What "marriage" means to a potential bride?

Okaaaay I know its a very sticky topic to touch... but that's what I do. And of course, I make sure I am wearing gloves when I do that! But it is a question you would ask yourself if you are a guy (sorry, I mean 'MAN') and probably get a violent reply if you ask me. Why? Because there is too much manhandling happening around here when it comes to free thinking. I am told India is a land of mystery and culture: its true. Mystery because we end up walking backwards in the name of tradition and culture takes a new meaning even as I write this blog.

So let me get this straight, from what I have seen (and what I have heard) and allowing my own thoughts and fairness in judgement to shape the definition of marriage, the term marriage would mean a forced "holy" union of two strangers who would have seen each other a couple of times under the obligation of the so-called wise elderly members of the family. It is interesting to see that the same "culture" was not around back during the time when kings walked the land of this country. I suppose one would have the decency to ask the other person's hand in marriage and respect the decision even if the proposal was rejected. Coming to think of it, women actually got an opportunity to choose their man! My, my! What 'old-fashioned' way that was! So what is the right way to do it? You tell your daughter to shut her trap and just go with that guy because he is umm… lemme guess... a software engineer, and from good family background, and blah blah... so what?! That is all?

(ROFL!!) Like... do you know ANYTHING about that guy at all???

Some of the reasons I've heard why parents have issues with their young daughters, who have been fortunate enough to use their brains and believe in free will, are so hilarious you would want to throw up if you just had your breakfast. Frankly, I think someone should first ask what the ones whom you want to get married want! How hard is that?! Apparently, that is not entertained one bit! And also we <"we" as in people of my age who live with parents> are "too young to understand" things that they <"they" as in relatives> decide. What is uncomprehending is that we never are grown-up enough to do anything without the consent of those who may not even make an attempt to understand what we feel.

How many times have I felt deja vu when I hear about marriage from people I know. One frustrated friend said it is just another term for "legal prostitution"! So, this is what one calls culture? Screw-up lives? Each story more terrifying than the other... sometimes it makes me wonder how audacious we get by calling ourselves civilized!

Whoever said fiction is strange should have eaten his words by now!

Pictures from the City... (continued)

Now that I am done with XYZs (I am bored talking about them and waste a lot of space), here are two pictures I got for you

Courtesy Shalini :) Thanks a lot dear.

No hot air this

(INCASE OF EMERGENCY PLEASE BRAKE OPEN GLASS)
Yes, it is so funny we are all 'braking' into pieces laughing

(CIGGARETTE SMOKING INGURIOUS HEATH)
Well, I have been told it only affects your lungs...

XYZ Fancy Doom

I know it is weird, but their love to see destruction is so much that they can't contain their excitement. For those who do not know me so well, I h-a-t-e forwards... especially those which have things like "if you are a true friend then forward it to 'a million people',  including me ..." and crap that sounds similar to what I just mentioned. My idea of having an e-mail id is to simply use it to exchange information that is of some relevance to me or to others.

What e-mail am I talking about?? Check it out.

7 reasons the world will end in 2012

Scientific experts from around the world are genuinely predicting that five years from now, all life on Earth could well finish. Some are saying it'll be humans that set it off. Others believe that a natural phenomenon will be the cause. And the religious folks are saying it'll be God himself who presses the stop button...

1. Mayan Calendar

The first mob to predict 2012 as the end of the world were the Mayans, a bloodthirsty race that were good at two things: Building highly accurate astrological equipment out of stone and Sacrificing Virgins.

Thousands of years ago they managed to calculate the length of the lunar moon as 329.53020 days, only 34 seconds out. The Mayan calendar predicts that the Earth will end on December 21, 2012. Given that they were pretty close to the mark with the lunar cycle, it's likely they've got the end of the world right as well.

2. Sun Storms

Solar experts from around the world monitoring the sun have made a startling discovery: our sun is in a bit of strife. The energy output of the sun is, like most things in nature, cyclic, and it's supposed to be in the middle of a period of relative stability. However, recent solar storms have been bombarding the Earth with so much radiation energy, it's been knocking out power grids and destroying satellites. This activity is predicted to get worse, and calculations suggest it'll reach its deadly peak sometime in 2012

 

3. The Atom Smasher

Scientists in Europe have been building the world's largest particle accelerator. Basically its a 27km tunnel designed to smash atoms together to find out what makes the Universe tick. However, the mega-gadget has caused serious concern, with some scientists suggesting that it's properly even a bad idea to turn it on in the first place. They're predicting all manner of deadly results, including mini black holes. So when this machine is fired up for its first serious experiment in 2012, the world could be crushed into a super-dense blob the size of a basketball.

 

4. The Bible says...

If having scientists warning us about the end of the world isn't bad enough,religious folks are getting in on the act as well. Interpretations of the Christian Bible reveal that the date for Armageddon, the final battle between Good an Evil, has been set down for 2012. The I Ching, also known as the Chinese book of Changes, says the same thing, as do various sections of the Hindu teachings.

5. Super Volcano

Yellowstone National Park in the United States is famous for its thermal springs and Old Faithful geyser. The reason for this is simple - it's sitting on top of the world's biggest volcano, and geological experts are beginning to get nervous sweats. The Yellowstone volcano has a pattern of erupting every 650,000 years or so, and we're many years overdue for an explosion that will fill the atmosphere with ash, blocking the sun and plunging the Earth into a frozen winter that could last up to 15,000 years. The pressure under the Yellowstone is building steadily, and geologists have set 2012 as a likely date for the big bang.

6. The Physicists

This one's a case of bog-simple maths mathematics. Physicists at Berkeley Uni have been crunching the numbers. and they've determined that the Earth is well overdue for a major catastrophic event. Even worse, they're claiming their calculations prove that we're all going to die, very soon - while also saying their prediction comes with a certainty of 99 percent- and 2012 just happens to be the best guess as to when it occurs.

 

7. Slip-Slop-Slap- BANG!

We all know the Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that shields us from most of the sun's radiation. What you might not know is that the magnetic poles we call north and south have a nasty habit of swapping places every 750,000 years or so - and right now we're about 30,000 years overdue. Scientists have noted that the poles are drifting apart roughly 20-30 km each year, much faster than ever before, which points to a pole-shift being right around the corner. While the pole shift is underway, the magnetic field is disrupted and will eventually disappear, sometimes for up to 100 years. The result is enough UV outdoors to crisp your skin in seconds, killing everything it touches. 

The mail ended with a huge 'smiley' with an enthusiastic "So, What Dya Think?!"

You really should have been there to see how amused I felt while reading this. I want to tell you how much I differ with all that has been said in the mail. People really tend to believe it as it sounds pretty convincing, and I want to personally tell you guys that it takes just a little bit of research to confirm what is the truth.

And now I shall tell you why there will be no "End of the World" by 2012:

 

1st -- the Mayan calendar never said that there will be an end of the world... if you see it in Wikipedia you will notice that there are cycles of eras. A well-known TV channel featured this and it still is believed by all that December 21, 2012 is end of the world... (Man! How did people become so smart suddenly...??? And we call ourselves advanced?! Maybe we should go back in time and ask the stone age people. Maybe they will give us a more accurate date than the Mayans) In a nutshell, the date is controversial... there is no proof. It merely marks the end of one era and the beginning of another. Too much misuse... no, abuse of imagination results in such flimsy, baseless and ridiculous theories. Mayans were a mysterious lot... but I don't think they gazed into the crystal ball! They were jobless enough to go around hunting for (ahem!) virgins and sacrifice them... now you know, ladies and gentlemen, why the civilization ceased to exist today.

 

2nd -- variations in the intensity of solar cycles have been a very normal thing... every 10 - 11 years the intensity is high... and the same will happen roughly around 2012. There is nothing new about solar storms... the next high intensity is also gonna be the same as the previous ones. For more information, read about 'Schwabe cycle' in solar cycle.

 

3rd -- the particle accelerator is an instrument that will generate enough speed to see what happens when two particles collide. I know that "it is believed" the universe started out with a big bang and stuff, but when the scientists attempt to do an experiment that will collide particles at the speed of light... believe me... mini black holes (even if they form!!) will never be able to gobble up the equipment owing to its atomic size... it requires certain parameters... and its not a monster that will grow in size with every little thing it eats up. It is too dramatic for the scientific mind. Simply put, it’s a harmless thing, but it takes in a lot of energy and money... the latter which I would like to have.

 

4th -- I don't believe it... 2012? So, suddenly the ancient Hindu scriptures talk about 2012?Suddenly, the Bible too is screaming that 2012 is the end of the world? Well, the same was told when 2002 happened. And here I am - still waiting for the damn catastrophe and somehow it seems too silly to happen "according to a book". The one who came up with this must be some looney guy.

 

5th -- coming to Yellow Stone... I have read enough about it from the time I have been in school... one of nature's wonders… if my educational background has some authority over my logical ability, volcanoes do not erupt "periodically"; if that was the case then people living close to volcanic regions would vacate at the "right" time. I know that Yellowstone Caldera is among the largest supervolcano but saying that it will erupt in 2012 is just plain nuts. There is no damn proof... unless the volcano wrote a letter to the one who took pains to create this chain-mail.

 

6th – umm... Let me get this straight... some not-so-great university has mathematicians who... out of nowhere... announce that they have the date for doomsday? yeaaah right!  Wonder what the mathematicians in Harvard are doing... hmm... they must be counting sheep.

 

7th – yes, the poles do swap. And yes they do protect us from radiation... but what strikes me as absolutely absurd is that suddenly the process stops... and that too for JUST 100 years... while it is otherwise moving at a fast pace?? It is plain bullshit! I have never heard of such a crazy theory. Stand aside Newton… your laws are just about to be proved wrong. The shift has accelerated but predictions have been tough as the speed is extremely random. Exposure to UV in the past couple of millions of years (while the earth swapped polarities) has not been a factor that caused the great extinction...  however, the electrical equipments and satellites will be in deep shit. In any case the magnetic field of earth is largely an unexplored area and many scientists are still trying to generate a pattern. So claiming to know the earth's magnetic field is a far cry.

An introduction to the behavioural pattern of XYZ: Going lyrical with XYZ

XYZ? Is that even a name?? Well, I sure have loads of other names for some who are extreme in their behaviour and I am sure I am being nasty... I like that about me. Anyway, there is this, say, XYZ who wants to have a fun conversation with me... and it turns out to be more than just fun. Have a load of this for now... this must be satisfactory and I hope to give you a hint of how haphazard and how capricious a behaviour a person could sport. But why am I talking about XYZ? Whats typically XYZ about this character I have met? Its more like psychoanalysis for me and a source of amazement and disgustingly humorous accounts for you. Read on...

me: oy :)

whats with the diaries and kittens ? (alluding to something that was tagged along with XYZ's name)

XYZ: wellll.....

its d effect of the cat and the movie called "The Nanny Diaries"

:D

me: oooh I seeee

so wassaaaap?

XYZ: oh d same ole stuff..... ceiling.... fan.. 3rd floor.... sky.... u can fil in d rest....

me: a lot of void I see

below all that u have just mentioned

XYZ: er..... well... ummm....

ya u can say tat I guess!

:D

me: indeed! :D

XYZ: so waaaasssssup wit u?

me: I had a fling with the fluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

XYZ: ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

so now how do u doooo????

me: now I feel almost brand neeewwwwwww

XYZ: wow.. tats so typically uuuuuuuu!!!!

:D

me: thats a nice thing to say.. why thank youuuuu

:D

XYZ: oooooooooooo.....

well we cud go on n on.. so ill stop!

:D

me: wel, I can still go on .. until one of us drops

XYZ: well it aint gonna be me, so u better not end up a flop!

me: on the contrary, I have had my share of vitamins while you continue not to sleep or walk

XYZ: well tats built up my stamina... so it aint in u to thus talk.....

me: you assume many a time and always imagine to reap rich crops

but really it would qualify for a fiasco, effortlessly

XYZ: arguin everythin I say, is tat not a breach aimlessly?

me: arguing for the right never fails me

XYZ: but arguin all the time will eventually fail thee.....

me: that is where you have wrong notions about me

XYZ: tat does not giv u the right to counter me, even if it may so be.....

me: I am not a mock spectator if you thought I would be, however I assure you when I am wrong I will be honest readily

XYZ: it isnt whether ur wrong or right.. its how u respond to a comment or an insight, when the othr does so strongly disagree....

me: what one feels an impenetrable insight must look for loopholes before me, else left to take back words - which seems hard to agree

XYZ: carrying a charade is best left un-done,as I speak for me, when the time comes, it will seem clear why I say so, to thee....

me: I do not come to terms with theologies or unbridled thoughts in a manner that something left unsaid is incomprehensible/ But when I check the bearings of ones convictions a mere mention of the idea draws resistance; I have seen (this invariably became my status message ... and a very close friend doesn't believe that it was I who came up with this... I am offended :P )

XYZ: oh crap.... u always end up puttin me in thought mode..... and I don want to think............................................................

me: :) y not?

thinking is a good habit

XYZ: thinkin is bad for me....

me: u should cultivate it :)

XYZ: I prefer remianing blissfully empty than filled with nerve-racking thots....

(at this point I was absolutely surprised, cause XYZ has read some of the most thought-provoking books)

me: whaaat?

:D

XYZ: oh chuck it

me: the weather is brilliant I say (yes, I am trying to keep the conversation as 'fun' as possible)

XYZ: yessss it esss... im itching to go out!!

me: then whats stoppin u?

XYZ: I don knw....

me: u'll know... once u go out?

XYZ: hmmm..... welll.. I don knw tat either.....

me: then you should try to?

XYZ: mebbe

me: then go out

XYZ: r u ordering me mister?

me: no, I m merely wishing you go out

before the weather forces you to stay inside

XYZ: oh wat wil I do goin out mann... nah.. ill stay put.... (ah Einstein of the first order!)

me: now I can only quote Shakespeare: "As you like it"

XYZ: sure... thanx a ton...

me: ever so grateful

XYZ: go jump....

me: the potential energy I generate will be quite useful but I wud prefer a bucket of water taking my place in this scenario .. it is more feasible

:)

XYZ: ohh god! kill me, kil me NOW (I suppose that omnipotent mythological character would gladly do the honors)

me: for a moment I forgot you didn't do science in 11th n 12th

XYZ: for ur info I did

me: u did ? then whats so "god kil me" about what I said?

XYZ: arrrrgh...... uve becum more mental since the last tym I spoke to u....

me: hmm.. thats an interesting observation :)

XYZ: ufff..... I giv up....

Finally, the magic words... I was satisfied. I know, by now some may think I was provoking XYZ, but you see I usually do not voice my opinion or my perspective - which may then take the conversation to a different level - unless forced to tell the other person that neither am I carrying a sign which reads "ready-to-use doormat for free" nor will I keep myself from helping them cultivate a habit of shutting their trap when it is necessary; something typical about this character is that one can become a doormat as long as one has the power to endure its fatuous rantings. Oh I love conversations, provided it makes at least some sense (mind you, I love random too, but this just so "not happening"). You will observe there is no thought process and such immature behaviour by these specimens are but something I detest; of course, I always give them an option to "see it in a different light", but when nothing seems to work, I refuse to be treated in a manner that is unacceptable and intolerable. I go about doing my work - which brings me to the fact that I have a plan for myself almost everyday - and nothing else would bother me, unless my 'most favorite band ever' decided to invite me to join them.

Mystery Machine

Turn me inside out

So that you can see

Turn me inside out

For things that would never be

 

Invisible hands

Put the burning sun to sleep

In flavours of dark bands

Shine the mystique and the deep

 

What winds from the east

Can cool this flame

What whisper of any beast

Could utter the unknown name

 

I am the mystery machine

I am what you dare not to dream

I am the mystery machine

I am not what you think I mean

 

So turn me inside out

If you know not what you feel

Turn me inside out

And fail to see what I conceal

 

I am the mystery machine

And you may squander your curiosity

But I am the mystery machine

And that is all I shall ever be

Adding fuel to the fire ... but hey, where is the fuel??

Ever wondered what you would do when you find out there is no more fuel to run that cool Audi car you bought and flaunted in front of a bunch of good looking girls? Well, its about time you do cause that fearsome thought might just turn into a reality pretty soon … sooner than you can think.


Let’s face it, we can’t live without fuel. We have involved it so much into our lives that it looks almost impossible for us to go without it. Mind you, I said almost for a good reason - thank the one who invented the bicycle. However, it is too soon for me to say, maybe someone will find out how to run vehicles using alternative sources. But for now, it just the good old bicycle.


You may think “Why is he saying all this? There is enough and more fuel to run for another couple of decades!”… well, that may be the case but let me tell you something that happened just a couple of weeks back…

It’s a pleasant Saturday in December and I was getting ready to leave to my office, and I didn’t have my vehicle that day, so I decided to use the public transport. On the way I see a huge queue in this petrol bunk … and why? There is a fuel crisis as the officers have gone on strike (usually one or the other organization goes on strike in our beloved country… either the auto whalaas are on strike or the truckers union go on strike … today it happened to be an Officers’ Strike). Apparently, they want a higher salary (like Rs. 200,000 a month is “less”!!) … I was amused, I did what I could not possibly stop myself from doing, I laughed.

I was amused looking at the people wearing a tensed expression and mumbling something; whispering a prayer so that they get some fuel today for their car/bike. and i m laughing cause i am thinking to myself "Lets get used to it!" Although knowing perfectly well nobody ever will.

In between all this I am wondering… when there is a serious shortage … what will we do? Really!

Here are some pictures I took of the hullabaloo at a petrol bunk:

What, are they giving free petrol?

Cans, bottles, anything that may hold that precious fuel... so that I can waste it

It's a long wait for them

Another incident that happened, my dad thought he was lucky enough to get his car tank filled so that he may not need to worry about the crisis for a couple of days … that night someone managed to tap it from the car when it was parked outside the house. Next thing you know they will murder you if they get to know you have a can full of fuel at your place! (beware … now it’s a hush-hush thing to do)