Show off

Last month I was busy with the OS- Ubuntu. And I was also busy flaunting how superior my OS looks! It is not that big a deal, yet I feel I should have posted these screenshots a few weeks ago. Oh well, no hurry! I thought of scribbling why I prefer Ubuntu to Windows, but that has been talked about already by a lot of people and am still an amateur. Less than a amateur really, if that is even possible. Perhaps, I'll post on it some other day. I can happily say that I have stopped using The Three Finger Salute (CTRL+ALT+DEL) :and life is easy without the need of any Anti-virus software. Click to enlarge the screenshots.

Thank you

A note of thanks to all the people I have met in life. I have directly and indirectly learned a lot of things from almost all the people I have met in life. Observe and absorb all the goodness is the order of the day! Books, movies and the experiences of people can be one perfect combination to broaden your thoughts; and also your perspectives on various motifs. Briefly, nothing of me is fully original. I am the combined effect of everybody i have ever known! Thank you :)

Jottings on a Saturday:

1) Never be spiteful. It kills!

2) Expect less from people around you; they'll surprise you with something special!

3) Forgive. It makes one feel GODLIKE ! I will not recommend you to thank everyone you meet as everyone has read "You Can Win". Now, it is difficult to know if people are being genuine in their comments!

4) Peace! As a friend of mine always keeps saying, "Make Music, not War."

5) People around can be down, disgusted and depressed. Just listen to them with your ears open, that will do. Don't pretend. No sympathy. Just listen!

6) Keep challenging yourself with something or the other. You can always surprise yourself. It is easy.

PS

I loved Value Education(Moral Science) classes in my schooldays. So, I'll write such hackneyed things often. Read them! They might make your day :D

And yeah, I thank all the readers who unglued me from the T.V. Had it not been for you guys, I would have never thought about writing. A special note of thanks to Neeru and Srinath who consider writing as a constructive hobby.

You hate it, then you love it

No, no, no, nothing heavy this time. I have been getting complaints, so I'll scribble something light. I enjoy reading movie reviews in The Hindu's supplement- Friday Review(now, Cinema Plus). The initial idea of starting a blog was to pen my views on various movies. As most of the times, I gave up the idea as a lot has been said and written by millions of viewers worldwide already, and am impressed. Nevertheless, each individual can always flaunt his/her own style

No, am not here to recommend you a long list of must-watch-movies, nor am I here to give you my never-ending list of favourite movies. The title gives you a clue! It is very rare that we hate a movie first, and then after a while, after having thought about it, after pondering over the unconnected pieces, after having watched it again, we begin reconsidering our views. And finally we land up watching and enjoying the movie for God knows how many times!

Two such movies are Fight Club and The Prestige. The former, being highly controversial for its satirical nature and obscenity, is one movie with the most memorable quotes. Though the movie is a complete opposite of a fairy tale and is dark in many ways, it is very new and I must admit that the crew must have had some crazy time on the sets! A true classic for having broken many grounds. I cannot write more on the movie as the suspense will be revealed! I must warn you though, that certain parts of this movie are very disturbing.

The Prestige, a movie by Christopher Nolan, is a mystery with a lot of magic in it. As always, Nolan with his inclination to unconventional, non-linear story-telling, leaves us spellbound. The portrayal of the characters is truly amazing having depth in them; and it is difficult to judge who is more wronged and whose actions are justifiable to be pardoned. The movie, with its catchy prologue and a brilliant epilogue, has to be watched very carefully. A rare treat and definitely an underrated movie. As Caine puts it in the beginning- Are you watching closely?

I recommend The Prestige to anyone above 14. Fight Club fans will raise eyebrows if I say anything on the age as viewer's discretion is highly required. Definitely above 18 and viewer's discretion is a must. Skip it if you are confused! :)

Sadly, You are Selfish

NOTE: Not for those few who live in a fairy land and certainly not for those who are easily offended.

Selfishness is an attribute that is common to all of us. If we don't agree, we are simply deceiving ourselves. Every living soul is selfish. The perspective of people with regards to the word differs and yet I stay with my viewpoint- 'Every living soul is Selfish'.

My writing a post on selfishness reveals a certain degree of selfishness. I write this particular post with a belief that a few people read and notice it; and out of the few, maybe a very few even appreciate it. There lies my selfishness. Crazy me. Why are we humans dominating this world? Humans are the viruses who love multiplying and if possible, take control of everything that is considered matter. There lies the selfishness of humans as a whole. We are ready to shift places to study, to work and to move on in life. There, again, lies our selfishness. We are ever ready to score the best grades possible leaving no chance whatsoever for the not-so-intelligent lot. No, that is not selfishness. That's how differentiation works. Most of us, in short, are pretenders who pretend that we aren't selfish.

The first argument you'll chuck at me is- 'What about all the social workers and the Mother Terasas out there!' Tricky one. Well, they are/were fed up with the happenings around them. Chances are that they sat for a while and analyzed the world as it exists and devoted their lives for the better being of lesser fortunate people. They felt they would make a difference. A sense of selfishness still exist in that that they wanted to feel better and some wanted to set an example for the posterity to follow. "I (WANT TO) feel better helping others"- truly selfish with a sense of selflessness. Selfishness, which of course, is exempted on the basis of being good. Simply admitting that everyone is selfish makes the adjective lose its inherent value. True. Selfishness isn't atmospheric pressure to be measured using a barometer, not at all; yet we have certain degrees of selfishness- a little selfish, very selfish, extremely selfish, etc.

I still don't like the way the world is moving. So rapid, so very confusing. And please don't tell me all those- "Nature is Beautiful and Wisest of all" stories. The place I live in, from my room, I see a tree outside my window crying every time when rain pours. So strange is the world and the people who live in it; there is one group trying to save Mother Earth, in vain and the other trying to destory it! We have also mixed Science and Religion and made this world so uncomfortable to live in. Is it uncomfortable? I am comfortably sitting here, no doubt, but what about the millions who are being miserable and ill-treated at this very moment! I cannot be sure, for history reveals that misery has been a part of our world right from the very beginning. But again, history is written by us humans. State of Devaju- I think I already discussed this.

We humans can love. Love and Selfishness sound very bad together. May they get betrothed. Yes, we are selfish, but we can love as well. And love is more powerful a tool than any other. Being selfish is different from being spiteful. And being selfish is definitely different from being egoistic. Why get annoyed and agitated at people being selfish! Not always necessary. So, next time someone tells "You are Selfish", smirk and give a sneering look, and then tell them to go see their-selves in the mirror. People who live in places with glass windows shouldn't try to break the windows of their neighbours! We are imperfect and that is the beauty of us, Humans. Though we are dark, there is room for light. Ah, it is morning already!

PS

I couldn't conclude it properly because I have thought about it a million times and moreover, I am getting late for college ! Totally enjoyed writing this post ;)    

I, Nitin, a selfish fellow dedicate this post to a not-so-selfish, dear friend of mine.

A post with no name

Whose bed have your boots been under
Not once, did I imagine you in such a blunder;
The news hit me stronger than a thunder
Whose bed have your boots been under!


PS
The first line is taken from a song from Twain..

My friend, Vignesh

My dear friend Vignesh- The Iyer,
Has eyes as fierce as fire;
An angel so good,
Loves his breakfast, lunch, dinner and food.

My loving friend Vignesh- The Iyer,
Is as funny as Bugs Bunny
And dislikes Cricket when it's sunny;
As bright as light,
He hates it when people fight.

My caring friend Vignesh- The Iyer,
A fanatic of Maestro Rehman;
Prefers his music a lot,
For that an MP3 player he bought.
My friend Iyer's vote is 100% for-
"MAKE MUSIC, NOT WAR!"

My charming friend Vignesh,the Iyer
Out of his many desires,
Told me once whom he admires,
And wooing her he'll never tire.
She is Miss Asin,
And for her, he'll commit that one coveted Sin.
My friend Vignesh, the Iyer.




P.S
Vignesh asked me if I would write anything at all on him. Dedicated to Vignesh, a great friend.

A note on Jain Monks

A really tough topic to write upon considering my (unfavourable)prejudice on Jain sadhus(monks), yet I'll try to remain disinterested and fair on the topic. Jains are basically divided into two sects- Shwethambara and Digambara. Sorry, I don't know the fundamental difference between the two but the one difference I have noticed is that saints in digambars are uncovered completely and those in Shwethambars aren't. These monks belong to one of the three categories:


1) Those who wear white clothes.
2) Those who wear a single piece of cloth.
3) Those who restrict themselves from any form of clothing whatsoever.


*Nuns belong to the first category and are mostly in draped in white saree.
*The terminology of the three categories is not mentioned(by me)due to the complexity of their pronunciation and also the spelling.

Do you know:

1) They do not take bath and they don't use toothbrush or for that matter, even toothpaste. They just wash their hands, feet and face after excretion. They are not permitted to bathe because by that action, microbes and other small organisms on their body may die. No creature should die due to their actions.(They strictly follow this principle)



2)They take food only once in a day. It is a strict practice. They cannot use dishes or sit comfortably on a dining table. They stand, stretch their palms, and someone(usually followers) offer them food. The saints check the food offered very carefully before they consume it. If they find germs, dust or anything displeasing, they leave the food at that very instant and remain hungry till the next day.


3)The food they take is simple and tasteless. They take rice, chapatis made of wheat, coconut water.The food is to get minimum strength required to maintain activities in life. (Well, they read, advise, preach,.....)


4)They often take 'hunger vow'; no food for the day. Sometimes, this hunger vow continues for eight days straight.It is said that the great saint of twentieth century, Acharya Shantisagarji maharaj had a total period of twenty-six years of hunger in his life span of seventy years.



5)They do not use vehicles for movement. They travel on foot. And they walk faster than us! As they refrain themselves from using any means of transportation, they remain in our country.



6) They do not use beds, sleeping bags, bedsheets or rugs. They sleep on wooden planks or wooden cot with a mat on it. During sleep, they do not change their side with the thought that germs moving around might get killed.


7) They do not speak after sunset.



8) They are not expected to involve themselves in any worldly matters.



9)They possess the following :


a) A pincha( a bundle of naturally fallen peacock feathers to brush away the dust while sitting),

b) A kamandala( a wooden vessel with water to clean themselves after going for excretion),

c) Religious books,

d) A pair of spectacles, if necessary. Money and other valuable things are of no concern to them.



10)They are not supposed to get angry- even to a person who blames them for something.



11)They don't drink water throughout the day. They have a fixed(not permanent) time for drinking water too; and they drink water only once in a day.


12)Shaving, haircuts are not allowed. Everything is done with bare hands(without the help of even a pair of scissors).
That is all I know of the Monks. I visited a few saints a few years back. During noon, they give lectures on life and related issues. They have vast knowledge about the history of Jainism. They constantly help(force) people to refrain from dark activities. Though most of the things they do is debatable, they have a large following. There are a lot of principles pertaining to Jainism; those interested can refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jain

Happy hours blogging...

A wonderful day, wednesday.

Ha, a lighter note this time, certain observations!

1) We have to suffer on earth, no other go; everyone has to. So be ready,on guard always.(as if that is possible!)

2) A moment is best enjoyed when it is totally unexpected.

3) Start sharing your worries and miseries. It makes you feel good, still wondering why though.

4) Just let your "Oh hell, what next!" emotion drive you crazy.

5) When in a loop of troubles, don't go searching for the exit, take a detour.(Warning, very dangerous)

6) "If only" statements are painful, stop using them.(A total waste of time.)

7) Friends are not to be completely trusted. Trust them if only you can trust yourself completely. :)

8) Don't watch all the reality shows. Cartoons are way more better.(There are no age limits for watching cartoons)

9) "Garfield" and "Calvin n Hobbes" bring a smile to many a face every morning. Happiness is contagious, please don't pretend to be immune. ;) Read them,enjoy !

10) Randomness, if not the best, is another way to put things in order.

PS :

My first post during the day. happy holiday everybody.