The Bourne Persona... with popcorn, coke, mom n dad...

You usually cant find me being direct. To the point i mean. Concise. You know. I'm more radius than dot. I mean... anyone ever found me saying something in like one sentence. But here... I'm gonna do just that. Im not gonna say 'This movie is so good, i ate my popcorn and my neighbours.'. No.. not even, "It was so freaking awesome, i forgot to have dinner". Not even, "This movie has the makings of a blockbuster... The action is so compelling onscreen, you forget everyone else is staring at your cell phone". Nope... none of the over the top, hyperbolic exaggerations here. Uh-huh... no way.

Okay... i've stopped now... you can alll open your eyes. :P. So... 3 words... Watch Jason Bourne.

Of course, there ARE some hazards involved. For example, you MAY be so excited about the movie that you ACCIDENTALLY pull your mom, who s sitting next to you, and tell her what just happened. She MAY take offence to that, and decide to punch you in the shoulder. And you MAY just feel like an idiot. Of course, that happens to idiots, dumbos and totally stupid geeks. *Looks at ceiling*

Of course, there are some problems when you watch a movie in theatres... for example, I was completely clueless why Bourne did a Brokeback Mountain in the middle of an action sequence... until i realized the disadvantage of having eyes in the front of your face, and ears on the sides. Let me explain...

Bourne corners the assasin, and demands at gunpoint...
"Want some popcorn???"
"No, thank you."
"Why not?"
"I dont take popcorn in the evenings"
Breathless tone... BGM suggests major plot development...
"Then what do you take???"
"Something... juicy"
*Awkward pause* - BGM on cresendo...
"Like???"
Music peaks... silence falls....
"Minute Maid Pulpy Orange yaar... wat else"

Fine... i admit...i made that up... but seriously... cant people find better places to flirt than in the seat next to mine... gosh...

Anyway... thats all i guess... Hopefully i ll catch "Rat-a-too-eee" and "Die Hard 4.0" before i leave to NITT again... for your sakes, hope i dont watch those in theatres...

*Blogger's Note: For those who read the first para *Sniggers* and wondered when the review for "The Bourne Ultimatum" is, i strongly suggest reading the title of the blog... :P

Return of the.. You know...

Its not often you introduce yourself to your own blog... but then again, its not often you ignore your blog for 2 months at a stretch... oh well... anyway... Dust away those cobwebs, drive out those mice and get the music rolling, because I'M BAAAAACK!

*No response... a solitary mouse sqeaks and continues moving my cheese*

Ok fine... i cant expect more... so I'll just imagine i didnt get snubbed (as usual) and continue with what i wanted to say *Pulls face at ungrateful reader*

Life's been fun... in a wierdly different way. The hostel life... the mess food... the A-18 Common Room koothu... everything's wierd, but good. Except the mess food... thats only wierd when it IS good...

Back for a week... looks like 55/65 of the class took a holiday this week... *Gasp* wat a coincidence!!! And they're saying classes wont take place so all we're missing is attendance *Double Gasp*. Talk about luck! :P

In a nutshell... I'm back where i belong... Chennai... Lets take you back to the moment...

Time: 10.43 PM. Location: Chennai Egmore. Specific Location: Outside Howrah Express. The warm, salty breeze. The humid air that weighs upon you like twenty tons of steel. The aroma of last weeks badly cooked dosa rotting on the platform. The cries of 'Auto Auto!' and the honking of human trains. Ahhh... There is light in the darkness - one car stands testimony to the merits of civilisation. One car that draws me to it, beckons me, enchants me. One car that will take me home.

Here i must conclude my reminisence... for the greater good :P

Anyway... Its good to be home... so watch this space...

PSSST... Here r some snaps for u ppl... checkit out... The View from A-18, The View inside A-18, Sharu's First Class Bunked and Sharu Hyperactive... enjoy :)

Kindly note that this post was written in a period of acute sleep deprivation :)

The W810i Walkman Phone...

Got new phone... all i can say is... WHOA!!! Should have expected it from a walkman branded phone... but the sound is... well... totally rocking!!!! I mean... once you put on those ear plugs they give you and play the music... well... you're in you're own world...

Agreed, its not the newest of phones and by far not the prettiest... in fact its more 'sport' than 'sleek'... and i prefer the latter... but once you hold it in your hands... well... it feels so comfortable...


The camera's not bad either... see for urself...Thats my sprite bottle and my view of the house, respectively... or to be more accurate, "clockwise from left" :P

Hostel, Sivaji, Lappie and more...

Long time i guess... but here i am... officailly NIT-Tian... and with just 4 days to go before i leave for college...

Chuck the sad stuff... the best part abt this is, Dad said he ll get me a laptop.... and a cellphone!!!

Wait... there's a catch... i cant take them to college... at least for now.

So my luck went from outtta the roof to thro the window.... but well... sumthings better than nothing right, so i said "Cool!" and popped a chewing gum in my mouth. Which reminds me.... time to make a sweeping statement. Actually, lets make a series of unfortunately true sweeping statements....

Skeptic: "The world is divided into those who love Sivaji, and those with brains."
Critic: "The world is divided into those who love Rajni, and those who skip Sivaji."
Fanatic: "The world is divided into those who love Sivaji, and those who wish to die."

You get the general idea. Rajni, the eternal superstar of tamil ciinema... the mere mention of whose name causes earthquakes in the heartland of the proud Tamil state.... the one who takes the path less taken, who uses a non existent iterative loop structure to repeat his dialogues a hundered times and he who proclaims God is the one true Lord... etc etc blah blah...

Dont get me wrong... im very much a Rajni fan... not the 'ThaallaaaA!!!!!' but more the "whoooooooooaaaaa!!!! sexxxyyy!!!" type... And i pretty much had huge expectations for Sivaji... i mean... the guy looked stylish for gods sake! But then i decided to go see it. In a theatre. With hundreds of screaming fans.

*BEEEEEEEP* Wrong.

Hundreds of silent fans. I wont proceed to critically dissect the movie because that one reaction is testimony enough. Quite simply, it was a Vijay movie with Rajini in the lead and Shankar at his nauseous best.

Enough of that... lets get down to business. So since dad told me i could have a laptop, i thought i d better get down to deciding one. Of course, Dell... they make the best laptops. Then wat else... there i was,,, stuck.... then an idea struck me. You know... the *Eureka!* ones... when a bulb glows over your head and you lift your index finger in celebration, and a photographer is there to capture you in all your frizzy haired glory.... that types. Who better to ask, than a Rocket Scientist!!!!

Wait... No, im not joking. In fact, its "Rok-Het-Psy-Ent-Ist". Yes, he has a name. No, iwont tell you. Yes, he s crazy. Yes, he has a blog. And yes, he does have wierd hair and rocks in physics. No, he s not called 'Einstien'. Gawd!!!!

To make a loong story medium sized, he thoroughly put me down for my lack of computing intellect, proceeded to describe, in a condescending manner, the pros and cons of getting a Laptop (Pros: Lots. Cons: None) and concluded with a flourish, whipping out a link which made the entire conversation obsolete. When i, in a fit of anger, wondered aloud why i just didnt go to the link first, he tells me, "Duh! You need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out!".

The allure of the dark side was never so strong as that moment. Oh, for a lightsaber and metallic limbs with a scary voice and sith powers of torture... *Sighs*

Anyway.... i guess thats all. Any questions regarding the purpose behind this post will be greeted by a very kind, "Look at eh blog name, you idiot!".

Oh, and I would really like to point you all, dear readers, to this amazing book, titled "How to swear effectively : A one stop guide for thoroughly and efficiently dragging your enemies' ancestor into the dust, and adding spit for good measure" by 'Bazaar PC'. I assure you from first hand experience... this one is good.

Later!

Some quotes from a quote freak :P

Just came across some random quotes... and since knowing lotsa funny, logical things many people said makes me feel funny, logical and important, here they are...

"Foresight is being able to say "This sentence contains 27 letters." on the first try"

That wasone i made up just now... oh well... on to the good ones...

"Politics is actualy made up of two words. 'Poly' meaning many and 'Ticks' meaning bloodsuckers."

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

"The important thing is not to stop questioning."

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens."

"A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic."

'Lack of money is the root of all evil."

"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." :D

Oh well... thats about it... try to guess who said these... only 8 different people...

Anyways... thats about it... i'm leaving for my college counselling tomorrow... so no more updates till the 8th!

Later!

Formals...

I just realised NIT Trichy has a dresscode. Formals

Formals.

Formals.

*Thats you cue to go WHAT???!!!!*

Yup... so for the first time in my life, i get to wear formals. Rather i'm forced to. That s the problem... maybe i wont mind as much if they said "Dress Code: Cover yourself". Maybe i would even have tried formals. Dunno though... maybe....

So yesterday, i went out to Rex Fashions *Man... this store ROCKS... been going there since i was 3!!!* and got some. 3 pants and 5 shirts. 8 clothes which shall drive me insane. The bane of my freedom. The first step towards total subjudication to the 'higher' authorities. Whatever.

See... it doesnt bother me that i need to wear stuffy, full sleeved, boring striped shirts and impeccable, shiny pants with a proper, polished belt and matching shoes. I doesnt even bother me that I need to wash and SOMEHOW find a way to iron/press these clothes everytime i need to wear them. What DOES bother me is the trouble colleges go to to give us a dress code... i mean... isn't it enough to dress decently??? Sure, formals give you an 'atmosphere'... but aren't we forgetting someting??? Comfort dressing, anyone??? Shouldnt i feel comfortable enough to put my mind to good use, like which dialect of latin the lecturer is dishing out... or more usefully what colour streaks that girl in the front row has got over the weekend ;)

Anyone who says crap like "It trains you for work... you have to wear formals then, you might as well start now" is in for it. Sure, i ll wear your formal, stuffy stuff. If you give me an air conditioned classroom, an awesome cafeteria, perks and what not. Oh ya... wont mind a salary either ;)

Actually, I m quite happy with my new wardrobe... *REX ROX!*... and my seniors tell me the dress code isn't all that strict... in fact after a month, you can wear tees, printed shirts, polo tees, et al. But it bothers me that college *not mine... NITT ROCKS!!! Sucks for you ppl though ;)* insist on suchthings... i know its 'all for the discipline'... but there are better ways to do that than forcing an impractical, rigid dress code on 18-21 year olds. Just a thought...

Later...

My Life - Part 4 - Drama

Lol.. this is goin to be a funny one... because this, this post is where you poor souls who ever chatted with me, finally get an answer to Why?

So... Drama. Life is so dull without it... To me, drama injects fun into life, into any conversation. And i cant have too much of it. For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, i'm talking about how i talk. Or chat. Or sms. Or scrap. Whatever.

You see, I'm no the type who ll go around saying succint, to the point, concise stuff. I'm the type that'll make you 'Live' the moment. Or will try to. Where Julius Ceaser (Or rather our great Bard) said, "I came. I saw. I conquered", i would say...

"I came to the scene of the battle, my loyal legions marched behind me. The mighty Roman Army, in all its glory. Soldiers marched in perfect unision, and in all four directions God has blessed us with, extended the wave of loyal soldiers. My heart swelled with pride, at these fine soldiers, the children of Rome.

I saw for the first time, the barbarians from the east, the horde that dared to oppose the might of Ceaser, the might of Rome. The Hooligans had no order, no pride, no respect. They shouted and hollered, in anticipation of the battle to come, a chance to satiate their bloodlust. If it was battle they wanted, I shall give them war! Charge, Romans. Go forth, in the name of humanity! Go forth, in the name of civilization. Go forth, in the name of Rome! And with that, the vast sea of silver and gold decended on the valley that the barbarians had set camp in. And from the great Valley to the East, there sprung the Red River of Death, and long shall it be before the lands are ever pure again.

I conquered the Barbarians, the last blotch on this wonderful empire, those who had dared to defy fate. In the end, fate has conquered them Nay, not fate, but its humble servant. Ceaser has conquered them. Julius Ceaser. "

*Okay, you can wake up now*

Well... you get the idea. I draw inspiration from a strange mix of Pseudo-Shakespere, Tolkien and Archer. And this mix is mine, all mine... Muwahahahahaahahahahahaha!!!

*Uh Oh... things seem to be gettin outta control...*
Anyways... thats all for this post... hope you enjoyed it after that Philosophical stuff i dished out last two times... so later!

My Life - Part 3 - Introspection - Answers?

Read previous post first

I am not a humble servant of humanity. I ll leave that to the philosophers. I live for myself, my dreams, my ambitions. I may live for my friends, my family too. But humanity? Forget it. Let humanity take care of itself.

Sometimes, looking at the larger scheme of things doesnt really help. In this case, it ll drive you crazy. Try to imagine - Your every action, every word, every breath - being dissected and evaluated for contribution to the world at last. Has a slight shade of red, don't you think? Red is not really my type. Red is the colour of the farmer's blood they say. I don't deny it. Come to think of it, its the colour of my blood too. But its still not my type.

Sometimes you need to stop thinking about the past, or the future. They aren't in your hands... seriously. Of course, since it was June yesterday and July today, and around midnight it was "June ponaal July katre', i can quote...

"Netre enbadhu kai il illai, Nalai enbadhu pai il illai"

For the lazy, i translate. The day gone by is not in your hands, The day to come is not either. Live the moment. Stop thinking about yesterday. Think less about tomorrow. Think more about the here, the now, the moment. Again, leave dissection of the timeline to those to whom it matters.

This is what i eat. This is what i breathe. This is my city. This is me. I can say it, yes. To claim I will retain my identity, regardless of my surroundings, is madness. For those who disagree, tell me first, what is your identity? I always thought of it as a relative term, something that identifies us from the sea of souls around us. But again, reasonable doubt... I cannot say, from the aforementioned qualities, that this is who i am. But maybe i try for too exact a definition. Maybe life is never exact. Chuck the maybe... Life is never exact. To borrow from The Great Book of Overused Cliches , the only thing that does not change, is change itself. That wraps the argument for me...

Where did i come from? Where will i go?

Maybe it doesnt matter. Right now, at this moment, this unique juncture of space and time, this is who i am. I am me.

Argument Closed, in the interest of general sanity.

P.S: This, in fact, is how my mind works... funny, na?

My Life - Part 3 - Introspection - Questions

Who am I? A tough question, really... do we really know? Can you ever say, beyond reasonable doubt, that this is who you are??? This food is what I eat, this air is what i breathe, this city is what i see, this life is what i live. Does that, in any way, help us say, This is who i am?

I remember a question asked by a character in Full Metal Alchemist (yes, an Anime, which i HIGHLY recommend). A homulculi (Artificial human) asks, "Where did i come from, Where will i go?". She is immortal, invincible, incredible. Yet she has no interest in life, no point to her existence, for she cannot asnwer this seemingly simple question.

But will answering that help? Does the knowledge of one's origins in any way affect who they are, and what they will become? Does one truly know oneself only when they look from an outsiders perspective, as one who can appreciate the larger scheme of things? I remember the phrase, an unforgettable one, from a book i read, and i quote, "I am nothing if not a servant of mankind, a small, miniscule yet indispensable cog in the vast machinery that is humanity". Maybe i made it up. I don't know. Forget its origins. Does it make sense? Yes. Is it true? Probably. Does it tell you who you are, beyond reasonable doubt? No. Not by a mile.

Ponder these questions. When you have free time, that is. I do, and i did.

My Life - Part 2 - Janani

Fine... all good things have to end... so i cant act like i hate my sis anymore... still its fun :).

So janani... my dearest sis in da whole wide world... she s a pain sometimes and really has a non-existent fuse... but she s also this wonderfully talented artist, amazingly brilliant university topper types and suffocatingly well organised. She s like this brutally frank, yet genuine person who may have more enemies than friends but doesnt give a damn about it. It doesnt hurt that she IS the only sibling i have... so i can use words like best, lovliest, most-loving-est, best-est and other extremes that my numerous english teachers will state as 'cause of death' in due time ;)...

To be frank... she tolerates me day in and day out... thats something! Not to mention me answering nature's call squatting on her birthday dress, kicking her and cryin to dad that she hit me... and all that stuff 3 yr olds do :).

I can't say much more about her... hell this much is like out of character for me. But anyway, jan, next time you get angry that i finished your aloo bujiya, read thisn post.

Love,
Sharu

Time to brag.... Oh yeah!

Hey people!!! I almost forgot, that 'Phantom Star..." that i mentioned last post... well here it is!
I made it from scratch!!! (i.e, from a blank canvas without using anything else except basic photoshop tools and filters) Would love to hear what you think about it!!! And if you think anything looks outta place or could be better, please tell...

Anime - Janani!!! This time, its personal!

The Scene - House, 9.00 PM. I'm clearing the dishes after dinner, Dad's on the phone and Jan's on Orkut. The sweet sound of wailing fills the air as the daily sob show continues on 'Kolangal'. Abhi says 3 dialogues 3! ways and 'Thols' replies to all of them with a grunt. In short, a typical night at F6, MJ. Right?

Wrong.

"Sharuuuuuu!!! That thingy you made in your photoshopingy totally rocks da"
"Enna?"
"That last photo in your album! That AMINE inspired stuff"

The last microwaveable container with the sorry remnants of yesterday's food fell SPLAT on the ground. Dad shouted on his phone. Abhi slaps Aadi in Koolangal. Desi-heavy metal fills the air. I open my eyes, and strangely, everything looks red.

"ENNA?"
"Adhaan da... that 'Phantom star..."... you only said it was Amine inspired no!'
"Its ANIME. AN - E - MAY! You nerd! Dont you ever stop nerding! Cha!"

I snapped. The neighbour dropped his cup of coffee. The baby downstairs starts wailing. Kolangal's music reaches a Cresendo as Abhi FINALLY reaches the top of that flight of stairs she started climbing ten minutes ago. Dad smashes down the phone on his office people.

"Ya whatever. It looks good!"

At around this time, i figured out that the red colour from my eyes had lowered itself quite graciously to my nose, and was now trickling out and falling on the ground with a steady 'SPLOTCH SPLOTCH'

Okay... enough exaggerations. Forgive me, but Mom always says i talk in hyperboles and circles. And go off on a tanget sometimes... Quite the Con(ic) artist me, eh?

So here's wat bugged me about wat Jan said.

1. She mispronounced a word. I hate that happening. Especially if i like the word.
2. She dragged a chemistry related term into a conversation with ME.
3. The word is Anime.

You see... i think most people dont realise what Anime stands for. This bugs me. I hate people calling it 'Cartoon'. I hate people saying 'Tsk tsk' at the violence. I hate people exclaiming at the mild sexuality. I hate it sooo much that when I'm watching anime, i lock myself up, put on headphones and switch off my cell.

There's more to anime than violence and protagonsists who look cool and say corny one liners. And no, its not just a cartoon either. Anime is perhaps the ONLY... yes ONLY 'Cartoon' which puts so much emphasis on characters, their lives, and their relationships with other characters. It's not just goodguys saving the world. It's how they save it and who they save it for. In that regard anime is a perfect caricature of the real world.

It teaches morality, perseverence and the importance of competition... why Naruto wants to be Hokage even when he's being battered into the ground by a third grade ninja.

It teaches you why sacrifice is a part of life... why Ed is ready to go to the Gate if it means Al gets his body back.

It teaches you teamwork - why Goku defeats EACH enemy worth mentioning with a 'Spirit Bomb', 'Super Spirit Bomb' or 'Ultimate Spirit Bomb'.

Importantly, it teaches you to toughen up and be content with wat you have... because at the end, all animes have to end. *cries*

So basically... Never dismiss anime as a violent cartoon... or else...

Or else wat? I have to sit here and crib about it while you ppl sleep peacefully... which reminds me... now where was that rubber cockroach... oh jannuuuuu....

Hehehe... later!

*Around five minutes after this post, jan wakes up screaming and sharu goes to bed grinning. You figure out the rest*

My Life - Part 1 - Retrospection

Hola everyone... Life is boring and thats about the right time to take out old photo albums gathering dust and relive those special moments.

Good... now that I've given you a perfectly corny intro to the post, lets get down to business...

You would think that in 17 years on this planet, I have something of note to say about life, some special memories. I do... and today reminded me how much. Chuck that opening line about boredom and photo albums... this post is inspired by the building next door.

Mandaveli, and Chennai in general, has fallen prey to that bane of comfort and peace in all 'homely' localities - the Apartment Complex. Big words, you would think, for a guy who's lived in apartments for as long as he remembers... but 'it is but the truth' ;). I looked outta my window today... and BAM, there's this complex that didnt exis the last time i looked! This of course, set off a train of thought, as Holmes would say, that crashed right into 'Shreyas'.

No no no no, 'Shreyas' isn't a guy... or a gal... or even human. It is... or was... my grandfather's house. In Nanganallur... *Thats on the way to the airport...* That's where I literally grew up... and the birthplace of both my greatest passion and my greatest fear.

Life in 'Shreyas' was fun... here Sharu's playground wasnt two sides of a garage gate or a strip of cement in a basement... it was 1/5 th of two grounds of trees, flowers, lush (yes, LUSH) grass and carepeted halls that could house a small army. Not to mention a dog, the complete collection of 'Asterix' Comics and the best masala dosais ever. You're probably wondering about the 1/5th part. That's because i had 4 other people to actually spend time with... yes, four. And yes, the entire day. And no, I'm not lying.

It was in this place.... nay this veritable heaven on earth, that i blissfully playeed, laughed, cried, threw tantrums and got my first computer lesson. This was where i felt the thrill on absolute control and esctasy when you first play 'blocks' (tetris for the snobs out there). This was where i learnt why you typed in strange stuff like "cd games | dir *.exe /p | cd.."... and this was where i learnt that no code is without logic and no logic exists without intrinsic code. In short, this was where I first touched part of the growing universe that Computer Engineering had become... and i was hooked. Instantly.

It was also in this place that I learnt how scary it is to feel ignored. You see... when there are 8 people inhabiting that aforementioned world called 'Shreyas', try as they might not even the kindest grandma or the most loving mother can look after you all the time. I can remember many occasions when a simple 'Later' or 'Dont disturb now' would send me into the depths of depression... when i would think 'To hell with everyone' and go sit all alone in the unused rooom on the first floor reading 'Asterix' and vowing never to speak to anyone again. Ahh yes... at the tender age of 8...

Today 'Shreyas' is no more... in the place where that grand old building, the garage, the kennel, the 'Computer Room' and the 'Lawn' stood, there are now apartment blocks A, B, C, D and E+F respectively. I havent gone that way after Thaatha moved out... have never taken that flooded subway or the railway crossing of infinite tantrums. I have not gone to see these testaments to 'India Booming', nor have i gone to see the spanking new roads built on the pathways that my Thaatha helped carve. I have yet to see the 'souped up' well, which can supposedly supply water to all the residents of the complex. I have not seen all this for a simple reason. It would be too painful.

Hi...

*Mike testing 1 2 3.... *
*Good to go sir... you're online*
*Clears Throat*

Friends, Romans, Countrymen...

*Egg lands squarely on face*

Oh wat the hell... chuck the glorious eloquent stuff... i'll have lots of time to kill you people with that later... anyway first meetings warrant introductions... so lets begin. I'm Sharu... the guy who started this blog and God of this humble piece of virtual (fourth) estate. And you, dear readers, are my dear readers.

*Like they didnt know that... Sheesh you are SOOOO corny!!!*

You're probably wondering what the deal is... And after scrolling up to check the title of the blog which you were nice enough to miss earlier, you're thinking, "What kind of a psychopath is this guy???".

Sorry to disappoint you... I'm just another ordinary guy with an ordinary life bodering on the wrong side of mundane. But wait... what happens in my life may be ordinary, but my take on it isn't... so thats what this is all about... I take anything from my life, and start off on a tangent from there....

*Okay people, this is yor cue to evacuate the place... MOVE IT!!!!*

You're probably wondering who that guy is.... lets just say its my alter ego... he'll be performing the highly valued and sought after role of snubbing me every few lines...

*Muwahahaahahahahahaha... Now they'll like me more than you*

Err.... Whatever... Anyways... Enjoy yourselves here... Can't guarentee you the most educative or language rich blog on the net... but i CAN guarentee you an honest, cynical and at times hilarious look at life... because thats how i live it....

Ciao!
*Ciao... Sheesh wat a dork...later!*