Graffiti

Limits of Wanting.

2011-05-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Never-so-much-that-I-would-say-never-again.
Never-so-less-that-I-would-forever-crave-for-more.
Rain-me-a-bliss,
Not-a-drop-more-nor-a-drop-less!

Friendship.

2010-07-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

You cannot "make" friends for the heck of making friends.
If you do, they probably aren't your friends in the true sense of the word. To add to it, it goes to show you desperation for being social. And desperation only leads you to make friends with the wrong people.

Friendship happens.. And among those friendships that happen, you do have the choice to let it continue if you find the association great. In my opinion, friendship does not happen overnight. It takes time. So you do have time to exercise your choice whether to continue with it or not along the course.

These days the word friend is soooo overused anyone you add to your Facebook or Orkut list is a "Friend". Or so is anyone you talk to and share a few nice words. I suppose this necessitates a new word for people who are actually your friends in the true sense of the word that it was. Loose usage of the word has diluted the importance one should attach to friends.

Nothing more apt than the saying "Friends should be few and well chosen". Choose your friends wisely. Or your last words will of course be "Et tu, Brute?"

Friendship, as a relationship, deserves more respect.

Deuces Are Wild

2010-07-14T22:11:00.001-07:00

Ah, I love to look into your big brown eyes
They talk to me and seem to hypnotize
They say the things nobody dares to say
And I'm not about to let you fly away

My lover with no jet lag
We're staying up all night in my sleeping bag
You got a heart beat rhythm from the subterrain
I really love you little girl
I don't need to explain

I love you 'cause your Deuces Are Wild, girl
Like a double shot of lovin' so fine
I been lovin' you since you was a child, girl
'Cause you and me is two of a kind

Ah, like deja vu I feel like I've been here
Or somewhere else but you've been always near
It's you that's in my dreams I'm begging for
But I woke up when someone slammed the door

So hard I fell outta bed
Screamin' mama's little baby loves shortnin' bread
And the moral of the story
I can testify
I get stoned on you girl
That's the best reason why

Heroes

2010-07-14T21:49:00.001-07:00

There are no heroes. There are only people.. like you and me. People who rise to the occasion create moments in history; moments that matter. "Heroes" die... deeds of valor live forever.

A Fight for Victory.

2010-04-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

As long as I see the stars shine,
I know that the sky is still in its place.
As long as I know there is another day,
I am still in the race.

I believe with all my heart,
that when you are brave...
Victory shall be your slave!

Wish You Were Here.

2010-04-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
Your heros for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

- Waters, Gilmour

Still Going On...

2010-04-07T07:40:00.001-07:00

We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.

Stumbled upon this quote .. I guess the origin of this quote will remain a mystery.. But they say it was a quote by some unwilling American soldiers who were forced to fight in the Vietnam war.

Makes sense!

The winds of time.

2010-03-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Days go by.
As do the pages of a book,
when the wind flips them.
some turn slow.. some turn fast.
but they turn.. one.. after another..after another.
And then... at one point in time..there are no more to turn.
Like the pages of a book that one reads..
A man's days are numbered.

Randomusings

2008-10-18T01:41:00.000-07:00

A leaf falling off a tree

wishes it had held on,

it did all it could

but the moment it left the tree,

the need for it was long gone.

After the candle is lit,

what then could be the need

for that little match stick?

Of Incertitudes...

2007-09-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Each time I play the game
Its never the same.
Along a curvy maze
I leave the trail ablaze.

When I know not whats round the bend,
Oodles it does does to the mystery lend.
Vague is the trend
Every second with the unknown I fend.

Along the winding track I rip
Hoping not to lose the grip
Whatever comes I shall take it on
Shall brave it all without a moan

To overdrive I move over
With only intuitions I manoeuvre.
Only a sixth sense within knows
It understands before the path unfolds.
Sheer guts to zip on
The fear of death is long gone.

But I know this wont last for ever.
I may make it or I may never.
For one of these bends
Could after all be the end.

But then... whose is the finish ?
Is the question I relish.

Sing for the Moon!

2007-09-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Two similar songs..Different languages...
Guitar.. Moon.. Heroine..Remake? Must be!
But I kinda like them both.

You See It the Way You Want To See It!

2007-09-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

Most of what we know is what we derive from what we sense - reading accounts of peoples' perceptions, empirical conclusions that in course of time become axioms that are beyond doubt. Credibility and acceptability lent to perceptions make them "facts".

So your way of seeing things does matter! And largely - what you already know plays a major key in your deciphering those that are unknown to you. Here is a Romanian song that I came across recently that was interpreted "differently".

And it occurred to me that it is similar to how some freaks seem to make weird meanings out of songs playing them in reverse...like the legendary "Hotel California" by Eagles or "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin - to have satanic messages unraveled!

An illustration of the illusion for those who have time to spare.

Just a passing Question.

I agnise words in mumblings...
An intermittent sound (like that from a dripping tap) I hear blends in with the cadence of a song.
I read between the lines.
I see shapes in the clouds and distinct profiles in silhouettes.

Aren't they so? Or.... Is it just my imagination?

My take on that : If you want to you sure can. It is not wrong to stretch your imagination and only a few can actually do that. But these are just seemingly so.

And this I feel is how the daily horoscope predictions "work".
There are people who make a living off the way you see things!

The soul in a haze and a mind lost in a maze.

2007-08-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

The stranger you got to know.
And again someday will be a buddy estranged
I am another face that fades in the crowded streets
Streets of memories of people u know

Our relationship is like the lens
That blurs and refocusses.
When the haze clears.
Think of me
And I will appear

That does not mean I was gone
It only means
You were not looking.

La Galette des Rois

2007-01-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

The morning of the fifth of January 2007, a Friday, 11 nights past Christmas, I received a mail from one of my colleagues to share "La galette des rois" and some cider at her cabin that evening. I popped into her cabin when I had to pass by, to greet her and another of my colleagues who shared the same workspace. I was asked my birthday. On replying, I was told that I would be the one to cut the cake that evening. The reason being that, of that of all the people invited, my birthday was the closest to that day.

And that evening, I went over to see that a few people had gathered at the aforesaid place. As we waited for a few more people to arrive, a Spanish friend of mine explained to me what it was all about. La galette des rois means a King's Cake. As the custom goes, the cake has in it a hidden piece of lucky charm made of plastic or sometimes a china figurine called la fève and the person who gets it is crowned the king. Ah ha! there is a catch to it....he/she also and has to bear the expenses of the party. This is a tradition in France. The Spanish, I was told, follow the same but with a variance. The cake has a lucky charm and a bean hidden . The person who gets the lucky charm wears the crown and the person who gets the bean pays.

The Epiphany has, since the middle ages, been marked to commemorate the arrival of the Magi and the kings bearing gifts for the neonate Christ. This ceremony was clubbed with certain pagan beliefs too and was banned by the church, branding it a form of indulgence. Yet, the custom has braved the test of time and is celebrated even today.

As decided, I had the honour of cutting the cake and distributing it to the people gathered and as luck would have it, when I cut the first piece of patty, the china figurine was visible at the side. Nobody was ready to accept it and I was there, looking around and along came a late-comer,who too declined. Finally, a seven footer, as warm and friendly by nature as tall as he is, a native of French-Guyana, relieved me of it. He reminded me of Jughead, wearing the paper crown that went along with the lucky charm.

Certain practices make life interesting. Dont they?

Paris

2006-12-30T22:55:00.000-08:00

Paris, the fashion capital of the world, a treasure-trove of art with a galore of chronicles was known as Lutetia in ancient times. It is more than a couple of chiliad years old now and is a cosmopolitan city of today. This “City of Lights” looks wonderful at night.

Another impressive feature of this city is the connectivity; the network of underground metro trains (fourteen interconnected local lines and a few more that run within and beyond the city limits) and the waterways along the river “La Seine”.

My three day visit to this acclaimed Gaulish city in the winter of 2006 will be quite a memorable one in the years to come.

The places I covered during my visit were:

Arc de Triomph
The Eiffel Tower
Notre dame de Paris
Louvre
Avenue des Champs Elysees (pronounced Chaunz Elizae).
Invalides
Place de la Concorde

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Arc de Triomph

This Arc of Triumph was what I visited first. The easiest way to reach this would be from the Metro station Charles de Gaulle Etoile. This monument is on the Avenue of Champs Elysees. A walk down this avenue to the other end would lead to the obelisk from the temple of Luxor.

The Arc de Triomph is 51 meters tall and 45 meters wide. Its construction was initiated by The Monarch Napoleon I after his successful conquest of Austerlitz.

This is an Arc that looks grand (and reminded me of India Gate, though the latter is devoid of sculpture at its facade and is not-so-antiquated)

Eiffel Tower

Completed in 1889 and named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed it, this structure stands 320 meters tall. I have heard/read somewhere that Gustave at some point of time had used this structure to conduct aerodynamic experiments and arrive at a few important empirical relations of aerodynamics.

Frankly speaking, I was not very fascinated by this “wonder of the world”. Could be attributed to the reason that I expected a lot from it (The power of imagination can far exceed reality). But it is a fact that this monument was actually considered an eyesore and there were plans of dismantling it at one point of time a few years after its construction.

Also, that it was a cloudy day in winter (which meant limited visibility at the top) and the fact that my camera conked out (thanks to the batteries that I bought that turned out to be incompatible) added to my dissatisfaction.

I reached this structure by a ferry taken from Alexander point and took a few snaps of it as I neared it along La Seine.

The Eiffel tower has lifts at each of the base supports to carry visitors to the top. There are three stages where you can get off the lift. The first two can be accessed without a change of lift but to the reach the third stage it would be necessary to take another lift. Tickets are priced as per the highest stage that you would like to visit. And the one to the third stage cost me 11 Euros.

At a couple of kilometers from the Eiffel Tower is the replica of The Statue of Liberty (on the banks of the river La Seine). It would be possible to reach this statue from the Metro station - Bir Hakim. This replica of the gift from France to its ally is rather weathered and worn out and is scaled one-fourth the size of the one that stands in Newyork and is made of bronze.

Notre dame de Paris

This Church at the heart of Paris for some reason impressed me. The centre of Paris, the point which all distances from Paris are measured from is just outside of the cathedral building.

The structure is built in French Gothic style of architecture as symbolized by the ogive curves (pointed and not rounded)

I liked the lighting effects inside this church (as is the case of all churches, dimly lit as always with candles) and also the statue of Joan of Arc in this church. It is said that the revival of her tarnished name was initiated here.

Also, as the legend goes – “The Hunchback of Notre dame” (Quasimodo), is supposed to have been a bell-ringer here.

Louvre

This is a colossal palace that has been standing for over eight centuries and was used as a storehouse of weapons, as a prison and as a palatial royal residence and is now a museum, the hoard of treasures of art each of which would be worth fortunes.

Its walls have witnessed the events such as the death of Henry IV and the second marriage of Napoleon I. The Louvre Museum has four floors lower ground floor, ground floor, first floor and the second floor. There are three sections on each floor: named Denon, Sully and Richelieu. The pyramidal structure of glass is the entry point.

I had only half a day to explore this wonderful museum with a map and a guide I purchased I was able to cover the best of the top two floors and a few sculptures on the ground and lower ground floors.

The famed Monalisa is on the Denon wing of the First floor.

I found the French paintings like “The lady In Blue” by Corot and “Vigee-Lebrun and Daughter” by Elizabeth-Louise Vigee-Lebrun herself very pleasing (visually) and some like “The Death of Sardanapalus” by Eugine Delacroix and “The Raft of Medusa” by Theodore Gericault rather saddening (for the theme).

And the Northern paintings seemed to have a different touch somehow and some seemed to be rather small in size.

Rembrandt’s “ Philosopher deep in thought '” had a wonderful depiction of the light effects from a window and the manner in which the spiral stairway (alluding to the twisting and spiraling thoughts in the philosopher’s mind) was painted was wonderful.

“The Lace-maker” and “The Astronomer” by Vermeer made a nice impression.

It was a little displeasing and ironic to learn that the painting of Caravaggio in the Italian section, “The Death of a Virgin” was painted using the bloated body of a drowned prostitute. Caravaggio is said to have been accused of murder shortly after that and had to flee Rome.

I personally admired one particular sculpture of Antonio Canova a lot, "Psyche Revived by the Cupid’s Kiss " as it looked wonderfully romantic and am sure will remain in my memory for the rest of my life.

The sculptures of Michel Angelo and some ancient sculpture retrieved from the islands of Greece like the "Victory of Samothrace" and "Venus de Milo" were fascinating. "Victory of Samothrace" in particular had an excellent depiction of the wet fabric of the winged goddess clinging on to her body (for instance, around the navel) and the other extensions of the layered clothing fluttering. Truly realistic.

I bought two decks of playing cards from Louvre as souvenirs.

Avenue des Champs Elysees

One of the most famous avenues of the world. A wide one and adorned with lights at night, houses the outlets of some of the leading brands in business and cinema halls (like Gaumont). An evening walk down this road can lift your spirits and make you feel good.

At one end of it is the Obelisk (Place de la Concorde) and at the other end is Arc de Triomphe.

Les Invalides

This is a complex of buildings and houses the sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte and also a war museum. This complex was basically built as a home for those rendered invalid by the wars and hence the name.

The war museum displays the war gear, accessories and weapons right from those during the days of knights like armors and shields to the guns and bombs used in First and Second World Wars.

At the Napoleons tomb visitors are given “speaking guides” that are similar to cordless phones. These contain recorded messages that explain the history and significance of the place and the various sculptures and other displayed entities. It even plays the music that was played during various historic events that occured in the monument. The audio recording can be paused, replayed etc. there are various listening points and on choosing corresponding numbers the audio corresponding to that listening point is played. These audio guides are available in various languages and I found it very informative.

“My greatest accomplishment, according to me, is not that I won over a forty battles but that I implemented the uniform civil code and centralized administration” Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have told. All around the sarcophagus (sculpted) are various scenes of Napoleon in Roman attire and with laurels and various ideas are implied by the sculpture.

Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde is a square where once stood the guillotine and it is said that once during the reign of terror more than a thousand people were executed in less than a month here and the place reeked of blood, so much that cattle refused to cross this square.

It is now the home of an obelisk gifted by Egypt that was originally from the Temple of Luxor. The Obelisk has a lot of Hieroglyphics, looks pretty (but I could not understand a thing on it!), gave an ancient feel, left me fascinated.

There are many more places that I could not visit due to lack of time. Maybe I shall visit Paris again someday. I took a train back to Toulouse from Paris (Austerlitz). A seven-and-a-half-hour journey ....carrying home a few fond memories.