Suzy's Shack

A year

2007-02-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

I was looking at my archives and I realised it's been a year since I started posting here. So it's good I'm making a change!

I've moved

2007-02-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't been around here a lot. That's because I've been at vox. And my life isn't really interesting enough for two blogs.

I'm actually torn, on one hand I like vox because there seems to be more interaction there between bloggers than here. I like the neighbourhood concept, it's nice as compared to me alone here rambling.

On the other hand, I like blogger because I can play around with html here and customize all I want. I still haven't figured out if I can do that on vox.

I'm going to leave both until I figure out a way to move posts apart from copying and pasting them. But I'll be spending more time on vox, so you know where to find me!

2007-01-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

I love this picture. My best friend sent it to me and I can't stop looking at it.
If anybody can identify the place drop me a comment and let me know.
Thanks.

Ps: click on the picture, it opens up in its original size.

Christmas in Chennai

2007-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

I came back from Chennai on the 31st and ever since then I've been sick with cold, fever, cough etc. So I spent New Year's eve sleeping on the couch searching for something to watch on TV. But for some reason there seemed to be nothing on, not even reruns of Friends! It was as if all the TV networks were playing their lowest rated shows on the same night as part of a conspiracy to make my new year's eve even worse than it already was.
Anyway Christmas in Chennai was great, spending time with my cousins, just relaxing. I think I was just glad to be away from work and Bangalore.
-I spent hours bowling with my cousins.
-So many mindless hours wandering around the corridors of Spencers. I am so sick of the place.
-Hours wandering around Chennai City Centre.
-Countless Marrybrown Hot Touch Burgers.
-Midnight Rosecookie Raids.
-Endless Uno games.
-Marathon Movie nights.
-Sneaking glasses of home made wine.
-My cousin's Wedding and Reception.
-Playing and feeding a precocious little kitten and two puppies.
-Fancy dinner with my cousins at Radissons.
-Bowls of mixture from Archana sweets
-Too many photographs!
-Pimples from all the mixture and rose cookies.....
and so much more.....Christmas 2006 was one of my favourites so far.

A new year and a new look

2007-01-04T07:22:00.000-08:00

It's a new year and it's time I changed the image of this Blog. I liked the old template all dark and brooding, however in light of my new positive attitude I felt Suzy's Shack needed a change too. So here we have it a lighter more interesting background which is actually a picture of the roof of the British Museum.

This doesn't mean the content of Suzy's Shack is going to change, it will still be filled with my ramblings on fish fry, liquor, music and more.....

Click

2006-12-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

My new favourite websites:
43 Things
Setting Goals and achieving them.

Book Crossing
Release your books into the wild.

So long 2006

2006-12-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I posted anything. I've become dreadfully lazy and all I seemed to do these past few days was sleep when I wasn't at work or commuting.
I think I've been depressed because I don't feel passionate about anything, I have nothing to focus on and can't seem to find whatever it is.
It isn't a very good way to end the year, so I made a decision to stop moping around and start trying to new and different things and maybe I'll figure out what to do with the rest of my life.
I've decided I want to learn pottery and I'll be starting classes in the beginning of January.
It's something I've always wanted to do and I'm really excited about it. Can't wait to get my hands on some clay. I'm making a list of all the things I want to do next year. And while doing this, I've been looking back over 2006 and I must say it was actually very good.

It was more eventful than I expected it to be at the beginning of the year.
Here's a list.

-I moved to a new job role at work which I have really enjoyed this year.
-With my new teammates I then went to Goa for the carnival, something I've always wanted to do.
-I finally went for Guitar classes, though I did give up, I'm glad atleast I started.
-I went for driving classes and almost got my license, I have it on my list of things to complete in 2007.
-I went back to studying and took the GMAT and TOEFL and did pretty well.
-I applied to ISB for my masters (I'm still waiting to hear from them)
-I spent a month in the UK and travelled quite a bit in England and Scotland. This is probably the highlight of the year.
-I finally cut my hair short after dog years.
-And after cutting it short I coloured it red, yes I now have red hair to be exact Contrast Red.
-I got loads of Christmas presents(yes, already!), a nice new fancy shmancy phone, a snowglobe, a very pretty Christmas Stocking and loads of other stuff.

I'm sure I've done more stuff, but these are my favourite so far.
So 2006 has been pretty great, you can call me greedy but I'm hoping 2007 is even better.

Dust in the wind

2006-11-10T02:26:00.000-08:00

I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind, ohh

Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

Dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
Everything is dust in the wind
The wind

- Kansas -

I'm back, I'm back

2006-10-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

Well that title is a bit more exuberant compared to what I really feel about being back home. But anyway here's my very own travelogue of my adventures since my last post.

Our first stop was the beautiful historic city of Bath.

It was a perfect sunny day and we took a city and skyline tour of Bath in a nice red double decker bus. I think if you really want to enjoy a city and learn about it's history taking a city tour is the best way to go. Because we learnt so many things we would never have known had we just wandered around by ourselves.
Then we drove further up north to Lake District which is very aptly named. We enjoyed an amazing boat cruise on Lake Windermere, it's the largest natural lake in England and the beautiful houses on the banks made me so envious, I wanted to move there buy a nice lil house and maybe I could learn to fish or something.

Lake Windermere

Lake Coniston

We ate an amazing lunch at Lake Coniston with it's pretty Gondolas and then headed to Ullswater. Here we literally got out of the car took a long look at the Lake clicked a few pics, got back in and drove away.

Edinburgh

The landscape changes while you are driving through Lake District, it gets wilder as you head into Scotland. We stayed the night at Edinburgh and my first impression of the place was not good. I guess it was dark and late and bigger than I expected. And after the beautiful country side, the last place I wanted to be in was a big city. Anyway the next day we walked down the Royal mile and after almost getting lost in Edinburgh castle we left to Fort Williams. I didn't get to visit Roslyn chapel but I have it on my to-do list for my next trip. The drive from Edinburgh to Fort Williams was absolutely amazing, we were finally in the Highlands and it was loch after loch after loch. We'd turn a corner and there's a loch and then you drive along it and there before you nestled in the mountains is another one. It's breathtaking! And at one of the lochs we stopped at, there were just a couple of people there and just as we got out of the car a Bagpiper started playing and it was magical... in the highlands listening to bagpipes and no I was not drunk on Scotch whisky!

Loch Lommond

Another Loch

At another place we stopped for lunch enroute and who should we run into in the Highlands of Scotland but a Malayali couple who lived there. After a quick chat during which we found that the majority of us were from the same place in Kerala we resumed our journey very very amused.

In the Highlands

After a quick stop at Fort Williams, we headed to Inverness in the hopes of seeing Nessie. We saw Loch Ness at dusk and it was beautiful. We ate some haggis, salmon (and paper, that's another post) drank some cider and stayed the night in Inverness. The next day was very eventful, we wanted to drive through the highlands again however we also needed to get to London that night. So trusting our best friend the GPS system we left Inverness and headed towards London via Glasgow. It was another beautiful drive and lucky for us my dear friend would take deviations and we would drive through a nice lil town. And one of these deviations took us to the House of Bruar, a magical place. We didn't know where we were and decided to investigate.

The House of Bruar is Scotland’s most prestigious country store nestling at the side of the famous Bruar Falls. We couldn't believe our luck we walked along the trail to the Falls of Bruar, a place visited by Robert Burns himself. It was a nice surprise to just stumble upon the place.After a nice walk along the falls we had to leave and continue our drive to London.

Falls of Bruar

After a long drive we finally reached London. The next two days were busy, we took a city tour of London and a cruise on the Thames. We walked along Oxford Circus, Mayfair, Park Lane. Did all the touristy things, went to Harrods, Camden Town, Notting Hill. I've never walked as much in my life.

The London Eye

My entire trip was amazing, the weather was perfect, everyday was sunny and blue it never rained a single day and that was surprising especially for Scotland, travelling with my friend meant there was never a dull moment and it made the experience more special and now that I'm back home and back to work and back to my regular life it all seems but a distant memory. Now I've got to put my memories away and get back to my life in Bangalore and start planning my next holiday!

A post from windy South West England

2006-10-06T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm back, it feels like forever since I've posted anything. I've been enjoying myself in the UK. I've been here for a few weeks and it's so beautiful I don't want to go back home. I already found a Woodland I want to buy and build a small little castle on it and rule over it..... and get somebody to take care of my shack for me. Anyway I've enjoyed seeing places down south and next week I'm heading north to the land of bagpipes, whisky, kilts and more. Scotland, here I come!

PS: that's the River Exe through a glass of Cider!

Radio Blog

2006-09-09T06:16:00.000-07:00

I love Radio Blog, just can't get enough of it, it's what keeps me going at work and otherwise. I can find music here that I can't at Planet M, Music World or Landmark.
I've started listening to all kinds of music cos it's so easily accessible and you can find everthing here.

Here's my playlist, it has a little bit of everything, enjoy!
Suzy's Playlist

Hangman's Journal

2006-08-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, I've had my nose to the grindstone. I managed to catch up on my reading and just read the Hangman's Journal by Shashi Warrier. Very good read, very very disturbing but a couple of things really jumped out and made so much of sense. I just couldn't put it down.

Here's a write up about the book that was in The Hindu

Thanks to Prisni for finally lending it to me......:)

What I'm listening to this week

2006-07-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

Gavin DeGraw - I don't wanna be

CCR - Jeremiah was a bullfrog

Deep Purple - Highway Star

Will Young - Light my fire

Susheela Raman - O Rama

By Demand, Here you go Rishi
Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the sky

Mangoes

2006-07-03T10:19:00.000-07:00

I took this on my long weekend in Chennai.If you look really really hard you can see really big mangoes on one of the trees! I need to get a better camera!

Bard of the bedsit, Leonard Cohen

2006-06-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah

(Original Verses from 1984)

1. Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this he fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

2. Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew her
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

3. You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well, really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light in every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

4. I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I learned to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my lips but Hallelujah

(Additional Verses - All by Leonard Cohen)

Baby, I've been here before.
I know this room, I've walked this floor.
I used to live alone before I knew you.
I've seen your flag on the marble arch,
But love is not some kind of victory march,
No it's a cold and it's a very broken Hallelujah.

There was a time you let me know
What's really going on below,
but now you never show it to me, do you?
I remember when I moved in you,
And the holy dove was moving too,
and every breath we drew was Hallelujah.

Now maybe there's a God above,
As for me, all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
and it's no complaint you hear tonight,
and It's not some pilgrim who's seen the light
it's a cold and it's a very lonely Hallelujah.

(Variations on the Last Verse)

Maybe there's a God above,
But all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.
It's not a cry that you at night
It's not somebody who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.

Now maybe there's a God above,
But all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
But it's not a cry that you hear tonight
And it's not some gleeful laughter
From somebody who says he has seen the light,
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah.

Now maybe there's a God above,
As for me, all I ever learned from love
Is how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
But it's not a cry that you hear tonight
It's not some gleeful christian who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

I found this amazing article on Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah:
There’s no such thing as an elixir. All that stuff about alchemy—turning the ordinary into the rare and the beautiful, copper into gold, eternal life—it’s all lies. But no other element of Renaissance imagery (and at the time, science) has fascinated writers, artists and musicians so much, at its point of creation and ever since. It was Shakespeare who first made the connection, in his sonnets, but we’re not here for an English Literature lecture.

You would, however, be forgiven for thinking so—for we are here to discuss the “Bard of the bedsit”, Leonard Cohen, and his seminal exploration into Judaeo-Christian theology, desperation and sex—“Hallelujah”. These are common themes of Cohen’s lyrics, but at no other time has he married them together so beautifully, creating something more special, more ornate—something higher. It’s possible that Cohen could have taken the ordinary ingredients of his songs, mingled their fibres in his agar-plate guitar, and created the elixir that Shakespeare, armed with only his quill and parchment, never could.

Am I blaspheming yet? I haven’t even got started.

Cohen’s song begins with a casual reference to the Biblical figure of David, destroyer of Goliath, subsequent King of Israel, poet and blessed musician: “Well I heard there was a secret chord/That David played and it pleased the Lord”. That Cohen casts aside his contemporaries (Dylan, Baez, Joplin etc), along with folk heroes of a bygone era, and yes, Shakespeare, to aspire to the achievements of David speaks volumes. And while the “secret chord” is probably not the A minor that closes the couplet, you just have to admire his gall.

David once wrote the following verse:
O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath
Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am faint;
O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in anguish.
How long, O Lord, how long?
In “Hallelujah”, as in so many of David’s Psalms, blind desperation in the midst of blind faith is the underlying preoccupation. Attempting to bridge the gulf between the “holy or the broken Hallelujah” (whilst seemingly more concerned with the latter), both Cohen and David argue the validity of faith in times of crisis as well as times of calm. David was to later beg the Lord for forgiveness after having an affair with a subject’s wife, before having him killed in the front line against the Ammonites, and Cohen may well have felt some sympathy with this. David was a musician, after all.

Cohen’s sexuality, however, is only apparent in the admiration of beauty in the second verse. The central sexual verse was omitted from the studio recording, but did appear on both John Cale’s and Jeff Buckley’s spellbinding covers. The verse could shed some light on the nature of the speaker’s discontent, which is presumably why Cohen opted to only sing the words when in concert, for fear that recording them might immortalise his troubles: “There was a time you let me know/What's really going on below/But now you never show it to me, do you?” Certainly, it could not be argued that such a verse was omitted because it spoilt the ethereal air of the rest of the song, as the verse almost piously concludes, “every breath we drew was Hallelujah”.

All this hyperbole and no perspective leads to some inevitable, questions: is Leonard Cohen a prophet? No, he’s a folk singer. Is “Hallelujah” the lost Psalm? No, it’s a pop lyric. Which should hopefully alleviate any unease this article may have brought to believers.

But there’s one more point for debate, one far less clear-cut and worthy of the scholarly attention it will no doubt receive in years to come: is “Hallelujah” poetry? As the original Bard might (but probably wouldn’t) have said—that is the question.

More on Cohen here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen

My favourite version of Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley:

Candy is dandy; But liquor is quicker.

2006-06-04T03:48:00.000-07:00

I picked up a copy of Candy is Dandy: The best of Ogden Nash at the Strand book sale and I have been laughing since.
Nash was born in New York in 1902, he was a Harvard drop out who eventually became a editor at Doubleday publishing house, where he first began to write poetry. He is best known for his short humorous rhymes.

I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree;
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all

He threw all the rules of poetry out the window, he wrote in uneven lengths, mispelled and made up words to make them rhyme and sound funny.
This collection has rhymes, puns and observations of everything under the sun.

More About People
by Ogden Nash

When people aren't asking question
They're making suggestions
And when they're not doing one of those
They're either looking over your shoulder or stepping on your toes
And then as if that weren't enough to annoy you
They employ you.
Anybody at leisure
Incurs everybody's displeasure.
It seems to be very irking
To people at work to see other people not working,
So they tell you that work is wonderful medicine,
Just look at Firestone and Ford and Edison,
And they lecture you till they're out of breath or something
And then if you don't succumb they starve you to death or something.
All of which results in a nasty quirk:
That if you don't want to work you have to work to earn enough money so that you won't have to work.

For more of Nash: http://www.westegg.com/nash/,But I'd recommend just picking up a book of his. You'll leave the bookstore chuckling...

I'm a Mud Pie!

2006-06-04T00:17:00.000-07:00

You Are a Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth
Those who like you give into their impulses

What Kind of Pie Are You?

High on Music

2006-05-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

I love the feeling you get when you hear a piece of music and it makes you feel so good, you just want to close your eyes, listen to the music and not think of anything at all. And you feel reassured that everything will be fine and things will just sort themselves out.

I'm listening to O Rama by Susheela Raman and I've never cared much for the song, but right now I can't stop listening to it. The song is in telegu and I can't really understand the lyrics but there's something about the music that makes sense and strikes a chord deep inside....that sounds too complicated and I don't think it is, but I can't think of any other way of expressing what it does to me.

A word cloud of Suzy's Shack

2006-05-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Seulement 'Suzie'

2006-05-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

After careful consideration and deliberation with all persons concerned, my proposed shack in Goa shall be known as 'Suzie' and not 'Suzy's Shack' for reasons already mentioned in my previous post. It was long, and difficult but finally a consensus was reached.
However I will not change the name of this blog as it's been Suzy's Shack in my head for so long......

Gazing at the sunset.........

2006-05-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

A crayon drawing by a kid from Amba.

Khaled Hosseini

2006-05-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of an interview with Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner....with images of Afghanistan.
Thanks Jo for the link.

What silence said

2006-05-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

was there thunder in your years?/mine were full of sand, not hearing/
what your silence said/and if I turn around, your mouth open/
no sound, your eyes screaming/retreating into blackness

did you lose your faith in love?/
did you lose your faith in human feeling?/
silence./did you lose your trust in truth?/
did your heart find no way to healing/like I lost you?

all twisted up in time, you crossed the line./
it's all we have this thin twine./then nothing/

thank you for being my friend/beautiful face begins to fade

---Susheela Raman, Music For Crocodiles

Mutta Parota and Chemeen Curry

2006-05-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

After a long time, I went to Coconut Grove on Sunday night with two old friends of mine. After a long walk trying to find a pair of shoes, and a long discussion on where to eat, we decided to go to either Samarkhand or Sunny's. We finally started walking to Sunny's and somehow ended up on Church street right outside Coconut Grove, too hungry to walk anymore we decided to eat there.

I love the food there, we started with some really good fried fish and Papadam with Thein Elaneer. For the main course, we had Mutta parotas (egg parothas), Chemeen curry (prawn curry) with lots of coconut milk and a really nice Kadla curry.
The food was spicy and just right for a warm summer evening with good friends.

A shack by any other name..........

2006-05-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

I was telling a new friend about Suzy's Shack and he made a few interesting observations of the name. Here they are: the name doesn't need to have the word 'shack' in it, cos that would be reduntant and to quote him"it will take away the romance from the name.......you call anything exotic without its category... The Leela, Barista...etc".

He also suggested Suzie instead of Suzy as "the 'i' and 'e' are more powerful and draw more attention than a 'y'..."... so the new name would be just 'Suzie'.

I am still thinking about this, it's been Suzy's Shack for so long. This is a big change, I'll have to talk to the guitarist, cook, CFO, and the rest and get their opinions. I have a feeling the name is going to change, this will take some getting used to.

I'll post the new name as soon as a decision has been reached...thanks to the new marketing manager for his observations, as promised he will get a couple of rounds of beer on the house.....

Running away

2006-04-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I want to get away from it all, go to Goa and start my shack and not come back............

Mystic Chanteuse

2006-04-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

my new love.....Susheela Raman.......Salt Rain........absolutely brilliant............i can't stop listening to her............

Zzzzz....

2006-04-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

I've been at work for 3 hours now. It's been quiet and I'm already sleepy. The weekend flew by and now is all a blur. I know I ate alot and walked alot and shopped alot, didn't sleep alot unfortunately which explains my lethargy this morning. Every few minutes I sit up straight cos I find myself slouching, with my head in my hand and I just started to yawn. I am looking out the window at the slowly moving cars on airport road, it's already hot and sunny outside and I'm nice and cool here. I wish I could get under my desk and curl up. Unfortunately I have to "work", supposedly that's what I get paid to do! I usually love my work but I am not looking forward to the rest of today. Bah Mondays!

Confusion drives me!

2006-04-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

The only state of mind I possess: confused. Confused about everything and a couple of things more.I'm not sure how I got this way. I was never this bad, I'm at a point right now where I'm too tired to think anymore cos I'll only get lost. I find myself just staring into space, unaware of anything or anybody around me. And I'm not sure if I am actually thinking about anything, And then I get frustrated and want to scream and go up to the roof and jump off......aghhhhhhh

Follow the Light - Travis

2006-04-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Nobody really knows
Where they’re supposed to go
Hiding behind a wall
Afraid that they’ll lose it all
But it’s alright
Just follow the light
And don’t be afraid of the dark
In the moonlight
You’ll dance till you fall
And always be here in my heart
But nobody wants to know’cos nobody even cares
Everyone’s on the make
Yeah and everyone’s out for themselves
Me I’m on the longest road
Where everything’s overload
But I’ve got my heart and soul
So don’t throw me overboard’cos it’s alright
Just follow the light
And don’t be afraid of the dark
In the moonlight
You’ll dance till you fall
And always be here in my heart’cos it’s alright
Just follow the light
And don’t be afraid of the dark
In the moonlight
You’ll dance till you fall
And always be here in my heart’cos it’s alright, alright now
And you’re alright
Yeah we’re alright now.

A friend sent me this song and I really like it, it's one of those songs you can listen to again and again. I guess it reflects the mood I've been in for the past few days.

The Kite Runner

2006-04-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

This has been on my list of books to read (which I shall put up here soon) for ages. It's an amazing story of two boys who grow up in Afghanistan during the last days of Kabul's monarchy. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman, and Hassan is the son of their servant.
The boys grow up together as brothers until jealousy and betrayal separate them. Amir and his father move to America where a new life begins. Amir marries becomes a successful reader, and then is called back to Afghanistan to visit an old family friend. Amir's search for absolution takes him to an orphanage where he comes to terms with his demons and finds redemption.

It's only now while writing this I realised that again here's a story of two brothers, jealousy, betrayal, Amir and Hassan, Caleb and Aron, Cain and Abel.......

The Grapes of Wrath

2006-03-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

I spent Saturday reading the Grapes of Wrath and I was a bit disappointed. Unlike East of Eden this book didn't do much for me. I liked the characters and the narrative, especially the alternating chapters which describe the Depression, and it's effect on men and the things it drove them to do. How the Okies and the rest driven off their land travelled to California the promised land in search of work and a better life, the hardships they faced and despite all their fate and hope endured.
But at the end I felt as if the book was unfinished. Don't shoot me for saying this, I know this book won a Pulitzer, but I wish I knew what happened to the family. Steinbeck seems to stop right in the middle of the story line and I can't help wondering what happened to the Joad family? Did Ma get her white house? What became of Rose of Sharon? And was Tom Joad able to make a difference?
Well just maybe Steinbeck left it to us, in that case, Ma got a nice white house in an Orange orchard, Pa finally whupped her for being sassy.... Rose of Sharon married a nice man and slowly grew to be wise like Ma and Tom Joad did make a difference.
I always like a happy ending.

King Momo, Calamari & Stubby!

2006-03-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

Goa was fun, I did not want to come back and I did, but it doesn't matter I am going back soon.
After a painfully long train journey we reached Panjim just in time for the beginning of the Carnival, we were in time to see the end of the parade so I missed 'King Momo'. Then we headed to Miramar beach for a quiet drunken evening, the next day we went to Calangute, and spent the entire afternoon in the water and in a very nice shack, stuffed ourselves on fresh Calamari sauteed in butter and garlic, and lots and lots of Vodka. We followed the tourists and ended up in a tented market full of Nepalis selling very pretty silver jewellery, I then decided to be generous and give them all my money for a few trinkets in exchange which I could have bought cheaper from the silver shop in Commercial Street. But hell, I was in Goa, I didn't care and decided to live it up.
In the evening, we just walked along the Mandovi river and stumbled into a Kingfisher party for Stubby (i'm not saying any more just 'Ask for Stubby!'). It was an evening of retro music, dancing and many Stubbies.
I spent my last day in Baga, after walking God alone knows how many miles from Calangute to Baga. My feet hurt and it was hot and I was exhausted but the sound of the ocean kept me going and just when I was too tired to take another step, I was on the beach....(I love it when that happens). I walked all along one side of the beach and spent the afternoon lazing in a shack on the beach getting a nice tan, then said 'So long, till next time' to the ocean and before I knew it, I was back in Panjim boarding the bus to Bangalore.
I didn't get my tattoo, or my piercing or land for my shack, however it was fun, it was Goa, a break from work and everyday life and I am already planning my next trip back.

Timshel

2006-03-06T09:57:00.000-08:00

I just read East of Eden over the weekend and I was blown away...... It's been ages since I read a book that made me think and feel deep hidden emotions. There were so many sentences I wanted to underline and memorize so I could think about them again and then I just gave up and decided to read it all over again soon.
Steinbeck takes you on an amazing journey, where you meet regular common everyday people, but their lives are magnified and you see more than just a snapshot. Their entire lives, loves, sufferings, joys are unfolded for you and you begin to understand the human spirit, the spirit that spans across generations.
Timshel, 'Thou Mayest', those two powerful words that set men free.
http://timshel.org/timshel.php
I won't say anymore, read the book.
I am going to start reading 'Grapes of Wrath' as soon as I can.

Go Goa!

2006-02-19T02:16:00.000-08:00

Guess who's going to be in Goa next week for the carnival........:d lazing on the beach getting a nice tan, parasailing, partying at night, visiting the carnival... I don't think I'm coming back. I'll also start looking around for a nice small piece of land for Suzy's Shack - my fish fry and liquor shack on the beach with a lazy guitarist(which reminds me I need to go practice my chords). So hopefully I find this piece of land and start my shack and send in my resignation on a nice postcard of Miramar beach.........

Let the Orinoco flow

2006-02-19T01:40:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to Enya constantly over the past few weeks. I guess that reflects the kind of mood I'm in. I started with Paint the sky with stars and trust me the music just washes over you, transporting you into a completely different world. This album is definitely the best of Enya. It makes you want to turn up the volume, close the shades and sail along (no prizes for guessing my favorite song from this album).
I then moved onto A Day Without Rain, expecting similar magical music and I was a bit disappointed at first. The music seemed to take less risks however after listening to it a couple of times I started to feel and hear the subtleties of the music. If you love the violin you'll enjoy Wild Child, playful yet deep.
And then Amarantine after 5 years, is Enya at her best, as if time stood still, Amarantine and Long, long journey are simply amazing, full of intense clear emotion....., it's different and new and gets 5 stars from me.