Hogwarts, Why U no Real?!!

I still remember the first time I saw Harry Potter movie. It was childish tale and I remember thinking "really! All that buzz for this movie?". I was far from being impressed. Later on, when I was forced to watch this movie half-a-dozen times (blame too much time and new dvd player) it slowly started to make more sense to me.

The part that I liked the most was the whole journey of discovering a new world, an alternate reality that one can escape to. A place filled with magic and monsters, and Hogwarts. It was a place of dreams. I still remember how beautiful Hogwarts looked the first time they showed it.  

 

And there was the great hall with hundreds of candles floating in the air, the roof that reflected the sky. Often I've wondered how it would be to walk the corridors of Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione and take all the magic classes, or sit next to the lake or go to the Astronomy tower, or maybe even sneak off to Hagrid's hut in the night.

The more I thought about the place, the more I fell in love with it. Even though I was aware that this place is not real, I against all logic and sense hoped that it was. Many times I so desperately hoped that it existed, and someday I could go to that place. If I was in London, I would have gone to King's Cross station and ran into the wall (twice, just to make sure).

I was in love with a place that I couldn't goto, and it was starting to play with my mind. At some point  I decided to stop thinking about it, and kept away from all things Harry Potter. It was just too depressing and it was dragging my mood down.

Many years have passed since then, I still love that place just as much as I did then. But somewhere along the way I started to wonder what magic meant to me. I was so used to seeing somebody waving a wand and uttering a spell, but that is not what appealed to me. It was what would happen afterwards, something that would defy my belief, when something beyond my imagination would happen.

Think about something like email. I can send a message to someone living half way across the world in an instant. We understand the technology, so it seems straight forward to us, but the first time we saw it we would have believed if they told it was magic. Levitation was one of my favorite spell. Imagine we can levitate an entire train and make it go at 300kmph (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev). The wizard community is obsessed with inventing a self-spelling wand, and the muggle community with an invention that can make other inventions. They fly with broomsticks and we with planes. They have Apparition and we have a teleportation device (well not quite. But I have the best minds I know working on this one).

The point is that the world that I live in is just as magical and beautiful as any, may be a different kind, but its still is magic. There is always something that takes my breathe away.

As I think now, Hogwarts was in my school, college, at the place I work, and everywhere around me. Hogwarts was not meant to be a place that one would go to, it is the place we are already in. It is just like walking into platform nine and three quarter. Seeing the world from the other side, a different point of view. I was and am living a life I always yearned for, one with magic and adventure. I couldn’t realize it before because I was too busy concentrating on why the broomstick in my house wouldn't fly. Next time I hope to be more wiser in seeing things the right way.





Extended :

This is a nice little picture I found in the net. It is funny, but also a bit thought provoking. I doubt if the kids in the photo would have realized it when they were in class. (Probably its typical of any class, as there's almost always a guy with glasses).



If there is one thing from Hogwarts that I still yearn for, would be to know someone like Hermione. If I go by what this picture has thought me, may be there is already someone like that in my life and I haven't noticed yet. Just may be.. ;)

my offbeat discovery(Music)

Skip directly to the best part. Scroll down to tag : "Jump here"

People, work and Music. These are the three priotities necessities in my life. You take any of them away, then you'll find me slowly turning into one of those half dead blood sucking zombies with two word vocabulary. And music is particularly special to me, even though I have zero talent in music(my family and friends can testify here). It is something that grew on me very late in life, now to the point it has now turned into an addiction. I always have a song stuck in my head. I put my headphones before logging onto my machine. I sing every chance I get(refer to earlier comment about my musical talent). I cannot control it. Its just become part of how I am.

I believe music transcends our senses. And no words can ever express the way you feel, the way music does. For many its alcohol, for me its music. It gets me high. It is my drug. It is what keeps me sane, it is what keeps me fun..

                                                  can't imagine a life without it

Now to the main story. Me and my friend, we have similar taste in music. We used to listen to radio when we were in college(good old days), and message each other whenever there was a good song on radio resulting in the other one scampering across the home to get to the nearest radio. It was fun. And we still do it from time to time(only this time we pass youtube links).

So few months ago my friend forwarded to a song from a band I've never heard of. I've never restricted to any particular genre of music, so this was a good opportunity to explore. What I heard just blew me away. I expected it to be good (we have the same taste in music best described as "Awesome"), but not this good.

I started listening to other songs by the artist. And I started to go though the suggestions and similar artists. And I kept discovering one amazing song after another. I'd always been listening to mainstream music, and I used to think all the music in the world comes from a handful of people on tv. This changed everything. These were not celebrities with all their record labels, money and fan following, but they were just people like you and me. And I'm astonished how few people know they even exist.

I was and still am really excited about what I've discovered so far(again thanks to my friend who started it all). This has kept me from company when I was going through a phase where everything in my world was out of sync. So I thought of share a few of the songs I liked.

Jump Here:

Best way to listen to these songs is to

1. Turn off the lights
2. Turn up the volume
3. Relax and let go all your thoughts
4. Try to imagine a moment that describes the title. Try to live in that moment.
5. Close your eyes
6. Enjoy the song

The best pessimist - Walking with happiness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbGMeToAspk&feature=related

(Like I said, imagine yourself to be in the lady's shoes. Just walking, on a journey. A hint of excitement to explore something new, and a hint of anxiousness unsure of what to expect. It is an amazing feeling, and the song best describes it)

Sleep dealer - the way home

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nngbv6829Fg&feature=related

Air - Alone In Kyoto [lost in translation]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUjAtYQkFm8
 

God Is an Astronaut - Parallel Highway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeozsys0moA

God is an Astronaut - Golden Sky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI5ZeC7vecM&feature=related
 

God Is an Astronaut - Fall from the Stars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUYzG3nEljE&feature=fvwrel

Feel free to abuse the suggestions bar in youtube.

There is no place like Home

We walk a thousand miles to find something fills up the emptiness inside of us a little more. But sometimes the very thing we walked away creates a void so huge that nothing can ever fill it up.

It all started when I sitting in the train traveling back to my hometown. I was staring at the buildings from the window and I saw a lady standing on top of her house, leaning forward and lazily following the train as it passed by her house. This was of no significanct to her, it was just another train.

The house was not particularly lavish. It was small, a single floor. The paint was peeling of at most places and front of the house needed some work.

I started thinking (Yes, I know its a terrible habit. bad for health too. I'll try to avoid it from next time) how she would be feeling at that instant and how I would be feeling if I were standing there. More specifically, if I were to be living in that house, how different would I have felt.

That was an interesting thought. I was already intoxicated with joy. I was on my way home. So all I had to do is imagine that was my house and the train stopped and I walked into that building. And as I imagined myself walk into that house, I didn't feel any different from how I feel about walking into my home.

Next to it was a small hut. It was the same feeling when I imagined walking into that hut. I know its a hard life there, there is not room for your own, there are issues. If I lived in a house that had a leaky roof, or next to a station which has an earthquake ever time a train passes by, I would still love walking into that house everyday. Every home has its issues, so does mine.

Not every house you live in can be your home. There is a difference when a person says "I'm going to my house", and "I'm going to my home".

The next day I walked into my home. It was a feeling of joy, comfor. The word that keeps coming to my word is a Sanctuary. This is a quote from movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

 "Sanctuary... is a word which here means a small, safe place in a troubling world. Like an oasis in a vast desert or an island in a stormy sea"

Those words best describe the a home for me.

I still cannot imagine what is it about a place that can invoke such a powerful feeling. Maybe its the people, or the memories, or maybe its just a place that you can call your own. I'm still not wise enough to figure that out.

Two days later, I had to walk away from my home again. I could feel every part of my soul hurting when I was saying my good-byes. Oh how I wish I could displace the two cities so they could be next to each other. Or if somebody would invent a teleportation device.

Well this is reality, and this is life. I think I've bitched long enough about it.

              <image from the movie :  Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events>

No matter where we go, the blessed will find a place to call it their home, their sanctuary. At the end of the day, that is all we need and thats all we wish for. I wish it comes true for all of us.

Dravid, My Hero

9th of March, 2012. This is the faithful day Dravid announced retirement from all forms of international cricket. And as Dravid retired from playing all forms of international cricket, I'm also announcing my retirement from watching all forms on international cricket.

I watched cricket for Dravid. Which is kind of strange because people turn away from their TV whenever he walked into bat. To the world, he probably is one of the most boring batsmen to watch, but for me he was the most exciting.

The first time I heard of Dravid was when he was making runs for the Karnataka cricket team. There was a lot of excitement around this kid. And I remember the day my dad woke me up from my sleep just so he could show Dravid batting. I was too young to care about some cricketer, and I went back to bed.

During that time all that mattered was that he hailed from the same city as I and I wanted him to do well. So I followed him as he played. Slowly but surely my fondness towards Dravid grew steadily.

Dravid was not the typical cricketer that people tend to fall in love with. He was slow. He didn't have any flashy shots, nor did he hit boundaries at will. He was defensive batsman who preferred to grind the bowling down and play the patience game. That was the classical way of playing cricket. But not everybody has a taste for classical things.

He struggled initially just to keep his place in the team because of his batting style being too slow for the one day format. But he was a wonderful student of the game. He went back, learnt from his experience, readjusted his batting style. He is now among the top run getter in world cricket.

It was very easy to notice that he was not as talent as his peers, nor did he possess their athleticism. There was no divine intervention, or cosmic cos play, or a space ship that delivered this man to play cricket. He was just a normal guy. But what set him apart was his determination and his willingness to work hard no matter what. And he proved that if you have the right attitude, you can stand toe to toe with the talented people.

If you really want to know Dravid, see him when he is struggling with his form. You judge a man not just by looking at him in his best, but also in his worst. It didn't matter for Dravid, if he was in form or not. Every time he walked in, you know he was giving his absolute best, even he was at struggling to just put bat to ball. And he would rather struggle and fight it out in the middle, than surrender his wicket. Didn't matter if it took 100 balls to get 10 runs, but he'd be there, at least to support the other batsman to build a partnership. The ability to hang on, its really special.

Siddhu said “Rahul Dravid is a player who would walk on broken glass if his team asks him to….”, and I sincerely believe he would have done it, if the team meant it literally. He has displayed this quality time and again when he kept wickets for India. Or in his batting trying to accelerate the run rate by taking more risks, instead of going for personal milestones. He opened for India even though he is an opener. He's batted down the order. For Dravid it was always the interest of the team, and as a person he came second.

For me, that was Dravid. You could see it in his eyes every time he walked in to play.

I respect him no just as a sports man, but also as an individual. The way he conducts himself on and off the field. Rarely you would hear about him when he is not playing cricket and almost never for the wrong reasons. In spite of all the fame, he is polite, unassuming and well mannered. He treats people with respect. And he is a genuinely nice human being.

Dravid you have been an inspiration and a major influence in my life. By knowing you, I know I've changed for the better. Thank you for all the good times and the lessons.

I wish you the very best for all his future endeavours.

Story - 1

This is my first attempt at writing a story. Actually the story was started by a different person. It was a really nice start, and it spurred me on to do something with it. Hope it is atleast worth your time.

———————

In the afternoon I was feeling a little dull and a little achy, and so I wandered into the only unchanged room of the house. Dust had collected on the shelves, on the books, on the odds and ends riddled about the dresser top. For two years, the calendar had said December 2009, and the ID card of the boy who once lived there has sat alone, a little smirk in the picture of his face smiling back at anyone who examines it.
The rest of the room for most part remained untouched. Most of his toys sat on his desk covered in a blanket of dust. Their sheen fading slowly as they lay in wait to feel the warmth of a human hand. His desk was positioned in front of a small window overlooking the backyard fencing the house from the vast woods. An endless array of trees stood in the open, branches drooping under the weight of snow, stripped bare, and left outside to bear the burden of the harsh cold winds and the unforgiving winter. The view did not provide me any respite from the way I was feeling. The trees reminded me too much of my myself lonely, cold and sober.

I turned away from the window, and walked to the shelf behind me. A picture of his family was the most prominent piece on his shelf. It was the picture of a little boy standing in front of his sand castle proud of his creation, with his parents standing next to him hugging their son. You could easily make out how much he meant to his parents from the way they looked at him.

Next to the picture few soldiers were standing guard. They looked a bit rusty , but their spirit had not diminished one bit as they still held on to their positions. One could barely make out the names of the book behind them with all the dust.

The books were lazily piled together. A few books leaned against the left wall forming a small tunnel, and some had fallen off and piled on top of each other. As I moved more towards the left, something flashed my eye. I went back to take a closer look at the tunnel and I could notice a faint sparkle.

I put my hand inside and took the object out. It was a shoe. It was a pink slip-on girls shoes with a small crystal bow on top. The shoe was simple but very pretty. It seemed to belong to a girl around the same age as him.

Its not the first time, but I have tried, tried very hard. Despite my best efforts, I have never been able to understand boys. I have wasted countless hours wondering what goes on in their head. Why they do the things they do. All that wondering and thinking has convinced me that I’ll never understand. Nothing they do will surprise me anymore. What this shoe was doing here? I knew I will never be able to guess. But I really didn’t care.

Suddenly I felt something bump against my foot. I looked down, and a key laid short distance away from my foot. It must have fallen from the shoe. How naïve, to hide a key in a shoe. I put the shoe back. I picked up the key and looked around the room to find the door this key would unlock.

I moved back to the table and moved the chair aside. The light from the sun had finally managed to pierce a hole through dense fluffy clouds. Even as the light desperately tried to hold on to the ground, the clouds had already started to overpower the light again. A little of that light was beaming through the window, directly onto the table. This had brightened up the room considerably.

I went down on my knee and unlocked the drawer. I tried to pull it out, but it was stuck. It was expressing its displeasure for being abandoned. After pleading with it for a couple times, I mustered all my strength and pulled the drawer hard, it came out with a loud screeching noise. There were some stationary articles on the top, couple of comics, some paper and a rectangular box at the far corner. The box interested me. I pulled the box out and put all the other stuff back into the drawer and closed the drawer.

The box resembled the dimensions of a wooden chess set. I blew the dust off of its face and kept the box back on the table, waiting for the dust to settle down.

“Sara, could you please come down. Your phone has been ringing for the past 15 minutes. Looks like somebody wants to talk to you desperately”.

“Ok Mom, I’m coming”, I replied. “Looks like you will have to wait for a while”, I muttered to the box, took it in my hand, and walked down.
to be continued…

Why it takes me an eternity to write something

Happens Every Freakin time...

My Ted Talk Picks

I'm pretty sure most of the people are aware of ted talks. I've started watching the videos recently, its a great way to kill time when traveling. Its also a great way to escape from my little bubble of life and the daily grind and routine.

The talks provides a new prespective and outlook to the world and things around us. Ideas forged out of passion and creativity, and their drive to do something. The stories are inspiring, innovations are ingenious and above all everyone of them is thought provoking.

The best part about the talks is of course the people. A diverse group from all walks of life. I can still remember the excitement when I discovered a woman who travels to the poles to take pictures of Icebergs. I could have never imagined a profession like that. Or a boy, who living in the middle of nowhere, built a windmill to save his family from famine. Or a Physicist who got his PhD in fusion phsycis, saw that science was too far away from the world's problems and turned to farming and founded Open Source Ecology. A computer guy who quit his job when he discovered his love astrophysics. The list goes on...

I have the utmost admiration for each of these people. They have dedicated themselves for the betterment of the people and world around them, sometimes putting everything on the line. They inspire you to stand up and be counted.

These videos have changed my way of thinking. I no longer think that a life changing idea will always occur to an elite section of people, it can come to anyone. And no idea is small. What inspires you can be as mighty as the sun or something as small as an ant. And its not just the big buildings and monuments that deserve the admiration, but also the little things that we take for granted.

So here are some of videos I've seen so far, that I found to be intesting, inspiring, innovative and thought provoking. This is a very small compilation, and by no means an exhaustive one. So please feel free to explore. (And I will also try to refrain from commenting on the video. I don't want to spoil the talk)

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Dale Dougherty: We are makers
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/dale_dougherty_we_are_makers.html

William Kamkwamba on building a windmill http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/william_kamkwamba_on_building_a_windmill.html

Marcin Jakubowski: Open-sourced blueprints for civilization http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/marcin_jakubowski.html

Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

Anil Ananthaswamy: What it takes to do extreme astrophysics http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/anil_ananthaswamy.html

Charlie Todd: The shared experience of absurdity http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity.html

Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/dave_meslin_the_antidote_to_apathy.html

Kathryn Schulz: On being wrong http://www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong.html

Richard St. John's 8 secrets of success http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success.html

Jeremy Gilley: One day of peace http://www.ted.com/talks/jeremy_gilley_one_day_of_peace.html

Steve Keil: A manifesto for play, for Bulgaria and beyond http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/steve_keil_a_manifesto_for_play_for_bulgaria_and_beyond.html


Technology Innovation
-------------------------------
Pranav Mistry on the thrilling potential of SixthSensehttp://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html

Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos Photosynthhttp://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera_y_arcas_demos_photosynth.html

Amit Sood: Building a museum of museums on the web http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/amit_sood_building_a_museum_of_museums_on_the_web.html


Interesting ideas
----------------------------
VS Ramachandran on your mindhttp://www.ted.com/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind.html

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativityhttp://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

John Hunter on the World Peace Game http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/john_hunter_on_the_world_peace_game.html

David Christian: Big historyhttp://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/david_christian_big_history.html

Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashedhttp://www.ted.com/talks/ric_elias.html

Dyan deNapoli: The great penguin rescuehttp://www.ted.com/talks/dyan_denapoli_the_great_penguin_rescue.html

Robert Hammond: Building a park in the skyhttp://www.ted.com/talks/robert_hammond_building_a_park_in_the_sky.html

<sorry, couldn't refrain from commenting on this one. The last bit of sound is super cool. Be sure to catch the oldest song you will ever hear>
Honor Harger: A history of the universe in soundhttp://www.ted.com/talks/honor_harger_a_history_of_the_universe_in_sound.html

eye candy
----------------------
David Gallo shows underwater astonishmentshttp://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/david_gallo_shows_underwater_astonishments.html

Marco Tempest: The magic of truth and lies (and iPods)http://www.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_the_magic_of_truth_and_lies_on_ipods.html

Louie Schwartzberg: The hidden beauty of pollination
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html

Mike Matas: A next-generation digital bookhttp://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/mike_matas.html

Camille Seaman : Haunting Photos Of Icehttp://www.ted.com/talks/camille_seaman_haunting_photos_of_ice.html

Paul Nicklen: Tales of ice-bound wonderlandshttp://www.ted.com/talks/paul_nicklen_tales_of_ice_bound_wonderlands.html


music
-----------
Robert Gupta and Joshua Roman duet on "Passacaglia"http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_gupta_and_joshua_roman_duet_on_passacaglia.html

Ahn Trio: A modern take on piano, violin, cello http://www.ted.com/talks/ahn_trio_a_modern_take_on_piano_violin_cello.html


Enjoy the videos..

Making 2012 count...

My 12 things to try for 2012 (with examples)

1. Make a new Habit\Hobby and drop an old Habit

    New year gives us a opportunity to start fresh. Lets start something. I'm sure there is at least on item in every body's todo list that is begging and pleading to be picked up, and an item in current list that is excess baggage.

    eg. make a habit to start at 6 in morning, or to go for a walk. Or may be start working out. In my case give up smoking and drinking alcohol.. (See I already went achieved one action item. Wow I'm awesome)

 

2. Learn

    Let Year++ imply you++. Pick up something you are passionate about, make time for it. Something that will give you relief from the daily grind and kick start your creative part of you.

    eg. Music people (you know who you are. Its time to brush the dust off of your instruments and start again), or learn a new language, Cooking (Why not. We can start a rodent poison industry if it doesn't workout), or maybe learn to fly and become Superman's kickaside..

 

3. Teach

    Let others stand on our shoulders and excel as we have been standing on shoulders of our previous generation. Teach them your lessons, stories, skills, don't let them repeat our mistakes.

    Which reminds me, I have to call up my Nephew and tell him that what we learn in school is mostly useless. And give him some tips on some real life skills like picking up chicks.. You guys can go and teach boring stuff like computers or ...

4. Experience

    Kick yourself out of your comfort zone and try something that'll new. Something daring or fun. Whatever will take an emotion and cranks it up to "Are You Nuts?" level.  In the process, you'll discover something new about yourself, and we evolve out of that.

    Eg. Wouldn't it be fun to jump off an airplane 10,000 feet above ground? or hang yourself upside down with the support of only a rope? Or even goto the top of your building in midnight and experience the silence and calmness in the air.

5. Share

    Feeling down or on top of the world? "Share" with someone you "care" (Wow that rhymed. I can rhyme, ignoring me is a crime, I'm in my prime, so look out or you'll be.. aah... Damn it was so close)

    Anyways, let you happy day light up theirs. Spam them, interrupt them when there are in the middle of something important, busy or DND mode. Make it count people.. Make your day count..

 

6. Express

   Let the world know that you are special, unique. Not for the sake of the world, but for yourself, because it makes you happy. Don't expect anyone else to stand by you.

   eg. Draw (on other people's white board), paint (on your neighbor's wall), Sing (drive people around you insane) or just let the music move you, dance. Scribble, move, write, scream.. you choose your weapon.

 

7. Stretch

   Set a goal and go beyond it. Stretch and go beyond, push yourself to the fullest. Feel the thrill of going past your limits. Challenge yourself a little more every day.

 

8. Surrender

    Give in to an idea or an idea or whatever inspires you, and give in unconditionally. Don't question, or think or judge. For a change take the back seat, and let life guide you.

    eg. Surrender to the idea of merry making and crack pj's at will. Might get you killed, but hey I didn't promise a happy ending..

9. Believe

    Believe in yourself or better something bigger than yourself. It could be your hard work, of for some their innate skill to screw up anything (thank you Lord for your insightful, amusing, and yet practical gift). When the world turns it back, all that remains and what keeps you going is what you believe in.

   eg. Is it still too late to believe in Santa? or believe that I can win a noble prize?? Or maybe I should start with believing in miracle. Maybe a couple, aah.. make it a couple dozen please..

 

10. Pray

    I know it may sound odd, but in lame man's terms, its called complaining to higher authority. Pray for yourself or for someone else. For all things in control of supernatural, all we can do is pray.

    eg. What there are no supernatural things you say? how about the price of petrol. Yeah you better pray. If you don't really have a cause, you can pray for my my favorite cause.. "WORLD PEACE BABY..." And I'll pray that someday this will be a reality and not a joke.

11. Love

    What can I say. The magic glue that keeps the world from shattering into a million billion pieces. The most lethal drug of all. Love yourself, love thy neighbor.

12. Celebrate

   What is life without party right? Celebrate every moment of life. the good, bad, ugly and awesome.. Every story is special, and every moment you survived is a moment worth celebrating. Only a fool will celebrate for little reason.  So the secrets out, I'm a fool..

Happy rest of the year everybody.. Let all your wildest dreams come true.. :)