Seven Deadly Sins vs Seven Divine Virtues

Latin and English Translations:

Castitas vs Luxuria - Chastity vs Lust   
Temperantia vs Gula - Temperance vs Gluttony   
Caritas vs Avaritia - Charity vs Greed   
Industria vs Acedia - Diligence vs Sloth     
Patientia vs Ira - Patience vs Wrath   
Benevolentia vs Invidia - Kindness vs Envy     
Humilitas vs Superbia - Humility vs Pride

Personal View: You must partake in the seven deadly sins to reach the seven divine virtues. How else can you tell the difference between the Fourteen?

William Blake taught me that “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom...You never know what is enough until you know what is more than enough.”

Thus, applying it to the sins, excess Lust leads to Chastity, excess Gluttony leads to Temperance, excess Greed leads to Charity, excess Sloth leads to Diligence, excess Wrath leads to Patience, excess Envy leads to Kindness and excess Pride leads to Humility eventually by force or self decision.

I traveled the Road of Excess, I enjoyed my being present/presence there but looking back, I'm glad I reached the Palace of Wisdom and I enjoy my being present/presence here. I made mistakes, took chances, gambled with my life to reach here. I befriended Failure, we were enemies when we started off. Victory, she hated me, because I had courted her for the first twenty years of my life. But, she recently spoke to me and said she was willing to forgive me because I valued her much much more now than ever before and didn't take her for granted. I was willing to serve her and she even offered me occasional dalliances with Failure because she was aware of my unrelentless spirit.

Failure you see, is the alter ego of Victory, which teaches me how to be satisfied and be thankful to Victory. I had learnt my lessons alright. And it's all right now...


 

Meat for Thought - You are what you Eat! Meat = Life = Suffering = Transcendence?

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." has been attributed to be quoted by Mohandas Gandhi. In India, our animals aren't treated well at all. Night owls would have noticed meat vans cooped up with live chicken, goats and cows being transported to various destinations. These animals have suffered a LOT during their final 36 hours at minimum. Imminent knowledge of death, starvation, suffocation, injected with steroids and growth hormones to mature faster, witnessing the death of loved ones, friends and relatives. Literally horror movies to experience before it is their turn to get the chop. This changes the physiology of the animal - the horror, the torment, sadness and ultimately the suffering.

We ingest this suffering and we are what we eat, regardless of whether we eat to live or live to eat. We thrive on suffering. Speaking of suffering, Herman Hesse eloquently put in his book - Siddhartha that "'The river knows everything; one can learn everything from it. You have already learned from the river that it is good to strive downwards, to sink, to seek the depths.' ...
Was it not a comedy, a strange and stupid thing, this repetition, this course of events in a fateful circle?...
The river laughed. Yes, that was how it was. Everything that was not suffered to the end and finally concluded, recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone."

Richard Dawkins contemplated in his book - River of out Eden: A Darwinian View of Life - "The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored. In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference."

Kahlil Gibran chimed in “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

This started to make sense now, 

To be continued...

The Land of the Rising Sun

A photo-journal of my time spent in Japan... Arigatou Gozaimasu!!

Beautiful Robots

Rōnin (浪人): A Masterless Samurai (circa 1185 A.D)

Rōnin (浪人) with a little Ninja (忍者)!! (circa 1185 A.D)

Fried Scorpions

An ode to the Absinthe Drinker

Title

Life is but an act
And you just play a part
So practice for your part
(Like a method actor)

~Niranjan Joseph

I got the tear you wept for me last night, my Dear

I got the Tear you wept for me last night, my Dear.
Richard Bach said: "Can miles truly separate you from friends...
If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?"
Ah! Yes, you were my friend indeed. One of my best friends!
You know we can still meet at merely a whim.
In a parallel universe, on the internet or even better, in a Dream!

I got the Tear you wept for me last night, my Dear.
I felt it last night. I remembered it this morning.
It was something so powerful it branded itself on me.
It calms me, it troubles me, it brings me joy.
Makes me sad and makes me glad. Eventually driving me mad!
Finally leaving me in the last streams of smoke I exhale tonight.

Oh, I'll be fine in the morning... I need to retire to the Dream Realm...
See you there! ;)

"Tear Drop" © Ilona Wellmann

As Tears Go By - A Review

It is the evening of the day

I sit and watch the children play

Smiling faces I can see

But not for me

I sit and watch

As tears go by

My riches can't buy everything

I want to hear the children sing

All I hear is the sound

Of rain falling on the ground

I sit and watch

As tears go by

It is the evening of the day

I sit and watch the children play

Doin' things I used to do

They think are new

I sit and watch

As tears go by

(M. Jagger/K. Richards)

This story starts with Michael and Keith of the Stones writing a pop song after being forced to by their manager Andrew. Considering the fact that the song was too pop for a blues band, they ditched it and Andrew chose Marianne, a 17 year old whom he met at a party to sing and release it and the song became an instant hit in 1964.

Marianne's version was a perfect pop song for the summer of '64 - upbeat, chirpy, lively and joyful... Though the song's lyrics were more sombre in nature thus making it melancholic. What else could we expect from a 17 yr old who hadn't really lived and endured the bed of thorn roses called Life? Needless to say, the song was a big hit eventually leading Michael and Keith to perform it in their 1965 album as they were now progressing towards a more rhythm and blues outfit with the occasional ballad.

Stones' version was obviously still 'under aged' for the song as Michael was then 21 but the accompanying music - a 12-string guitar played by Big Jim Sullivan and an intricate string arrangement by Mike Leander, being much more mature and emoting well, carried the song. Michael's charming british accent helped as well. Moving on, Michael and Marianne got into a relationship and then they broke up after a few years but by then she was completely addicted to all the vices of the era.

Marianne went through divorces, drug addictions, a miscarriage, illnesses, homeless experiences, broke scenes, suicide attempts, relationships, depression etc. She did have a comeback in the music industry to a lukewarm response. She finally made peace with her past and reached full circle when she performed the same song which catapulted her into that life of excess. This version, in 1987 - 22 years from when she debuted it, is a much more haunting, sombre, experienced, intelligent, honest and retrospective version as the song was meant to be written and sung. She had indeed lived, braved and endured the bed of thorn roses called Life! She still performs to this day...

~ The End ~

Niranjan Joseph

Writing Influences:

#ish

Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By (1965): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhPPJ5dolxU

The Rolling Stones - As Tears Go By {1965}: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLm_vVUhH5s

Marianne Faithfull - As Tears Go By [1987]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_pcKtAcuuU

Wikipedia

P.S.: I put it through the acid test - my 9 year old nephew and he sampled all the three versions (God bless his kind heart for putting up with me) and he liked Marianne's 1987 version but confirmed the Stones' version to be the best. "More melodic", he said, I've got to agree with him here. It was their song to begin with...

Further Reading:

But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas! http://srialakhniranjan.blogspot.in/2011/09/but-its-all-right-now.html

My Life According to: The Rolling Stones

My artist: THE ROLLING STONES

Are you a male or female? MONKEY MAN!!

Describe yourself? JUMPIN' JACK FLASH

How do you feel? COOL, CALM, COLLECTED

Describe where you currently live: IN ANOTHER LAND, 2000 LIGHT YEARS FROM HOME

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? MEMORY MOTEL

Your best friend is? ANGIE

Your favorite color is? PAINT IT BLACK

What's the weather like? GET OFF MY CLOUD

Favorite time of day? UNDERCOVER OF THE NIGHT

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called? (I CAN'T GET NO) SATISFACTION

What is life to you? IT'S ONLY ROCK & ROLL (BUT I LIKE IT)

Your relationship? LOVE IS STRONG

Your Fear? I GO WILD

What is the best advice you have to give? YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT

If you could change your name, you would change it to: MIDNIGHT RAMBLER

Thought for the day? TIME IS ON MY SIDE

How would you like to die? HAPPY

Your soul's present condition? SOUL SURVIVOR

Your motto? SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

The Butterfly Doctor

There was a little boy
Who found a beautiful butterfly
Lying in the garden, hurt
He picked it up and took good care of it
Slowly the butterfly recovered
And was able to fly again
Then one day the butterfly left him
The little boy was very sad
'I saved its life', he said
'When I found it, it was as good as dead
Has it no gratitude?'
He moped in solitude
In Silence, he realized that he had done his part
And he had done it well
That Butterfly wasn't going to forget him ever
Wherever it may fly
It would be an living example of his love and care
After a few days when he went to play
He found another butterfly with broken wings
He took it up gently and decided to nurse it back to health
He has since been known as 'The Butterfly Doctor'

What if?

Father: Let's play. Okay, I'm a famous pianist.
Son: If you're a famous pianist, and I cut off your arm... then what will you do?
Father: I'll become a famous painter.
Son: And if I cut off the other one, what will you do?
Father: I'll become a famous dancer.
Son: And if I cut off your legs, then what?
Father: Then I'll become a famous singer.
Son: And if I cut off your head, then what?
Father: Once dead, my skin will become a beautiful drum.
Son: What if I burn the drum?
Father: I will become a cloud and take on any shape.
Son: And if the cloud dissolves, what then?
Father: I will become rain and produce a harvest of wars!

From: Fando y Lis

But it's all right now...

Problems of the Past:

I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
And I howled at my ma in the driving rain,

I was raised by a toothless, bearded hag,
I was schooled with a strap right across my back,

I was drowned, I was washed up and left for dead.
I fell down to my feet and I saw they bled.
I frowned at the crumbs of a crust of bread.

I was crowned with a spike right thru my head.

Solution of the Present:

But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!
But it's all right, Im jumpin jack flash,
Its a gas! gas! gas!

Review: I first heard this song played during the end credits of the film - "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", my most favorite and inspirational movie to date. They played it at a very critical time in the movie, when the protagonist was making his last mad dash back to safety, obscurity and being just another freak in the freak kingdom!

I realized this song was about the cycle of life. Birth - Death - Rebirth. With absolutely no fear of the transitions between the same! Why? Because it's just a Gas! Gas? You may ask. 'It's a Gas' is a phrase which essentially means 'No big deal and could've been worse!'. (On a humorous note, all gases pass! No point fretting over it) It's more of a mindset actually. The protagonist of the song was born during a hurricane. Abandoned immediately probably because he was illegitimate. Adopted and raised an Orphan. Experienced a very tough childhood. Drowned in sorrows. Cast out. Left for Dead. Starved. Crowned with Problems. But yet, he survived and proudly utters that it was alright and cooly brushes it off and moves on! That it was an experience and he looks forward to the future! The Past was bad, well, too bad. But the Present is in our hands and that's what matters at any point of time in our lives!

I've understood that the only way to prosper is to make amends with your past, however fucked it was and move on proudly with the fact that you braved the storm of life! But it's all right now, in fact, it's a Gas! But it's all right, I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash, Its a Gas! Gas! Gas! >>=====================>

Bah! Humbug! It's Christmas time again!

Christmas, a festival which Christians, Catholics, Protestants and the rest of the world celebrate towards the end of the year. Christmas has become commercialized and misinterpreted from what it was and what it stood for. People are under the impression that they're celebrating the birthday of this dude who's a king, a son of God, who died for all their sins and will redeem them one day. I see people over indulging in food in this season, spending on decorations, drinking liquor, parties, meeting relatives and going on vacations. I've done the same, I'm not a hypocrite. Unfortunately, Christmas now has become more a festival on a calendar than a festival of the Heart!

Christmas was created with a very special intention. Not just a birthday celebration. It's very symbolic and here's my interpretation. The Earth has four seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Spring symbolizes Birth and Childhood. Summer is a Adolescence and Youth, Autumn is Maturation and Middle Age and Winter is clearly Death. But wait, the cycle continues again in Spring. This is Rebirth. Being a part of the Earth. We are the Earth.We are subjected to the same cycle, every year! Ok, so day, month, year, etc. are clearly created by Man. But not the Seasons. We have no control over the Seasons just like we have no control over our Aging and our Mortality.

Getting back to the topic, there is a reason why Christmas is tentatively positioned in Winter. It is a preparation for Spring i.e. Rebirth! Only the rebirth is in our Hearts! Christ is not a person who lived in 0 B.C/1 A.D... Christ is a level of Consciousness! Called Christ consciousness, it is the next evolutionary step for Man! Jesus, son of Joseph was called Jesus Christ because he attained this state of consciousness! He set an example for people! Through his Learnings, Teachings, Miracles, Philanthropy, Attitude, Radical Views, Divinity, Humanity,  Example, Conscience, Yoga, Travels, Sacrifice and ultimately Consciousness!

The Christmas symbolism also beautifully adds on to this. Firstly, the birth of Christ happened in the humblest of places - a manger not in an superficial palace made of precious stones. Shows that the heart should be but humble to attain this consciousness. Being a King, it's shows how we are in control and rule our own destiny. The only people who came were the Shepherds and the simple folks, this shows that the ordinary, honest working people are the only ones who will matter, not the pompous arrogant fools! The 3 gifts - Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh are again symbolic. Gold depicting Royalty or Kingship which I already explained. Frankincense depicting the growth in Spirituality and Myrrh being an embalming oil which depicts preparation for Death!

The Christmas that we celebrate is hence, not an average Calendar + Birthday festival but a preparation for rebirth. The birth of the Christ Consciousness! Every year, we learn, experience and evolve so much more physically, mentally and spiritually. We all should work towards this Christ Consciousness more than having a gala Christmas. Draping yourself in costly new clothes, indulging cake and wine, meats and sweets, going to places of worship, partying with friends and relatives and gifts aren't what Christmas is about! I don't condemn these activities as bad or dumb or a waste of time... They're just superficialities of the Season, nothing more and nothing less.

Please take some time to think over this and work towards attaining this Consciousness through Forgiveness, Charity, Knowledge, Tolerance, Assistance, Leading, Following, Truthfulness, Love, Faith, Hope, Belief, Wisdom, Experience, Godliness, Spirituality, Teaching through Example, Sacrifice and and ultimately Consciousness. I am disturbed by how this has evolved into a season of Commercialism and Hedonism and Greed and Superficiality and Misinterpretation and am Hoping, Wishing, Praying, Waiting for and EXPECTING a Change! I am not condoning or demeaning all that Christmas may have stood for you for. All I'm asking is for a different perspective!

I conclude again by saying, "Christmas is not a festival on a Calendar: a Birthday Party... Christmas is a festival of the Heart: a Rebirth of Consciousness - Christ Consciousness!"

~Niranjan son of Joseph~

Wintertime Love

Lyrics:

Wintertime winds blow cold the season,
Fallin' in love I'm hopin' to be.
Wind is so cold, is that the reason
Keeping you warm, your hands touching me.

...Come with me, dance, my dear,
Winter's so cold this year,
You are so warm, my wintertime love to be.

Winter time winds, blue and freezin'
Comin' from Northern storms in the sea,
Love has been lost, is that the reason
Trying so desperately to be free.

Come with me, dance, my dear,
Winter's so cold this year,
And you are so warm, my wintertime love to be

La, la, la, la

Come with me, dance, my dear,
Winter's so cold this year,
You are so warm, my wintertime love to be.

Review:
There's something magical about this song. Definitely because it is about a magical time of the year. Everyone yearns for love and warmth during this time. The song is brutally honest and down to earth. Affected by the elements and full of ...longing for that beautiful warmth no fire, no wool, no heater, no air conditioner can give - the warmth of love! That warmth that can melt the coldest of hearts. Even Old Scrooge's from A Christmas Carol. It's a lilting, light and warm pop song from their third album - Waiting for the Sun. It beautifully plays after 'Summer's almost gone' which ends with the line - 'The winter's coming on, summer's almost gone...'
There's a loss of hope in this line and when the song about summer ends... But the hope is reinfused, life is blown back, hearts are melted, lips are wetted and hope returns when this song plays after the 3 second interval which signifies Autumn.
This song is very close to my heart and being an avid Doors fan I would consider this one of my favorites!
Do give this a listen and let's get set for a beautific winter! Falling in love we all hope to be! - Song review by Niranjan Joseph

Ode to Ma

Thank you for bringing us into this world so bright
Thank you for teaching us wrong and right
You carried us for 9 months in your womb
We're indebted to you right until the tomb
You are our religion. Our faith and hope.
Greater than any god and religion and president and pope.
When we returned after dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight.
You were the only one who held us tight.
You cared for us whilst we were sick.
It was not the medicines or the doctors but your love that did the trick.
We're sorry for every tear we caused you to shed.
Had we known earlier we would've rather been dead.
We're sorry for causing the sorrow and pain.
We're worried we may even repeat it again.
One thing you can be sure to expect.
We will treat you with the utmost respect.
Ma, Mom, Mummy, Amma, Ammi, Mother.
There can be only one and no other.
Through joy and sorrow and tears and laughter.
We love you!! - Your dear Sons and Daughters

My Life According to: The Doors

My artist: THE DOORS

Are you a male or female? BACK DOOR MAN!!

Describe yourself? WILD CHILD

How do you feel? BEEN DOWN SO LONG

Describe where you currently live: CARS HISS BY MY WINDOW on LOVE STREET

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? GO INSANE

Your best friend is? THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Your favorite color is? BLUE SUNDAY

What's the weather like? INDIAN SUMMER

Favorite time of day? WAITING FOR THE SUN

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called? CELEBRATION OF THE LIZARD

What is life to you? THE END

Your relationship? I WILL NEVER BE UNTRUE

Your Fear? PEOPLE ARE STRANGE

What is the best advice you have to give? TAKE IT AS IT COMES

If you could change your name, you would change it to: RIDER ON THE STORM

Thought for the day? HELLO I LOVE YOU

How would you like to die? WISHFUL SINFUL

Your soul's present condition? SHAMAN'S BLUES

Your motto? BREAK ON THROUGH (TO THE OTHER SIDE)

Quarter life crisis

I'm sick of life... I'm sick of death.
I'm sick of sickness... I'm sick of health.
I'm sick of day... I'm sick of night.
I'm sick of dark... I'm sick of bright.
I'm sick of love... I'm sick of hate.
I'm sick of destiny... I'm sick of fate.
I'm sick of work... I'm sick of play.
I'm sick of April... I'm sick of May.
I'm sick of enemies... I'm sick of friends.
I'm sick of old beginnings and new ends.
I'm sick of uppers... I'm sick of downers.
I'm sick of the fckin' in-betweeners!
I'm sick of despair... I'm sick of compassion.
I'm sick of the latest fckin' fashion.
I'm sick of satisfying... I'm sick of delighting .
I'm sick of rhyming... I'm sick of writing...................

THE END

~Niranjan Joseph~

Thoughts 'bout People and their Thoughts 'bout Me:

What I think of people:

Jason aka Head in the Clouds - Mcleod: Good old friend of mine from 'back in the days'. Known him for like 6 years now. Started gaming, stoning, tripping and working in numerous call centers with this clown. Fellow Junkie, Hippie, Pothead, Gamer, Adventurer, Call center employee, Tripper, Traveler, Trekker, Road sleeper, Dustbin eater, People Wangler, etc. etc.! Gonna join me Walking the Earth someday! My good friend, confidante and companion. Always had an inclination for the wild and made it there finally. Hated civilization and people and has found Utopia (atleast partly) lol! Rock on man! Very few people like you on this planet which makes you an endangered specie. Oh also a bit short tempered, good to make fun of and trip on(once in awhile). Huge fan of Hitler hence his name. And weird when it comes to taste in music since he likes many genres right from the 60s,70s,80s Rock to Metal to PsyTrance but hates Hip Hop and Pop and can kill n murder such fans (Niggers and wannabe niggers beware - Dont cross the N*zi's path) Hahaha!
Yea he's Born to be Wild and in his own words a self proclaimed "Forest Freak!"

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Nu-Key: One of the craziest adventurers of the gang. Met him at K2 and never looked back. Mad traveler and Experienced Hippie and Respected Tripper. Suddenly decides to go to Bombay alone to learn music and then moves to Kodi to make music and 'experiment' on the local Amanita Muscarias and is suddenly back in Bangalore. Dunno when and where he'll shoot next lol! Will be a fulfilled and successful electronic composer churning out eclectic music since I'm aware of his music influences \m/. Always keep in touch man. It is an honor to be thy friend.
Peace
Love
Unity
Respect

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..........more to be added.... Just in need of time :P

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What people think of Me:


N*zi: Niranjan aka Nemesis met him at Woodstock 1969 and then met him again at a gaming center in bangalore called "The Edge" 5 years back and ended up together walking the streets at night, chased by violent dogs on many occasions, smoked ancient herbs, traveled, climbed ancient mountains, roamed ancient forests, fascinated by The Doors, stole shoes and carjacks with, hit and ran many call centers, homeless experiences, gonna walk the earth with soon and many more experiences to come.

A real good friend of mine, most trusted friend in the world today he is very kool dude with a universal mind really good at sarcastic humour he said i am an endangered specie in this planet today, well he is an endangered specie too :)

"Its will be an honor to die at your side neme" we "Broke on through the other side"
"Strange days have found us, strange days have dragged us here" :)

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Nu-key: hell of a rocker ! rocky steady my fren , don let the system take ur dreamz n ull be fineeee !! one psy head i wont forget ... nemesis . r.i.p 2012 . nazi nookie fatality barry b2 johnny achint aggarwal slayer for that matter .. k2 kiked ass in free weed days. hehehe
shanti today .

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Barry: Niranjan aka Neme aka Nemesis,well nothin much to say about this original Prankster.Has a born talent of irritating people to the core and getting them really confused,over all in our language we say taking your trip.The Sixties kinda dude,born in this era really weird as we share the same taste for Music.Lots more to say ,but I guess am too stoned.In Short words The Rightful Infliction of Retribution manifested by an Appropriate Agent,personified in this case by a Trippy guy like this.
\m/,-_- ,\m/.

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Shobs:

nem!!! this guy is 1 hell of a (in his own terminology) 'psychedellic' person!!! ... he's obsessed wit his music... 'THE DOORS' to b precise! he can crack u up wit his philosophical discourse... oh n he can make u believe wat he wants u 2... manipulation is his game n he's damn good at it... so ppl... BEWARE!!!!! ... he's a gentleman i shld say ... n he's 1 of those guys who wil b thr when u need him... he's highly ticklish... heh heh... d joy it brings ... u'l never c him al dispirited n depressed... he's in this perpetual state of ecstacy... oh n he is a maniacal chocoholic!!! al in al he's 1 amazin guy who i indeed adore! ...

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Death, Old Friend:

I tried to starve myself, But I ain't dying.
I don't wanna jump off a building, cos I'm afraid I'll start flying!
I'm thinking of taking some substance and start to smoke or chase or jab it.
But I know this won't help either cos I'll only develop a habit!
When I go to sleep, I pray I won't wake up next morning.
Now I've realized Death, she doesn't want me yet. Guess I'll just continue Living! =)

THE DAY KARMA WORKED THROUGH ME!!

Ok now this event occurred close to ten months back. I had just joined this place called Mphasis. Here I met this guy who was named "Shrikanth" by his parents. Now I didn't know much about him(Still don't), only the fact that he stayed near my place. One day after our shift we were leavin' home and he said he'll give me a drop on his bike since we stay close by. But he said he had to go to his previous workplace for his last cheque which he had to receive.

Now this place was Siemens, which ironically I had worked for three days exact. Left because it didn't suit me hehe. Now the trip how i got into Siemens was quite funny.I was waiting in the lobby to be interviewd. Now being a clever observer, I had noticed glass door with Siemens written on it.I noticed that when the door was opened Siemens appeared in mirror script spelling "snemeis". I quickly unscrambled it to spell "Nemesis" simply by shifting the letter 's' in between 'e' and 'i' in the mirror script. Nemesis was my nickname or alias from my gaming days. I'm still known and called by that name by many people I know!

During the interview I was asked by the recruiter to give him one good reason why I should be hired there.I explained this crazy scrambling of the mirror script of the company name and how my nickname fit in there. I was hired immediately. I left as soon as I was hired which is a different story in itself LOL!

Now getting back to the main story. So me and 'Shrikanth' reached the Siemens office. I had to wait outside till he went and got his cheque. He was back in 20 mins quite happy he had received his cheque (Money has this knack of playing with people's emotions and controlling and manipulating them very well...Damn Gandhis!!)

Now we were set to leave. In the parking lot he spotted a brand new bike with obviously a brand new helmet unlocked! by the careless owner. Now he schemed to seize the opportunity and wangle the helmet. Now the reason for his decision was since those days the Helmet rule was in place and the government servants(cops as I lovingly call them) were checking and fining people for not adhering to the rule.

This was all fine and dandy but now he realised he didn't wanna wangle the helmet himself...scared of doing wrong maybe though the intention was very prominent! So he asked me to wangle the helmet. I agreed! :) So I told him to start the bike, cooly walked up to the bike took the unlocked helmet and came and sat pillion on his bike. He started the bike and we scooted from the place. Now all happy since everything had come his way he stopped a little further and put on the helmet and gave his precious Ray Ban sunglasses to me for safekeeping.

He rode homewards, I suddenly sensed something bad gonna happen immediately. We went down a One Way the wrong side and almost got caught but escaped the cop with the aide of the psyched traffic. Now as we were traveling I suddenly felt a motion near my chest, I suddenly realized that his precious Ray Ban which he had given to me for "safekeeping" had fallen onto the road. I had been resting on my collar. I immediately stopped him and went to fetch it. As I reached close a car went boom! over it!! The sunglass was in three pieces. I collected the remains and brought it back to him to display. He was heartbroken!

I recollected this incident at home and realized how Karma had worked using me as a medium! I committed the bad deed( Wangling the helmet). But it wasn't my intention and I didn't gain anything from this. In turn I dropped his precious sunglasses which cost much more than the helmet we had wangled in the first place. Karma balanced his bad deed using my hands. The very hands which caused the bad deed in the first place. It was revenge! A lesson taught! A balance restored! Retribution!

Funny how even such a small example can teach you Karma! The Law of Cause and Effect! Happening right in front of your eyes! Using you as a medium itself for the bad deed and the retribution. Apply this to bigger things in life and imagine the results!! Another lesson life taught me in the simplest of formats! Ahh Karma :)

Adventures of N*zi and Nemesis!

Here I document my trip to Coonoor to rendezvous with a dear friend and also break away from the usual drudgery of city life, the rat race, that eternal struggle for material pursuits...I can go on...but I'm a hypocrite myself so nevermind. Well firstly I decided to travel alone to his place.Kinda wanted some solitude at that moment.I could find my way around South India hence I decided on this. I had never gone on a vacation alone. Guess there's a first time for everything.Anyways I never told many people about this obviously because they may wanna join and secondly and most importantly they may give their unwanted opinion on the dangers and stuff.Things seemed to go my way also... My salary was credited 3 days earlier than

usual! Which was kinda like a green signal to me. Even if I was gonna die. It was still a green signal. Now financially secure, I was ever so confident. I knew money can get me anything...Yea I exploit them Gandhis and am proud to do so!

Left Bangalore on Thursday nite, the last day of the horrid month of July with all the riots and bomb blasts and crazy weather. Bid goodbye to my Lover and got my bus as usual late. A passenger pointed out that when you're early the bus is late and when you're late the bus has already left. Happens with everyone... Man's stupid tryst with time...Why did he come up
with the idea in the first place. Well I'm a few centuries late so let's leave it there. Now I had a very interesting co-passenger an 80 year old man who introduced himself as Commander Kendall. Now I was still on the solitary trip and didn't wanna converse with anyone but this man was different. We started talking and he as all old men started off on his past and his endeavours and achievments. He was from the time of the British Raj, an Anglo-Indian I guessed. He told me about his life in the Navy, the wars he fought one prominent one being the 1970s Indo Pak war. About all his other professions since right from an Agriculturalist to Chicken Farming to SilkWorm Cultivation to Real Estate. He was perfect company. I saw my grandfather in him. We got along pretty well. The whole journey was a knowledge oriented trip about the past, the present and the future. He was inspiring this old man...very inspiring.

I finally reached my destination the next morning. Got down at the Coonoor station. Now I was directed to catch a rickshaw at a "Wooden Post Office" by my good friend Jason or N*zi as we all know him. Now I'm looking for this crazy landmark and asking around to no avail. Then I call him and find out it was actually a brick police station and the auto stand which I was looking for, which I had seen as we entered the terminus. Sigh! Anyways I got into a rick which took me to my meeting point - Tiger Hill Cottages. Now this place was called Tiger Hill because of the many tigers which roamed there I think decades back! Now all I see are humans and tea plantations. Anyways he had a nice cozy house there. I met his family after a very long time. These people were my only relatives I can say though they weren't really related to me. I've met them more often than my own relatives who I meet only at weddings and death ceremonies hence the deduction. Now it was trekking time. Me and N*zi had been good friends for what 6 years now. Right from the gaming days to working in numerous call centers which we joined and quit and the drug days. We had been partners in crime. Very interesting stories we old men got to tell but we'll keep that for some other time.

We started off our trek up Tiger Hills to the famed Suicide Point which gives a splendid view of the place. I always visit this place everytime I'm here. Now I'm quite biased about the place being called Suicide point just cos of the many people who decided to rest there in peace. But unfortunately I haven't tried or planned to commit suicide hence I'll stick with the name. On the way we passed the Tiger Hill Graveyard. Now this was a very interesting, trippy, ancient graveyard. I had visited this place everytime I've visited Coonoor without fail and hence was obliged to do so again.All the british war veterans and big wigs of the yesteryears were buried here. This was one classy graveyard I got to say.All the crosses bearing crazy insignia and ancient dates...some goin back to the 1900s and before. The limelight of this place is the life size
statue of an Angel overlooking one of the graves.
A ghostly mist came over us and it was just 2 in the afternoon. It was crazy. We decided to move from there and walk up to the Suicide Point. We had to cut across roads and walk through lush green tea plantations. It was always a trip walking in this terrain. Everything's a trip in this place! Everything!!! Well Suicide point was boring as usual...No one jumping off as I'd always hoped to see...maybe that's why I never liked the name. But there were names of lovers who had supposedly commited suicide there but no proof anyways that's their trip so I'll leave em alone now. First day was quite tiring as I had traveled the previous nite and trekked quite a distance the next day hence turned in early after a visit to the local bar and downing a scotch obviously! :)

Woke up the next day and I had a feeling I had died and gone to Heaven if such a place actually exists! The early morning mountain mist was passing thruout the whole house. It was mist to us but if seen from someplace lower they were clouds!!! I was quite high on the clouds! Remembered Hendrix's line "Scuse me while I kiss the sky" ;). Today's plan was to trek up the Attadi Peak where there was an old Murugan temple built at the very top. Now religion is one very crazy field for me. Think of it a place of worship built high up in the sky. I agree it's closer to God as some religiously blinded person may say but still. Anyways I'm not getting into the "God" debate so let's carry on with it. We went to the only restaurant there for lunch called "The Great Wall of China". After that I decided to meet Commander Kendall who stayed close by since I didn't get an opportunity to say goodbye after that bus trip. We met him at his bungalow aptly named "Kendall's Nook". Now this man I found out was actually a millionaire. A big man in Coonoor, revered and respected. He had been a normal co-passenger and good conversation to me on my journey. Funny how it is when some big shot is actually viewed how he is- a normal living, breathing human being just one of the rest. A straw in the haystack. A pea in the pod but is given such a glorious status by man. Fuck man is the worst animal I've known...the worst. Differentiating between himself. Behind material pursuits. No respect for his fellow creatures and species. FUCK!!! Nevermind!! - needless to say a lovely album by Nirvana ;)

So anyways we find out that the tea estates we had to pass through belonged to him and he gave us free access to it, not that we wouldn't have gone through it illegally anyways lol! Well it's just land on this planet called Earth. Man owns the land on paper, that's it. So anyways being educated and polite and respectful, we thanked him and started off on our journey to the
top. We didn't do it for religious inclinations or for some boon to be granted for climbing the peak. We did it just for the sake of trekking lol! So we started off through the tea estates which was fairly easy compared to what lay ahead of us and that not even half the way.Now my good friend is a trek guide who takes tourists on treks but he's not one of the experienced ones which increased the intensity of the trip ten fold, i'll explain how. First he has this bright idea of not taking the usual track which spirals around the hill but go straight up just like how a crow would fly up not realising we are not freakin' crows. Anyways I agree being open for adventure. Now we're walkin up the hill with a 40 degree angle sloping up. His next bright idea would be not to take the manmade path here as well...the natural path where grass and plants dont grow, made
barren by constant walking. So we just walk thru vegetation. We're not prepared with anythin for the wild. Just a phone to take pics and some water! Yea we're pioneer trekkers. We dont need ropes and knives or anything. We're inexperienced city rats taking on the wild. At this point I have to add that N*zi did watch a few episodes of "Man vs Wild" on the Discovery channel and was full josh on fighting the wild!! Yea my friends are as useless as me but that's the best part...THE BEST PART!!

We walk thru thick wooded areas with crazy thorns and plants. Some poisonous....yea we must've been tripping on some poison ivy or somethin for doing somethin like this. But oh well! :) There were parts where we had to crawl through, climb under and climb over! Now my dear friend and guide is frantically looking for that natural man made path again! LOL!! After only seeing birds and domesticated animals everywhere we finally saw...here it comes...Wild Bison!! - Dung!!! Yes smelly stale Wild Bison Dung!! Yea the joy of seeing this animal waste was so tremendous!! Obviously animals being cleverer than man chose to avoid us useless burdens of flesh and bones rather than even think of confronting us. Letting us discover their dung!! Haha!!
Finally we caught sight of some steps cut into the rocks!! The joy it gave us!! Yea man has become too soft...devolved as such!! Anyways we both were glad we were back on the track. The thing was we had no chance of getting lost because the only way we had to go was Up! We finally made the summit. Reached the peak. The view was definitely worth it! We visited the shrine. Which was locked conveniently. Imagine the psyched worshippers who actually climb this hill to visit this deity and yet they say God is everywhere. Isn't that the biggest trip? Haha! Well now that we reached the peak! Attained the summit. Now it was time to Get Back, to where we once belonged!This was even more psyching than the ascent!

Ok now descending at a 40 degree angle is worse than ascending it! We were back lost thruough the forest with one direction! Down! This got over sooner since we just kept slipping and sliding all the way down. But it was more dangerous than ascent for sure. We finally reached the tea plantations which was a sign that we're halfway down. Here we noticed a lone Bison peacefully walking through the plantation. Gawd he was massive. Like one of these tanks. When i saw him i thought bout our docile 'gay' cows. My Gawd what has man done to cows which make em so psyched in the head. Man must have had a tough time taming animals then. Jehzuz!! This bloke of solid muscle and bone. He was majestic(only wild animal I saw the whole trip, apart from human beings but they all come under one species hence this was the other wild species ;)). Well nothin much happened we were half a kilometre away and I was told by my trusty guide and dear friend that these creatures are quite harmful when alone and if provoked can rip us apart. Hence we just watched it peacefully and majestically walk by and disappear into the woods. We quickly traversed the estates and reached the outskirts. Now we had trekked enough and I didn't wanna walk on tar anymore after walking in the trippy woods! Hence we decided to Hitchhike back into town.Managed to hitch a ride on a tempo back to town. Nice experience I gotta say. Must try serious intercity hitchhiking someday!

Back in town we had to fuel up on some alcohol. It had been a long long day of adventure and wearing oneself out in nature now we had to savour the intoxicating liquid which man cleverly over the years distilled from nature ;). We went to the usual bar and had our usual 60s of Scotch on the Rocks.A beautiful combo I must say. Beats all other intoxicants with an overload of class. Now here I suddenly got inspiration to visit the Tiger Hill cemetary at night!! I proposed the crazy idea to my friend and he knowing me well enough knew I was one of the few loonies on this planet who'd come up with such ideas suddenly with no motivation at all. We started to weigh the pros and cons of the trip. Now the Graveyard was situated 3km on the outskirts of the city. The walk was through tea plantations and the woods. Known to be frequented by Bison and the occasional Panther. No tigers for sure! Those animals are clever. Other problem was cops which I said we could handle with money or say we're lost! And now this was just to reach the place. Getting in and out we hadn't even planned what we'd do. Didn't wanna talk bout it too. For some unknown reason I dunno even today! So here goes!

We first decided to stop off at N*zi's place for a torch since it was no moon and the place was obviously darker than usual and ofcourse we cant expect lamp posts in the forest. We didn't find it and hence ended up buying a few cigarette lighters with a small incandescent lamp at the other end. Yea we're trained profesionals see! Now we began the walk. We were loaded with cigarettes taken to calm us down lol! One hundred meters into the walk and we're having second thoughts. It was the darkest darkness I've ever seen if there is a term like that. Anyways I'm creating it to describe this crazy darkness. But we pressed on. I had to keep talking about how glorious it'd be when we return. This is called being positive in crazy times. LOL! I kept feeding N*zi with enough cigarettes to keep him cool. The scotch we were tripping on had died down and out of our systems. We were dead sober and scared. Yes! Scared! We still pressed on. Now the path to the graveyard had tea plantations sloping down towards the left and dense overgrowth towards the right. The path was just big enough for a car to pass through. The environment was getting to us. Now all the fears in the world came to our minds. Tigers, Leopards, Bison, Wolves, Ghosts,
Zombies, Lung Cancer, Heart Attack, Overdose! We were armed with two useless lighter torches, a camera with flash, cigarettes and our stupidity! Yes we're experienced trekkers and adventurers! ;) Now a kilometer and a half we had covered, we start hearing this crazy drum beat. It was constant. It beat at the same frequency as our HEARTS! or our hearts beat at the same frequency as the drums I dunno! It sounded real tribal! This got to us. I was getting images of human sacrifice, devil worship, satanic psychedelia! It was horrid. My friend went all quiet. To change to mood I told my friend that the drum beats must be some Rave Party goin on in the forest which if we're lucky we may find LOL! He just said he'd rather pretend he never
heard the drum beats lol! We were halfway and there was no turning back! We pressed on. Two kilometers. It's as dark as dark can be! The drum beats getting into more psychedelic rhythms! Our hearts beating even more psychedelic rhythms as the drums. We don't even feel like smoking now! We're still walking! Waiting! Fearing! Loathing! Jehzuz!! Recalling that right now is sending this shiver down my spine. Gawd!! What is wrong with me? Why do I do such things? LOL! Well too late! It's over! Let's carry on with it. We finally reach the graveyard. The site of those two tubelights brought so much joy to us! Ahh Electricity!

Now the beats were real loud!It wasn't from inside the grave. This was from the adjoining areas. Unknown. Unseen. Didn't even wanna know where! Now reaching the graveyard was bittersweet! We had reached our destination. But we didn't wanna end up there if you know what I mean lol! Now we needed proof cos this'll be one hell of a yarn if we had no proof LOL! What will we tell our grandchildren if they asked for proof! LOL! So we climb in. This is the eeriest thing I've scene. I tried my best keeping my mind off anything scary. The Exorcist movie for example lol! We silently made our way inside. Got a couple of shots with that beautiful Angel.
There was legend associated to this Angel. It is said to mysteriously disappear once every year on some particular day. This wasn't that particular day fortunately or unfortunately. We got our pics. We were high. Tripping on the drug our body produces - Adrenaline!! haha! We did it! But the scene was not over yet! We had to make it out alive! I wanted to stay longer but we again came back to our senses. The drum beats brought us back I guess lol or our bodies had run out of adrenaline ;). Any odds we now had to walk back. We got back to the entrance. Bid goodbye to the gate and the tubelights and made our way back to the path. We were much relieved on the way back obviously. Now even if we died it's ok... It wouldn't have mattered :D We did this! It was a crazy task and the fact that it was just two of us was even more crazier anyways it was over! Phew! Gawd! Now we started on ghost stories lol! But I noticed this greatly increased the pace at which we were walking and hence decided to talk about something else. We finally made it back to town. Ahh the relief. The joy! The ecstacy! We didn't need drugs or alcohol! We were HIGH! Looking back that was one of the most craziest, bravest, stupidest, coolest, ridiculous, psychedelic,daring thing I had done( Just one! I've done similar crazy things lol) Remembered Morrison's line “Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”We were free that day! Only that day though :P. I'm still scared of graveyards. Well we hadn't experienced anything supernatural that night. Not that we didn't expect to. But we didn't. WE may have lived to tell it or died seeing it. But nothin happened! The drums we heard, we never figured out where they originated from. We never will. Nevermind! That brought us to the end of my second day of my stint in Coonoor. It was my last day in Coonoor too. Ahh what a day! Twenty Four hours!(ok not exactly :P) That was one of the most productive, psychedelic, adventurous days in my life, The 2nd of August 2008! I'll continue with my third and last day of my vacation there some other time! :) Peace!

Hot Air Balloon

Can you take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
I'm sick of this place baby. I wanna get outta here soon!
Can you show me baby? The stars, the sun and the moon?
Can you take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
Whisk me away baby. This very afternoon.
Can you take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
Take me to a place baby. Where summer isn't just April,May & June.
Can you take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
I don't wanna see anymore buildings baby. No shop, no mall or saloon.
Can u take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
Where I needn't eat my food baby. With a fork and a spoon.
Can you take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
Rescue me from this prison baby. This trauma which makes me swoon.
Can you take me away baby? On your hot air balloon.
If I get one wish baby. That one single boon.
I'd wish you'd take me away baby. On your hot air balloon.
I'm gonna wait for the day baby. Hope that day comes soon.
When you take me away baby. On your hot air balloon.
~Waiting patiently, Niranjan~
(inspired by xxxxx's dream)