My internet's been down from the New Year, and I've not been able to come online much, much less update my blog. I've written some stuff that I'll post once I get back.
Till then~
Till then~
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
The Ambience Yatra (?)
I was fooling around on my phone and thought I'd write something to pass time, with the Color Notes app. This is the result. I gave it a tentative title of "The Ambience Yatra". It's from the point of view of a young man from Chennai who's driving on a road (one of the national highways). To Kathmandu via Bangalore and
Pune I guess (NH7).
I'm sorta happy with the result so far! Though it's pretty rambly.
~
The nostalgia in travel is dwarfed by the memories of places we've wanted to go to, that we've simulated in our heads. When you leave, you're leaving to something familiar - It could even be your home.
But in spite of loads of precautions I still feel apprehensive.
The haze on the road at night is everywhere. It's thicker than the incense from Durga Puja.
I look around at the road. Thousands of people have died over the years, I thought to myself. Armies, from Indian - Tamil, Telegu, Maratha - to Turks and Mughals, to Europeans - French, Dutch, Portuguese, British. And now there's nothing to show for it here. Just a sign saying 'Muthu hotel - Vegetarian meals available' and signs with Tamil writing scrawled over the front.
I think to myself - Is it good that we, as a civilization have put our defeats behind us, or is it a sign that we will be - as the cliché goes - doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past?
I shake my head. I'm too tired to think about it. It's been quite a while since I last slept.
~
Pune I guess (NH7).
I'm sorta happy with the result so far! Though it's pretty rambly.
~
The nostalgia in travel is dwarfed by the memories of places we've wanted to go to, that we've simulated in our heads. When you leave, you're leaving to something familiar - It could even be your home.
But in spite of loads of precautions I still feel apprehensive.
The haze on the road at night is everywhere. It's thicker than the incense from Durga Puja.
I look around at the road. Thousands of people have died over the years, I thought to myself. Armies, from Indian - Tamil, Telegu, Maratha - to Turks and Mughals, to Europeans - French, Dutch, Portuguese, British. And now there's nothing to show for it here. Just a sign saying 'Muthu hotel - Vegetarian meals available' and signs with Tamil writing scrawled over the front.
I think to myself - Is it good that we, as a civilization have put our defeats behind us, or is it a sign that we will be - as the cliché goes - doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past?
I shake my head. I'm too tired to think about it. It's been quite a while since I last slept.
~
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
The Ghost of Two Years Passed.
Today, I was bored. And I was on Facebook. I was thinking of a friend of mine who I've known on and off for 5 years now. Right now, I haven't really spoken to her for a while. And I used to talk to her a lot last year. So I thought, what the heck, and clicked on the 'See Friendship' option on my profile. I was going through the old posts and I was hit by this wave of nostalgia. So many old experiences and inside jokes, now relegated to corners of my mind. I sat back for a while and let it swirl around me.
And then, I went through my old photos. I saw old comments, from years ago, from friends I no longer talk to, from experiences I regret, things I'm embarrassed about, things I regret I did in a certain way, good times, crazy nights, things I was scared of but now would scoff at, etc.
I made my FB profile only like 3 years ago. And most of this activity is from Jan 2011 to the present. Though, there's lots of earlier stuff. So basically, it's the ghosts of two years. From Jan 2011 to Jan 2013.
I was thinking - So much change, would I have recognized my present self? So many things I could've done differently. So many friends lost, so many friends gained. So many forks in the road. But it all made me who I am now.
The whole experience was like gazing at the ruins of a fort. You can feel the empires and armies of the centuries grow and die around you and at the same time, you superimpose this image of the present on top of that.
You were there, but you weren't. You are here, but you aren't. You're somewhere in the middle, but you're also everywhere.
It's such a profound and humbling feeling, the events of the past few months led up to this. I don't think it'll sink in for a while. I am awed and I have a new found respect for the enormity of human experience and human relationships which I don't think I'll forget. And it's not sudden either - It's more like a climax of months of thoughts and dreams and memories.
As I sit in this state of climax, the soundtrack that plays in my head is this lovely song I found today. It's by an Indian band called Them Clones.
I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it just is. Things change, whether you want them to or not. There are loads of metaphors about the flow of time in Indian and Chinese philosophy, especially Buddhist teachings. You fight against the flow of time, and the water weathers you down. You. Just. Can't. Fight. It. Instead, you have to flow along with it. Adapt. Persevere.
And learn.
It does sound pretty obvious, but, it doesn't strike your consciousness and you try to ignore it or deny it for a while, to cling on to some semblance of stability, thinking that admitting change is something you're not ready for. It's something you read about and see in movies. But hindsight always sees through crystal clear lenses, as opposed to the present's rose tinted ones.
And then, I went through my old photos. I saw old comments, from years ago, from friends I no longer talk to, from experiences I regret, things I'm embarrassed about, things I regret I did in a certain way, good times, crazy nights, things I was scared of but now would scoff at, etc.
I made my FB profile only like 3 years ago. And most of this activity is from Jan 2011 to the present. Though, there's lots of earlier stuff. So basically, it's the ghosts of two years. From Jan 2011 to Jan 2013.
I was thinking - So much change, would I have recognized my present self? So many things I could've done differently. So many friends lost, so many friends gained. So many forks in the road. But it all made me who I am now.
The whole experience was like gazing at the ruins of a fort. You can feel the empires and armies of the centuries grow and die around you and at the same time, you superimpose this image of the present on top of that.
You were there, but you weren't. You are here, but you aren't. You're somewhere in the middle, but you're also everywhere.
It's such a profound and humbling feeling, the events of the past few months led up to this. I don't think it'll sink in for a while. I am awed and I have a new found respect for the enormity of human experience and human relationships which I don't think I'll forget. And it's not sudden either - It's more like a climax of months of thoughts and dreams and memories.
As I sit in this state of climax, the soundtrack that plays in my head is this lovely song I found today. It's by an Indian band called Them Clones.
I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it just is. Things change, whether you want them to or not. There are loads of metaphors about the flow of time in Indian and Chinese philosophy, especially Buddhist teachings. You fight against the flow of time, and the water weathers you down. You. Just. Can't. Fight. It. Instead, you have to flow along with it. Adapt. Persevere.
And learn.
It does sound pretty obvious, but, it doesn't strike your consciousness and you try to ignore it or deny it for a while, to cling on to some semblance of stability, thinking that admitting change is something you're not ready for. It's something you read about and see in movies. But hindsight always sees through crystal clear lenses, as opposed to the present's rose tinted ones.
Friday, 7 December 2012
Downbeat Bass Blues~
So I'd been feeling down for the past week or two. It was a weird sorta low. It wasn't an angry sorta low, but rather a frustrated, pensive low. I was seeking release and couldn't find any.
Then, I thought I'd listen to some music to help as usual. The usual stuff I listen to when I feel low didn't work this time because it was a different kind of low. I still craved release though. I thought about what I was feeling for a long long time. And it hit me what type of music I needed - Frustrated, spacey music.
I immediately put on some Yellow Magic Orchestra and Porcupine Tree.
The Porcupine Tree stuff in particular felt amazing. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was listening to their old albums, like Stupid Dream, Signify, Up the Downstair and some others. The music was perfect for what I was feeling that time, though I'm not surprised, I'm pretty sure Wilson wrote most of those albums while in periods such as these!
An example :
So, I listened and took all the music in and let all the feelings be acknowledged, and in that moment, they weakened and dissolved. Finally could move on.
Ironic, as just the past month I had been listening to Porcupine Tree and I didn't feel much of a connect, and I was wondering why. I had been listening them to ages, but for the past half a year or so PT had stopped making a deeper connect/impact on me. I was thinking maybe I had heard too much of their stuff, grown out of it (if it's even possible to grow out of this sorta music), moved on, etc, but it didn't seem that was it.
Steven Wilson. Just what my iPod's shuffle ordered!
Then, I thought I'd listen to some music to help as usual. The usual stuff I listen to when I feel low didn't work this time because it was a different kind of low. I still craved release though. I thought about what I was feeling for a long long time. And it hit me what type of music I needed - Frustrated, spacey music.
I immediately put on some Yellow Magic Orchestra and Porcupine Tree.
The Porcupine Tree stuff in particular felt amazing. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was listening to their old albums, like Stupid Dream, Signify, Up the Downstair and some others. The music was perfect for what I was feeling that time, though I'm not surprised, I'm pretty sure Wilson wrote most of those albums while in periods such as these!
An example :
So, I listened and took all the music in and let all the feelings be acknowledged, and in that moment, they weakened and dissolved. Finally could move on.
Ironic, as just the past month I had been listening to Porcupine Tree and I didn't feel much of a connect, and I was wondering why. I had been listening them to ages, but for the past half a year or so PT had stopped making a deeper connect/impact on me. I was thinking maybe I had heard too much of their stuff, grown out of it (if it's even possible to grow out of this sorta music), moved on, etc, but it didn't seem that was it.
Steven Wilson. Just what my iPod's shuffle ordered!
Friday, 7 September 2012
Gojira in India!!
Last night when I was on Facebook, I saw an official post from the Gojira site - They'll be playing in Bangalore on December 15th this year!
Here's the post - Gojira's Official Site.
This is awesome news for me and also for the Indian metal audience in general! I don't really identify with most of them, I'd say I identify more with the rock crowd, but still. This year, we've had :
Things are really shaping up for the scene here, and it's awesome! Here's the poster for the show -
Here's the post - Gojira's Official Site.
This is awesome news for me and also for the Indian metal audience in general! I don't really identify with most of them, I'd say I identify more with the rock crowd, but still. This year, we've had :
- Suidakra
- Vildjhartha
- OPETH (Second time)
- LAMB OF GOD (Second time)
- Korn
- Poets of The Fall (Second time)
- Guns N' Roses (Without the old lineups no point lol)
- Behemoth
- SLAYER
- GOJIRA
Things are really shaping up for the scene here, and it's awesome! Here's the poster for the show -
I'll finish off by posting my favorite Gojira songs here :
I hope they include these songs in their set list when they play here :3 Friday, 31 August 2012
Wabi-Sabi and Zen minimalism.
The Japanese aesthetic sense has always fascinated me. I can't help it. Japanese folk music, some Japanese popular music like jazz and classic rock, old Japanese art and Japanese literature and quite a few anime/manga seemed to embody this concept. I used to think this fascination was weird, because almost no one else shared it, but then as I grew older I found a few others who did. But by then it didn't matter too much to me because I didn't really need acceptance of it anymore. I was happy about it and I treasured it.
Recently, I read an article on Wikipedia about it. This Japanese world view is called Wabi-sabi (佗寂 in kanji) and was heavy influenced by Chinese and Indian Mahayana Buddhist philosophies (mainly Chinese) and is meant to embody the 3 marks of existence according to Buddhism - impermanence, suffering, and emptiness/absence of self nature.
These are recurring themes in Zen Buddhism (the predominant Buddhist school of thought in Japan) and apparently characteristics of this world view include "asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes."
Well, I've always admired it silently, so I never really had to give it a name or defining characteristics, but when presented with them, I find that I agree with them wholeheartedly!
Let's see.
Recently, I read an article on Wikipedia about it. This Japanese world view is called Wabi-sabi (佗寂 in kanji) and was heavy influenced by Chinese and Indian Mahayana Buddhist philosophies (mainly Chinese) and is meant to embody the 3 marks of existence according to Buddhism - impermanence, suffering, and emptiness/absence of self nature.
These are recurring themes in Zen Buddhism (the predominant Buddhist school of thought in Japan) and apparently characteristics of this world view include "asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes."
Well, I've always admired it silently, so I never really had to give it a name or defining characteristics, but when presented with them, I find that I agree with them wholeheartedly!
Let's see.
Friday, 24 August 2012
Visit List Update.
That's right - An update to my list (and my blog, after ages).
But this one's gonna be for places in Asia (but outside the Indian subcontinent), since I can't really afford to go outside of Asia on my own for now.
~
Cambodia -
I've noticed most of the places (especially the historical ones) on my list are heavily Indianized sites, but the beauty is that they've added their own cultural take on it. For example Bali.
This, is a Shiva statue from Bali -
And, this is an Indian Shiva statue.
The Balinese one has this prominent Asian flavor to it. It's refreshing to see that sorta diversity, especially after seeing only the Indian or Chinese (mostly Indian for me) versions of stuff.
Also nice is the whole laid back South East Asian atmosphere. I love it and how it feels. It's there even in Singapore, though not as much in Malaysia though (those killjoy Malays. :|)
What's the point of living if you're not gonna look at the world from different perspectives and experience new environments anyway?
But this one's gonna be for places in Asia (but outside the Indian subcontinent), since I can't really afford to go outside of Asia on my own for now.
~
Cambodia -
- Siem Reap
- Angkor Wat
- Angkor Thom
- Preah Vihear
- Bangkok
- Phuket
- Pattaya
- Phimai
- Saigon
- Chu Chi tunnels
- The entire island of Bali
- Lombok Island
- Yogyakarta
- Borubudur
- Prambanan
- Ubud
- Pura Besakih, Mt. Agung
- Tanah Lot
- Lovina Beach
- Pura Tirta Empul
- Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
- Goa Lawah
- Taman Ayun
I've noticed most of the places (especially the historical ones) on my list are heavily Indianized sites, but the beauty is that they've added their own cultural take on it. For example Bali.
This, is a Shiva statue from Bali -
And, this is an Indian Shiva statue.
The Balinese one has this prominent Asian flavor to it. It's refreshing to see that sorta diversity, especially after seeing only the Indian or Chinese (mostly Indian for me) versions of stuff.
Also nice is the whole laid back South East Asian atmosphere. I love it and how it feels. It's there even in Singapore, though not as much in Malaysia though (those killjoy Malays. :|)
What's the point of living if you're not gonna look at the world from different perspectives and experience new environments anyway?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)