halcyon

Can man be a friend with an attractive woman?

2006-01-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit antiquated when it comes to movies, and you can't blame me if I tell you that I'm watching 'When Harry met Sally' only now. Harry sets the tone of the movie by saying that 'A man can't be friends with a woman whom he thinks as attractive, as sex would always come between'. This set me thinking!!

If finding an attractive woman is the main point for a man, then what is that a woman would like to see in a man? Does she envisage a rich guy??

Does this mean that every girl who is attractive have a lot of boy friends? And does she have to be aware that all of them are thinking only about sleeping with her?

Does this also mean a girl who is not attractive need to be worried that she wouldn't find suitors?

Does every man think this way all the time? Does it make the entire male folk a sex-perverted group???

And finally does sex have to be on the mind all the time, even while talking to your friend?

My parents have always complained that I have more girl friends than boy friends, and mind you, most of my girl friends have been the most attractive ones in school, college or now at work and popular as well. It's also not that I have tried hard to be friends with only the attractive ones. But not once have I thought of them in any way other than as a friend. PERIOD!!

It makes me think again, probably that statement was more to create hype to the character of Harry. The world's not like that, because I'm a part of it, and don't think so.

Two contrasting New Years

2006-01-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

2004 brought with it a lot of firsts, and sure it was a good year. It also left me with the last first that it could get me - My first New Year's eve in the US. I was to be at a party with my family and lot of friends in Cherry Hill, NJ. It was one of the best parties that I had ever attended. Wine and Champagne flowed like a river. The menu was simply superb - about 50 items, and the dessert table was filled with various delicacies that you could ever think of. I was awed by all the positive vibes I received that year, and hoped the following year would be the same. Man can't get more greedy than that, can he? Not if you think otherwise.

I stepped foot into 2005 hoping that the new year would be better than the previous year. But it was not to be so. It was a year with only disappointments till the very end, so much so that it left me disappointed as the year bade me farewell. Having welcomed every new year in a club, I decided that this year I would do something different. I was so petrified by 2005, I just wanted i to end; but at the same time ensure that there shouldn't be another 2005. My logic and instincts (if you don't dare to question them) suggested that I be in a place that would welcome the new year the last. And if you are in the west coast, the last place where the new year greets you would be the beach, and yup! that's where I was. We had a whale of a time!! We were able to see the firecrackers along the coast of the Pacific ocean. But apart from that there was peace as the new year set in and tranquility flowed in the guise of water in the ocean. I expected the beach area to be filled with a lively group with lot of strings and bass to welcome the new year. But as the clock struck 12, I was disappointed that I was not part of a rocking crowd, blowing the pipe or wearing a sleazy new year cap to welcome the new year. It was indeed a different kind of new year from the ones that I've experienced before!

2006, I'm not sure what to expect of it, as long as it does not startle me any more, I guess I'd be happy!!

And the word was

2006-01-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

I was rummaging through the shelves of the library sipping a wonderful eggnog spiced with a dash of rum with all the time on my hands, when I discovered the book - And the word was. For a split second, I guessed it was a book that might talk about words. It may sound coincidental, I was listening to "It's only Words" by Ronan Keating when I landed on this book. The attention that caught me was the picture of a demure Indian woman in the inset of the cover page and ofcourse, the catchy title.

Bruce Bauman's debut novel "And the word was" is as crafty as it can get. Bruce etches the character of Dr. Neil Downs in a fantabulous fashion. It's about Dr. Neil Downs, an ER Surgeon in a NYC hospital and his tryst with destiny. An evening in the ER changes his life entirely in the most bizarre manner; his only son Castor, an intelligent high school kid, is shot in the school along with a few others by four unruly kids. All the targetted kids are brought to the ER managed by Dr. Downs. As a doctor, he performs his duty giving preference to his profession over his filial obligations. On the ER table, his son leaves behind all the worldly possessions even before the doctors could revive him. The doctor ensures that the situation is under control before returning to be with his son for the last time.

The world is never a happy hunting ground. When grief strikes it strikes in all directions. Hitherto, Neil thought he had a perfect life and family. As the son is shot, Dr. Downs's wife, Sarah, an aspiring artist in the New York area, is sleeping with a successful promoter. Neil is also being sued by the parents of other kids, on the grounds that he gave preferential treatment to Castor over others. The hospital unable to take up any responsibility prefers Neil to step down. The media plays heavily on Neil and Sarah, and they are in the media for all the wrong reasons.

Unable to withstand any of this, Neil decides to confine himself within the walls of the American Embassy in New Delhi. Here, he's affected by the politics played by the bureaucracy. Never sure if a friend is really a friend - Neil is forced to tread on tight ropes. Sarah in the meanwhile goes into a self-imposed exile. They decide to meet for the unveiling of thier son's grave in New York. The months living apart ignites the passion, and Sarah discovers the pleasures of becoming a mom for a second time which is only short lived. Sarah, in the meanwhile unveils her first exhibition in the city, and reaches the news columns in a manner she always wished.

Sarah visits Neil in India, and they rebuild the trust that collapsed the day Castor dies. The author also succinctly book also plays heavily on the confused state of Neil's Jewish beliefs and the lack of control he had on raising his son as a Jew. The way Neil and Sarah decide not to blame each other for all the grief caused, is really very touchy.

An extra second - Leap second

2005-12-25T14:18:00.000-08:00

On December 31, 2005, as the world awaits for the new year to unfold, we have an extra second on hand. The scientific reasoning behind this reconciliation is that the precision of the atomic clock should be synchronized with the rotation of the earth. The extra second will be added as 23:59:60 to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The world suddenly has a whole second, and what wonders can be achieved in that golden second. Considering that the second is not available till the end of 2005, does this extra second make any sense to any of us?

People are busy partying around the world, waiting hard for the year to end. The new year brings a lot of promise; the agonising wait will only make people binge a little more. In effect, except for synchronizing the clocks, the second adds no value.

On the flip side, if this second was added on another day, the world by large would have benefitted. The money that people could have earned; achievements people could have accomplished; the milestones people could be proud of; an extra second to complete a deadline - the list can go on and on.

But it's not to be so, the second is supposed to be in front of a tv, or in a dingy bar - dancing away to glory!!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-12-24T15:46:00.000-08:00

Running 26, I hate to admit this - I don't like my age. Simply said, I'd prefer not age. But who likes?? I still love to do things that I was doing when I was younger, and doing stuff that adolescents indulge in.

The book - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl was one such book ideally a 4th or a 5th grader would have read. I missed reading it in those golden days and that didn't prevent me from turning it's pages now. It was meant to be a book to keep me company on my flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, a rather short flight of an hour and 30 minutes, perfect to complete the book.

My co-passengers were a couple of well read and highly opinionated individuals. I didn't hesitate a bit to take the book from my satchel and continue my escapade into the pages of the crafty tale. Without tendering an opinion, my co-passengers were curious to know the reason behind my interests in the book - was it for a homework my fictional 4th grader had or whether my mental growth lacked the physical development my body mirrored;-) Apart from either, they failed to come up with another reason. Curtly, I rejected both and my seminal mind sparkled with an idea of a thesis I was working on - "the effect of books on kids during their growing stages ". This answer changed their perception of the holder of the book, and the reminder of the flight was a glossy reminder of the good work I was doing for the development of child pscyhiatry. I hate to admit my lie but there was no other way, because we did exchange the thought of people not living their ages.

Coming back to my subject, I wish I were Charlie. My love for chocolates has outlived any of my other love. The way Roald describes the factory and the chocolates offered to Charlie almost made me a member of the elite group who were an audience to the factory. The manner in which the author notes the paternal grandpa's encouragement to his doting grandson and the way Willy Wonka decides to take in Charlie and his family under his lineage takes you to a level that you can only revel yourself through a medium like the book.

The book has valuable lessons that even a person of my age or older would benefit from. Prior to this book, I was passing through a phase of mixed emotions, and the innumerable books on the subject failed miserably to help me. I was glad that this book brought me out of the phase that I despised and provided the route for a quick exit. Ever since, there has been no looking back!!

The Amityville Saga...

2005-12-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

I just completed reading "The Amityville Horror" by Jan Anson. It's taken me 15 long years to pick the book off the shelf. Having heard about one of the most horrific nightmares faced by the Lutzes, I always felt that I was not ready for the book. But when I decided it was time to get into it, did I start realizing the grim realities the family faced, and started questioning my own beliefs.

I have always awed the ghostly stories and facts that float around, never once questioning their authenticity. And even while reading this, I always believed that the Lutzes were indeed troubled by the disgruntled spirits residing in 112, Ocean Drive. More times than once did I think that I was putting myself in George Lutz's shoe to understand the situation better, did I realize a state of delusion I was in.

The first thing that I have observed since completion is the fact that irrespective of when I sleep, I'm woken up at 3:23 am. For the first couple of days I thought that it was coincidental (George was disturbed from his sleep at 3:15am), but from the third day on, I knew it was something else.

The other startling fact that I term to be coincidental is the number of external inflictions I have succumbed in the days following the book. I should however confess that none of the injuries were of unnatural origins, they were the result of my prowess in the kitchen.

A contradictory fact to the happenings in the Lutzes' and my life is that however cold it is, I am always feeling warm. Especially in the winter months of the Salt Lake valley, when I complain about my indifferent feel people think that I'm bonkers. But would you fault your feeling if the weather hasn't been the way it should be at this time of the year ;-)

With the story fresh in my mind, I'm trying hard to correlate everything happening to me with that of the book. It's time I stop doing so, lest I'd become a subject of derision! It's just that some of the books affect you in more ways than once, and this happens to be one of them.