How To Take Down a Stupid Notion.

Imagine an all-wooden hall. The door is shut, the windows half-open.

The source of an eerie unnatural glow are a few tubelights.

There are vases which are rumbling with voices, people, creatures and things casually strolling about – some of them real (everything/one I know of),

some fragments of others' imaginations (hippogrriffs, tyler durden, gargoyles)

and some of my own (confidential; some half-formed)

There are millions of boxes strewn about all over.

Amongst all these, there are banners hanging up – displaying slogans, quotes and statements.

Welcome to my brain.

(There are many more details in there which I will not disclose right now because you and I do not have eternity for this post).

The banner I focus on right now says –

'the human race is a highly intelligent one.'

As I see the banner with sharp clarity, one of the boxes 'POPS!' to reveal a jack-in-the-box.

It's wicked smile mocks my beaming pride for us humans.

“If you are so intelligent – how come most individuals and your planet as a whole are so messed up?”, it asks.

“We are'nt messed up”, says my voice – booming in the hall through invisible speakers.

Then the jack-in-the-box says –

“I am souha's dissappointment with copenhagen turning to hopenhagen and then into flopenhagen.

I am souha's unnending dissatisfaction with this world.

I am souha's weird identification with that rolling stones' song.

I am souha's ability to deny her own thought.”

(“You are also souha's subtle obsession with fight club's “I am jack's...” dialogues”, my voice booms, irritated)

Suddenly – a marquee board descends from above the ceiling – 'Attention all matter in here', it reads in dim red. Words continue as every object in the hall stops and looks at the marquee:

'I need to switch off.'

'How does one do that?'

That irritating box-ed jack continues staring at me coldly.

More words in marquee:

'Distraction.

All thoughts to use diversion to the following code:

Classification: Want.

Code: to watch the movie “avatar” today.'

The movement in the hall resumes, exactly as it was before. Only now little circles and squares appear from thin air. The squares sit in one place while the circles move their hand just above the surface of the squares as if to manouvre invisible joysticks.

As a result: I get up – eat, talk on the phone, dress up well and leave. I am cheerful.

And have come to watch avatar in 3D!

I saw the movie and in a word I was – uhm... REVELA-ted?!

(the sketched roald dahl in my brain hall winks happily at me for inventing another one)

What I mean is the movie was FANTASTIC – and FANTASTIC of a degree that draws from our reality and gives something back to me.

That 'something' gives me a new and strangely clearer view of our reality.

'tis a movie that made me think - with ferocity.

(Brain hall at this point is beautiful – with thoughts taking shape of spheres of fire & colours and shooting through the hall, dissappearing just before they touch anything; a comet-fall of thought, if you will.)

Being the grammar nerd that I am, I suddenly start thinking how a word is defined equally by both – its synonym and its antonym.

How we are defined equally by both – by that which we are pro and by that which we are anti.

By that which we are; And by its opposite.

Avatar showed me a glimpse of that antonym world. And oh, it was beautiful!

Needs were needs, nothing more.

There was a higher, more evovled network between everything.

Na'vis (the people of this antonym world) respected nature and everything in it.

Dying, they knew – was returning energy that had been borrowed. It was not the end of the world.

The focus was not living for what you become, but for what you are and how that fits in nature's scheme.

They loved their mother and were true to her.

Most importantly, they lived THE song - “Imagine”, by John Lennon.

At least they did before human aliens came along to destroy all they had for a precious metal buried deep within the tree in which they lived

(yes, the TREE, IN WHICH THEY LIVED – do you see the difference?!).

You can guess what the humans did to get that precious metal. If you cant, try and wiggle out of your nice little bubblewrap. Humans blew up everything.

Bill is right. We are about out of ideas on this (our) planet.

We are almost EXACT opposites of the world of the Na'vis.

Presents quite a sad picture, doesnt it.

Just like a Na'vi says in the end – the aliens went back, to their dying home.

Also, it was quite nice to see humans cheer for the na'avi side. Against the humans.

But these very specimens let the message drain out from their mind-sieve even though it hit them between the eyes – “Its only a movie, let it go...”

Sorry, I wont.

As a race, we have characterised ourselves with bad choices. Too many of them.

Profit over welfare, lies over truth, betrayal politics over loyalty, honesty.

We have been going on like this for zillions of lifetimes now.

It is safe to say we are'nt headed for a happy place.

Not a surprise – considering we choose (yes, CHOOSE, continous present) silly entertainment over evolution. We CHOOSE to let ourselves be blinded by everything we are spoonfed.

We, unlike the Na'vis, do not see.

I turn to the jack that started it all and I admit: Maybe humans are not that intelligent after all.

With that, the banner falls and in the brain hall, forth comes Master Oogway, (the wise tortoise from Kung Fu Panda): one often discovers his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it...

The Jack-in-the-box smiles again – and I know thats not the last of it i'll be seeing.of it.

As the banner falls down, the marquee box descends again – a little brighter than before, with the words: Another One Bites The Dust.

a letter to the food makers of the world

Someone once said, 'food is the only beautiful thing that truly nourishes'

Someone is Richard Gere in the movie 'august in new york' and the quote is the most beautiful thing i have heard about food.

Food is one of the things that i love about being a human. Really, i think, being able to eat all this FANTASTIC food makes all the trouble being a human, worth it. We could have gotten on well (better than we think) on just what nature provides; its not even rational in the strictest sense - but we did it.

We created an art out of a basic need.

"You have not discovered other joys of human life", you might say - and though that might just be the truth, no one can deny the absolute, fleeting happiness that good food gives.

Whether its hot (rather, garma-garam) pav bhaji or creamy, crunchy spinach and corn quiche or just a simple salad decorated with spices and herbs that beckon admirers from miles away

- food breathes in so much melody, passion, drama into our life. Without most of us actually realizing it.

('tis funny how most of us don't realize the extreme, intoxicating beauty of so many things around us; try thinking about electricity for a while - Well, that's another post altogether)

Its not just a daily activity, food. Its a kind of miracle that happens everyday - everything just fits. The sugar, the flour, the water, the heat - all get along superbly, everyday to make the wonder we call bread.

(okay, i'd just like to clarify that i am not a freak who fantasizes about bread - well, maybe a little, but i just really love food)

Its the greatest achievement when we, too, replicate the process and emerge victorious. A greater disappointment than we like to admit when we fail. Like I did with my fudge today.

When such misfortune occurs (and hard-hitting as the truth is - it DOES happen, children.) - A cheesy pizza becomes our (yeah, okay, read MY) lord, the savior.

The process of making food (i could just say cooking, but making food is more appropriate, i think ;D) is, in itself, like life -

that starts from a random list of all things available in the universe to cook, then the things you select, then how you arrange them, all in a beautiful composition, a little time and you've made yourself a harmony!

A tangible song, if you will - which you CREATED! Which is YOUR baby (which you will, uhm, EAT; but that's secondary)

Whether it's a composition thats been around since forever, or if its been passed on to you, or if its your very own - making food is one of the MOST INTERESTING thing life on this plane of existence has to offer. Something everyone should experience.

(You should know, i rarely say should... well...mostly.)

Listening to the spanish guitar while doing it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

(post on spanish guitar might come soon after this piece on food - although i have EXACT same feelings for both.)

And to those MASTERS, who go through this marvel of an experience everyday - whether in one or several house kitchens or in that of the greatest restaurants - i'd just like to say - thank you.

What you create makes the world a happier place.

Colours of the Wind

The one thing that people (family, friends) always associated (read still associate) with me is my lack of alertness. I have fallen (literally and figuratively) a lot of times – too many times as some would say – because of my absent-mindedness. But whatever and how-many-ever the case(s), I still cant keep m

yself from gaping at the sky and escaping into my own amazing planet while trying to matter in this little world of ours.

A new addition to my planet is something that I have been fascinated, no, raptured by for many years.

I saw it the first time in “Pocahontas” (my favourite disney character, by the way) when I thought that was just the brilliance of an imagineer (please google 'imagineer', if you dont know what it means). Then I saw it again, in Brother Bear and most recently, in Happy Feet.

('tis most amazing how Disney and others' animated movies can provide a portal to your own planet; where imagination is set free)

Naïve that I am, I didnt think this was a real phenomena. Dont fret, “this” is to be revealed to you soon.

Then, on my way to try and see the world through backpacking – an email came my way – offering me to take me to a place where I can witness this brilliance – IN ACTUALITY!

IT'S REAL?! (one exclaimation mark does'nt really express my ecstatic state, but nor will three and I am fond of grammar)

I googled it's name (and oh, what a glorious name it is) – AURORA BOREALIS – more commonly known as NORTHERN LIGHTS.

(Named so after the Roman goddess of 'dawn' – 'AURORA' and the Greek word for 'north wind' – 'BOREAS'!)

It is scientifically explained as the combination of some of the earth's atmospheric gases with the sun's which creates a sort of light show (rays of green, blue, red, and even violet in moving and pulsating shapes)

For me, this phenomena is nothing short of magic – and the folklores about it do agree.

And if not in march 2010, I will go someday, and see this phenomena – which looks as if beauty of all the world's dreams has been put together.

I will stand transfixed; paralysed by what lies before me and think about the MINDBOGGLING FACT that I am made from the same matter which makes aurora...

Even though i've not yet seen it, even the photos of AURORAE (plural for aurora) are a door to a new place – of dream like reality. Of a place where watching it, I become one with the phenomena and fly in the starry sky. Of a reality that is so gorgeous, it makes me question if it is real, at all.

Maybe that's what happens when the men and women of the world become cold and cynical and untrue. Maybe our priorities are really mixed up.

I say this because it is beyond me – why a schedule, a plan is more important than shape of clouds, constellations, aurorae...

Why we don't understand just how essential it is to, in Pocahontas' words to – “paint with all the colours of the wind”

But then again, that's just the rant of an absentminded kid, right?