From shadows to the stars

One of the few people I worship has passed away. The feeling of shock and disbelief haven't sunk into me yet. Steve Jobs, the modern messiah, is no more. People call him a monarch, a man who looses his temper much too often (and for almost trivial reasons too) and one infected with OCD. But for me, he was and still is more than just a man. He is a legend, a God. Millions of people pay tribute to him, via technology, the field where Steve changed the whole scenario. FB and Twitter are over flooded with witty sentences to the cliched 'i' references. The world mourns its loss. Jobs was an enigma. A man who craved perfection and innovation. His business acumen earned his company countless wealth and also a lot of critics. People hate his insistence that an Apple product has to be linked up with other Apple products. But then Jobs was a man who stood his ground. You either love him or hate him. He was a cult figure.   Fervently followed by a group of fanat...

India finally won the Cricket World Cup again. And everyone's going ballistic here in India. I for one, remain skeptic about the win. Yes. It's a miracle! There is at least one guy in India who is not a cricket fanatic. In fact, I did predict we would win the world cup even before it started. It's all a scam. The two semi-finals were being played in India and Sri Lanka. The one in which India was scheduled to play was held in India. And what's more? The opponent was none other than Pakistan, the arch rival! How convenient? What a way to sell the tickets! And the one semi final in which Sri Lanka was playing, it was held in their hometown. Again, how convenient! Lot of other anomalies can be found. For instance, in the semi finals, Pakistan did not take the batting Powerplay when they had hard hitters Razzak and Afridi at the crease. Now, why would you do that? Unless you wanted to lose? In the very same match, Sachin Tendulkar was dropped six ...

..Harry heard the high voice shriek as he too yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: “Avada Kedavra!” “Expelliarmus!” The bang was like a cannon blast. Harry saw Voldemort’s green jet meet his own spell. Harry awoke suddenly, groping for his glasses. He looked around and found himself at an unfamiliar place, but it was reminiscent of a hospital ward. Harry tried to raise himself into a sitting position but found that he couldn't move. A nurse's face hovers into his vision and says, "Oh my god! It's a miracle!". Harry says, "Where am I? What happened to Voldemort!?". The nurse looks at him, confused. "Relax my boy, you need some rest." But Harry wanted to know the answers, he feared that Voldemort had escaped. "Where are Ron and Hermione?", he asked the nurse, desperately. "Who?" replies the nurse, now looking at Harry as if he were mad. "Why can't I move? I want ...

I was lying in my bathtub, thinking of how Archimedes had come up with a brilliant thought in a similar condition, which helped us unravel some of Physics’ mysteries. And then, I started to curse the person who invented the bathtub. If not for that person, children across the globe would have had one less chapter or theory to worry about. My thoughts lingered, and EUREKA!! In my attempts to leash my thoughts, I had struck upon a brainstorming idea! What if there was a machine that could just erase unwanted memories? A memory modifier, if you will. I’m sure that every person, irrespective, has a few memories that they would love to do away with. Remember that day when you were on the stage, about to deliver a speech, and all that came out was “Gorp. Fnark. Schmegle.”? And then you turned around and ran off stage and sat in your room, locked in, swearing that you would never show your face to the world again. Of course you do! Or what about that day, when you were on a perfect date, and ...

Come into this life So far away From our weak and crumbling lives Come into this night Where days are'nt dark Lost and betray Of what's in your past Come into this night Your plight is alone Carry your weight You are flawed as all of us Come into this life Your only home It's never too late To repent, suffer the loss Come into this life Where you're able To redo your deeds And atone with your lonely soul Once you're into this life Where minds are stable Bury all your sorrows Forget all your needs Lose the grip of all control Come into this life Where your mind is free The chains that hold you down, forever shed Come into this life And leave behind All pains, extinct here

When you have been in Manipal for a while, you tend to forget that a few things can exist. Though a few of them you can afford to live without, some of them are just too precious to lose. That there is more than just a possibility that an auto driver will refuse to take you to your destination or that he can extort money from you. That all places are not confined to a radius of 8 km. McDonalds and its delicious burgers. For chicken freaks, KFC (just for the heck of it). Traffic jams. Though these are common in almost every town and city, Manipal is a thankful exception. You could ignore the basic road crossing rule, taught in KG classes for all students ("before crossing a road, look to your left and then to your right and then walk across") any number of times and still not be run over even once. Malls and multiplexes. What the hell? A place overflowing with students deserves at least a handful of malls and multiplexes, dont you think? Watching 5 grown men wal...

As it has been for the past week, sleep eluded me again. Consiering the fact that I have exams from Monday, 29th November 2011, this doesnt seem such bad a thing. But sadly, its kinda hard to study when you feel your eyelids beginning to droop and your eyes gettting red and yet, sleep escaping your clutches. The first rays of morning light are breaking outside and i peep through the window. And as i look out, i see the fog settling. And from the mist a figure emerges. At first, i can only see the outline. I look harder, my swollen bloodshot eyes straining to make the picture clearer. It appears to be a woman. She is wearing white. Hypnotised by her beauty, i keep staring. She seems like an angel, descended from heaven to take a look at this world, so unworthy of her. From behind her emerges another silhouette. By what i see, it appears to be a giant of a man. The giant stretches out his arm, going for the woman's neck. I shout out a warning signal. She is alarmed. She winces and tu...