Halloween 2010

Halloween is my favorite time of the year. When I can live by the kid inside me.
Dress-up like crazy and like a fool and that'll still be Kool! :-)

This year, though, I wanted to be a Ninja, Harry Potter, Michael Jackson, a Spartan warrior among others (including a Snake-charmer without the snake popping out the pants :-o)

Finally, I settled to this wierd looking wig-plus-hat that dint look anything like a halloween wig. But I was surprised that people still recognized me as MJ. Kool enuf.

And since it happened to be the day I was leaving St Louis, it was kinda heavy on me. I liked that my friends showed-up at CWE. CWE - Central West End, by the way, is the best place to be in St Louis during Halloween, and mostly during any night. And Coffee Cartel, unlike the Cartels of Mexico, serves only Fair-Trade Organic stuff and has amazing variety of Teas, Coffees and Ice Creams. Missing St Louis and Coffee Cartel. Missing the friends from there. Missing my neighbors and neighborhood. Missing my wifey and the silly black cat. Life is tough!

UN to Take Up Measure Suppressing Religious Criticism

Read the article below:

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs/entry/un_to_take_up_measure_suppressing_religious_criticism_votes_against_sexual_/

"Readers might pause to contemplate this horrific irony. The Organization of the Islamic Conference supports protecting religious ideas and symbols from desecration, yet balks at protecting human beings from hate-motivated violence and death.
"

"Racism, sexism, homophobia amongst many other horrible prejudices are fueled by theism. Our world is almost always at war because of differing religious beliefs! Tens upon millions have died in the name of one theistic fairy tale or another.
"

Doesn't sound like people are going to learn to be liberal in their opinions anytime soon...

New Layout!

Old Wine in a stinky new bottle!
Same crappy stuff, but a new look. Hope you like.
Well, can't help if you dont like unless you leave me a comment saying what needs to change.

Cheers :)

Story of a planet

This is the story of a planet.






A small globe spinning about itself and running around a larger sphere, a hot ball of predominantly gas.

The Planet, had Life - extravagant in its numbers and variety. There were jumping spiders at the Chilly tops of the highest moutains and sulfur-eating worms in the hot vents gushing up through ridges on the ocean floors. There were beings that could live only in concentrated sulfuric acid, and beings that were destroyed by concentrated sulfuric acid; organisms that were poisoned by oxygen, and oranisms that could survive only in oxygen, that actually breathed the stuff.

A particular form, a lifeform with a modicum of intelligence, had recently spread across the planet. They had outposts on the ocean floors and in low-altitude orbit around the planet. They had swarmed to every nook and cranny of their small 'word'. The boundary that marked transition of night into day was sweeping westward, and following its motion millions of these beings ritually performed their morning ablutions. They donned greatcoats and dhotis' drank brews of coffee, tee, or dandelion; drove bicycles, automobiles, or oxen; and briefly contemplated school assignments, prospects for spring planting, and the fate of the world.

This world is beautiful, life is precious and the whole period of 'living' beings much less the one dominated by these intelligent forms is but a tick of a minute hand in the clock that is the evolution of the planet.

---

Earth, is the planet. We dont know of any other that's anything like it. It's our home and it's our responsibility to try to keep it they it was intended to be, at least as much as we can, for the future generations - not just the future generations of humans but those of the jumping spiders and the sulfur-eating worms and the like; at least those that survive in the nature and that are spared by us.





(Heavily inspired by Carl Sagan, and then muddled it with my thoughts)

Wordplay

In the bus this morning, saw this store named 'Stop & Shop'. Just yesterday had see one of those 'Save A Lots's. This got my brains working on my brains' favorite pastime – wordplay. When I'm not busy, I'm usually busy working word combinations and finding patterns and stuff. 'The voices'. They don’t speak to me, they're just me, just about a more confused me.
Well, so there's this famous chain in India – Shoppers' Stop.
And then there is Stop & Shop.
St Louis had a lot of Shop & Save stores.
And of course, Save-A-lot.

Combining em all – Shoppers Stop & Shop & Save-A-Lot. Not bad at all…

---

Wanted to add Lotto too, but thought it'ld be stretching it too much...
Shoppers Stop & Shop & Save-A-Lotto - Probably a 'thrift' store where you waste your savings playin Lottery... :D


Talking of wordplay, unscrambling is another fun thing to do. The best-known one:
Impossible says I'm Possible

Trying to find a few other, similar cases of funscrambling:
Woman is incomplete without a MAN!
During these days of hi-tech, everybody wants to be mobile. Even Immobile says I'm Mobile!
Can a LADY be IntelliGENT?
Do you still COMPUTE with a COMPUTEr?
Can't think of any more at this moment… later gators!

Rajnikant Jokes (mostly abridged Chuck Norris ones, but what the heck I think they're funny)

OK, so ever since that copy-cat 'Robot' 'Endhiran' was out, there have been Rajnikant jokes all over facebook/twitter.

So, thought I'll get them all together for 'future reference' :D

• On the 7th day Rajnikanth rested.
• Evolution is a myth. We exist because Rajnikanth has allowed us to.

• Rajnikanth doesnt wear a watch. He decides what time it is.
• Rajnikanth doesnt move at the speed of light. Light moves at the speed of Rajnikanth.
• Rajnikant is so fast he always comes yesterday.

• The fat lady asks Rajnikanth if its over (THIS IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE)
• Rajnikanth can unscramble an egg!
• When Rajnikant plays cricket he doesn't hit the ball for a six. He hits it for a century!
• Rajnikanth does not mow the lawn. He just stares at the grass and dares it to grow!
• James Bond to M: Can we borrow Rajnikanth for this mission
• The Bermuda triangle was the Bermuda square till Rajnikanth kicked one of the corners off.

• Rajnikant does do headstands. He carries the Earth on his head.
• When Rajnikanth stares at the sun, it hides behind the clouds & it rains.
• Rajinikanth has already been to Mars, that's why there are no signs of life there.
• Rajnikant can moonwalk on the sun.

• Rajnikanth has counted to infinity - twice!
• Rajnikanth can factorise a prime number. In more than one way !
• Rajnikanth can divide 22/7 to a whole number.

• Rajinikanth once kicked a horse in the chin. Its descendants are today called giraffes.
• Rajinikanth's calendar goes straight from March 31st to April 2nd. No one fools Rajnikanth!
• When Rajinikanth does push-ups, he isn't lifting himself up. He is pushing the earth down.

• When Rajnikanth hits you even Google won't be able to find you.
• Even if Google fails to find you, Rajnikanth will!
• Why doesnt Rajnikanth show up on Google? You dont find Rajnikanth. Rajnikanth finds you.
• Rajnikanth's email id. gmail@rajnikanth.com
• Twitter gets its account verified by Rajnikanth.

• Only a blind man sees Rajnikanth as bald. Even the sightless love his locks.
• When Rajnikanth is asked to kill someone he doesnt know he pulls the trigger and tells the bullet to go find the target.
• Rajnikanth doesnt own a microwave because revenge is a dish best served cold.
• Rajnikanth is so fast, he can run around the world and tap himself on the shoulder.
• Rajnikanth doesnt breathe air. Air hides in his lungs for protection.
• Rajnikanth never wet his bed as a child. The bed wet itself in fear.
• Rajnikanth doesnt need an iPhone. He can talk to himself.
• Rajnikanth once got into a knife fight. The knife lost.

• Rajjnikanth knows Victoris's secret. (This deserves special mention :D)
• Rajnikanth can make onions cry.
• Rajnikanth can leave an entire message before the beep.
• Rajnikanth can judge a book by its cover.
• Rajnikanth can divide by zero and add zero to zero to make a billion.
• In an average living room there are 1242 objects Rajnikanth could use to kill you, including the room itself.
• When you say No One is Perfect, Rajnikanth takes it as a personal insult.
• Rajnikanth can checkmate Vishwanathan Anand with his first move.

Nobody blogs Rajni jokes. Rajni blogs them himself!!

(Feel free to add more in the comments - 'for future reference' ;))

Religion!!

Well, as I understand people increasingly expect the next World War to not be fought over Oil or resources, but it would rather be a war of Religions.

What I heck dont understand is this - why are people so hell-bent on spreading their religion? It is not their's to start with.

I am termed a Hindu, for the records. But who decided it? Not me for sure... Hinduism is not my Idea... what is written in the so-called religious scriptures is not my creativity, neither did I witness those incidents nor was told about those by 'The God'.
Similar is the case with Christianity - the Christ is a 1000 year old story and you know how things get distorted over a couple of decades. Why would one have believe what is written in Bible is from 'The God's Son'??
Same is the case with Islam - who knows what the prophet meant to tell the people. Who knows if ever there was a prophet and he was 'in touch' with the God? It is all a collection of books and hear-say.
Other religions too - Budhism, Taoism and all the shit-load of religions all over the world.

WHY? Why would you lose your identity to believe in something that you never thought of on your own- why would you be led into believing some ideas (I am careful not to say stupid or idotic ideas, because I am trying hard to not be judgemental) that were surely 'created' at some point by someone and have since been 'abridged' 'tweaked' 'fiddled' or whatever.

Self-check makes me question myself why I am using English, afterall it is not invented by me. And why follow the english grammar and Syntax. Yes, given - it is not my own invention. Nor do I like having to communicate in this language.
But I can understand why one needs to try to stick to the language - because it is easier for me to communicate to the people around me and have the things I require or get what I wanted done. But again, I dont want to spread English - I dont force people to learn english and I dont think that people who do not learn English are traitors or sinners and I dont preach them the goods and bads of English. Nor do I do that with the other languages that I know, Hindi/Telugu. I am least bothered if someone thinks that English is shit - so be it, how does that matter to me? Its just my means of communication.
If someone thinks that Telugu is loud or Hindi is rude, so be it.
If someone calls me names and writes, say in the comments, that I am an SOB or an MFer, it doesnt matter to me much - afterall, those are just letters to form words. They cant and wont change the truth that I know, truth that is not in English nor in Hindi nor Telugu nor any other language. Language is just a means - and since everyone around me follows the same, it is easier for me to follow the same than to invent my own.

Not the justification you can give for religion. Why do I have to believe in One 'GOD' and deride and despise other 'GOD's. Why do I believe when someone wearing a saffron cloth or green attire and white poros cap or wearing a white robe and white chef-like cap tells me the 'Truth' and wants me to spread it?
Why am I bothered if someone around me believes in a 'GOD' that I donot believe in or vice versa? ya - I am not bothered, I dont hate Hindus, I dont hate Muslims, I dont hate Christians, I dont hate Atheists either. I dont judge anyone on their religion. It doesnt define one.

So this is not a hate speech, but I am just confused why one has to go to the extent of killing others or protesting against someone 'converting' people of 'MY' religion to 'THEIR' religion. Why does one frikking care?

These religions, these scriptures are mostly creations of some dumb idiots compared to the extent of knowledge we possess now - the practices must have been great and requisite to 'bind' the people together for collective survival at the time they were formed, much like the false boundaries of a 'community' or a 'province' or a 'Country' - but now the boundaries are seamless, I am not patriotic - make no mistake I love the Indian culture, tradition, but I dont hate Pakistan or America or any other country for that matter. Because again for me, Country, India, are just words. They carry no meaning. The people make sense to me - and I know there are good people in India, good people in Pakistan, good ones in America, good ones in Antarctica. And again, good is just a word and the definition that I apply to 'Good' may not be applicable to others - and thats understandable. And thats what I dont understand, why one needs to go by the set definition of 'Good'!?
My definition of 'Good' is something that I built over the span of over 25 years and I cant define it because it is a truth within me that cant be put in words - not in English, not in Hindi, not in Telugu. When I look at a person and interact with one or when I read about people I FEEL someone is good and may be someone isnt. So, for me there is no problem with a MUSLIM, or a PAKISTANI, or a BLACK or a WHITE or a CHINESE or an INDIAN or a HINDU as such. I might try to not be around any of these based on what they are personally, but not because of what they believe in. Because, again, it frikking doesnt matter to me.


So, back to my point - why does one have to spread their religion - why does one have to believe in some 'GOD' and the 'GOD' that others have 'told' them? Personally I wont believe in a 'GOD' unless the 'GOD' comes to me and shows up, but then I might write-off that interaction as just a perception and an imagination, because that is what life is anyway - just a speck of imagination. Not much of a meaning. And for such a thing why destroy other's imagination (life) just because he doesnt believe in someone else's imagination(God) the way you do?

Compassion is not told or taught - what I feel for animals was not taught - I used to kick puppies (sick kid) or stomp spiders (Damn it!) when I was kid, and I was never told that I shouldn't. Never told that I need to be compassionate towards the fellow living creatures. I do not eat meat, not because I was told not to - but because I don't want to. I don't want to be called a Vegetarian/Vegan because thats just a word. I know what I feel and what I want to and no one can change that. That is what I understand. And what I don't understand is the incompatibility, forceful spreading of thoughts own or others'; more so of others'.

Stop the killing - stop the preaching - keep believing if you have to - Eat, make merry and sleep - if you like to.

But why did I write this post and share it with you? Am I trying to make you believe in what I do? Up to you to decide, but I dont WANT to, and surely I wont come killig you or banish you for not agreeing with me.