Crayon Physics

I am addicted to this game these days - Crayon Physics. It's this "simple" puzzle game which involves transferring a ball from pt. A to pt. B. There are obstacles in the course. You have to draw shapes which would "behave" as per their physics to help you overcome these obstacles. Like if you make a box in the air..it falls down due to gravity. You can make fulcrums..springs..anything and everything in order to push the ball to its destination. The simplicity of the game strikes you at the first sight. A crumpled piece of paper and a crayon is all there is on your screen. The drawings that you make are very realistic. It always ends up like the drawings that we used to do when we were kids. It tests your creativity and there are soo many ways to solve a problem. You can download the demo here.

Chaos!

Oh my god..all hell is loose!! The latest "moral policing" incident in a Mangalore pub left me aghast. The Ram Sena guys "protecting" our "indian culture" by beating up women! Is there any space left for sanity nowadays! I really dunno how does beating up a woman fit in our "culture". There are ppl raping women ..cops harrasing victims...no kind of "sena" is stopping them...ohh no..maybe all of that is in our culture but going to a pub is not! The worst part is that our so-called leaders agree with this stupid viewpoint. Karnataka's CM condemns the "pub culture" saying that its wrong and against our culture! Damn..I say if this is our culture, hell, lets do away with it once and for all!

The sh*t continues

Damn..just woke up and the first thing I got to read was that 2 terrorists were shot dead in Noida today morning! The Uttar Pradesh ATS guys got information that 2 armed criminals were trying to enter Delhi in a car. They caught hold of them and chased them. An encountered ensued in which the terrorists were injured. They were declared dead when they were taken to the hospital. Some hand grenades, AK-47s and RDX were recovered from the f*ckers. Apparently they were planning some kinda attack on Republic Day. Phew!..good thing the ATS guys caught hold of 'em..or did they? .. could there be more..only god knows. When will this end?

This is me!

I got tagged by Rohit the other day..and it took me a few days to really come up with everything. Although the questions seem to be easy but they are not. Its really hard to pick one out of soo many options. Anyways so here goes..

1. The age you will be on your next birthday:


Damn!..a quarter of my life over!!

2. A place you'd like to travel to:



Giza, Egypt.

3. Your favorite place:

A rock concert. The gut wrenching drums..the high voltage guitars..phew!..best feeling ever.

4. Your favourite food/drink:


Beer..aahh.. *homer drool*




Karahi Chicken + Naan

This was a very difficult question . I am a foodie..there's no single food I like the most. But yah this is the food which I eat often.

5. Your favourite pet:


I love dogs..and if I have to be specific - a Labrador. Btw I dont mind bi*ches as well :D

6. Your favorite color:

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore I want them to turn black
- Paint it black (Rolling Stones)

7. Your favourite piece of clothing


A T-Shirt..black and possibly something like the above.

8. Your all time favorite song:



Master of Puppets - Metallica \m/ * 100.

9. Your favorite TV show:

Again, a very difficult question. I love TV. But this was one show which I did not miss. Others which I equally adore are The Simpsons, Seinfeld, The Office, How I met your mother, The Wonder Years, That 70's Show, phew!..like I said..I love TV.

10. The town in which you live in:

Currently:

Kawasaki, Japan. Thats the view from the 10th floor of my apartment - Asahi Cho Heights. Courtesy: Anwarul's cam.

My home:

Delhi - The place I've lived all my life.

11. Your screen name/nickname:


Rake. Short form for Rakesh.

12. Your first job:


Software Engineer..wat else ryt?

13. Your dream job:


A cartoonist. My childhood love for cartoons still lives on. Its gonna be there till I die...and maybe after that ..ooooo (ghost music).

14. Bad habit you have:


I have many. But I am most ashamed about this one. I use small white lies to get out of some really stupid situations :D (Judge me all you want..I dont care..ok...I do..a li'l bit!).

15. Your worst fear:

Death. Pretty obvious for me. If you are having fun living..why the hell stop!

16. The one thing you’ll like to do before you die:



Gatta agree on Rohit on this one.

17. The first thing you’ll buy if you get $1,000,000:

I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under

Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
- Born to be wild (Steppenwolf)

Phew!..that was a tedious job..but I did learn so much about myself! I never really made a list like this one..I mean who does..but it was fun! I dont have many blog buddies..Rohit has already been tagged so I guess I would tag Anwarul now.

Kill Me!

Shit!..kill me..kill me now!!!

Slumdog Millionaire

My morning was spent in watching Slumdog Millionaire. It was recommended to me by my colleague Ashish san. Anyways Anwarul had already seen it and was constantly raving about it. After last night's party at Syam's place..both me and Anwarul crashed at his place. We got up at like 10 and we had the entire morning with nothing else to do. So we decided to give it a watch. I loved the movie from the first scene itself. What caught my fancy was the unique way of story-telling. The child actors in this movie are excellent. The cinematography is colorful..especially the scenes shot at the Taj Mahal. There is this one scene when the protagonist and his big bro are on a train stealing food from a passenger. The passenger catches them and throws them from the train. When they finally break their fall..they see the Taj Mahal..and one of them goes like "Brother..are we in heaven??!!" And damn it was indeed sooo pretty! Anyways the story revolves around a slum dog called Jamaal who wins 2 crores at KBC. The story begins from cops torturing the protagonist accusing him of cheating. So he sits with them and explains how he had known all the answers. Every answer was weirdly linked to his life. Its an awesome feel-good movie. The dialogues are witty enough to make you chuckle at various moments in the movie...and the plot is gripping. Its a story of love, destiny and also sacrifices. I loved the sacrifices part of the movie. This guy's elder brother although makes his life hell (in a funny sorta way)..but he takes care of his li'l bro..whenever he gets the chance...like a classic elder bro. All in all a fantastic movie..go watch it!..big thumbs up!

Breaking the barrier

After being stuck at 9kms for weeks..I finally got the chance to surge ahead. I promised myself to go back from office on time and target the 11 km mark. I reached the gym at around 7:45..a bit late..but nevertheless..I changed in a hurry and headed for the treadmill. The first half an hour was tough..dunno y..I ran 3 times this week..2 short runs + 1 long one..but still the first half hour had my shins in agony! But as soon as the first 30 minutes got over..it felt loose. I dint realize when I completed the 9 km mark. The treadmill stops after 1 hour. So I shifted to the next one just to give the older one some rest. Now I was always very poor in maths..but I dint realize I was this bad. I calculated 9 + 3 = 11!! So I was running covering 2.5 on the newer treadmill and thats when I realized my calculation mistake. Nevertheless I could easily cover the 3 kms that I had decided. I had to stop..mainly cuz there was this friday night party at Syam's place. So I stopped..dint even have a drink of water and rushed to Syam's place..which is nearby. I was welcomed with bacon ...and brandy. We quickly finished up the booze and had the biggest dinner ever. Whew!..wat an awesome day!..its close to 2 am now..everyone's gone to sleep..I am planning for the same..so I guess i'd better stop now. Hopefully I am able to gain some speed in a few weeks.

My Dad

In my childhood days, dad was always this serious, no-nonsense guy and rarely did he used to joke around with me. As any normal kid I was scared of my dad and hence stayed out of trouble as much as I could (or atleast tried my best that he does not get to know) . It was not that he used to scream at me all the time and stuff .. but he was serious when we talked..always! He was a classic executioner of many psychological practices to get things done. He was an expert in the "Silent treatment". Whenever I used to screw things up (trust me I was am an expert), he never shouted at me..he just used to go silent. He did not respond to me directly. And damn! ..that was the worst!! I'd pray that he'd scold me and be over with it but no. I used to constantly try my small talks with him just to see his response. He used to give in a few hours later..and that would be a such a relief for me! And it used to work..I was a better man (boy?) after that. One more technique which he uses till date is the "Reverse psychology". Whenever I miss doing anything..like forget to put the dirty laundry in the washing machine..he first makes sure that I am around and then in front of me picks up the clothes and puts them in the machine. And he gives this "chuckle" while doing it. I have no choice but to keep in mind the next time he asks me to do stuff. Anyways but things started to change as I grew up. I really opened up with my dad after my college..or like the end of 3rd year or so. We discussed stuff that we didn't discuss before .. he taught me to drink.. I mean formally. I used to drink before that too but not with my dad. Although he used to give me a small sip of everything after I started college, but it was in my 3rd year or so..he used to give me lessons..teach me finer nuances and tell me facts! :D . We are really cool with each other now.. we joke about a lot. But I dont get to talk to him much..mainly cuz he's still in the office when I call, but we exchange emails many times over the day. Its fun..its like this totally other side that I get to see now. Like just the day before yesterday I got this mail from dad. He had to work from home. So he says "I cant believe I am turning 60..this is the last year of my service and I cant believe this bullshitting still hasnt stopped. I have to work at home on my laptop and that too on a saturday!!!". I never get these words from my dad..and damn!..it had me laughing away like there's no tomorrow. No wonder I like to use profanity while writing..its in my genes! Also I got this another one yesterday. On my uncle's new year resolution to stop drinking he says "Unni (my uncle) has resolved not to drink. A fool I say! I have asked him to send all the booze across to Delhi". My uncle is a commandant in the BSF and its at his place we have our biggest, meanest daaru parties ever! Anyways this is a welcome change which I am getting to see from all my folks. Even my bro talks to me on the phone .. I dont remember talking to him for more than 10 seconds before I came to Japan. Maybe they finally realized my importance :D .. and that things are boringly uneventful without constant screw-ups...half done chores and dirty laundry on the bed.

Dog bites judge..dog dies!

Funniest news I heard after a long time (granted..not funny for the judge). These days with disappointing news all around .. I stumbled across this headline in The Times of India website and couldn't help laughing. A dog bit a judge and died. What made it even more "funny" was that the dog is suspected of having rabies. Damn!..it bit the judge and not only died but also got rabies !! :D :D .
Ok..I shudnt make fun of it much cuz probably the guy is suffering like hell..but it was just the way it was written. It actually sounded as the dog died of rabies after biting the judge!

Fly

Fly..as high as you can fly.

Touch the sky..
Don't care if its too high.
So what if your wings hurt ?
Close your eyes and hit the dirt.

Enjoy the rush .. enjoy the ride.
Its gonna be hell .. its gonna be wild.
Don't get pushed .. stand your ground
Clench your fists, scream out aloud .

Rise up ... with all your might.
Spread your wings.. and take the flight.
The journey is tough .. you'd better get going.
No matter what .. just keep on flying.

You'll reach there soon.. it will be ok.
Blood, sweat and pain .. it'll surely pay.
So close your eyes and take the plunge.
And fly away into the sun.

- 4th January 2009

PS: It took about 50 jumps and countless stares by dumbfounded japanese guys to get the correct "pose" ... but it was surely worth it.

Happy(est?) New Year

Wow!..these past few days were awesome. Initially I had thought of reminiscing about the year that was and writing it all down...you know the conventional "new year day blog"..but I dropped that idea..mainly cuz it was a mixed year for me. Many good things happened (and I am grateful to god for every one of them) and plenty of sh*t happened as well..but the

amount of sh*t >>> amount of happy.

Therefore, I would write about all the fun that I was having these days.

Gang-up!
My pal Shruti was here in Tokyo all the way from Kobe. A job which is not easy and full marks to her. She has always been gutsy...ever since I had known her. I kinda resolved that I would not make fun of her anymore and say good things about her as much as I can....yup....I was drunk! But since I am not anymore (sadly) and since she has gone back, I can return to my normal "mean" self. Anyways, so, me, Sumit, Vishal and Shruti were together for the entire week. Had an awesome time.

Hakone
All of us went for sightseeing to a place called Hakone. Its a hill station kinda place which offers an awesome view of mount Fuji. And yup..it was truly magical! Too good for words. Even my not-so-amazing camera was able to churn out awesome pix. But the best part was the cruise. It was soo freakin cold! but it dint matter cuz "we are all hardcore yaar" (Damn, this line has become our tagline for anything and everything we do). Anyways the cruise on Lake Ashi and the ropeway over the sulphur springs were the best. .. not to mention Shruti's company (I really need to be in control of things I say when I am drunk! *homer - doh* ).

Tokyo Dome
We went to Tokyo Dome again. We had an awesome time when me, Sumit and Jain went there for the first time. The rides there are fabulous. The best part was that the waiting time is really less. Anyways I relived those scary moments again...mid-way in a free fall..the steep drop of the roller coaster Thunder Dolphin.. and the pace of the Linear Gale. Whew!..I am getting goosebumps while I am writing it!

New Year Countdown
Me, Sumit, Shruti and Vishal headed back to Shruti's place for celebrating the new year. And damn what a night..the last train for Shruti's place was at 11:53 pm and the train back to our place was at 12:21 am. The night was spent opening up some beers..making fun of Shruti..bitching about office etc. etc. and soon we realized it was 12:00. So we wished each others and stuff..and realized it was already 12:10. The place is like half an hour from the station (walking). So thats when we all did what we could ..run our a**es off! It was weird ... me and Vishal had these beer cans and were running in the streets! I had never imagined that I would be having my first jog of the year along with my first beer of the year! Anyways we covered the distance in 10 mins! My half marathon training definitely helped...and I came first! Anyways by the time we reached the station the train had reached the platform. We jumped in..took some pix of our accomplishments and last but not the least finished up our beers (I dont think its allowed here in the trains).

Dinner
After the Hakone Trip, all of us were really tired. Thus, we decided to spend the last day..their last day .. doing nothing :D . Shruti came over at 10:00 am and the morning was spent in sharing the pix that we had clicked and random stuff. Me and Sumit decided to treat her with our new found talent in cooking. But there was nothing at home .. so we went to the local grocery store and on the way back we had awesome ice-cream from Cold Stone. The best ice cream I have tasted till now. These guys are really cool..they make the ice-creams like bartenders make drinks. And they sing while doing it :D . Anyways it was already 4 pm so we decided to merge our lunch and dinner together. So we came back..made "awesome mushrooms" and "awesome aloo" with poori, paratha, pulao and ..phew raita..and halwa. Damn!..we had soo much fun finishing everything up. Ohh I forgot to mention there was soup as well! Phew!..we clicked some more pix and roamed around near the riverside...my teeth chattering away..it was soo cold! We finally dropped off Shruti at the hotel and came back and dozed off.

I am just back after seeing off Shruti and Vishal at the station and I am missing them already. The house is strangely quiet. But things would be better soon..esp after lunch and daaru at Syam's and Anwarul's place ... yaaaaay!