Why I love Eat, Pray and Love

Off late many people have commented much on the fact that I love this book, Eat, pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Some say that a self help memoir is not what they need while some disparage the whole book, crediting Julia Roberts for its success. I had tried reading it before the whole "Julia Roberts came to India" angle and since I was in my Meg Cabot/Harry Potter phase, I pretty much gave up on it, until now.

I read it a month ago and since I have a final exam tomorrow, there is nothing better to do than write about why I love this book.

The book chronicles the life of Liz Gilbert for a year, after her divorce, as she travels through three countries, Italy, India and Indonesia. It is a journey of her thoughts and a mental growth process we all experience. I could relate to this book and suddenly, I had many of my friends queuing up to advice me on how to overcome my depression and sending me contacts of various shrinks.And I did contact one but I realised I was way better than this.

The reason I and a million other people connected with the book is that it is honest, blatantly honest about the woman and her feeling as she traverses the highs and lows of her life. Her courage and willingness to explore all sides of herself, as a person and a human being. Something, we don't normally do. We tend to love in a self created bubble of perfectness, an illusion that we are doing the right, we have what we want and we are perfect in every sense. But deep inside, every human being has this whirring noisy mind that gives a reality check now and then. It is all about how well we listen to it and how well we ignore it.

I have experienced it personally while judging certain situations in my life from an objective point of view, writing down my thoughts and all my convoluted reasons and logic and reading this book made me feel that I was not alone. There is this another person who echos my thoughts. maybe, the context is different but the basic thought process is the same. I could relate to her.

I could relate to Liz and the trauma she underwent during her divorce. The self loathing, the loneliness and the depression. I could relate to her need to indulge in worldly pleasures and her need to cleanse herself and her mind. 

And so can everyone else. As humans and people living life in a world where nothing is perfect, we encounter situations and deal with them in our own way. And the whole time we reason things out, each small step there is, we think about it and list it and keep going on and this is what the book is all about. Reasoning and logic.

And the need to escape.

Maybe, not escape in the real sense, but sometimes, we all need a break from the monotonous drudgery we build for ourselves, a break to clear our minds and experience world in a different light.

And the book gives hope, a hope for change. A hope that when everything in your life is down, you will find light at the end of the tunnel.

Liz lost all her money in the divorce, sold her house, left her country and had no idea where life would take her and she found the best friends and people from all over the world, Luca who became a friend for life, Richard from Texas, who taught her to clear her mind, Ketut and Wayan, who helped her as she helped them and finally Felipe, the man she ended up marrying, for life.

The book is a real account. And the story gives hope.

Attraversiamo!

Exams and the perpetual state of non existence

Come end semester season and I get stuck in limbo. With a non existence I really hate. And here is my post, cribbing about everything and anything that causes me duress during this ghastly season of eternal boredom and brain damaging physics.

1.Too much Physics: I know I signed up for this, but really, I am a writer and forcefully pushing in all the mundane laws of physics, the formulae, the horrendous diagrams and graphs are all just an exercise in futility. I find no real use to all the crap I have been forced to learn because let's be real, no company would want me as an engineer, I'd only destroy anything that comes near me. I don't even know what those triangles are in the circuits we study and we did those in the second sem or maybe the first?

2.Forced break from writing: I love to write. Period. And these stupid crazy days force me to take a break from writing anything I want to. As a result, all those words in me, the great thoughts and future masterpieces of literature are lost to the world.

3. Random Research: That's what I call stuff I like to read about, dig deep into and be a know-it-all about, my random research. from the many serial killers to human behavioral patterns to the legend of the shroud of Turin to history of Mickey Mouse. I like it all and I like to know it all and frankly, people around me will only be scared if I try this "stunt" during the exams when I am supposed to be lapping up all those great new theories of physics.

4.Trade Fair?Not fair!!: Being in Delhi, I sorely miss the Mumbai Vada Pav. I really really do and trade fair is the only time when I can get something that closely resembles the real deal. Why cant Delhi street food vendors be more versatile?!! And my November exams have ruined this experience for me for the past three years. No more Vada Pav. Well someone said they will courier it to me, I am still waiting. ;)

5.Late night talks: The routine of every hosteler. Random chats on the SMS and late night phone calls and catching up with everyone you know. I miss that! Half the people I know are studying during this time and the other half are there but I have to pretend to be a part of the study bandwagon, sadly.

6. TV Shows: The winter season on TV starts and is at its peak in November. And to add to my duress, I have to miss these shows. i cant download them and watch at leisure because of this stupid guilt trip in my head. Hmph! Exams.

7.Work and All that: And all the work I need to do, from the classes to take, to new things to learn and the partying and socialising. I miss it all and this happens to be the best weather of all times!!! Cool and nice.

Exams really are a downer, especially when one is learning stuff that is really pointless. It is to me. Why cant we have a paper on Harry Potter??

It still WAS a productive day.

What began as a perfectly normal day became one involving a lot of walking today and to lazy me, it would have been a prospect full of horror but for the company I had.

So here, we were at the New Delhi station, lost amidst throngs of people who actually knew what they wanted, trying to get some tickets for a last minute trip to Jammu. Thanks to much confusion, drama and stupidities on our part, we managed NOT to get them. In the interim, we disturbed about a dozen people, calling them up for favours of all kinds as we tried to maneuver around the station with weird people coming to us with all sorts of unwanted help, from autos, to free advice and many creepy stares. And the station area stinks so much as well..!! ugh.

So, to lift up our spirits after this exposure to a stinky, creepy, staring side of delhi, we rode to CP, fought over movie seats, stuffed ourselves with McDonalds burger and sat to watch Mujhse fraaaandship karoge. And much to the chagrin of my poor friend, I laughed at all innapproprite parts making poor romantic moments in the film extremely funny, well, to psychotic me, they WERE funny. My defense.

We sat and froze inside the theater, had hearty discussion about everything in life, thawed outside in the CP sun, Sonu controlled my shopaholic fits(I still bought 5 new things! yay!!) and we had shakes at that place where they sell awesome milk shakes( I don't know its name!!)

So, it was a fun day, despite the disappointments with a prospect of a weekend full of some interesting stuff( We need to go out!! )

Mausam: An Artist's rendition

Here I was, a Tom Cruise fan skimming through the paper a year ago when I spotted something looking right out of Top Gun, it was Shahid Kapoor, in a mustache! with Tom's Top Gun hairstyle and uniform. I laughed a lot that day. He did look funny and I forgot about it.
And then came the trailers few weeks back and suddenly I was hooked. Despite subtle references to Top Gun, the movie looked interesting, it WAS Pankaj Kapoor making it after all. and Shahid Kapoor didn't hurt the eye, he looked good, his dance moves interesting and his smile, a faint reminiscent of Tom cruise. I HAD to see this movie!!!
I was warned against it by people and then my exams put everything on hold. Luckily I visited my mom's friend, the other day and she was all praises for the movie. Army people after all, she loved the whole air force plot of the movie despite the real less screen space it got and that was reason enough and I went for it today.
And Mausam, is a like a canvas to me and Pankaj Kapoor is an amazing awe-inspiring artist. It's like looking at such a simple story with deep intricacies in it. Nuances that are not obvious at first but the whole experience extremely beautiful. The simple story, the cliches, the accidents and the obvious plot line are all just there to enhance the complete landscape that has been painted.
And the most beautiful part of the movie is the "idea" behind it, meshing world "events" with a love story, it reminded me of Leo Tolstoy and his storytelling. The rustic village of Punjab, the Scottish highland and the Indian Airforce, all make up for an amazing experience as a movie goer and such a relief after brain numbing films like Bodyguard and Dabangg took over the cinema halls.
Mausam is not a movie you see for the story or the songs or the actors, it is for the director you should watch it and for the experience.
Pankaj Kapoor is an truly and artist.!
And the Tom Cruise lover that i am..I love Shahid's copied hairstyle and uniform. :D :D
And the fact that every Fauji is a superhero according to Hindi Films. I love it! :D

Room re-decorating spree

With exam season going on, my only respite from books is going crazy on my room. so after much "research" on various types of styles I decided to buy black sheets and turn my room into my pallete, working on redecorating it..!!
So here is the result. I am happy
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for now. :D

Illuminati: How true is the the truth?

I have spent the better part of my last few days reading up and watching weird(for a lack of a better word) videos. As I spent my time studying(Shocker!) and working (the sad necessity of life), these videos were my time pass until I came upon one suggesting that Heath Ledger's death was a conspiracy by the Illuminati. With a serious face, I controlled my laughter at the absurd allegations and watched the video of this person who claimed to suggest that a group of Satan worshippers had done away with heath for he was no longer in their control. His reason range from why would the actor commit suicide when he had a young daughter and was recovering from drug addiction? Plausible enough and then he went on to say that the Illuminati gave clues to his murder from clipping of the last film, the actor did. Check out the video if you are really interested.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdSWSrpOYuk
Now, every reader and/or a Dan Brown fan would have come across Illuminati in his novel, Angels and Demons. Brown explained the group as a sect of Illuminates:the enlightened ones, scientists and academic people who were banned by the church for propagating beliefs not endorsed by the Church. hence, the anti-church/Satan worshippers angle to the group. Further research on the group led to the explanation of many symbols and practices which had been deemed controversial. The famous head of Satan, the horned god of Egypt, bapometh was a god of fertility. The all seeing eye, on the American bank note, a Freemason symbol as many founding fathers of the country were Freemason, nothing satanic about them. And then, Illuminati ceased to exist. And I stopped thinking about it.
Until, I read how Brittany Murphy and her husband also her handler were murdered by the Illuminati. Strangely, their deaths were never explained. cardiac arrest at such age from no apparent reason, do court controversy. And conspiracy buffs were once again agog with the fact that the Illuminati predicted her death. Her last film, the deadline showed her getting killed in the bathroom, the same way she died in real life.
Then there is a series of Illuminati videos and material on the net that raises many strange questions and cites facts. The symbolism and references to death are stupid. But the strange events might not be. here are some of the points, I haven't really understood.
1.Michael Jackson always talked about the industry being racist and people being after him. After his death, his sister LaToya said to the cameras, "They have killed my brother and they know who they are." Jermaine Jackson talked about "they" on a TV show as did his mother and father.So, obviously, the whole family could not be paranoid. Could they?
2.The inexplicable deaths of so many celebrities at a young age from no known causes. It is creepy.
3.The defamation of celebrities who speak about such controversies. Like Charlie Sheen, who questioned 9-11 was suddenly held for domestic abuse and drug addiction.
4.The Assassination of presidents who spoke against such secrets and secret societies, read: Abe Lincoln and JFK. And no headway has ever been made into their deaths.
5.FEMA camps located in all 50 states of USA. Why do we need modern day concentration camp like things which can house millions. The government says its for a national emergency. What kind of emergency they anticipate?http://www.freedomfiles.org/war/fema.htm
6.Prince Charles talks about disasters occurring around the world for 4 years.He said this in 2008. A 2012 controversy?
7. Hugo Chavez said in a press conference that USA has a weapon called HAARP that produces drastic climate changes and is responsible for the earthquakes at Haiti and Chile and all over the world. He can't be delusional, can he?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Frequency_Active_Auroral_Research_Program
8. Conspiracy buffs talk about an American holocaust advertisement which ran on MTV for two weeks. An indication of an upcoming American holocaust, they say.

9. And the many references to a New World Order by the president, the pope and the British Prince.

I am undecided on it. Maybe there is some other explanation for the Illuminati sounds too far fetched. But then again, truth is stranger than fiction.

Four years, At last.

This week heralded the start of what many of my college mates had been dreading. The final year, the end of a blissful college life and an entry into the real world.
Regretfully(NOT), I don't echo those feelings and I doubt I would ever do. It is not the sadist in me or the cold-hearted as well.Simply put, I am more excited about what life has to bring, now that in a span of 10 months we will be free from the shackles of the ordinary and expected and go on and live our lives on our own.
After school, we had a taste of independence, but this was limited to no curfew outings, shopping alone or partying. real independence is when we get to make key decisions in our life, live it the way want, are allowed to make mistakes and are responsible solely for ourselves.Despite the stress of real life, the finances, the houses, the job and social life, I am looking forward to it.
And I choose to enjoy this last year of engineering with as much gusto as ever and obviously will miss my friends who are now a family, the crazy outings, the non stop laugh sessions, Pajama parties, Gossip nights, Crushes and heartbreaks and always being there for each other.
Some snapshots of us. Love you ALL.