Vintage Stuff..

by Tom Sharpe...is one of the worst books Ive ever read! A book I picked up unassumingly since I was told it was funny!  It turned out to be so depressing that it could easily reform unremorseful convicts. Not the book's fault actually, I shouldve taken my cue from the BLACK HUMOR that stares back at you from the cover. I am not really qualified to comment since I couldnt get through the whole book, but I honestly wish people wouldnt write such things :( I guess I should give it another chance and read one more book before making up my mind - Ive heard Sharpe is really funny. I only hope its funny funny and not I-wish-I-were-dead funny.

Isnt is wierd the way some authors really get under your skin while you have to struggle to appreciate others who are supposed to be equally good or better? For instance, to me, no Tom Sharpe or Woody Allen can ever be Wodehouse.

Anyways, to de-stress from the all black humor, I'm reading Andromeda Strain (I'm of course biased by my favourite author). But its really nice to have no people, no emotions, no shit - just pure Science :)

P.S: I dont buy the odd-man hypothesis! 

One or many?

We read so many glowing descriptions of China's investment and interest in Africa - they're building roads, bridges, buildings, ports; what couldnt be achieved in decades is being done in months. But if you ask people whove been to Africa, theres only one response - Dude, the Chinese so rule the place. They're just ripping it off all the resources, just like what happened to India. Roads and rails to transport raw material out, ports and freight to flood the market with Chinese goods, labor intensive work to serve as employment for the Chinese...its just like a remotely controlled SEZ!

Not that I really care about the debate but statements like China is or India is doing something are a bit sketchy, with all due respect to historians...

In Prey, one of my all-time favorite science fiction books, a cloud of nano particles that are actually independent seem co-ordinated simply because they emanate each other. 

Both are just herd-mentality right? Difference in the degree of externality aside of course...

In the throes of democracy?

Just put down my copy of Can Asians think?.

I always thought democracy at every level is always desirable. But the author argues (and every cogently) that democracy must always be preceded by economic development. Well, he is right. For instance, no democratic Government can do what General McArthur did for Japan. Democracy here is the end, and not the means, something I had never considered....On the face of it, we now see why the Third World countries which have adopted democracy are inching along on the curve of equitable economic development but are nonetheless proud to be a democracy, which precedes all other considerations. That democracy was thrust on them in the name of  freedom of spirit to ensure that they remain backward... Any ideas? I have absolutely none...

(P.S: Only in Asia can you get away with asking Can Asians think? Try asking that of the Europe or the Americas...)

Simply because I say so

I decided to shake off all that despondency....literally. You see, I was supposed to go to away this weekend, but had to stay back cos of that dammed lawyer thingy, and the whole thing was just beginning to get to me....And when in doubt of any sort, go book shopping...remember these words always..they are very wise :)

I decided to get a sandwich from Subway first, its one of the things that always cheers me up. Unfortunately,  Transit is always packed with couples, who've begun to sort of irritate me lately... I mean, I hope I never look like that to anyone..either they're giggly and all over each other or they're depressed and the girl is crying. And you can always tell if they are married, in which case they usually look bored out of their wits...

Anyways, couples I can take but Bryan Adams I cannot...And he seems to be following me everywhere these days determined to talk of his "love"....will someone please tell him its not kind??

So I gave up on Subway and decided to to go to Landmark. I defiantly pushed past the the Lost Symbol, determined to find something I can actually relate to. Now, it could be me, I could be totally out of it but ..Death by Chick Lit, J-Pod, Six steps to Superwoman....what are people thinking???

Nah...its definitely not me....

I picked up some good stuff....Song Man (a sequel to the Guitar Man), At Large and at Small and I see you everywhere (am too lazy to add links, sorry)....and while waiting in the queue for the billing, I picked up the Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy, a book I always wanted to read...

"That book is different. I can tell you that much"....said a pleasant voice belonging to a cheery American standing behind me..we'll call him CA for short ok. CA and I got talking about books; we talked a lot because it was a very loooong queue...the conversation was pretty nice, and somehow, Americans Ive met always have had a very good sense of humor, the kind that makes you feel warm....CA's daughter was there too, a little girl, mustve been 7 or 8, and very sweet people they were..... I think I laughed more in those 10 mins than all of the last month's days put together....

So I bounded back into Subway after that, cheerful and feeling like I earned my sandwich, confident that even Bryan Adams cant chase me away this time...and as luck wouldve had it, CA and kid were there too, and we shared a table....They're here in India for a short while, and the kid took it upon herself to tell me all about her school and family and friends...its been a while Ive listened to a kid talk......and CA told me about all the places he's traveled to and all that he intends to do....

"Nothing like an unplanned trip with just a backpack"...yes sir, we fully agree...

Speaking of which, I'm getting a bit restless here in India...I suddenly feel like going to Rome :(

"Taking trips alone can do wonders for you...whatever you do, dont go in a big group" ...Seconded again, Captain...

"Of course, nothing beats going with a fun partner"....Aye, theres the rub :)

Eat Pray Love

 

"Bought in Landmark Bookstore in an impulsive self-destructive moment" is what I had written on the cover when I bought my copy of the above book last week. I bought it telling myself I shouldnt buy it, that I am not ready to read something like this...it will definitely bring back various memories that Ive stashed away in a corner of my mind, that I dont want to ever encounter....well, as you sometimes willingly walk into something you know is not good for you, I too opened this book....

Except that it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me in the recent past....this book, I tell you...is it...really it is...especially if you are lost and single and trying not to be lost and single...yeah, now dont think its not for you if you are not...because its not a book on relationships or self-help or anything remotely so....and its definitely not a book for women, like many tend to think...

Its a book on...well...life....thats the word that comes closest in my vocabulary, anyway....

Small things you never thought anyone else will think about....things that make you go hey !!!! ive been there too.... like hell I have ...things that make you nod vigorously in agreement...things that bring back memories  - good bad ugly alike...things that youve been thinking about but didnt know whom to talk to...things that make you stop and think - is that what it really was??????...things so intense and true that you cant believe someone else is actually saying it...,,,things that you cant believe someone else feels the same way about ....things that you thought were unique to you....its all there, trust me....

In every page you encounter happiness....and it just spreads to every molecule of you...like she says :)

And mind you, the best part of the book is that it is really...how shall I put it????...all-encompassing? complete?... whatever....I urge you to read it and decide......it is a very intelligent, high-level perspective of our lives..

Not one single word in the book do I  wish should be changed....and with every page, all that I could think of was that I must share this book with everyone I know...which is exactly what I am doing now :).

How Math Explains the World

Mathematics is sometimes called a religion since it is pretty much the language of Physics or even Science in general, which goes a long way in explaining the world. Well, that may be a bit far-fetched or maybe not since any explanation for the world as it is has potholes anyway. However, this book I read recently by Stein called How Math Explains the World is really worth a read. The book talks not only about how integrated the applications of all the forays into Math and Physics are into the world around us, but also manages to invoke curiosity and a yearning to know more. Many of us recall the Laplace Transform, the Youngs' Modulus, the Planck's constant etc, as just arduous concepts we were compelled to learn. Well, this book sure gave me an attitude transplant. I see the world in numbers now :) Or maybe also as beautiful geometry. But thats not all the book has to offer. Some really fascinating insights such as the ability of photons to "know" that they are being watched, or how an epidemic of fever compelled people to discover irrational numbers, or how the Hope Diamond got its name, or why the car you sent for repair is never ready on time, or a list of "impossible" problems mankind can never solve- its all there. And if you lasted the end of this blogpost, you will surely love it :)

Flatland - No bird's eye view!

Take a good look before you comment :)