Irishman in Madras

The bike came to a halt on the side of the normally busy street.

“Want something?” asked K.

“No da”, replied M.

“Ok, I’ll just go grab a dum.”

As K made his way through the post-lunch crowd at the potti-kadai, he mused over the fact that M seemed a little distracted all of a sudden. He seemed to be intently watching a stray dog, of all things, lying just across the road.

“Macha! Dei!”

K turned around.

“Actually, get me a Panneer Soda no da!”

“Okay macha!”

Goli soda? Haven’t had one of those in a while, thought K.

After fighting a hard battle on the way in (and a veritable war on the way back out) he walked to the bike, where M was still watching the dog across the street intently.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks, da.”

K lit his cigarette and took a deep drag. It was one of those boring days where they had bunked college and didn’t really have much to do.

“So what do you want to do today?” he asked M.

“Hmm? Anything da, anything’s cool”, said M.

“Dei, what’s wrong with you da? Why are you concentrating on that dog so much?”

“Take a look at it, macha.”

K looked at the dog.

As far as street dogs went, it fell pretty neatly into the stereotype. Scruffy, dirty; not mange-ridden, thank God- those were just pitiful to look at. This one had some grease on its back- probably from slipping under a parked vehicle to escape the Madras sun. Short-haired, no tuft on the tail, a mottled black, grey and brown coat- mostly black though. The feral look common to most untamed animals- with the kind of hunted, ever-wary expression of the typical Indian stray thrown in for good measure.

In short, nothing special. Certainly not worth concentrating on so much.

“What’s so special about that dog? Normal street dog macha”, said K.

“Hold on”, said M.

Just then, the dog moved from its comfortable position- at the apparent behest of an auto driver who had decided to park his vehicle in the same space the dog occupied - and who looked, if it was possible, even scruffier than it.

The dog moved gracefully, flowing to its feet and loping off down the road.

“See?” said M. “There’s a little bit of Irish in that dog.”

My new fav song!

Bloody hell,been a while!

Can't get this song out of my head. Not that I want to. Pure dead brilliant!

Enjoy.

Ash

Private Secret Diary

Snooker, like sex, is sometimes better on your own – fewer shamefaced apologies are needed, especially after you accidentally leave something unmissable on the table.

Funny as fuck. Check out JonnyB's Private Secret Diary.

This is a new site- the blog used to be here.

Team Hoyt

I'm not ashamed to say- I cried when I saw this.

Some of you may have seen this before. Gets me every time.



I've had enough of mediocrity. Seriously. 20-odd years of it is enough. Time to do something. Time to actually live.

Nice seeing you again

The party was rocking. Music, the buzz of voices, the clink of glasses, laughter-some of it merry, some rather forced. I had noticed her across the room. Dressed in black as she was, it was hard not to. Even after all these years, she took my breath away. I walked over.

"Hey you", I said. "Nice party huh?"

She turned to look at me.

Flesh-eating, ,eye-gouging, skin-scratching, heart-bleeding, skull-crushing, life-blighting, soul-destroying darkness. Darkness drawing me deeper and deeper down a long well, a long spiraling descent into a place where all sense of self is lost- where all you ever were, all you wanted to be, and all you are is lost, sucked down into a miasma and maelstrom of never ending destruction, torment, suffering.

"Yeah, it's nice", she said. "You having a good time?"

"Oh, yeah", I replied, sipping my drink. "I usually do."

Break

I need a break.

You were right, I don't spend enough time with myself. Maybe I don't like myself too much. If that is the case, how can I have meaningful relationships? Am I just pretending with everyone?

I need to figure things out. I need to figure myself out. I need a break.

Advantages of Being a Mentor

The advantage of mentoring a Punjabi girl in your team is that you get Aloo Paranthas. Okay, it was just once. And it happened after a lot of bullying.

But Junior's happy, and all is well.

(Ash Junior, not Flash Junior. In case you were wondering.)

Imagine how many different kinds of food Narayana Murthy must get, as Chief Mentor of Infosys! If I was in his position, I would be 10 times his size.

Beef and Cheesecake: A few of my favourite things!

Had dinner at Sparky's today. Tried some new stuff that's not on the menu yet, (cos the Lady's got pull like that). Beef stir-fry, New Orleans style! Absolutely bloody amazing! Loved it! Plus had a corn dog...something I have read about but never actually tried- that was quite decent too. I highly recommend the Beef, though...and the Cheesecake. Oh man, the Cheesecake. You can tell how good it was by the fact I always use initial caps while writing 'Cheesecake'. Heart attack on a plate, probably....but man, what a way to go!!



For those of you who have not been, it's on Spur Tank Road. Here is a review at Metroblogging Chennai. The pic above is courtesy the same post. The article also has a picture of the chef and owner Tom. Tom's a nice guy, except when he threatens to give you a wedgie. Or when he actually does. Don't ask. Happens to me all the time.

Battle of the Beasts

Yes, I know...it has been a very productive day in office so far! ;-)

Tigers kick ass! I much prefer them to lions...tigers are larger and more powerful than lions. Plus they look a damn sight better.

Of Lions, Crocodiles and Angry Buffaloes: Rescue Mission at Kruger National Park

Came across this video today- friend sent me the link. I'm not gonna waste time describing it. Just watch it, and prepare to be amazed!! Whether you are a fan of wildlife videos or not.

Note: I suggest you pause playback and wait for the whole thing to load before watching it.




Let me know what you think!!

It's a rum 'un

Rum makes me happy

A few thoughts on mortality

What happens when I leave this world?
Will I be remembered at all?
Maybe by a few souls I met along the way
If that

How many of us leave marks on the sand?
How long will they last
Before being swept away by the waves of time
All is as it once was and that’s the way it always will be

The actual span of our existence only forms the core
Our life and our existence will leave ripples
Through the people we’ve met
The things we’ve said and done

When the body is gone
And the soul ascended
All that remains are the echoes

Once these fade away
And they will, someday,
Only then will we have well and truly passed on

What A Fun!!

You are The Magician

Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity.

Eleoquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing,
you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive.

The Magician is the male power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the Magician is represented by Mercury. He represents the gift of tongues, a smooth talker, a salesman. Also clever with sleight of hand and a medicine man - either a real doctor or someone trying to sell you snake oil.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Hijacked Tag

Okay, this is not something I have officially been tagged with. I decided to hijack this tag I found on Ninja's blog.

1. Were you named after anyone?
Nope. Although my dad wanted to name me Aurangzeb, Humayun or Ojas. Not all three together, thank God. Yes, it runs in the family.

2. Do you wish on stars?
No. I'm straight.

3. When did you last cry?
Last year.

4. Do you like your handwriting?
I can read it. Most people cannot. So, yes.

5. What is your favourite snack?
I rarely have snacks. They tend to become full-blown meals anyway.

6. What is your most embarrassing CD on your shelf?
My brother's CDs (CountryMouse)

7. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you?
Dunno. I might be a difficult friend to have, but I'm so worth it.

8.Are you a daredevil?
In training.

9. How do you release anger?
Rant and rave, or sulk.

10. Where is your second home?
Well, I would say Edinburgh...havent been there in a while, though.

11. Do you trust others easily?
Yes. Although not as much as I used to.

12. What was your favourite toy as a child?
My dinky cars (especially a red Lancia) and the usual GI Joe and He-Man stuff.

13. What class in school/college do you think is totally useless?
Most of them.

14. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Me? Nooo!! Never! Perish the thought!

15. Have you ever been in a mosh pit?
No.

16.What do you look for in a guy/gal?
Borrowed from Archana: Not looking

17. Would you bungee jump?
Yes. Even if to just prove to myself that I can overcome my fear of heights. Which is pretty bad, btw.

18. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
No.

19.what's your favourite ice cream?
Vanilla

20. What are your favourite colors?
Blue, Black

21 What are your least favourite things?
I have things I like and things I don't like. This is a stupid question.

22. How many people do you have a crush on right now?
One :-)

23. Who do you miss most right now?
Countrymouse, Ammumma, G...quite a few people

24. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of my fan and AC.

25. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be?
Wax.

26. What is the weather like right now?
Too fuckin hot by far!

27. Last person you talked to on the phone?
My brother

28. The "first" thing you notice about the opposite sex?
Eyes, Smile. Sometimes other things :-)

29. Do you like the person who sent you this?
Well...I sort of hijacked it. She didn't actually tag me cos she's USELESS!!

30. How are you today?
Thirsty ;-)

31. Favourite non alcoholic drink?
Tomato juice

32. Favourite alcoholic drink?
Rum n coke/ Beer

33. Natural hair colour?
Blonde. Okay okay, black.

34. Eye colour?
Dark brown

35. Wear contacts?
Used to

36. Siblings?
2. Younger.

37. Favourite month?
March

38.Favourite food?
Yes. Food is a firm favorite.

39. Favourite day of the year?
Nothing like that really.

40. Have you ever been too shy to ask someone out?
Many times

41. Scary movies or happy endings?
Bit o' both

42. Summer or winter?
Winter

43. Holi or Diwali?
Diwali

44. Do you like your name?
Yes.

45. What book/magazine are you reading?
Shantaram, My name is Red, Children of Hurin

46. What's on your mouse pad?
No mouse pad

47. What did you watch on TV last night?
Nothing

48. Favourite Smell?
Earth just after rain

49. Have you ever regretted breaking up with someone?
No.

50. Most tiresome thing you’ve ever experienced/done?
Mountain biking in Aviemore (Scotland) followed by a ceilidh (traditional Scottish dance) at the town hall.

Ammumma

Someday soon, I will write about my grandmother. A defining influence in my life and someone whose memory I shall always treasure. But for now...I miss you, Ammumma.

Platypussy: The new Bond movie

Dragon: she gt me a platypus
from australia.

a toy stuffed one yes
not a real stuffed one
but its nice

soft n silky
jus the way i like them

gonna keep it in my pocket and stroke it when i get lonely

that sentence is awesome on so many different levels, dontcha think?
muahahahahaha

Ninja: ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww
dirty old man

I'm not. Honestly. I'm just very funny. Especially on chat. I think.

This River Is Wild- The Killers

lyrics - The Killers Lyrics

Most Hated 1

Oh, how I hate the word 'cute'.

Sometimes, however, we are all consumed by our cuteness.

Death to us all.

Kaos

And lo and behold
From up on high
Where the topless towers of Illium
Touch the sky

Where blood was spilled
And tears were shed
Where lie buried
The uncounted dead

Nothing will this change
As Ages come and go
And the most important lesson
It seems, will be learned ne'er more

For from these blood-soaked beaches
To Olympos' hallowed halls
Man and God may strive to fight
But in the end rules Kaos

Philosophy

Mr. McGrumpus: wen u off ch*t?

The Dragon: maybe an hour or so
maybe half an hour
who knows?
when a man's time is up
go he must
ashes to ashes, dust to dust



Underneath this tough, fierce facade beats the heart of a philosopher.