Home again. End-sem vacations end in less than a week. Was a much-needed break — the previous semester got very stressful towards the end. Exams were okay. Got very bored towards the end of the last, and left it a little incomplete. [shrug] Thesis topic should be finalised before the year is through. Will update when confirmed. Only two subjects left in the course. Will sit through the choices and see how it goes. Current contenders are Computer Systems Security, Advanced Networks, and Bioinformatics. Am attempting to lug guitar to college. Whee.
Not much book reading done. Lolita. Subject is horribly sick, writing is beyond words. And Nabokov rues the fact that it’s written in English, which isn’t his native language. Possibly reason enough to learn Russian. Prachett’s Carpet People is next, borrowed from Eloor. I’ve till tomorrow to finish it. Need to get hands on some Chuck Pahlaniuk. Our library’s got Fight Club, but it has been (temporarily) purloined by some daft child.
Went to Palakkad for a wedding. God’s own country. There was a strike going on this one day. Went to Malampuzha Dam, three of us on a motorcycle. Nice dam. Cops caught us on the way back. Got off the usual way. Next day, we’re leaving, Dad was haggling with porters. It was interesting to see these people. In most other places, people are openly greedy, openly corrupt, and make no bones about being this way. In Palakkad, though, there seemed to be some strang, skewed morality there. The cop insisted that “we don’t have this sort of thing in Kerala” (refering to bribery) with a whole lot of righteous indignation, before accepting the money (amidst continued protests of honesty, and insisting that a group of 3 people is a congregation). The porters started off with a ridiculous figure for transporting the luggage, but seemed offended when we suggested that this was so (he settled for a third of the original amount, so there is certainly a contradiction there). Maybe it’s just a different negotiation style there, or maybe the people are too proud to have outsiders suggest such atrocious things as “you’re greedy”.
Words of RHCP wisdom — “Staying high and dry’s more trouble than it’s worth”. Gurgaon, Kanpur … here I come. Superman’s Song. Nice.
7 Comments
when did you hols begin?
kewl thesis and all, i am so far from all of it…
Hols began 2 weeks ago. :)
The MTech here is practically an MS — half of next sem, and all of next year is thesis work only.
i have some plans… will update when atleast one is settled… i am closer to 1/4th of the credits of the total.
Lolita. Subject is horribly sick, writing is beyond words. LOL.. It ain’t sick as such..disturbing and deviant.. The way HH justifies himself, and his counterparts elsewhere.. And of course, Nabokov’s writing and language is so fantastic and poetic..And that comes from yours truly,a guy who avoids almost all poetry..
Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three stepsdown the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth.Lo. Lee. Ta…
Just beautiful Poetry..
And I’m just halfway through it now..And with the Annotated version, I get to read he in -depth analysis.. As of now, Charlotte the Harlot has just died..
> Prachett’s Carpet People is next, borrowed from Eloor.
Is an interesting book, especially introduction to the world – I was ROFLing when I read about On Epen Ny !. But the ending isn’t anything to talk about it :(
And things in Kerala, as always, works differently.
:( Had to leave Carpet People behind. Will try to get hands on it in college. And yes, Kerala is different.