A Good Laugh

Two and half hours of laughter at Radio City Music Hall, NYC. Can life get any better ?? :) Russel Peters is so much better in real life. Even the few old jokes cracked me up.

Musing

I was reading an article about a study which is looking for aliens among earthlings and the research is being done at some of the most prestigious colleges in the world. Made we wonder how many years it would take for someone to earn a PhD in such a "out-of-the-world" topic. After all my PhD with a very realistic topic is not making much headway. I mean do they have to wait till the martians take over earth to graduate. Boy !! thats a real long wait. I think I am better off :).

Lesson

Many years ago I had an argument with my Dad. I thought he was being very pessimistic and cynical, he thought I was being childish and naive. We finally agreed to disagree and we were both sure one day we would prove each other wrong. Today after what feels like a lifetime I have to very grudgingly admit that my Dad was right and I was wrong. It took me many years and many rought times to know that I was not right. Now I wonder if I would have lived life differently if I had believed in my Dad then. Maybe it was better I didn't. Certain knowledge comes with maturity, bitter experiences and an imperfect life. At the age of fifteen I think it's impossible to fathom that life will treat you any other way but with the highest regard. My total disregard of my Dad's opinion was a reflection of my innocence and optimism. A teenager who imagines that life is a bed of roses and the world is at their feet. Good times.

Lunatic in My Head- A Review

Since the day I heard about the book, "Lunatic in my Head" I had been waiting eagerly for a chance to get my hands on a copy of this book. After all it was a book about Shillong, written by an author who grew up in my Shillong with characters based in my quaint little home town. How could I not want to read this book. Finally on my trip home I managed to get it, a gift from my sister.
The book relates the story of four very different people in mid 1990s Shillong, people who had lived for years in this city but were still outsiders. People who had no other place to call home but still didn't belong in Shillong. Just like the pace of life in Shillong there is something slow and painfully consistent in the life of characters. It's like nothing ever changes. Nothing ever changes in Shillong, not the rains, not the riots, not the extortion, not the smell of pine, not the pain, absolutely nothing. Reading the book was like listening to my Dad talk about life in Shillong. There was nothing new or nice in the stories but you listen anyways. The book also ends fairly abruptly with absolutely no progress in the story. Yes it felt like Shillong, my home where nothing ever changes.