The Birthday Ritual

If ever you are in some IITian hostel and suddenly at 12 midnight you hear screams of pain and torture - Don't worry! It's just somebody's birthday. Poor guy.

The only thing that distinguishes the Birthday Ritual from some ancient god-pleasing sacrificial ritual is the lack of a fire around which people dance, the conspicuous absence of tribal drums & chants and the seemingly strange number of chappals in people's hands instead of on their feet.

It starts with IMs and PA anonuncements calling everybody out. "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Gather all! Come: it is a good friend's Birthday. Lets celebrate!". It ends with the "lucky" chap not being able to sit for a week.

Alright - I accept that a small amount of beating up is fine. It's a "between friends" thing. But I do object to the way it's done here. And the whole attitude around it. The gleam in the eyes as they plummel him. The mostly random people who you barely know who turn up just to get a punch in. It's sadistic.

So, dear friends, at the next birthday, I just ask you this - There's no need for sympathy. Just think of yourself. And what kind of a beast you're turning into when you beat up a poor guy (and enjoy doing so) on his birthday.

All I know is that if some of my friends ever turn up as psychopaths or socially deranged creatures, it's all those years of giving birthday bums that is to blame.


Oh.. and: Happy Birthday 'Gid! May you be able to sit in a few days. ;)

I Want It All!

I ain't asking for much,
If you ask the truth.
Here's to the future
For the dreams of youth:

I want it all
I want it all
I want it all
And i want it NOW!

It's 4 AM in the morning as i hear these words sung by Freddie Mercury. It finds me in a very philosophical mood.

There's so much I want to do. There's so little time.

I want to ride a bike down the highway. I want to play my guitar. I want to hear music play out loud. I want to take over the Earth (The Universe if there's time... :D). I want to eat good food. I want to sing. I want to go on treks. I want to spend nights staring at the moon. I want to have fun. I want to explore a desert. I want to be around my friends. I want to laugh out loud. I don't want to study. I want to be me: I want to fly. I don't want to study.

I ain't asking for much,
If you ask the truth.
Here's to the future
Hear the cry of youth:

I want it all
I want it all
I want it all
And i want it NOW!

There's so much to do, but so little time.

Y

"Why" is the only question that bothers people enough to have an entire letter of the alphabet names after it.

The alphabet does not go "A B C D What? When How?" but it does go "V W X Why? Z."

"Why?" is always the most difficult question to answer. You know where you are when someone asks you "What's the time?" or "When was the battle of 1066" or "How do these seatbelts work that go tight when you slam the brakes on, Daddy?" The answers are easy and are, respectively, "Seven-thirty-five in the evening," "Ten-fifteen in the morning," and "Don't ask stupid questions."

But when you hear the word "Why?," you know you've got one of the biggest unanswerables on you hands, such as "Why are we born?" or "Why do we die?" and "Why do we spend so much on the intervening time recieving junk mail?"

Or this one:
"Will you go to bed with me?"
"Why?"

There's only ever been one good answer to that question "Why?" and perhaps we should have that in the alphabet as well. There's room for it. "Why?" doesn't have to be the last word, it isin't even the last letter. How would it be if the alphabet ended, "V W X Why? Z," but "V W X Why not?"

Don't ask stupid questions.

~ Douglas Adams,
The Master of all things Funny.

Geek Speek

Thanks to Giddu for this.

A Geek Love Poem

Part II:

Found on a T-Shirt:
Avoid nasty viruses
Practice safe hex

The eloquence of a few lines of verse can be a powerful thing. Poetry can cause you to pause and think about life. It can incite feelings of rage. A good poem can even bring you to tears. I'm not sure where this one lies in the spectrum of emotional reactions, but I'm thinking somewhere between a chuckle and a look of heartfelt confusion, depending on your knowledge of hex and Internet lore.

:)

Come to India! A Billion People Can't Be Wrong!

The people around here were very civilized (or atleast thats what the ancient books say). Eventually we got bored of it. We have a rich cultural heritage, but it doesn't really matter because it is quickly being displaced by the more marketed "One Fits All" "American Culture"

The Europeans saw India and decided they wanted it. After a lot of whining and fighting, one very old bald man decided that we must not fight for independence. That will confuse the British! :D This worked. The British Government got confused and left.

As of April 1st 2003, the number of people in India has exceeded the number of gods that are prayed to! But not to worry - this absurd situation is being remedied by inventing exciting new religions and gods. Some proposed gods are: All members of the infamous "Nehru-Gandhi" family, Amitabh Bachchan (sic, coz i dont give a damn) and Rahul Dravid.

Hindi flicks are known for having no storyline, bad acting and random totally unrelated music videos! :P The plots are usualy revealed in the first 15 seconds. Making an average movie takes about 1 day, which is also approximately how long a movie plays for.

Half the country lives under the poverty line in utter misery. The other half lives above the poverty line in utter misery.

Classical Indian singers cover their ears as they sing/wail.. yup thats right.. they can't stand to hear themselves "sing"!

Some Facts about India:
* Traffic moves on neither side of the road.
* The most important Indian politician is Laloo Prasad Yadav the dictator of Bihar
* All bus terminals, train terminals and airports in most cities have the same name. (eg: Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus)
* The most worshipped God in India goes by the name of "Sachin Tendulkar".
* Magic Carpets exist but are legal only in areas without any airports.

This article was inspired by my T-shirt with the same title :)

To Pass or Not To Pass?

This is about EE323.

I know: It's most unlike me to write something serious. Or to bring up acads into anything. Yet:

It's endsems. Big deal right? I've never studied for anything so why am I suddenly taking nbd (Nervous Breakdown to those who're not fimiliar with the lingo :P) over a single subject? Consider this: I have an insem total of 5. Out of 50. I scored a brilliant 2/100 in the midsems. Mallu scored 30+ in the same. Hitesh (as usual) has cracked off a cool 90+ in this course. The average is about 60/100 (guessing there!). I'm stuck on next to nothing.

It's not like me to screw up so bad. Sure I dont study and all... but I dont screw up either. And this is the first time i've had to ask myself, "Will I pass?". It shocked me. It really did.

So as it stands I need a 40/50 in tomorrow's exam. Thankfully 10 marks goes into the Assignment. So I need 30/40. Almost impossible by most standards. This week's incident has also had it's toll on me. I couldn't study on Wednesday. Yesterday too I could have done a lot more. But I have no excuse. If I cant pull off a magical 30 then i'm sunk. Some people are already telling me, "Ditch... No way!".

Is there a point in writing all this? I guess not. Just that at the end of all this: Whether i do well or not, i'm going to get as far away from IIT tonite as possible. I'm going to enjoy life. Nothing else matters.

The exam is in a few hours. And for the last time I tell myself: "Will I pass? I Will."

~ SD

Did you see? The One in Red and The One in Black?

They stand leaning against the wall
In different corners of the room,
Silently.

Almost as if they've been punished
On some schoolday.
For something they haven't done.

They hear the music in the room
And wonder:
When it'll be their turn to sing?

All day,
They have been there.
For a week maybe.

"What have I done wrong?" they ask.
It's nothing.
Just endsems.

My fingers itch
And I reach out.
"But!... later," I say.

My splendid guitars.
Just waiting there -
To be played.

Just endsems.

~ SD

PS: Dont beat me up! All this is Analog Exam NBD :P (NBD = Nervous Breakdown for those not fimilar with IIT Lingo :D)

November Rain

And when your fears subside
And shadows still remain
There's no one left to blame
So never mind the darkness
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
In the cold November Rain

Do you need some time
On your own?

Do you need some time
All alone?

Everybody needs some time
On their own
______________________________

November 16th 2005

Vijay Kiran Nukala
Nuke
A senior and a wing-mate

May his soul rest in peace.

We will all miss you.

~ From everyone in C3

The Angels Can Keep Their Harps

Two-handed tapping, sweep picking, volume swells, harmonics and extreme whammy effects. That's what it's all about. Every song, every line, every note. It's beautiful. Strange Beautiful Music.


The Angels Can Keep Their Harps
God Plays the Guitar.

~ SD

Whoop De Doo!

Well... it's a blog. My very own blog. So much space to write and so many things to write about. Yet nothing fits for this very first entry. Isin't it always the same? The first step is the hardest of 'em all.

It kinda reminds me of this -









Well needless to say - i'll be back when there's really something to write :D

~ SD