This and That

I am not really a surprise person. I am more of a control freak. I’d rather have things properly sorted out and planned than do something on an impulse. So much, that I almost always tell my friends what I want for my birthday ;)

Well, anyways they pick out something which they think I’d like and the probability of my liking anything other than books and chocolates is very less (I know from past experience. I’ve always secretly thought – oh, this? Instead of this she could have given me a nice Austen) and if they are giving me books, they’d rather give something that I have on my list than say (god forbid) Chetan Bhagat. It is practical, isn’t it?

‘A’ had ordered ‘A Brief History of Time’ from flipkart (the link to the particular book she had received from me in advance ;)) and I immediately started on it. And I must tell you, it’s a marvelous book – a joy ride. It’s a refreshing change from the classics mode I had lately gotten myself into. There are a lot of delightful sentences like

“Disorder increases with time because we measure time in the direction in which disorder increases.”

“The light that we see from distant galaxies left them millions of years ago, and in the case of the most distant object that we have seen, the light left some eight thousand million years ago. Thus, when we look at the universe, we are seeing it as it was in the past.”

Hawking tells things like there is no absolute time, no definite past or future in such a simple way (he has used just one equation in the entire book) that it glues you to the book. I recommend it to all theists, atheists and those who think they are theists or atheists ;)


‘G’ gave me ‘My India’ by Jim Corbett. I always wanted to read a Corbett! I haven’t yet started on it- Hawking isn’t letting me – but I know patience is a virtue! ;)


Before these I was reading Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Rand has an institution of philosophy to her credit. Fountainhead is not Paulo Coelho kind of vague and obscure philosophy (with all due respect, of the very few books that I had the patience to read, I could make neither head nor tail of what Mr. Coelho wanted to convey) Rand is curt and precise. I am yet to make up my mind if I like the book, but it was awesome in some parts and very drab and farfetched in some others. As for the philosophy- it is so different that it is radical, or rather was radical :)

I’ve even managed to watch a few movies. ‘A’ was recommending ‘Schindler’s list’ so highly that there was no escaping the movie. I watched it alone and on the night before Harry Potter was planned. The movie is supposedly one of the best movies ever made and I totally agree with this. It is sad but not dramatized; it doesn’t overwhelm you during most of it, but the sadness does flow like an undercurrent throughout.

As for Deathly Hallows, there is more action than there is feeling to the movie when compared to the book and there are a lot of deviations from it, but it is something you should not, cannot and probably will not miss :) the one thing that stayed with me when it ended was just that. That it ended :(

And since I am updating you on how my life has been (even though you haven’t asked for it) how can I not brag about my guitar accomplishments? ;) I bought a new Capo and have started on the second song. But to tell you the truth, I’d ‘like to think’ I am making progress, if only at a snail’s pace. I practice regularly but almost every time I practice I wonder if I am better or worse than the last time :( Seems like, the level of difficulty increases proportionally with time and number of lessons. I think I’ll have grey hairs when finally I am able to play without jerks. Again, I know patience is a virtue! :) And there is no such thing as absolute time ;)

PS: I love the sound of the high pitched chords – using the brand new capo ;) - when I strum them :) This doesn’t mean other people like them as much as me when I am strumming them :( but then, who cares? ;)

PPS: I am throwing in a lot of “there is no now”, “there is no tomorrow” “there is no here” “there is no there” s these days which sometimes makes A look at me as if I was crazy.

PPPS: I am enjoying it. A lot :D