Music, football and a guestbook

As a part of Roisin's birthday gift, we had bought her a ticket to see Rodrigo and Gabriela's live gig. It was a pleasant change of music which was a mix of metal and Mexican beats. Their story is quite fascinating. Take some time to go and visit their site.

Also after a long time I played football today. We were playing for almost 3 hours with different groups of players and it was fantastic fun really. I don't like growing up and having less time to do things which really do interest you.

And after months of this website being static, I have finally added in a new page. And this time I shall shut up completely and let you guys write. Yes, it's a guestbook where you can say what you want about anything you want. Just try and keep it for a family audience..;)


A picture from their website

protect the apostrope

Way too much free time?

As you must have read earlier, I am terrible at languages. I do not consider them anything more than a tool of communication. My vocabulary leaves a lot to be desired and I spell abominably. As long as you understand what I am saying and I understand what I am saying, that's all I really care about.

But then, unfortunately the world does not revolve around me and mostly it doesn't even care what I think. A proof for this is the Apostrophe protection society. These people have come together to protect the apostrophe ('). Why? Well, visit them and figure it out. More than half a million people have done it already!

On other more serious notes, the medical students, who were against the quota system (read the earlier article on reservation of seats in all universities in India), had a meeting with the Prime Minister of the country. The PM assured them that this step will not degrade the education system and also there was a grand plan to expand the number of universities so that there would be no shortage of seats in the future.

Why don't they do that before declaring the reservations? And since when does quantity reflect quality? It is atrocious that a learned man like Manmohan Singh can also be bent to such depths by political pressure. How can anyone now reassure the despondent students who are losing complete hope in the country?

I was speaking to a friend at home and all she could say was that she wanted to leave the country and that how her children would have more chances of success overseas. I do not agree, but the education system back home does leave a lot to your imagination and unfortunately it seems to be going in the wrong direction.

is discrimination ironical?

Some of you might be aware about the turmoil that the Indian education system is going through at present. If you don't here's a brief description about what's happening.

The Indian government wants to introduce a 50% reservation in all colleges for the lower castes. Caste system is the basis through which millions of Hindus were denied educational opportunities and were left to do menial jobs. So to help them in the future, the government has righteously declared of providing them the opportunities, no questions asked as long as you have the right surname.

But does it make sense?

Indian government fervently denies the existence of the caste system in the country in the 21st century. It says that all the people in the country are equal and hence should not be differentiated under any circumstances. But then, isn't the introduction of this new law discrimination?

I understand that 'what were then lower castes' need help or alleviation (a word used commonly by the government) but then shouldn't this be on economical basis rather than according to your surname? Opportunities in the present world are according to the amount of money a person has and that cannot be denied. I would understand if the poor students get a chance to further their education through scholarships and such other options. This step by the government does not make too much sense to me. Finally it is going to be the 'rich lower castes', with enough money to access all facilities, which will end up taking all the reserved seats. This is going to lead to a lower grade of system where the brightest students are not given a chance to shine.

There is a huge exodus of bright (and rich) students from India and the reason is the narrow minded laws made by the people in charge. A country with so much potential is being blocked by squinted leaders. We need another great leader, one with vision as Gandhi?


(OBC- other backward castes)

number game

The monopoly that was given to me on 21st has been used a lot already. I have discovered that I make a terrible businessman. Thankfully I didn't try and go into that profession. The first game I was bankrupt within 15 minutes, the second one took 30 minutes and so on. I seem to be improving but thankfully it isn't real money.

But I have also discovered that my math is pertty good. I can calculate how much money goes where within seconds, but all the money seems to be going away from me.

Since we are talking numbers, I was completely surprised to know that 1500 people have visited this site already. It's been only a couple of months old and doesn't have too many interesting things. I have also been spammed on this stie 28 times. But what is more astonishing is the fact that 800 people have revisited the site.

There is only a fortnight to go for the Fifa world cup now. It is going to be a wonderful experience and I am sooo glad that I am in England, the country which invented the game (or at least started it in a professional manner). The atmosphere here is already starting to feel electric, the pubs are buzzing with football talk, all the radios are talking about the game and even the TV shows replays of Rooney getting injured. But they have a new wild card in Theo Walcott and of course the new Newcastle legend Micheal Owen.

I hope England win this one.

A year older but no wiser

Yes. Thank you all for your good wishes, but I am not too glad to be turning old. But I can't complain at all really. I had a fantastic birthday, one of my best ever. We had a nice little party here and some of my friends came from all over. In the end the party which started only with 5 people had about 40 people getting completely drunk and having a fantastic time.

Mikael was at his best making some lipsmacking cocktails which were well appreciated. Kate and made some lovely cake which had three candles on it signifying my mental age. Everyone had come reinforced with lots more alcohol so the party never ran dry. After drinking lots and playing a lot of pool while chatting away, we decided to carry it on to a club. There was a jazzy band playing there which only made us move our bodies. And hence after about 3 hours of dancing, we could not help but retire to our appartment and continue the there.

Sunday was spent trying to recover and still dreaming about the party. But Maite was really nice and I got lots of cake to eat and get over the drunkardness. I hardly got any sleep having touched the bed only by 8 in the morning. But it was still a night which I will never forget.

I have managed to put up some pictures, but will keep adding more soon. There are lots to be shown. Hope you all had a good night too, and for everyone who missed it, well... we are gonna have to make up for it.... ;)

Also how could I forget the gifts? I got some really interesting gifts right from monopoly for some nerdy nights to a pair of boobs for some even more nerdy nights. They even come with a caution sign saying not for children under three. Ohter gifts included lots of alcohol and a calvin and hobbes book too. And yes... how can I forget the music that was bestowed upon me? The Doors, Bob Dylan and the Gorillaz were some of them. Of all the cards, one sent by renuka was really cool.

Again thank you!

no global warming?

Yet again the US government rejects all the scientific studies saying that there is no proof for global warming. They say that climate change is taking place, but we do not know as yet whether it is going to have any serious impacts or not. It is funny how the US government cannot be blind to the injustice that was going on under Saddam's rule, but is completely blind to the havoc that they might be causing! But then, maybe they are right and 99% of the world is wrong. But I would rather take my chances with the rest of the world and try and make some positive changes.

Not all changes seem to be positive though. The carbon trading that was introduced seems to have backfired. The power companies in UK have made a 2 billion dollar profit from carbon trading. They do not seem to be inclined to use this for environmental benifits. A nice staff lounge with a swimming pool does seem like a pretty good idea.

But inspite of millions of people shouting, the ice caps melting, the deserts marching forward, the life destroying hurricanes and all that jazz, president Bush and his government do not listen. Are they looking at the positive side of global warming?

gambling addiction

Yeah, I must confess it.

I love playing cards. In fact, over the past weekend I have played about 7 hours of cards. It is fantastic fun really. I mean, they are so simple, just 13 cards, nothing great about them, but... once mixed with a few friends, maybe a few drinks, it is just fantastic fun!!

I am already in debt. But fortunately we are not playing with money but with keeping healthy. Apparently I have to run 11.84 miles already. At least it will give me a chance to lose all the fat that I am collecting (at least somewhere I am well prosperous).

My neck has been killing me. Maybe I slept funny or something, but it hurts like crazy. I am turning 24 in a few days, but feel like 60 already. 11.84 miles will do me good.

PS: 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers... and the distance does not reduce if you convert it

he's nice... marry him

Arranged weddings are one of the biggest businesses in the country from which I come. I don't understand them really. I mean, you meet a person, see how well he is doing in life, see his face, have a coffee or two and then suddenly you find yourself in his house after promising him the rest of your life!

Two of my friends recently got engaged through this system. I will never be able to understand why? I mean, even in the 21st century there are people who believe in marrying within your community when it has been proven really well that inbreeding within a small race can cause a decline in a the children's ability to think. In short, you keep doing that and your children are going to be mentally handicapped.

I know people who have had boyfriends/girlfriends and then when it's time to get married, they chicken out and give in to their parents. The excuse is: Why cause parents so much trouble. Why??... because you have a life to live!

I know marrying a person you love will not ensure a happy married life and it is as people say, a whole new ballgame, but it does give you better odds to get through it doesn't it?

Then why do people have arranged weddings? Because it is easy. You ask your parents to find you a person, and if anything goes wrong you can always say that things weren't in your hand. If things go well... then why complain at all? Secondly it makes your parents happy. People like to be in control, and hence your parents are happy to be in control of your life. And well... maybe you will learn to love the person. Or rather, learn to live with the person.

I don't like arranged weddings at all, if someone can give me a reason why they are better, I would love to hear it.

get together comrades

This is a slightly more serious blog than normal. And the reason is what once divided the world into two. The capitalist states and the cimmunist states were at the biggest war in the history of mankind, and thankfully they stopped before the destruction of mankind.

In the local elections in which took place recently in India, the communist party won half the seats. The reason is the poor people's unrest. They are getting opressed with the capital government and look for reprive where ever possible. And in this case, it's the 'people's party'.



I personally don't think communism is viable. The basis of it is very very weak. It assumes that everyone should work for the betterment of the human race and hence not be selfish. Work for the state and not for yourself. I don't understand. It is human nature to be greedy. Relying on morals to improve a race can be very dangerous. And of course it has been shown to be not true. Though the ideals were set by a good man, the people following him had their own greed which they could not overcome and so the USSR didn't stand at all. An early rise is seen by the people who have suffered under the opperssive capitalist rule. But once a new generation comes in, they do not have the patriotism and will work only for their benifit.

To me it makes sense that when a preson works for himself, to improve himself, he does his best. And when everyone do their best together the entire race will do their best. Of course the poor ones will get hurt. But isn't that the rule of nature? Survival of the fittest? I know that the only thing that separates us from other animals is the compassion we can show and act on. I agree that it should be there ingrained within out minds. But compassion as a way of life, that will never work.

We are finally humans, we will have feelings which are known to exist. We will feel sad, jealous, hurt, happy and so on. To say that we are above it is not only wrong, but also a crime against yourself.

early mornings and engagements!

What? Huh? Am i dreaming, am I awake? Is it night? am I even freaking alive?

Picture this:

I am sleeping, dreaming of things which shall not be mentioned here, and suddenly there is a friend of mine on the phone at 5:30 in the morning telling me that one of my best friends from Pune is getting married and that she has already been engaged!! And the thing is that I know nothing about this. i was totally shocked to say the least. I am really mad that I missed out on all the good celebrations and the food.

But jokes apart, when one of your best friends doesn't invite your for her wedding, do you smack her in the face with a shovel or hit her hard on the head with a baseball bat?

Work is going on pretty well right now, and also planning for my birthday party has started on the side.

illegal to legal

I got a mail from microsoft saying my copy of windows is illegal. I need to buy a new one for about a 100 pounds. Maybe I should, considering that I have never paid for any software in my life. It's getting difficult to pirate things now.

But, I also managed to download two music albums legally. For the first time in my life, I paid to download music. Apple iTunes is a fantastic software, and I don't mind paying to get music from there. I bought two alumbs by Gorillaz. They are pretty good.

Yesterday we went for a play in which two of our friends were playing music and dancing a little. Roisin and Hannah did a really good job and we learnt a lot about the Irish culture there.

good old times and damn good new times

I was speaking to Ani yesterday. All that we could really talk about was getting back in Pune with the entire gang together for a new year's celebration. I haven't seen him for two years now, and it has been about that time for most of my friends. I really can't wait to go back and have a few beers with everyone.

It is funny how old friends will always stay your best friends. You might change a lot over the years, but when you all meet up, then the years in between don't matter at all. You travel back and so does everyone else.

Its important to stay in touch.

Natasha, from Barbados, has graced us with her presence in Leeds for about a week. We have had awesome fun with her. She is the only non-japanese person I know who has taken more pictures than Rahul. Unfortunately she has to leave now. And though it is going to make Dwight, my flatmate, the most unhappy (as they are seeing each other), we will all miss having her bubbly self around. Pictures are in need here and I'll put them up as soon as I can.

This Alex, Dwight, Natasha and me

lonely lab

Today was the first day I spent completely alone in the lab. It is kinda freaky. I mean you get a lot of work done, but then, you can't have any conversations which lead to more thinking. I am not complaining right now since I still have a lot to do on my own before I need to start thinking of ideas to change the things around me.

Tomorrow I will be going to Leicester for a conference. Have to wake up at 6 in the morning. I didn't know that there was 6 in the morning. I like sleeping late. Those last few hours are the most important part of the sleep aren't they?