Don't let bygones be bygones...

Course I'm a guy of this generation. Iv'e seen everything that has come and gone through the years. Of course I've been mystified by Inception and humming to American Idiot. But the entertainment of the latter century seems to appeal to me quite a lot. That's why I kind of end up smirking a lot when people on  You Tube glued to this stuff comment on videos. Sample some of these-

Video: Eric Clapton's 'Layla', 

"You say Lady Gaga, I say Van Halen

You say Hannah Montana, I say Nirvana

You say Owl City, I say Iron maiden

You say Jonas Brothers, I say Eric Clapton

You say Justin Bieber, I say Guns n roses

You say Taylor Swift, I say Aerosmith

95% of teens these days listen to the same crappy pop over and over again. If you're one of the 5% who still listens to real music, thumb this up, then copy and paste it to at least five videos. Don't let the spirit of rock and roll die!"

Video: Nirvana's 'Come As You Are' 

"HOW DISRESPECTFUL, NIRVANA VIDEOS SHOULDN'T HAVE A DISLIKE BUTTON" 

Video: Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here', 

"Maybe Pink Floyd has simple riffs. Maybe the lead singer sounds like a burning person. And even MAYBE all Pink Floyd fans and band members are gay. But let me tell you 1 thing:

The lyrics are beautiful and even 97% of all the lyrics were written from the heart and by the band members themselves.

Instead of Bieber who buys lyrics to sing and thinks hes amazing, while his voice gets autotuned. Thats one point of Pink Floyd; They are awesome, but they dont brag with it.."

Apart form the regular screaming girls in the bubblegum pop of today, you can find all this scattered through You Tube. And I kind of agree. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna be spitting out at Bieber like the rest of 'em. Hey, he's worked hard too...I think. 

OK, lets quite this Beibing (oops?). Back to the 20th Century. The past seemed to have been a blast. 

Exhibit A: Pink Floyd. 

Come on, everyone has GOT to love Pink Floyd. There is nothing as good as some good ol' psychedelic tunes for the road, or simply when you need a psych-up. Their 30 years of action from the 1960's really buffed up the experimental music scene. Besides, without them we would't have a Porcupine Tree. Haven't heard 'em? Sigh. :P 

Exhibit B: The Beatles 
The fab four who changed music eternally. They charmed with simplicity, giving their albums that irresistibility. I mean who knew balderdash like 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da' could be such hits? A pity visionaries like John Lennon had go so soon. But it looks like Modern Technology finally recognize the the dent made by the Beatles (Read: itunes) :) 

Exhibit C: Nirvana...Duh!

By far the most revolutionary, rebellious bands ever made. But then again, all that's good doesn't necessarily last long. Kurt Cobain drills a bullet though his head. Or as some say today- 'Kurt shot himself to make Nirvana more popular!' The best Grunge bands out there hardly alsted 3 albums. But they made their mark. 

So, even though I love certain bands of the present, the past seemed better. Oh well, let's keep the present for it's catchiness and the past for its artistic feels. But of course there are the exceptions. All said and done let's get some R.E.M rolling! 

The same goes for movies. Though I shall keep that for later. I'm getting awfully sleepy and have a homework overload. Not the best of combinations.  Either way, I really must stop blogging on music. God...

Yours aimlessly, 

Sudharshan 

Null and Void

And this is nothing compared to the rest of Chennai

Remember my last post about the Rain-Holiday Paradigm? Well, as you all can plainly see, it's no longer of much value. Today it rained, just like yesterday night, and the whole of yesterday. And my, what a rain! I mean, its been pouring for the last 36 hours at least. And hasn't shown any sign of ceasing. 

I see signs of 2012 approaching. :)

The forces of weather seem to have been thrust upside down and are functioning in this haphazard manner. It no longer feels anything like the usual Chennai. Chennai's temperature has entered a free fall. Last time I checked today it was somewhere around 20 degrees. Whatever it is, i do kinda find this condition very pleasant. To hear the pitter-patter at any instance of the day. To get drenched the moment you step outside. And to feel in that perceptual holiday spirit. Although the holiday part is just a waste. Iv'e been holed up in my house with nothing else to do. ( No wonder I'm blogging :-) ) 

So I'm juggling all these facts in my head, why exactly did it rain? Considering they gave us a day off there was suppose to be sunshine blazing down. Maybe its one of those things you mustn't speak about.  Hell, I blogged about it. Serves me right. No wonder its pouring all around. 

But, looking outside everything looks in an extremely pitiable state. The water is merging from all the lanes, alleys and homes and combines in the slushy street from where it continues its path towards...err...salvation? Meanwhile we see the

குப்பை தொட்டி

's of the street overturned as their gooey contents mingle with the torrents of water.( Courtesy Neel metal Fanalca) Sorry, but you'll have to get over my knack for the imagery.  :) 

But, on a more serious note, reports tell me 170 people across TN are dead as a result of this storm. Now that's something we may have to think about. We can just sit here, quite happily embracing the weather and the fact we have nothing to do. But the people who really deserve the holiday are those people having to deal with such pitiable conditions. 

Guess I'm done for the day. All this is beginning to cloud my judgement. Anything I type from now won't hold much water. Forgive me for my excessive punning. All these puns must be starting to rain on your parade! Alright, I'm done. 

Wait a second....

Update- Palligaluku Nallai Vidumurai. Oh, here we go again! 

Sudharshan! 

The Rain-Holiday Paradigm

Rainy days are sometimes the best days to hit the beach. Seems like school's
recognize that! 

I'm sorry, but I simply need to talk about this. It's kinda the weirdest phenomenon and iv'e never seen this NOT happen.
So picture yourself lazing around at home, doing nothing basically except dreading the inevitable school day tomorrow. Of course it's raining outside but you don't get your hopes high. Then as it turns to night it gets cloudier and cloudier but suddenly stops raining altogether. Only for it to resume in the wee hours of the morning.

That's where the situation was this morning. As usual I would wake up, slowly trudge out of bed and get on with my life. Here's where it changes. This would be the usual routine on a rain-holiday. First you would get an SMS from some friend of your who seems to have his eyes perceptually glued to the TV screen-

New Message from "X"
Today Holiday. Chk Sun news. 
sent 6:42 AM

Now we're talkin'! So as natural as it may seem I go switch on the TV screen. There's this flash news thingy that goes along the bottom of the screen. After those flashes appear two or three times I'm finally able to decode what's written there. ( Spare me and my slow Tamil reading skills :))

Now, all we need is a school confirmation...I'm still kinda jobless. Then-

New Message from "Y" 
Yeah! We got a holiday! 
sent 6:50 

Alright. I get it. These text message go on for a lil' bit more time. Then I get bored and start sending some of my own. All this brings us to the school's message-

New Message from Yokibu
2-12-2010 is a holiday for students from class I to XII. 
sent 7:05

And just as that message comes in, as weird as it may be, the rain simply ceases. Very interesting phenomenon I should say. I'm not complaining though. It's just as if the rain hates school as much as any other random school kid. And now I'm pretty sure the sky is blue again. I'll be damned if it isn't.

To a wonderful sun-filled holiday!- Sudharshan!

Psychitude!

Ever heard of those songs that touch your soul? Those songs which always get your spirits up? Or as Barney Stinson would put it....those songs that get you totally psyched!? :D

Here are the songs I always crank up-

1) Schindler's List theme - John Williams. 
You'd prefer to start off with this song. Cause it's gonna get you quite sad rather than all Psyched out. But its all gotta be part of the package. Though the movie may have its sinister, cruel and mindless Nazi moments, the soundtrack never fails to appeal. John Williams spun together a boundless, timeless violin sonata here, and Spielberg may have been more than satisfied.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLK5OWU2YGw



2) Under The Bridge- Red Hot Chili Peppers. 
Whether or not the song refers to minds response to narcotics, this song has that strange vibe in it. Maybe its the guitars. Or just Anthony Kiedis's silky smooth vocals. RHCP can get you completely stoned sometimes, or most of the times rather. :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE





3)  Knockin' On Heavens Door- Bob Dylan{Insert one of the countless artists who covered it} 
Of course, you have gotta thank Bob Dylan for this masterpiece. But the awesomeness doesn't stop there. There happens to be almost like a million (citation needed) bands that covered it that have taken it to a whole new level Varied styles, riffs, vocals- you name it. The most preferable versions of the song for me would be those of GNR and Eric Clapton.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcWTTs8QVRc


4) Stairway To Heaven- Led Zep 
If there's one thing, I'm a complete nut for songs that build up as they progress. Welcome to the endless Stairway To Heaven. It starts off in a moody, enchanting way but fast forward it and you wouldn't know how in the world it transformed into an all out guitar solo. That's just Led Zeppelin for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9TGj2jrJk8




5) You Give Love A Bad Name- Bon Jovi
Just as Barney Stinson proved, this song is without doubt legen...wait for it...dary! You get to know what's coming just as you press play.

" Shot thru the heart, and your to blame...you give love a bad name!" True Story.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrZHPOeOxQQ




6) {Anything song at all}- The Beatles
Gimme any of their work, because the Fab Four of the 60's never fail to impress. Their songs are just bound to turn you on. It's a pity not many care much about their legacy now. Apart from Steve Jobs. :)

7) Time Of Your Life- Green Day
"It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life."  

Green Day has stayed for long, but this by far is one of their best ever. A deviation from their punk-rock mantra sure paid off . Nothing but raw acoustics and strings back up Billie Joe's nasal vocals. And that's what makes the song amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc

9) Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana 

Though I may not be the biggest fan of Grunge, I'll take Nirvana any day. Maybe this song is kinda dark and deep. But that doesn't mean it can't feature in my Get Psyched mix. Kurt Cobain is where Psych begins. All the awesome seem to die young. Nevermind. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

10) Seven Nation Army- The White Stripes. 

This song is such an apt example of how a single bass line can make a song such a hit. Haven't heard it? You have to! God, this song gets your feet tappin'!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY

8) Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) - My Chemical Romance 

That's quite a lot of Na's isn't it? But the song has that potential alright! The lyrics though either sound kinda revolutionary or plain awkward. Perhaps it just goes with the whole 'conceptual' outlook of the album. Or their just having an overly fun time. :) 

Exhibit A: Let's blow an artery

Eat plastic surgery

Keep your apology

Give us more detonation

More? :  Oh, let me tell ya 'bout the sad man

Shut up and let me see your jazz hands

Remember when you were a madman

Thought you was Batman

Hit the party with a gas can

 Kiss me you animal

Killjoys, make some noise! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egG7fiE89IU

So what's your playlist? 

Out for now, Sudharshan!

Chill-ay!

Well, long time no blog. It's not that I forgot. Well, *sigh* Guess it is so. Either way, I'm back with more balderdash. Play along please :) 

The heading is captivatingly random is it not? Well, to understand this phenomenon, you'll have to refer to our Bangalore trip. The Bangalore Model United Nations. And you need to know Aravindh Babu.

Here's where you get started-
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chill-ay/132296473494999
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001539610687

Well, there we are in the committee of the Social, Cultural and Humanitarian. It's kinda big, well huge with around 70 people. And in the midst of all that nonsense and arguments, nestled between the restless Iran and snoring Israel is....Chill-ay. Course, Iv'e known him for a really long time, but god knew he'd start such a revolution.

Let's go back to where his fame began. Day 2, Motion to entertain. Delegate of Denmark ( Whoever you are, I'm sure we all love you know :)) stands up and calls for Chill-ay to dance with the Chair. Of course the chair is slightly bewildered by the request.  Perhaps shes pleading inside that Chill-ay doesn't make his move. But you don't need to teach Chill-ay that. So he just stands, and gapes in an act of adamance.
So, what? We fail to get him to dance. Iran recommended he wear stilettos and do the same (Read: Red Hot Chill-ay Peppers :P ) Fail again.

But the people are suddenly captivated by his character. His nonchalance, adamance and silence suddenly become his assets. Chill-ay becomes the buzzword. Chits are filled with Chill-ay, so are their minds. This is what we call a revolution.

Perhaps all this build up seems rather unwanted but trust me, with a bit more of spice, this can be made into a movie... :D

Now, the MUN is over. But Chill-ay still lives on. Whether or not he lives in our minds, our hearts and our souls, he still exists on Facebook!  (Shout out to the genius who created the fan page!)

Of course, I get to see him everyday. :P  Now lets get down to the basics. What is Chill-ay all about? Here are the 7 basic rules-

1) If you are a Chill-ay, you must be a self-proclaimed loner. 
2) If you are a Chill-ay, it is mandatory to wear your pants at chest level and not let them sag REGARDLESS of what you wear and when you wear it. 
3) If you are a Chill-ay, you must have a fascination and fetish towards the consumption of paper. And mind you, the plain sheets and not the ruled ones. 
4) If you are a Chill-ay, you must surprise your friends by arriving in school with your eyebrows half-shaven. No questions here, because I honestly don't know the answer.  
5) If you are a Chill-ay, you must always ALWAYS have a swiss knife in your pocket. 
6) If you are a Chill-ay, you must necessarily have a pen and a pencil with you at all times. Never be caught dead without 'em.  
7) If you are a Chill-ay, you must say Chill-ay!


So, there you have it! Chill-ay in a nutshell.
And yeah, maybe this is a major breach in privacy and maybe I will be killed by Chill-ay. But hey, Chill-ay and Kuwait are Allies!

I'd like to end by quoting DPRK- "Switch off the fans, cause it's getting kinda CHILL-AY!" 


PS: Just a note to all of you out there, Chill-ay's confidential data folder was left back @ Vidya Niketan after he was carried out by Logistics and Co. Finders keepers. 
Sudharshan, out.

With the Prior Permission of the Executive Board...

That was one AWESOME MUN! SANMUN completely lived up to its expectations (at least for me! :D).

3 Days of diplomacy can take a toll on a person. Especially when you are NIGER. Not to say that Niger is bad. Well, the country is in quite a horrible state now. Pathetic, so to say. Well, point being I can only say that here. In the MUN's even the mentioning the term 'underdeveloped' gets you a few tuts and frowns. I was still able to put up quite a good show. Me and the USA got the best delegate awards in the ECOSOC. And I'm Thrilled!

Being in ECOSOC ( That's Economic and Social Council for all you n00bs ), its the job description of the delegate of Niger is to BEG. Yes, BEG. But while your at it, try to be a bit dignified.

Tough task, considering the scale at which Niger has been affected. Here is some food ( Oh, the irony) for thought-
The country of Niger is at the bottom of the Human Development Index, 177th position in the world. Now that's brutal. Plus, it has gone through 5 attempts towards democracy. And failed miserably each time, slumping back to military dictatorship this year. And, 60% of the population don't even earn more than a dollar a day!

As wacky as this may sound, you can't help but feel pity for the people. And drawing pity was my Modus Operandi. Plus, jacking the United States Of America ( No one can resist that!)
But through the three days, I found some valuable partnerships with other countries. The country of North Korea being one of 'em!
Then again, no one really tried to pronounce Niger properly. They were either racial slurs or the ever so popular NIGERIA. But, hey I'm cool...and so were they!
But I would either way try to explain the difference between Niger and Nigeria. Well, Nigeria is at the south of Niger. Nigeria is a poor country and Niger is...Poorer! Confusion may bound over certain facts though. Nigeria has a state called Niger. Now, that's just not right, i was practically researching on the wrong place for a day! And plus there is a river called Niger that passes through both Nigeria and Niger. Talk about confusion.

It was real fun, those three days. And now begins the after-MUN-Hangover where I absolutely HATE going to school. Flaunting around in formals and dragging your bag to school rarely have anything in common.

Done for now.
Sudharshan

Caught In That Swirling Vortex Of Work

Don't blame me for the pessimism but really, It's never a good thing when the educational board takes drastic decisions overnight.  And now we have all become test dummies to a litmus test over a two year period. Of course, India strives for educational excellence. Needless to say, their giving it all they've got. But, this is not the way to go...

This year turns out to be one hectic one. I mean, tests around every corner- activities everywhere.( Trust me, I don't hate all of them, but there ARE some that get on my nerves.) So, this is the CCE? 

A letdown really, considering how awesome the other years for Xth grade were....

But there really is nothing stopping this year from turning awesome as well, is there? In fact, apart from the STUDY quotient this year has been a blast! 

Debates aplenty, the WSDC debating scene is picking up! ( Shout-out to RAMCO- you guys rock!) That seems to take up a lot of time on weekends with workshops and what not. Which...is a good thing! 

Then again MUN's are set to kick off! Starting with SANMUN on the 21st, not to forget SISHMUN- it's bound to be fun! ( This post has been brought to you by the delegate of NIGER and PAKISTAN :P ) 

Not to forget the Basketball games we have in store! Starting with the KFI tourney that just got over! That was just amazing fun! Lot of it derived out of the fact it was in KFI. Plus, a learning experience too!

So, more to come! It's not like 10th is a flop or anything. It's nothing near a flop! Wish the CCE could just vanish :) 

Sudharshan.... 

It's all gonna blast off in the Rainbow Nation...

2 more days...that's all there is to it. every other sporting event pales in comparison to this mega sports fiesta. The FIFAWorld Cup. Millions of people across the world will view this spectacle and all eyes will be glued to the screens. 

There has been a phenomenal build up to this event. From constant Television Ads, to a daily 2 page dedication to football in the newspapers, to that THING. What I mean by the thing would be that hideous pneumonia affected leopard mascot they called Zakumi. He creeps me out. 


Anyway, not to let a mascot get between good football, this is a seriously testing time for South Africa. They need to ensure security, adequate arrangements and still put up a good show in the game. It's not like the SA team are star performers or anything but they wouldn't want to disappoint. All this just reminds me of that movie Invictus. A true story about how the underdog SA rugby team won the World Cup just after Apartheid departed and managed to unite a tattered nation. And underdog may be an overstatement. A dead and out team. All they needed was inspiration. IE: Nelson Mandela. I wouldn't count my chances on that occurring this time around. Neither would I count the  chance of a plane flying right above the stadium donned in support for the team (which also happened in the movie, but hey- that was a true story, stuff can happen!).


Getting back to where I left off, people are terming this year's cup as of prime importance to the whole of Africa as it's the first time this is occurring in African soil. That being said one would expect a good turnout. But no, the usual suspects play spoilsport again- economic recession and co. Yes, we have heard from them far too many times. 


So? The contenders? The obvious ones. Brazil, Argentina (Read: Team Messi) from South America are in. Spain, riding on their Euro victory are a team you can put your money on for sure ( At least I'm gonna). 
England with a turbulent practice round and  with their team in a sorry state, may not make the mark but still contend. Italy, France and Germany too will go through biz as usual fighting for the cup. And high expectations are also places on African teams, most importantly Cote d'Ivoire ( Read: Ivory Coast)  with the powerhouse Drogba fresh right out of Chelsea. Of course, now he fractured himself...!


Speaking about fractures, many players have been struck off the lists before the tourney commences, many important names missing this once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity. Reasons? Well, perhaps there are idiots like me who like to slide tackle the hell out of anyone within a 2 meter radius. ( OK, fine. perhaps that would be me playing good ol' FIFA 10 on the computer...!) Yet another culprit to name- The English Premier League. This league takes such a toll on a player. Sort of a slow death, injury of some sort or the other is simply inevitable in the long run.  
So many names,so many faces, out of action. Michael Ballack, succumbing to a slide tackle from the back. Out. His Chelsea teammates Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel. Out. A big blow to England's hopes- Rio Ferdinand. Out. 
All this while the others such as Torres, Rooney and Drogba just manage to sneak in fighting injury. Well, I wonder what will happen to the players during the world cup. Hopefully not some sort of anticlimactic letdown. We will just have to see.


Estoy a favor de España. Too all you illiterate souls out there, it means- I support Spain! ( Oh! alright...I used Google translator :P)
Meanwhile, who do you support? Comment if your jobless enough.


Signing Off...Sudharshan!

Facelift....!

So, your reading this huh? Good job! (Cos' I'm pretty sure you have better stuff to do than to read my blog...)
And if you are indeed going though my blog you might notice a few changes. OK, correction, so many changes you would think you are on the wrong site. Even the name is different...

Yeah, I changed the theme a bit, tweaked this and that. Spent some time, that's it. For starters you'll find the subscribe button right on the top left. That's to catch the eyes of the innocent victims who were dimwitted enough to visit this godforsaken domain. Of course, you don't NEED to click it. It's not like I'm falling at your feet asking you to subscribe...........(PLEASE!!! SUBSCRIBE!! PLEASE!!! )
Ahem....nah! Just joking, do what you wish :)

And then the most strikingly noticeable background. Plus I've also tried to include location data....but I don't know if that will pop up.
And finally...yes, the name and description at the top...yeah, that!
So, yeah that's about it, I think....any of you have any comments or suggestions or rants about my layout, speak out! Hehe....that rhymes. Layout, speak out!

Cutting that Balderdash at this point!
Sudharshan!

Into the gloomy skies...

Never before has aviation faced such a crisis as it faces now. Problems keep piling up over each other. Recession, a crash in Africa, the Russian crash, the volcano in Iceland and now out of nowhere an air-crash in Mangalore.

Said to be one of the worst aviation disasters since the mid-air collision back in the 1990's killing about 150 people. Yes, a few people do live to tell the tale, but why did this happen at all?

A runway overshoot. Simple. But dreadful. And the sudden nature of this crash makes it that much more tragic. Mangalore has a very challenging airstrip, so to say, and perhaps a crash here was simply inevitable. A pilot must discard all notions of natural instinct in order to pull off a landing on table top runways of that type. Only further investigation can shed light on many crucial facts.

Well, all these News flashes may put flight at a higher level of danger for the public. I for one have a sort of fear towards flights. Well, not the sort of fear that makes you shiver and fret on the flight but rather a continuous conscious contemplation on the planes every move. And Maybe EVERY move would be an overstatement but you get my point.

It's not that I hate flying but rather I have a sort of love/hate relationship with flight. I love every thing about the concept of flight. The thought that at that moment your over 37,000 feet in the air exposed to blasts of freezing negative temperature while you leisurely sip your coffee. The prospect of going to the other side of the globe within a day. The prospect of sitting still in a massive jumbo jet which flies in seemingly perpetual motion. 

But, at the same time I hate the feeling of flying, the constant modulation of engine sounds, the rapid oscillation of the planes wings when in turbulence, the accumulation of frost on the windows...yeah, I'm paranoid all right.

To some flying may give them some sort of superficial joy and maybe to some it may mean catching hours of sleep between international business meetings. To others it may present to them the experience of waiting countless hours in a claustrophobic metallic bird. But there is something common for them all. It's dead costly.
In a world where dough isn't so easy to come by, today's air costs burns hole in the common man's pocket. And the situation doesn't seem like it is improving either. Rising jet fuel prices and credit crunches cripple airlines worldwide. Most airlines have presented some dreadful gains in the past years and it looks like all that cost cutting is going to cease.

The future of flight seems as foggy as the skies out of the cockpit windows. But, the harsh truth is that aviation learns from its mistakes just like everyone else. Each air crash teaches them something. And that is the way the industry is.


R.I.P Flight 812 and all those who went down with it...

Signing off for now...Sudharshan!