The Golden Gate Bridge In Picasa Glory

Lake Tahoe

It was a little less than a year ago that I visited Lake Tahoe, a freshwater lake which is located along the border between the states of California and Nevada. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the area is also home to a number of ski resorts and other summer outdoor recreation facilities. Picturesque and pristine, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Emerald Bay, in the picture here is just an example of how straight-out-of-a-picture-postcard Lake Tahoe really is. Interesting places to visit nearby include Heavenly Ski Resort and Squaw Valley, the latter being a Winter Olympics Village.

Also of note here is the fact that Lake Tahoe is one of the best developed and maintained tourist places I have ever come across. Neat, clean, accessible and convenient, it is definitely a great place for tourists. Wish they'd do something like that for tourist places in India. The hustle and bustle of most places can turn you off from the very moment you set foot in most tourist destinations in this country. Not that tourist places should necessarily be secluded, but the crowds and the dirt is what one is trying to get away from, remember?

Readership has fallen to deplorable levels on this blog and I'm sure that one of the major causes is lack of new posts. I shall make an attempt to bring back the faithful by ensuring regularity of posts.

About Time...

Its amazing, the amount of willpower required to maintain a blog. It must be quite obvious that I lack in this essential quality from the fact that this is the first post in about a year. There came a point and time where I'd completely forgotten that Stray Thoughts existed. I come back here, after reading blogs maintained by quite a few people and I've realised how stray these thoughts really are. No poetry, no intense philosophy, no political thought; just arbitrary thoughts passing through my mind. Looking back at some of my posts, the very few that actually got around to getting published, a couple of them seem bemusing or even downright embarrassing, but I'm guessing hindsight does that to one. What this also says is how much of a transformation I seem to have gone through in the period of this one year.

It isn't like things got any better. What I went through has been labeled as one of this University's "greatest screw-ups" by a friend of mine, and yet this entire transformation that I'm speaking of, has been nothing other than positive. Out of academics for half a year, pretty unenthusiastic about everything else, it didn't seem like things could get any worse. And yet, I stand here today and look back at the year gone by and it seems to have done more good than harm. Maybe this setback was what I really needed. Maybe the negativity had to exist but only to spur me on to aspire for a fitter environment for all of us here. That precisely is what I desire to see at our beloved University. A fitter tomorrow. A stronger and healthier tomorrow.

The new batch came in, got treated to the same spread. Some became cool, some mooters, a few adopted higher horizons. Same story all over again. Numerically, this batch seems superior to every other one of its time, as of now. They have higher grades, more people with higher grades. Also, they are as good at ignoring the few at the bottom of the ladder. Another successful batch. Another dream story. Children taken out of school and made into great lawyers, forget what they become as individuals.

On the positive side, this batch injects energy into the football scene here bringing in quite a few talented kids, amongst fears of the enthusiasm dying down, what with the messiah of football graduating. Looking for more positives, can't come up with any right now.

A different bunch of talented and fun-loving kids managed to win both cricket and football this year and yet failed to become the best sporting batch, primarily because they were fun-loving and not award-loving. Unprecedented, this record will take some beating. To surpass this, a batch will have to win both these tournaments without dropping a match. Highly unlikely. Well done, batch of 2011. It would be unfair to fail to mention the overwhelming support they received from their batchmates, unrivaled and abundant.

Spiritus, Outlawed and Invicta deserve special mention and a specific post for them alone can do justice. Beyond spectacular achievements, these events brought about unprecedented bonhomie. Bringing people together, I believe, is the purpose behind the concept of a University fest and this year's editions of Spiritus, Outlawed and Invicta, seem to have achieved that with flying colours.

The finest of our times leave us this year, the last episode of their five years marked mainly by the sentimental, sometimes over-sentimental, status messages on various repositories of the world wide web that provide ample opportunities for most to publish dregs of wisdom. These sentiments have seen diverse reactions, from those living every emotion to those dismissing it all. "This is not the first and only batch to graduate, you don't have to remind us that you're leaving..." opines my accomplice in cynicism. For once, I don't know if I agree.

Quoting people now. Seems like I'll have to come up with mysterious nicknames also. Good fodder for further posts. Hoping this keeps me posting.

Of Airline Scams And Goody Journalists...

Alright, this one goes out to this little friend of mine who accused me of having too few posts on my blog and also small posts at that. Times have been turbulent of late, with the roller coaster touching new highs and stooping to new lows. Have become increasingly intolerant of loud noises that seem to emanate from different corners of this place at random hours. End-semesters are on, and gloom surrounds me. Have managed to put up quite a brave front despite being disallowed in a couple of subjects due to lack of attendance.

The press has not yet had enough of the Shilpa-Jade episode with newspapers alternating between flooding us with photographs of the two with Shilpa taking centrestage on one day and Goody the next. Excitement regarding the cricket World Cup beginning later this month has reached fever pitch giving a prominent national daily published from this city an excuse to fill up space with opinions of unknown scribes on issues ranging from biomechanics to Brand Saurav.

This place is still recovering from the aftermath of what I would like to call the “Mighty Airline Scam”. Though now restricted to being discussed in a lighter vein, this scandal had managed to infuse much-needed energy to the monotony of this place. For further details, kindly attain salvation.

I would love to let this end here but I shall give in to the demands of my brethren and prolong this a little further. The aforementioned scam took place during my short trip to Pune last month. That trip has made me realize that some relationships are true and everlasting. Though life for the people I know over there has changed quite radically, certain bonds have still remained. Also, time and distance have crept in and successfully filtered the true from the temporary.

Trust

Trust, meaning reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing, as per the American Heritage Dictionary. It has various connotations in our daily life. I was reading this article by the Managing Editor of a reputed Indian news channel about the National Judicial Council being set up to "examine all complaints of corruption and misdemeanours against judges". The author goes on to criticise the fact that this Council consists of judges themselves. Where does all of this fit the picture? My question here is "Who do we trust?" We don't trust Senior Judges of the Supreme Court, and want at the least for there to be a Minister, such as the Law Minister on the Council.... Do we trust Ministers? We complain about AXN being banned in India and cry out that Information and Broadcasting decisions are too arbitrary. Would we have put our trust into some other organisation, council or committee handling these matters? This blame game, does it ever end?

Aren't we tired of coming up with solutions that aren't "ideal, but will definitely be better than the current state of affairs"? Are we being bombarded by one too many ideas regarding change, regarding our opinions about the current sate of affairs? Are we really bothered about how racist a television show participant is? Do we trust the wrong people when we decide what shapes our opinion? Do we trust people at all? We don't trust the Brits, they're racist; the I&B Ministry, they're arbitrary; the foreign coach, he's setting up his own kingdom, the National Judicial Council, they're biased.... does this ever end.

In all these questions, I'm trying to point in the direction of what we believe is our opinion, our trust, but is it really that? Are the watchdogs of the government, the shapers of public opinion, going overboard in showing us an alternative utopia? The people that we trust, are they really trustworthy? Is the pasture shown by them really greener? Can we truly rely on their strength, and integrity?

Coffee - The Essence Of Life

Ah!! Cut me and I'll bleed Java! The very essence of life. The creator of moods, the preserver of a feeling of completion, the destroyer of depression. Wonder when people will realise its true greatness. Although the second-most selling commodity in the world, after oil, coffee has always been an underrated beverage. Compare it to wine, beer, even tea in Asia. The ecstacy of an espresso. The captivating charm of a steaming cappuccino. What else can titillate one's senses more than this exotic drink emanating from the beautiful bean. Deals are struck, loneliness is discarded, quarrels are forgotten, all over a cup of coffee.

Every time I've felt tired, lonely, calm, happy, ecstatic; a faithful cup of coffee at my favourite cafeteria has been my companion. Along with a few of those all-time favourites crooning on the jukebox (Damn, I wish they had Coming Back To Life by Pink Floyd). It has helped many a friend recover from the depths of depression. Many have found it as a perfect mode of celebration. If only this incredible gift of God received what is truly due of it.

Indeed, as they say, a lot can happen over coffee. A lot has happened. A lot remains to happen. Cheers!! To Coffee!!

In The Loop

Tired. Been cynical all my life. Incomplete. This place has dissolved my insides.. I'm hollow. My mind does not control my actions anymore. Caught in a world where all my actions are mere involuntary reflexes. I scream. I cry. Where is life taking me? My head hurts. I want to escape, break free. Is it justice I seek..? What is it that I lack? Why is it that when I'm alone in my room, negativity surrounds me? Why do I strive for that better life, for that ray of light when I know that it will forever elude me?

Friends offer temporary relief. Those plastic smiles, those small moments of happiness..... Is there anyone who can make me feel better? Is there a way out of this downward spiral? I might sound confused, some say I need to be more positive, optimistic...... Spontaneous words of engineered minds. Will people ever learn? What is the perfect life they struggle to achieve? A blind pursuit of material satisfaction until the truth hits them. Enlightened when they realise the follies of their ways. Turned to spirituality and God after making the same mistakes their predecessors made.

Same problem. Same Solution. Infinite Loop.