I was actually looking fir the poem by Ogden Nash, which describes exactly what I was feeling...but I coulnd't find it... so I'm going to write a poem of my own...it isn't deep, or particularly meaningful...or even very good as satirical poetry goes...but I'm in the mood to write a lot of crap.
A hastily made appointment
Far too early in the morning to be legal.
Hours of apprehensive waiting,
A growing sickness in the stomach.
At last the call to come in.
Mustering up all my courage,
Not to bolt for the door to freedom,
I enter the portals of Doom.
I sit upon the deceptively comfortable chair,
Like a fly baited by the Venus Fly-trap,
And a bright, blinding light shines into my eyes,
"Am I dead and gone to Heaven?"
And the rumbling of the machine starts,
And something prods at my gums.
Not heaven then,
It hurts too much.
And my teeth are scrubbed and scraped,
And they feel raw and peeled when its done,
And I can feel parts of my mouth,
That I never even knew existed ,with my tongue.
"You must come after four months",he says,
After the ordeal is done.
And I nod and force a smile,
And pray "God, never again"
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Movie Tagged
*sigh* I seem to be doing a series of tags now...
And thi is a Movie Tag...Courtsey of Aditya...Who joins the legions of evil taggers...
Total Number of Movies I've seen:No idea...
Total Number of Languages that I have seen movies in:Tamil,Hindi,Malayalam,English and one in Italian(though I couldn't understand a thing...I was on a flight and couldn't even leave...)
Total number of DVD's /VCD's /Cassettes: 6(LOTR-1,2,3,Farenheit 11,Gaslight,The Robe) DVD's
3VCD's Beethoven, My Fair Lady and The Sound Of Music
Last movie I saw: Anniyan(although I wish it was something better)
The max number of times I have seen a single movie and the movie : 8-DDLJ
The movie I would equate to capital Punishment: Priyamaana Tozhi...It was my first Madhavan movie(!) Needless to say I am NOT his fan .
Top three movies:
1. Casablanca
2.Black
3.Roja...there are others but these were the first three good ones that came to mind and they're in three different languages besides.
3 movies that only I liked: none that I can recall...
The worst movies to feature my favourite actor/actress:
Shah Rukh Khan:K3G
Kajol: " "
If I were a director I would make a remake of:Umm...Titanic in Tamil?
Movies that I am eagerly waiting to watch: Goblet of Fire -this November, The Da Vinci Code
Who am I going to tag(curse?):
kk
ash
maveric
SS
And thi is a Movie Tag...Courtsey of Aditya...Who joins the legions of evil taggers...
Total Number of Movies I've seen:No idea...
Total Number of Languages that I have seen movies in:Tamil,Hindi,Malayalam,English and one in Italian(though I couldn't understand a thing...I was on a flight and couldn't even leave...)
Total number of DVD's /VCD's /Cassettes: 6(LOTR-1,2,3,Farenheit 11,Gaslight,The Robe) DVD's
3VCD's Beethoven, My Fair Lady and The Sound Of Music
Last movie I saw: Anniyan(although I wish it was something better)
The max number of times I have seen a single movie and the movie : 8-DDLJ
The movie I would equate to capital Punishment: Priyamaana Tozhi...It was my first Madhavan movie(!) Needless to say I am NOT his fan .
Top three movies:
1. Casablanca
2.Black
3.Roja...there are others but these were the first three good ones that came to mind and they're in three different languages besides.
3 movies that only I liked: none that I can recall...
The worst movies to feature my favourite actor/actress:
Shah Rukh Khan:K3G
Kajol: " "
If I were a director I would make a remake of:Umm...Titanic in Tamil?
Movies that I am eagerly waiting to watch: Goblet of Fire -this November, The Da Vinci Code
Who am I going to tag(curse?):
kk
ash
maveric
SS
Monday, July 25, 2005
Aftermath
Fury,
Red hot flames rising,
Quenched.
Screams,
Unvoiced.
Helplessness,
Bitterness,
Inch long nails,
Tearing through flesh,
Leaving shards of ice
In their wake.
Silence.
Another piece of heart,
That will not feel again.
Red hot flames rising,
Quenched.
Screams,
Unvoiced.
Helplessness,
Bitterness,
Inch long nails,
Tearing through flesh,
Leaving shards of ice
In their wake.
Silence.
Another piece of heart,
That will not feel again.
Trust not in the honesty of a Chennai Auto-driver...
This is a pretty funny incident that happened to my mother a while ago...She comes home from work by auto usually ...and on this particular day there was a lot of traffic on the road...There was a Kinley van in front of them with the Large Kinley water containers...all full...and there was no one sitting on the back of the van to take care of the containers...only the driver was there in the van.
One of the containers rolled off the van onto the road...and the auto driver went and picked it up saying that they should return it to the Van diver...and the van also seemed to be going in the same direction as my mother wanted to go in...and all along the way,the auto driver who was a talkative man went on about how he intended to return the container, and Mummy thought that he was a very Good Samaritan and all...
As luck would have it the Van stopped a few houses in front of ours...and the auto driver after dropping my mom off, and collecting his money....zoomed off past the van...
One of the containers rolled off the van onto the road...and the auto driver went and picked it up saying that they should return it to the Van diver...and the van also seemed to be going in the same direction as my mother wanted to go in...and all along the way,the auto driver who was a talkative man went on about how he intended to return the container, and Mummy thought that he was a very Good Samaritan and all...
As luck would have it the Van stopped a few houses in front of ours...and the auto driver after dropping my mom off, and collecting his money....zoomed off past the van...
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Tagged :-P
So I've finally been tagged..thanks to the efforts of maveric....sadist!
Ugh...I can't do...this....
Three names I go by:What d'you mean just three?I have a new name every week! There's Nandini,nan,junju,Nandy(lately...,thanks to Anniyan and ugh its awful!)
Three screen names:When I make it to the silver screen I'll tell you about it.
Three physical things Ilike about myself:This is a toughie....
1.My fingers
2.My ears
3.My feet (small feet)
Three thing I don't like about myself:
1.My hair-its all frizzy and unmanagable
2.My nose-its a typical snub nose
3.My height-which isn't very much
Three things that scare me:Right now most of these thing happen when I'm driving...
1.Getting stuck in traffic with a bus behind and a bus in front and (with my luck) one by the side as well.
2.People running in front of the car...Why do I feel more concern for their lives than they seem to have?
3.My dog (a daschund) running off to fight a pair of dobbermans...I thought I was going to have a heart attack!
Three thing I want in a relationaship:
1.Understanding-a person who will put up with my little quirks( and bug quirks)
2.Common ground...I need to have interests in common with the guy!We need something to talk about!
3.Hmmm...Responsibility, a sense of humour, a dog lover....
Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to me:
1. The hair
2. The voice(that is physical right?)
3.can't think of anything else....
Three things I want to do badly now:
1. Get done with this tag
2. Go back to sleep
3. Figure a third answer out right now.
Three place I want to go on a vacation:
1. Egypt
2. Venice
3.The Galapagos Islands
Three things to do before I die:
1.Go Paragliding
2.Visit Egypt
3.live a long and happy life
Three of my everyday essentials:
1.A good night's sleep
2. A long bath
3. My daily game of Sudoku
Three things I am wearing right now:
1.Salwar
2.Kameez
3.A Scrunchie in my hair?....earrings?
Three people I am tagging:
1. maveric as its his fault I've been tagged now
2. kk
3. Random Access who has been trying to escape being tagged!
Ugh...I can't do...this....
Three names I go by:What d'you mean just three?I have a new name every week! There's Nandini,nan,junju,Nandy(lately...,thanks to Anniyan and ugh its awful!)
Three screen names:When I make it to the silver screen I'll tell you about it.
Three physical things Ilike about myself:This is a toughie....
1.My fingers
2.My ears
3.My feet (small feet)
Three thing I don't like about myself:
1.My hair-its all frizzy and unmanagable
2.My nose-its a typical snub nose
3.My height-which isn't very much
Three things that scare me:Right now most of these thing happen when I'm driving...
1.Getting stuck in traffic with a bus behind and a bus in front and (with my luck) one by the side as well.
2.People running in front of the car...Why do I feel more concern for their lives than they seem to have?
3.My dog (a daschund) running off to fight a pair of dobbermans...I thought I was going to have a heart attack!
Three thing I want in a relationaship:
1.Understanding-a person who will put up with my little quirks( and bug quirks)
2.Common ground...I need to have interests in common with the guy!We need something to talk about!
3.Hmmm...Responsibility, a sense of humour, a dog lover....
Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to me:
1. The hair
2. The voice(that is physical right?)
3.can't think of anything else....
Three things I want to do badly now:
1. Get done with this tag
2. Go back to sleep
3. Figure a third answer out right now.
Three place I want to go on a vacation:
1. Egypt
2. Venice
3.The Galapagos Islands
Three things to do before I die:
1.Go Paragliding
2.Visit Egypt
3.live a long and happy life
Three of my everyday essentials:
1.A good night's sleep
2. A long bath
3. My daily game of Sudoku
Three things I am wearing right now:
1.Salwar
2.Kameez
3.A Scrunchie in my hair?....earrings?
Three people I am tagging:
1. maveric as its his fault I've been tagged now
2. kk
3. Random Access who has been trying to escape being tagged!
Philosophy time?
I've been going for Bhagavad Gita classes for about a year...and I though I could blog about it since I'm vetti and have nothing else to do...and I need to see how much I have learnt besides.Not that we're very far along...only nearly through with the 2nd chapter...I think its been quite good for me,I fret a lot less now and have become much better at " doing my bit and leaving the rest to God"
In the Mahabharatha as a whole I think if I hadn't been told that the Pandavas are the good guys(they weren't entirely angelic...especially with all of Krishna's machinations) and the Kauravas the bad guys(and I've always had a hard time considering Karna to be a bad guy) I think it would be sometimes quite difficult to pick a side...Its very political...in the worst way...very like todays conflicts over Kashmir, Isreal and whatever..I actually like Arjuna better for having doubts about the war...even though it makes him "unwise",and I would have had serious doubts if they had all just gone ahead convinced of their own righteousness...without giving thought to the fact that they would be in essence butchering their own family.
Anyway, the war was pretty much justified as they tried negotiating, buying out, threatening etc before going onto war(saama,daana,bedda,danda) and Dhuryodhana supposedly said," I will not give them 5 villages, or 5 houses, or one house with 5 rooms or even a single room with 5 chairs."
To get on with it, as far as the Gita is concerned the Mahabharatha is only background info.(btw any Gita refers to a dialogue b/w 2 people...a constructive dialogue. I didn't know there were others before ...huh!)There were only two points of interest in the first chap before Arjuna starts whining and making excuses ...and yes that is what it sounds like...one was that Duryodhana, inspite of having a larger army is nervous about the war, and when he asks Drona for reassurance, he soaps him up a bit. And Krishna deliberately takes Arjuna in front of Bhishma and Drona(which made him all senti)...not in front of Duryodhana which would have further fanned the flames of his fury.
Then we get on with the second chapter...which is where the Gita actually begins. To learn the Gita a person has to go through 4 stages
1. Samsara- emotional attachment- that was what Arjuna felt for Bhishma and Drona
2. The trying to solve your problem yourself stage...that was when Arjuna was trying to run away from the battle ....unfortunately his emotions had clouded his judgement so much that he couldn't tell right from wrong and was taking the cowards way out.
3.The helpless stage...feeling that no path is right and not knowing what to do.
4. Finally, the asking God (in this case Krishna) for help...and only after he does this does the teaching begin.
The second chapter is like the Gita in brief.We see the sways to becoming a yogi.
1.Gnanayoga-that's the most difficult. That's where the we are one with the universal aathma and the soul is eternal and the body only a temporary trapping comes.
2.Karmayoga-which is do your duty and forget about the results(which could be helpful in exam time though I would bite anyone's head off if they told me so before an axam)
3. The charactristics of a yogi:Control of the sensesand the mind...Attachment leads to desire...to anger...to delusion....to destruction...(sounds familiarly Star Wars like).
Well that's how far I've got...practice is easier said than done though....Control of senses indeed..I'm a slave to my tongue!
In the Mahabharatha as a whole I think if I hadn't been told that the Pandavas are the good guys(they weren't entirely angelic...especially with all of Krishna's machinations) and the Kauravas the bad guys(and I've always had a hard time considering Karna to be a bad guy) I think it would be sometimes quite difficult to pick a side...Its very political...in the worst way...very like todays conflicts over Kashmir, Isreal and whatever..I actually like Arjuna better for having doubts about the war...even though it makes him "unwise",and I would have had serious doubts if they had all just gone ahead convinced of their own righteousness...without giving thought to the fact that they would be in essence butchering their own family.
Anyway, the war was pretty much justified as they tried negotiating, buying out, threatening etc before going onto war(saama,daana,bedda,danda) and Dhuryodhana supposedly said," I will not give them 5 villages, or 5 houses, or one house with 5 rooms or even a single room with 5 chairs."
To get on with it, as far as the Gita is concerned the Mahabharatha is only background info.(btw any Gita refers to a dialogue b/w 2 people...a constructive dialogue. I didn't know there were others before ...huh!)There were only two points of interest in the first chap before Arjuna starts whining and making excuses ...and yes that is what it sounds like...one was that Duryodhana, inspite of having a larger army is nervous about the war, and when he asks Drona for reassurance, he soaps him up a bit. And Krishna deliberately takes Arjuna in front of Bhishma and Drona(which made him all senti)...not in front of Duryodhana which would have further fanned the flames of his fury.
Then we get on with the second chapter...which is where the Gita actually begins. To learn the Gita a person has to go through 4 stages
1. Samsara- emotional attachment- that was what Arjuna felt for Bhishma and Drona
2. The trying to solve your problem yourself stage...that was when Arjuna was trying to run away from the battle ....unfortunately his emotions had clouded his judgement so much that he couldn't tell right from wrong and was taking the cowards way out.
3.The helpless stage...feeling that no path is right and not knowing what to do.
4. Finally, the asking God (in this case Krishna) for help...and only after he does this does the teaching begin.
The second chapter is like the Gita in brief.We see the sways to becoming a yogi.
1.Gnanayoga-that's the most difficult. That's where the we are one with the universal aathma and the soul is eternal and the body only a temporary trapping comes.
2.Karmayoga-which is do your duty and forget about the results(which could be helpful in exam time though I would bite anyone's head off if they told me so before an axam)
3. The charactristics of a yogi:Control of the sensesand the mind...Attachment leads to desire...to anger...to delusion....to destruction...(sounds familiarly Star Wars like).
Well that's how far I've got...practice is easier said than done though....Control of senses indeed..I'm a slave to my tongue!
Friday, July 22, 2005
Star Wars!
This post is actually on Jag's request; he said he'd rathar read about Star Wars than Harry Potter ...
My infatuation with Star Wars started when I was 11...which is a reasonable enough age for it I think...when a friend recommended this movie "with cute furry things and cool sword fights" She was referring to "Return of the Jedi" which I promptly went and saw...and ruined any suspense the previoustwo movies would have had otherwise.
Darth Vader became my favourite villain too...He stalks and swirls his big black cloak and speaks in an appropriately deep,menacing voice....and then he turned all GOOD...and started off my campaign for apparently evil people redeeming themselves( for further evidence of campaign see 2posts previously).
Anyway my friend was right I did love the big furry thing(Chewie the Wookie) and the little furry things(the Ewoks) as well as the dashing ex-pirate and the princess who shoots off with her mouth as well as her blaster...and the sword(lightsaber) fights!
So when "The Phantom Menace" came out 5(or 6?) years ago I waited quite enthusiastically. I was quite happy with it too. Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson were Eye-candy as were the special effects...Anakin-the-kid was cute,Jar-ajar didn't bug me too much( having a younger sibling can innure you to bad jokes at inappropriate times *sigh*). The lack of emotional depth or complex storyline didn't bug me...I mean its Star Wars...Plot...What's plot?What did bug me was the 14 year old elected queen(huh?)...although I enjoyed the irony of the to-be-wife of Anakin causing evil Papls to take the Chancellor's seat . The so called Wise and All-knowing Jedi Council bugged me too....insensitive gits...they deserved the painful deaths that was headed their way.
Then came the "Attack of the Clones" (shudder) that was actually quite bad...just a weak gap filler until the movie that really matters.
And that would be "Revenge of the Sith" ...actually you could just watch this one and not really feel the need for the other two prequels...maybe a few Bollywood style flashbacks...although its quite Bollywood-like as it is-minus the song and dance.
But Anakin was just as I had wanted him to be at the beginning of the movie...daring,brave, good-looking...not whiny any more...And I like Obi-Wan...who's gone all wise and paternal...Yoda does some great fighting(Size matters not!) And Palps is a great villain...only Padme's a bit clingy and weepy...which we will attribute to pregnancy....and then everything just collapses shockingly... There was the scene in the Temple...and the duel which ended so painfully...I'm quite glad I knew beforehand the ultimate ending...that Anakin comes back to the Light Side in the end...or it would have been quote hard to sit through. I liked the way it ended ...back on Tatooine...with baby Luke...a tragedy ending on a note of hope.
My infatuation with Star Wars started when I was 11...which is a reasonable enough age for it I think...when a friend recommended this movie "with cute furry things and cool sword fights" She was referring to "Return of the Jedi" which I promptly went and saw...and ruined any suspense the previoustwo movies would have had otherwise.
Darth Vader became my favourite villain too...He stalks and swirls his big black cloak and speaks in an appropriately deep,menacing voice....and then he turned all GOOD...and started off my campaign for apparently evil people redeeming themselves( for further evidence of campaign see 2posts previously).
Anyway my friend was right I did love the big furry thing(Chewie the Wookie) and the little furry things(the Ewoks) as well as the dashing ex-pirate and the princess who shoots off with her mouth as well as her blaster...and the sword(lightsaber) fights!
So when "The Phantom Menace" came out 5(or 6?) years ago I waited quite enthusiastically. I was quite happy with it too. Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson were Eye-candy as were the special effects...Anakin-the-kid was cute,Jar-ajar didn't bug me too much( having a younger sibling can innure you to bad jokes at inappropriate times *sigh*). The lack of emotional depth or complex storyline didn't bug me...I mean its Star Wars...Plot...What's plot?What did bug me was the 14 year old elected queen(huh?)...although I enjoyed the irony of the to-be-wife of Anakin causing evil Papls to take the Chancellor's seat . The so called Wise and All-knowing Jedi Council bugged me too....insensitive gits...they deserved the painful deaths that was headed their way.
Then came the "Attack of the Clones" (shudder) that was actually quite bad...just a weak gap filler until the movie that really matters.
And that would be "Revenge of the Sith" ...actually you could just watch this one and not really feel the need for the other two prequels...maybe a few Bollywood style flashbacks...although its quite Bollywood-like as it is-minus the song and dance.
But Anakin was just as I had wanted him to be at the beginning of the movie...daring,brave, good-looking...not whiny any more...And I like Obi-Wan...who's gone all wise and paternal...Yoda does some great fighting(Size matters not!) And Palps is a great villain...only Padme's a bit clingy and weepy...which we will attribute to pregnancy....and then everything just collapses shockingly... There was the scene in the Temple...and the duel which ended so painfully...I'm quite glad I knew beforehand the ultimate ending...that Anakin comes back to the Light Side in the end...or it would have been quote hard to sit through. I liked the way it ended ...back on Tatooine...with baby Luke...a tragedy ending on a note of hope.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Tamil Poetry!
If anyone think I'm going to put upthirukkural or something up here...bye bye...
No ...this is the Tamil version of Baa baa black sheep taught to me by Joe(All hail Joe)
Vaa vaa karupaadu thunde koni keeda
keede machi keede, moonu koode keede
Onnu enga maamavukku
Onnu enga machanukku
Onnu enga ootande
Keera Paiyaanukku
;-D one of the most worthwile things I learnt in 3 years of college
No ...this is the Tamil version of Baa baa black sheep taught to me by Joe(All hail Joe)
Vaa vaa karupaadu thunde koni keeda
keede machi keede, moonu koode keede
Onnu enga maamavukku
Onnu enga machanukku
Onnu enga ootande
Keera Paiyaanukku
;-D one of the most worthwile things I learnt in 3 years of college
Book Tagged!
Got tagged by Ash a.k.a Paparazzi...and completely jobless(not that that's anything new) so I'm doing this.
Total number of books I own: Assuming you're not referring to anything academically oriented? No encyclopedias,college books, school books....400-500 I guess...
Total number of books lent to others never come back: Boo Hooo.It makes me so sod to think of all these books! Savi has a whole collection I guess...then there're a couple of Dan Browns out there... a couple of C.S Lewis I lent in 4th standard...Lord of the Rings(Kk this is you!) Rainmaker...Linda Goodman...First Among Equals...I never forget the books that never came back....but I have a good many that I didn't return too :( so I guess I shouldn't talk!)
Total number of E-books :Lost due to Hard disk crash ...sorry
Last book I bought:HP6 ...look to previous post!
Last book I was gifted: Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code...from Chi,Joe,Princess,Vivek and Suresh
and The Last Juror from my sister...both on my last b'day.
Last book I read: HP6 again .
I am currently reading:"My Experiments With Truth"...Must ...Finish...Book....
5 books that mean a lot to me:(Only 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
1)Pride and Prejudice
2)Atlas Shrugged
3)Jonathan Livingstone Seagull
4)Les Miserables
5)Gone With the Wind
6)(1 more for luck!) Eats Shoots and Leaves
3 books I started reading but never finished:
umm...anything recommended in the syllubus book....special mention for history textbook...cure for insomnia that it is.
Book that made zero sense to me:
Trashy Romance Novels(Mills and Boons)
My most treasured books:
1) Collected Works of Shakespeare( ancient copy which belonged to my grandfather...all tattered and torn...but its a book with character)
2)Atlas Shrugged(aside from the senti value-it was my 16th b'day gift from my Mom-its a great book)
3)Pride and Prejudice
Books that I am planning to read in the coming days: Robin Cook's "Marker "
Who am I going to tag:
savi
random access
kk
adithya
jag
Total number of books I own: Assuming you're not referring to anything academically oriented? No encyclopedias,college books, school books....400-500 I guess...
Total number of books lent to others never come back: Boo Hooo.It makes me so sod to think of all these books! Savi has a whole collection I guess...then there're a couple of Dan Browns out there... a couple of C.S Lewis I lent in 4th standard...Lord of the Rings(Kk this is you!) Rainmaker...Linda Goodman...First Among Equals...I never forget the books that never came back....but I have a good many that I didn't return too :( so I guess I shouldn't talk!)
Total number of E-books :Lost due to Hard disk crash ...sorry
Last book I bought:HP6 ...look to previous post!
Last book I was gifted: Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code...from Chi,Joe,Princess,Vivek and Suresh
and The Last Juror from my sister...both on my last b'day.
Last book I read: HP6 again .
I am currently reading:"My Experiments With Truth"...Must ...Finish...Book....
5 books that mean a lot to me:(Only 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
1)Pride and Prejudice
2)Atlas Shrugged
3)Jonathan Livingstone Seagull
4)Les Miserables
5)Gone With the Wind
6)(1 more for luck!) Eats Shoots and Leaves
3 books I started reading but never finished:
umm...anything recommended in the syllubus book....special mention for history textbook...cure for insomnia that it is.
Book that made zero sense to me:
Trashy Romance Novels(Mills and Boons)
My most treasured books:
1) Collected Works of Shakespeare( ancient copy which belonged to my grandfather...all tattered and torn...but its a book with character)
2)Atlas Shrugged(aside from the senti value-it was my 16th b'day gift from my Mom-its a great book)
3)Pride and Prejudice
Books that I am planning to read in the coming days: Robin Cook's "Marker "
Who am I going to tag:
savi
random access
kk
adithya
jag
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
In Defense of SeverusSnape
A true Harry Potter fan I collected HP6 by 7 in the morning and was done by noon. And now at last the shock has subsisded and I feel compelled to defend my continuing belief in Severus Snape's innocence in spite of the death threats that will undoubtedly come this way.If you haven't read the book and don't want to know the plot beforehand(I'm splitting the world into those who have read HP6 and those who are going to), read no further.
The most compelling argument for Snape is that Dumbledore believed in him upto the very end, and I do not believe that Dumbledore could have been so completely fooled for over 16 years,by a man he trusted so completely.Granted, he has been known to give second chances to undeserving people in the past-like Tom Riddle-but that wasn't the unconditional trust he showed Snape-he kept an eye on Riddle through his years at Hogwarts,and Riddle knew it as well.
Dumbledore apparently has some ironclad reason because of which he believes Snape unquestioningly . But his explanation that it was Snape's regret that at having told Voldemort the prophecy that led him after James and Lily Potter seems inadequate(especially considering his hatred of James Potter ). But Dumbledore hesitates as though to say something more (pg 513 HBP) when Harry asks him for certain proof that Snape is on their side, which clearly says that there is something more to be said.
At the beginning of the book Snape reasons out to Bellatrix that he is in fact on Voldemort's side ,at that point his reasoning sounds too pat, too well rehearsed, and if you've read the other 5 books, several of his points could be proved as whopping big fibs. For instance I doubt if Snape ever believed Harry to be the next Dark Lord behind whom he hoped to rally. If he had, he would not have humiliated Harry in his very first Potions class. As for not knowing that it wsa Voldemort behind the attempted thefts on the Philosopher's Stone, when Snape corners Quirrel after the second match, he questions Quirrelss loyalties, which shows that he was aware that Quirrel was acting on behalf of someone else.
One of the greatest arguments that people have against Snape is that he hates Harry and that he got Sirius killed. His hatred for Harry is easily explained-he hated his father, and this was simply passed on to Harry , and the feeling was entirely mutual. The hatred was probably increased by the fact that Harry showed him little respect, and little interest in his classes and further exacerbated by the fact that Harry's exploits enabled the Gryffindors to win the house cup from and leave Slytherin in second place. And the incident with the Pensieve was probably the last straw.
As for Sirius, in the third book we see that Snape is all too willing to give Sirius up to the Dementors, but really if there was a murderer convicted of killing 13 people in one shot on the loose, would you stand around talking to him? Especially given the past that Sirius and Snape already had. And as for Sirius's death, I don't see how Snape could take the credit(or blame) for that. It was Kreacher who baited Harry to the Ministry, where the Death Eaters already were. Snape simply checked that Sirius was back at Grimmauld Place. And as for baiting Sirius to his death,it could have been anyone who died that night,just because Snape did not mourn Sirius's death does not mean he caused him to be killed.
And in the 6th book there are several subtle hints that it was going to end this way, and that Dumbledore knew it and was prepared for it, although he may not have confided that to Harry. For one thing there is the training he gives Harry. He shows Harry how Voldemort's mind works.That wouldn't have been necessary if he expected to be alive when Harry finally takes on Voldemort. If Dumbledore expected to live longer, he would simply have taken care of the Horcruxes himself and trained Harry in duelling for the final fight.
Then there is the way that Dumblrdore dismisses Harry's concerns about Malfoy, but tells Draco in the end that he knew it was him all along, and that he got his information from Snape.And in the end, when Snape does come in.Dumbledore does not look surprised to see him, or shocked that he would lift his wand against him. He only pleads. And Dumbledore who believes that " to the well-organised mind death is but the next great adventure", is not the sort of person who would plead for his life to be spared.
And, if Snape was such a killer, why spare anyone else? He could have killed Flitwick for instance, but satisfied himself simply by Stunning him. It is possible of course that Snape was driven by the Unbreakable Vow. But Snape was aware, even before he made the vow that it may fall upon him to kill Dumbledore in the end. Dumbledore probably knew this as well. And thus he extracted a promise from Snape that he would kill Dumbledore when the time came, and not resist the Vow and die. The argument that Hagrid overheard must have been Snape protesting that he could not go through with it.
And besides Dumbledore made Snape the Defense Professor, knowing that since he had refused Voldemort no one had held the job for more than a year. So either he knew that Snape was a traitor and was warning him subtly in a manner that Voldemort at least would understand, or it was a sort of good-bye gift- his favourite subject for a year in return for a deed that would haunt Snape's conscience forever.
Dumbledore probably foresaw himself being of little use to the war effort, weakened as he already was. He himself acknowledges that his reflexes are not what they used to be. his main contribution would be the wisdom that he has already imparted to Harry. Snape on the other hand would be able to sabotage the Death-Eaters from the inside and drop off anonymous warnings or perhaps Dumbledore has some larger role that he intends Snapeto play, to help Harry while he pretends to be Voldemort's right hand
The most compelling argument for Snape is that Dumbledore believed in him upto the very end, and I do not believe that Dumbledore could have been so completely fooled for over 16 years,by a man he trusted so completely.Granted, he has been known to give second chances to undeserving people in the past-like Tom Riddle-but that wasn't the unconditional trust he showed Snape-he kept an eye on Riddle through his years at Hogwarts,and Riddle knew it as well.
Dumbledore apparently has some ironclad reason because of which he believes Snape unquestioningly . But his explanation that it was Snape's regret that at having told Voldemort the prophecy that led him after James and Lily Potter seems inadequate(especially considering his hatred of James Potter ). But Dumbledore hesitates as though to say something more (pg 513 HBP) when Harry asks him for certain proof that Snape is on their side, which clearly says that there is something more to be said.
At the beginning of the book Snape reasons out to Bellatrix that he is in fact on Voldemort's side ,at that point his reasoning sounds too pat, too well rehearsed, and if you've read the other 5 books, several of his points could be proved as whopping big fibs. For instance I doubt if Snape ever believed Harry to be the next Dark Lord behind whom he hoped to rally. If he had, he would not have humiliated Harry in his very first Potions class. As for not knowing that it wsa Voldemort behind the attempted thefts on the Philosopher's Stone, when Snape corners Quirrel after the second match, he questions Quirrelss loyalties, which shows that he was aware that Quirrel was acting on behalf of someone else.
One of the greatest arguments that people have against Snape is that he hates Harry and that he got Sirius killed. His hatred for Harry is easily explained-he hated his father, and this was simply passed on to Harry , and the feeling was entirely mutual. The hatred was probably increased by the fact that Harry showed him little respect, and little interest in his classes and further exacerbated by the fact that Harry's exploits enabled the Gryffindors to win the house cup from and leave Slytherin in second place. And the incident with the Pensieve was probably the last straw.
As for Sirius, in the third book we see that Snape is all too willing to give Sirius up to the Dementors, but really if there was a murderer convicted of killing 13 people in one shot on the loose, would you stand around talking to him? Especially given the past that Sirius and Snape already had. And as for Sirius's death, I don't see how Snape could take the credit(or blame) for that. It was Kreacher who baited Harry to the Ministry, where the Death Eaters already were. Snape simply checked that Sirius was back at Grimmauld Place. And as for baiting Sirius to his death,it could have been anyone who died that night,just because Snape did not mourn Sirius's death does not mean he caused him to be killed.
And in the 6th book there are several subtle hints that it was going to end this way, and that Dumbledore knew it and was prepared for it, although he may not have confided that to Harry. For one thing there is the training he gives Harry. He shows Harry how Voldemort's mind works.That wouldn't have been necessary if he expected to be alive when Harry finally takes on Voldemort. If Dumbledore expected to live longer, he would simply have taken care of the Horcruxes himself and trained Harry in duelling for the final fight.
Then there is the way that Dumblrdore dismisses Harry's concerns about Malfoy, but tells Draco in the end that he knew it was him all along, and that he got his information from Snape.And in the end, when Snape does come in.Dumbledore does not look surprised to see him, or shocked that he would lift his wand against him. He only pleads. And Dumbledore who believes that " to the well-organised mind death is but the next great adventure", is not the sort of person who would plead for his life to be spared.
And, if Snape was such a killer, why spare anyone else? He could have killed Flitwick for instance, but satisfied himself simply by Stunning him. It is possible of course that Snape was driven by the Unbreakable Vow. But Snape was aware, even before he made the vow that it may fall upon him to kill Dumbledore in the end. Dumbledore probably knew this as well. And thus he extracted a promise from Snape that he would kill Dumbledore when the time came, and not resist the Vow and die. The argument that Hagrid overheard must have been Snape protesting that he could not go through with it.
And besides Dumbledore made Snape the Defense Professor, knowing that since he had refused Voldemort no one had held the job for more than a year. So either he knew that Snape was a traitor and was warning him subtly in a manner that Voldemort at least would understand, or it was a sort of good-bye gift- his favourite subject for a year in return for a deed that would haunt Snape's conscience forever.
Dumbledore probably foresaw himself being of little use to the war effort, weakened as he already was. He himself acknowledges that his reflexes are not what they used to be. his main contribution would be the wisdom that he has already imparted to Harry. Snape on the other hand would be able to sabotage the Death-Eaters from the inside and drop off anonymous warnings or perhaps Dumbledore has some larger role that he intends Snapeto play, to help Harry while he pretends to be Voldemort's right hand
Friday, July 15, 2005
HBP tomorrow!
And the waiting finally draws to a close...I'm so excited that I'm writing about it over 12v hours in advance of the actual release! like all HP fanatica I've preordered my copy...from Landmark in my case...and I'm looking forward to collecting it first thing tomorrow morning!Right now I'm looking at some of the predictions and clues and the fact that JKR has let out about HPB...read the summary on the back cover ...saw the different covers in detail!(height of obsession huh?) ...the one with the advanced potions book is particularly intriguing! Does that mean Harry does get into Advanced Potions with Snape? And what on earth is the basin like thing with the green light coming out of it?And the one of Harry and Dumbledore fighting something,surrounded by fire...the one of Dumbledore leading Harry into some cabin in the woods...Harry Potter is probably the only book in which the covers would lead to so much speculation!And what about all the predictions of death and destruction? Most people seem to believe that Dumbledore will die...I'd rather he didn't really,but the more I think about it, the more inevitable it seems to be.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
The idiot box lives up to its name
What is it with all the soaps on television? Ihad thought(hoped) that the craze would end with Chitti. While Chitti was airing you could walk out on the street and not an ee-kaakaa would be there,and out of evvery house on the street Chittiii would be eerily heard.
But Chitti is done and over with and has been replaced by a slew of new ones,Annamalai,Metti Oli and others...They all follow a fairly similar plot...and you get the feeling that if the characters were interchanged, it wouldn't make a lot of difference.
The generic plot goes thus: There is a "strong" female lead character-a journalist or a social worker or a girl working to support 4 younger siblings and a sick mother.There is a good-for nothing father, a scheming boyfriend,a best friend(male) who is in love with her,another best friend(female) in love with the male friend. Then there is the family fued because of which another clan is trying to break up this girl's sister's marraige by foul means,the sister has fallen for a Malaysian millionaire,but the enemies of the heroine blackmail him into marrrying their daughter,the sister inevitably goes into a decline and loses her mind or dies or gets amnesia,and the brother vows revenge ...see plot all done!
By the time the story is into its hundredth episode you can't remember what the plot was and and how its started,and have even less of an idea of what the plot of the story was supposed to be.But let me not limit myself to Tamil soaps...Hindi ones are even more fun to make fun of.There you have thepoor set upon heroine,who is married to some chap who is oblivious to the fact that his sisters and mother hate her and are doing their best to get rid of her.There is the heroine's best friend(guy) who is secretly in love with her, but the husband doesn't approve and she (weeping) tells him that they cannot see each other again.Then there is an accident in which she ends up with amnesia...her memory returns just as her husband is getting mqarried again....btw in case you have any trouble telling the heroines from the vamps,the vamps are the ones with the gobs of lipstick and mascara and the heavy silk sarees...it looks like a half-hour ad for Nalli!
Not that English channels are much better either, I mean Reality TV ...uggghhhh.Who care what hapens to blonde bimbos who have to muck it put on a farm?
Serious lack of stuff to watch....only NGC and Discand History channel left. Not even news channel unless you want to watch politicians spewing rhetoric...isn't there any good news any more?
But Chitti is done and over with and has been replaced by a slew of new ones,Annamalai,Metti Oli and others...They all follow a fairly similar plot...and you get the feeling that if the characters were interchanged, it wouldn't make a lot of difference.
The generic plot goes thus: There is a "strong" female lead character-a journalist or a social worker or a girl working to support 4 younger siblings and a sick mother.There is a good-for nothing father, a scheming boyfriend,a best friend(male) who is in love with her,another best friend(female) in love with the male friend. Then there is the family fued because of which another clan is trying to break up this girl's sister's marraige by foul means,the sister has fallen for a Malaysian millionaire,but the enemies of the heroine blackmail him into marrrying their daughter,the sister inevitably goes into a decline and loses her mind or dies or gets amnesia,and the brother vows revenge ...see plot all done!
By the time the story is into its hundredth episode you can't remember what the plot was and and how its started,and have even less of an idea of what the plot of the story was supposed to be.But let me not limit myself to Tamil soaps...Hindi ones are even more fun to make fun of.There you have thepoor set upon heroine,who is married to some chap who is oblivious to the fact that his sisters and mother hate her and are doing their best to get rid of her.There is the heroine's best friend(guy) who is secretly in love with her, but the husband doesn't approve and she (weeping) tells him that they cannot see each other again.Then there is an accident in which she ends up with amnesia...her memory returns just as her husband is getting mqarried again....btw in case you have any trouble telling the heroines from the vamps,the vamps are the ones with the gobs of lipstick and mascara and the heavy silk sarees...it looks like a half-hour ad for Nalli!
Not that English channels are much better either, I mean Reality TV ...uggghhhh.Who care what hapens to blonde bimbos who have to muck it put on a farm?
Serious lack of stuff to watch....only NGC and Discand History channel left. Not even news channel unless you want to watch politicians spewing rhetoric...isn't there any good news any more?
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Oooh That was a good one!
I just got done with "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night",and it proved to be surprisingly good.I usually keep off books that have won awards and stuff because it seems like book critics judge books by an entirely different set of rules.But this one was good.Its the story of a Special needs kid with a photographic memory,who sets out to investigate the death of a neighbour's dog,and ends up uncovering mysteries about his own family.
Now, most books about people who are challenged or ill evoke feelings of sympathy,but this one, written as though by the kid himself is amazingly matter-of-fact,and lead you to think of the kid as simply another person.All people have their quirks after all,and the boy's quirks are balanced out by his amazing intellect and incredible memory.He sees himself as normal.Why can't everyone else?
Anyway,if you do read this and happen to like it,another book I'd advise is "Mr.God This is Anna",which I read a very long time back.That again is a story of a girl who sees things differently from most people.It's a bit philosophic really,and makes you look at the things you see everyday,and the way people do things or rather the reasons why they do things with new eyes
Now, most books about people who are challenged or ill evoke feelings of sympathy,but this one, written as though by the kid himself is amazingly matter-of-fact,and lead you to think of the kid as simply another person.All people have their quirks after all,and the boy's quirks are balanced out by his amazing intellect and incredible memory.He sees himself as normal.Why can't everyone else?
Anyway,if you do read this and happen to like it,another book I'd advise is "Mr.God This is Anna",which I read a very long time back.That again is a story of a girl who sees things differently from most people.It's a bit philosophic really,and makes you look at the things you see everyday,and the way people do things or rather the reasons why they do things with new eyes
To seek out new life and new civilization...
I was just watching a progrm on History Channel about the Voyage spacecraft and its mission to take messages from earth to any life that might find it.
It carries the best of what was on earth at the time that it was launched in 1977...sounds of life from its beginnings in the oceans to people laughing and talking...greetings in 55 languages,pictures of life on earth...the accomplishments that we are most proud of....and music of all kinds.The sounds are carried in copper plated discs like large gramaphone recors with the required spindle mechanism and instructions on how to use it.Voyager is now the farthest manmade object from earth.
Another part of Voyager's mission was to take pictures of the planets Jupiter,Saturn,Neptune...but what caused my heart to skip a beat...was the last picture it took...of earth from the edge of the solar system....a tiny flickeering dot that you can barely see...I would hsve nissed it if it hadn't been clearly circled!Ssuch a small dot...that probably has no significance...except that it is the centre of our universe.
It has been nearly 30 years since Voyager began on its great adventure.It may be a very long time before it makes contact with any kind of alien civilization
Who knows, by then we may have invented faster crafts...capable of carrying human and made contact ourselves. And who knows, the space explorers of a couple of centuries hence may find Voyager...somewhere far away and recognise it for a long forgotten relic of a time long ago
It carries the best of what was on earth at the time that it was launched in 1977...sounds of life from its beginnings in the oceans to people laughing and talking...greetings in 55 languages,pictures of life on earth...the accomplishments that we are most proud of....and music of all kinds.The sounds are carried in copper plated discs like large gramaphone recors with the required spindle mechanism and instructions on how to use it.Voyager is now the farthest manmade object from earth.
Another part of Voyager's mission was to take pictures of the planets Jupiter,Saturn,Neptune...but what caused my heart to skip a beat...was the last picture it took...of earth from the edge of the solar system....a tiny flickeering dot that you can barely see...I would hsve nissed it if it hadn't been clearly circled!Ssuch a small dot...that probably has no significance...except that it is the centre of our universe.
It has been nearly 30 years since Voyager began on its great adventure.It may be a very long time before it makes contact with any kind of alien civilization
Who knows, by then we may have invented faster crafts...capable of carrying human and made contact ourselves. And who knows, the space explorers of a couple of centuries hence may find Voyager...somewhere far away and recognise it for a long forgotten relic of a time long ago
Sentimental Foolishness
Testing...testing...1..2...3...! Got a new comp. Very cool...just trying out all its features.Its a HP Media Centre PC...radio...TV...the works!
So now the old one is off to Appa's office.
I've been saying goodbye to it. Patted to CPU and the Monitor and told them that they would have nice new owners who would keep them clean and free of dust ...and not eat on te computer table and spill stuff on the keyboard....I guess that's just ridiculous.
But its always a wrench to let old familiar things go...even inanimate computers....Even when we change cars...and believe me we've been through quite a few! I've always said goodbye to them...Assured them that their new owner would keep them well watered and oiled...Its especially difficult with the small ones...the Maruti 800 and the Indica...What is it about small cars that makes them almost a pet?
But sentimentality is just another name for hoarding...as you can see if you rummaged through my table...there are all kinds of things...some as old as I am ...most of which should have found their way to the dustbin years ago...hairclips...old pens whose refills can't be changed...pencils down to their last centimeter...scraps of paper with weird drawings...broken pencil boxes....but I can't throw them away! They served me well in their day...this is their retirement ...to sit in undisturbed comfort in the draw....probably until Mummy takes things into her own hands
So now the old one is off to Appa's office.
I've been saying goodbye to it. Patted to CPU and the Monitor and told them that they would have nice new owners who would keep them clean and free of dust ...and not eat on te computer table and spill stuff on the keyboard....I guess that's just ridiculous.
But its always a wrench to let old familiar things go...even inanimate computers....Even when we change cars...and believe me we've been through quite a few! I've always said goodbye to them...Assured them that their new owner would keep them well watered and oiled...Its especially difficult with the small ones...the Maruti 800 and the Indica...What is it about small cars that makes them almost a pet?
But sentimentality is just another name for hoarding...as you can see if you rummaged through my table...there are all kinds of things...some as old as I am ...most of which should have found their way to the dustbin years ago...hairclips...old pens whose refills can't be changed...pencils down to their last centimeter...scraps of paper with weird drawings...broken pencil boxes....but I can't throw them away! They served me well in their day...this is their retirement ...to sit in undisturbed comfort in the draw....probably until Mummy takes things into her own hands
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