The two held hands,
tight,
in Basantapur, by the temples,
as they watched the Sun set,
behind the hills.
He said casually,
feminism is selfish.
Peopleism is where it's
really at.
No,
she said, I don't think so.
And lo,
what a barrage of words it provoked! ,
him trying to make his point.
And later
that night,
they said goodbye
to one another.
On his way back,
He was afresh
with sweet memories of the
sunset.
And of the hands
that were held.
On hers, she walked
With fear
And steps brisk
on the alley
chosen deliberately
that would get her
the fewest
catcalls.
Stolen from a poem by a friend.
Astro logic
Attention everyone. According to our calculations, something big will happen at exactly 9.47 in the PM tomorrow, which will change the fate of the nation forever. Please practice restraint and patience specially for the time period.
Attention everyone. We have gotten reports that nothing of note happened at 9.47 in the PM yesterday. It appears that one of our interns made a rounding error due to issues related to floating-point Math in computer programming languages that she was unaware of, and that lead to error in our calculations. We apologize profusely, and assure you that such errors will not be repeated again.
Attention everyone. Everyone who's a Capricorn should avoid wearing anything read for the rest of the week. The alignment of the planets and the stars is such that the wrath of Shani shall fall upon red-wearers who are Capricorn.
Attention everyone. There have been multiple requests for us to explain our prediction made earlier in the day. We wish to clarify that we are not divine psychologists. We are merely astrologers, and like you we cannot fathom what Shani could possibly have against Capricorns wearing red this week. Probably something to do with his relationship with his mother, if you ask us, but then we are not psychologists. Please consult your local astral psychiatric professional for further advice on the matter. thank you.
Attention everyone. Whoever is hiding all our stuff, and posting notes that say 'if you can see the future, why don't you predict where I hid it?', please kindly stop doing so. We can just analyze the astrological patterns and predict the likelihood of future actions, like meteorologists do with weather. We do not have the power of prescience or omniscience. Our apologies if this had been miscommunicated. Thank you all.
Attention everyone. We have been getting suggestions asking us to put likelihood percent behind our predictions like meteorologists do with their predictions. We wish to clarify that while the two fields are same in essence, there are a lot of complex factors in our field that stop us from putting such numbers in our predictions. Ours is an ancient knowledge founded on thousands of years of wisdom, so it does not need to be justified by made-up numbers to act as a hedge against the possibility that it might be wrong.
Everyone, no, we are not going to make an astrology app like your weather app. No, we are not going to give you likelihood of accidents. No we can't tell you which team will win. And we will most definitely not agree to double-blind tests. Such small things diminish the greatness of our ancient and great field, and we do not wish to lower it to others' level.
In an unrelated news, we are shutting down this account. For support for purchased items, please call the support number listed on your product. For general queries please call the general number on our website. Have a good day! No, wait-- we know you will have a good day! Joking! We can't, without knowing your birthstars and family and a whole lot of other things, haha!
Attention everyone. We have gotten reports that nothing of note happened at 9.47 in the PM yesterday. It appears that one of our interns made a rounding error due to issues related to floating-point Math in computer programming languages that she was unaware of, and that lead to error in our calculations. We apologize profusely, and assure you that such errors will not be repeated again.
Attention everyone. Everyone who's a Capricorn should avoid wearing anything read for the rest of the week. The alignment of the planets and the stars is such that the wrath of Shani shall fall upon red-wearers who are Capricorn.
Attention everyone. There have been multiple requests for us to explain our prediction made earlier in the day. We wish to clarify that we are not divine psychologists. We are merely astrologers, and like you we cannot fathom what Shani could possibly have against Capricorns wearing red this week. Probably something to do with his relationship with his mother, if you ask us, but then we are not psychologists. Please consult your local astral psychiatric professional for further advice on the matter. thank you.
Attention everyone. Whoever is hiding all our stuff, and posting notes that say 'if you can see the future, why don't you predict where I hid it?', please kindly stop doing so. We can just analyze the astrological patterns and predict the likelihood of future actions, like meteorologists do with weather. We do not have the power of prescience or omniscience. Our apologies if this had been miscommunicated. Thank you all.
Attention everyone. We have been getting suggestions asking us to put likelihood percent behind our predictions like meteorologists do with their predictions. We wish to clarify that while the two fields are same in essence, there are a lot of complex factors in our field that stop us from putting such numbers in our predictions. Ours is an ancient knowledge founded on thousands of years of wisdom, so it does not need to be justified by made-up numbers to act as a hedge against the possibility that it might be wrong.
Everyone, no, we are not going to make an astrology app like your weather app. No, we are not going to give you likelihood of accidents. No we can't tell you which team will win. And we will most definitely not agree to double-blind tests. Such small things diminish the greatness of our ancient and great field, and we do not wish to lower it to others' level.
In an unrelated news, we are shutting down this account. For support for purchased items, please call the support number listed on your product. For general queries please call the general number on our website. Have a good day! No, wait-- we know you will have a good day! Joking! We can't, without knowing your birthstars and family and a whole lot of other things, haha!
Writing update
I am pretty much giggling as I write this. Not entirely sure why.
For the novel writing month in November, I wrote about 14, 000 words. That was the closest I've ever gotten to writing a novel, and it was mostly shit -- but so is most of this blog. In any case, congratulations to me!
As of now, I am 5000 words into a novel/series, am enjoying writing it, and would likely not be too embarrassed publishing. It's only been 4-ish days since I started, but I know exactly (in general) where this is going to go, and the coffee is fueling me. Oh, did I say I started drinking coffee. I had a cup yesterday and a cup today, but that is twice as much as what I have had in the preceding six months.
My 'exile' will soon come to an end, it appears, and I can go back to socializing again.
Other news: BJ Novak is a lot smarter than you would think from his performance in the office, but he's still not the best writer ever. His book whats-the-name has some good ones, you should read it if you can manage.
I am currently averaging 5 books a week. Take THAT, people with actual lives and friends.
For the novel writing month in November, I wrote about 14, 000 words. That was the closest I've ever gotten to writing a novel, and it was mostly shit -- but so is most of this blog. In any case, congratulations to me!
As of now, I am 5000 words into a novel/series, am enjoying writing it, and would likely not be too embarrassed publishing. It's only been 4-ish days since I started, but I know exactly (in general) where this is going to go, and the coffee is fueling me. Oh, did I say I started drinking coffee. I had a cup yesterday and a cup today, but that is twice as much as what I have had in the preceding six months.
My 'exile' will soon come to an end, it appears, and I can go back to socializing again.
Other news: BJ Novak is a lot smarter than you would think from his performance in the office, but he's still not the best writer ever. His book whats-the-name has some good ones, you should read it if you can manage.
I am currently averaging 5 books a week. Take THAT, people with actual lives and friends.
Deep thoughts
At this point in time, when inhibitions are lowered, and one can dare do braver things, what would one like to do the most?
Be friends with the nicest, sweetest, cutest person in recent memory. Call her, hang out with her and see where things go.
Happy St Patrick's Day everyone! For the world except Ireland and drunken USA: guys it's a big Deal in the Northeast k? And the cutest of servers was eyeing me, so I'm an oaf not to have talked to her. Ugh. K bye.
Lessons learned
They say you can ignore your bullies away. That may be true (unless the bully wanted to be ignored, I guess), but you most definitely cannot ignore life's other problems away. They will come bag with greater vengeance, and cause you greater hard than they would have otherwise. The only way to deal with non-bully problems of life is to deal them while they're hot. I have to be reminded that regularly. I wish I put more commitment into taking it into heart.
Past me versus present me
Past me absolutely knew what present me (right now) would do, and took very strong actions such that my decisions were made much harder. Past me messed up: he didn't have all the facts, but had a whole lotta' bluster, and wanted to bind present me by very strict parameters. He didn't leave me lot of choices, knowingly. Knowing what I do now, past me should have made a lot more compromises and taken a larger share of issues, rather than putting the present me in difficult scenario. I would punch past me for very extremely specific reasons, though for everything else, he has been just as good as I have always been. Some days may be bad, but life is good. : )
Note to self: do not dig a literal ditch for your future self to fall into, if you know you're going to disagree with his actions. "Building character" is something parents tell their kids to make them do things they don't want to, and is not a realistic standard to hold yourself up to. The different versions of you temporally will absolutely disagree with each other, on major and minor things, but making life extremely difficult for your future selves is not a good response to the knowledge they'll make mistakes you know you won't. One should really learn to love their future and past selves as much as they love their present selves...
Note to self: do not dig a literal ditch for your future self to fall into, if you know you're going to disagree with his actions. "Building character" is something parents tell their kids to make them do things they don't want to, and is not a realistic standard to hold yourself up to. The different versions of you temporally will absolutely disagree with each other, on major and minor things, but making life extremely difficult for your future selves is not a good response to the knowledge they'll make mistakes you know you won't. One should really learn to love their future and past selves as much as they love their present selves...
time as a great equalizer
You may be old, you may be young, you may be rich, and you may be
poor, you may be rich or you may be ailing. We are all in the same place
though... and you don't even have to wait for 'the end' to get there.
Time equalizes everything. Be careful how you treat people. You will
most likely end up in their places at some point.
Scary words
In all truth, there is no step, thought, action, or lack of action under
the heavens which could not be punished by the heavy hand of Article
58.
-Solzenhitsyn, on the notorious Article 58
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_58_%28RSFSR_Penal_Code%29
-Solzenhitsyn, on the notorious Article 58
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_58_%28RSFSR_Penal_Code%29
Not good news
Planning is an inherently optimistic act. It relies on the implicit expectation that things matter. That, as unpredictable as the world is, it is still worth planning for tomorrow, the next month, the next year. Things may not be perfect, but they'll be good enough for me. When one gives up planning entirely, one gives up hope of a future one looks forward to.
In completely unrelated news, I've completely stopped very short term planning. It's not like I'd go through them anyway.
Reading update
I'm reading One day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn.
The genius of the novel ( quite short at~130 pages), which is about a Russian soldier falsely accused of treason and sent to a Siberian Gulag, is not that it's as dark as you would expect.
Here's the last paragraph:
Shukhov went to sleep, and he was very happy. He'd had a lot of luck today. They hadn't put him in the cooler. The gang hadn't been chased out to work in the Socialist Community Development. He'd finagled an extra bowl of mush at noon. The boss had gotten them good rates for their work. He'd felt good making that wall. They hadn't found that piece of steel (he'd hidden on his body) in the frisk. Ceasar had paid him off in the evening. He'd bought some tobacco. And he'd gotten over that sickness.
If you read the whole story, and if you're anything like me, this is a terrifying story though. With obvious torture and 'darkness', you know what you're fighting against. Your body and your will are actively opposing the injustices forced upon you. With a treatment such as this, the point of your humanity is reduced. The sole purpose of your existence then becomes following the wishes of the Commander for as long as possible, and surviving the longest.
Two things jumped out at me the most here.
1. Some blame the obesity crisis in the West amongst the baby-boomers to their parents. Those who had gone through WWII and the rationing involved wanted their kids to have the best food -- the sweetest, fattiest, richest food they could afford. Such food was reinforced as desirable, which led to the baby boomers' high rates of obesity and related heart diseases. I read somewhere that it is that generation which has been outlived by its parents the most (who went through tough times themselves, mind) in recent history. If I were such a parent, I can see myself doing so. Even after having foreseen the consequences.
2. It scares one of the Soviet Gulags, of course, but also reminds me of the pathetic situation of the American judiciary/law enforcement system. More importantly, it feels too close to home on how much similar it feels to working as worker in a capitalist system.
The genius of the novel ( quite short at~130 pages), which is about a Russian soldier falsely accused of treason and sent to a Siberian Gulag, is not that it's as dark as you would expect.
Here's the last paragraph:
Shukhov went to sleep, and he was very happy. He'd had a lot of luck today. They hadn't put him in the cooler. The gang hadn't been chased out to work in the Socialist Community Development. He'd finagled an extra bowl of mush at noon. The boss had gotten them good rates for their work. He'd felt good making that wall. They hadn't found that piece of steel (he'd hidden on his body) in the frisk. Ceasar had paid him off in the evening. He'd bought some tobacco. And he'd gotten over that sickness.
If you read the whole story, and if you're anything like me, this is a terrifying story though. With obvious torture and 'darkness', you know what you're fighting against. Your body and your will are actively opposing the injustices forced upon you. With a treatment such as this, the point of your humanity is reduced. The sole purpose of your existence then becomes following the wishes of the Commander for as long as possible, and surviving the longest.
Two things jumped out at me the most here.
1. Some blame the obesity crisis in the West amongst the baby-boomers to their parents. Those who had gone through WWII and the rationing involved wanted their kids to have the best food -- the sweetest, fattiest, richest food they could afford. Such food was reinforced as desirable, which led to the baby boomers' high rates of obesity and related heart diseases. I read somewhere that it is that generation which has been outlived by its parents the most (who went through tough times themselves, mind) in recent history. If I were such a parent, I can see myself doing so. Even after having foreseen the consequences.
2. It scares one of the Soviet Gulags, of course, but also reminds me of the pathetic situation of the American judiciary/law enforcement system. More importantly, it feels too close to home on how much similar it feels to working as worker in a capitalist system.
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