Perfect Objectivity

HANZO: I'm done doing what I swore an oath to God 28 years ago to never do again. I've created, "something that kills people." And in that purpose I was a success. I've done this, because philosophically I'm sympathetic to your aim.
I can tell you with no ego, this is my finest sword. If on your journey, you should encounter God, God will be cut.

Dialog from: Kill Bill Vol. 1 (Movie)

I really love the last line of the dialog. It shows the sense of purpose and willpower that allows nothing to stand in your way.

Perfect objectivity which allows you to have a sense of purpose as sharp as a sword and the clear head to allow nothing to stand in your way is very difficult to achieve. We do get distracted in life, maybe for a good reason, thus becoming subjective.

Thinking about it, seems perfect objectivity would be so peaceful whereby you don't think deep but don't get emotionally involved. The heart is just a spectator!

I wonder how one can develop that mental and emotional sword which will cut through everything as we progress on this journey of life!

Images of Clifton Bridge

The Avon River from the Clifton Bridge, looking towards Bristol City Centre.

House on the Cliff, taken using optical zoom from the Clifton Bridge.

Half the bridge! Looking towards the south.

The Clifton Bridge.

Detail of one of the support towers of the Clifton Bridge.

A quote

The only person you have to be honest to is yourself!

The Fall of Mr. Machwe

Under an atomic sky, I write this. I bridge a gap between two worlds. As I fall I know I have failed. I have become what I did not want to become.

the unfolding of the year, the lost season is here.....
when the words have all been spent....

like a fathers sweet embrace....
for the moment face to face with the sweetest embrace.....

I am faced with a battle without honour.... what to do? Fight or give up?

:)

A lovely quote!

Everyone is going to become a drugie except the alcoholics! :D

Why do we drink?

"I felt stupid!"
That is what a friend of mine said after a night of solid drinking.
Why do we drink?

I drink because it unlocks something in my brain.

Have you seen the Basketball Diaries (movie)? Do you know what Chasing the Dragon means (its a movie!)?

Which one did I enjoy the most? Ecstasy! Water! Take it!

:)

Funny comments from people.

Now I have to understand... why do we drink!
I drink to unlock the vaults in my brain.

What kind of housemates do I have?

Never do drug! Thats what my older housemates say!

Why not?
It is difficult to get out of!

Crazy experiences like skies turn pink when you take mushrooms! :D

Funny!

Words of Gogol!

All this has for me an indescribable charm,

perhaps because I no longer see it,

and because anything from which we are separated is pleasing to us.



-From Old-fashioned Farmers by Nikolai Gogol.

Views on a New Year

Advancing clouds at night.

Spotlight on a car - Consumerism at its peak!

The Photographer - looking at the World through a dead eye.

Beauty

The play of light and shadows - views from a bus.

Love bites: The Pre-marital Mangalsutra

The other day the topic of love bites on the neck came up.

A friend happened to remark that love bites are the pre-marital mangalsutra!

Firstly, I am sure many people will want to know what is a love bite?
Love bite is defined as:
A bite or bruise raised on the body of a sexual partner during love making. Also known as a hicky when visable on the neck

Why did my friend call it a pre-marital mangalsutra?
Because once made around the neck, it stays visible for a long time. It represents a certain kind of closeness between two people and almost marks ownership over each other!
Keeping the above in mind and also the fact that most couples wouldn't hesitate giving love bites before marriage (as opposed to full blown sex) my friend called them the 'pre-marital mangalsutra'.


By the way, please don't ask me who said this because I did not write this post to make fun of him/her, just to share a funny definition of a love bite!

:)

New Year Thinking!

The other day I was chatting with a friend about plans for New Year's eve.
He said that it is just another year and nothing but a change in number, why bother?

I disagree with him.

New Year is a chance to wipe clean the old things and start new. In fact the day you start thinking a bit different, doing something new or changing your life even one percent, that is the start of a New Year!

The key here is that you don't need a BIG change in life, just a small change.

Maybe next time you meet someone interesting, you can ask them for their number!
Next time you promise to keep in touch with someone, DO keep that promise and keep in touch!
Next time tell your best-buddies how much they mean to you!

Many times a small change in what you do or your response can lead to a major change in how you feel and think!

HAVE A GREAT 2008!

REMEMBER!

WHETHER 2008 IS JUST ANOTHER YEAR

OR

A YEAR YOU WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER

IS IN YOUR HANDS!

:)

Desperation at the Edge of Forever

As the new day is emerging from its sleeping place, I feel that I too am standing at the edge of something new and strange.

Things influence us as we go along our daily lives which we are not even aware of. The influence can be so subtle that it is only over time that we become aware of a fundamental change within ourselves. We wake when we are standing at the edge of forever.

That is when desperation strikes.

Ahead lies something that is unfamiliar. Behind is something quite familiar. The familiarity is seductive. It calls out, it wants you back. You also want to play it safe. Why step off the edge into unknown territory? Why not go back? Why not embrace what is familiar?

Or better yet, why not stay at the edge. That ways the motivation to move forward and the urge to go back is balanced.

You know if you move ahead into the unknown, many things will change. There will be endings and new beginnings.

This year (2007) has been one of the best years of my life. I needed this one year more than anything. This year will be burned in my memory forever.

Someone told me in January, that this year is going to be a tough year but a very good year for you. I never really understood what that person meant at that time. But now I know and I understand what was meant.

I did many things this year about which I could have only dreamt or thought about before. I did them with the greatest of ease when the time came to do them. I did them without thinking.

I experienced many things this year. Things that tested my sanity, things that made me smile and things that made me cry.

This year I fought the feeling of helplessness.

This year I made many new friends and developed deeper friendships with existing friends.

This year my thoughts were poisioned, by me. This year they were cleaned by friends. Whenever my heart would blacken with the thoughts of pain, anger, hate and grief there would be light. Therefore I thank all the people who stood by me, both here in Bristol and back in India. It made being laid up in bed for three months good fun! :D

You know who you people are!

In the end (or before the new beginning?) I would like to thank God for everything.

:)

The Progression of a Winters Day in December!

As I got up today morning, the weather clock was happily flashing a snow warning! I felt really happy seeing it! Outside the temperature was -1 degrees (C). So I quickly took out my S2-IS camera in anticipation of snow.

But sadly the snow never came. So instead I took photographs to show how the day progressed.

Here they are:

The First Shot taken at 1pm, 20th December 2007.

The Second Shot taken at 4pm, 20th December 2007.


The Final Shot taken at 4:40pm, 20th December 2007.

Thoughts on a winter's evening!

When you are all alone on a bus, coming home after a long day working and shopping, your thoughts can wander around.
Sometimes the wandering thoughts can lead you on to a deep insight about something. This is what happened to me earlier today.

The trigger was the fresh-bread shelf at Tesco Express. All the breads were looking quite tempting. But I didn't buy any since I already had some bread at home. While sitting on the bus I remembered a line from a very interesting book. The heroine says:

"We came to know the cost of a loaf of bread"

As this line popped into my head I said to myself:

"Mr. Machwe you need a girl like that, you need a girl who knows the price of a loaf of bread". "You have this habit of flying, you need a girl to ground you for a bit now and then".

This thought led to my thinking what a girl would say if I told her this! I realised that a girl would probably think I am recruiting her for a job or something.

That is when it hit me. The deepest insight of them all.

I realised managing me (a girl who is with me would have to do that!) is a full time job! It can be very easy or very difficult depending on the kind of person that you are.

That is why I can either tune with people very quickly or never tune with them at all.

:)

Back to UK, with a twist!

I just came back from India. The return journey was quite amazing. I was on a wheelchair for starters. Then the flight was delayed by 2 hours and finally I watched 3 movies on the flight! :)

IGI is being given a major facelift. The new bits that I saw did impress me, so I can't wait for the new airport to roll out! One amazing thing, I tried to give the guy who was handling my wheelchair a tip but he refused to take it. He said he could only take the tip in the toilets because there he wouldn't be seen by anyone! Usually people back home tend to get tip hungry but here it was the opposite. Someone had put the fear of god in them, which was quite refreshing to see! I always believe that one should never ask for a tip. If you ask for a tip then it is like begging.



The other thing that was amazing was I saw on the display boards that one of the flights was headed (of all the places in the world!) to Kabul, Afghanistan! The Kam Air flight was parked right next to our plane and I managed to get a good picture of it from my mobile. Take a look at the flight to Kabul!






Please notice the small hole in the skin of the aircraft near the tail, just to the left of the door! The plane actually departed as my aircraft was waiting for clearence. I just hope it arrived in one piece!

When I landed in London it was freezing outside. We were already 2 hours late and by the time I got out of the terminal it was 8.30pm. Being on a wheelchair gave a whole new twitst to the whole situation.

The yellow lights of Bristol were visible in the sky just a few hours later as my taxi drew closer to my home. Reaching home was an amazing experience. My friend was there to welcome me and again for the first time I just said 'hello' to him and crawled into bed (it was 11.30pm!) without airing my room or even changing the 2 month old bedsheets.

Dead bodies don't need fresh winding sheets when they return to the grave.

:)

Comments Please!

?One of the things, as a blogger, which brings a smile to my face, is a comment on a post!

Every blogger dreams of getting hundreds of comments on a post. Especially if the topic of the post is a bit controvercial or a matter of popular discussion. To see a debate starting up and people going at each other, bringing out the facts and giving their own views.
It really enhances a good post and puts the 'cherry on the icing'.

Every blogger also gets irritated with 'bot' placed comments which end up advertising some crap or point to some random link.
Then there are those 'friendly' comments which don't really mean anything yet encourage you to keep writing.
One of the best kind of comments are those which talk about the post and the impact it had on the person writing the comment. A personal story about the post so as to say. That really encourages you to keep writing!

Then you have the crazy comment posters who post as anonymous. They give their views and ask strange questions all the while not having the courage to even reveal their name! How funny is that? :)

2BHK+Bar

I have a three bedroom house with a hall and a kitchen. This would be represented as 3BHK in any real-estate advertisement or if someone were to ask me about my house.



While talking to a fellow alcoholic a thought came to my mind. Why not convert one room into a bar. That ways I can represent my house as: 2BHK + Bar!



With the night life in Delhi improving as it has been for the last few years one regularly comes across innovative and creative bar designs. There is something fascinating about the play of light on the different shapes and colours of the bottles.



Imagine lying on your bed in the darkness, with a huge bar in front of you. The interplay of light and colours! How soothing and relaxing!

The light blue of Bombay Sapphire gin, the rich earthy tones of whiskey (especially Balvenie and Black Label!). The clear glory of Vodka and the golden hues of white wine! The dark bottles of red wine and the rose hues of Rose. Then we have the wonderful creamy glint of Bailey's Irish Cream and the orange light of Cointreau!



I haven't even begun to talk about the innovative shapes and bottle styles!

:)

A Quote for a Special Person!

Sometimes the mirror of dreams gets covered with the fog of reality.
Therefore it is very important, from time to time, to wipe away the fog to
remain focussed on your dreams!

This quote is truly amazing. I don't know who said this but it is applicable to anyone caught in the rat-race. Life has become so busy and stressful that we hardly get time to relax and remember our dreams. Very few people realise that dreams start crumbling away if we don't remember and retain them.
Then one day when you clear away the fog, you find the mirror has cracked. Your dreams have crumbled into dust. That is when one gets dis-illusioned and depressed.
It is indeed a bad experience to see your dreams lying dead.

So people remember to keep your dreams alive by keeping them fresh and clear in your mind! Focus on them, take care of them like you would a child or a plant. They will mature and give you so much satisfaction when you realise them!

:)

Om Shanti Om: And the Search for a Story Continues!

When two people, who don't know each other, give you the same advice about a movie, you would be stupid not to listen and take that piece of advice.

When it came to Om Shanti Om, also known as OSO, three people gave me the same advice: "Go with your brain switched off"

Well I did switch off my brain and by GOD did I have a tough time getting it restarted after the movie! I think my brain had a near death experience of its own while I was watching OSO.

Let me first give out the positives:

1) Deepika Padukone: She has a very beautiful face. But I realised one can get bored of it real quick, because in the movie, every second scene has her face in close zoom or you see her dressed up in beautiful sarees and evening dresses. After a bit her face looses its charm.

2) SRK and his abs: One has to admire SRK for the effort he has put into rebuilding his body for this movie especially at his age!

3) The sets and the production quality: While some of the sets were lifted directly from West End stageshows and Broadway musicals the production quality and the feel of the movie is quite professional.

4) Om Shanti Om song: A great touch to bring in all the actors for a romp on the dance floor.

I won't concentrate a lot on the negatives because there are many. Obviously the story is weak, in fact one can say there is no story. It looks like a patchy mix of 3 or 4 different stories; starting with a romantic story, then in between action, then suspense and ending with horror. When are we going to get a movie which combines slick production with a good story?

Then we have the overacting in certain parts of the movie. Finally of course I couldn't help but note the background theme stolen from Constantine in the scene where Arjun Rampal arrives at the burntout studio for the muhurat and SRK exits the car.

All in all, the advice given to me still rings true: "Go with you brain switched off"

But I would like to add a line to that: "Only if you have nothing better to do"

:)

Delhi Gymkhana: The Elite Club of the Indian Raj

The Delhi Gymkhana was known as the Imperial Delhi Gymkhana Club before independence. It was setup for the British officers and officials who were, at that time, ruling over India. After independence the 'Imperial' tag was dropped from the name and 'Indians' took over the running of the club.

I used to enjoy going to the Gymkhana, as it is popularly known, till now. Having a medical disability has given me new insight on things. I realised today how the people there still cling on to the memories of the British Raj and how it has become more of a status symbol for people with the major advantage being the availability of cheap drinks.

Clinging on to old world habits, like a hand bell on each table to attract the waiter's attention, sounds like something right from the days of the Raj.

With the system of 'green cards' where by dependents get access to all the facilities, seems to encourage the idea that you can earn respect just because you are someones son or daughter. With respect to this I really like India Habitat Centre where dependents can only use a limited set of facilities and cannot use any of the Member's Only dining areas on their own. Every member therefore has to prove their worth.

Another thing which I could never understand is why they don't allow the use of cellphones in the bar? I mean it is so funny! People there, as it is, talk SO loudly that you would think you have entered a fish market. Yet you cannot talk on your cellphone. Or maybe they don't trust their members to talk in a normal or low voice when using a cell, which is weird for an elite club! But then again, with all the shouting going on inside, you would hardly be able to talk on the phone isn't it! :)

Abroad, yes I can understand why they have these rules. The people there actually speak in a normal voice instead of shouting at the top of their voice. So yes if someone speaks on a cell and even slightly raises their voice, it can disturb the people sitting nearby.

What we still haven't learned is that money and power does not make a good human being. Being the member or an offspring of a member of an elite club does not automatically make you an elite human being.

In fact if we were to think about it, most of the elite social clubs are nothing but a place where one can go and booze at a cheap price in relatively decent surroundings.

And I wonder what is so elite in that?

A Quote

I tired so hard to become what I ought to be, that I forgot what I am.

- Unknown

A Quote which I discovered written on a picture in my house.

Ever since we are born most of us try hard to become what other people expect of us. In the beginning we are influenced by our parents and family, then our friends and finally our spouse/love interests. Everyone around us has an image of what we should be like and often these images blur out the image that we have of ourselves. We end up loosing our own thoughts on what we ought to be.

Those who don't, the so called 'different thinkers' are sadly very few in number. Very few people actually get to do what they want to do in life. Life is quite practical and one has to live by its rules if one expects to 'settle down'.

So it is the old fight between exploration (stick out) vs exploitation (blend in) in the evolutionary sense.

This is dedicated to a friend who told me not to think; just write! :)