Light up, light up, as if you have a choice!

SNOW PATROL BABY!! I went to my first big concert, and they were fantastic!! I am a little bit in love with the singer, and the band is really good live.
Best part? The tickets were free.

The Tragedy of a Mundane Death

Between the ages of 13 and 15, the death of two people irrevocably changed the course of my life. The first person was close to someone who has gone on to become one of my oldest, closest and most valued friends, and the second person was someone who held immense relevance to my own existence. Both of these deaths are important not only due to the proximity of these people to me and mine, but also because these were two people taken before their time, people who left behind young families, and those that could have achieved much had they remained alive. The second point is especially relevant. The death of people who leave young, impressionable children behind is always tragic. When both of these people died, the outpouring of grief was like I had never seen before, or since. People still remember these events, and get a little misty remembering these individuals, like they never got over that instant. Since then, almost every year, I have been witness to the loss of at least one person around my age. And each time, the reaction is always the same, disbelief and shock.

Today, I experienced a different kind of death. Someone very close to me passed away last night. Now this person was not someone I am deeply emotionally attached, but rather, someone who has always been around in my life. My whole life, this person has been a significant relative, a familiar presence, if you will. I was shocked to learn that he had passed, and am still unable to truly comprehend it, but back home, there is no shock, there is no tragedy. The real tragedy is that his death had been imminent for a while now, he had seen through most of his responsibilities, he has grown children who are educated and well placed to take care of themselves, and their mother, and most of all, his passing is almost mundane in comparison to those who I had spoken of earlier. The voices on the other end of the phone were calm, distant, almost composed when receiving my condolences.

All of this has led me to my new moment of discovery, that there are people in my life that are going to pass on in the next few years and they are all older, those that have lived their lives out, and those that will not be mourned as deeply by those around them, simply because all things have their time to pass. This discovery is really, really depressing. The idea that the death of someone so close to you is not devastating, not life altering does not sit right with me. In my mind, certain things should be Shakespearean, there should be great tragedy in the death of someone, and great joy in the finding of love. These events should be worthy of poetry and verse, they should change the way you perceive life and they should change the course of your existence.

So I suppose true tragedy lies in the human condition, that is now so cynical, that even the drama of death is lessened by our jaded view of the world.

Democracy, the Media, and them sons-of-bitches, Politicians.

The Prime Minister of Great Britain, with just a fortnight left before his official sign-off, after four hundred and twenty seven years at No.10, launched a blistering attack on the media likening them to a "feral beast" that "tears people and reputations to bits".

Mr. Blair, really? I mean, really? Two weeks before you leave, when you should be preparing for semi-glowing tributes from even the harshest of your critics, of your stay in the Prime Minister's job, you go and criticize the media for doing their job, and entirely fuck up your chances of getting even a half-way decent compliment, and have instead incurred the wrath of newspapers editors everywhere. What was the highlight of your Prime Ministership, Mr. Blair?? The years you spent sucking on George Bush's balls instead of making independent decisions for the UK? Or was it that fantastic ,landmark, historical decision to send troops to both Afghanistan and Iraq, and in the process, sacrificing any sovereignity England might have had, at the altar of the mighty United States?? Your last few years were marked by increasing frustration at your inability to act as anything but a lap-dog for Bush Jr., and now you're pissed off that your reputation has been torn to shreds?? It is easy for you to criticize the media, we all know that you would rather have had no opposition whatsoever to the illegal war in iraq, but really, what the fuck were you expecting, you daft prick??

In the Western world, democracy is viewed as a magical, universal salve to all problems. Its a fix-all for every single situation. The reality is entirely different. Enforcing democracy rarely solves anything. It is merely the start of a long, arduous struggle towards an end that might actually never be reached. America, the world's oldest democracy is struggling to function most of the time, and what democracy, is actually a democracy, when their president rushes off to a war that is illegal, and that is opposed by the majority of the country?? The "of the people, for the people, by the people" mantra, is simply that, a set of words that is recited repeatedly in hopes of invoking its meaning into reality, while actually having no discernible effect. The media is essential in a democratic nation, the fourth estate is the bulldog at the gates, and if it weren't for that particular establishment, democracy which exists in the vaguest sense at present, wouldn't. That is the basis for judging a democracy, its media, and the freedom of speech upon which every democratic nation should rightfully be based. Why the spiel?? Well Mr. Blair, you can not very well to have laurels handed to you for essentially performing fellatio on the American president while in office, can you?? And why criticize the media for doing their jobs, and exercising their freedom of speech, when your own job was woefully mismanaged, to say the very very least?

Politicians do not ensure democracy. If anything, democracy is condemned to politicians by the very nature of its composition, and they must be endured rather than applauded. If Tony Blair was expecting his reputation to remain intact, and not torn to shreds, then perhaps, and this is just a tiny little thought, he should have paid closer attention to his duties while in power, instead of whining like a little bitch, at the very end of it.

AIDS

News of 5 children in Kerala who have been expelled from school for being HIV-positive, against government, and legal orders, has reached me here in England. I can not say that I am shocked at the small-mindedness of the school for expelling these children, and caving into pressure from other parents who do not wish their to be "infected" by mingling with these children.

Let us start with the fact that these parents have most certainly been educated on how exactly AIDS spreads. First of all, Kerala is the most literate state in the country, and if by any chance these people were not aware that AIDS can not be contracted by their children playing or studying with the infected. they were obviously educated after their complaints to the school. So, if they were not in the dark, then the only explanation for their behaviour is that they are petty, narrow-minded, cruel, and stupid people. The school for its part has most definitely failed its students, and its community by simply giving into the pressure exerted by a few individuals, instead of taking a stand, or at least doing as ordered. We must wait to see what happens next, as the school is in violation of the law of the land.

Then, there are reports of studies showing that the numbers of infected persons with HIV in India has been grossly exaggagerated. In my belief, nothing good can come of this information going public. To begin with, we don't know if this study is, in fact, legitimate. We can not say for sure if this information is to be trusted. In a country like India, where, even today, great taboos exist with regards to sex, sex education, and sexually transmitted diseases, we can not afford to have the efforts, and the slow progress made by a committed few in spreading awareness, halted by stupid and unsubstantiated comments such as these. It is irresponsible, and only provides fodder for the moral police who view AIDS as a dirty disease that promotes promiscuity and would rather see it swept under the carpet, than addressed. Even if these reports are to be trusted, the numbers of those affected are in the millions, and the campaigns that promote safe sex, and AIDS awareness can not be stopped, or toned down.

A little leg goes a long way

I learnt a little gem yesterday, and I think it might actually change the way I think of things. So perhaps for the first real time in my entire life, I wore this sexy short skirt thing, with the whole shebang that ususally accompanies that sort of attire, you know, the heels, and the hair and the earrings, and so on. And the reaction to me dressed in the above mentioned, was, well...unexpected.

So, here's the thing, I am not the bombshell-can't-keep-our-eyes-off-her-type of girl for guys. Now, don't get me wrong, by all accounts, I am reasonably attractive, average-looking, great hair(yes I said it myself), and easy enough on the eyes, even if I am a little overweight. However, I have never caught the eye of any guy by just walking into the room, except for once.(and for that I will always love you, Mr. Nagarajan) Yesterday was a completely different story. Despite what my best friends, Gooseberry and Mikosan(not their real names) think, I do not self-perception issues, I call it like I see it, and in this case I have always seen it this way, but yesterday, dear god, yesterday! Instead of going on about it, can I just say, that the guys were all over me, and for the first time ever, I turned heads by simply walking into a room. All because i showed off my rather fantastic legs(again, yes, I said it myself) just a little bit, actually a lot.

So the aforementioned gem, people? A little leg, goes a long, loooong way!!

A happy crush on Orlando Bloom

I just saw the final Pirates movie, and I must say I have a happy little crush on Orlando Bloom. By happy crush I mean that I have fun looking at him, but have no residual feelings of inadequacy and hurt that comes with having a crush on a real person. So there.

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.

In America, this presidential race will see a Democrat win. The Republicans only have a fool's chance of winning. Their frontrunner is a redneck personified, a dull and uncharismatic war veteran, John McCain. The other name that stands out is actor Fred Thompson, who has only recently thrown his hat into the race. With the Bush administration recording its lowest ever numbers in polls of recent, and the Virginia Tech massacare still fresh in the minds of the voters, the Republicans themselves can not think they have any chance at all.

That then leaves us with a Democrat as the winner, and the 2008 race sees two extremely high profile and exciting candidates in the fray, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Senator from New York, and Barack Obama, the Senator from Illinois. Clinton does not interest me, except as an opponent of Obama. I personally find her, harsh, vulgar, and unmotivating. Her stint as the First Lady was marred by controversy, and then completely overshadowed by her reaction to and support of her husband's extra-curricular activities while in the Oval office. Her biggest selling point is the fact that she is a woman. While I am not denying her experience both as a lawyer and an active First Lady, and then subsequently as a Senator, there is no question her biggest appeal is to the female voters as a woman.

Now we arrive at Obama, a first in many respects for the American public. His unusual name is at the very top of the list. American are used to good, regular names, that sound Chrisitian, or at least jewish. They are, in fact, not fans of unusual names, least of all a man with a Kenyan name, and a middle name that is Hussein. Obama is the son of Kenyan man, and a white woman, who was raised in Hawaii. This unusual cultural mix is disconcerting to most Americans who like to see their leaders come from solid backgrounds, and conventional families. Obama is also obviously black, and is probably the first African-American candidate to have a serious shot at the presidency. At 45, Barack Obama, is very young to be running for president, but his youth brings with it a sense of hope and promise for the voting public. Unlike many other candidates, Obama has publicly discussed his use of drugs as a young man, and has not pushed it back into the closet for it to emerge in the middle of his campaign as a scandal. He also has the support of most Hollywood liberals, including Oprah Winfrey who has come out publicly supporting his candidacy for President(which is not really a positive in my book). Obama has also opposed the war in Iraq and has criticized the Bush administration's policy with regards to pulling out American troops from the country.

Obama's biggest selling point is his vitality, and his charisma. Elections are about perception rather than about politics, and Barack Obama clearly wins on that count, he is undeniably appealing to all age groups and all ethnicities, he is attractive with a young family(too young to cause drunken scandals like the Bush twins) and he is the sort of person each person can pin their individual hopes to, whether he does indeed represent those hopes or not.

So, here's the thing, I like the guy, and I think he has a halfway decent shot at rescuing the world from Bush's catastrophic decisions. So, if you're American, and you're reading this, vote for the fella!

Unfinished.

Life is good, I think. People are leaving, but they always do. The weather is reasonable, which is saying something for this part of the world. I have a job, that I might actually be halfway decent at, that's always something. And yet, I have this feeling that something has been left unfinished, like the light was left on somewhere, that the heater is still running, like I left the house without my wallet. You know that feeling when you're running to do a hundred things, and just around the time you've finished the first, your mind suddenly stops, and you remember that you left your grandmother on the bus?? Yeah, that feeling.