Bittersweet Distractor

It gets strange when they put you in a room when it's not freezing outside and ask you to be happy about it. It's stranger still, when it begins to snow and you don't have a window so you can watch it. All you have is a light bulb hanging off the ceiling, radiating all that it has, that reminds you, constantly, that the room has walls. And that the door is closed.

You can dream of getting out of here soon enough, which is not false. You can plan on what to do once you're out. You can think of what to do when you're inside. Or you could just stare at the glowing bulb and wonder how it glows constantly when the charges painfully surge through it back and forth at speeds you've only come across in the physics lectures.

You can imagine smiling faces outside expecting you to face all this like a man. Too bad they're all a farce.

Sumanth

Past Showtime

The End.

Just as you are thrust out of the imaginative world, you feel the urge to run. Everyone is moving towards the doors at the corner with red neon board atop them saying 'exit.' You sleepily put your coat on, check your pockets, your seat and walk to the car park, the movie still in your head. Pulling your mind back into senses, you begin looking for your car among hundreds while your standing a few cars away from it. You check your watch before starting your car. You keep driving. Home is a good drive away. You look back. Kids asleep in the backseat. Wife dozing off too. But you have something to ask about the movie. It keeps bothering you from driving, and is eating into your sleep that's waiting to engulf just as you reach home.

The roads are deserted. You ease your foot on the gas pedal and sit back, gazing blankly through the windshield as gloomy street lights zoom past you. Shops and malls all closed. Darkness covering all the billboards.

You finally reach home and drive in. You don't really have to wake them up. They mechanically step out of the car and walk like zombies while you unlock and let them in. Your throat's buring with all the conditioned dry air in the hall. After having some water, you hit the bed and switch that intelligently crafted little lamp beside your bed off.

Why do we watch films?

Sumanth

Strings of day and age.

Hello all,

It struck me, that over the last few years, a lot of things have changed. Not from the worldly perspective, but in the small domain of things around me. That includes, to a large extent, my opinions and tastes.

Take the blog title for example: Over three years ago, i had started this blog to keep note of interesting sites that i visited. Hence i called it 'Cool Websites.' But over years, I've come to post more personal blogs that talk less and less about my travels in the cyberspace.

There are also a number of other things. My past opinions, choices and experiences do appear ridiculous now. I often find myself questioning my past decisions. I had always fancied the field of computers but i'm doing a major in Electricals now. Three years ago, i had a craze for fantasy novels, but somehow i tend to detest the idea. My religious beliefs are more and more open and abstract with every passing day.

In some cases, an alternative to the route i'd chosen would have spared me a lot of pain. But then again, there's the future that i know nothing about, which i must take into consideration. Perhaps I was wiser back then, looking into the farthest future self, and choosing the best thing...or maybe i'm wiser now, having gone through these couple of years.

It also largely influences the choices i make now. I remember, about two years ago i knocked my neighbor's door, curious about guitar as i had never seen one being played in front of me. A week later i was learning it. Today, music has become a huge part of my life. At times, I find myself drifting off into thoughts about it, often while in between something important. I must agree that it has a slight contribution in bringing my grades at college down.

As i've mentioned quite a few times earlier, I'm studying Electricals and share a big passion for music. I've finished my first year at college and am a week away from my second. Over last year, often have I seen the need to make a choice between Music and Major. Which one am I more passionate about? Which one will I BE more enthusiastic about in future? Philip Selway, an accomplished drummer has mentioned that while picking up music is mostly a teen instinct, sustaining and striving to be a better musician is a tough job.

In attempts to strike a compromise, I've also tried exploring technical careers involving music, such as designing pedals or other electronic instruments/accessories in the field of music as there is obviously a boom in the use of digital instruments. That's been a dead end.

Probably it's one hard choice. I suppose i have three more years before i take the decision. Who knows future-me might be wiser. Yes?

This is probably why Time Machines don't exist yet.

94.

Sumanth

Wax, Tallow, Pitch and Resin.

Don't worry about god,
Don't fear death;
What is good is easy to get
What is terrible is easy to endure

Sumanth

The King of Limbs

Hello all!

Here it is, the eighth record, finally. You might find it odd with me talking about the album about a month after its release. I do too. But I remember when it came out, I had decided to hold on to listening to it for a long time before beginning to put it in words. Also, the internet at Uni. -_-

It's a Radiohead album, so, obviously, I can't review or judge it. But i've lots to say!

The King of Limbs -- Radiohead

For those who don't know what Radiohead is, and who feel really lazy to open another tab and check wikipedia, here's a quick intro: Radiohead is a five-piece music(yes, music. That's it, no particular genre. Alternate rock if you wish) consisting of Thom(vocals/guitar/piano/drums), Jonny(guitar/piano/drums/sampling/many other instruments), Colin(bass/synth), Ed(guitar/drum machine/backing vocals) and Phil(drums/percussion).

Although they started off with Emo grunge in the beginning with the singer whining over distorted riffs and feedback, they slowly graduated into atmospheric rock, then artistic rock and then into the cold land that's now called the Radiohead territory where no one else can survive.

The third album OK Computer IS considered to be the best album in the last 25 years. The 2007 album In Rainbows had one of its songs up for Grammys. Though I personally detest the grammy, it's good to see one's fave band going as far as up there. :D

With In Rainbows, it was said by everyone that Radiohead had perfected in music. They had made a cohesive album with a wide range of experimentation which was, then again, accessible. Even a common man not much into music would appreciate a couple of songs in the album. That's the kind of music they has made. I remember talking to my friend about this two years ago. He had put the question: "Radiohead has succeeded in doing what they set off to do with Kid A. Now what? How will the next album be?"

The question dazed me for quite a while until the band released two singles over the period of last two years. One was a tribute song to Harry Patch, a WW1 survivor. It was vocals and strings, subtle and soothing, yet powerful. They then came out with a five minute track called These are my twisted words which had a cold feel to it. On first listen, it's hard to believe that it's a guitar driven song. Upon later discussions with friends and the online Radiohead guitar cover guru, Warren Lain, I realized that there was so much more to it. I don't exactly remember the term he mentioned, but it had something to do with each member playing with different counts at the same time. While drummer played at counts of four, the guitarist played at counts of five!

All along the band tried letting go of the traditional rock setting and bring in new instruments like the french Ondes Martenot, the german Glockenspiel, french horn, electric piano connected to an effects pedal, or just everyday objects such as a portable television. But after mastering on that front with In Rainbows, they came back to the roots of their original music, assuming their usual positions again, but working on new stuff. Guitar, bass, drums and vocals. Yet different.

So it was around this time that i began visiting the Radiohead wikipedia page and started exploring their past inspirations like Joy Division, DJ Shadow, Bjork and others. It gave me a larger picture of the global music scene and a clear view of the Radiohead's Radiohead (adjective intended.)

Later I got into college got around to living here, visiting Dead Air Space every once in a while and checking the songs that Thom suggested, working on my own guitar playing with help of many talented Youtube guitarists who interpreted very well crafted music and also tried figuring out the artists intentions on making such compositions.

Days(months, actually) passed and it was the fourteenth of February. The day when most people spend time with their loved ones. I chose to do it differently. Ok, at this point i would like tell you that i'm single and currently love it that way. But as weird as that may sound, on that evening, i was among a dozen(meaning, very few) boys lazing around in the hostel while most of the fellas were out charming their ladies.

So I switched my iPod on and started going to the usual places, Twitter, Musicovery, Facebook, UltimateGuitar and so on, when I remember stumbling upon "Radiohead: "Thank you for waiting."

Quickly, new tab. w w w . r a d i o h e a d . c o m / d e a d a i r s p a c e /. enter.

And there it was, a three limbed creature in black and white, with it's giant eye, thanking everyone gaping at it.

Radiohead had announced that their next record will be out on 19th February, and it will be called The King of Limbs.

I don't know if the rest of that week felt long or not. But it was upbeat and i went back to listening to Radiohead tracks in all possible orders. Albums back to back, all openers back to back, all piano songs back to back and so on. I also came back to covering paranoid android on guitar, something that I hadn't done in months. It was on the 18th evening when I received a text while having cold coffee in the canteen:

King of limbs released officially by radiohead 24 hours before its previously announced date. released a single video titled lotus flower with thom yorke dancing. the track resembles amnesiac in many ways. downloading the album now.

That evening, little by little by hook or by crook, I got the album. My first listen didn't exactly shock me, but I was surprised.

The opening track, Bloom was a difficult opener. Starting with a cold powerful piano, and then colliding into techno drumbeats accompanied by the traditional drums was confusing. And then a laid back vocal talking about i don't know what. Upon subsequent listens and a look at the lyrics, i found many references to Joy Division. The song, speaking about the tranquility and yet the frenzy nature of the oceans, comparing it to the inner parts of human mind, by itself appeared to be a lyrical sequel to The Pyramid Song from Amnesiac, which was about angels in the river.

Morning MrMagpie was good. It reminded me of the 80s tracks by Siouxie+The banshees. The drum beats were new and interesting, but the drum sound was minimalist and closed, giving a claustrophobic feel as opposed to the spacey atmospheres adopted by the band in their earlier works involving lots of background sounds and effects. This style extended to most of the songs in the album. It refered to many things in the modern world. One of the things i could directly relate to was photography. No matter how much revolution digital photography has brought to this world, to a common man, a digital point-and-shoot device stores numerous photos and thus brings down the importance. Also, it's hard to cherish wonderful moments stacked away, when you have copious amounts of it, most of them being absurd and suggesting otherwise. I do not know it that was intended by the band, but since i've been into photos and cameras for a while this quickly came to mind. It's another thing that the bassist of the band is a professional photographer.

Little by Little was like a western style song at first listen. A car going at full speed in the desert, driving towards its doom. My brother suggested that it sounded rather lonely and claustrophobic to him. And guess what, upon a look at the lyrics, he was right! :)

The lines "The dark cell/the pit of my soul" suggested something analogous to a writer's block. Something that i have been going through, and hence could easily relate to. But that apart, I love the song for it's interesting structure, the dancing style beats and Jonny's guitar work. The way his fingers seemed to have brushed across the strings suggest his musical prowess and maturity. From abusing his guitar and sustaining repetitive strain injuries in the past, he has come down to playing minimalist, yet distinctly ringing guitar solos that stay in the listener's head for a long time. xD xD

Great have fun. already on a second listen and must say they have really done it again.

Feral was a different territory altogether. It was like a hidden rocky cave in the icy land of Radiohead, with flame torches and eerie carving on the wall. The repetitive drum beats and resonant ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-taa synth was cold and warm at the same time. Then the heavy drums dissolving into barely audible beats, with a fuzzy bassline taking control, while having randomly sampled vocals is yet another experiment. A successful one at that. Like an audio version of 2001:A Space Odyssey where you see colourful lights moving past your face at high speed and get amazed at it while you still have the desolate feeling somewhere inside.

Feral runs into the subsequent song called Lotus Flower. It was released as a single video on the band's blog along with links to download the album. I first checked the video since I was inquisitive about Thom dancing. Yes, I've scene him bobbing up and down going crazy while singing songs in the basement and other webcasts and that feature the band jamming.

The video of Lotus Flower is an awesomeness by itself. If there was anything to top the music with, it's dance. It was the first time a Radiohead track was danced to. But then again, the dance was just as eccentric, stylish, beautiful and symbolic as the music. Sure, Thom has a weird body language, one lopsided eye and funny epressions while singing, but they all came together in this little convergence of a video. The dance symbolized many things beginning from trees, nature and it's importance (something that Thom has always been standing for), the frenzy fast moving world with it's pros and cons, the acknowledgement of a greater power that governs us, and at the end, a dance move that acutally pays respect to fans. Masterpiece to accompany a masterpiece.

Here's the link to the music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8

And here's a guide to understand the symbology in the dance: http://radioheadthekingoflimbs.com/thom-yorke-dance-guide/

Now, talking about the song, Thom had come up with this song about a year ago during his solo gigs, and gigs with RHCP's Flea at LA and other places. He had first played Lotus Flower at the Echoplex in LA. A couple of days later, Warren Lain on youtube came up with it's cover and a tutorial. I sort of ignored expecting it to later be a part of yet another Thom Yorke solo album. Something that i didn't really like that much. But it was in King of Limbs! With a complete shift from the solo version. Although it still sounded like a Thom Yorke song through and through, every subtle piece of sound and music showed the band members contribution directly or indirectly.

The full band version was mostly bass and drum driven with almost inaudible atmospheric guitar sounds and synth bits here and there. There was also Thom himself clapping at odd time signatures providing another layer to the song. It had lots of references to the forests, but also the fairy tale feel to it. They were seen in the lines "'Cause all I want is the moon upon a stick/I dance around a pit/The darkness is beneath." Later, Stanley Donwood, the album artist for most Radiohead albums, explained that although the album has a lot to do with forests, trees and the thousand year old oak; its namesake, it also had to do with the fairy tale world. Most of the fairy tales in that region had characters spending a large amount of time lost in the forest and eventually seeing the beauty there, as in Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel & Gretel and others..

Lines like "I will shape myself into your pocket/Invisible/Do what you want" had me thinking about the modern day gadgets that reduce in size with every passing day, continue to amuse people but never succeed in helping mankind in any substantial way. It only makes one's life harder. With the advent of PDA mobiles, Blackberrys, Tablet PCs, Netbooks, people bring their work home and tend to screw their work-life balance eventually gaining no satisfaction on any front. No matter how many people they managed in the office, no matter how many people from different countries they got to meet, no matter how many different places they visited (on official trips), no matter how much they earned for their family, no matter how much they apologized to friends and others for not being there when needed, they eventually die alone.

I am liking little by little a lot. upon first listen however codex, feral, lotus flower and separator were my faves. i think it will take one or two days of listening to familiarize with all aspects of the album and giving verdict on it.

Codex was a paradigm shift from the style of the album seen so far. It was a massive slow down with processed piano strokes and mild icy beats giving an impression of cold music like the Kid A tracks, but also giving you the feel of being tightly wrapped in a coat so that you don't get frozen. Thom's falsetto backed by brass instruments brought in a sense of security and reassurance after a dark song about the bad bad beautiful world. It was a unique ballad unlike any other. They had tried to achieve a slowdown in earlier albums, such as in The Tourist(from OK Computer) and Nude(from In Rainbows), but this was unlike either. The former was more patchy and explicitly said "Slow down" in its lyrics. Nude had more emotional lyrics more to do with love life and chronic depression. Codex was rather positive in its outlook, like a father forgiving and reassuring his son who committed the biggest blunder of his life. "No one gets hurt/You've done nothing wrong" comforts every listener, puts him in relaxation mode and makes him feel good about himself. It also indicates rays of hope in future and the goodness that lies ahead, in the lines "Jump off the end/The water is clear and innocent"

I've had various perceptions of this song each time. The first time, it appeared to me as a track with strong pink floyd influence since it sounded like a processed piano cover of Speak to me/Breathe in a more Greatest gig in the sky style. But I was wrong. With the lyrics, the tranquil brass solo and piano in the background, it's as refreshing as Stairway to Heaven.

And then the song fades out...like a portal opening into some other place...suddenly chirping of birds bursts in...rustling of leaves, the wind, birds flapping their wings, and a thud every now and then, and...

Give up the ghost.

Thom had first played an acoustic version in a low-key solo gig at cambridge for his friend's political needs. The song had great response. I remember coming across comments on youtube saying that he/she hoped this song was just as haunting and raw when it appears on the future records. It was so. The full band version was hardly modified, except for the processing of "Don't Haunt me/Don't hurt me" part, and some very melodic bassline that accompanies a very non-conventional afro-dub crosses folk style of guitar playing and vocals.

This is both lyrically, and musically, a continuation of Codex. The lines "Gather up the pitiful/In your arms" signifies that charity, benovalence and such qualities are what make up for the wrong we've done, knowingly or unkowingly in our past. It's to clean up the mess we've created, and turn to nature for cleansing. "I think we should give up the ghost"

There are so many layers and subtleties which reveal themselves upon multiple listens and this is what i have loved most abt them since the bends.

"Wake me up, wake me up"

Separator provides a very different finish for the album. My favourite Radiohead finisher so far has been Street Spirit(Fade Out.) Though all album ends tend speak philosophy, Radiohead had chosen the dark truth all along, talking about harsh realities, mostly to do with death, or becoming a kid again, trying to view problems in a more simplified way than growing up and complicating it. But Separator had a completely different take. Starting of with "It's like I'm falling out of bed/From a long weary dream" it gives a sense of just having woken up from the dream of problems. But as the song progresses on a more relaxed note with no deep emotions, it gets into philosophy indicating that the whole world is an illusion of senses, analogous to the way one believes what he sees in his dream until he wakes up. But then again, regardless of how pleasurable or harsh it was, he wishes to be there again, in the dream, until it finally dissolves out of his mind as he pursues other activities.

Life is all the same again.

**

His new hairstyle is weird but my favourite part of the video when he puts the hat back grips it and he along with the entire song goes into a feverish state.

The album lasts for less than 40 minutes and none of the songs bore the listener out. Upon first listen, it doesn't even sound special or multi-layered. Perhaps that's the way it's meant to be. Beneath all the layers and experiments, Radiohead has believed in making accessible music. Something very difficult to do. Every album of theirs has attempted in achieving the perfect balance between accessibility and experimentation.

But that's just not it. In the weeks preceding the release, there were articles on the band's blog about how powerful social networking sites have been. But what they had in mind, was seen only when the album was out. Radiohead generated the maximum publicity with hardly any input by announcing the album release just about a week before. Then by preponing it further by a day, they made sure they would have the entire internet going on about them. And then the album was out. Twitter crashed. Blogs and social feeds broke out into a frenzy. People shared the rare experience of listening to an album track by track and sharing their first impressions with each other. Ansh and me being amongst them. I believe for most of us who experienced such a thing on twitter, it was an experience to remember and Radiohead has once again proven themselves why their thoughts and ideas about music and its propogation/distribution is light years ahead of everyone else.

Ah, long session. Life's pretty good here. Working on my play and a short film. Music and anime have kept me going. Glad that The Suburbs won the Grammy. They stand right behind Radiohead for me now. :)

Heard about the Oscars. Was rooting for Social Network. Surprised that it got one for the music! :O

Anyway, talk about more later.

Till my next blog,

Sumanth.

The view from the aftermath.

He didn't know how long he had been standing there in the doorway. The snow had started to fall about an hour ago, and it had slowly began to increase in intensity. It was strange that he didn't feel cold. The people scurrying by were all wrapped in coats and scarves and thick warm gloves, but he, he didn't feel the cold in the slightest. He idly wondered why that was. What the hell, it wasn't important.

2010.
Yet another year for most. To me, it was a mix of a lot of events. I've blogged a few times over the year and they talk a lot about how it went. However, the view from the outside is nothing short of amusing. It's like recording your moments of craziness and laughing over it later.

Part-1: The Seven-Hour Test
It's easily qualifies as the most painful time-period of my life. Worst part being it didn't really help. I flunked the entrance exam and hit an academic all-time low with no idea as to how to proceed. But then, it was also the time when i made some of the best friends I've had.

Part-2: Into the Uni
With some decent luck, I got accepted by a Uni which was sort of my last straw. Life has been bittersweet here. For most of the time, I've been a mismatch and still find it hard to adjust to the people in Uni. My birthday was an underground day with modest celebrations and low-key emotions...but fun nevertheless.

Part-3: Deeper into the Uni
Although life has been peculiar in this place, I've discovered a great deal about myself here. I got the distinction of being the best director among all the freshers. Also my guitar playing has received some attention and we often get together and jam, covering our favorite songs. Life just got a bit better towards the end of the year.

But that's just one way to look at it. Since I was far less busy compared to the previous year, I could get hold of more and more of the ingenious pieces of art that the world had to offer. Be it movies, music, books or TVseries.

Music

2010 has been a year with lots of music. I've listened to over 20 albums over the year and loads of other music that include movie soundtracks and random tracks off compilations.
My top 5 albums of the year are:

5.Unknown Pleasures -- Joy Division

Starting from the album cover, everything about the album is unique and vaguely disturbing. The cover itself signifies the disturbing nature and symbolically represents the hurdles between birth and death. Ian Curtis' depressive baritone swallows all the happiness one could ever think of. I have not-so-good memories attached to this album, but even then, Unknown Pleasures forms an integral part of me.

4.Ágætis byrjun -- Sigur Ros

This is easily among the greatest experiments with music that I've come across. All the ten songs on the album include self-reference: the introduction contains backmasked parts from the title track, and the last song, "Avalon", consists of a different take of an instrumental passage from "Starálfur" slowed to around one-third its original speed. The album title translates to "A Good Beginning"


3.Teen Dream -- Beach House

I came across this album sometime in the latter part of December and instantly fell in love with it. It made me love acoustic guitar again. Among all the synthetic atmospherics of Post punk and ambient music that I had been listening to for most of the year, Teen Dream stood out and shone! In some ways, it reminds me of Bitte Orca and Actor.


2.The Suburbs -- Arcade Fire

I'm at loss to describe this piece of art. A cohesive album that manages to speak a lot at the same time manages to be innovative and personal. It encompasses all the changes in the world that occurred between 1997(OKC Reference) and now. The degrading urban lifestyle, blooming and breaking friendship, the need to move on in life, the way kids see things, the changing seasons...i'm bowled over. It's the most colourful album i've heard in years and came THIS MUCH close to being the best album of the year xD


1.High Violet -- The National

If anything was better than The Suburbs, it was THIS. The soothing, yet electric voice of Matt that pulls you into the song like a vortex, in combination with beautiful drum line and sparks of guitar coming on and off, is High Violet. From the amazing opening track with it's drum-crescendo to the closing gospel style track, the album flows like a river of nectar. I came across this album sometime after my exams were over and since then, it's grown over me enough to define my emotions at certain situations. =)
It's another thing that my voice range comes close to Matt's, and me being able to cover the band makes me highly motivated. =D =D

--

That apart, I've learnt very few songs on guitar last year. But i did get a chance to try and perfect on some of my favourite solos on my friend's electric guitar.


Suddenly he discerned a warm beam of light getting brighter, surrounding him in it's glow. It seemed to be beckoning him to its source.
He remembered the stories that he had heard of bright warm lights that people have experienced when they have been clinically dead, before being dragged back to life. The poor bastards.
He waited anxiously in case that should also be his fate, but nothing happened. He seemed to be in room bathed in white light. He had no idea of time, if it was minutes, hours or days. He started to get restless.

Movies:

Although I got to watch a number of ingenious movies this year, I could not catch many of the flicks that released this year due to the isolated location of my Uni. Among those I watched this year, my favourites include Fight Club, Kill Bill, The Departed, Taxi Driver, Scarface, The Dollar Trilogy, Dr.Strangelove and In Bruges. Although, the top ones are:

5.Toy Story 3

4.Kick-Ass

3.Shutter Island

2.Inception
Christopher Nolan has truly outdone himself with his latest movie. It's easily the most popular movie and the one most rooted for at every award. But the last days of 2010 pushed it a rung down. However, it's got a never-seen-before concept put forth with an extra-ordinarily crafted screenplay that's absolutely flawless. If it's Dark Knight for action, it's Inception for true-thriller.

1.The Social Network
THE ONE which pushed Inception a step down. With an amazing script and excellent tongue-in-cheek humour, David Flincher has come with another cult hit which is sure to grab attention. My personal favourites from the movie were Mark's academic probation and the Bill Gates lecture. (xD)
Jesse Eisenberg has played a role that defines a true nerd which is, in fact, pretty inspiring. Andy Garfield has an interesting role and Justin Timberlake did an impressive job. I hated his character in the movie, but it was supposed to be that way and it succeeded in serving the purpose.
As we move on from one decade to another, it's time we see innovation in screenplay where words begin to speak louder than actions and emotions are shown in a more subtle way combined with interesting camera work (love Flincher for this and Fight Club!!), and The Social Network has hit the bull's eye when it comes to perfection.

--

I've read quite a few novels. Will put up the reviews soon.

Oh yeah, my phone, i.e., Sony Ericsson G502 fell in water a couple of months back. Only then i realized how much I was attached to the instrument. I had developed a mild fever that night, and had turned into an insomniac for the next fortnight until it was repaired.
Now it's functioning well, and is a well-acknowledge part of me. My photography, passion for film making, music and of course, communication. Phone.

Arg, that was tiresome. I typed this blog partly because I was waiting to speak out my favourites, and part because it was too much into 2011 already.
I have the Uni Tech and Cultural Fests ahead of me besides the number of tiny menacing tests peppered all over the term. I've been working on a play to put up at the Cult Fest. Will tell more about it in my next blog. :)

Till then,
Sumanth.

Post-Birthday Blog

Hello all,

It's been a long time in a new place and I can see a lot of changes, both inside and around me.
To begin with, on 21st, I turned 18. It was the first time I spent my birthday away from family and with friends. I was woken up at midnight and smeared with cake on my face. It was quite an evening...after all, it's an important milestone in any human's life. You get more liberty, and along with it, more responsibilities. It comes as a package.

I do remember the times in my childhood when I wished I grew up. I used to picture the idealistic college life and how carefree I would be. Only now I realize that I can't really be carefree. Here after, I will be judged based on my actions, and often more prone to being mistaken compared to when I was a kid.

The past three months have gone quite fast, faster than i thought they would, faster than I wished they would. Yep, that's right. For the first one week into hostel life, I wished time went as fast as possible so that I could get back to what I then referred to as 'normal' life. As time passed, the definition of Normal changed. In these months, I've got new friends, met old ones and had a really good time.

Talk on Uni Life

As I've mentioned before, I've joined this Uni called SASTRA University. It has a long full form, let's get to that later. The campus is fairly big, spread across about 200 acres and has Engineering, Management and Law blocks. We have a cricket, football, volleyball ground and a so-so indoor stadium cum gym.

I, like most of the freshers, have been allotted a room in this hostel called Sandipani Sadan which has over 100 rooms, each housing people (well, in most cases.) In the beginning, I had three roommates, but one of them soon left since he had got accepted by a better Uni. Talking about the room, it's about twice the size of an average bedroom and houses four people, three in my case. The restrooms and bathrooms aren't attached and are common for about 8 such rooms. We've a number of these, but most don't have proper bolts on the doors. Every morning, I just hope that I don't run into a homo.

The food is decent, but once in a week we do get something for breakfast that very much resembles wet sand obtained at the sea shore.

Our freshers' courses are at the Mechanical Engineering Block, along with people from all streams. I've Maths, Chemistry, Basic Civil and Mech, C Programming and Engineering Drawing as main courses, besides the regular ones like English, CAD and Personality Development sessions. The wifi connection at the freshers' hostel is pathetic and opens nothing but what's stored in the local servers. Although, the popular sports are streamed in over wifi which can be viewed using VLC Player. I watched the Champion's League matches that way.
Sad as it may be, Uni has a strict rule on dress-code: No T-Shirts. That makes things a bit strange, but you'll get used to it since everyone around you is in normal buttoned-shirt. I mean, the guys.

But nonetheless, Uni life IS fun. I could also unleash my passion for photography seeing many interesting things all around me. There were many picturesque moments, like that time when I could see from the top of my hostel, that it was raining on the other side of the campus. And another instance when there was a small opening in the clouds and the evening sun rays hit down like a portal to the heaven. I've also begun playing Table Tennis on weekends, for two reasons: to enjoy sport as a human, and to reduce some weight since I'm a bit Healthy :P
Last month, I got a chance to go home and brought my guitar and iPod to Uni. It's really a good pass-time to play guitar. I met other guitarists in the hostel and even jammed with a few of them. Last week, a guitarist friend of mine, and I covered Street Spirit by Radiohead. I'm also teaching basic n00b guitar stuff to my roommate. It's really fun teaching another person, watching him or her experience what you went through when you learnt it.

The weekdays just go by in running to lectures, finishing assignments and writing lab records. But weekends are fun. I also went to a nearby town and watched a local movie with friends. The act of roaming in an unfamiliar town with friends was interesting, that I wasn't really much into the movie. And many more small but interesting things happen at Uni, such as late night milk-inspired talks in the terrace or heated arguments in the break between two classes...arguments which stop when one speaks out something stupid and funny...

Life is full of such small moments which give you momentary happiness and sit as a memory deep in your head. I believe it's these small moments in your Uni life that makes you remember and cherish it years after you're out living a completely different life.

I'm off to studying for my next mid-term test that begins on this tuesday.

Until my next blog,
Sumanth.

Out of office autoreply.

Not yet, but soon.

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I've got an Electrical and Electronic Engineering course in Sastra University, Tamil Nadu. The classes begin on 14th, so I'll have to get settled in my hostel room by 13th. For which, I shall be leaving tomorrow.

Obviously, the last week has been very, very hectic for me. In the midst of packing, procuring necessary things and getting mentally prepared, I also had little time to watch a few movies and get hold of some anime. I haven't watched the anime, that's another thing, but I heard that they're some of the best: Neon Genesis Evangelion, GetBackers and Full Metal Alchemist.

Anyway, I won't be watching any of those or listening to any new music for a while.

For the first few months, I won't be having access to internet, and thus may not blog all that often. I'm hoping to get a laptop by Diwali (sometime around November) after which things should get better.

In a few days, my life will supposedly take a huge turn thanks to the following:

--> I'm moving out of home for the first time, away from my family and thus will have to get over my personal attachment and become independent.

--> I need to share a room with three other people which means i will not be having anything 'exclusive' any longer, such as 'my' own room, 'my' cupboard and so on.

--> For the next few months, I'm going to live in a place where's there is little or no connection to the outside world. For instance, they've no television. They've wi-fi enabled all over the campus, but as i won't be taking a computer or my iPod, i can use neither unless i borrow from a friend of mine.

--> I'm not going to get anything instantly. If I feel hungry, I need to walk across the campus to a canteen that's half a mile away and get whatever I want. No refrigerator. It's another thing that the refrigerator at home wasn't very useful in this regard, but i'm going to miss its presence.

--> Talking about being independent, it also includes being disciplined. I need to manage my own things and cannot just drop them around my room...simply because it's not completely mine.

--> I'm getting into an entirely new system of education that's definitely different from our regular high school education. It calls for a different approach to learning...something that I can only learn over time.

--> I'll be living such a life for almost four years, barring the vacations that come twice a year. Although certain aspects will improve as I get settled in my hostel.

Sounds like prison life doesn't it? Well, not exactly. College life is also known for the fun the students have and how they get shaped up as good individuals and better citizens.

Looking at all these, it's both exhilarating and unsettling to consider what lies ahead of me. But it's all a part of life. Sooner or later, I'll have to experience all these...so why not now?

Anyway, I'll keep a little journal to myself where I shall be writing my little experiences. I'll post them when time comes.

I'm off to packing again...and go on a relatively long break from blogging.

Until I blog again,

Sumanth