A taste of satisfaction

An excerpt from Bill Waterson....

"I've loved comic strips as long as I can remember. As a kid, I knew I wanted to be either a cartoonist or an astronaut. The latter was never much of a possibility, as I don't even like riding in elevators. I kept my options open until seventh grade, but when I stopped understanding math and science, my choice was made. There is great personal satisfaction in attending to detail and quality, and I remain very proud of the standards the strip met day after day. I also liked the responsibility of knowing that, succeed or fail, it was all my own doing. This approach kept the strip very honest and personal--everything having to do with Calvin and Hobbes expressed my own ideas, my own values, my own way. I wrote every word, drew every line, and painted every color. It's a rare gift to find such fulfilling work and I tried to show my appreciation by giving the strip everything I had to offer."

Now this, this is what I wanna be able to say when I retire..... sigh!!!!!

The wisdom of Calvin

I am excited!!!!! Why wouldn't I, after treating myself with 2 volumes of Calvin and Hobbes????????????I just love the kid (Courtesy Bill Watterson).... Here's to quote him:

I made a big decision a little while ago.
I don't remember what it was,which prob'ly goes to show
That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential
Even though it often might appear inconsequential

I must have been distracted when I left my home because
Left or right I'm sure I went. (I wonder which it was!)
Anyway, I never veered: I walked in that direction
Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quite introspection.

For no reason I can think of, I've wandered far astray.
And that is how I got to where I find myself today.

Now, thats some wisdom!!!!!

Wisdom apart, its pure joy reading this comic..... Works every time I need some tickling of my senses....

US trying to patent Yoga aasnas... what the heck now???

http://in.news.yahoo.com/070517/211/6fxev.html


In this age of open source n GPL, some big time morons like this do exist!!!!

Sound of music

Florence Foster Jenkins..... Not many around the world know her; probably not even many of her own countrymen today......but once upon a time, she was a famous American soprano. Hers is a tale of faith, passion, love (of herself and her music) and a strong will. Jenkins was tone deaf!!! Yes, she could not hear the music like we do... she did not know that her pitch was not right. But love she did, to sing. She wanted to sing from a very early age. But her apparent lack of talent/ ability (!) made her parents to stop her from exploring any further. She was prohibited from taking music lessons. When her parents died, she inherited quite some wealth that gave her the freedom and opportunity to do something that she had been long yearning to do..... to pursue music. Later in her life (as late as 60 years) she made her public debut. Initially it was a small affair at the parties with friends... She was no better at the art even now. But her friends had fun at her cost.. They encouraged her for the pure entertainment. But Jenkins was convinced that she was a musical genius and that her audience loved her. She then hired an accompanist- a concert piano player, Cosme' McMoon. Though Cosme' was uncomfortable to play with her for apparent reasons, he agreed to do so for survival. There was no stopping Jenkins after that. She became a celebrity. Every one wanted to hear her. She made album records and sang at important occasions. To crown it all, she was invited to sing at the Carnegie Hall..... that was her masterpiece performance, if you could call it so.. The tickets were sold out weeks before and people were all excited. She entertained them.. they laughed at her.. they applauded to mask their laughter, they became hysterical...it was over. She died one month later.. but she died with a happy heart, happy of the music that she made. She never once doubted her talent and her ability to melt hearts.


Well, the story ends there. But I have questions; of the nature and attitude of people who heard her and applauded her. ...of their cruelty.. and of her naivety. Every person has a right to sing, to believe they are good at it and to be heard... I do not question that. But what kind of society would encourage a person with a lack of ability and have fun at her cost? What kind of society would make her believe that they were overjoyed while they were actually laughing at her and what kind of society would clap just to mask the laughter and ask for more???? Jenkins was a happy soul. So the question of her being affected doesn't arise. But the question is entirely of how cruel our society can get. We can make anybody a clown, put them in the ring and have fun. How long will it be until its our turn???
All this started with a play called souvenir. It was on the life of Foster Jenkins. The lady who played her part was brilliant... She got a standing ovation. Kudos to the team. This was the best ever. It made me appreciate certain things more subtle in life. Thanks to them for this realization.

For more on Jenkins click here

For more about the play click here

Marine Marvels

We went to the newport aquarium here a couple of weeks back. I used to have a fish bowl with a couple of small fishes back in the undergrad days. I was so attached to them, I cried like crazy when I had to leave them at the local aquarium before I returned home. I still miss them a lot!!! Those small blue fishes dancing around without a care in the world..... Anyways, given this background information, one should be able to imagine what a treat this visit to the aquarium should have been to me! I was thrilled to the core. Here are some pictures of the amazing sea life... enjoy!!!

Sivakamiyin Sabadham

Last year, I read Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki R. Krishnamurthy. Ever since, I have been in love with his writing. If he was alive now, he'd force all the Dan Browns out of the store shelves... It is sheer imprudence to even compare him with any of the current day authors. This man is a genius... Last week, I read the other book of his.... 'Sivakamiyin Sabadham'. Though Ponniyin Selvan remains my top favourite, I did enjoy this book. The best thing about his books is that you feel like going back to look up all the people, events and dates mentioned in history... something that could have been of use during school days. He transports me to another world.. a world of kings and queens and prosperity....... In my opinion, his strongest characters are his spies. They just happen to be brilliant....I know am doing a lousy job at writing about him and his works.... words fail me!!!! But if you can read tamil, you should read his novels..... Thanks to Project Madurai (http://www.tamil.net/projectmadurai/).... I don't have to look elsewhere for good tamil books!!!

Opus

One of the most powerful performances I have ever seen.... I am not going to attempt describing it!!!!

http://www.robbucher.com/cincytheatre/etc.htm

Fear and Freedom

For those of you who have watched the movie 'Bowling for columbine' , this would sound familiar. Of surviving with fear under the pretense of freedom. Fear rules this nation; fear dictates everyday life; fear shapes the outlook of the people. Its not terrorism, its not even the stock markets. Anything and everything can frighten this nation. A few months ago, a school boy dropped his bag on the highway. The highway was closed to traffic for over a day, for the fear that it might be a bomb!! People don't want to be around those who have a flu... There are announcements in the airport and everywhere cautioning against any jokes about terrorism.. There is a sever weather alert everytime the rain is a little heavy. I am tired of this. I am tired of people afraid to do things that are being done everyday, every other place in the world. I am tired of people who pretend like they are free.

A smile..

Can a smile make your day? Can it make you keep thinking about it long after? Can it make you feel special? Oh yeah.....

We all know it.. but every time you encounter such a smile (which is unfortunately rare), a smile from the heart, a smile so genuine, you can't help but wonder what bestowed mankind with this gift. Keep Smiling!!!! :)

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A refreshing play

I attended a play after ages.... It was when I took my seat there that I realized how much I have missed theater. Somehow, I have always liked the plays better than the movies. Plays are more personal, more human and more real. You cannot pause it and watch it at a later time. It commands your complete attention. With limited props and sets, it unleashes your imagination, next only to books and radio. The bad performances of the artistes cannot be made up for with special effects, as is the case in movies. Thus, it calls for a good involvement from both the artistes and the audience.

Coming to this particular play, it was 'Fiction' by the Ensemble Theater of Cincinnati. The artistes had a pretty good career record. So I was definitely hoping for a good performance. And I should say, I was not disappointed the least. The play was a story of a writer couple- both vibrant, sarcastic, funny, full of life and love for each other. They reminisce their first meeting and how it all started. The wife had an enormously successful first book, the rest following suit and also taught fiction writing. Then comes the revelation about the wife's tumor that turns out to be malignant. The doctors give her about three weeks. Her initial response to this news makes you laugh despite the gravity of the situation. She wonders why the doctors always say its three more weeks, a month or a year and not make it more interesting like.. 'you have 28 more meals' or 'that was your last radio fund raiser show'... and yeah, she likes this doctor who puts it plainly as a tumor the size of a tomato.. instead of confusing her with the medical jargons. Blessed with brevity, she makes an interesting juxtaposition against her husband who has this thing for complexity.. While she likes to write the truth, he loves to make up things. With an extremely good wit and borrowed lines (especially from Dante), the man entertains quite well too.The couple like different things but hate the same things. Together, they make an awesome pair.

With very few days left, the lady tells her husband that once she dies, he must read all her diaries, and asks for her to read his before she dies. He accepts with reluctance. In the pages of his journals, she discovers a relationship that he has hidden from her through the years. Its then confrontation time, the husband refusing such a relationship,saying its made up, the third missing person coming in.... and then her death. After her death, the husband goes through her diaries and is surprised to find entries about her encounter with the other lady. She had given the manuscript of her first book to this girl for her opinion. The girl rejects it as not being true and they have an argument over the same. The diary ends there. The next one is missing. While he is dying to know what happened next, the other lady comes and gives him the missing diary. His wife had given it to her when she came visiting before her death. This diary has the answers to his questions.... After her rejection of his wife's manuscript, the other lady narrates her own experience which is on similar lines and closer to the truth. That turned out to be his wife's first book. She then leaves with her last words "I chose her to tell my story and she told the truth"....

That perfectly summarized her frustrations with the man and her relationship with his wife. In fact, it is this man, who has been in the dark all these years.

With all the players fitting the roles, un-distracting props, a good screenplay, the play has undoubtedly made a mark.




Photo Courtesy : http://www.cincyetc.com/home/

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