Jan 23, 2010

Democracy ..A joke

Yesterday i saw a note "The 61st  Republic Day  Celebrations on 26-Jan-2010 9:25 AM onwards ". I doubted majority of the Indians dont know what's that abt. So i m jotting my frustration on most of the indians who are very gud at thinking but never took the initiative to do and always living in the fantasy of being a super power and discussing proudly abt a half naked indian who is responsible for their present glory.

Is democracy a joke in India? To a patriot, this question may be offensive, and hopefully to an alert national security officer, suspicious of an anti-social element. If not, which is the way most will retort, then why is it that I find myself in a society where justice is bought for a price?, and where those who have "connections" have access to their rights,As we all split ourselves into clusters based on our religion and region .

"It is the way things are", "Grow Up", "Stop living in a dream, these are the realities of the world" - I am sick of hearing these patronizing shit. Of course I know the truth, I can see it in front of me. But to be honest, I am disturbed by the truth. Actually, it is more like I now choose to be disturbed by the truth. 

Jan 18, 2010

Exploring Paris ..







     The Eiffel Tower is amazing, it’s true. And the Louvre and L’Arc de Triomphe are massive and impressive. All the things you’ve heard about Paris, in fact, are true. It’s a city of immense beauty and wonder and rarely does anything disappoint.But still, many of its charms are in the small nooks and lesser-known areas. If you wander off the beaten path, you’ll be rewarded with small delights like hidden courtyards, homemade ice cream and cute old-timers shuffling down cobblestone streets with their baguettes in one hand and French bulldogs in the other , beautiful French girls and Old People playing Petanque .


Louvre Pyramid is 20 years old ...



I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but I rarely read the newspaper or watch the news in Paris. There's just not enough time to track down Anglophone news sources or translate French ones. The sad thing is, I go home and realize nothing's really changed. The world is still fighting the same wars, elected officials are still misbehaving and the same issues are being debated with nary a resolution in sight.


But sometimes someone from home will send a bit about France or Paris that I'm happy to read—like 
this NPR piece on the 20th anniversary of I.M. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre. Thanks, Swapna!

Jan 8, 2010

Things I love in Paris....

• I luv Eiffel Tower(I thought of building one in Vijayawada but really worried about the 7,300 tons of iron, 2.5 million rivets, and some blueprints
• The efficiency of the Metro
• The way little French kids say “maman!” and “papa!”
• The warm, pinkish glow of the streetlights on side streets
• That I can look out the window and see the Eiffel (maison room)
• The warm yeasty, buttery smell of boulangeries

• French babes in summer :)

Jan 3, 2010

New Year Resolutions ...

In the next six months, I want to go to the Opera and hike Fountainebleau. And I want to improve my French. I want to write more articles, take more guitar classes and take advantage of more cultural events and gatherings. I want to go jogging more often, and there’s a long list of museums that I must hit. I want to meet more people—both locals and expats—and spend quality time with the friends I’ve already made. And then there’s travel—on the list: Portugal, Corsica, Lyon, Berlin, Russia….

When I came to Paris almost 28 months ago, I had my list of goals that I wanted to accomplish by year’s end—much like New Year’s resolutions. Some worked out better than others. Take Swimming
 classes: check. Embrace leisurely Sundays: getting better at it. Obtain French proficiency: not yet.



Here’s to an amazing 2010—the start of a new year, a new decade and a million spectacular moments!


Simple Fact :(



“In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
—Mark Twain