mom.. (she ain’t that aged!).. Be like those poor geeks in the movies, thirty years old and staying at home, with a room full of toys. Shudder..

Oh me, oh my, who can see what lies in the future! Time to head out, gentle reader, time to head out. Take care.

And my blog has been discovered by all my Bengali relatives.. It’s a bit like Columbus discovering America,in some ways. Hello to you all, enjoy your stay here, and do not believe everything that I write. I might just be messing with you.

So life in college is proceeding at a snail’s pace. We have exams in three days, so obviously I should be studying right now. Just as obviously, I ‘m not studying! Heh heh. And I have no intention of studying till the apocalypse is upon me ( read exams the next day.

OK, I’m off to install Fedora, and I’ll write a first impressions post in a while.

later

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That is what has happened over the last two weeks. I went to Calcutta, met Rohini, my favorite sister, her mom and her dad and we had great fun. Three days later, I’m in college and I find out that her father had a brain aneurysm. He passed away two days afer that.

Pappuda, as he forced us to call him, was one of the most fantastic people that I have had the privilege of knowing. He could make a perfect stranger feel like a dear friend within five minutes of meeting him.

Anyway, I will not write much about him on this public blog, except to say that he will be missed.

On a happier note, I finally met one of my coolest relatives. He’s a geek like me, so we got along really well, especially when we both pulled out Thinkpads… heh heh.

So many things have happened that it’s impossible to write about it all. Anyway, I’m back people.. Rejoice or cower, as the fancy takes you.

Later