Freedom of expression - a myth?

The number of unfinished posts mounting in my account is astounding. So there is no telling when and if this post will actually get published.(OK, calling the process of clicking the 'publish post' tab "publishing", might be pushing it).

I was spending a lazy Sunday morning doing all those things I plan on doing during the weekdays but never get to (gym, catching up on news, making progress on that novel that seems to be growing bigger the more I read it, updating this blog, etc etc) when I got to know of this and this that disturbed me somehow. Left me wondering and muttering, 'I don't understand'.

Here's how I look at it. She writes criticizing the believes of a section of people. The section of people get pissed off. The next thing you know, people are offering money to anyone who "blackened" Taslima's face and are accusing her of being a "Jewish spy". Hmm.. Something doesn't add up here. I try to draw an analogy. To see if that would bring more clarity. If someone was to criticize you, how would you react to it..

1. Their criticism is not misplaced. You either correct yourself or turn a deaf ear.
2. The criticism is biased, misplaced and inaccurate. But people are dumb. Most people who listen to dumb people are dumb. It's pointless explaining the correct version of things to dumb people.
3. Go out there and let people know your side of the story. The other side of the coin. You might not have as much success of course.
4. Announce a bounty for the head of the person? Hmm.. I don't think so.

My conclusion, fight a pen with a pen, not with a sword.

As for the song lyrics.. My first reaction was "huh" (followed by"whaa" I think). The song had lyrics which translate to, "even a cobbler wants to be a goldsmith". It was considered derogatory to the dalit community since all cobblers used to be dalits.. Hooww does one draw such conclusions. Hats off to Mayawati. It must take a genius to make the connection. I say vote for Mayawati in the next elections as well. If only the makers of the movie knew this was to happen they wouldn't have spent as much on it's publicity.

At this point I got really bored and stopped thinking. And writing. It's a good thing to stop writing when you stop thinking. I do good things. I feel like Mayawati. As you may see the date on this is ..., I don't know, very old. To prevent this from adding on to my list of unpublished posts I put this up now.

Trivia of the post:
Click fraud

Double standards?

"Could you tell me the train I'll have to take to get there", she asked. I looked it up online and confirmed what I doubted. There were no direct trains going there. A while later she came down and asked me if I knew the number to a taxi service. I didn't. Told her who she could call to ask for it. Not once in all the while did the thought of driving her there cross my mind.

He said he walked down to work from his home everyday. Oh, do you want me to pick you up I asked. I drive down the same way.

Sigh. It's not just this. Maybe we(you are more than welcome to count yourself out of this generalization. I just feel better believing there are others with me on this) are also more tolerant to the quirks and qualms of the opposite sex. I'm not very proud of it. But guess that's just the way things are. Flirting someone called it. I'm not so sure about that. This is what I would call flirting..

[Girl bumps into guy]
Girl: Oh! I'm sorry.
Guy: [Smiles] I'm not.

Of course, if not said the right way and by the right person the guy would come out looking just plain creepy. But we're assuming the guy has the class and style to carry it off.
Not my original. Courtesy him.

This that and other.

Ever had this strong urge to write despite the fact that you have nothing to write about. It's similar to the urge to talk when you have nothing to say. This, would be a very good time to stay far away from any form of writable media, especially if there is a possibility of it being read by others. This being said, what's life if you don't do something stupid once in a while.

Since I don't have anything to say (which I'm guessing you've gathered by now. If you haven't I'm not particularly excited about you reading my blog), I'm going to take this opportunity to promote these posts by a friend who got into a blog updating drive recently. I also came across this and this (the first post - A quick tale 194 and the third one - Cult of Bad Mamas) that I rather liked.

I read 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest' recently. And I think, (yes, I tend to do that sometimes) to be able to see the funny side of life and the ability to be ourselves and not let others tell us who we ought to be are a mans greatest strengths. "You have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy” says Chief Bromden in the book.

Moment of the month:
Phone conversation.
Him: A great man once said, "thanks to all the mediocre men in the world, if it weren't for them, how would we appreciate a genius".
Me: [distracted] Another great man once said... "Burp". Great men say a lot of things.

Moment in another guys month.
After rear-ending a car and a really short guy(avoiding the M word here) getting off of it.
Short guy: I'm not happy.
Him: So which one are you??
Me: [salutes]

A trip to Reno.
A bike ride with sweet guy through beautiful roads.
New people.
A new roomie.
Peace.

And another year passes...

I grew an year older recently. (Is it a year or an year?) Lots of thoughts crossed my mind..

This post I'd read a long time back came to mind. (The second one. 'One cloudy Tuesday afternoon on a motorway').

Thoughts of growing old and wrinkly were there like a hard to ignore extra in a movie. But like Person B once said, "if you're gonna get raped, might as well enjoy it.." :).

But the hero of the moment was the fear that as the years pass I'll loose the passion to learn and discover. That I'll grow too lazy to exert myself to do new things and that my mind will grow closed to new ideas.

Aaah.. Whatever.

I say life is worth living as long as there is a new person to meet and get to know, an old friend to go back to, an unexplored place to visit, an unread book to look forward to and someone to dedicate this song to. I'm grateful to them all.

Hmm.. Lesse what I have to say when I turn 24.. Sigh.

Hop skip and jump

Warning: A more than tolerable number of "I"s are to be expected in the post that follows. Readers are warned that reading the following will probably be a complete waste of about 5 minutes of their time that could have been spent admiring Maria Sharapova or Bard Pitt or both.

I met a bunch of rather delightful guys from Standford over the weekend. Conversation:
Guy A: It(the cinema) was so crowed the last time I was here with Person A(another guy), they didn't even have 2 seats together. We had to watch the movie sitting apart!! 2 seats together.. That's all we wanted..
Guy B: Which movie?
Guy A: Die Hard 3..
Guy B: Oh just cruel that you had to watch Die Hard all alone..
Guy A: I know.. The whole movie. No one to hold my hand..
Me: [Hehe]

Hmm.. I also learned how to say "I am an egg" in German.. Sounds something like "Ekh binn ein eii" .. :) Now all I need to do is find a German to show off. I also taught the German and Austrian how to say "I am an egg" in Hindi. Though it sounded like they were saying "I am inside" :D. Delightful Austrian..

I also went to a shooting range. Ah.. The feel of a shotgun plowing into you as the bullet hits its mark. Like sweet love making.

I also went to laser quest. Yes, the very same Barny and Robin play in HIMYM. I wasn't as good but that's besides the point. Sustained a self inflicted war time injury. It was a full one centimeter :D

Add to that my very first traffic ticket and I'd say it's been a pretty happening month..

Finally reading Harry Potter 6. Ginny has become all cool and caring and popular. Like the penultimate Hindi movie heroine. WTH. I want awkward, foot shuffling Ginny back. I like awkward foot shufflers.

Apparently, great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and small minds discuss people. Mine probably lives in my knees..

Much ado about me. :D

I believe God gives us exactly what we ask for and then laughs His head off.

I believe God should have been made in the image of George Carlin.

I believe to be happy in life you need to know and accept the two indisputable truths - life can be a bitch and shit happens.

I believe living life is like walking a tight rope with the balancing pole growing shorter as the years pass.

I believe the man who wished for the world and got it has nothing more to live for, unless he has the courage to go on and wish for a star.

I believe the theory that if an employee is indispensable, fire him should be extended to life as well.

I believe I'm searching for something but don't quite know what.

I believe tough times make you both stronger and softer.

I'm back from my long sabbatical from blogging. All that I've mentioned above could be interpreted in several ways. It's left that way on purpose.

Random Mumblings

Sparkling yellow lights, so far away they shine.
Stories of fun, frolic and laughter they whisper into the night,
Of a life full of joy, of a life full of life,
Where every tomorrow is one to wake up to,
Where very mornings sun shines bright.

Just 'nothings' I thought of yesterday night. I've always been enticed by them. Those yellow street lights that would light up the street perpendicular mine. With cars and mopeds buzzing by with their headlights on.

So much for sweet nothings. Getting to the issue at hand, there is none. Hence the rest of this post is also going to comprise of unrelated nothings.

I have been reading 'The Fountainhead'. Half way through the novel and the story seems alright, although Ayn Rand tends to go a little overboard at times. I personally liked the book, not for it's story but for it's characters. I liked it for the fact that I haven't come across similar characters in the books I've read till date (which could be attributed to me not having read a sufficiently wide variety of books) and yet the characters seem so believable and real. Anyone who reads the novel will probably relate to one or the other of these characters. He thinks it's amazing. He thinks it's a load of nonsense. And he thinks it's a ladies novel with all women who read it seeing themselves in Dominique Francon(one of the characters).

On a completely different note. I/we have realised that the English language is fairly unimaginative with its abuses, as compared to the Indian languages. Again, my thinking so might be because of my lack of a more complete English vocabulary, but I doubt you'll come across the following phrases in English:
Shake.
Die / die in a handful of water.(not too much of an abuse, this one)
Your grandmother. [Period :D]
Have you mentioned at home and come?
Sister's [:D]
And a lot more I won't venture into. Of course there are several parallels too.

I wonder if to be truly free you have to make sure you never love anything(be it money, lifestyle or a man). So that you don't live in perpetual fear of loosing it. So that nothing can hurt you. Nothing can control your doings. Dominique in Fountainhead thinks so (in my humble understanding of the novel and the character). They say life lived like that isn't life lived. I just wonder.

A car I bought.
People I met.
Master Yoda I speak like.
Kinky we can get. :D