Of black, white and shades of grey

I cover my canvas
Put down my brush
Rest my fingers
For the very source of soul
That drove my brush, today
Denied me the right to go forth
Back to keyboard I am
Relegated to words alone

Goodbyes are never grand

I still recall that last memory of a yellow cab numbered 8692, taking away from me the people who had been a prominent part of my life for the last nine months. I wanted to stop the cab, but no. I thought of running to the gate and saying goodbye once more, but I instantly realized the futility of my thought. It took me at least another 10 seconds (or so) to realize what had hit me. The people, who had been constant pillars of support for the last 9 months, were no longer there. As I turned back slowly on the cemented path, the bright morning sun made me feel exposed, naked and, well, quite frankly, incomplete.

When I had come to Joka in June last year, never had I imagined what was in store for me. I was a little skeptical, to say the least, about my decision to quit my job and coming to Joka for an MBA. However, as I realized over the course of the year, things turned out rather well. Really well. For, in a couple of weeks, I found myself amongst a group of people, who I could instantly mix with, friendly, smart, talented, fun-loving you name and they were all of that. And I could personally connect with each one of them, for different reasons and at so many different levels. To their credit, they took me in with open arms, and gave me a year, which I shall never ever forget. They mocked me, made fun of me, pampered me, laughed at me, laughed with me, took care of me, and held my hand every step of the way. So much so, that post the summer placements, I would, daily, be raring to get back to them in the evenings, for I knew that good time was in store. But as they say, all things, no matter how good, must come to an end. And time flew by. The extra-academic work made the time seem even shorter. Nonetheless, the quality of the time we spent together never deteriorated. Each time was as good as the last, if not better. I can still recall most of those late night-early morning sessions, the constant banter, the intoxications, the birthday bashes (where I would be the constant photographer) and a lot more.

Now as I look back at the good old days, I know I am going to miss them next year. I know I’ll not have the same set of people around. But I also know that I have gained, lasting friendships and some really wonderful memories to cherish for a lifetime.

As I bid them farewell, I realize once again, that goodbyes are never grand, they are not meant to be. But goodbyes are also not the end; they are merely promises to meet again in future, in a different place, at a different time.

Of Leeches and Men

Billions of different creatures have walked/inhabited God’s green earth. Some of them very primitive (single-celled), while others, far too advanced to be fully comprehended by science. Why then, would I initiate a discussion about leeches? Time will tell.
A leech, is a very interesting creature. A leech is a typical parasite, which is jobless, for most part of its life. It waits and waits for the right time, to feed off someone. Leeches attach to their hosts and remain there until they become full, at which point they fall off to digest, which is to say that they suck the living fluid out of you, till they are full, and hence find no further use from you. And during the time that they suck your blood, they attach themselves too tightly to your skin to get off. The usual shrug is not enough for leeches, for it sticks to your skin, sucking blood at multiple points. Concerted and stringent efforts are needed to get rid of this little monster.
Leeches are very stealthy. They sneak up on you with utmost purpose, and you aren’t even aware. In fact, I look back in terror now, in the very possible hope of finding one. You would wonder why we don’t feel it, if they actually do adhere so strongly to our skin. They release some toxins which numb the surrounding area, so that you don’t get a feel of being constantly drained. Like a typical diplomat, praising you, wishing you well and harming you at the same time. As suggested, their dealing with humans is superficial (on the surface). True beauty may indeed be skin deep, but a leech does not care. And the worst part is that these petty worthless little creatures, leave a scar whose manifestation may not necessarily be physical.
Furthermore, a leech is spineless. This helps the leech to adjust to your body shape, and attach accordingly. So, fat, thin, tall, short, lanky, well-built, big or small, a leech is least bothered. As long as you have blood, you are a leech’s best friend. If you do not possess blood, however, you are as good to the leach as a decomposing dead body or a filthy dump of manure.
As we can clearly see, leeches are almost impossible to deal with unless controlled. An infestation in your surroundings needs to be taken care of professionally. So what do you do when you come across one? My advice: remove it with disdain, throw it away, stomp on it if you must. Too harsh? Feel bad about the leech? After all, what is a leech compared to a mighty human? It is indeed very easy to destroy it in a fit of anger, agony and disgust. But is it worth it? Really? Actually, it is.
Take care here, friends. Do not let the slimy transparent liquid fool you, or give you any sense of sympathy for this little devil, for it is their blood or yours. Even if you detach it from yourself and let it go, it will go ahead and hurt another, just like you, maybe, someone you love.
Removal is not a solution, execution is.

Sacrilege

Born. Named. Pampered. Played-with. Taught. Good-over-evil. Happy-endings. Learnt. Morality. Follow. Believe. God-fearing. JudgementDay. Unquestioning. Confined. Limited. Well-behaved. Servile. Sychophantic. Righteous. Pure. Innocent. Principled. Uncompromising. Right. Correct. Admired. Adored. Role-model. In-Control. Informed. Learned. Knowledgeable. Intelligent. Powerful. Respected. Prosperity. Money. Fame. Love. Success. Content. Ignorant. Blissful.
Happy. Too Happy.
Very Happy.
Tide turns. Difficulty. Tough-times. Helpless. Alone. Afraid. Desperate. Crime.
Exploration.
Curiosity. Search. Questions. Belief? Faith? Delusions. Truth. Harsh. Dark. Tragic. Relentless. Unforgiving.
Tormented. Denial. Anger. Fear. Discomfort. Bargain. Play-along. Forced. Hollow. A mess. Purposeless. Meaninglessness. Depression. Realization. Downfall. Hopelessness. Struggle. Acceptance. Restructuring. Thought. Freedom. Independence. Choice-over-morality. Resurgence. Rise. Prayless. Non-complying. Free. Veracious. Fearless.
Idea. Purpose.
Teach. Preach. Prophet. Messiah? Soothsayer. Truth out. Not good enough. Suffering. Mockery. Anarchy. Resistance. System-failure. Unacceptable.
Labelled. Defiled. Impure. Satanic. Wicked. Savage. Inhuman. Beast. Kill. Destroy.
Secluded. Singled-out. Tested. Tortured. Ravaged. Stricken. Decrepitude. Break-down. Defeated. Surrender. Admission. Acceptance. Rehabilitation. Recovery. Brainwash. Normal. Again.
Reborn. Re-named. Re-taught. Religion.. Re-legion.

Top ten albums I would want, if stranded on a remote island

Though I admit its pretty tough to pick only ten, I' ll cut the crap and get down to business.
Here they are, in no particular order:
Zoso
By Led Zeppelin, this is one album, that any Led Zepelin fan wouldnt, shouldnt miss out on, and I needn't explain why.
Stairway to heaven, Rock and Roll, When the levee breaks, black dog, misty mountain hop, Battle of evermore, all classics in their own right.

Live'92
By ACDC, awesome 70 minute cd, with the likes of Highway to Hell, Whole lotta Rosie, Hell's Bells, T.N.T., and a whole lot more.

Master of Puppets
By Metallica, scrapes through as Metallica's best album, IMO, beating Metallica and And Justice for all for the crown. Master of Puppets, Sanitarium, Orion, Battery etc. No surprises here.

Ten
By Pearl Jam, One of my favourite albums from the nineties, with the likes of superhit singles such as Black, Alive and Jeremy. Again not much surprise.

Wish you were here
By Pink Floyd, tough pick. Floyd has so much brilliant stuff. It was an impossible choice between Dark side of the Moon, Wish you were here and Meddle. But with Wish you were here and Shine on on this album, it was hard to go with anything else.

OK Computer
By Radiohead, if anyone has really carried psychadelic through the last two decades, it has to be Radiohead. With Paranoid Android, Karma Police and No Surprises, OK Computer just betters The Bends, IMO.

Morningrise
By Opeth, one of the best metal albums ever made. With a mixture of hard hitting riffs and soft melodies, and Akerfeldt's majestic change in voice and tempo, Opeth take progressive metal to a new level. In an age of progressively shorter songs, Opeth pulls off three brilliant long songs, spanning well over 10 mins each. In terms of their style, tempo changes, and instrumental clarity, nobody comes close to Opeth.
Best songs: Black Rose Immortal, The night and the sielnt water, and To bid you farewell.

Audioslave
By Audioslave, truly an awesome piece. Chris Cornell's voice and Morello's guitar make for a breathtaking combination. The album kicks into action with Cochise, maintains its supremacy with Show me how to live, Set it off, Gasoline, and not to mention my favourites, I am the highway and Like a stone.

Arriving Somewhere
By Porcupine Tree, ah well, an excellent compilation. PT have much depth and variety, to not put them in this list.
Best Tracks : Arriving somewhere but not here, Lazarus, Trains, The sound of Muzak, Blackest Eyes.

Last but not the Least
Paranoid
By Black Sabbath, just brilliant. No words to express how great an album this is. With War Pigs, Paranoid, Planet Caravan, Iron Man, Electri Funeral, Fairies wear Boots, this just about trumps Master of Reality, another brilliant album.

No. 11 Special Mention

The Jester Race
By, In Flames, one heck of an album. If you like metal, then you will consider this as one of the best albums made. So much quality in this album, ranging from gorgeous acoustic solos to deafening heavy metal riffs. If you havent heard this one, and you like metal, I recomment it now.
Best Tracks : The Jester's Dance, Moonshield, The Jester's Race, Artifacts of the black rain, Acoustic Medley, The Jester Race; infact most songs on this are amazing, barring a couple of average songs.


Albums that I wanted to fit in but couldnt, Appetite for Destruction and Use your Illusion (GnR), Rust in Peace (Megadeth), Best of the Beast (Iron Maiden), and a couple of albums by Anathema and many others including ofcourse more good albums from the bands in top ten.

hey people

Blogging after a long time. :) Been kinda preoccupied with more things than one. and here i find myself with a chance to do something i've always wanted. so here is a list of some of my favourtite instrumental metal tracks in no particular order. A lot of time and effort has gone into this. Well, not really.

ORION-METALLICA

a masterful instrumental from master of puppets,metallica's best album in my opinion. one of the best compositions by cliff burton. his bass propels the song to new heights, marvellous tempo changes within the song.for me this is metallica's best instrumental.

Oh and do check out the cover of this song by ricardo y gabriela.

VOICE OF THE SOUL-DEATH

death is one of the most underrated metal bands as per me.they have produced some of the best metal music i have come across.voice of the soul starts with a gorgeous acoustic intro followed by mellowed riffs which rise and fall throughout the song. one of the best compositions by chuck. the guitars have a certain mysticism attached with them which make you look want to wander deeper and deeper into this amazing composition.

TRANSYLVANIYA-IRON MAIDEN/ TRANSYLVANIYA-ICED EARTH, MAIDEN COVER

typical iron maiden. very nice composition by steve harris. a very catchy riff to kick of the song with, followed by some really fast fingers to take the song along. the cover by iced earth is also very good, ever so slightly improvised as well.

THE CALL OF THE KTULU-METALLCIA

for most people this is metallica's best instrumental. undoubtedly one of the best of all time. starts with a very intense tune which immediately commands your attention and gradually grows in heaviness and effect. the song intensifies as the bass kicks in and then that intensity never goes down.

THE TRAVELER-JOE SATRIANI

i am sure that most of you wouldnt have heard of this track. my favourite instrumental from joe satriani but this one isnt as popular as i should be for some strange reason. i even had to upload this one on youtube since noone else had.a touching riff which runs through the song, and satch plays this one so beautifully that you can almost feel yourself flowing with the guitar.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD-STEVE VAI

If you havent heard this song you need to go hear this now.and i mean right now.awesome composition,supereme guitar play. probably the best by vai.you can literally feel each note in the song.

ABSOLUTION-MEGADETH

One of the rare instrumentals by Megadeth. Starts off rather silently, with a riff also in another very famous Megadeth song (no prizes for guessing, yes its from "trust").

EROTROMANIA-DREAM THEATER

Need i say anything else other than PETRUCCI

TO LIVE IS TO DIE- METALLICA

not as great as orion or the call of the ktulu, but this one starts off with a touching acoustic guitar. The song moves along with the basic riff, and is a bit monotonous too, until kirk's guitar steps in. the middle of the song change in tempo also adds to the beauty of it. All in all another fine composition by cliff burton.

THE JESTER RACE-IN FLAMES (special mention)

one of the finest metal albums ever made. undoubtedly the best from IN FLAMES. this album includes three nice instrumentals, JESTER'S DANCE, WAYFARER and an ACOUSTIC MEDLEY, and also some very nice other songs including MOONSHIELD.

MAN MADE GOD-IN FLAMES

This song is pure energy. I havent seen any other song kick off the way this one does. Awesome by in flames. A band which for some reason isnt as popular here as it should be.Shocks!

PATTERNS IN THE IVY-OPETH

This is one of my most favourite tunes. Its soft and haunting. Its Opeth after all. Akerfeldt is a genius.

ICARUS' DREAM SUITE OPUS 4-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

This song is something else. You have to hear it to kow what i mean. simply awesome.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES-RACER X

Oh yes. Paul Gilbert is here. And he's here bigtime with technical difficulties. The starting riff sweeps you off your feet. Although there is a certain portion for about 45 secs which i do not like, but other than that the song owns.

EVIL EYE-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

This song begins with the most amazing tune. Again bits and pieces in the song become too fast for my liking and lose the initial beauty. But definitely worth a mention here.

DECIBEL-NAAGIN

Not in the same league as some of these other songs. in fact i wasnt even going to put this here, but someone asked me, would you put naagin in there, and i thought and said, well, why the hell not.

PS- I may have missed some of your favourite songs, do drop the ones in, which you feel i have missed at the end.

Coincidence ……..I don’t think so

There I was sitting on my bench chewing on the back of my pencil thinking of I don’t know what. Well never had I chewed on my pencil in the first 15 or 16 years of my life then why now? What was I thinking putting a piece of wood into my mouth? The question was why now of all times, I mean never as a child, then why at this age? I just couldn’t figure out why I had done that. Not that I was sleepy or anything.

Another day another time fell down from a foot and a half high railing (at most two feet) onto a soft pile of mud, dislocated a couple of bones and five years down the line fell off a moving scooter, escaped with a crack.

Snap back to reality, ever happened to you? Not the chewing of the pencil but something that made you feel like what I felt? Feel like “why on earth did I do that?” or “how the hell could that happen?”. Hasn’t it seemed awfully strange when you get that “I don’t know how I knew it, but I just knew it ” feeling or the “but that’s impossible” feeling?

Having been through the best part of my teenage life, philosophically speaking, I’ve seen people; people those who believe in miracles, in coincidences, accidents, luck and a whole lot of things. Who believe that God’s there listening to all their prayers and reconsidering his next step. Sounds good enough doesn’t it?

But just for once consider this……………

What if God’s already planned it all and gone on a vacation? I’m not an atheist but what if there are no miracles, no second chances, no near escapes, no coincidences? Maybe he’s not there to show us the path, maybe he wants us to choose our own? I’d like to believe that everything that happens is meant to happen, every slip, every wrong turn, every chance encounter, every close shave is written. And there is absolutely nothing we can do about that. Having said that, I do believe God’s got a plan for all of us and all that is upto us is to try to best fit in to that plan. What that plan is and how do I fit in, are things which may take me a few more years to realize. How do you know that this is God’s plan for you? You just will (maybe you’ll get one of those “I just know it” urges). But sitting back and thinking that it’ll all happen by itself is the worst thing that you can do to yourself. You think it’s a coincidence you’re reading this, I don’t think so……

For me life has offered too many “miracles”, ”coincidences” and “second chances” to believe in them. You may agree with me to the point of insanity or you may not. Hell you may even be thinking,“ why in the world am I wasting my time on this when I’ve got so much to do? ”. But one day or the other you will feel what I’ve felt, be it temporarily only, and you’ll set out, trying hard to fit into God’s plan……………..