If you are a Pink Floyd fan, you’d love to read this.

I have pics of my recent trip put up on Flickr.

Initially, I found Flickr to be very non-user friendly. The interface was (is, even now) confusing. But I seem to have learnt to find my way around.

Do comment!

I am back from a wonderful vacation. I attended a Christian wedding, visited my college, had a pleasant conversation with one of my profs there, chilled out in Mangalore and last, but not the least, clicked snaps using my new digicam!

It felt like hitting the refresh button. And today for no particular reason, I have been feeling extremely elated! Wonderful!!

But somewhere not far, people have lost their lives. The extent of the tragedy is staggering. Survivors don’t know what to do with the dead bodies. Relief aid is not finding it’s way to the needy. It’s no longer a number game. The magnitude of the disaster is no longer being measured, but being comprehended (for logistical reasons). The gloom of Sunday’s Tsunami is everywhere.

I wonder, like I always have, if we are ever going to learn anything. When I say ‘we’, I am not shifting focus to policy makers and politicians. I mean WE. After the recent tragedy, I wonder if WE will ever understand how futile our everyday life is becoming. We bicker, hoard, insult, hate…..we forget that life is precious and uncertain. Sometimes I wonder if it is me, but not a day passes without me noticing how much we take for granted. We have become insensitive and indifferent. I donno about other countries – but we in India are sitting on a potential landmine every single day of our lives. I don’t think there is a disaster management system in place. I don’t think the people concerned have ever heard of being prepared for the worst.

I have a plan for the worst case scenario. I strive to live everyday of my life to the fullest. No regrets. If I die tomorrow (or tonight!), I’ll rest in peace. I make a concious effort to share my happiness with people around. I make sure that I don’t spread my sorrow. I know that all my lows are just passing phases. This is how I live my life. This is how I prepare for the worst case scenario.

Honestly, I don’t feel a thing for the dead. Don’t get me wrong – I am not being heartless. I grieve for the living. The ones who have lost their loved ones. The ones who are homeless and orphaned. The ones who live a lesser life of greed and hate. I pray they find their measure of peace.

- : -

If there is one word that can describe the last couple of weeks, it would be ‘intense‘. I have had to look at my beliefs and strengths again – not because of the circumstances in my life, but that of another person’s. Well, the circumstances by itself are nothing unique – or even worthy of mention. It could be called ‘domestic disturbances’, to say the least. But what really struck me, and my beliefs, is how cruel life can get. Cruel to a person as open minded, confident, and unique as this woman I know. And how that person went on to handle them – I can only say “hats off!”

But surely, she deserves something a million times better than this. If there as anything I could tell myself, it would be “life is a bitch”. And yes, I have hence re-looked at my own self, and all that makes me the man I am. The sheer intensity of what I have been hearing – from a real woman, with real problems, has made me thank the ground beneath my feet. The ground that I have always thought I could do without, but I am ever so thankful to have. I have always prided myself in being able to find words of comfort from my rational way of thinking, but this time I really didn’t know what to say. And no, saying emotional things wouldn’t have made things better because the conversations were never going that way. Of course, the objective nature of the conversations helped in making it easier for both of us not to get stuck at a level of having to say & hear soothing words. Coz after all, if all of this is a test of faith, the last thing you’d want is a rain of sentimental feelings coming and washing it away. But it is a slow and painful thought to know that even with the longest hand of help extended, her past is best only forgotten, and her future only left to the higher intelligence above.

That said, I’d like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am going on a short trip to Mangalore. Plans of visiting my alma mater are in the offing. I have always dreamt of going back to the beauty and freshness of Kemmanu and capturing pictures to stack away, in case my memory of those wonderful times I have spent there fails.

Peace.

PS: Been listening to ‘How the West Was Won” by Led Zeppelin. Man, they ROCK!

A panoramic pic of Sankey tank.

If the colours don’t look fresh, it’s my fault, not the camera’s.

If you wanna see a better version of this pic, click here.

Came back from Chennai yesterday. Apart from visiting the city, I re-visited my childhood. I met school mates. Guys I hadn’t seen in 7 yrs. It was good fun…talking abt all those yesterdays. I returned to Bangalore yesterday, and the first thing I did was open my new camera from the box. I had made an online purchase, and a friend got it to Bangalore from S’pore on Sunday. (I was in half a mind to cancel my Chennai trip, coz I didn’t want to wait an extra day to see it!)

This camera, which I chose after extensive research, is very popular in the Canon catalogue. It’s not only about the 5 Megapixels that this baby can handle – it is about the extensive manual controls that this model has to offer. I am no pro, so I figured that purchasing this camera would be a good way to overcome the learning curve that one has to encounter while getting serious abt photography. And talking abt learning curves, I shot my first set of snaps at Sankey tank yesterday only to realize later at home that none of the shots had come out as expected. I wasn’t disappointed abt this – I knew I had to RTFM. With 14 scene modes, manual control over White Balance, F-stops, Sensitivity blah, blah….I have a lot of things to figure out. And the only way to do that is by reading the manual. Something I hate doing (yea, yea..I know I am a Tech Writer and all :p )

I am excited!

Oh ya, I got a 128 mb CF card, a Battery Charger Set, a mini tripod and a 7-in-1 Kit Bag with a camera cleaning kit free as part of Canon’s year end promotion

HP Festive Holiday Card

.s.p.e.c.i.a.l.d.e.f.e.c.t.s.

Exciting weekend ahead….going to Chennai tomorrow for two days. Then, after I am back..I’ll be (hopefully) getting my object of desire….ain’t letting out anything now…will do so after I actually see it in metal and plastic.

Travel has always helped me open new dimensions in my mind. I always end up seeing things in new light when I am on the move. Maybe it is the sheer displacement of familiarity (which, they say, breeds contempt), or may be it’s the saggitarian in me….but I am eternally striving to be groundless and free…

“Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge. They are chaotic, sometimes painful and sometimes contradictory, but they come from deep within us. And we must key into those feelings…. This is how new feelings begin.”
Audre Lorde, Poet (1934–1992)

Very profound. Very nice.

But remember, Eastern philosophy tells you that your emotions are hurdles to higher planes in your spiritual journey. That may be ultimately true, but what is said above is a good place to start.