In The Seventh Floor!

Here is a story narrated to me by a friend. I was the team member who is not present in the story.

It was a Saturday afternoon. We were three of us. Our fourth team member was missing. Nonetheless, we finished the scheduled work in time. It feels great when you are totally engrossed in something you like and you take a break.

We came out to discover that the heavens had opened. It was only then that we realized how empty the corridor was, in fact the whole college was! The rains and a long weekend had brought a deserted look to the campus.

It was raining cats and dogs outside. Enjoying in the rain was not an option since we were carrying our three hours of work and we loved what we had done. So instead, I started admiring the rain drops falling down. I was trying to observe some rain drop fall from a height and follow it till it kissed its slated spot on the earth. Some drops were not worthy enough to touch the earth directly and they fell on rooftops, some others on trees and so on. But, it was not long before they made their way to meet the earth! An analogy flashed in my mind, like- we all are programmed in this world by GOD and we meet our destiny when he decides it and through the path he chooses and so on…

Ok, now philosophy aside, I wanted to follow the rain drops from a greater height. We were in first floor balcony and the building had seven floors. I urged the other two and soon we were coming out of the lift in seventh floor.

We lazily walked along the corridor to go to the balcony. The balcony can be entered through two ways. One using the stairs and the other through a door after walking through the corridor. We reached this door. One among us was a junior and I commanded him to open the door for us. He took ten long seconds to open it and he entered first.

I had not seen a single soul apart from my other two work mates for the last three hours. So, I hadn’t expected anybody to be in the balcony. A few seconds later, I entered. I saw two white beautiful legs running to the terrace through the stairs. And on the bottom stair a guy. A guy half naked!!

I don’t know if I am so innocent or it was just that my tube light brains failed to glow, I didn’t think much about the guy nor the two legs. I just leaned through the balcony and saw the rain splashing hard on the basketball court.

The junior came to me and asked with eagerness “Did you see it, sir?”

“See what?” I replied.

“That thing” he said by making his eyes big.

Now, our third team member joined and asked “what thing?”.

The junior got red in the face realizing that we hadn’t observed anything and tried to get away by mumbling something.

But, now the third team member was really interested and he questioned the junior “what thing???” thrice.

The junior blurted out “Boobs!”.

We both were too shocked to speak. And it was only then I realized what really the two legs meant! A girl and guy who were half naked were up to something in front of our eyes and we hadn’t realized it till then!

With a quick reflex I took two steps back to check the place where I had seen the guy. But, there was no one. Obviously, they both had gone to the terrace. I knew that the shutter to the terrace was locked and that they both were hiding there. If I had just climbed a few steps, I could have made two over romantic people feel overly embarrassed. But, something held the three of us back.

We pretended as if nothing had happened and started talking loudly. After a few seconds we were already running towards the lift!

 So here is a request to all the love birds. Don't act stupidly. And if you are doing something stupid, never do it in a public place!!!

Book Review 4:- Revolution 2020

It is Chetan Bhagat!  So, you can expect to read what you see daily in india. Even the slightest things that you have looked at but not observed are given in  glorious form.

Story?  Well, a triangle love story has its own advantages! But, I don’t think the title suits the story. May be the ANNA revolution prompted the writer to keep this title. The initial pages are too good. I had to stop reading for a couple of minutes to enjoy some of the lines. No one other than CB can write those. My hands are itching to type some of them here, but I want you to relate those lines to the context of the story.

A part of the book deals with the stress faced by a student while preparing for entrance exams. Obviously, I remembered my time in such a factory. It is one thing to spend your time in hell, but is altogether a different feeling to read them in a book. (But, without a girlfriend!!)

Some of my friends said that the climax is complex. I agree. But, I think that CB wanted to make a point that finally it all comes to one’s conscience.  

Three mistakes of my life is my favourite CB novel and I am glad that Revolution 2020 doesn’t beat it. I feel the storyline of R2020 is not very good. But, CB makes up for those things by some awesome writing! And some may feel that it drags a bit too long in the middle. It does, since it is his thickest novel till date. I am sure you have enjoyed reading Revolution 2020 or you will…

Life's Little Happiness-1

I was at my relative’s place. That particular day, they were moving some heavy boxes from the backyard. I was one of the fittest around, so naturally I had to be the delivery man. And even most of the boxes were in no mood to go inside the house unless they rested in my safe hands though three people were supposed to carry them!

When you do some heavy work it usually shows at the end of the day. My shoulders started crying with pain during dinner. However, I could not complain about it, since it would sadden my relatives. So, with much difficulty I went to bed. I had to catch an early morning train, setting the alarm to ring early in the morning; I sighed and went to sleep.

You never know what time it is when you are awakened from deep sleep. I don’t know what woke me up but nevertheless my eyes were open. I tried to stretch my hands but, the pain held me back. With much difficulty I lifted the upper part of my body and sat upright. I thought to myself that five minutes of sleep would do me a lot of good. But then, an imaginary train started whistling and I remembered how I had slept for three full hours when I wanted to sleep for just “five more minutes” a few days back.

 At that moment, my watch beeped signaling it counted another hour in its lifetime. I tried to see the exact hour and to my surprise it was just two hours past midnight! Smiling to myself with a strange inexplicable happiness I went into deep slumber!

You never know when things very trivial become a joyous occasion. Sometimes,(every time in my case) when you are woken up from deep sleep and you discover you still have hours of sleep; the moment is very cherishing! On the other hand, if you awakened just a minute or two away from the scheduled time the frustration is explainable!!

Fedora

Installing FEDORA

• Run unetbootin  as shown in the pic. 

• Browse for iso image file or download directly.

• Restart. Go to the boot options. And select USB Storage.

• Select the second option in the unetbootin window. Or you can use default option also.

• Wait till fedora loads

• At the top left corner go to activities and then click the install to hard disk option.

• Select the language.

• In the next page select basic storage devices.

• Type your computer name.

• Choose your location

• ***

• Be careful. Select the last option. Create custom layout.

• Select the disk that you have kept ready. Delete it by clicking the option of the same name at the right bottom. This step is not in the pic.

• Select the freed space and go to create as shown in the pic.

• In the new window create standard patition.

• Create swap in file type system.

• Then once again select the free space and click create. Enter the disk size as shown in the fig. use ext4 as file type system and in the first option don’t forget to select /. It is damn important.

• You are now ready to go further. Follow the snaps.

• Enjoy fedora J

Note:
This method can be used for other linux flavors also.

The Wait

After what seemed like eternity, my dentist removed the braces. But, I had to visit him one last time to get a retainer. It is a single stranded wire to keep your teeth in place, so that they don’t move back to the earlier shape. The dentist had taken my teeth impression and the retainer is prepared from it.  So, here is the story of my supposed to be last dentist appointment.

My dentist is a consulting fellow. He visits this particular clinic once in a month. The dental clinic is quite far from my home. So, when I reached the clinic at 5 30 and I was told that the dentist was to arrive at 6 30; I thought it was better to wait than return. And in this clinic we are expected to give our prescription card at the reception which later is used to call you in.

After giving the card, I felt like the roaming the streets since I had an hour. When I came outside, I realized it had started pouring. Alas, I had forgotten to take an umbrella and also my jacket. The waiting room which is just a long corridor with a couple of hard wooden benches was not inviting. I even thought my classroom benches were better! In any case, I started watching the little droplets of water touch the earth nonchalantly. But after ten minutes, I needed a change. Since it was raining and I was pretty early, no patients arrived. Not that I intended to converse with them, but when you are waiting alone, it feels awkward. 

After half an hour, my legs could no longer carry my head, limbs and other body parts. Even the hard benches looked comfortable now. At least, for another ten minutes. I took out the music player but I had forgotten to charge the batteries! I tried to yawn, but minutes before coming here I had got up from a deep slumber. Therefore, a nap and that too in these benches was not an option.

I saw a newspaper lying in a bench and fifteen minutes passed with ease. By now, the benches had started to get rigid and I longed for something tolerable. And, there was no eating point nearby. By God, I was hungry!

My watch read 6 15. Another fifteen minutes only. I started doing random things which I normally don’t do; as a matter of fact, nobody does. I counted the number of windows the corridor had. I also admired the great art in the cracks formed on the roof. I read all the notices that were put up. I made a note of spelling mistakes and planned to inform the receptionist, but then I entered into a spiritual state. I introspected that making mistakes is common. I even thought about the life after death!

Just then, people started entering the place. By this time, I longed for a stroll. So, I started walking in the corridor. I had expected the doctor to arrive by this time. But, I overheard the receptionist saying that the doctor would be a bit late! And in Indian sense, bit late can range from few minutes to hours together! This put me in a fix for I couldn’t go out, because I did not know when the doctor would arrive. Obviously, my condition worsened. Earlier I had a definite waiting period, but not now.

Once again my legs gave up. Adding to the dismay, number of people in the corridor had outnumbered the available seats! I involuntarily started observing people around me. The situation in dental clinic is quite different from that of a hospital. Here people are not sad; because they are sure they are not going to die! The little children who formed a majority of the patients had formed a small playground in the corridor! The early teenage girls had formed a group in a corner and I think a nice round of gossip was going on. There was nobody from my age group, how lonely! Others, who I guessed were parents, were passing judgments. I wondered why grown-ups always have to opine about everything.

Soon, the scene changed. The dentist’s assistant arrived. Smiles were exchanged. I don’t think I would have got a bigger smile if I had won a lottery! “At last” I said to myself. But, the doctor had gone for a cup of coffee; so said the assistant. Nonetheless, the doctor took the time I take to have a full meal to drink his coffee!!

At 10 minutes to 8 pm, the dentist arrived. A huge crowd formed near the door of the clinic. The strict receptionist announced she would allow the patients inside in the order she had collected the card. The shouts of “I came at 6 30”, “I came at 6 10”, “Let me in” and so on were aired.When the receptionist started calling the names, expectedly I was the first.  After straightening my collar and giving a winning look, I stepped in.

The doctor asked the assistant to take out the retainer from his case the moment I entered, for he remembered my face. I duly told my name when the assistant asked. The assistant opened the big black case and started looking through it. After two minutes, he came back and announced “Sir, this fellow’s retainer is not in the case”. I swallowed a cuss word. But, the doctor managed a smile and gave the final verdict “Sorry mister, looks like my assistant forgot to pack your retainer. Never mind! I will give it next month. Next patient please”.

The futile wait thus ended!!!

Book Review 3:- The Secret Speech

  At the end of Child 44, you will know that Tom Rob Smith’s next book will be continued from where he had left it in the first book. And, the secret speech is not disappointing. However, I feel the first is the best.

  The condition in Russia has not changed much, but some of the people at higher positions start to feel the guilt of what they have been doing. And soon enough the historic speech comes into action. The people who thought they could hide their crimes start  feeling the pressure.  The way the author introduces the  Fraera sequence is truly amazing. Revenge wherever, whenever can be sweet and here the author uses it to the optimum.  And then the description of life in golum is superb and funny.  But at times, the plot seems too filmy!

Coming to the glimpses-of-story part. In a single word, it is complicated! Of course it revolves around Leo but there are various subplots. Moreover, there is  a political flavor to the story which I did not like much. But, there is a teenage love story which adds distinct flavor to the novel.

Finally, one piece of advice. Read child 44 first and then go for this one.

The Joy Of Living In Small Town

I have lived all my life in small towns. But education (or rather enjoyment!) has brought me to a big city. So what am I missing?

-       

•    Clean air for sure. I live in fifth floor and when I look down at the traffic below I see only black shades of smoke which is scaring. In small towns you see a lot of greenery.
•    I miss the quietness. It is way past 10pm now but still the honking and blaring of the horns is disturbing my easy flow of thoughts. In small towns, I feel there is self-imposed rule of “No Horn” after 7pm!
•    I miss easy mapping of roads. Small towns usually have one main big road with all your shopping needs located on this road itself. And usually this road will be christened M.G.Road. But, in a big city there are hundreds of main roads and your M.G.Road will be somewhere in the corner!
•    Chics! In a small town suppose you see a girl in the bus stand or in some public place and have a crush. It is not at all difficult to know about her. Usually, there will be only two or three good educational institutions and this girl will be from one of them. So, your contacts will help you find her. In a nut shell, if you like some girl (in a small town) then she can be your potential girl friend! But in big cities, you see a girl and the chances of not seeing her again are very high!
•            Some cop finds your vehicle parked in “no parking” zone and starts writing you a ticket, then in a small town that cop will surely be a friend of some of your own. So, one phone call and the cop lets you walk away with a warning. But, in a big city the chances of you getting a place for parking are very low and if you land in front of a cop for some mistake; you are sure to get a ticket!
•    In a small town, if you are going out for lunch, then you leave your house at the lunch time. But, in a big town you leave your house at the breakfast time! (You have to consider traffic if you are crossing your compound wall also!)
•            Ample space. In small towns, I feel you get ample space to stretch your legs. But in big cities, (I am speaking of apartments here) you stretch your leg and the guy leaving next door will give his piece of mind to you. Because, your stretched legs would have landed in his territory! Moreover, you get space and time to do some gardening in small towns. Sadly, it is not the case in big cities.

The Brigade Road

After waiting for a long time, an opportunity came in my way to tread the brigade road. At the first sight, it looked like any other street. There is neither any breath-taking buildings nor any tributorial statues to blow your mind. Just a normal road. But, as I continued exploring the street I started discovering it’s exclusivity.

We reached this 24*7 hotspot at around 4 30pm. One of my friends knew about a place called tibetian plaza, which is famous for band t-shirts( you name the band: bullet for my valentine, children of bodom, linkin park; you get the t-shirt with the band logo). But please note that you need to go to first floor for exclusive t-shirts’ shops. Additionally, there is not much scope for bargaining.

 From my cousin, I had heard about a book store. And we found it in front of amoeba in church street (take a turn at arrow’s). The poster “blossom book house” was huge. After giving entry I realized what a book paradise is. One of my friends even commented how could there be so many books! (we were in fiction section and he meant how could people write so many books-forget reading them!). We came across “erotic section”. We wanted to spend some time here, but like any ordinary Indian we were apprehensive about what people will think! So, two of us kept watch at the end of the rack. this continued for some ten minutes. However, when we were about to move from there, to our surprise, we discovered a CCTV camera staring at us!!!


 Our next stop was at Amoeba gaming world. I have heard that Brigade Road houses the oldest Amoeba in Bangalore. We roamed around the bowling alley and since none of us were in playing mood, we moved from there.


 We did not know any famous place in Brigade Road to fill our stomach. So, we had to satisfy ourselves with some chats and stuff.  And then we returned. But, later we came to know about some very good restaurants.

Bangalore has good many streets for every purpose. You want books? Head to Avenue Road. Looking for automobile parts? J.C Road is the one. Computer and electronics? S.P! Youth? Brigade. Though Not for the ones who believe more in the Indian way of life. 


Apart from the hot chics, renowned pubs and stuff I feel Brigade Road has something to offer... to everyone. With Metro coming up, I feel Brigade Road is going to fly high. 


Updated: Yesterday, I was walking through D.V.G Road. If you are interested, read this

Book Review 2:- The Thorn Birds

I think this was my first try at the non-thriller genre. And I found it very long. This 1977 book basically tells the story of Meghan Meggie Cleary; as a girl, as a lady and also as an old lady! The story starts when she is 4 years old and ends when she is 60!

The story revolves around relationship and also the temperament of different kinds of people. Meggie lives in a poor family with her parents and brothers. The way she is brought up is shown beautifully. Then, the family shifts to Australia. The Drogheda farm in Australia is described marvelously. A character comes up; a priest Father Ralph de Bricassart in the church who adds salt to the story! From the beginning it is clear he will play an important role in the story and the way his gradual involvement in the story is shown is amazing.

However, many a times you feel the story is stretched. Just think of these- you learn that Meggie is 4 years old in the starting pages of the book. And when her daughter is also 4 years old you are not at the last pages of the novel. A great deal of patience is required to read this book!

The one thing I like most about the novel is the descriptions of the society. It is superb. The church or the events inside the bedroom (!), you got to admire how the author handled it. The author Colleen McCullough has a grip on the story that is remarkable, though at times it reminds me some of the Indian serials; going on and on, with the goal (of ending) never in sight.

 If you are not the kind of person who has not tried family saga novels, then there is a chance that you might find this one boring. But please do remember that everyone’s taste is different! It has a great deal of cultural and social richness. It might be that of the food, the kind of dresses people wear in such regions or even the personality of the people; the details are too explicit to be missed.

Book Review 1:- Child 44

From the beginning I knew that a thriller story with Russia in the background would be good, but I didn't know it would be so good! The Soviet Union during the Stalin’s period. The period where there was fear everywhere in the Soviet Union. The author Tom Rob Smith in his first novel makes an impact on the reader that is simply remarkable.

  The main character is a MGB officer Leo. Initially, the story revolves around the conditions at that time; how the media and the people were controlled. He as everyone else acts as per the rules in the book. But then some happenings make him and his wife travel together in search of a serial killer.

 Meanwhile the whole country is in search of them for they have disobeyed the system. The plot is so superbly constructed that at times you sit back and think how could the author think about this stuff (of course, its different matter that you cannot sit back while reading this book!). Vasili is another MGB officer who is jealous of Leo. The character Vasili is truly justified because  jealous is universal. The various killings depicted make an impact, and provide a clue about the killer. However, I was not careful enough to grasp it!

 You must read it till the end to know how well the story is constructed. Moreover, the way the author has shown how fear can grip the society with the kind of system that was present in the Russia during those times is superb. I had problem digesting a few facts because they are true! The entity trust and love is very beautifully and cruelly explored in this book.

I would like to say that this is one of my favorite books of all time. 

P.S- for people who are yet to read this particular book, I believe this blog will help them to know what to expect from the book. And for others it might help them recall what they have read. 

CYCLING

It has been quite a few days since I spent a day without reading the now famous word ‘Global warming’. From a child, who has just started his schooling to almost everyone who keeps track of the proceedings of the world, has an understanding about this topic in their own way. However, it is hard to find anybody taking any genuine step along this course. Let me come back to this topic later.

I have got a driving license and I am eligible to ride a motor cycle but I ‘still’ ride my bicycle. In the previous sentence I have given emphasis on ‘still’ because, many people think that adults, riding a cycle is sin! Though I enjoy riding my ranger swing, it is the so called well wishers, friends and foes, who think it is embarrassing to ride a cycle at this age! And mind you, I am still a student... I am fed up with people staring at me; silently telling me it is no longer your right to ride a cycle after you finish your schooling. I don’t have any issues, then why the hell should I care? Let me illustrate it:

(At my friend’s place, take her as Ms. X)

Me-hi! How are you?

 X-oh! So nice to see you. So how did you come? Papa’s car?

Me-nope, I came in cycle.

X-oh my god! You still ride it??? (The expression was something like- Oh, you miser)

Its my bicycle, the road is public, my cycle is not creating any sorts of pollution and I get my exercise also( she is obese!). Then why the hell are people trying to stop me from riding my bicycle?

            

Now coming to the part as to why Indians are rarely able to strike a balance between non-polluting and polluting vehicles. First of all, the image of ‘cycle’ is not yet revolutionised. Only this picture comes into people’s mind when they think of a cycle.

      

But actually, today’s cycles are like this also...

They can prove to be expensive too, because a cycle by name “trek madone” was bought by a Mangalore guy G Vishwanath Kamath. He was a professional cyclist and now he has a cycle worth 2.3lakh rupees! The purpose of writing this fact is to make clear that bicycles are not cheap. I have seen people moving in cars to Public Park daily for a walk! They might feel their prestige is at stake, if they don’t travel in costly vehicles. however, they can by all means use these costly bicycles and get some more exercise too!

Secondly, the lack of dedicated cycle tracks. It is hard to find drivers giving any respect to cyclists on roads; even I become lazy to cut down the gas when I spot a cyclist moving like a snail on a busy road. That is the reason, cycle tracks are necessary. Take for example, Holland. There the government pays more attention to the cycle tracks than other roads! There are even traffic signals in these tracks! All trains have special compartments to carry bicycles; so that people who are working faraway can travel easily.

Okay, let us face reality. As a matter of fact, cycles need not be used everywhere, but please say no to cars when you are going alone to fetch milk from the dairy in the next street. Use the cycle to visit your friend. You might have observed Viru Sahasrabudhi in 3idiots riding the bicycle; if your workplace is nearby I don’t see any problem in riding the bicycle (unless prestige comes in the way). As I have mentioned earlier, if we all switch on to bicycles, then we can do our bit in reducing global warming.
Here is a list of benefits

This particular idea about cycling might seem a bit impractical today. But the cycling spirit in me says there is hope, recently two of my friends bought very good bicycles (and they ride on them to the college) and my cousin often uses a bicycle to his office in Bangalore. So I feel there is hope for the cyclists! What do you say???