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Friday

A night at an Irish Pub

It took us a while to get the bill so I took some photos.

 

Guys finishing their drinks

Guys finishing their drinks

Raj taking pictures

Raj briefly dropped by to take a few pics

Halloween celebrations

Took the opportunity to celebrate Halloween

Taking a nap before the long walk home

A couple of guys had to rest a little bit

Billy was wide awake

Billy, however, was wide awake

Raama's car

We finally drove back home in Raama's car

Tuesday

Hello Insomnia, My Fiend

I was dabbling with writing a few choice words to my nemesis - insomnia. While scribbling a few lines I was drawn to two other classical odes of yore...

One was "Hello Darkness, My Friend" by Simon and Garfunkel

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

This was however not quite my problem. What wouldn't I give for 'the sound of silence'? My issues were quite the opposite. I was disturbed by every whisper in the dark and was wide awake waiting for them, listening to them. I can hear everything from Wifey's rhythmic breathing to the cacophonic plumbing orchestra all over the house.


In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

Yeah. This makes more sense. Except that this just wasn't me in a restless dream. This was me wide awake with closed eyes. The neon light is the LED reminder by the comprehensively evil digital clock. Maybe I should watch TV... has never helped. Maybe I should wake Wifey... will never help. Should I dwell about loneliness a la Amithabh in Silsila, the second ode in my thoughts?

Main aur meri thanhayi, aksar yeh baatein kartein hain

Tum hothi tho kaisa hotha, thum yeh kahthi, thum woh kahthi

Me and my loneliness often discuss about this

How nice it would be if you were here,

You would talk about this and that...

Nope. That's really not my problem and I am not really feeling lonely. I am just frustrated that I am awake at 1:20 AM and have only 4:40 before the alarm goes off. Main aur meri majboori aksar jaagthe rahthe hain... was it the the second espresso or was it the last email? Why am I up without a plausible reason?

I now go back to S&G,

In the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,

Its 2:10 AM, 3:50 hours of sleep if you doze off right now... Here's a happy thought Insomnia has hardly stuck on weekends or two days in succession. Happy thoughts... Tomorrow night is my night... the night insomnia is no where in sight.

Thursday

Cricinfo - Ponting calls for attacking cricket

Cricinfo - Ponting calls for attacking cricket

The Australian captain's dialogs in this article are quite interesting. He starts off with assuming that the Australians have made the game more attractive.

"If you look at the way we score our runs, the way we have been able to bowl in Test cricket, we have made the overall game a lot more attractive than other countries have."

This was done under Steve Waugh's captaincy - the art of aggressive scoring even in Test cricket. This was part and parcel of the 'mental disintegration' tactics. Has this made the game attractive to non-Australians? I am in awe of the team but I don't mind missing the games that they play. They, as much as the ICC, spoiled the last two world cups for me. The 1999 world cup was the last real contest.
He goes on to add
"Maybe the other countries have to start looking at maybe not playing as many drawn games, maybe challenging themselves a bit more to start winning and having results in Test matches. If you do that I think you will see people come back to the game."

Now he is dictating the Australian way to all the teams so that all games would be about preparation and execution rather than preparation and improvisation. There is quite a difference and he might find that it will lead to real 'attractiveness'.

Monday

No Indian varsity among world's top 200 univs

No Indian varsity among world's top 200 univs

Oh brother! Looks like a case of 'brain from the drain'. With high paying jobs at hands' reach, are our young graduates not putting in that much effort? As usual we seem to be going for quantity over quality. If you have the money, you can get into an engineering college at some level - if not in the cities then one of the remote ones. I wonder what percentage of engineers are into research and development? Must be a lot less than the ones doing maintenance work and 'customer care' work.

Thursday

Only Harry Potter can save Pakistan: School kids

Only Harry Potter can save Pakistan: School kids

One wonders where Imran Khan fits in this fantastic take on Pakistan politics.

This never ceases to impress me - you are an ally to a super power thrusting democracy on your neighbors. Two weeks before a democratic election you declare an emergency and impose military rule. The super power's lame duck president... well never mind.

Center for Biological Diversity - Press Release - Rapid Action Plan to Save the Polar Bear Unveiled at Congressional Hearing

Center for Biological Diversity - Press Release - Rapid Action Plan to Save the Polar Bear Unveiled at Congressional Hearing

The Center for Biological Diversity today released a “Rapid Action Plan” to address global warming that has already resulted in a drastic reduction in Arctic sea ice and threatens to drive polar bears extinct. The plan calls for strong reductions in methane and black carbon emissions, pollutants with disproportionate impacts on the Arctic, as immediate measures to slow global-warming impacts alongside global reductions in CO2 emissions.