Just another goddam Wednesday

Today was one of the freakiest days in May.

Let me begin by getting into the scene where I get out of my house. I had just got inside the parked car and started it, when a lady came knocking on the window, yelling something. On rolling down the window, I understood that she was yelling 'Naaayu', at me. That means dog in Tamil.

Not knowing much of Tamil, I was sitting there with an amused look on my face, wondering why in the hell is this woman calling me a dog. Slowly I understood that what she was trying to say was that there's a darn dog beneath the car!

So I got out of the car and took a peep underneath, and found a skeleton-like black dog, with froth on its face. It didn't look like a rabid dog, so I tried yelling at it, and poked it with a stick. The darn thing just would not move. Even on revving the car, or hooting the horn. Ah..what a wonderful start to the day.

I headed back inside and got my room mates out. On realizing that the dog was pretty stubborn, Roy gave a marvellous whacking to the dog, and the critter yelped and ran away. As it ran away, I noticed that its tail would look more apt on a mouse than a dog.

I try to read the signs that fate gives these days. Call me superstitious! So I was expecting the worst to happen today as I set out for office. By mid day, I was supposed to take Aaron to Thiruvanmiyur railway station, from where he could catch a metro train and go to the Chennai Central railway station, where he had a train scheduled to depart at 1600 hours headed for Trivandrum.

I got out of the office at around 1400 hours, but he was caught up in some work and we were able to reach Thiruvanmiyur only by around 1500 hours. I dropped him there and came back to the office, and was slowly settling into my seat when he called up. I looked at the time in the computer, and saw that it was almost 1530. The metro train hadn't showed up there so far apparently! This was going to be a close call.

It takes around half an hour to travel to Central from this station. A train came to the station while we were talking. I wished him all the best, and resigned myself to fate. Around 1630 hours, I rang him up to see what had happened, and was so damn happy to hear that he had caught the train, albeit in cinema style! When he reached the platform lugging two heavy bags, he saw that the train was moving already.

Somehow he ran up, threw the bags in and jumped in..to the Ladies compartment. Well at least he got in the train. Whew.

The task for the evening was to go to Kilpauk to collect a T-shirt that we had custom made for Fox. I started at around 1800 hours, went to Navalur and picked JK up. From there till Kilpauk it was hell of a drive. More of a hell than a drive, rather. The traffic was so bad that it took us 2 hours to get there. I was exhausted.

After collecting the T-shirt, I handed the keys over to JK and decided to relax on the way back. Unfortunately, I am a pretty bad backseat driver. We were caught by the police for jumping the signal in front of the Chennai Central railway station on the way back. It was unintentional. The damn thing goes from green to red just like that. I don't think there were any yellow lights present in that signal post.

To compound things JK hadn't taken his license with him. Somehow he cooked up a story saying that I was ill, and that's why he had to drive at short notice, without a license. The cop wanted money. He opened his wallet and found only a Rs 500 banknote, much to his chagrin. On seeing that the cop wanted 550 bucks. Finally since we didn't have change, we escaped from there with Rs 600 less. The cop had become really amiable after that.

We had some pretty close misses on the way back. Thankfully nothing happened. Finally we reached our usual hotel, and found that the damn thing was closed! Somehow managed to reach home in one piece without too much damage....!

The ghost in my shell

Many a time in my life, have I been mesmerized by certain motion pictures. Their celluloid realities could convey to me embedded messages which hinted at the meanings of life. Among such films, 'Waking Life', had a profound effect on me, my thoughts, and my perspective. I had watched this one a long time ago, in a city far, far away...

I had been waiting for a long time for a movie which would leave me spellbound again, and rearrange my visions. In the month of May 2008, I happened to come across another movie which changed my perspective.

Ghost in the Shell (aka Kôkaku kidôtai) (1995)


The core of the storyline is comparable to the paradox of the ship of Theseus.

"The Ship of Theseus, also known as the Theseus' paradox, is a paradox which raises the question of whether an object which has had all its component parts replaced remains fundamentally the same object." - From Ship of Theseus.

The object is a human being in 'The Ghost in the Shell'. Major Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg, whose body has been enhanced through cybernetic implants, to such an extent that there is very little which can be said to be her own, in her body. Her shell has been replaced, and her life force or the ghost, residing in the shell, is what defines her existence, and makes the shell to be Major Kusanagi.

Every day, cells in our bodies are destroyed, and regenerated. I am told that there is nothing left in our bodies which was originally present when we were born. Still we do remain the same. The same ghosts reside inside our shells.

The ghost seems to be an entity which is beyond destruction and regeneration in the normal course of the growth of the body. Rather, it seems to grow its footprint by taking in the experiences it gleans while being in the shell. What exactly defines the ghost? Is it the brain? It might well be the brain, as once the brain is separated from the shell, the shell seems to lose life. I guess that the ghost gives life to the shell.

The shell doesn't really need to be entirely organic in its makeup. We do have walking examples among us, of people with pacemakers, artificial organs and prosthetics, who still essentially retain the core of their being. That is, they do not cease to exist as the entities they were, prior to the implants.

If the process is continued to such an extent that every part of the body is replaced by something artificial, while still maintaining the being as such, would mean that, that being has gained immortality in a way. As the shell degrades or becomes obsolete, the ghost could be transferred into a more able shell.

I could draw parallels to this with religion. About the soul, and how it is caught in the cycle of birth and rebirth, until it is liberated. A question which I have is, if the ghost is transferred into new shells via material powers, then what is the role of God in that? The cycle of birth and rebirth could one day, become something which is controlled by humans, or cyborgs.

Does the cycle of birth and rebirth in the Gita actually refer to the multiple times when the entire body is replaced by new cells as part of the body's growth? Is death really nirvana, while we are being reborn every instant a cell dies, assuming that the cell is the smallest entity of life?

So many questions. At a point in the movie, the Major tells Batou that she has been modified so much, that she doesn't know whether her ghost itself is real. I do not know how to end this post.

Blind Willow Sleeping Woman

Everyone but me has been reading through this one. Wonder when shall I find the inclination to savour it..

The ugly rut

Being in a rut once more, has begun to take its toll on me. Every morning I refuse to wake up. I force myself not to hear the screeching alarm emitted by my phone. My room mates say that it wakes up everyone except its intended victim. Waking up at 1030 in the morning in a city as warm as Chennai, is one thing. But the realization that you have to trudge one kilometer in the searing heat to reach the metro bus stop at SRP Tools, and then take the crowded T51 Thiruvanmiyur-Tambaram bus to Sholinganallur, is not exactly a pleasant one. Its downright depressing. So much so that I usually end up not going to the office. At this rate, I guess I should be readying myself for the surprise call from the HRs requesting me to sign my own resignation, or be dishonourably discharged, if I may use that phrase.

I have to go have dinner tonight. Watch a movie or two maybe. Play Dota. Sleep. Then again it is the same hot summer day tomorrow. I hope that some winds of change decide to blow my way one of these days, and lift me from this state of nothingness.

tag

took this tag from niki-chan.

1. Where were you THREE hours ago? --- home.

2. What SHOULD you be doing right now? --- sleeping

3. Are you wearing SOCKS right now? -- nope


4. When was the last time you went out of STATE? ---- may 1

5. Have you been to the M0VIES in the last 5 days? ----nope

6. What did you see? ........ pass

7. What was the last thing you had to drink? .....rum

8. What are you wearing right now? --- trousers

9. What was your last purchase? ---- sausages, cheese, bread, tomatoes and onions

10. Last food you ate? ---- the McRoyal ( created by me and my room mate James)

11. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? ---- mom

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? ---- yep! some shirts and jeans

13. Do you have a pet? ---- not right now. have 4 cats @ my home.

14. What did you do last night? ---- played drunken dota

16. If you could be anywhere you want where would it be? ---- varkala papanasham beach

17. What is the last thing you purchased online? --- railway ticket to trivandrum

18. One thing you like about yourself? ---- the energizer bunny kinda walking ability

19. What's your favorite soup? ---- anything goes..

20. Do you miss anyone? ---- not really

21. Last movie you saw? ---- Ghost in the Shell

22. What are your plans for the day? ---- i guess there are some plans afoot for prince caspian.

23. Did you have fun today? ---- overdose

24. Who is your last text message from? ---- magneta

25. Were you an honor roll student in school? ---- what was that again :-/

26. What do you know about the future? ---- tomorrow is another day.

27. Who was the last person you rode in a car with? ---- james and fox

29. Do you have a tan? ---- tanned? i am fried by the damn chennai sun.

30. How old do you want to be when you have kids ---- dead

31. Did you meet anyone new today? ---- nope

32. Do you have any tattoos or piercings? ---- nope. gona get a tattoo

33. How do you like your soda? ---- with salt and lemon juice

34. Do you like hot sauce? ---- never had the chance

35. What are you doing tomorrow? ---- going for a movie

36. What day is tomorrow? ---- sunday may 18th

37. What is your current mood? ---- dazed

38. Why? ---- got messages from someone

39. What did you do today? ---- already answered this question.

40. What is your favorite class? ---- english

41. If you could be on a TV show, which one would it be? ---- whose line is it anyway

42. Why? ---- so i can laugh to death

43. Have you ever watched a movie and just "had" to do what they did? ---- i tried to bend spoons like the bald kids in the matrix

44. Do you have a "face" you make in the mirror? ---- too too many!

45. Ever use someone else's toothbrush? ---- not so far

46. Do you like/love the person you got this survey from? ---- yes she is awesome :)

47. Can you whistle? ---- kinda

48. Can you wiggle your ears? ---- yep!

49. You have a song that comes on that you just "have" to turn up and sing to? ---- of course. diabolo menthe

50. Who are you thinking about ? ---- nothing..sad to have nothing to think of :(

1. Where were you at 1am friday morning? ---- at home fiddling with a computer

2. Were you happy when you woke up today? ---- yes and no

3. What are you doing tomorrow? ---- how many times do i answer this!

4. How's your heart lately? ---- vigorous

5. Do you think you will be in a relationship three months from now? --- i don't wana be in one anytime soon.

6. What are you listening to? ---- fan

8. Do you need to say anything to anyone? ---- thanks for reading this silly tag! :-D

9. What were you doing at 7am? ---- sleeping like a baby

11. Do you trust easily? ---- yep..my biggest vice

12. When was the last time you were given roses? ---- i guess feb

13. Do you drink tea? ---- i am an addict. more than 5 times a day.

14. Do you wet the toothbrush before or after the ---- before, maybe....

15. Do you watch the news daily?? ..... nope. i am a stranger to this world

16. What's the closest pink thing to you?? ---- a cough syrup called chericof

17. Have you ever kissed someone with braces? ---- nope

18. How many pillows on your bed? ---- 5 (just one is mine!)