The Journey!! Part 1:From Calicut to Cochin

Well, Folks, I am in Kuwait right now! The place I consider my home. As many of you know, I was born and bought up in Kuwait. It has been over an year since I had last been here. I would have been here earlier had it not been for the freaking major project evaluation. Certain things have changed over here leaving me in utter despair, but again there are certain things that are still intact giving me a ray of hope or rather a sigh of relief.

Well, My journey from Calicut was indeed a tale. I boarded a KSRTC bus from Calicut to Ernakulam( from where I was supposed to take the flight). Things went pretty well from Calicut to thrissur where I was all alone on a 3 seater bench!! I was literally sleeping on the seat. But to my horror, Two hefty fat gentlemen got in at Thrissur. For our convenience, lets call them Billy and Bob. As I saw them approach towards my seat, I knew I had to make a choice of the seats before they did!! I opted for the window seat in case things got a little sweaty. As I proceeded to make my thought into action, to my horror I found myself already at the window seat quicker than I actually anticipated. Besides this I also felt my right leg being crushed against the frame of the bus before it became numb after which I did not feel it at all. I really wanted to give both Billy and Bob the address of the nearest gym with a special note which said that I have nothing against obese people but again I did not want them to use me as a punching bag for the rest of the journey.

Striking a conversation in the bus is perhaps the most suffocating thing to do. I have been in all sorts of situations. Some of them are listed below:

1. A Tamilian dude who talked to me in tamil for 3 hours. I didnt understand a word he said. I even tried telling him that I didnt know tamil, but clearly HE REFUSED TO BELIEVE ME!!

2. An Astrologer- He read my palm and told me that I was a lazy person with a lot of luck. I told him to tell me something I dont know. I mean most guys in their early twenties are lazy. You dont need my palm to predict that.

3. An old man who served as an officer in some wildlife sanctuary. He told me stories of Balu, Mowgli, Bageetha and some other animals and birds right from the year he joined. I believe it was 1975 or somthing. I WASNT EVEN BORN THEN!!

Most of the times, I dont start a conversation. I use my north Indian complexion and the bits and pieces of Hindi I know to avoid them. But in case I get caught in one, then I try yawning and looking elsewhere to avoid continuing the conversation. Bob was sitting right beside me. He was a fat man in his mid-thirties, medium complexion, thick moustache and HE SMELLED LIKE SOCKS!! I could not turn to his side leaving me with a stiff neck for the next two days. When I thought things couldnt get any worse, there again MURPHY's LAW was proved again. Half way through the journey, I felt this sudden jolt of pressure on my left shoulder. Alas, Bob fell asleep and his head had unknowingly landed on my shoulders. It was so annoying and at the same time embarrassing too. I tried pushing him over to billy's shoulder but obviously his head weighed more than double my whole body weight. The only way, I got him to swing was by moving front and back. After he hit his head twice, he swung over to billy's shoulders and remained there for the rest of the journey. They really looked perfect for each other in that frame.

I reached kaloor at around 8.30 that night, took the last bus to my house at 9.10pm. Things went pretty smooth there other than the part where I fell on a completely drunk stranger as the bus moved.( I was carrying 3 bags and the driver was driving as if there was no tomorrow). He asked me at which position I played for the kerala soccer team but I guess that's his way of saying "NICE LEGS".

Anyways, I was so glad to finally reach home after that tedious travel. Unfortunately, My joy didnt last long. WHAT HAPPENED??! Find out in "The Journey part 2". Coming soon only on http://unique-not-wierd.blogspot.com/

The 'Righteous' wrong and the 'fallacious' fact

"Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly"-
Francis Bacon.

From most people's view, I would say the past 2 months of my life has been governed by this quote. I frantically find myself at a place that I never imagined I would be. If I were to be compared with myself now and two years ago, the change is clearly discernible. The change in my perspective is the most significant of them all. Well, the important question I asked myself was " AM I UNHAPPY WITH THIS?!"

I would be lying if I said I was least bothered about this. Well, I was bothered because the society was!! I felt like they were conspicuously plotting against me. Everywhere I went I could see people smiling or greeting me but as soon as I turned my back, I could visualize them murmuring and gossiping. At first, I thought I was just being paranoid, but when I realized word was spreading fast and when certain of my "close" friends came and asked me if the things that they had heard were true. Well, that is when I realized that my instincts were always good!!

The fact of the matter is "Nobody can define RIGHT or WRONG perfectly!!" To some people, Drinking, Thinking green all are just another way of killing time. "Hobby" or "Past time" is what they refer it to as! To others it is the greatest evil known to mankind making them malevolent towards those who perform the above cited rituals. While there are still another set of people who change their opinion from one group to another supporting the majority in the group(SPINELESS CUM BAGS!!).

Well, Most of us come into one of the above mentioned categories. So I ask u again "Who among us can say what is Right and Wrong?!!" it is so evident that all the three groups are flawed in their own way.

"RIGHT" AND "WRONG" is a matter of perspective. It is not fixed. It varies with people. One man's Right maybe another man's Wrong. If Right and wrong were fixed, then Earth would have been equivalent to Heaven.

So The change that I have undergone, for the better or worse?! Truth of the matter is I really Do not know what the majority opinion is!! All I can say is that your life revolves around you and not around other people and their opinions " YOU ARE THE MASTER OF YOUR LIFE, LOVE, LAUGHTER, FATE and DEEDS, SO LIVE YOUR LIFE TO YOUR FANCIES AND WHIMS"

Feelings Undiminished!!

"A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER!" said John Keats! In one of my previous posts I had stated that "Nothing lasts forever!!" and I still stand by that!! At least till I am not proved otherwise!!

                        A few days back, I saw something beautiful!! It was not the first time I have seen ‘it’. I have always thought of ‘it’ to be wonderful and beautiful but I was never sure! I thought that there would always be ‘something’ or ‘someone’ else in this world that would or could replace ‘it’!!

                       Clad in a layer of saffron and red, ‘It’ was like the warmth of the sun in a cold and chilly place! An Oasis in a dry and barren land. Light in a dark and haunted place. The mere sight brought a smile on my face filling my heart with eternal bliss. I have never been out of words (VIVAS & interviews excluded) but the only word that came out of my mouth was “WOW”! I desperately tried to think of other words but my mind was fixed at the sight! My eyes refused to move away! I yearned for ‘it’ to be mine forever. That moment was also the first time that my helplessness made me happy!

                Like I said, its been a few days!! But the sight still remains intact. I feel all the same emotions whenever I think about it! Its like having a DEJAVU every time I think about it! To be frank, I love this feeling. I have thought about 'it' at least 10 times over the past 3 days. I simply wish  this would last forever even if it means I would be wrong in making that statement which would consequently turn out to be fallacious.

                        As expected, Most of you will be wondering ‘what’ or ‘who’ the word ‘it’ refers to! As far as I am concerned, I find it pleasing to leave things at this. So I leave that to you!! Use your Imagination and Substitute ‘it’ with whatever you please while I drown in this ocean of perpetual felicitousness. 

Past 3 WEEKS!!(Irregularities included)

"EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON". I have heard this quote more times than I would have liked to!! and to make things worse, I have heard this for all the wrong reasons. Mostly, I hear it when things go wrong! I still have not figured out the appropriate time to use that statement though and also why people use this crappy phrase?!! Does it make them feel better?!! I would reckon they just do it because

1- They have to say something.

2- Some people feel that they have some sort of edge over other people when they shove up some random quote up someone's ass during a friendly conversation.

Anyways, all I am trying to say is that I could not blog for the past 2-3 weeks because I was busy!(:D) I have been traveling a lot. Went to Ernakulam and Trichy the past two weekends!! Going to hoganakkal, yercaud and Kodaikanal in less than an hour.

Speaking about Trichy, According to legends and myths( college gossip), Trichy aka Tiruchirapalli is kind of like this God Forbidden town in the heart of the wilderness of Tamil Nadu!! I went there as a part of my dance team for taking part in FESTEMBER 2008( cultural festival of NIT, trichy). To be frank, Trichy dint live up to its name!! It was actually a nice place except for that heat wave which could give anyone a sunstroke. I must also say I noticed a few funny things over there!!

1) NIT Trichy is supposedly one of the top technical schools in India! Those braniacs do things very differently..but I still cant figure out "(Why or Who) the f**k builds a fence across a continuous road?!!(NO GATE!! its just FENCE!!)" what puzzled me more is the question "Which came first?!! the fence?!! or the road?!!" either way, its confusing!!(:D)

2) Its a huge campus spread over an area of 800 acres!!..When I mean spread, I mean every building is somewhere else!!(different panchayaths) It takes at least 10 minutes to reach the nearest building!! and half an hour to reach the respective hostels!! whatever happened to proper land utilization smart asses?!!

3) For a technical institute, Its pitch dark at night with no light anywhere!! We have to find our destination with the help of the stars! Its apparently a way of teaching astronomy without actually teaching it!!( brilliant aint it?!!) If its a cloudy day!! Carry a portable tent!! Lots of place to camp!

4) I think NIT, Trichy is the only place with cows and oxen guarding the hostels!!( no labor charge and damn effective,I mean who would want to be gored?!! its bloody brilliant!!)

5) Apparently, The coolest place in their campus is called "THE BARN"( lol..that one still cracks me up!!)

6) Plants do not seem to grow much in spite of the fact that cow dung is abundant and available in all forms (solid, semi-solid and liquid)

7) They have disciplined live concerts and performances!! The spectators are supposed to be seated at all times and are prohibited from dancing. Girls and boys are separated with a layer of the faculty in between!!(WTF?!!)

Whatever reasons I give, I cannot deny the fact that I had loads of fun in Trichy!! The student community there is amazing!! They are smart, capable and above all very friendly. Their hospitality was way above par. I must also say that they are very tolerant for putting up with the ruthless and dumb administration. Their dance troupe is a treat to watch! Had lots of friends in NIT, Trichy, made lots more this time!! At this point of time, I would like to thank everyone over there in NIT, Trichy for showing me a wonderful time especially Sanjay, Vandana, GK, Sarath and Sumith!! I owe u guys big time!! I look forward to seeing you all for RAGAM!!

P.S:

@ Sanjay - I am aware of the fact that i owe u 100 bucks!! So I guess there is another reason for u to come for RAGAM '09( lol..)
@ Everyone else - our dance team came second for the western dance!! woohooo!!

The ONAM Plight!!

It was a cold day! There was a series of alternating drizzles and heavy downpour. The wind displayed the role of a meek breeze but occasionally showed off its mighty power too. Usually, I dont give a rats ass about the weather, but that day was different. I was bothered, especially due to the unpredictability displayed by the wind. I am sure that the question randomly running around in your minds now is "WHY?!! WHY the hell are you bothered about the wind?!! U freaking jackass!!"
Folks!! thats because I was wearing the 'mundu'. Mundu is the traditional dress adorned by the males in the great state of kerala. It is easy to wear but hard to maintain. It is also highly unreliable. How do we wear it? Basically, a person is just rolled onto a mundu just like how a shavarma(Arabic chicken sandwich) is rolled onto a tissue paper. It strikes a remarkable resemblance to the LUNGI. The difference between the 'Mundu' and 'Lungi' is that the 'LUNGI' is much more hideous and also can be purchased in all sorts of repelling shades and disgusting and embarassing colours. The Mundu however, comes only in white and off-white with a golden or black bordering. The mundu is definitely "the lesser of the two evils".
There has been only one other previous occasion when I had worn the mundu and trust me when I say it did not end well! I know you are all so excited to know what happened, but I am sorry, that is definitely never going to come up on my blog!![:P]. I had sworn to never wear the mundu after that disastrous incident. But that day was unusually different, for the first time in my life I had second thoughts to already fixed decisions. It was probably because

1. It was onam!! Everyone was wearing it.

2. The hangover from the party I had on the previous day!!

3. I was having, what my family calls, 'A SIBIL MOMENT' (A brief period of time when your brain stops working and you end up saying or doing something extremely foolish. At this point of time, I would like to thank my cousin sibil, after whom it was named, for introducing me to this term and also for showing me the true nature of that term [:P][:D])

4. Persistence from my friends and fans. Some of them offered to even pay just to see me in a mundu!![:D]
So There I was in my room with a borrowed Mundu trying unsuccessfully to fit the damn thing on. That is when my dear friend Gopalan came to my aid. He helped me adorn the mundu and also gave me some confidence(although it did not last very long). I also learned a few things that a person has to remember while wearing the mundu. Some of them are as follows:

1. Reinforcements are good. Wear a belt around the mundu if you doubt your mundu wearing skills.

2. Always have a backup plan in-case of a wardrobe malfunction which is 90% probable. Boxers, shorts or atleast an Underwear should be worn at all times with the mundu.(branded preferably unless you want to tell the world that you buy your underwears from roadside vendors at the friday whole sale market when they have a 50% discount offer on their items)

3. If you are an amateur in this field, Never try stunts or styles in public even if you are a crazy fan of mohanlal.

4. Always keep your legs close to each other. Stretches, jogging, running, longjump are all stupid things to do when you are wearing the mundu.

5. Never ever get "turned on" while wearing the mundu!! you dont want your bottom to look like a circus tent!! Do you?!!

6. While climbing stairs, make sure you lift the mundu to an appropriate level. Too little or no lift would end up with you stamping it and stripping yourself in the continuing steps to follow. I dont have to explain what happens if you lift your mundu too much. Do I?!

Initially, I found myself at the peak of insecurity. I could hardly talk as I was extremely worried. Half the time I was making sure my mundu stayed down, making me look like Marilyn Monroe in that famous picture of hers. Besides, the cold ventilation from below had also frozen my legs, thereby it would be really appropriate if I used the phrase "MY KNEES CLASHED AGAINST EACH OTHER!!" But after a while everything became normal. I forgot I was in a level four emergency and to my Surprise, I had lots of fun. The day went really great.
However, I dont plan on wearing a mundu ever again, simply because it enforces a lot of constraints and puts unnecessary pressure on you. Why look like a clown in something that you are not comfortable in?? so I definitely wont be doing it again.
unless, of-course I have yet another 'SIBIL MOMENT!!' [;)]

The JINX at LEVEL-2!!

I used to sing..yes believe it!! I used to Draw and Paint too, not to forget play the piano too..no I am not kidding..(WTF?!!)

Well ever since I can remember, I have had my bits and pieces of ventures!! Dancing, Singing, Drawing, Creative Writing, Sports, Reading, Piano etc. were all part of my life once upon a time!! I know its a shock to many of you who know me now but its the truth..well they were all Unique and weird in their own way!! but they all had something in common, They were all off to FLYING STARTS!!

Where did I goof up?!! How come I dont do half the things i used to?!! Well, every venture had its own tragic end!! Each time the cause of death was different. It just happens all of a sudden as in one fine morning, my brain just tells me that i hate it!! I mean WTF?!!

Drawing and Painting was my first ever hobby. I remember I used to be good at it too(for a kid in the 1st grade) I still have some of my work!!..I look back and wonder why I quit drawing. Well, i guess i stopped that cos I was too young and I was stupid!!(only I CAN CALL ME STUPID!!!..U CANT!!)..

then came Reading. That stopped when I got my first computer, well u could call it Replacement..then came creative writing..well i usually sleep off while doing that..persuading me to go on the look out for something new. That something new came in the form of piano lessons, it was fun till I realized a piano is seldom used in a rock concert and besides that I also hated Elton John, who happens to play the piano. Funny how hating a particular person can also make u hate everything that he or she is related to.

I have always loved sports but when I had the physique to be good at it, my parents curbed my instincts and when my parents granted me permission, it was too late. I no longer had the physique to be good at it. So that one also went down the gutter.

So now only one remains, Dancing, the only venture that I still love doing and still do too. So can I call it my passion forever? or will it also have a tragic death like what the others had?

Honestly, I dont know. Its too early to say that its going to last forever. I will never be able to make a judgement on that matter. The more I thought about it, the more miserable I felt. I realized that everything will have to finally come to an end one way or the other.

"NOTHING, I MEAN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LASTS FOREVER!!"

I also realized that this was also very much true when it came to people too. Reasons for breakups can be much better explained with this reasoning. At some point or the other, We, humans will be tired of what we do and seek a change. We cant help it. Spontaneity is what we crave for and monotony is what we fear. As I see it, We always have two options,

1. Continue living your monotonous life by supressing your desires and fighting nature.

OR

2. See nature as your ally. Embrace the next step and live your life the way you want to!!

Personally, I would always take the second choice!!

"WHAT WOULD U DO?!!"

My Economics Assignment

Well, I could not come up with anything today, so I decided to put my economics assignment as today's post. The assignment was to write about my vision on India's future on the day of her 61st Independence!!

It has been 61 years since the British left our soil. After over 100 years of Tyranny
and Ruthlessness we managed to free ourselves from their clutches. India was left battered both socially and economically, But, look at us now! we are on the verge of attaining a superpower
status. I am sure every Indian reading this will be gleaming with pride now! but is there any reason to be proud?!

Frankly, I dont believe that we are anywhere near the status of a developed country and besides that I also dont see any greatness in all these things. Honestly our achievements are
under par or if your optimistic "just ordinary". In fact, I think we should be really ashamed of
ourselves that we took so long to get to this milestone. Japan was a country which was even more devastated than India was. The effect of the second world war on japan was gruesome. Gripped with
severe poverty and health issues, This tiny island country made it to this milestone far ahead of
us. The question we must be asking is " Why is this so?!!"

Now i am guessing that, most people here will be contradicting me( atleast in your minds)
by stating facts like India is the largest democracy in the world, it has the 2nd highest growth rate etc..But have u ever taken a moment off and thought about how it has helped the people of our country socially or economically for that matter??

If we analyze the financial growth of a random sample of 10 people. we see that the rich has gotten richer and the poor has gotten poorer!..and what about our society?!! How has it changed in the past 61 years?it is observed that the number of communal riots, regional riots, crime rate, nepotism and even the number of strikes and hartals keep increasing every year. Is this Development?

To be honest, we have not gone so far ahead, not even half way as much as the hype has
stated. The only way I see development is if every Indian behaves responsibly. Our biggest problem is that We are more aware of our rights than our duties. we never forget to fight for our rights but we so often shirk our duties. As far as tht trend continues, we are still going to be right where we started. I would like to share the idea of Alfred Marshall, the famous classical economist that the Welfare of the people is the development of a country.

and that welfare is directly dependent on individual contributions and also personal sacrifice. so all I would like to ask my fellow Indians here rite now is

" DO U HAVE A VISION OF MAKING INDIA A GLOBAL SUPERPOWER?!!"

cos quite frankly "ONLY THAT MATTERS!!".

THE GREATEST SUPERPOWER?!!

"Which is the best superpower ever?!!" ... Is it being invisible? or being stronger than a bull? or being faster than light? or knowing wat a woman think?!! [Yes, i consider that as a super power and so does 99 % of the men in this world!!..no offence ladies!!..:P..]

This question has always occured to me. But today was the first day I was actually "jobless" enough to ponder over it.(trust me ..nothin better came up!!..All my friends went to sleep leaving me with an option of either sleeping or doing something wierd! And to my surprise, I chose the latter). It was after one hour of "Imaginative and hypothetical" league matches between super heroes (All in my head) that finally a victor arrived. The victor's super power was that he could bend space and time continuum. And yes, he kicked the living shit out of the likes of Batman, Spiderman, Superman and all those other marvel comic super heroes.

Well, I remember the first time I actually got this concept was when I saw some series called Time Warrior on KTV 2.... for those who dont know KTV- Kuwait TV channel. They come as three separate channels. Channel 2 is awesome(just like me)..Channel 1 only comes in fucked up Arabic that even Arabs dont understand and channel 3 was just sports mainly soccer with the commentator yelling God's name each time the ball was kicked..anyways I used to love that show. I used to watch it religiously every week. I often wondered if the stationery shop next to my house had any of those kinds of watches, shades or absolutely any device that gave me this particular power cos if they did..Trust me I would definitely be interested..;)

Well..The 10 Reasons why I would love to have that power!

1. Making two days of every week disappear from my calender namely Monday and Wednesday due to the ridiculously hectic schedule I have on those days.

2. Hate studying. Hate exams even more. Hence, prefer getting the question paper way before the exams!!..so less study & a 9.0 GPA (everyone that matters are happy then!!..:P..)

3. Be anywhere I want to at anytime I want to with anyone I want to. The converse also applies here.

4. Have Multiple dates on the same day, same place and at the same time without being caught.(I jus love the thought!!..;) )

5. Bring Hitler all the way from [1935, Germany] to [2008,Kerala] and convince him that the hartals, bandhs and strikes were all Jewish customs.

6. Waste a lot of time without actually wasting it.

7. Choose the winning numbers for a freelotto coupon and hence win a million dollars.

8. Shirk Responsibilities. I am still a kid at heart. I am definitely not ready for a job or parenting yet.

9. Kick Usain Bolt's ass in a 100 metres race and win a gold medal for India in a track event at the Olympics which is scheduled to be held in 2012.

10. Arrive to the end of a TV series without having to wait so long.("tv series" implies only to english here..mallu serials have no end..even people with time bending powers are helpless there)


So there You have it...Having a power like this is really cool..but Do you really think its worth risking our normal ordinary lives, the lives ,which we have now, in which we are not treated as some freak, but as normal youths and teenagers or most importantly as normal human beings..

lol..Who am i kidding?!! Ofcourse, its worth it. Everyone except that WUSS Clark Kent (from smallville) would say that.

I really wish i had the above mentioned power or absolutely any power, just so that I can stick out of the crowd. I also wish I could end this post now by saying something cool like "GO GET YOUR SUPERPOWER TODAY!!" or "TIME OUT!!"..but that would sound so fucking lame in this context and also at this point of time. so I think I will rather stop with a full STOP instead.