Infinite Imagination

The Last Party

2011-08-17T16:34:00.001+05:30

They were sitting around the table. While some had half filled glasses of whiskey in their hands, yet others had some cigarettes burning away, both tobacco and lives. The topic of conversation was mostly random. It varied from the latest TV soaps to sports to games to computers to software and so on. In other words, it was all looking like a normal bachelors party. It seemed that the converstations would never finish, but that wasn't the case. Being men, they weren't accustomed to chatting away without reason or logic. So there came a time when the conversation ended and the men kept quiet sipping away the glasses or the smoke.

Now, at this point of time, people would look at each other and wait for someone to say, "I'm going back home." and then take the oppurtunity to tag along home with them. This was the best way to avoid being the bad guy who wants to finish the party. But the silence continued. I would have continued, but it was sadly killed by the ringing of a mobile phone. Everyone looked at the owner of the mobile phone. The spectacled man calmly took out his phone,and then recieved it.

"Hello... Oh! How are you... <silence> ...well... <silence> ...ok ok... <silence> ...I understand, it's not really an issue... <silence> ...but I'm telling you... ...it's not an issue, is your head full of hay or something... <silence> ...ok I'm sorry... <short silence> ...listen... I'll call you back soon. Lemme get out of a situation first."and he dropped the call to look at his mates staring at him throughout the 10 minutes of the converstation.

"When did you get a girl?"
"I didn't get a girl... not yet... it was... an old friend of mine. H..he was... has been requesting me to meet him for the past 2 weeks."
"Like hell I'll believe ya."
"Well, you don't have to, not your concern anyway."
"No, but the girl is... who is she, or rather how is she?"
"Ugh... you all are so persistant... well... I'll have to leave now."
"OOOOOoooo... the bastard is diching us for some woman we don't even know is worth being our sister in law."
"God Dammit, how many times do I have to say it to get the idea through that thick skulls of yours."
"You think we've got thick skulls eh? Well, lemme tell ya, you've got the thicker skull amongst us, and let me prove it to you."

The big bloke took an empty bottle and smashed it on his head. It wasn't a fatal blow, but deep nonetheless. It did cause the specs guy to collapse. Blood spilled as everyone once again looked at each other and then the unconsious body amidst the deeper silence. But the depth of the silence was pulled out by the same ringing of the mobile phone.One of the guys picked up the phone and looked at it's display. It was an unknown number. He was alread steered by the 8 glasses of neat alcohol he had. He picked up the phone and heard a rather sweet voice.

"Hello? Hello? Ani?"
"Err... no. We his... I mean... We're his friends here. He rushed away forgetting to take his cellphone with him."
"Good. He must rush now. The deadline is down by another half an hour. If you can contact him then do tell him this, otherwise his promotion won't escalate."
"Err... Pardon. He is getting promoted?"
"Yes. That's all the message I had. Goodnight."
"Ah! Wait... lemme ask..."
"<beep> <beep> <beep> <beep>"

He removed the handset from his ears and looked towards his mates. His mates could only follow his side of the conversation. So they all questioningly looked at him.
"Tell me. Was he doing any job or was he employed somewhere?"
"Not that I know of anything."
And then they all turned their heads towards the unconcious specs guy... only this time, the specs guy wasn't there. He was gone. Only the small pool of blood that oozed out from his head remained.
"Where did he go?"
Before anyone could answer that question, there was a huge bang that seemed to come from a distance. The big guy fell on the ground flat. He had a hole on his forehead.
"Snipe..."
But another bang cut his shout midway. He too fell down. The others had scattered away in different directions by then. Each was running away for the sake of his or her own life.

===================================================
The inspector put down the morning newspaper. The headlines gave a news that a huge bombing plan was thwarted by the intelligence agency at midnight. A buzzer rang. A lean looking man came in.
"Things went well yesterday didn't it?"
"Yes. But the ending... was it good to do what you did?"
"No. It was actually a bad bad thing. But I decided so because he was involved in that for the past 3 years. There was no guarantee that he would continue to remain on our side."
"He didn't look like the kind of guy who'd jump boats. He kept all the flow of information from time to time, and always alerted us of major incidents."
"Maybe you didn't know this, but he recieved a call from some woman last night, about 15 minutes before the incident."
"Some woman? Who?"
The inspector smiled. "That's a twist indeed. He got a call form Officer Jenny."
"Officer Jenny?" and the lean man thought for some time. "Wasn't she on trial for leaking information to the terrorists?"
"And guess which terrorist guy she was leaking all that to?" and then the inspector laughed out loudly.
The lean man gaped at the inspector. "Don't tell me that..."
"I won't... it was unpleasant for me to. That bastard gave us the wrong coordinates... but somehow, his phone requested a GPS coordinate in middle of the call, and we intercepted it in time. He told me he was under the bridge, but you know where we encountered them right?"
"The Security station near the Parliament House..."
"All of them were there to dress up as security today."
The lean man shook his head in disbelief... that was all that he could do.

=====================
Author's Note
===========

Another creation out off the office desk :D
Well, it's arbid and very very incomplete. But I've never really managed to write complete sounding short stories. :-/

When...

2011-08-16T15:37:00.003+05:30

When life seems to run out of options,

Remember me my friend.

For it was me who as always beside you,

Waiting, for you to reach the end.

When times seem to run ahead of you,

Come back to me my friend.

For you don't have to race it,

I'm a gift that God has send.

When things don't go your way,

Let me lead you down a different path.

For, you are my only existence,

And I am your conscience.

============================================

Something I wrote down in the office. I'm now feeling what it feels like to have nothing to do. :-/

I have problems with net connectivity at home (I don't even have a fixed home right now... -__- ), but I pray that I get out of these predicatements as soon as possible.

The laptop company gave me won't let me install any browser except IE8, so surfing properly is also an issue here... :( The laptop is nice otherwise :)

Under a night sky

2011-07-19T23:34:00.001+05:30

Copyrights, Selenium Glow :) (This image is the intro image.)

Do you believe in fantasies?
Do you believe that your dreams are a part of your own soul?
Do you believe that your dreams are a display of what your soul desires?
Do you believe that your dreams are a fallacy of god, an error that enables you to see through the fabric of space and time surrounding us?
Do you believe?
Or are you the kind that can never believe... not even themselves.

It is execptionally dark. Usually in cities, no corner escapes the bright night life of the civilization that is at it's peak.
But, just like a cloud with a silver lining, a city too has it's dark spots.
It's execptionally dark. She breaths the cold winter air. It's so cold that she wouldn\'t have inhaled it if she had an option.
But she had no option. She had to inhale. She had to breath the air to live. But why did she want to live? The only answer she could think was...

"Because I have no other option eh?"

==========================
Or so what I wrote on the intro of the VN I was programming. That has now come to a hold as I now have to take my job training seriously... -__-;

The moonlit sky image is what I made using that clouds brushes that I posted about last time. The Moon is taken from a photograph that my brother took of the night sky some time back. :)

I'll have less and less due to training and what not (miss my manga/anime T__T ) time but I'll try to keep posting here.

P.S - Oh. Yes, I liked the new draft.blogger page. It's very new and refreshing. :) Did you fellow blogger like it as well?

Clouds n Stuff

2011-07-07T03:34:00.001+05:30

Well, long long time ago, I tried to make clouds using Photoshop. I thought it would be hard, so I tried to make some using 3D software. Not an easy task either. So?

So, I give up temporarily and decide to do some outdoor observation. After quiet a lot of sky gazing, I downloaded some tutorials on how to make clouds. I also downloaded some plugin for my 3D software which would allow me to make clouds. I tried the 3D software first. and the results weren't something I was happy with. :-/ Well, these two were what I came out with. Later, I would realize that the technique I used to make the clouds wasn't the best, and the actual technique I needed to used meant that I had to wait 20 minutes for one frame to render into an image that you see below. Ah! I realize I need a faster computer...

The first trial to make Clouds in 3D software. That obelisk is just to add some subject to the image...

This is the second trial. This time I tried playing the the position of the sun and some color effects for the obelisk.

Well, then I downloaded some tutorials to make clouds on Photoshop. Once again not an easy task if you lack patience. I tried to follow the tutorial and finally came up with this image.

Made using the original tutorial. No shortcuts used while making this one. It's completely from scratch.

But I realized that patience is something that few people have. Sadly, I'm not in that few... -__-;;
So, I Google, and find that there are some preset cloud brushes/textures available for download, that can be used with Photoshop to make some quick but good looking clouds. So, I download all that I could, and then create a new image. My first trial (without using layers or effects) at using these presets gave me this image.

Created in under 7 minutes using Photoshop.

Well, looks very impressive ne? Even if there isn't any bit of realism, even than it's very pleasant looking to my eyes. As long as something looks good, people will rarely question the amount of realism in it. As I wrote this blog, I created a night scene (again unrealistic) with lots of stars and stuff and a full moon. But I made that image while programming a visual novel... so I'll post that later.

Until then, Ciao. :)

-------------------------
Photoshop brushes used in the last image are credited to the following.

1) leboef.deviantart.com
2) Milinda Design - www.milinda.eu

My first Tablet sketch.

2011-06-23T23:35:00.000+05:30

When I first purchased my (ultra cheap and local) drawing tablet in February, the first thing I ever did with it was to trace an image of Saber from the Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Visual Novel.

Original Wallpaper of Saber. There was a similar scene in the original "Fate/Stay Night" Novel

I used Adobe Illustrator CS 4 to do the tracing process. That time, it took me about an hour, but that time, I felt very satisfied with what I had done.

My Tracing for the above wallpaper.

However, do note that this is probably the most lousy trace you'd come across on the net. :-/ The lines are not clean and there are too many minor errors. In other words, this isn't something one would sit to seriously color. But yes, I have to admit, even tracing out many images is fun. It is hard work to do it nicely and professionally, but still, it's fun :)

The next image I traced was of a Wallpaper from "Jigoku Shoujo" (or Hell Girl).

Original Wallpaper of Enma Ai.

My (well) traced version. It's PNG. You can download and try coloring it yourself if you want ;)

In this trace, I specially tried to make sure the lines were cleanly done and that it was colorable. The complete tracing process alone took me about 3 hours, and the hairs were the toughest thing I had to tackle in this wallpaper. I even tried to color it, but then I was stumped when I had to do a background and work on highlights... -___- Copying things is turning out to be pretty hard work, I can only imagine how difficult it is going for me to make my own original creations... but I'm actually looking forward to that challenge.

The only trace that I've managed to color myself is this one. Also right now, I've traced an image of Belladandy and her two sisters (from the series Oh! My Goddess). I've already done the base coloring, but because I had some greeting cards to make for my friends upon their request, I couldn't quiet pick it up to completion. But I will complete it and post it on my blog :D

Belladandy and Her two sisters. More about them later. Color them if you want ;)

Yet another Tag

2011-06-11T16:00:00.000+05:30

I've been again tagged... this time by ChocolateLover. Here goes another tag... :)

*My favourites*

Food: Anything Non-Veg, I don't mind Spicy food, but am more inclined to simple and bland taste.
Colour: Green and Orange
Sports: -__- errm... lets see... I did play basket ball in middle school and some cricket at a park nearby when I was in highschool.
Dessert: :D Cakes, Souffles, ice creams, Malpuas, Burfis, jelly, shakes, and what not :D :D :D I love sweets xD
Artist/Singer/Brand: I'll actually write a 100 page essay on this one day.
Pair of shoes: Anything that's comfortable
Outfit: T-Shirt/half shirt and shorts. For outside wear, I usually wear Cargo and T-Shirt/Shirts. I sometimes wear jeans too.
Accessory: Just a silver necklace with an american diamond that my mom forces me to wear as a protection charm. Sometimes my wrist watch.
Fav place: A quiet place, normally a roof or a coffee shop.
Hobbies: Playing and learning music, drawing, sketching, writing, and sometimes going over random topics in an encyclopedia.
Beauty product: Just one soap and a deodorant... and a hair shampoo... if all these count... :-/
Snacks: Hmm... I prefer something like Chaat.
Movies: Comedy, Action, Thriller.

-Q.E.D-

I am tagging:
Was I suppose to tag as well?? If you find this interesting then please help yourself to this tag and play along. :)

5 Weeks Later...

2011-06-06T00:44:00.001+05:30

I originally wrote this as a facebook note. Here it is, in blogger where it should really be. Somehow, I don't like the Facebook notes thing. :-/ I have just copied and pasted the whole thing. Just remember while reading this, that this was originally written on May 10, 2011. This is the date that actually came 5 weeks later...

=======================

For the past 5 or so weeks, I've been giving 15 to 20 minutes daily trying to "Cel shade" a Sketch. The sketch isn't entirely my own original creation. I was watching the opening sequence of some animated series (it was "AIR"). I came across a scene where a girl was spreading out her arms. I took a snapshot and then decided to remake this in my way...

TV Original

Yes... easier said than done... specially by a guy who still isn't comfortable with digital inking and coloring...
Nonetheless, I accepted this challenge I put myself through... and then traced out the girl and the birds... or some birds... I couldn't do all of them... using Adobe Illustrator. I finally had this.

Traced in Adobe Illustrator

Things going nicely so far. But then I realized how difficult coloring was. I had to read and learn a lot of theory (yes... UPTU grade theory) on coloring, mixing and cel shading. I tried applying it on this outline, and somehow, it worked.
Many Many days later, I finally had this.

Colored version 1

But I realized the hair was too flat. On comparing with the Original, I find that I haven't outlined the hairs properly... :-/ It's an ultimate proof of either my carelessness or laziness... oh well... I draw the outlines in photoshop itself (instead of Illustrator) My untidy and unstable work is evident now...

Colored version with messy hair outlines...

Upto this point, I was coaxing myself for not being good enough with coloring and sketching. I told myself that cel shading is difficult and needs hard work... But what I found really really difficult and time consuming was the background. It's not easy to paint clouds realistically and above all - Beautifully. I had a lot of problems doing the clouds. I mostly copied the pattern of the original image. But this drove me nuts... Still I was able to make something.

My Final Version with these... umm... clouds.

I've done even a more lousy job with the background. The colors are out of control... the "Glare" effect is done badly... and the clouds look so... so... errmm... I don't even have the proper word to describe it's incompleteness or unrealism.

To conclude this note, I think I've learnt many new things in Photoshop and Illustrator alike, but above all... I realized I've a long way to go before I even dream of becoming a pro in digital arts... :-/
5 Weeks later... I feel morbidly discouraged... T__T

=================================
And thus, this concludes what I posted on facebook a long time ago. Well, this was my first attempt at coloring a complete frame myself. It was hard work...

P.S. - Yes, despite my negative post on Facebook, I did receive a lot of encouragement. Thus, I'm now in lookout for some more interesting frames that i can remake... :D

The Painter and The Photographer

2011-06-03T01:07:00.000+05:30

Here is a render of what might look like sunrise on mars. Even though I added this as my status on Facebook 2 months ago, but what I didn't put on Facebook (mostly because of the public that would fail to comprehend) was a story behind this picture. Well, all my graphic or musical creations have a story with them.

A sunrise on "The God of War"

It was pretty silent. The darkness outside wasn't uplifting him either. However, he waited because he needed to burn the image of sunrise into his head. Unlike his partner who would do the same on his Camera. It annoyed him. He looked by his side. All his painting kit was intact.

About 1 hour later, the color of the sky started changing. His brother kicked him, "Get Ready!" and then prepared his Camera. He too jumped up from his seat and started rubbing his eyes hoping to clear of the slumber he was in a few seconds ago. As the colors brightened outside, the painter had already drawn the outlines of his scene. The Photographer was further ahead making strange poses. The painter wondered to himself... 'these Camera guys lack imagination.' The clouds started covering the horizon, much to the painter's annoyance and to the Camera man's delight.

But what was amazing was when they looked at each others results in the afternoon. The Painter thought the pictures turned out better than his painting. And the Camera man thought that his painting had more depth than his pictures. Being egoistic pigs that they were, neither accepted this fact openly but kept their secret admiration to the other's work within themselves.

================

P.S - Ah... well... or so was the story. I imagined myself as the painter though :P And I've put the so called "Painting" up now...

Hiatus?

2011-05-31T18:05:00.000+05:30

Long long time ago, I said I will never rant about any of my personal problems in my blog.

Today, I won't rant as well :P

Well. I haven't posted anything on my blog since December (which I don't know is a long time or not... ) but the only reason (and it's valid as well) was because my final semester kept me more preoccupied than I thought it would. Well, now all that is over, and once again in 5 years I'm at a cross road in my life. Even though I have decided which path I want to finally take, there is always this insecurity about oneself that make you look back at the other turns of life and wonder... "Is this the right way?"

For starters, let me tell you what I've been doing these last 6 months...

1) Learning - Lots of Graphics Software. From 3D modelling and animation suits to (so called simple) stuff like Photoshop and Illustrator.
2) Planning - My way ahead in life... It kinda sucks when you realize you still have an year of two of studies left...
3) Discovering - Myself. This was probably the toughest thing I did in these 6 months. I realized that though I had potential for Electronics and stuff... I really didn't enjoy it. So, that one road of the cross road I won't take.
4) Writing - A diary. I took out that diary after some 5 or 6 years. When I read what I had written in the past, I was amazed how depressed I used to be. Sometimes I still am, but no to that level. Anyways, that diary was once again filled with some of my most negative emotions. And now that I think about it, I kinda understand why do I feel so insecure in the first place about my future... :-/
5) Drawing Pads - This time, for my birthday, I requested a Stylus/Drawing Pad that I could use for cell shading and sketching directly to my computer. IT'S FUN :D :D :D

Well, that sums up. I haven't really given up or dropped my music domain yet. But it's true I'm not making too many tunes now... I'm now more focussed on my Graphic Skill, something that I've genuinely begun to enjoy doing now :)
I hope to make wonderful things that I can post in this blog... but for now, I'll only be able to post my trials, experiments and mistakes... :-/

P.S - Ah. I forgot to mention. The new background in my Blog is the fruit of my new skills in Photoshop :) This (Unnamed) Blue Planet has been made from scratch thanks to a wonderful tutorial available on the internet.

Trapped...

2010-12-15T23:00:00.018+05:30

This story is a continuation of the following two Parts.
The Car Trap - Part I
The Car Trap - Part II
============================================

And thus began her surprisingly short story about my fantastic ordeal. "You were abducted by some Extremist. They wanted to create a completely new dimension where they could try creating a new world. So, the extremist decided to abduct you. They took you to some suburb farmhouse and put you in a beaker with some strange life sustaining chemical... umm... didn't smell like formaldehyde, but maybe Cipher knows more about it... well... whatever and then used you to create a new dimensions."

The story was too fantastic to understand or even believe. "Why would they pick me??"
"Exactly. Why You? It turns out our last ordeal with the vampires has made you famous. You're someone who is isolated from this dimension. Even though you're in this dimension, you're not a part of it. If they pump you with enough amount of high energy, your dimension... or maybe you'll explode to tear apart this dimension's fabric and form a new kind of dimension, and eventually try and take control over it. That's exactly what the extremist were trying to do to you."

"OK. What the heck is Extremist? And why do they want to make this new dimension and stuff?"
"Now, that's difficult to answer. You'll eventually understand the true nature of Extremist, but for now, just know that they are people who think that this dimension should be mearged with our dimension. Or to put it in your language, unify the Heavens, the earth and even Hell into one single realm, where all can coexist together peacefully. Creating a new dimension, and combining parts of elements from all three realms in that new dimension was a mere way of proving their theory correct."

"Sounds like some fanatic making a Utopian world."
"Yes. And that's why, you've become their target. Thus, it turns out you've been assigned a bodyguard."
I had a bad feeling about this. "Who is my body guard?"
"That's me." she said and took out a small packet of chips from her jacket and started eating it. The heavens had cursed me in order to keep themselves in business. I closed my eyes and tried to understand what was this dimension business. Her sister, Ai, had already told me about my anomaly, which was the main reason why I could sense all these supernatural occurances. Then something struck me.

"Wait. If I was put in this beaker with chemicals... then I must have been unconsious. Right?"
"Yes. You were. It took us queit some time to break through their technology and pull out all the wires and pins from you body."
"Then all this time... when I saw the middle class man go rich and the tower and stuff... all that unrealism was... a dream?"
"Yes. Must have been. Because there wasn't any effect in the real world."
"Then all the blonde women I saw were all non existant people??"
"No. Cipher and her two familiars still exist. I think you must have sub consiously started taking all this information in your dream that you saw. You know, how dreams can change according to the sounds and noises around you. You must have thought cars, because the machine that they used to pump energy into your conciousness was humming constantly. When we came, you must have caught some of our conversation."
"I see. It must have been like that."

I was lost in thoughts again. I had more questions. "Hey! Wait. If I'm having this dimensional anomaly... or I'm a different dimension, why the heck am I sensing strange stuff like these happening now? Why didn't they happen when I was a kid."

Enma looked at me with serious eyes, and then looked away uncomfortably. "It's a lot of politics. It's better that you don't know any of it. Anyways, that won't explain the reason why you have this anomaly... understanding the politics will only give a speculation to your anomaly and not explain it."

I closed my eyes... and then covered my face with my palms. "Enma. Just tell me what is going on?? I've had enough of this business."
Enma looked at me again. "You are not just an anomaly. You may be the key to something... I don't know what, and may never know. Just know this - there are more than two groups with varing motives that are after you. You must be kept alive and away from them."

Starting today I'm an Athiest. Because I know that my Gods can't do anything about the situation I'm in.

===========================
Author's Note
------------------

And thus, from here on, this would connect to a larger and more complete story, where Enma, and this guy are mere supporting characters. For those who might understand this example, what I've written here would by my "xxxHolic" to a "Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles." I wonder... How did I manage to end this story like this... -__-;

Anyways... this isn't the best I could write... I'll rant about my problems later... (or maybe never... I don't rant...)

The Car Trap - Part II

2010-12-11T23:50:00.000+05:30

Continuation of the Story - The Car Trap - Part I
================================================

She started walking towards the tower. I started following her when we came about half way to it, she suddenly turned back and looked at me.
"What?" I asked her.
"Well, I think it would be better to get some info on that tower before approaching it. Don't you think so?"
"I can't think over that... that... alien's lair."
"Hmmm..." she pondered and then took out a cellphone and called someone up. And then I followed her conversation out of curiosity which went something like this - "Hey. I need some info on some Spider tower in Sector 76, Noida... What? You're en route here?.. Eh? You are near 76?.. No Way!.. OK..." and then hung off.
"What happened?" I asked her
"My informant is coming right behind you."
I turned back and for the first time in the whole day, I saw something normal. It was an old and worn out Maruti 800. It stopped right next to us, and came out a golden haired woman with goggles on. She faced Enma, who surprisingly had her jaw on the ground. It was the first time I saw her this amazed.
"Oye! Where is your Q7??"
"I do not know. My car kinda disintegrated itself into this matchbox."
"And where are Erna and Delana? I can't see them anywhere?"
"This boundary field has a spell against familiars. I left them to keep them safe. But let us please come to topic. You said that there was a tower here? I can't see any."
"Huh? It's right on the top..." I said and then stopped immediately, as I turned my head to look at it. The tower was gone.
"Enma. I believe you. I know there must have been a tower here, but I just hope my fears are uncalled for." the blonde lady said. She took off her goggles to look at the building. And then she stared at me. She stared at me with her beastly vampiric eyes that I've only read of in books or seen in movies.
"You... are an unusual entity. You shouldn't exist here."
"Errm... Cipher... forget about him, and tell me what is it that you fear."
The blonde woman, who I believe is called Cipher turns towards Enma. "I fear someone is trying to alter or overwrite this dimension with his own."
"Are they the Vampires that tried to infiltrate this place a couple of weeks ago?"
"They may not be. I believe their dimension has been Quarantined by the Center."
"Who could it be?"
"I do not know now. I'll go and find out. You said the tower was over that building." Cipher asked Enma pointing towards the building where that piece of bone... or the tower should have been.
"Yes."
"Well then, let's go." Cipher said, and then she grabbed my wrist and started pulling me towards the tower.
"Hold it Cipher!" Enma ... immediately. "I don't mind you taking him, but what are your intentions Cipher?"
"This man here has ability of dimensional isolation like you sister. Until your sister arrives, I intend to use him." Cipher replied without turning back.
"How?"
Cipher turned towards Enma with her eyes glaring at her and said something that froze my blood... "With Pain."
"Then there are better ways. You know it's not a good thing to involve common guys with no combat experience into all this."
"What do you propose then?"
"Use this." and then Enma took out a syringe from her pockets and threw them at Cipher. She caught it with her left hand and looked at it, and then looked at me.
"Hmm... Alright, I'll comply. But I'll have my share of fun as well." she said. And then I remember her moving towards me and tapping my shoulder. My body felt heavy and my eyes felt as if they were on weights. Things became dark around me.

I don't know how long it was, but I woke up to deafening sounds of gunfire and strong smell of gunpowder. Then something bumped my head. I shouted out of pain. It was then that I realized that I was at the back seat of a large SUV.
"What's going on."
"He's up. Take this and try to shoot anyone you see..." a woman in a black suit wearing goggles handed me a pistol. Where was the Cipher woman?
"Hurry up! Take it."
I didn't know what to do, so I took the gun and looked out. I failed to understand where the heck I was? I looked at the drivers seat. Enma was driving the Car and the kind of route we were following, she was driving amazingly well. I looked out of the window. There were armoured cars and tanks running parallel to us trying to blow us as we raced through the bumpy road. I was wondering how was I to shoot down tanks with a pistol.
"Don't worry about fire power... just shoot." Enma cried out from the drivers seat. Things must be real desperate for her if she was shouting like that. I aimed the pistol out of the window and fired at a tank taking a very very rough aim. The recoil of the gun threw me back, and my head and wrists hit the roof of the car rather hard. I was withering in pain when I heard Enma shout, "We're there! Hand on tight!" Something hit my head hard again and this time it hurt beyond what I could endure. I could see shards of glass flying around. And then I had this terrible urge to throw up... or maybe I did. I don't know. Things went black as I felt my torso come out from my mouth.

'CLANK...'
I opened my eyes. I was dark, but flares of light went on and off in front of me. There was this sound of metal, and a really really foul smell. I think I really did vomit as my stomach was feeling uneasy. There was intense pain in my head and arms. But before I could grasp what was going around me, something grabbed my throat and I was pinned down to the ground. A huge splash of water brought my remaining senses back. I saw the Cipher woman pinning me down by my throat and a Man with an empty bucket of water. There was a huge power transformer stuck on the roof, and I was wet with a thick and sticky liquid dripping from all over my body. There were some needles stuck to my arms, and they hurt as if hell was roasting them on hot coals.

"You OK?"
"I don't know... I feel sick." I could barely speak. The pain was too much to bear and my throat felt choked.
"That's a side effect. For now, you'll live." and then the cipher woman turned around and shouted. "We've got him! Everyone out. This space is going to collapse soon." Then the man who was standing next to her, threw away the bucket, grabbed me and put me over his shoulders. Soon I came out from the darkness into daylight. It was stinging bright, but it was warm and nice. My body felt too sick and too exhausted to celebrate this warmth. I went to a deep sleep soon after.

I woke up and found myself lying on a hospital bed. No wait... I've seen this Private room before. On a chair next to the bed was Enma... or was it Ai? well, whoever she was, she was reading a book or a magazine.
"Feeling Fresh?" she said in an annoying monotone.
"Nah..." I said with a disappointed tone. It was Enma, for her sister wouldn't speak so bluntly.
"Too bad. But feeling any better than before?"
"Maybe. But what happened? Things happened way too fast for me to understand anything."
"It's a long story. You wanna know?" she asked me as she lowered the magazine and looked at me with deep and serious eyes.
"I think I have enough time in my hands right now. So go on. Let me hear your story."

(To be continued...) - ( -__-; )

==================================
Author's Notes
-------------------

No. I'll rant about my faulty computer, exams, placement run offs and what not later... but I'll most probably rant about it here only... For now... this is a really really embarrassingly long gap. Part III is on auto post. So it will be this month only... Actually, anything posted this month is auto posted, the reason being my "Pain in the Neck" exams, which I must pass.

A Car Trap - Part 1

2010-11-12T23:35:00.001+05:30

This was beyond my wildest dreams. Either everyone around me turned filthy rich overnight, or these sports cars that I've only seen on posters and magazines suddenly became cheap.
"Not bad. These cars will respond like the real thing when you drive them." Enma said with little concern. But she continued "Too bad you don't have a car."
"Well, I had a bike, and it's turned into a Ducati."
"Ducati? Ducati is a bike too right?" she asked with a very indifferent tone.
"NO! Ducati is a superbike!"
"What difference does that make... oh well. Let it be."
So, I let it be and pondered over that happened since I woke up.

*****

Early morning on this Wednesday, it all seemed normal. But as I stepped out of my house to go to office, I found my bike was missing. Instead there was a Ducati standing in it's place. I thought it was silly and expensive joke, when I noticed that all the cars in the parking were top notch luxury sedans or sports cars. The parking plot where there used to be Hyundai i10s, Santros and Suzuki Alto, WagonRs and Swifts... suddenly had Jaguars, Mercedez, BMWs, Corvetts and like I said, cars that I'd only see on posters and magazines. At first I thought that either I might be sick and having hallucinations, or it was a massivly expensive joke being played on me. But then my neighbor, Mr. Sharma, who used to have a WagonR stepped into a BMW M3. I called out Mr. Sharma, we exchanged greetings like we normally did, and talked about the weather and local politics. He got into the car, started it and backed it out from the parking slot. Just as he was about to leave, I summoned the courage to ask him - "Mr. Sharma, what happned to your old car?" He stopped. Thought for a moment, and then said, "You mean the Merc? That was too old and out of fashion. So I scrapped it."
"No no... I mean... the WagonR..."
"Huh? Wagon what?"
"WagonR."
"Does a car like that exist. Maybe you've mixed up someone else's car. Before the BMW, I had a Mercedes. Anyway, good day to you Mr. Srivastava. I must take my leave now." he said and roared his BMW (?) out of the society gates.

And then a boy in a School Dress. "Bhaiya! Can you give me a lift? I've missed my bus!"
"Ah! Rohit. Well, I would have loved to, but you see... errm... my bike..."
I was trying to think up something to say, when I saw something which made me realize that this world could have been as normal as it could possibly be.
"Hey. Shall we get going now? I've been waiting for quiet sometime." that 'something' said with her dark red and serious eyes locked on to me. Her Leather Jacket and black Jeans would've made a very storng impression on anyone who saw her. Thus, another younger set of eyes were locked on to me as well. "Bhaiya? Is she your girlfriend??"
"Err... no. She's a co-worker." I replied rather meekly.
The boy looked with round eyes at her, then at me, and then at her again.
"Wow. When I grow up, I'll work in your company. You've got great girls there..."
Ah! Youth. And the innocent mistakes they make in judging the opposite sex. I just smiled at the fact that he thought this pain in my neck as a beauty. Beauty is only skin deep, and I'd thought I'd lecture him about this, but I decided not to preach my experience with women to this... err... fairly innocent lad. So I apologised to him for being unable to take him with me and went upto my bike. I looked at the keys I had in my hand. They looked like they'd fit in the Ducati.

"Don't worry it's yours. You can play with it." Enma said. And I think Rohit heard it because he giggled as he walked on ahead.
"Don't say things that may cause a misunderstanding."
"Oh! But that's how we have fun. Well, fire her up. We need to get going."
"Where?"
"I'll tell you soon. Let's get going first."
So, I started the bike... No. I started the Superbike and I'll remember the thunderous sound it made. It felt like I was going to ride a beast. Enma got on the passenger seat. I throttled gingerly to take a feel of it's power and the bike immediately responded and shot ahead but then the bike stopped. I started again, and somehow managed to get my untamed beast out of the main gate, and then to the main road. However, the sight at the main road left my jaws on the road. On the main road, where only sport saloons and cars, running savagely fast and powersliding in the turns. It's as if the world was not just commuting, it was racing and all the roads were a massive racing circuit.

*****

And so, I stopped my train of thoughts because Enma patted my shoulders.
"Hey, looks like you're not confident about driving here. Hand me the bike."
"Huh?"
"Yes, I'll drive straight to the place where the disturbance is probably originating from."
We got off the bike and exchanged our seats. I didn't even question if she had a license or not, as my experience said that she could and was capable of doing anything that I'd consider insane. But that easygoing attitude of mine started one of the scariest experiences of my life. Enma was a good, but a ruthless biker. She immediately pushed the ducati to over 100 Kmph in under 4 seconds before breaking for turns. My head didn't work, and I think I was clucthing her tiny torso, trying not to fall down and loose my life. Add to this horrifying, dut efficient driving style of a street racer, the superfast cars trying to race ahead of us.

Soon we came to a halt. I wouldn't have realized that we were on road for only 13 minutes had Enma not looked into here watch and said out her time out aloud. To me it was like an hour in hell. It took me around two mintues to calm down and my heartbeat to return to human levels when I realized where I was standing. And here I could think of only one word - Unreal. But then, having experienced unrealism many times now, it didn't drop my jaw. But I was still surprised nonetheless, as you would be watching a Lion feed on grass.

"Where are we?" I asked while gaping at the 'Unreal' scene before me.
"That's strange. The Reports didn't mention a tower here." Enma said in an unshaken voice.
"That looks like a tower to you?" I said in amazement of her indifference, while looking at a large perforated bone like piece growing out from a building that was supported by what I assume must be ligaments and tendons, that were stuck to the ground.
"Oh! Yes, it's a tower all right. We call it a Spider Tower." She said pointing to the grotesque structure on the roof.
"That was made by a spider?"
"Yes." she replied and started walking towards the building that held the base for the bone... or should I also start saying Tower?

(... to be continued)

=================
Author's Note
------------------
Tried following a more Haruhi Suzumiya Style of story telling that it's author used in the Light Novels. (I have 8 of them :D ) Also, I think I should start thinking a name for this series? Maybe a name for the main guy too... All I know myself, is that he is some Mr. Srivastava...

Also, this time I won't laze around typing part II (or III... who knows...) and I'll make sure the story is completed properly.

P.S - The Car Trap - Part II

Building up your ideas...

2010-10-24T02:48:00.000+05:30

I don't have a story, or a poem, or even a new music to post here. And it's all because I'm having more ideas coming into my head in a given time, and it's causing a serious mixup here. So this time around, I'll rant a bit in this blog.

Well, I had an idea to write a argument/dialogue between a Camera man and an Artist (read, my brother and me :P ) standing on the foot of a hill with majestic windmills rotating majestically in an autumn morning. I also had an I idea about a working guy who one day leaves his home, his wife, his kids, his mom and goes off with his camera on a long long drive. Then, I had this morbid idea of a vampire and a traditional demon having some kind of a holiday in "Hampy", the ruined former capital city of a former middle age kingdom of Vijaynagara, now somewhere in Karnataka. (I went there with my family this Durga Puja Holidays... and I was completely captivated by this large ruined city. I just didn't want to go back home) Only that there is a deep purpose of this holiday, and ends in a jaw dropping conclusion. Looking at the outlines of the last one, it'll take me at least 60 pages or more to write it down... so I did what I was born to do - Be lazy, and avoid writing it for as long as possible -__-

Then, I even had this idea of writing about a childhood experience of mine with a small street puppy who became a playmate of mine for a brief time period... until in died of cold. Only that, the story was to written from the puppy's point of view.

Yes, there are no end of ideas... there is no end to my laziness in penning them or typing them down either. I think I'll buy an online version of "How to overcome Laziness" on amazon and have my Adobe Reader read it out aloud for me...

The Reader (Innocent version)

2010-10-05T02:00:00.003+05:30

After the Check-in, the security checks and what not, I was allowed to walk into the waiting lounge of the New Delhi Domestic Airport. The shops didn't attract much of my interest, so I had two hours of time to waste before boarding my flight to Bangalore. I went upto the food court there, took a Zinger meal form KFC, and found myself a seat overlooking the airport view outside. Though it was a domestic airport, I personally thought it was a grand view. Passenger Aircrafts like Boeing 737s are about two stories high, but watching them from a higher place up, that too through the unobstructed view of the glass panel walls of the airport terminal - it feels like you're some King overlooking the majestic view of your Empire.

I stuffed in my headphones into my ears, played some soft Japanese Music (Noto Mamiko, by the way, she sang the ending themes for Hell Girl :D ) and took out my Notebook and Pen. I thought I'd write some fiction. But writing fiction isn't an easy task. I need to have a plot, then I'd require to cook up some situations that'd force my characters of the story to follow my plot, and some finer points that a writer should never neglect, had to be taken into mind too. After some though, I started writing something.

I don't know how much time had passed, but some four pages later, I heard someone say "Are you a writer Mister?" I turned around and found a girl of about 10 or 11 years of age looking at me. She was extremely fair, and her accent told me that she wasn't an Indian kid.
"No, I'm not a writer, but an Engineer. But I like to write some stuff up in my free time." I replied.
"You are not a writer... but you like to write..." she said in a doubtful tone with a face filled with an expression of curiosity.
"Yes, I like to write down my thoughts in free time sometimes." I tried to help her train of thoughts. She turned her eyeballs away with her small fingers over her lips. Then she suddenly looked at me again.
"So you write a Diary?" she said with a questioning tone. It turns out I totally derailed her thoughts... or wait. Were they on track at all?
"No, I write stories that build up in my mind."
"So, you are a writer after all!" Her face suddenly brightened up. "So tell me Mister! Tell Me. Do you write good stories?" The brightness was too much for me, so I looked away from her to resume my own train of thoughts which by now seemed to be low on fuel. She asks me if I write good stories or not. Truth be told, no one ever read the stories I wrote so I didn't know if I should praise myself. I had no first hand proof or recommendation that my stories were any good. 'How am I supposed to know if I'm a good writer or not??' was the question that ultimately kept hitting me. But I finally thought of something to reply to her.
"I can't say, because no one reads my stories." To this answer, she made a curious looking expression.
"If no one reads your stories, why do you write them?" She asked me bluntly and innocently. But her bluntness to say, was sharp enough to pierce through my chest.
"Well young girl. You see, not everyone writes for others to read. Some people, like myself for example, write for self-satisfaction. I guess a girl of your age won't understand." No sooner I said my last few words, her expression changed suddenly. She turned angry and her pitch rose up.
"But I know. I'm not wrong! My Mom is a famous writer and she told me she has to write so that other people read them. My Mom can't be wrong!" I was considerably taken aback by this retaliation. One or two families sitting around us started looking at us. But my thought process started again. She was the daughter of some famous writer... so how many female writers I know who had Kids? My rather primitive brain didn't have enough information or resource, so it gave up thinking about this rather quickly.
"Well, your Mom is right. Writers write so that other people read them. But I'm an exception. I write for myself. Other people may not like what I write." She partially returned to normal. I guess she had a mother complex.
"But how can you say they won't like it if you don't let people read it?" she was now becoming exceedingly difficult for me to handle.
"Ok. So why don't you read one or two of them to decide for yourself if I'm good or not. I can't say I'm good, but at least you can see for yourself." and to this suggestion, her face brightened up again. She jumped over the two seats separating us to the seat next to me.
"Please Please show me your stories." I had a tough time trying to stop her from not falling off during her jumps.
"Ah! Wait. I'll search for a story that'll you may like." and having said this I started searching for a suitable story. 20 seconds into the search I realized all my stories were adult. Probably because I'm still single or something but somehow, unknowingly all my stories had something significantly adult. I couldn't make her read these kind of stories. But soon enough, I found something suitable for her. I handed her my notebook with that page open. She took it with much enthusiasm. But soon she made a troubled face.
"Is something wrong? The story not good?" I asked her naturally expecting her to reply 'Horrible.' or 'Hideous'.
"No. I can't understand what's written. It looks English, but I can't make out the words. It's a very bad handwriting." she replied promptly. I never felt as embarrassed or ashamed over my handwriting as I was feeling now. Even though I've been reprimanded by my parents and my countless teachers about it, only this small 11 year old could take my feeling of shame to a totally new height.
"Well then, let me read it out to you. I'm sorry for my bad handwriting though." I said, trying not to think heavily about it. She gave a smile immediately and handed me my notebook.
"Yes Please!" was her response. I was temporarily stunned. This girl didn't think my handwriting was an issue. She just wanted to listen to a story. That's all.
"But before I start, tell me why would you want to read my story when your Mom would have written far better stories?" I asked her. But she became silent.
"She writes good stories..." and then she looked at me with big innocent eyes "...but I can't understand most of them. I mean... she works so hard to write them and all... but they are all sad..."
"Well, don't think too much about it." I cut her short. I got the feeling she couldn't tell her mom that she didn't like her stories or didn't want to read stories that are probably for more mature audiences or types that she doesn't like. Simply put, she won't say something that'll hurt her Mom. "OK. Now, pay attention to my story. Promise me you'll tell me if it was good or bad. OK?"
"OK." She smiled again.

Then I told her a story that was a total mix of Harry Potter and Star Trek. I tried to act out the dialog so that she could take interest in the story. Every time I tried doing so, she'd laugh out in giggles. Finally I don't know how long it had been, but the story was over in what I assume was 20 minutes. Her beaming face was blinding my eyes. "Mister, this story was very very Interesting. You should let other people read your stories!!"
"Ah! Well... I guess I can then."
"Mister! You have more stories right? Please tell me more stories." and she got upto my lap. Her cute face was directly staring, or rather pleading to me.
"OK. Relax. I think I have another here." I turned the page hoping to find a story suitable for a 11 year old girl. I think I did, but 5 minutes into the story, I realized she fell asleep, resting herself on my right arm. I sighed. It must have been a boring story that she fell asleep. I didn't move... I just sat still so that i didn't wake her up. Her Mom must be here somewhere and it would be bad if this little girl out of excitement or curiosity or whatever mighty lord put in her head, started chasing after me.

I looked out at the view in front of me. The airplanes were taxiing, and some were preparing for take off. But their movement felt like some video game screen where I could control which plane had to move, which ones had to take off or which one had to be sent for repairs. But soon, I rejected my thought because it started resembling like some Facebook game my friends played non stop. 15 minutes after she fell asleep, a lady called out "Excuse me!". I turned around. It was a foreigner lady.
"Ah! Are you this girl's mother?" I asked her immediately before she could accuse me of being a kidnapper or a child abuser or what not.
"Yes. Is she asleep?" she asked me with a concerned face.
"Well, yes. I'm afraid my last story must have been boring." and then I told her everything that had happened up till now before she could turn any of my aforementioned fears into reality. It turned out that she believed my story... well, I told her the truth anyway.
"I'm sorry my daughter has caused you so much inconvenience." she said in a friendlier tone than before.
"No. No. She is a very cute and very adorable child. I'm afraid I'm the one who must have caused you some worry." I tried to be very formal and very Gentleman-like.
"No. I'm happy that you took care of her. I wanted her to eat her Salad but she doesn't like them and ran away from the food court. I tried searching throughout the waiting area but couldn't find her. I was about to make the authorities make an announcement about her, but I caught a glimpse of her from a distance."
"Good that you came about. I must mention she is very proud of you."
"Ah! Is she?" She giggled in a similar manner.
"Yes. Even though she thought I was a writer, and wanted me to read out my stories, she still considers you to be the best."
"Well. I'm a professional writer, but recently I've hit the writer's block. I was frustrated and couldn't pay much attention to her. My editor let me take a leave, so I could come here to get over it. But I guess my breakup with my husband is still weighing down on me even though it's been quiet some time."

And then the announcement about my flight's final boarding call was made. I gently pushed the little girl away from my right arm as her mother picked her up. I picked up my bag, took my notebook and tore the pages of the story I had narrated to the little girl.
"Here take this. This is the story that your daughter liked. I'm sure she'd want to read it later on."
"But... isn't it your material... I mean you're a writer too. Right?" she said in a hesitating tone.
"No no. I'm just an engineer who writes sometimes for his feeling of self satisfaction." I said. She was hesitant, but she ultimately took the sheets form me. I then immediately rushed to get to Gate No. 9 to board my flight.
"But Mister. May I know your name?" she called out from behind. I turned around.
"Try writing a story your daughter will like for a change, rather than what your audience would like. I'm sure your daughter will love it and it'll help you get over your writer's block. Bye!" I said and ran off to catch my flight to Bengaluru.

===============================================

Author's Notes
-----------------------

This is a completely fictional story I started writing when I had to wait for two hours at the New Delhi Airport for my Flight. I initially thought I'd write a Description of this Amazing new Domestic Terminal, but somehow the notebook I had was filled up with story about some girl that didn't exist.

Come to think of it, the guy at KFC didn't notice my presence (and hence didn't take my order), let alone a cute 11 year old girl. :P

Plus, I wanted to write something like the way Ruskin Bond writes... hence this rather... Ordinary story. But if you're reading this far out in this post... Thanks for reading :)

P.S. - I also notice I've written a shorter story compared to my other works :)
P.P.S - I've italicized the dialogs for ease of reading.

The Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyoukai)

2010-09-14T23:00:00.033+05:30

Recently, I've been watching (or to be more exact, I've somehow managed to watch) some anime on a regular basis, which given my style of life and routine is something very difficult for me...

However, once again I've come across a series called "Kara no Kyoukai (Boundary of Emptiness)" better known in English as "The Garden of Sinners". Cause it's troublesome typing, I'll refer to this series as KnK. (Please bear by it...)

Now, KnK was actually a series of 7+3 Light Novels written by Nasu Kinoko. He's the same guy who authored and wrote the story for Shingetsutan Tsukihime (Lunar Legend Tsukihime or Lunar Legends) and Fate/Stay Night. I was primarily attracted by the title, but I started watching this series because I saw Nasu's name. I like Tsukihime and I'm a die hard fan of Fate/Stay Night (Saber!!! <3 )... So I knew I just had to watch this.

So, I start watching the first Movie/Episode - KnK : Overlooking View.

BTW, these screen shots are not in chronological order, so that the reader may not be able to guess what the story is and to avoid possible spoilers....

A series of suicides done by very normal High School Girls begin to happen from the rooftop of some Fujyou Buildings. Shiki (protagonist) goes to the murder scene of the 5th victim and concludes next day that 8 are supposed to die. However, when she is not on time to save the 7th victim, will she become the 8th victim herself? There are 4 main characters in this movie, namely Mikiya (Shiki's close Friend), Shiki (Protagonist), Touko Aozaki (Supporting Role {Hidden Mastermind}) and the Antanoist, the owner of the building.

Now, coming to why I liked it, and consider it good enough to post on my blog.
1) The Artwork and Animation. Done by ufotable, the animation is something that was beyond what I expected it to be. The art was flawless, the expressions of characters excellently made, and the animation was very very fluid and smooth. Even the 3D parts of it were awesomely and seamlessly done. 10/10 for that.
2) Characters. The Characters came out very strong. I wasn't drawn by the story as much as I was drawn by the character of Shiki and to some extent Touko. The characters were displayed with such detail and beauty that I must confess I was captivated. Also, Shiki is one badass, no nonsense girl :D
3)Dialogues. The dialogues were deep and highly impressive. While some discussed philosophy of souls and bodies, some described the current situation or maybe a fact of life... but whatever dialogues were spoken out, they are not wasted and the visuals are not wasted either. Like the Intro Credits helps us understand the deep dialogue between Shiki and Mikiya at the end... I'll repeat what I said in short. The Dialogues were impressive and some were awesome.
4)Background and Ending Score. The Music for all the movies was made by Yuki Kajiura (Yes, you can click her name for more info). Need I say more... :) As of today, the ending theme "Oblivious" is already my song of the month.

As for the story... it was good, but the above points completely overshadowed it. So, that becomes a minus point. In rating an Anime or Movie, the story should be the first thing the viewer should notice.

Overall, I rated the first move 8/10. My friend Mr. V rated it at about 7.8/10. So, it's definitely worth watching (at least once if you don't like foreign language movies or Anime.). However, the first and second movies are OK, the third movie takes the level of violence to a higher level and also has brief nudity. It becomes an overall 18+ series there on, so those who don't like 18+ stuff (I know a few in real life... ) shouldn't take the effort to even try it. At the most watch upto the first 2 movies only then.

The Second Movie is about the Relationship between Shiki and Mikiya and also a tragic past Shiki had. It also tells about why Shiki has such a dark character.

The Third Movie is all about Shiki and her Badass character. It goes deeper into why she is the way she is. Also, there is an equally badass Antagonist. Due to the level of adult stuff in it... this movie alone takes the series to over 18+ ratings.

I'm yet to watch the others right now, but I've enjoyed these three movies a lot and am planning to complete this series now. It's worth my time at least... :)

And yes, it's a pleasant break from the cliched comedy or romance Manga/Anime I've been watching for the past 3 to 4 weeks...

P.S. Yes, I was too lazy to post images/screenshots for the 2nd and 3rd movies.... -___- I mean, it's a headache taking screenshots. Then again, this is a Rated 18+ anime, hence there are many screensots I can't post because of the excessive violence or nudity... Also, the images are a respective copyrights of their owner, and I do not own them :P

Tears not Alone

2010-09-12T23:30:00.002+05:30

A shade of grey,
In the month of May,
A time of waiting,
That seems too long.
A shade of blue,
My time with you,
A time I had then,
Now seems too wrong.

A shade of grey,
In the empty fray,
A time that doesn't
Seem to go on.
A shade of Yellow,
That once felt mellow,
A feeling so distant,
That absconds.

So now I seem to think,
My mind doesn't blink,
In doubt or in pain.
I know what has gone,
Has gone beyond me,
An empty hope that,
doesn't abandon me.
At least these feelings that I've grown,
Are with this irrepairable pain.
At least my tears are not alone,
They're falling with the rain.

A shade of Red,
That was once a thread,
A bond that felt strong,
Had broken before long.
A shade of Green,
That was so serene,
A feeling so pure,
That could play like a song.

A shade of Red,
Now fall with dread,
A life that wasn't,
supposed to be.
A shade of blue,
Now comes to ensue,
A life that wasn't
meant to be.

So now I think,
Without a blink,
Without doubts or pain.
I know what has gone,
Has gone beyond me,
And I'll go there,
Tough hell should stop me.
At least this feeling that I've grown,
Is dripping away with this pain,
At least my tears are not alone,
They are falling with the rain.

At least my tears are not alone,
They are falling with my blood...
...upon a cold stone.

==================================
Author's Notes
---------------------
I thought I'd try writing a sad poem/song type of thing. Primarily because I was feeling extremely frustrated over myself about something (I won't rant about it... -__- I usually never do...) so I decided to take it out by writing something extremely sad. :-| Then I have it attested by Mr. V (who tells me that it was good) and then decide to post it here... :)

Oh well... I was never good with poems, but I feel I have done well this time...

P.S. No one told me that I'd written is 2 times in one line... :-|

Monsoon Spirits - Part II

2010-09-09T00:08:00.001+05:30

Please Read the first part (link below) before reading this part. Don't blame me for being vague or unclear this time... my mind just writes what it thinks without much explainations... >.<

This story is a continuation of Monsoon Spirits - Part I.
===================

"Akansha!!"
She fell on her knees and her forehead hit the train wall.
"Damn! What is going on here!!" I went upto her and held her in my arms. I looked back at the red eyes.
'Bad news. I sense more of them coming.'
'More of who?' I put my thoughts back to her.
'The one who hijacked your girlfriend's soul.'
'Wha...'
And I look at some odd 15 people walking slowly towards me. And then I felt myself choking. My girlfriend was trying to strangle me with her lifeless eyes looking at me. I felt an opposing force grab me from behind. I swear I thought my neck was gonna tear apart like a piece of tissue paper, but luckily I and my girlfriend were hurled by the Red Eyed Woman out of the Metro Train. Upon landing on the station like sacks of rice, the grip on my neck loosened up a bit and I pulled her arm away from me. I struggled to find my breath and then looked up. The doors of the metro train had closed and moved ahead to it's next destination. But something was too obviously wrong. I didn't hear the sound of the train or the doors closing or even the sound of steel wheels moving over steel tracks. Something was obviously wrong and in pure desperation I first looked at my unconscious girlfriend and then looked towards the other girl with Red Eyes... Ah! it's annoying...
'What the heck is your name?'
'What would you do with my name?'
'Well... like I'm in no mood to refer you as - Oh! That annoying girl - right now.'
'For now, call me anything that you think suits me.'
'Red?'
She looked at me with here glaring red eyes and then smiled a bit. 'If that suits you... OK. So what did you want to ask?'
This woman was sharp. 'Well, for starters, what is going on. I can't hear any sound. There are no people around...'
'Maybe if you look a bit further off like towards the city, then you'll realize.'
'Huh?'
'Yes, go on. Look towards the city.'
I got up on my feet. My knees were still hurting as an after effect of Red's grab and throw action. I limped towards the railings to look out into the city. And I became more speechless and numb.
'Where are we?' was all I could think.
'It seems you understand now. This isn't the real world.'
'Where are we?' I repeated as I looked at the lifeless streets, empty buildings and parks. I couldn't see one person walking around.
'Something that's not real world.'
"FOR GOD'S SAKE JUST TELL ME WHERE THE HECK ARE WE?" I shouted at her in pure irritation. And then I suddenly felt my throat go numb. I didn't get it. Just what is going on here?
'You already know. If this isn't the real world, then either this is heaven or this is hell or maybe completely a new sub dimension created by the criminal spirit.'

I felt my whole body going numb now. I couldn't breath properly, I couldn't move my hands the way I was wanting to move them. It was a slow paralysis overcoming my whole body.
'Ah! You're in a pinch eh? Here, try and hold my hand.' Red stretched out her hand. I desperately tried to reach her hand but my breath was making it too difficult and my arms weren't moving the way I wanted them to. Was it moving at all? I don't know, but my vision was about to go blank when I thought I touched something. And then suddenly a rush of intense pain tore into me from my right hand to my whole body. It was as if high pressure flow was trying to tear off my skin from underneath it. I thought my blood vessels were exploding but really, nothing was happening on the surface. I was writhing in pain all over when I heard Red's voice. 'The Aura here in this dimension is toxic... at least for you. It went into you in large quantity when you screamed. So I just transferred some of my resistant energy into you, but it seems your body is trying to reject it. So here is my advice. Endure the pain if you want to survive this.'
After sometime the pain subdued or I felt that it subdued, so I was able to get up on my knees. I saw my girlfriend. I was breathless, but I managed to transmit my thought across to Red. 'What about her... is she OK?'
'She is not OK. Apart from being possessed by the spirit, she is even in this toxic environment and any form of protection won't work on her. We just have to wait and watch now.'
'What the...' I looked around me. No people, no sound and no change in the sunlight or daylight. I looked up at the clock that hangs down from every metro station. The minute hand didn't seem to move at all. As if time had stopped still.
'Red...'
'What?'
'What going to become of me or my girlfriend.'
'We have re-enforcements on way.'
'Am I gonna live?'
'You'll live, but can't say about her.'
I looked towards Akansha's unconscious body. I just didn't understand why would the spirit attack her. She was the most pure and innocent person I had ever met. She could do no wrong. And yet she was here unconscious and probably in pain just because she...

Something dawned to me. 'Just because her balance on the card was Rs. 99.90? This is absurd... downright silly.'
'Now you've started thinking eh?'
I was thinking. And as I thought, I dragged myself up to her body and started looking for her purse. It must have the card... maybe some clue as to where we must be. But there was no purse. Was it left back on the train? I then started searching in my pockets. I didn't have my wallet either.
'This may very well be the reason that why only the wallets with the metro cards in them were found. The attacked individuals had their body dragged out into this dimension and their metro card was left oouuuttt...' she slowed down on her last word. Her blood red eyes widened for a second. 'Hey! You... you check if there is any symbol for the Delhi Metro here in this station...'

'Huh?' I looked around. Indeed there weren't any symbols for the metro station throughout the station. Not even engraved in the concrete like it usually should be. By that time it seems that Red had already surveyed the whole area. She immediately came rushing to me... and kicked my chest with full force. I heard a terrible banging and cracking sound of crushing concrete. My senses were already numb with her anti-toxin treatment, so I didn't the pain of being kicked on the chest, but, I was desperately gasping for breath. I looked up towards where I should be if I hadn't been kicked. But there was a large crack and I could see Red desperately trying to defend herself from something by obstructing it with her two swords. I couldn't see who was attacking her. Suddenly she looked towards me and she shouted "LIE DOWN!!". I just obeyed and lay down. No sooner had I done that, I heard another cracking and banging sound from behind me. I could even feel the concrete dust hit my nape and head. "DAMN IT!!!" She shouted in even more desperation than before and then I don't know, or maybe I couldn't see what she did, but she made an extremely fast movement that resulted in some black ink like liquid splatter all over the floor and walls. The moment I saw this, I thought something cold was pricking the nape of my neck. And then a terrible gust of cyclonic wind surrounded me. I could only see a mix of black robes and silver steel go past me with a speed that must have caused the wind. And then I could feel something cold splash on my back. I slowly turned around to see that black ink surround me completely and Red breathing heavily as if she had no energy left.

She was still gasping for breath when she grabbed my wrists and said "Listen. I'll bring back your Girlfriend, but for now, you must leave this dimension. They are after you too..."
I had very little energy left in me to speak, so I continued to transmit my thoughts. 'Who is after me and how will you get me and Akansha out of this place?'
"Major explainations later, but right now, let me carve a Metro Symbol on you hands."
"Carve?"
"Yes, Carve."
"How?"
"With my sword."
"Huh? Hey wait. You can't do that right now..." saying that I pulled away my wrists.
"But let me do it. It's the only way out of this place for you."
"But what about Akansha? How will you bring her out then?"
"The same way as you but with a difference."
"I don't believe you. I don't believe..."
"Hey hey... I don't know why you won't believe me but this method will work and I will take both of you out of this place."
"But what if that spirit completely devours her. You won't bring her back then. You can't right?" I was getting desperate.
"She can only be devoured if the main spirit comes out."
"What if it comes out right now. Save Akansha first!"
"It won't come out that easily."
"Why?"
"Spirits don't have a brain do they?"
"Well..."
"See. This is a rather simple solution. Let's just do it."
"Bah! You don't know one thing about human emotion do you?" I didn't know I had that much energy left to verbally argue with her...
"I have plenty. Now just do as I say and I promise you won't be late for your next date."
I sighed. How did I get into this situation?

My senses were still weak for me to comprehend or remember things accurately. This time she forcefully pulled my arms towards her and started carving out a symbol on my wrists using her sword. She must have had excellent mastery over her sword because she drew a perfect circle of blood on my wrist followed by two parallel lines and a slash joining them. She drew a symbol of the Delhi Metro on my wrist drawing out my blood and I didn't feel the pain of having my skin cut either. That 6 seconds of my life felt the most unreal or surreal or any other word that would describe this situation. I still can never explain to anyone how unreal that felt at that time. But when she was done carving the Delhi Metro sign on my wrist, I suddenly felt an extreme pull... a pull so strong I felt as if I was some dirt been sucked by a vacuum cleaner. My vision distorted and blurred until I couldn't see anything and I had this extreme nauseating feeling. That was when I heard a voice. "Calm down! Calm Down! The Doctor will be there in a second... so please Calm down!"
I opened my eyes to see a nurse trying to pin me down with her slim and seemingly frail body. I instantly felt as if I had no power left in my body and simply flopped on the hospital bed. If there was some God out there, I had to sincerely thank him or her for protecting me. And if this was just a nightmare, then even more so.

=========================

I waved my friends goodbye from my room. It seems my mom and dad reserved a private ward for me. Can't trust those public beds for even once. Also, my girlfriend was in another hospital recovering. It turns out she is out of danger. Once all my friends left, I looked to my left where my Nemesis was waiting silently. "I'm amazed you can keep quiet for so long Red."
"It seems you are referring to my sister as Red I presume?"
"Heh?" I took a good look at her again. Yes, she looked a lot like my Nemesis, but I must confess... I too found it too strange that she was so quiet for such a long time (about an hour and half since she appeared in the room), and then she was in a completely different attire all together. She wore more traditional Chinese Japanese dress, and that would be the first time I would've seen her like this. Only that it wasn't Red, because she would always be in Jeans or Short Skirts. It was someone else. Good thing my friends couldn't see her. She then interrupted my train of thoughts.
"I'm the younger twin of the lady you are originally acquainted to. I deeply apologize for any inconvenience caused due to this confusion."
"No. Please don't apologize. There was no such inconvenience." I instinctively replied in a very formal and soft tone.
"If that is the case, then that relives me tremendously."
Yes. This version of my Nemesis was far more polite, soft spoken and sensitive of the person before her.
"So, what is your name? And if possible, what is your sister's name?"
"My name is Ai. I believe you must already know my sister's name."
"Not really. I only called her Red yesterday cause she simply refused to tell me her real name."
"I... I see. I'm sorry for my sister's rude behavior..." she paused and bowed slightly. Was she becoming uncomfortable? "... but you see, you two must have been in a situation where telling your real names must have been risky. Like... like soul-jacking and stuff happens because of it."
Yes. I could feel she was becoming uncomfortable.
"Well, the situation was pretty bad, so I think it was great that she did her best to not jeopardize the situation any more that what it was already."
She look towards me and then smiled slightly. "Thank You for understanding her situation. It relieves me to know that you two get along well. I feel I can tell you her real name. It is Enma."
Enma? Odd name. Was it Chinese? But I put my thoughts for a later time "Ah! Yes. Of course we do get along... though we get along in a different way, but yes... we get along pretty well." I said. I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. "So. Why are you here? Where is your sister? I was sure it should be her who'd come and pester me."
"I'm extremely sorry If I'm pestering you." she had a concerned expression on her face.
"Ah! No. Not you. I mean... it's my way to show my... err... friendliness to your sister."
"I... I see... well. You see, it was my sister who originally sent me here. She is currently recuperating from her injuries caused in the latest case. She couldn't come herself, but told me to come saying that you may have questions that I or she can answer." she said in a muted but rushed tone.
"Well... I do have questions... and a lot of them. So just tell me everything from beginning to end about this matter. Who were the spirits? Why they were attacking passengers or my girlfriend? What had metro cards or symbols had to do with this? Why Rs. 99.90 was particularly targeted?"
"I'll try my best to answer all your question with the best of my ability."
"Well then please. I'm dying to know all this."
"Well... first of all... the attackers weren't really spirits but something that you may understand as vampires."
"Vampires? You mean like Count Dracula."
"Count Dracula was really a mortal who wished to become a vampire. But a real vampire is a lot different from what you know from the Twilight saga."
"Twilight? You actually read Stephenie Meyer?"
"Yes. And I like her books. They are nice and sweet don't you think?"
"I'd rather not talk about this right now... Please continue with the Metro case." I clearly didn't want to criticize her choice of books... which by my standards isn't too good.
"So. These Vampires are special. They can't exist in our dimension and can gain significant amount of constructive or destructive power by consuming human blood and souls. Thus they began abducting humans from this dimension. However, they didn't have a method to enter this dimension on their own accord. They however could rupture and break in if a Magical code was place in the real world. That magical code turned out to be 9990. The dot between 99 and 90 in turn amplified this rupture. However, the only people who could detect space time ruptures is me and one other person. So no one in the agency was able to know. Once those vampires made their way in they found they couldn't take the people in metro with them to their dimension. Logically they should be able to but something was causing an eventual rejection of beings in that dimension. It turns out that the Delhi Metro symbol is a seal of protection against their dimensional leaps. If you carry a symbol on the card or token, you'll be protected from being abducted into their world. So the vampire entities simply discarded the item with the symbol and carried out the abduction. Initially they didn't act in day time on crowded areas because it would be detected immediately and a cover up would require a lot of energy. This time though, they decided to speed up their gathering process by using previously collected energy to do the cover up. They could also puppeteer some individuals by turning some power energy into Prana - a form of energy used to sustain familiars."
"That clears up a lot of things." I lean back at the pillow. "There are still a few things left. Why is their dimension toxic to me? How did my girlfriend survive this without that damned anti-toxin treatment?"
"About that... well. You see, the good things is that your girlfriend wasn't that badly exposed. Nee-san acted quickly to bail her out of that place, but she was attacked by a lot of those vampires and got injured. It's not so serious, but still, it's the first time in a long time I've seen her like this. However, there is a bad thing too."
"What?" I was having a feeling something really bad was gonna be told to me, cause Ai now made a very difficult expression. She looked away and said "In order to normalize the state of your girlfriend's soul and body, we had to apply a procedure that uses up her life force. She may now not live as long as she is fated to."
I gulped a knot down my throat. "How much has she lost?"
"About one and half to two years."
I sighed. It didn't sound as bad. "At least she'll live to be over sixty?"
"I don't have the ability to feel life force let alone tell age. I can only feel space and dimensions. Maybe Nee-san can help you with this. I'll let her know when she gets all better."
I sigh again. "And how come the vampires didn't try to possess me? All they did was use my girlfriend to try and strangle me."
"That may be because..." she took a brief pause and then suddenly looked at me. "... because you are not a normal human being. You may be someone with a free soul."
"Free soul? I don't get you."
"A Free soul is detached from fate and is not bound to any dimension unlike normal souls. Thus there are no direct methods to access your soul by magic. Hacking the mind may be one way to control you, but hacking minds is too risky for the hacker. So ultimately, anything in this world will be unable to possess you, but may be able to affect you by altering your surroundings or environment."
"I am so not understanding this... but if I'm detached from dimensions and all, how did I get into that other world in the first place?"
"You didn't let go of your girlfriend when the attackers switched dimensions. Also, I believe onee-san threw the two of you out of the Metro train?"
"Yes..." I was trying not to recall it. "... Rather brutally."
"That must have caused your wallet to fall into the Metro Train. So you easily went into the other dimension."
Things now became clearer than before. I kind of understood what happened but personally, I still didn't understand what did she mean by me having a free dimensionless soul. I feel I still haven't understood a lot of things and yet, there are still even more that is yet to seep into me. Right now, the after effect of that "Unreal" experience has rendered my mind comfortably numb. I understood the whole situation, but I didn't or couldn't feel the impact of it on me or my life. Maybe I will in two days... but until then I'm waiting for my mother to bring me some hot chicken soup and I'm hoping that my girlfriend will get better soon. She too is good at making warm stuff meant for patients like me.

Ai Kept standing on her place and left another 20 minutes later, after politely bowing and bidding me a formal goodbye.

====================
Author's Note
-----------------------

Yay!!! Finally completed this so called horror story. But you know I'm not one bit scared after reading this so I doubt this actually is a horror story. Maybe it's another one of my unconscious mix matches.
Well, this time I italicized all the dialogs between characters because a lot of telepathic transmission was going on between them.

And Finally, I've yet again failed to write a short story that is short enough by blogger standards. If you've read both parts then thank you for reading my story. :) The fact you're reading up to this part makes me happy... :)

P.S ::> Just noticed. This post is posted on 9th... T_T Damn... I wanted to post it within the 8th of this month.

My Custom Anime Mug...

2010-09-01T22:00:00.000+05:30

Well, being such an ardent fan of Anime/Manga as I am... I couldn't help but write about it.
Today, I recieved my Customized Ceramic Mug. I just paid Rs. 50 for it (which is just a little over a dollar) and naturally it has an anime theme picture printed on it :D

I thought I'd share a couple of pics here...

Yes... the cup has Two swordswomen (and one of them is Saber <3 ). I dunno the other character but she looks like Mio from K-ON. The overall pic is actually a wallpaper that I use as my Windows 7 logon screen (where we enter the username and password before using the computer). But I added the lines "Angels of Death" To the left and right black strips that showed up.

How did I get this Mug?? Oh. Well... there is this site called http://www.myntra.com/ which has a offer currently going on. If you register for the first time, then you will get a white ceramic mug free that you can customize to your liking. And I added "The most coolest wallpaper" I had (After a bit of Photoshopping). The actual cost of this mug was Rs. 249 (+ Rs. 50 shipping). But with the above offer, I just had to pay for the shipping :) For the quality of the print on the mug, this offer was a complete steal. And then Rs. 300 for a customized mug is not a bad deal anyway.

By the end of it... I guess I have something for girls with swords. I dunno why, but it's downright sexy :)

I've uploaded the original Image I had printed because it's awfully difficult to take pictures of a mug that too of the whole picture. So, I've uploaded the original image I gave them to print.

Now, I can make my own anime/manga merchandise, and enjoy some nice tea/coffee while I'm at it. :D
And I recommend that other anime/manga fans reading my blog do so too. :)
Oh. Non-anime/manga fans should take advantage of this offer as well :)

Monsoon Spirits - Part I

2010-08-21T23:20:00.001+05:30

"It won't come out that easily."
"Why? Spirits don't have a brain do they?"
"Well..."
"See. This is a rather simple solution. Let's just do it."
"Bah! You don't know one thing about human emotion do you?"
"I have plenty. Now just do as I say and I promise you won't be late for your next date."
I sighed. How did I get into this situation?

==================

Thinking rationally, it was already two days since I got this ton of documents. There were a total of 15 people missing. They went missing during the evening when it becomes dark. "About 1900 hrs to 1930 hrs." or something of that sort was written in the 15 page brief report. I took a sip of coffee. There was no pattern of attacks. They happened very randomly and at random places. All the victims went missing on an near empty metro train, but strangely enough the metro card and the wallet or purse in which it was kept was found. Thanks to that we came to know about this abnormal activity.

Then the realization suddenly dawns upon me and I realize I've been made a fool by that vicious twin again. I sigh and decide not to think about it. Somehow, I was more interested in the puzzle in front of me... After about an hour of brain storming and decoding all the info I got. I couldn't think of anything. My phone rang and with perfect timing too. I picked it up. It was my girlfriend. She said if we could meet up tomorrow and I naturally said yes. Never let an opportunity slip by. I get up from my chair and turn around. A familiar looking girl in a black robe was standing in front of me.

"Just knock before entering dammit. You guys scare the shit out of me sometimes."
"You weren't scared this time?"
"No."
"Found anything?"
"Nothing."
"Need some help with something?"
I sighed. She was the only one who'd ask me if I needed any help. But that was the problem. I didn't know what step to take, so I didn't know what to ask her to help me with.
She waited queitly for my reply. I didn't really reply. However, something struck me.
"Hey. Your reports say nothing about the cards."
"We did mention it."
"No, I mean, data like how much money it had, or what was the serial number of the card and all that stuff."
She looked at me. "OK. I'll try and get all that info. For now you should rest. You have a date tomorrow." And then she gave me a freakish smile and walked away towards the balcony.

I slept peacefully that day and got up the next morning. I found a brown envelope with the morning newspaper. As I had thought, it had the details of all the cards found in the metro. And some points were neatly highlighted by a fluorescent marker. The figures were the balance remaining on the metro card. The balance on each card was exactly Rs. 99.90/-

It seems it was an obvious observation to even an amateur like her. However, what I was trying was to connect this value with the timings. Well, not much progress that way. So I forget all of it and prepare for my upcoming date.

It's now early afternoon and now I'm waiting for my girlfriend on Sector 18 metro station. She is about 15 minutes late. I mentally prepare myself to be angry at her. She comes with a sweet smile and even a sweeter voice she says "I'm sorry! There was too much crowd and traffic. Just couldn't get on an earlier train." That unfair amount of sweetness renders me weak and I find myself giving her unneeded sympathy.

"So where do you wanna go?"
"I wanna go to Palika"
"Huh? CP? OK. Let's go then."
"You have a card right?"
"Metro Card. Ya I have one."
"Let's go then!"
My girlfriend goes ahead first and flashes her card on the sensor. The path slides open and the display shows a balance Rs. 99.90/- in green. I feel a chill go down my spine. My stomach and chest feel a strange sense of uneasiness. I can't move. There are people lining up behind me. My girlfriend who has now run a few steps ahead suddenly turns back and then asks with a worried tone, "Something wrong sweety?"
"Ugh. Nothing." I flash my card. The balance is Rs. 2.23/-. This has to be a joke right? Am I really the one taking her on a date?

Well, I first relax myself thinking that it was afternoon. All the occurrences happened during the evening. Meaning that She should be in the safe zone. And out of the hundred thousand odd people traveling there have to be many who have such a balance left in their cards. Thinking this we got up on the next train to Rajiv Chowk Station, which was directly in CP.

But then my peace of mind was vanquished by a monotonous voice - 'You're wrong. There are only unlucky people with such balance.'
I turn around to see my nemesis right in front of me with a serious "I wanna Kill" expression on her face. With her red eyes more fiery than ever, she continued, 'And she may do something in broad daylight now. After having 15 people, she must have had enough spiritual energy to do something bad now.'
'You have to be joking right? There is nothing that can go wrong, at least not my girlfriend.'
The red eyes look behind my shoulder. I turn around to see my girlfriend. Her otherwise shining eyes were lifeless. "Hey! Akansha!! Are you OK."
"Yes. I'm just feeling..." and she fell on her knees and her forehead hit the train wall.

=====================
Part two of this story is Monsoon Spirits - Part II. (<- It's a link... you can click it... ^_^ )

================
Author's Note
-----------------------

For Once, I wanted to write a horror story, but then I guess it ain't easy to write horror in today's age of high visual effect movies and animations. :?

Yes, this story has a Part II, where I will hopefully conclude this. For now, I'm feeling lazy and sleepy *Yawns*. Guess the ending :)

P.S. Now I've also italicized the dialogs in this one too...

Finally, The Chosen One is Here...

2010-08-20T00:35:00.002+05:30

Finally, The Chosen One the project that we worked on for so many days in studio has been copyrighted by "Finger Nozzle", our band of four/five people (...and to let you know, I never gave this name -_-; ). Now that it's under copyright, I can freely post it on the net. :)

Ah! Love the freedom...

Here is the song (also on Facebook and reverbnation.com) I embed from reverbnation.com. As I said before to other people, negative criticism is accepted, and if you're leaving comments about this, please speak your mind. That way, I'd know what we were missing here (and we are missing a lot I feel...). My only contribution to this project were the keyboards and some arranging... well... ok, just 5 seconds of it. -__-;

Lyrics
=====

He was born,

The day sun brightly shone.

He was welcomed as the king of kings,

When an angle held him; in her wings.

He was born,

Born as the Chosen One.

Destined to be in Pain,

Ordained to the suffering.

Finding the key to mortality,

Desperation seeking the truth.

He's foiled by loved,

Thwarted by belongingness.

He was born,

Born as the Chosen One.

Destined to be in Pain,

Ordained to the suffering.

He got something left undone,

Left deep within in his heart,

Got to ask before he's doomed,

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ME!!

P.S ::> I just noticed. This becomes my 50th post. I wonder when will I get to a 100 :P

The Script - Alpha Edition...

2010-08-07T01:18:00.000+05:30

Well... Like I said in my last post... I and my friend Mr. V were working on a script for a short movie we were planning to make. Like Mr. K (the person who'll direct this movie...) said... this script is a good mix of Warchosky Brothers and Cohen Brothers with the same unexpectedness of Hitchcock. Then Mr. V said that he intended to look into small details like Stanley Kubrick.

So, this is something I wrote after collecting our ideas. As of today, this is not a final script, but this is what our script would finally follow. Let's see (yes, it's an open challenge) how many understand what actually happened here. :D
=================================================

Chimera

=======

In Intro.... Heavy Atmospheric music.

Single bed Bedroom. Untidy table. Tidy room otherwise. An abstract painting hanging from the wall at one corner of the screen. A large sea map on the other corner of the screen, having many large and small red crosses and dotted and dark lines.

Alarm clock rings. Mr. M wakes up. Rubs his sleepy eyes and taps the alarm clock shut.

Bathroom Scene. Mr. M comes inside the bathroom and splashes his face in the sink.

Next scene. He sits on his untidy table. Grabs his expensive looking smart-phone/cellphone. Makes a call.

Mr. M - Hey. What's the news today. Heh? 40 120... any more coordinates... ya man... every one of them. Don't leave even one.... ya go on.

Mr. M begins to take notes

Phone rings. This time Mr. M is on the map hung on the wall.

Mr. M - Ya. Note the hot spots... ya... starts at 40 120 and...

Music goes louder/heavier and voice is muted.

Music continues and scene follows... (to be shown within 20 seconds) (It would be preferred from the authors point on view that Ms. A is shown in the background one way or the other.)

1. He takes home deliveries for lunch.

2. A scene where he is going down the staircase to a kiosk where he buys and smokes cigarettes.

3. He is shown smoking while marking on maps.

4. Shown taking home deliveries again.

5. Shown talking on phone while sitting on the table and smoking.

6. Shown taking home deliveries again.

The Music dies and the camera goes into the door and clips out into the corridor of the building focusing on the door in front. Out from the door comes out a girl. Same age group as Mr. M. She is shown having a bright smile on her face and tip toeing out of the door and down the stairs.

Chirpy and happy music starts.

Cellphone rings and she picks it up.

Ms. A - Hello? Ah yes sweetie I know I'm late. But you know Mrs. Sharma who lives on 2nd floor... ya the one with the fat black cat... he he he... well she came up and asked me to help her with something. I didn't feel like putting her down... oohh... no... don't worry. I'm on my way. I won't miss the fun... I promise.

She walks out of the building hand-waving the guard and he slightly bows down his head to return her greeting.

Music goes louder and scenes follow.... (To be shown within 20 seconds) (It would be preferred from the authors point on view that Mr. M is shown in the background one way or the other.)

1. She is shown talking on the phone while shopping.

2. Goes downstairs to the kiosk to buy cornetto.

3. Shown talking on phone with a cola in her hands.

4. Shown taking home deliveries

5. Shown saying hello, talking and then smiling with a light laugh, while going down stairs.

6. Shown taking home deliveries.

Music cuts back to a soft, preferably melancholic piano tone

Mr. M in bedroom on the table. Reaches out for a box of cigarettes and then looks at it, makes a frustrated expression while shaking the box.

Mr. M gets up and goes out. Next scene is of the Kiosk where he orders a whole pack. Mr. I who is also smoking intervenes.

Mr. I - Hello there. You live in No. XXX right?

Mr. M - Err... Yes?

Mr. I - Well, I'm your new neighbor. I moved in just yesterday. I had little time due to shifting and all, so I couldn't say hello to you earlier.

Mr. M - I see.

Mr. M doesn't say anything for 10 seconds and there is silence between the two.

Mr. M - You also have another neighbor. Keep away from that woman. She is very friendly but may have ulterior motives.

Mr. I - Is that so?

Another 5 seconds of silence

Ms. A comes into the scene

Ms. A - So, New neighbor. Set into the society yet?

Mr. I - Ah! Well, sort of. But I've yet to meet others living in this society. I hope to meet and know them soon.

Ms. A - Well. Here I am.

Mr. I - (Laughs) Well well. Indeed. So. Wanna join in for a cup of coffee or tea?

Ms. A - Ah! But I have some chores to do. I can't accept your invitation now.

Mr. I - Is that so? Well, don't worry. It won't take even 5 minutes to prepare and then, it's just a cup of tea. I won't hold you for any more than 15 minutes.

Ms. A - Hm... well. If you insist so much I think I'll come.

Mr. I - Good. I have some rare blend of coffee I'm sure you'll definitely enjoy. You won't regret it.

Ms. A - OK. Let's go.

Mr. M has his head hung low... face palming... and taking sideways glace at Ms. A.

Scene fades out

Scene fades in where Ms. A sits on the sofa and And scene follows Mr. I going into the kitchen.

Mr. I - I'll be with you in a minute.

Scene goes up-to the window where we see the silhouette or faint image of a man. Then the scene pans back and Ms. A is sitting on the sofa.

Ms. A - So. What do you do?

Mr. I - Make coffee for guests. (Laughs)

Ms. A - Ah! Yes. Indeed. (Laughs as well...)

Mr. I - But on a serious note. I'm a Senior Inspector.

Ms. A - Ah! Police. Must be a fun life.

Mr. I comes into the scene with a tray having two cups of steaming hot tea.

Mr. I - Not really. If it were criminals I had to chase, then for you it would have been fun. But really, I have a boring job of busting a smuggler's information network.

Ms. A - Smugglers. You don't chase them on seas?

Mr. I - No. It's the coast guards who do it. We just inform them.

Ms. A - Ah. But that reminds me.

Mr. I - What?

Ms. A - How do you know of people informing the smugglers when they must be informing their comrades about you?

Mr. I - How I do it is classified information. But I can tell you that I was sent here because there is one in this society. Very soon my informer spy from their gang is going to identify him for me. And then he'll go down. That'll be the exciting part won't it be.

Ms. A - I don't think so.

Ms. A gives an ultimate cruel smile

Mr. M attacks Mr. I with a flower vase. Mr. I faints to the ground and then Mr. M looks at Ms. A

Scene goes into Ms. A and with her cruel wicked smile

Ms. A - I think you already know it's dangerous to stay here any longer and that too leaving him unfinished.

Mr. M - Just what are you? Sitting there calm and cool?

Ms. A - I knew this was going to happen one day. I guess I was mentally prepared.

Mr. M runs into the kitchen and then comes out with a knife in hand... goes out of the scene and two seconds later the camera pans towards the dead body where Mr. M has already stabbed Mr. I and is now looking towards Ms. A with intent.

Ms. A - What now?

Silence

Ms. A - Uncomfortable? Come to my flat then. It's safe, and we can sort out this mess there.

Both Ms. A and Mr. M go out with Mr. M looking at Ms. A with killing intent

Scene fades out black. Heavy Music. Fades in or Pans in over the shoulder of a man reading a newspaper. In the newspaper, the focus goes into or zooms into a report

= COP AND CRIMINAL FOUND DEAD IN TWO SEPARATE FLATS =

DD/MM/YY, Location

On the evening of DAY, a Senior Inspector was found dead in his flat. He had just moved in this flat and was investigating a gang of smugglers. His death was due to multiple stabs with a knife, which surprisingly was found near the second dead body, which was identified as the informant of the smuggler network. However the flat, in which his body was found was empty for 4 years, while his own flat was next door. The cause of death of the criminal was idenified by the police as suicide....

(The following scene is in flashback mode using sepia, solarize, noisy TV effect or what ever)

Scene fades in where Mr.M sits on the sofa and And scene follows Mr. I going into the kitchen.

Mr. I - I'll be with you in a minute.

Scene goes up-to the window where Mr. M walks up-to the window. Then the scene pans back and no one is sitting on the sofa.

Mr. M - So. What do you do?

Mr. I - Make coffee for guests. (Laughs)

Mr. M - Ah! Yes. Indeed. (Laughs as well...)

Mr. I - But on a serious note. I'm a Senior Inspector.

Mr. M - Ah! Police. Must be a fun life.

Mr. I comes into the scene with a tray having two cups of steaming hot tea.

Mr. I - Not really. If it were criminals I had to chase, then for you it would have been fun. But really, I have a boring job of busting a smuggler's information network.

Mr. M - Smugglers. You don't chase them on seas?

Mr. I - No. It's the coast guards who do it. We just inform them.

Mr. M - Ah. But that reminds me.

Mr. I - What?

Mr. M - How do you know of people informing the smugglers when they may be spying on you?

Mr. M - I don't think so.

Mr. M gives an ultimate cruel smile

Back after a lot of things... like Studios!!

2010-08-02T01:37:00.001+05:30

Initially, I was on Hiatus because I was having exams...

But soon, things turned ugly and my computer blew up (Once again... T_T) and had to spend 15 to 20 days without it.

Yes, I would have come here 15 days earlier, but fate had something else in store for me. So, my 15 days went by in a form of creativity I never imagined I'd involve myself into. First, I actually tried (despite all my laziness) completing all the stories I stored up in my mind. Second, a friend of mine wrote and authored a song. He then dragged me to a recording studio so that I can co-author and arrange the music for him. So, this became my first experience in a recording studio and though it was interesting, it wasn't pretty. Thirdly, finally the ultra lazy Mr. V decided to make a move and the two of us have co-authored a script for a short movie which he hopes to complete by the end of this semester.

For now, I'll stick to my Ordeal at the recording studio. :D

Studio Chronicles

My friend Arjit one day calls me up and says I have to come to his home with my keyboard. I was hesitant, but then I agreed. I went to his home (which is about 36 Kms away from my hostel and is a one hour bus ride + 15 mins on auto+10 mins of walking) carrying my keyboard. I enter and meet this girl from Delhi University (forgot which one...). "She will be the vocalist for our song." he said. "What song?" I reply back.

He takes out is new iPod Touch and then shows me a note. It's a poem. And then he plays a guitar riff. "So?" I ask. "So what?" he asks back. Then the day goes ahead, and by the end of the day, I had to understand the girl's scale (Her name was Neha Ella BTW :P forgot to mention it sorry...) and arrange chords according to her comfort and style. Amazingly they suited.

We then did a few Jam sessions in Jam Pads. And then one day he calls me saying that we were ready for studio. "What Studio." I ask him back. "Arey... the one I told you about." he replies back. Indeed. He did tell me he was interested in recording a song in some studio he told me about, but I never imagined in my dreams that he'd actually do it. But then, I was asking more question he could answer (like what software and hardware he was using, etc) so I simply agreed to come.

Then came the next trouble. Neha drops out at the last moment and she says that her mom won't let her do the recording. I'm unable to contact her directly so I ask Arjit. He says her mom refused because each of us had to pay Rs. 1500 for the studio recording. I look at him. I ask him "Meaning I had to pay too right." "Right." is what he replies. I grab him by the collar and shake him good. "You @#$%&~!!! You're supposed to tell this important stuff earlier!!"

Somehow, he decides he'll sing the song. Then we go on a monday and for the first time in my life, I entered a professional studio. "It's a small studio but it has all the professional equipments you'll need to record a song." is what Mr. Studio-wala says. Ah! yes. His name was Mr. Pradeep. A very nice fellow I must say.

But I could see the professional instruments he had. A Tama drumkit (the one Metallica uses for live shows.), A Yamaha Keyboard and synthesizer, recoding microphones (That cost over Rs. 90,000 or $1,900 a piece), a Mixing and effects kit of Yamaha, An 8 core Intel Xeon II based Apple Mac (2x2 Quad core Xeons) with a huge LCD screen and 4 External Hard Drives of 1 Terabyte each. He also had effects processors, compressors and High Grade Filters too.

If you didn't understand what I wrote in the para above, then in short and easy language, his recording equipment left me speechless and in complete awe.

The recording goes on for two days (read as sessions) and the first session, we only managed to record a dummy track and finalized only on the drum beats that our drummer recorded. (His name was Naman BTW. I'd let you know before I forgot his name as well.). We could only do this much on our first day because the drummer wasn't used to playing drums while listening to metronomes. And no matter what you record, you have to wear a headphone and play by the tempo of the metronome. If the timing or tempo wavered even a bit, we had to redo it from the beginning. The drummer had a hard time cause he's not trained by the metronome.

Then the next day, we record the keyboards and bass (Which was done by Mr. Prashant) separately using metronome. Then the electric and acoustic guitars. And finally my keyboarding.

And here I became were enthusiastic because I got to use a really old, but gorgeous Yamaha PSR 1000 Keyboard. I only gave some background ambiance and chords in the song. I was also asked to give an intro. I did give one but now I'm not at all happy with it cause both Mr. Pradeep and Naman said that it reminded them of some old Bollywood song. (I curse them for not letting me redo a new intro...). However, everyone liked it. So, I let it pass there.

Now all that was left was the vocals. Arjit sung the song. Being a total amateur at singing he did a fair job. Though I must confess he sounded like Micheal Jackson.

Here are some pics of the recording studios :D

The main tools used in this :D

A great TAMA drumkits...

Mr. Pradeep and his delicious Mac :D and a Yamaha Mixing Station.

The drummer... Naman.

Mr. Pradeep and... eh... excuse my ultra serious expression...

Arjit and his Guitar used for this recording. :D It's a Jackson.

After about 12 takes on the keyboard... we had to turn up the AC to more cooling.

After all this, our band (which was named "Finger Nozzle" and I came to know about it after we had finished recording.) officially finished recording and now all that is left is the mixing. Once the mixing is over, we will have our first demo track ready for release (of course after getting through all the copyright and stuff). Until all that is done, I won't be able to post it on this blog or youtube. But one day I will and hopefully it's not far off.

Until then, please allow me to post the lyrics of the song that Arjit wrote. (Even I saw a bit of grammatical error in this... but I don't give a damn about it... >:D )

The Chosen One

-----------------------

He was born,

The day sun brightly shone.

He was welcomed as the king of kings,

When an angle held him; in her wings.

He was born,

Born as the Chosen One.

Destined to be in Pain,

Ordained to the suffering.

Finding the key to mortality,

Desperation seeking the truth.

He's foiled by loved,

Thwarted by belongingness.

He was born,

Born as the Chosen One.

Destined to be in Pain,

Ordained to the suffering.

He got something left undone,

Left deep within in his heart,

Got to ask before he's doomed,

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ME!!

P.S Well, I never show my photos to anyone, cause I have this "Damn them all" kind of expression on my face all the time. It's scary...

Expressionless ...

2010-03-16T03:11:00.000+05:30

Walking along the aisle he noticed her. She wore an exquisite top with a short skirt. His eyes widened appreciating her beauty.

“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” he said to her. There was no response.

He laughed.

“Too bad a poster can’t talk... wanted to see her blush and smile a bit.”

==============

This is really, my first try on 55 word fiction. Sorry if it sounds too common... it's a pain in the neck for me to write anything with a small word limit.

And I guess the protagonist is a lonely dreamer devoid of the joys of reality... or something like that.

Evolution of Music - Floating Away

2010-03-14T01:24:00.002+05:30

14th March, 2009

Dear Reader,

How have you been? Things are a little troublesome down here. With strikes within our college and growing enmity between the students and the management, our college is closed down until further notice. So this time I really didn't have any interesting experience to tell. Me and few of my friends went shopping one day and shopped and shopped until we dropped :D

Thus, today, all I can do to keep this small letter interesting is to tell you my experience in making music. No, I wouldn't even call it 'making music'. Unlike the professionals who have spent days and days learning music before becoming a full fledged composer/musician; I didn't have any training in any form of music. I've learnt a lot through experimentation, internet and some through my brother's knowledge of Guitar. So I really can't say that I make music or that I'm a knowledgeable composer/musician. Rather my head comes up with a random melody. If I happen to record it on my computer, then starts a wonderful, boring and slow process of evolution. Yes, My music evolves. Just like the way you and me are growing up or have grown up to be what we are right now, my music grows and evolves to be what it is right now.

When I'm not listening any music, my mind subconsciously arranges melodies that even I myself haven't heard of. One day, when I really had nothing better to do, I sat down on the computer and created a rather simple pattern of musical chords. Somehow, the chords coming from a single instrument gave me a serene feeling... as if I was dreaming. However, at that time it simply didn't feel like I had arranged the music. I saved it and then listened to it on repeat mode. Soon, a few more melodies came to my mind. I recorded them with a bass guitar type instrument and bell type instruments. Before I realized, it was already 2 hours when I was adding more and more melodies to the chords along with a drum beat pattern. I felt a bit sleepy and saved whatever I had made that time. But before going to sleep, I recorded it and saved it. While saving it, I named it "Floating Away" because everytime I heard it, I felt like I was floating away to a completely different dream like world.

This way, "Floating Away 01" was born. Listen to it on the music player below. You may not feel the same way as me about this song. It's OK. After all it's not something made by a Pro Musician/Composer. But if you listen to it, then I'm sure you'll agree with me that it is very plain and simple. It hasn't got many instruments and there isn't any special effects in it either.

However, a few days later, I heard the recording again. And this time more melodies came to my head. I worked another 2 hours or so before I felt satisfied with it. This time "Floating Away 01" grew into what you probably know as "Floating Away 02". I'm sure you've heard it by now. It's in the main Music Player in my blog page. I've also put this song in the music player below, so that you can feel the evolution of "Floating Away 01" into "Floating Away 02". You'll realize that "Floating Away 02" has many more instruments that "Floating Away 01", and you might not have noticed, but I added some effects too. It has more complex rhythms and patterns than "Floating Away 01".

Nonetheless, I still wasn't satisfied with "Floating Away 02". It didn't have a intro or so I felt. So a few days ago, I sat down and once again added a few more melodies to "Floating Away 02" along with lots of special effects and filters. Now, it's a lot like what I wanted it to be. I wanted a intro that should give one a feeling of slowing entering a dream like world; and then suddenly the dreamer comes into a beautiful Utopia. But still, I'm not totally satisfied with it. I think I've added too many instruments and effects. It's making the song "too full" to be felt. Thus I've added a INC tag to it which means Incomplete. It's also in the music player below named as "Floating Away 03".

I'm sure by now you would have realized how different "Floating Away 01" is different from "Floating Away 02". This difference is a lot like a small child that looks very different when he/she grows up to be a adolescent. "Floating Away 02" isn't much different from "Floating Away 03 when you listen to it. But it's more complete and hopefully more mature like a grown up and experienced adult.

Did you feel how Floating Away evolved from a simple one and a half minute tune to a 3 minute, and professional sounding song?

Oh well. It seems now I must close off. The guys here want me to play counter strike now. But I'll keep writing to you, so wait for my letters and hopefully more songs/music. There might just be a "Floating Away 04" too. :)
Also, I'll be looking forward to your replies.

Yours truly,
Selenium Glow

Attached below -> list of all versions of "Floating Away" ever made.

Go To FileFactory.com

-> Download and listen to Floating Away 01
-> Download and listen to Floating Away 02
-> Download and listen to Floating Away 03

Awards??

2010-03-12T01:38:00.001+05:30

I'm so totally new (and scared) of this award system in blogsphere. Well, a couple of days ago, I got a ton of awards from Samadrita and received one tonight from Ayu, and I had recieved a couple of awards from Chocolover as well.

Well, I'll be frank here. I thank all these people for giving me awards (naturally because they liked something about me or my blog), but the award system scares me O_O. I dunno... maybe it's nervousness or shyness or whatever the psycho(logist)s call it... None the less, being such a popular thing in Blogsphere, I'd mention my thanks and the awards I receive from the person.

1) From Samadrita -> She Gave me the following awards. Thanks a ton for them :)

2) From Ayu -> She passed on to me 2 awards ->

But then, there are rules to accept this award ->
1. List 10 things that make you happy,
2. Pass it on to 10 happy bloggers.
3. Notify the nominees about this Happy Award.
So,
I'm having a tough time remembering 10 things that make me happy. For now, all I can think of was Anime/Manga and a full roll of Polo... But don't worry Ayu, I'll definitely remember ten things that can make me happy and then I'll pass this on to 10 other people. :)

...

Reading blogs also makes me happy sometimes, so that's 3 points now...

3) From Chocolover -> Well, I remember getting one recently and one she passed to all her followers a couple of months back. ->

Thanks a lot :)

======================================
So, finally. Now what?
I'm feeling like a oscar winner who wasn't expecting all this... O_O
Do I say "Thank you Mom, Thank you Dad. It's because you gave me a computer that..." and say stuff randomly.
I don't know, but of what I observe, I'm to pass these awards or my own original award to my fellow blogger buddies. So wait until I make a new award. I'm learning to use the Adobe Creative Suite now a days. :D I'm sure I'll make something great with it :D No... I'm dying to make something great with it. :D After all, Adobe Creative Suite is what Makoto Shinkai (Creator of "5 Centimeters per Second") uses to make his animations :D

The Path of Melancholy (Instrumentation Only)

2010-03-03T02:56:00.001+05:30

So. I'm posting the Instrumental version of the song I made out of Chocolover's blog. However, I'm not posting the vocalized version yet. Primary reason is that the voice recording isn't any good. I need more professional recording hardware... a studio maybe... to get the desired results -__-. Secondary reason, when my Mom heard a draft of it about 3 weeks ago, she was totally horrified. "Never try to sing again!" was what she said, so I'm kinda demoralized about me singing anything at all... :(

The so called lyrics that are supposed to be in this song are from this bloglink of Chocolover's blog -> "Death that is to come"
Because I (or anyone else for that matter) didn't sing in the lyrics, so you're free to imagine how the lyrics fit in. If you you want, you can download the song and mix in your voice to it too, and in the way you want to sing it. :)

Anyways, regarding the titles, I had already named this four para poem/lyrics "The Path of Melancholy" when she still kept the title of all her poems "Random". She just recently titled her poems. So if I ever post a final vocalized version (And pray for me that I do...) then I'll use the title that Chocolover used. For now, let this instrumentation be "The Path of Melancholy" instead of the Author's original "Death that is to come".

One final thing about this instrumentation. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Hence, no complex loops or drum beats. I could have added a better melody for the Piano, but I guess I desperately wanted to keep the Instruments simple to contrast the complex emotion of this lyrics (or so I felt...).

Go To FileFactory.com

Download Link

Walking towards the long horizon,
To find a new place;
Where one is happy,
In being alone.

Life seems terrible,
With all the pleasures;
Falling in darkness,
Disappeared in crowd;

Truth cries in despair,
Living the Nightmare, every moment;
Lost smile peeping seldomly,
Shutting the doors for joy;

Heart sinkin' in Memoirs,
Tired eyes Starin' the Haunted one;
The brave soul is not scared of,
the Death that is to come.

A Bus Stop Story

2010-02-28T03:57:00.004+05:30

It was a normal evening. I walked towards the nearly secluded bus stop. There was a school girl sitting on the bench. She was most probably waiting for the bus. She could have been waiting for her boyfriend. Frankly, whatever reason she was there for, it didn’t concern me. But for all my frankness, if someone asked me about the girl and her looks, I might have lied saying I didn’t notice and ignored her presence. I actually did notice her looks, what she wore, the length of her hairs, the bag she had on her lap. I noticed everything about her because she was beautiful. Enough said, I decided to just observe and be happy. After all, to her I was a total stranger and much older than her. Short term or long term, there was no point in trying to talk to her. A roaring horn interrupted my thoughts. A bus stopped right in front of me. I went into the bus, but noticed the girl was still sitting there with blank eyes. She had beautiful eyes too. I began wondering if she had an older sister like her. The bus sped off instantly. She must have been waiting for her boyfriend after all. And by the blank look on her face, the jerk was late or holding her up.

Two days later, I found myself in Gurgaon. My girlfriend was pretty angry with me for breaking our promise to go on a date this Saturday as my boss sent me to this odd meeting with some other company in Gurgaon. If I had to rise in my job, I had to take up this offer. However the other company turned out to be very co-operative, and the meeting was over in like one hour. It was still afternoon, so I quickly grabbed a burger and fries from McDonalds and went to the bus stop. Unlike the last one, this one was crowded. Heavily crowded. But despite the heavy crowd, something caught my eyes. The same girl I saw two days ago. She was standing in one corner of the bus stop, leaning against a lamp post. She had the same school uniform on her and was holding the same bag. Even the expression of her eyes didn’t change. I looked at my watch. Did she bunk her school or was her school over a long time ago? Good looking girls like her must be from a good family, so there is a high chance that school was over a long time ago. Judging by the look in her eyes I think either she broke up with her boyfriend and didn’t know how to spend her time or her boyfriend was in a perennial habit of being late or holding her up. A bus for Noida stopped. I managed to push through the crowd, got inside the bus and found myself a window seat. Normally, people are thrilled by the achievement of finding a seat in a crowded Indian Bus, but I wasn’t thrilled. I just looked out of the window. The girl was still leaning against the lamp post... with blank eyes.

The next day, after making up with my then angry girlfriend, we decided to meet at a mall in Noida. So, I got early as usual and dressed up like any guy going on a date would. It was still 8:30 in the morning when I reached the bus stop. The Bus stop of Sector Alpha-1 is mostly empty with one or two people at the most waiting for the bus. Today was no different. No. Rather, today should have been no different. Yet it was different. Today, the same girl, in the same school uniform holding the same bag was sitting on the bench. I thought I lost my lower jaw. What is the probability that a girl you saw on a bus stop three days ago and yesterday as well would appear in front of you today. And in the same get up and with the same expression on her face? You do the math. Personally, I’ve had enough of probability while I was in college. I walked up to the bus stop and sat on the bench next to her. My train of thoughts started to rush at supersonic speeds. Firstly, why is she in Greater Noida? I saw her at bus stops in Gurgaon and a rather secluded sector of Noida. What was she doing in Greater Noida?? No, seeing her at Noida and Gurgaon that too in school uniform in two days interval is weird enough. Secondly, I haven’t seen this School Uniform in whole of Greater Noida. No School in Greater Noida has such an elegant girl’s uniform. No. Today is Sunday; she isn’t supposed to be in a School uniform at all! Thirdly why didn’t her expression change? And finally, and the most troubling of all points was – Why did I come across her in Bus Stops only? I mean, if god wanted me to meet my girl of destiny, he could have done it in more romantic spots like a coffee shop or an amusement park. No. Wait. Consider the School Uniform and her looks, she must be in Senior Secondary... 12th grade at the most. That made her too young for me. She could be more like my sister.

But you know, Human Beings have a habit of not saying what they think. I too said something. I know I shouldn’t have said anything at all, but I said something nonetheless, and it wasn’t anything that I was thinking about that time.
“Does your boyfriend have a school uniform fetish?”
Her blank expression changed immediately to total astonishment as she was looking at me with round eyes. I don’t blame her for stumbling verbally; it was an odd question after all.
“I... I don’t have a boyfriend and... “
Her eyes turned into an innocent questioning gaze.
“...what is fetish?”
Huh? Was I too lost in my world of fantasies that I naively assumed that 12th grade girls know what the meaning of fetish is?
“You don’t know what a fetish is?”
“Err... mm... no.” She replied after thinking for a few seconds.
I rubbed my eyes. Either this girl is really that innocent and pure or I was too naive to assume things or maybe she did that on purpose. Whatever the reason was, it’s better if I don’t talk to her.
“It’s OK. Sorry I ever asked you this inappropriate question. Just forget everything about it.”
The girl opened her mouth, but closed it again. She turned her gaze away from me. However, after a couple of minutes passed...
“Excuse me...”
I turned my head towards her. She was still looking away.
“What is it?”
“Mm... nothing...” she looked up at the sky. I think I saw her smile slightly.

I think my curiosity was pretty much out of control now. Firstly I saw this girl in school uniform in three different places. And even though she looked suspicious, strange or whatever... she was good looking. Not only that. Earlier, she had a blank expressionless face. But now she looked... umm... how do I put it in words... content? Yes, that’s it. She looked satisfied and content. I wanted to ask her many questions, like where was she headed to, which school she attended, where she lived, etc. But I decided to bury my curiosity six feet under the ground and pray to God for it to rest in peace. I had already decided to not talk to her. Anyway, it wouldn’t be a good thing to talk to a beautiful girl just before you’re going on a date.

My cellphone rang. It was from a person I didn’t want to talk to. But I picked it up nonetheless.
“Hello Son! Having a blast are you?”
“Dad. Why did you call me?”
“Oh. I wanted you to bring me some drinks the next week. It’s a lot cheaper in Delhi than it is here.”
“Just why do you want all that? I can’t expect or hope any good thing happening with your life.”
“Be more considerate about your father son. I’ve raised you up to be a perfect gentleman.”
Father must have been in a good mood. We usually end up shouting at each other after two lines.
“Not just you. Some part of my life, mom did it”
“Her again? Don’t tell me she contacted you again. I’ll have her killed for this.” Father raised his voice.
“You’d be dead before that. Don’t do anything to mom or say bad stuff about her.”
“Bah! Why don’t you understand the fact that this woman you call your mother is a bad person. She can’t be good at any cost!”
“Go to hell. I thought I’d bring you the booze, but forget it now. I’m not talking to you at all.” I hung off. It’s been a very long time, 17 years I guess, since my mother and father were divorced. I still remember the last time they talked. Or rather it sounded more like a string of loud abuses. I was 9 years old then and was very attached to my mother. She always used to save me from Dad if he thought I had done something wrong or bad... be it a spelling mistake. And then, Dad was mostly at office so I spent more time with Mom. She and I tried to stay in contact after the divorce, but 3 years ago, when I got a job, Dad learnt of this fact and talked to Mom about it. Since then I’ve been unable to call her and she didn’t call me either. It was ever since then that I’ve hated my father. But even then I paid him a visit once in a while. He was after all my father.

...

“Excuse me...” she said in a soft tone again.
“What?” I replied in reflex.
“May I know your name and your occupation?”
Huh? I think this is the second time today that this girl had shot me with an offbeat question. Why would any girl want to know my name, and more so after I have asked a strange question. No wait... This girl didn’t realize that my question was strange. But even so she has no reason to talk to me, let alone know my personal details. Was she trying to flirt with me? Aaarrrghh... I’m thinking too much. It’s rude not to answer if a beautiful girl like her asks for your name. So I told her my name and that I was working as a Manager for an IT company.
“And you?”
“Eh?”
“Well, I’ve introduced myself to you, so naturally I would like to know your name as well.”
“Ah... yes... my name is... umm...”
Oye... why is she having a hard time telling me her name?
“...mm. Yes. My name is Liril.”
I felt my temples. Yes, my body temperature was still normal.
“Are you trying to make fun of me girl? It’s too damn obvious Liril isn’t you’re real name. It’s a very popular soap brand; hence it cannot be anyone’s name.”
“Ah...” she flustered. “Please no! I never meant to make fun of you... it’s just that I...”
“You?”
“I... I can’t tell you my real name. Something bad might happen.”
“Huh?” I shaved and had a proper bath in the morning. Did I still look like a hooligan or a criminal? So I asked her this.
“No... You’re looking fine. You look like a nice man actually.” Her cheeks touched a slight shade of pink.

Man, this was looking more and more like a scenario from those nonsensical Japanese dating games. I just saw one at my friend’s house a week ago, and I still remember the story because my friend had told me the story with full enthusiasm.
“Your bike still not fixed man?” this was the voice of the same guy who played all those nonsense dating sims.
“You, who totalled the bike shouldn’t be the one asking me.”
“Oh... come on now. I wasn’t driving the bike. It was Zee who was driving it.”
“Whoever drove it, I gave it to you. So you’re responsible.”
“Ah! Ok. But I see you’re up early on a date with your girlfriend.” He then faced the strange girl and introduced himself.
“Hi there. I’m Selenium his long time friend. Nice to meet you.”

Damn. This is a real bad situation. The girl was totally thrown back into her confusion or dilemma or whatever, by his sudden introduction. I grabbed his collar and dragged him a meter or two away and finally whispered into his ears.
“Oye, she’s not my girlfriend.”
“Hoh... I thought so because you were chatting quiet cozily. I could see you from a distance.”
“We weren’t chatting cozily. It must have been a figment of your already dangerous imagination. And then, she doesn’t seem like a girl one can trust.”
“Eh? Why is that?”
I let him off. “Because she is innocent and pure as she doesn’t know the meaning of fetish. Yet she won’t tell me her real name. You know what that means right. She has to have a shady past or background.” I turned around. Selenium wasn’t listening to me. He was already facing the soap girl.

“Sorry for the misunderstanding. But what is your name anyway?”
“Mm... my name is Liril.”
“Ah! Unique name. Good. So what grade are you in? Let me guess... 11th?”
“No, I was... no... am in 12th.”
“Hoh... sorry, I thought you were in 11th.”
“Are you also doing a job?”
“Nah... I’m a freelance journalist.”
I had to go and grab Selenium.
“Stop flirting an...”
“Why? She isn’t your girlfriend. That gives me the right to flirt her. Right?” he interrupted me.
“But she could have someone else for a boyfriend.” I said in a matter of fact tone, knowing the fact that she didn’t have any.
“So Liril? Do you have a boyfriend?” Selenium shamelessly asked the soap girl.
“Ah... no.” She was now blusing heavily and shifted away her gaze downward. She finally looked up at Selenium with her head still hung low. “Do you have any girlfriend?”
“Ah! Yes... many. But they don’t compare to you.”
“Ah... please don’t say like that...”
I couldn’t believe how much they were into each other. But honestly, why am I getting angry?

A Bus came and stopped by. I thanked the gods of Buses. I hoped that now the two of them won’t be able to talk. The girl like the last two times would stay back and then I would be at peace.
“The bus is here. Are you gonna come in.”
“The girl looked at the bus. “Ah... yes. I’ll go there too.” Saying this, the girl got up in the bus and so did Selenium. God, take me to the mall as fast as possible.
Having prayed to God, I took a seat by the window. Selenium sat beside me. The soap girl sat at the seat behind us by the window. Why is the bus so damn empty on a Sunday?
“Ya know man...” Selenium said to me in a rather loud tone. Was he loud on purpose?
“... there are many things in life one should do before it’s too late.”
“Where did that come from?”
“The Periodic Table.” This was the prime example of his venomous dialogs. It can kill a 1000 people in 1 second or at least drive them to insanity.
“I’m sorry I even asked you.”
“Well, but think about it. I mean, you were irritated with me for openly flirting Liril, but it is fun when the girl doesn’t mind. Did you mind me Liril?” asked Selenium turning back.
“Umm... no. I think I enjoyed it too. Though...”
Why did she stop?
“Well, see. She understands it. Maybe one day you will too.”
He didn’t notice the incomplete statement. More importantly, I pulled his shoulder towards me. “Hey, her last statement makes it clear now. She has a shady character or background.”
“Hmm... I know that.” Selenium said with a matter of the fact tone. “Say, Liril.” He turned his head to face the soap girl again.
“Err... yes?”
“You know that you sound like a shady character or a trickster when you don’t tell your real name and chat up so easily with strangers?”
The girl looked at him with surprised eyes, but suddenly a smile swept her face. “Yeah. I guess I’m a trickster.” Saying this she looked outside the window.

The bus now stopped at another stop. A few people got in. One particular person sat next to the soap girl and then placed a rather heavy looking bag on her lap. She didn’t even budge. She accepted the heavy looking bag as if she was used to it or knew the person. Well, even if they were close, this didn’t mean that he could do as he wished to her. I believe there are etiquettes one should follow. And this man wasn’t following it. I turned back and was about to lecture him on etiquettes, but Selenium grabbed my shoulders and softly whispered, “Don’t.”
I looked at him. Yes, he was correct. I’m not an acquaintance of that girl or that man. It didn’t matter to me if they were related or not. So I shouldn’t care what the guy is doing to her.

The bus was now a couple of minutes away from my destination. Selenium said something strange again in a rather loud voice.
“Well, when I said that that one should do things before it’s too late... I didn’t mean love alone. There are a lot of things in human relationships that you can realize. For example, if you had to say sorry to someone, you should say it as soon as possible. Maybe the person won’t be there for you to say sorry the next time. Or if you want to talk about promotion with your boss, do it before someone else gets into his good books. It’s with everyone. I met a girl today who didn’t mind me flirting with her, so I flirted. Maybe I won’t have as much fun next time with any girl as I had talking to her today.”

To summarize him, he had fun flirting because Selenium usually never talks to the opposite sex. Why was he having so much fun with her? I turned around to face the soap girl. This time I saw a trail of tears on her cheeks. She was still looking out of the window. “Oye? Are you all right? Why are you crying?”
The man next to her was startled. “Huh? Are you talking to me mister?”
This was annoying. I was clearly facing a girl who was crying next to him. Couldn’t he see? “No, I’m talking abo...”
“Ah! The GIP Mall is here. Let’s get off shall we.” I looked at Selenium in annoyance, then turned back to face the soap girl. But she had already kept the man’s heavy bag on the seat and was already out to follow Selenium. That guy has some good womanizing talents. I wonder why he still doesn’t have a girlfriend.
The bus stopped in front of the mall and we got off.
“I have to go to the On Stage Music Shop. See you some other day.”
“Ya, ok. See you later.” I replied back.
Now the girl was with me alone again. Was it just me or had she really started crying helplessly. She kept sobbing and rubbing her cheeks. And then she did something that shook my conscience at a Richter Scale of 10. She threw herself at me and hugged me tightly digging her face into my chest.
“I’m Sorry. I’m Sorry... I’m very very Sorry. Please forgive me for whatever I’ve done.”
“Heh?” Hold it. Something was very wrong here. Why was she apologizing to me? What did she do?
“But you haven’t done anything to me, why are you apologizing?”
“You may not know... sob ... but I’ve done something bad, so please forgive me. Please... I’m sorry.” The desperate voice resonated through my soul. What did she do? Nothing bad has happened in my life recently. Even if this total stranger of a girl did something bad to me, I felt I could forgive her easily. She did behave like a sweet and obedient girl.
“OK. I forgive you, though I still think it wasn’t necessary. You’ve done nothing.”
“Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you for forgiving me.” She lifted her face upto me. There was now a content smile on her teary face. She took a few steps backwards, bowed and then said “My real name was Akansha. I’m happy I could meet you while I still could. And Thank you for forgiving me.” She ran away into the crowd. Before I could stabilize my brain and understand my current situation, my sixth sense told me that the Goddess of Death was right behind me to purge my soul to Hell.

“WHO WAS THAT GIRL?” my girlfriend came charging up at me.
“Heh? I don’t know...”
“This is it. I’m sure you must have been having fun with her yesterday. I innocently believed that you were in some meeting... No... Of course, you were in a meeting but with THAT girl! I HATE YOU!! YOU HEAR ME!!! I HATE YOU!!” She shouted all of this in just some odd 10 seconds time. Did that soap girl apologize to me in advance, knowing something like THIS would happen? I was now totally lost, so I decided to use my brain in controlling something more important and immediate.
“Sweety! Wait. It’s not what you think it is. I was in a real company meeting yesterday and this girl was a total stranger...” I pursued my girlfriend and tried to talk her into forgiving me for something I hadn’t done. After one and half hour, she finally calmed down, and made me promise I won’t ever talk to any girl ever again. Then we had our date like any normal couple would have.
After that, the rest of the day, I was upset thinking about that girl. Akansha was her real name. That name suited her. It was soon night time and I fell asleep forgetting everything about her.

The next morning some idiot began ringing my doorbell completely devastating my sleep. I looked at the watch. It was still five ’o clock in the morning. I got up in a sleepy state. The bell kept ringing. It was beyond annoying now. I opened the door and in front of me was Selenium; completely soaked. It was raining rather heavily outside. When had the weather become like this? It was quiet sunny yesterday.
“Give me some shelter man. I was jogging and it suddenly started raining like this.”
I let him in gave him a towel and a change of clothes. While he dried himself, I brewed some tea. Then over tea, I narrated him the incident with the girl after he left.
“So, she was there to say sorry to you.”
This was another living example proving that a guy named Selenium was the most abnormal creature on this planet. Any sane person would think I was joking... at the most show some expression of astonishment. But not only did he not react like that, he even added a statement that made it seem that it was all a commonplace happening.
“Don’t say as if you know everything.”
“No, I don’t know why it said sorry. But I know it was there for some reason.”
“It?” the word caught my attention.
“Ah... well, leave it. Let’s not think about stuff like that. Change topic.”

The phone rang. I got up to answer it. Selenium in the mean time picked up the Economic Times.
“Hello. May I talk to Mr. Srivastava.”
“Hello. Yes, I’m speaking.”
“Mr. Srivastava. I’m Inspector S.K Sinha. I’m an acquaintance of you Late Mother.”
I could feel my body go numb. Did he use the word ‘Late’?
“What the heck are you talking about? What is the meaning of this?”
“Mr. Srivastava. Please listen to me. I’m sorry to break this bad news to you like this. But I felt you absolutely had to know. Your father hasn’t talked about this to you yet has he?”
“No.” I couldn’t say anything else.
“Well, Mr. Srivastava, about your mother’s demise. It was very tragic.”
“Just say it already. I’m running out of patience here.”
“Very well. Actually, five days ago, your sister stabbed your mother with a Kitchen knife before committing suicide by jumping off a bridge. She even wrote a suicide letter in which she took responsibility and asked for your forgiveness in particular.”
Just what was happening here? I could understand the language; I could understand what was that Sinha guy saying... Yet I didn’t understand anything. And then why would that sister of mine ask forgiveness from me particularly?

“...”

“Shit.” I suddenly remembered that soap girl.
“What was her name?” I asked in desperation.
“Whose name?”
“Her daughter’s name? I mean my sister’s name?”
“It is Akansha. You didn’t know it?”
“And what did she write in the letter. Tell me exactly.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t remember it all. But I can send you a photograph of it. The letter is still in our archives.”
“Please do.” And then I gave him my email address and correspondence address.
I didn’t know if I should thank him or just keep the receiver. After a few moments of silence I just kept the receiver down.
“What happened dude? Something serious?”
“My mother died five days ago.”
“Oh. Sorry...”
“My sister killed her.”
“Ah. That is trag... Eh? You had a sister too?”
“Now that I think about it, when my mother and father got divorced, I had a sister a little less than one year old. She was very small, I and didn’t like her because mom would constantly keep her near to herself. It's been 17 years since then. Of course there is no way I could have remembered her.”
“Sibling rivalry. I have it with my brother too. But I’m amazed. You stayed in contact with your mother even upto your MBA degree didn’t you? She never talked about your sister?”
“She didn’t.” A lot of things weren’t fitting in place. My mind was already numb with the news. Mom, why did you have to die? And above all why did she have to kill her? I felt something trickle down my cheeks. I pictured the time yesterday when the girl cried digging her face on my chest.

I called up my father.
“Hello? Why are you calling so early...”
“Damn You Dad! Couldn’t you tell me what happened to mom! That’s what you were happy about yesterday weren’t you?” I shouted into the receiver.
“Who told you?” replied a cold voice.
“How does that matter? Answer me first. You knew everything about it right? You knew your daughter had killed your ex wife and yet you were happy about it?”
“SHE WAS NOT MY DAUGHTER!”
I was taken aback by his sudden retaliation. He then continued, “Why do you think I divorced your mother in the first place. I had to protect you from her corrupted morals. I could care less about that illegitimate child.”
"..."
I couldn’t say anything. I just kept the receiver back, cursing myself for ever calling my father.
'Why did I ever call him?'
I was upset enough with mom’s news. I didn’t need to know all of this now.

“You’re laptop rang a few bells a few moments ago.”
I went upto my laptop and opened the lid. There was a mail from that Inspector Sinha guy. It had a snapshot of the short letter that she wrote. Her handwriting was shaky, yet way better than mine.

“Mom. I’m sorry I did this to you. But I had enough of you. Enough of myself. Enough of everything. I’ve had enough of you hitting and beating me for coming back home late, when you yourself don’t come back before 10 pm at night. I’ve had enough of your high expectations towards me becoming something I don’t want to be. Even though I worked hard in school to make you happy, you never smiled. But when he calls you, you beam, you smile and you laugh. Why does someone like him bring you happiness, and why does someone like me become a reason for your misery? Why was he the one you thought could save you when you were dying? Why? I don’t know anything now. All I know is that I’ve committed a sin. I don’t regret it. It’s a sin I had to do. And before the Almighty God can punish me; I’ll punish myself. And before I do that, I must apologize to the person who would be hurt the most. Her son, who made her smile in those moments when he phoned her. To him – I’m Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I had to do this. This was the only way out of this hell for me.”

“Mom. Were you that bad?”
I can’t think of anything right now.
“So, now we know what did she say sorry for.” said Selenium who was reading the letter from behind me.

Yes. Now I know why she enjoyed being flirted, why did she say she was a trickster, why didn’t the man notice her, why she left her statements incomplete, why she wept on my chest, and above all, why she said sorry and thanked me for forgiving her.

"She hasn't written everything in this letter. She has still hidden a lot of her feelings. Because of what I observed, she really was a good girl. Even right now I'm unable to fathom why she did this. But well... let it be. I guess you're not going to the office today?" said Selenium.
"Yeah. I guess I can't go." I covered my face with my palms asking myself question I knew I couldn't answer.

=======================================
Author's Note
===============

Well, another short story that is long by blogger standards. I just can't write stories in 2 or 4 pages at all. :(

Well, I was inspired 10% - 15% from "Clannad's Ibuki Fuko's" Arc and the last episode of "School Days". I hoped I would write a realistic "Slice of Life" kind of story but my Unreal imagination did it again and took ideas from these Anime subconsciously. I realized it only after I had finished writing it.

And I got the idea of a girl waiting on a bus stop when a few days ago I saw a good looking college girl waiting for a bus on the bus stop with a sad face. The girl was real beauty though :D

And yes, I've once again showcased my supernatural sensing power... Yay!! ^__^

Please leave comments :)

My never ending list...

2010-02-24T04:14:00.000+05:30

Well. It's 12th of February already, and my list of things to do is going already too long... -__-

Well, I have 3 music compositions in the pipeline. One is a simple kind of jolly instrumental (it's the usual stuff when I think about it), one is a song titled "Between Me and I" written by my friend Mr. V. The instrumentation is about 70% complete... I can't make it sound psychedelic enough so I guess it's not gonna finish anytime soon. Finally the last in the pipeline is a song I've titled "The Path of Melancholy" and is this poem/lyric that I've taken from Chocolovers' blog. Well, the song is complete. I just need to sing it. But I won't sing it cause I hate my singing voice just as much as everyone hates my singing voice. I'm right now looking for someone who can sing in the lyrics for me... @_@

Add to that, my new list of Wallpapers to make and my target to 3D-Model my own scene of Unlimited Blade Works and my College and my Exams and the preparations for competitions... *sigh*
I start feeling sad.

Then Mr. V, my old pal enters my room.

Mr. V :: So, are you working on my song.
Me :: Hell with the song. I'm feeling sad. Do something to make me happy.
Mr. V :: Then do what you did last time...
Me :: What did I do last time??
Mr. V :: You wrote a happy happy poem... you said you even posted it in your blog and got praised for it. Try writing a happy poem again...
Me :: Ya, but how come love is the only happy happy topic that appeal to people. I surely won't post stuff on my blog that people won't like. I use it to showcase my creativity. It'll be the end of me if I start writing same kind of stuff all the time.
Mr. V :: Hoh... is love the only thing that can bring happiness to people?
Me :: Hmm... well cold coffee from Cafe Coffee Day works for me... so does Pizza... and some good stuff like KFC and Yo! China...
Mr. V :: Why are you underweight??
Me :: That's not the damn issue here... tell me what thing other than love and relationships can make people write happy poems?
Mr. V :: Why not your coffees and pizzas and KFCs... they can make you happy right? That's all that matters. For the Creator, it doesn't matter what people like when he creates. It matters to him what he should showcase to the people from his vast pool of creations. You agree to this right?
Me :: Hmm... yes. You do have a strong point here. This means you're suggesting I write songs about Coffee, Pizzas and all the junk food.
Mr. V :: Ya sure. It can't be bad knowing it's coming out of you.
Me :: I'm not that confident about myself you know...
Mr. V :: Just give it a try man. See, I can write poems and songs about weed, cigarettes and Alcohols. You can do better and with a more widespread and acceptable theme of "Food"
Me :: ... -__-

This guy convinced me to write something as mundane and abnormal as a happy poem on Junk food.

Add to this fact that I already have a horde of short stories I wanna write so badly... *sigh*
God... why did you give me a brain that just doesn't stop dreaming??

But then, our train of thoughts were immediately destroyed by "WEEDLOVER", my senior who dragged us out from our rooms to play Counter Strike. "@s|-| and >:D, come in 10 minutes to play CS otherwise I'll "..." (Insert objectionable language in place of the three dots). It seems the people love me as a retro player in Counter Strike, so add that to my never ending lists of things to do. *sigh*

We Dreamers have such a tough life...

P.S. By the way... I play Counter Strike with a screen name of >:D or Killy...

An Evening of Confession

2010-02-12T02:33:00.004+05:30

A bright orange sunrise
A sparkling velvet ground
"Is this a Dream?"
An near empty side walk

All that was there
Were flowers so colorful
"Is this for real?"
They were smiling and cheerful

A Scent of flowers swept by
The orange sun lit up the smile
"Such beautiful eyes!"
My eyes were hazed for a while

Not just the smile
The whole figure shone
"Is she an angel?"
I was there alone

She walked up to me
My heart is pounding
"This isn't a dream."
She's right in front of me,
Smiling

I was waiting for you
I'm happy you came
"Were you waiting for long?"
No, I know the time you come

I know the time you come here
Because I was always watching you
"And I too couldn't help but watch you"
And that's why I've come here

I can't help but tell you
I wanted you to know
"And I too wanted to tell you"
I want you, I love you

I hugged her gently
I caressed her long hairs
"You are my Angel"
And then she said
You are My World.

=============

Despite my lousy Poem writing skills (or so I think...) I wrote it in 15 minutes - This is the fastest poem I've written till date (which otherwise takes a few days). And yes, I wrote it out of my own mental frustration of not coming across any "Non Sad" poems all over the internet and the blogs I follow. So, thanks to Chocolover and Samadrita for driving me nuts with their really good but really emotional poems about sad girls (No offence or sarcasm to them here... Don't take it the wrong way Please... -__-). This poem is here because they indirectly motivated me somehow...

And yes, I wrote this while listening to the OST of "ef - A Tale of Memories" that is composed by TENMON and Eiichiro Yanagi. Their Beautiful compositions (which include "I'm here...", "Forget me not" and "Countdown") gave me the imagery to write this poem. I recommend this Anime to all anime lovers and the OST to all Music lovers. The music is really superb in this Anime OST... truly inspiring for me. :)

Unforeseen Chronicles of a Smoker

2010-02-05T00:36:00.009+05:30

Selenium barged into the room, and for a moment regretted going in there. A fat guy lay on the bed face up with a cigarette between his fingers and smoke coming out from his nose in the already smoke filled room. "Pump? Are you alive?"

"What is the matter?" replied Pump as he placed the cigarette on his lips.

"We have a presentation to give the day after. My bad luck is on the work and you're
in my group."

"Get to the point."

"Choose your part of the presentation."

"Decide it for me."

"Don't come complaining to me later if I choose it for you."

"I won't if you make it an easy one."

Selenium gave a shriek. DG had grabbed his shoulders from behind completely surprising him. "Damn, you scared the crap out of me man"

"And that's why I love you man..." was what DG said

Selenium was naturally grossed out by this reply, but then he noticed DG's blood shot eyes. "You smoked joints again today? How many?"

"Man, just two"

"The God of Cigarettes may one day get angry at you for two timing with weed you know."

"Who is the God of Cigarettes?"

"Who knows. We have 33 million Gods and Goddesses. There has to be one for cigarettes."

"You know what we call him?"

"No. But because we don't know His name, so we can call Him anything we like."

"Like?"

"Smokey. Sounds like an apt name."

"Why is it an apt name?"

"Will you guys shut the hell up." Pump interrupted irritated.

"And just how many joints did you take today?" asked Selenium to Pump

"Just four."

"And you won't believe what this sorry excuse of a human did today?" said DG

"Like what?" asked Selenium

"You know we take the tobacco out from the cigarettes and fill them with weed instead."

"What about it?"

"This guy took all the waste tobacco and rolled himself some cigarettes with the paper from the copy."

"Wha..."

"Told you he is a sorry excuse for a human. Doing this to a class notes copy. Can't forgive him."

"Shut up you two." said Pump with more irritation than before.

"Meaning he must have smoked more than 6 cigarettes by now?"

"14 actually. This was the total number of cigarettes"

"The God of Cigarettes may just as well call him to hell to smoke with him."

"You mean Smokey?"

"Ya, but... Pump. I'll come back tomorrow. So be in your senses... *cough cough* damn, I'm at my limit now." Selenium rushed out of the room.

DG lay beside Pump. "You know Pump, you may die before me."

"That'd be great. At least I won't have to come to your boring Funeral."

"Meaning you would if I die before you?"

"Shut up and go to sleep" said pump with a highly irritated tone.

"..."

Pump's head was spinning in frenzy and the words that Selenium said flashed across his eyes like disco lights.

Gods of Cigarettes?

Angry?

Punishment?

Death?

His head kept spinning and spinning. He finally began to feel that smoke was filling
up his room. Who cared about Gods and Goddesses. He just enjoyed the Euphoria and
intoxication of the smoke of cigarettes and weed. The smoke was now too dense... or
was he falling asleep? Either way, he couldn't see anything. There was a booming
sound. Then there was a banging sound. The volume of the banging sound kept increasing by the minute. Finally Pump woke up shouting "WHO THE HELL IS IT??!?!?"

X-------------------X-----------------------X

An old and fragile voice greeted him. "Are you finally Awake?" Pump was startled by a
voice that sounded like it came from an old woman. He couldn't think of any prankster
in the whole hostel who could pull off such an imitation perfectly. He turned his
face left to face the source of his astonishment. Even more astonishment awaited him.
In front of him was really an old lady, clad in a long black robe that covered her
head. Due to this he couldn't see her face properly. All he could make out was the
wrinkled chin and white hairs. There was a small knife kept on her lap... to this Pump
thought - 'Cutting fruits for grand-kids???'

CRASH!

"What the..." Pump's attention now turned to the background and his surroundings. The
sky was a surreal shade of purple studded with bright stars and the horizon not
visible due to a light mist. He was sitting on a glass floor... 'No... it's not a
floor...' was what Pump noticed. He was on something that looked like a glass tree
with a tree house... only with no leaves.

BANG!

Pump's attention again turned to the blood curdling banging and crashing sound. His
eyes popped out and his blood didn't just curdle... it froze completely.

"Are they dinosaurs?!?!" he exclaimed in a weak voice. His expression showed fear as
he saw the beast that really resembled dinosaurs, and there were a dozen of them
around. The old woman finally replied "Don't worry, they won't make it till here. The
barrier will burn them."

"Barrier?" Pump was puzzled. However, his face still showed an expression of fear.

Suddenly smoke and steam hissed out from the cracks of the ground. The purple horizon
turned to shades of orange and red, the atmosphere was more misty than it was before.
An inferno of fire reaped out of the ground. The fire was fierce and it's temperature
hit Pump. He in impulse got up to run but a frail voice stopped him. "Don't go. If you
go down, you'll burn to crystals and if you go up, you'll freeze into a crystal." Pump
stopped instantly. 'Well, it makes sense that one may freeze into a Ice crystal, but
burn into crystal???' This time he was more puzzled than afraid. He turned around and
he saw the dinosaurs turn to glass like crystals and crumble to the ground. "I don't
believe it!" was all he could say. His expression was now that of complete awe, yet
his feet trembled. He was maybe too overwhelmed by the emotion of fear and amazement
hitting him together. As the giant beasts crumbled, Pump turned and sat down in front
of the woman.

"Old Lady. Where the heck am I?"

"We should be on the tree of atonement."

"Atonement? What am I atoning for?"

"It's just a name. This tree has no real purpose."

"Hold it! You mean I'm on some tree right now???"

"Yes. Does it not look like a tree to you?"

"Uh..." Pump looked up at the translucent branches. "Tree is made of wood right...
What the hell." Pump shook his head. "That's not what I want to know, tell me what place is this. I was in my room a few moments ago and now I'm here in this... " he paused "... this hell!" he said as he stretched his hands towards the beasts burning in the inferno. "I do not know where you come from son, but I also don't know what place is this, how does it look like or even who or what lives here. You see, I'm blind and my other senses have become very weak." she coughed.

"Huh? Then how did you get up here?"

"A girl brought me here. She said, she'll make me wear a robe, give me a knife and put me in this safe place."

"Anything else that she said?"

"That I've been put here on a purpose. To help lost people like you escape."

"Escape?" Pump's jaw dropped at this statement "This means I'm stuck somewhere and from this somewhere I have to get out."

The fire died down and the sky was slowly turning into it's shade of purple again. The mist cleared a bit but not completely.

"You don't have much time son. Now leave while the barrier is still inactive. Follow the purple sunset from here. You will arrive at a forest that you must cross." She coughed again and then continued "While crossing the forest you will come across a small hut adjoining a lake. You should cross the lake to reach the gates that will allow you to return to your realm."

"But old lady, how do I cross the lake... no... first how do I go from here?"

"Sorry son. I've told you all that I know. You are on your own from this point on. If you just follow the purple sunset then you should arrive at your destination."

"What the..." Pump looked at the old lady. He was still having a hard time thinking.

'Am I dreaming?' he thought and then shook his head to look at the sky. This sight, the smell of burning ash and this cool weather... no... this felt too real to be a dream.

"Now go son. If you waste your time and run out of it, then you may never be able to leave this place."

"Wha..." Pump's dropped jaw dropped even lower and instantly he got up. He looked around and saw a glass ladder that seem to lead down. He went upto it and put one foot. 'I think it won't break' and then he continued to descend down the ladder. Once he got down, he looked around. 'And this place was burning a few minutes ago??' he pondered as he looked around. He was standing midst a practically dry and flat desert with occasional crystal bushes and... 'Crystal cactus??' he wondered as he looked towards a cactus shaped crystal. 'Just where am I???' he asked himself again and then finally started walking towards the purple sunset.

So his journey to the end of this desert had started. He kept walking without rest. At one point he got tired. He thought he'd sit for a moment but then the picture of the dinosaurs and the fiery inferno flashed across him and he immediately started walking briskly. He was more afraid of the beast than falling dead of exertion. A long time had passed since he had left the Tree of... 'Huh? What the...' he slapped his forehead. 'I even forgot the name of that damned tree.' But something more serious was on his mind. 'Just how long has it been?' and then immediately something even more strange struck him 'Will this purple sunset ever set?' he thought as he looked at the perfect circular sun hanging down from the sky in front of him. He kept walking and walking. 'Was the Old Woman reliable. Or was she having fun out of me...', and just when he was about to loose hope of ever finding a Jungle, he saw a line of trees up ahead of him. He felt relieved. 'No, the Old woman wasn't lying.' and he walked on. But by now he had very well lost track of time.

As he started crossing the jungle, the ground became uneven and difficult to just walk over. He had to jump and run sometimes. His eyes were having a hard time as the jungle didn't look green. It was dark blue and black. Rather, everything was blue, black and purple. 'Is it because of the color of the sunlight?' He continued walking and after some time he became really tired. He sat under a tree. 'Dinosaurs or no dinosaurs, I've done enough workout this time... Mom would be very happy to see me loose some weight.' He was breathing heavily but soon he fell asleep. After some time, he woke up with a startle 'Hospital? What was I doing at a hospital...' he pondered over the dream he had. A dream about him being in a hospital and needles stuck throughout his body. The very thought of it gave him chills and made him uncomfortable. 'Strange... it was a dream in the normal world. So should I be happy?' But something else hit his head like a hammer. 'Damn! How long was I asleep?!' he got up and his blood froze instantly. Towards him, from a far off distance, where three dogs running and drooling. The dogs were nothing like what he had seen or heard of before. Their eyes glimmered. One had glowing green eyes, the other had shining orange and the third had sparkling blue eyes. Despite his frozen blood, Pump made a run for his life. The three dogs too chased him ferociously. He ran with all his might, and turned his head periodically to see how far away was he from them. Strangely enough, the dogs covered the distance slowly. It was natural. Any dog can outrun a person as fat and sluggish as Pump. But he was becoming more and more afraid because as the dogs covered the distance between them, they became larger and larger in size.

Pump didn't run for a very long time. A hut suddenly appeared before him. He didn't stop running and barged into the hut and immediately closed the door shut behind him.

"Whoa!!!" a middle aged speckled man with a long white beard and long white hairs, wearing a Sadhu type dress exclaimed.

"HELP ME! HELP ME! THERE ARE MAD DOGS AFTER ME!!"

"Calm down lad. The dogs you talk of won't harm you here. If you don't believe me you can look out of the window." Pump who was still panting heavily slowly turned his body and looked out of the window that was to the right of the door. "Wha..." Pump's jaw dropped to the floor yet again. The three dogs were sitting, still drooling looking through the window with extreme intent. But Pump's jaw didn't drop because of this. His jaw dropped because he was looking at three dogs that were the size of a Small van.

"Aye lad. Come here now."

Pump turned around. The white bearded man was sitting on a corner with a laptop. Pump walked up to him. "What is it?"

"What is your name?"

Pump told his full name. The man typed something and then looked deeply at the screen.

"Hmm... so you're basically lost."

"Yes." Pump felt a lot like what he felt when talking to the old lady.

"Here, stretch your right arm to me."

Pump complied. The old man stamped his right wrist with two circles.

"Here, now the dogs won't chase you."

"Eh? How come?"

"You were lost up till now. The dogs there serve to protect this area."

"Huh?"

"Ah! Forget it. Now you must retur..."

"HIYA OLD MAN!!!" came a super cheerful voice as the door barged open. Pump noticed a long... really long line of people. 'Where did they come from? They weren't here before...'

"Ah! you two. It took you quiet a while to get them eh? I was getting bored here."

'Two?' Pump looked back at the door. Indeed outside was another cheerful girl in the same dress as the one that came into the room. 'No. Wait. They are the same girl?!?!' Pump's eyes popped out. The two girls were strikingly similar. Pump looked to and fro as the first girl talked to the bearded man. He couldn't find any difference between them save their expression. The girls were exceptionally beautiful and had well toned figures. They were wearing some Chinese-Japanese dress. 'They don't look Chinese to me... more like French.' thought Pump. But his train of thoughts was derailed almost immediately as a brute force grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him outside. It was the first girl.

"You don't have time to be lazing about you know" came a commanding voice.

"Hhe?"

"And Enma... don't forget what I told you. OK?" spoke the old man.

"Aye Aye" instantly replied the first girl.

Pump was (mercilessly) dragged out of the house. The expression of the other girl changed. Her eyebrows were raised and had a look of concern. "Nee-Chan, we could have just asked him to come with us. I'm sure he would have followed..." The three ferocious dogs were nowhere to be seen. "Ai. We'll talk on the boat. And don't worry about him. We'll just drop him at a place before the next batch gets here."

"O... Ok." was all the other girl could say. 'Isn't she adorable...' was what Pump began to think when the other snapped in.

"Hey fatso! No comparing me with my sister OK. I know she's adorable, but you're yet to taste me." Pump who was still being dragged looked up. There was a vicious smile that had evil written around it looked down on him. Something struck him. Did she look familiar. '... like a witch? Where have I seen a witch before?' and then he suddenly remembered the old lady saying that a girl had brought her here.

"Yes, that girl was me." the first girl said. Pump felt a knot tie up his stomach.

'How did she...'

The first girl let go of his collar but didn't turn back. Pump flopped to the ground like a sack of rice. "How did I know what you were thinking? Because in this realm, thoughts don't exist... and neither does speech. However, words and language do. So, in your terms, when you think, you are just conveying a string of words and sentences from your inner self that anyone around you can read or in your terms "hear". We are here right now to take you back to your realm. So, until you get there..." the first girl turned towards Pump who had stood up and was now brushing his jeans "... don't dare to look down upon me or think of bad things about my sister." said the first girl as she gave a smile that froze Pump completely. 'Never before have I seen such a scary expression.'

"And never you will..." the first girl turned her face around and started walking again.

"Errmm... excuse me." The other girl looked at Pump with a lot of concern "Let us go now. You really don't have much time." The girl never opened her lips... she just looked at him. This was when Pump realized that he never saw the old woman's chin move up or down when she talked.

"Ya let's go." said Pump. He said it because he was a human and not used to this realm.

The trio then walked up to the lake's coast. There was a huge ship there.

"Is that the Titanic?" Pump asked in awe.

Pat came the reply "This boat has no name."

'Which one said it?'

"Who cares who said what?"

"Ah... ya... right"

They climbed the stairs to get up the boat. The boat was indeed huge. They walked up to what Pump would recognize as the ship's control room on the top. One among the two pulled a lever and the boat's engines fired up. 'Where is the rest of the crew?' Pump wondered.

"We are the only ones who run the boat. There is no one else"

Pump wasn't getting used to this. 'Better talk than think'

"That's right. Just talk and don't think"

The boat now steered and sailed towards the setting sun.

"Does the sun ever set here?" asked Pump.

"No. This is the land of the eternal sunset."

"Any idea how could I have gotten here?"

"No. But you could go back because you had intentions to come here."

"Heh? How did I intend to come here."

"When you leave this place, you might know. After all it's you who knows how you live your life."

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Who were those people outside the hut?"

"People who need permission to stay in this realm. Otherwise hazards like those three wolves would come and destroy you."

"They were wolves?"

"You couldn't tell?"

"I thought they were dogs."

"If they heard this, they'd come and kill you even if you had permission."

"Ah... well..."

There was silence again. Pump noticed that neither of the two looked at him. Both looked out of the window. One had her hand on the steering and the other stood in front of a different panel of controls. Pump decided to gaze out of the window too. He stood up and started looking out of the window. The Purple color didn't seem to change and the lake looked like some modern painting. But soon the scenery outside started changing color a bit. Things began to turn blue. Initially it was dark blue and now it turned to lighter shades of blue. Pump looked at the sky. 'So finally the sun is rising now... rise??... Hold it...'

"Weren't we leaving the land of eternal sunset? Why is the sun rising now. It should set right?"

"No... the sun is rising because we are on our way to the land of eternal sunrise." the girl on the controls replied.

"Wha..."

"Sis here means that the sun doesn't rise or set because of the time of the day. It doesn't happen here because the time dimension doesn't work here. So, the sun rises or sets by the location." said the other girl on the steering.

"..." Pump was having a hard time finding where his lower jaw dropped off too.

"And we're gonna reach the coast of afternoon soon. See that... at the distance you can see the coast."

Pump got up to see. "Indeed there is a coast... but why were so many people there?"

"They are waiting for us to take them to the land of eternal sunset. Which reminds me..." one of the girls turned around. She had to be the first one as she had a scary smile on her face. Pump got the chills. "... we don't take people for free. We demand proper payment for this journey." she narrowed her eyes on Pump. "What will you pay us?" Instinctively Pump reached for his pocket. But it was empty. "You don't have money... but don't worry. We don't necessarily need money as a payment. We can take other things." continued the girl as she came close to Pump. Maybe a little too close.

Pump was definitely scared now. "L... Like?"

"Like your flesh. In this realm, the flesh tastes better than the soul." and the girl went on to lick Pump's cheeks. He could feel her warm breath on his skin. He was now so freaked out that he pushed her away but fell down as he lost his own balance. "Isn't he cute..." came a similar voice but definitely from somewhere else. The other girl now walked towards him with a smile like a young girl's who was given her favorite doll as a gift. "... acting all shy and scared. He's turning me on."

"OOOHHHH! Now it's done. We'll now definitely have your flesh!" said the other girl in a clear excited voice as she started to go on top of him.

"But why..."

Pump felt something suck him down. His head spun like a cooler fan and he felt he would throw out any moment. He closed his eyes, but soon the spinning stopped and what started felt like a never ending fall. Pump opened his eyes and screamed.

'What?'

In front of him was a nurse trying to push him down. "Sir Please calm down, relax and lie down." Pump suddenly realized... 'I'm in a Hospital?' He felt weak and couldn't resist the nurse's force. He lay flat on the bed now. "That's it sir. Please stay like this while I call the doctor." She immediately rushed out. Pump looked around. There were needles stuck on both his arms and he had a oxygen mask over his face.

'The nurse was good looking. I wonder when will she push me down again?' was all he thought after that.

--------------X-----------------X-------------------

Pump was sitting on the bench in front of the canteen.

"Feeling better dude?" asked Selenium. He was just passing by.

"Ya kinda."

Selenium sat by his side. "So tell me what did you dream about?"

Pump looked at him with some amazement. "How can you say I had a dream?"

"Well, to stay asleep for full 4 days and not dream is simply boring. I'm sure your brain must have dreamt something out of boredom."

"Well, if you care to call that a dream."

"Go on. I'm all too curious to know."

Pump then started his story about the old woman and narrated his tale up to the two twin girls who were going to eat him (or something like that). "Not worth believing. I tell you, I'm happy that it wasn't all too real."

"Are you sure it wasn't real?"

"What?"

"You said in your story that all felt too damn real to be a dream. And then the old man with the laptop, the three wolves, the twin girls, and both are named "Enma and Ai"... damn it's the same name as the anime."

"You mean to say I was in one of your Japanese nonsense?"

"No... maybe you didn't notice. You know who is Chitragupt?"

"Eh? Isn't he the guy who speaks out the karma of all the dead people from a book, so that Yamaraj (God of Death) may decide whether to send him to heaven or hell?"

"Ya... him. That old man with the white beard must have been him."

"Jeez... you..."

"Wait. Let me finish..."

"... Ok."

"And then you said three wolves and the twin girls who steer a huge boat. In Greek mythology, after a person dies, one goes to the underworld which can only be reached by crossing a huge river. There is a boatman who'll give you ride to cross the river, if you can pay him. And guess what? The gates of the underworld is guarded by three dogs."

Pump looked at Selenium with some amazement. "You mean to say that all this time I had been..."

"... yes. I'm afraid you paid a visit to the underworld, or in other words... the realm of death. Now I remember. Mom told me that whenever a person dies two death gods or death messengers come to take the dying person's soul. The fact that the boat was run by some twins seems to fit the description. And then it also fits that Anime... Girl from Hell."

"Selenium..." Pump said putting his hand on his forehead.

"What?"

"Listen. I want to think it was all a dream. And then how do you explain the fact that I had some time to get back here before I was stranded there forever. No... How did I get there in the first place? Can you give me a logic for that? You can't. And hence it was all a dream."

Selenium went into deep thought. After a couple of minutes "Do you know the reason why you went to the hospital?"

"Ya... something like lack of oxygen or something."

"When one's body lacks oxygen, he is nearer to death. You were very near to death. But you fell unconscious and accidentally fell or got lost into the underworld. There you were able to come back because the gates remained open for you but closed to the rest of the world."

"I'm loosing you."

"Well, you know that the girls brought you to some gate to come back to this realm?"

"Yes... something like that did happen..."

"That gate remained open because it was waiting for your body to come here. No... I should say the gates to underworld start opening when you indulge in a habit that shortens your life."

"What habit shortens my life??"

"Smoking."

Pump was aghast. "You mean, because I smoke... I was able to come back to this world. Smoking saved me?"

"No you idiot. You came back to this realm because the Gates to the underworld didn't close yet. The Gates to the Underworld close as slowly as it opens. Because everytime you smoke, you shorten you life... by 7 minutes I think or something like that... and then the Gate opens up a little in anticipation of you to come here. And once you dropped into the Underworld, the Gate started closing slowly for you. Once the Gate closed completely, you wouldn't have come back. But you made it before the Gate closed. I'm happy to see you here man." Selenium patted Pump's back.

"Hey... you're making this all up right?"

"Ah!" Selenium let out a sigh "Yes... kinda. But hey! It fits the description of your dream."

"Damn you! Trying to have fun of the sick me... just get lost!"

"Brr..." Selenium shivered a bit "Some bad presence. I'm going now. Maybe the boat girl came back to get your body."

"Shut the hell up." Pump said in annoyance.

But Selenium had already got up and walked into the canteen. Pump layback on the bench's backrest. He took a deep breath. Then he felt something nibble his ears. He turned around in reflex.

"I still haven't taken your flesh... I'm here to take it."

Pump screamed and started running away.

"No wonder Sis... you like him so much. I guess we'll stay here for a few weeks ne?"

"Yes sure please." came a similar voice from behind. The two girls started walking towards the direction where Pump had run off to. Maybe he was promising to all the 33 Million Gods and Goddesses that he'd quit smoking if they got rid of the twins??

==========================
Author's Note
--------------

Well, I got the idea thanks to a Schrei's Blog about smoking and some of my real life friends who smoke like Hell. Thanks a lot Pump (his name isn't Pump, but then P,U and M are the letters that appear in his name :P) for being my main character (though I didn't take his permission or anything), DG for his strange behavior.

And yes... Selenium is me. I like to show off my supernatural sensing abilities (Yay!)
If you've come this far here. Thank you for reading my story which by blogger standards is really long.
Please do comment about this strange story. Criticism is allowed :D The critics can't make me sad :D

EDIT : I'm writing this on my 12th edit. I've edited this post this many times to fix spelling and grammatical mistakes. If there are still some... forgive me. After all, I'm no Ph.D in English...

A Calender of Memories...

2010-01-12T23:31:00.000+05:30

I was remembering this Piano instrumental that appeared in the English version of Cardcaptor Sakura. The episode was titled "A Calender of Memories" and consisted of a song that Sakura's brother plays on the Piano while remembering his mother. The tune really had the power to generate waves of nostalgia within anyone. It was that good. I'm posting the original video from you tube. Have a feel of it yourself :)

And now comes my latest creation. I've tried to make a copy of this song. But to tell the truth... I think I failed :(

Not only did the dynamics of a Piano gave me a tough time when I was arranging the notes... it seems that there were lots of semi-chords and measures in the song that I skipped totally reducing it's feel. Because the real name of this song and it's Music Sheet are not available anywhere on the net, my job was a lot difficult because I had to transcribe the music on my own... and I'm bad at transcription. All I know about this song is that it was composed by some guy named Jack Lenz.

I post this song (In a file factory widget, you tube is banned in my hostel connection) to actually describe the difficulty in copying music. It's difficult enough for me to play this song on my own... add to this the fact that I had to set volume of each individual note of the Piano to make it sound as real as possible... you can't expect a perfect job out of an amateur like me. Despite all these negativites... I post this song because... well because I really had nothing better to post :P

I'll continue improving this song as and when I get ideas to improve it. Also if I find a music sheet for it... I'll directly record myself playing this song :D

For now just learn a lesson from me - It's a lot easier to make new stuff up rather than copy or cover already existing ones...

Here is the song - >

Go To FileFactory.com

Raining in the Sunshine

2010-01-11T03:32:00.002+05:30

A slight breeze, a bright sun lit up the landscape with rich and vivid colors of green and yellow. Some clouds added a serene tone to the whole horizon. Max and Avi were playing games like all 9 year old boys play. Avi's elder sister Nimi sat on the grass near the clothes line reading a book. Mother had gone into the house to get the rest of the laundry to dry out in the sun.

Then suddenly Max noticed something strange. "Hey Avi! It's raining and the sun is still out!!" he shouted.

Avi looked up. There were really no clouds over their heads and yet a few of drops of rain fell on his face. "Wow... looks like another Hyena is getting married."

"Eh?" Max made a questioned face.
"What? You don't know the story about the Hyena?"
"No... But I thought that this meant that the Fox Price Steals a bride when it rains with the sunshine."
"No... it's the Prince of Hyenas."
"No... It has to be a Fox Prince... Hyenas are ugly!"
"What does looks have to do with rain"
"Well... nothing but where did you hear this story? I'm sure you got it wrong."
"Where did you hear that it's a Fox Prince??"
"I got it from a comic book... but I checked the net... it's true OK... so I'm not wrong."
"I'm not wrong cause Mom told me."
"Maybe your Mom was making fun of you and you didn't realize"
And a short and vehement argument ensued between the boys and they got into arguing with eath other like any bunch of 9 year old boys would. Nimi had already decided that she would ignore the boy's quarrel and continue to read her book. But like all 15 year old girls, she had a quick change of heart.

"You know, you both are correct. It seems you don't know the full story. Wanna hear it?" Nimi interrupted.
"But I'm sure he is wro... huh? How can both of us be correct?" asked Max.

"You see, Long long time ago, there was a kingdom with 4 Noble and Royal families. One of the Hyena, one of the Fox, one of the Buffalo and finally one of the Lion."

"Isn't that supposed to be a Jungle?" retorted Avi

"Shut up and listen." snapped Nimi and continued, "However, there was some unwanted rivalry between the Hyenas and the Foxes. This state of cold war had been with them for as long as they had known themselves."
"What's a Cold War?" Max interrupted.
"A War in which you try and harm the enemy without facing him or physically touching him. In this state, the Fox Prince once went to train in the mountains. There he came across a village where lived a very beautiful and very graceful maiden. He fell in love with her, and soon the Maiden returned the Prince's feelings. But one of the Heynas who was spying on the Fox Prince's actions could not bear to see the Fox have a happy time. He kidnapped the maiden one night and brought her to his Master - The Prince of Heynas. He immediately
forced the Maiden to marry him, threatning her of the consequences her village would face if she didn't marry him. All the Heyna wanted was to demoralize the Fox Prince. The poor maiden succumbed to his threats and prepared herself for the marriage she didn't want to be in.

Meanwhile, the Fox Prince learned of his lovers abduction. He immediately set out to the Castle of Heynas where the marriage was to take place. While the fox prince was on his way to attack the castle, the marriage ceremony had already started in the Castle. The maiden looked up in the sunny sky and then a drop of water fell on her cheeks. It was raining but there were no clouds. The Heynas in a hush shifted the ceremony indoors, and the Maiden could hear a voice in her heart - 'He is coming for you Milady, coming just to save you.' The Maiden now had a new hope within her heart. She now waited for her Prince to come and
save her. Somehow, she trusted the voice within her.

The Fox Prince had already called his small army and with a very cunning plan attacked the castle. As the Heynas occupied themselves in defending the castle, the Fox Prince managed to go in unnoticed and killed the Heyna Prince amidst the wedding vows. He then took of with his love to his land and married her immediately.

And that's how the Legend goes that the Heyna gets married and the Fox steals a bride when it rains when the sun is still shining. And it is also said that in this moment, the voice that whispers within your heart, is a prophecy that will happen immediately or in the near future."

Mother had already come out with her laundry and was drying them out on the clothesline when Nimi finished her story. Max was in total awe. "I never even imagined that such a thing had happened!"

"You know Max... don't get too happy. She just made up the story right now, I'm sure. She's always like that." warned Avi.
"Avi, it seems you want to sleep with a red butt tonight again..." was the instant reply Nimi gave.

"Nimi! Mind your manners! You've had enough fun today now go inside and start chopping the vegetables." Mother said to Nimi.
"Aww... Mother, at least let me finish one chapter... the weather is beautiful outside."
"Then you can bring the vegetables outside and then cut and clean them outside. No one has stopped you from enjoying the weather, but you must do the work given to you."
Nimi made a face, "No, I'd rather cut them in the Kitchen only." she remarked and went inside.

"So, Auntie... you think that Nimi-Di was telling a lie."
"Who knows... now leave me alone boys and play in the front yard. You'll ruin the laundry otherwise."

The boys complied. But Max was now totally lost in a thought - Whether the legend was true or not.

Latest Inspirations - Makoto Shinkai

2009-12-15T23:08:00.009+05:30

Well... it's been two days since I saw three animations all made by Makoto Shinkai. He is the creator of the following movies/short animations.

1. She and her Cat

2. Voices from a Distant Star

3. The Place Promised in Our Early Days / Beyond the Clouds

4. 5 Centimeters per Second

I had already seen 5 Centimeters per Second, but it was only two days ago that I laid my hands on the remaining 3 movies/short animations.

First I saw The Place Promised in our Early Days. I was like "WOW" after watching the detailed artwork and the completely new concept for a Sci-Fi. The violin Music that the girl played hit my head everytime... it was just beautiful. Overall, the movie touched me.

6 Hours later, I saw She and her Cat. It was wonderful, but weird. There was a theme, but no story, no explanations, and no ending. All this story wanted to show you was how a cat spent his life with her master. The fact that he made each and every frame of the animation himself was enough to impress me... I just saw this 5 minute animation and the last line drowned me in thoughts... but my thoughts (rather deep) are not something I can write down in words... >_< Voices from a Distant Star. I'll be frank. I still haven't recovered yet. I've lost sleep for 2 days now, and have temporarily lost my cold blooded thinking ability...Reasons

1) This guy made this total 25 minutes of animation himself. The only help he took was of his fiance for the girl's voice and his friend Tenmon for the music (which has hit my heart this time... not just my head... and I'll soon put a new post on it...). The rest of it... he made it himself... He did something that was beyond my imagination, until now...

2) The visualization and ambiance of this story is simply superb. I still find it hard to believe that one guy made it himself on his computer... o_O

3) Even though the story is shallow, i.e. doesn't cover details and stuff... yet I could feel the characters, especially the Girl. I could feel her loneliness and her longing to be on Earth with Noboru (The Boy).

4) He made a 24 minute animation with two complete human characters... and all dialogs were carried by them alone (Leave the Female voice in the Space Ship).

5) Incomplete Ending or Open Ending. This forces my mind to trace possible endings. Being a natural pessimist makes me think of the bad ending first. Only a lot later I could calm my mind by thinking the happier ending.

6) Waaaaah!!!!! I don't Know... why... why this movie made me sentimental. WHY!!!!!?????

The last time any movie made me that level of sentimental was Benji the Hunted. I accept that I cried in one part of this movie... but otherwise... no movie has made me cry.

Well... Voices from a... didn't make me cry... but it did make me feel terribly sad and even more terribly lonely... The ending song - Through the years and far away, amplified my sadness... However, getting back to my topic of this blog...

Makoto Shinkai is an inspiration because he made his stories come to animation on his own power (mostly) . He wonderfully tells a story that is so damn simple and straightforward, yet is so complex that you'll sit and think about it. His works cover human emotions with such accuracy and tenderness that you can't help but feel the character come alive in reality.
Yes, for me he is an inspiration because he has shown me that any story or creation can also have details on human emotion, and that can be show via art and animation.

Poetic Ability?

2009-12-10T02:30:00.004+05:30

I've been a regular visitor of ☆Ths[Schrei]☆ 's blog for sometime now...
(Well, that's how she writes her name... so don't think I didn't know the spelling and copied it... :P )

And considering my age and the fact that I was a English Honor Student in my School (Scoring 95/100 in 10th ... Ya... I like boasting :P ) I have no ability to express myself in any form of poetry. Reading ☆Ths[Schrei]☆ 's blog, someone like me has a high probability of jumping off the 10th floor of my building. But let's not be losers, and learn from others (as the wise guys say...) I totally lacked talent for poetry. However, in recent times when I got more and more involved in music, I started feeling that my music (the ones I made) lacked more emotion. Emotion is what makes music Powerful. Then I noticed songs which weren't very powerful instrumentally, but had profound effect due to it's lyrics or wordings. One example is Eminems's "When I'm Gone". The lyrics of this song is so freaking powerful that it makes the song emotionally moving when you listen to it.

Then I felt that for a music newbie like me, lyrics could be a easy way out to express myself and add more "Feeling" to my music.

However, 3 years have passed, and I think I'm still no good at poetry. Thus here was my latest attempt to pen down some "Song" that came to my mind. Laugh at me all you want, but I still don't know what I've written about. -__- Maybe my will to live in a dream and escape reality, but that's all I could understand when I finished it. For now, this song/poem/lyric has no title.

When the world wakes up,
I sleep a little longer.
To Dream unfazed about a world,
And my feelings become stronger.

What I couldn't feel in this reality,
I can feel in the Dream.
What I do feel in this World,
I never would want to face in my sweet Dreams.

Love and Hate,
Are mere words
What goes on within
Is a war of the worlds.

Anger and Fear,
Is what reality shows.
Longing and trust,
Is what my dreams hold.

Past and Future,
Uncertain and Cold.
Sorrow and Tears,
Grows and flows Uncontrolled.

And yes, it took me more than a week to make it rhyme decently. Of Course, it took me longer to realize that poems need not rhyme, but follow a song like pattern that people can hum...

A venous Incident I

2009-12-02T16:55:00.002+05:30

Here, in today's post I write a fantastic venomous discussions that go between the members of a certain group, comprising of me, SRV, AK and a few guest appearances...

SRV: (Shows his Index Finger) Assume this is your throat. (Bends the index finger to a shape like a hook) Can you tell me then what this is?
AK: It looks like a hook...
SRV: No you Idiot... It's a neck that is down...

*The rest of the audience is now planning on ways to assassinate SRV*

AK: Well, OK. You had me. (Shows both his Index and middle finger) Assume this is your shoulders. (Removes his middle finger and only shows Index finger) Can you tell me what may this be?
SRV: It's one shoulder??
AK: You Idiot... only a second ago you said it's a throat...

*The audience hails AK as a sacrificial savior*

===============================================

I'm a lot different from these guys as far as being venous is being concerned.

New Song / Blocked Youtube :(

2009-11-29T19:43:00.004+05:30

Youtube is blocked here... So, I'm unable to Upload a youtube version of this new song (as mentioned in the Previous Post)

Now, Bass T has a official name that I can use to post it around here and there... :)
Bass T is now called Frizzante.

This title was given by Mr. V who appears in this blog by me -> Dialogs : Part I

He heard the song, Agreed with Mr. DG's Description and then about an hour later gave it this name. I couldn't think of anything and then, I didn't have options either, so I kept it.

So Frizzante it is. (BTW, Firefox and Opera tell me it's Frizz ante... The dictionary said it's Frizzante... but then, not that I really care... :P )

Then I made it into a video (with a still image only) only to realize later that I can't access youtube from here. It's blocked. So, I upload it to my mp3 player on my blog and put it on Top. However, I'll upload the video the moment I get the opportunity to do so. A youtube version stays in front of you... and would have added relevance to this post. :)

------------------

BTW, I found a random (seemingly scanned) image from Google images. It wasn't a high quality image, but after a few filter effects and a high end Anti-Aliasing routine applied on that, and resizing to my desktop screen dimensions, I made this wallpaper (widescreen) as shown below. This wallpaper has already added 4 new Saber fans in my hostel the day I put it on display :D

Ah! Saber you're so Beautiful *sigh*
(Click to see [and then download] the full image if you want too)

From Wallpapers

Thinking up a name...

2009-11-24T23:27:00.004+05:30

It's not easy thinking up a name. I pity my Parents (and even my Elder Brother) who had sleepless nights trying to thinks of a Unique Name, that wouldn't be common and if possible, non-existent that time, so that I could be called by that name.

I can feel pity for my parents cause I want to post a new song I made a few weeks ago and now feel kinda satisfied with for now, but when I had to render a .wav file, I was prompted for a filename. There I was clean bowled. For temporary usages, I name my projects anything, and this one was name BASS_T.

"Bass T???"

I can hear you ask. Why such a mundane and meaningless filename? Well. I don't know. I just named it when I thought that the first 10 seconds sounded good. But when the whole 2 and half minutes of the song was over, I didn't think much about naming it formally. Bass T is just a nickname I call this project by. It needed a formal name so that it could be presented to the world.

I called Mr. DG. The infamous Venomous (yet highly creative guy) who appears in my blog here -> Ciggerette smoking can cause Tsunamis?

He heard the song and said - "Despite the groovy beats, the song still relaxes me. It sounds adventurous."

Relaxing and Adventurous. He did it again. A wonderful and convincing, yet contradictory description about this song. Until he formally names my project, I'm not posting it here. So, this post is about naming creations :)

Does anyone feel cheated O_o ???

Writing songs again???

2009-10-31T03:19:00.004+05:30

A friend of mine recently came up to me and handed me a printout.
"Remember this?", he asked.
"No.", I replied.
"What? You don't remember?? I wrote down the first paragraph and then you said, 'Make it into a lyrics' and wrote other three paragraphs?", he said.
"Hmm... not quiet. Did I write some of it?", I asked back.
"Well, you did."
"So, what about it?", I inquired.
"I was thinking that we make some music out of it."
"Why Now, didn't we write it like... last year. And plus, this thing doesn't even sound standard enough. Even our stupid Analog Systems Prof. can write better (he has very very bad english)"
"Well, I've shown the lyrics to a cousin of mine and she couldn't believe that we wrote it."
"She was expecting something better out of our standard of English"
"No... you idiot!! Do you always have to be so pessimistic??"
"Old Habits die hard no?"
"Well, she likes it very much and she suggested that we work on it."
"But it's just one person."
"No, my one more friend said that it was good."
I thought over for some time, then said, "OK. I'll take this printout and think over it."
"Sure and thanks. I'm counting on you. I'll let you know if I hit on some tune."
"OK."

I come back to my hostel. Make two people read it and I get the same reply from both. "Man this this is too ultimate." Just one guy said that the last para, though good, was confusing him, cause it felt like we shifted from one depressed guy to three... I say, the more the merrier :P

I'm now working to make some tune/instrumentation for it... until then just have the four para lyrics that gave me (and my friend) so many praises. I want some feedback if the reader is kind enough (Please ^^ )

Why can't he get out of this Heaven's shell?
When he wants to get the taste of Hell.
But he doesn't want to get into a duel,
Weak he is, and under God's Spell.

He doesn't see Happiness
He doesn't fell Pain.
He doesn't know the Calmness,
But feels his soul go in vain.

He doesn't feel the Bliss of Gold,
He feels his eyes going sore.
He doesn't feel the kiss of his Departing soul
He can't take it anymore.

Let him go. He needs what he's wanting.
Let him free. He craves for his own haunting.
Let him out, just once.
And he will be feel the birth of a New World.

I still think this is too immature to be worked upon. It's my opinion only... I'm still working on it... it's not easy T__T

Tagged... -___-

2009-10-31T03:05:00.003+05:30

Firstly, It's about a month since I came here to post... and this is what I'm posting first.

It seems I got tagged on "The Melancholy of Life", the blog by Schrei...
So I respond :)

In tagged, we copy a list of question that have to be answerd by the following rules
Rules
RULE 1- You can only say Guilty or Innocent.
RULE 2- You are not allowed to explain anything unless someone messages you and asks!
RULE 3- Copy and paste this into your notes , delete mine and type in your answers and tag your friends to answer this.

Ever told a lie? Guilty
Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
Held a snake? Guilty
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Stolen from a store? Guilty
Done something you regret? Innocent
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Innocent
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
Kissed in the rain? Innocent
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Been too honest? Guilty
Ruined a surprise? Guilty
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterward? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Innocent
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Innocent

In the end, it wasn't bad... I was apprehensive cause I thought it would have questions that i didn't want to answer :P

For now, I have no one to tag...
I'll make a list later :)

And, yes, for those who didn't notice, I've hidden the answers. Just select the area to the right of the question to reveal it :P

Music Streaming :) (Bonus... ringtone materials)

2009-09-29T03:09:00.003+05:30

It's just Chance o.o

Pure and simple chance :)

I finally found a mp3 hosting site... or rather a file sharing site where mp3 can be hosted as well and you can download my hosted music too :)

I've added it in my blog below the comments pane... though it was a total pain to edit all the CSS scripts of my blog to fit the bulky looking player...

Though for new creations, I'd still upload on youtube... but this looks easier and cleaner.
And in this player, there are two tracks - Infinity by Guru Josh Projects and Kishi ou no Hokori from Fate/Stay Night, whose snippets I've cut, down mixed to low quality for use as mobile phone ring tones... (yes I'm using them for now :P )

That's all I have to say today...

P.S. ::> Yes, to many professional bloggers out there... I do sound like an idiot who should die in a drop of water (or something like that) for not knowing this till date... but hey, at least I know now... O_o

The Ultimate Bad day... or was it Good?

2009-09-02T01:06:00.011+05:30

For the past 2 weeks... I'm having computer blues. Nothing was working and even if it was, it just froze and hung in 15 mins.

Start
--------

My Configuration is nothing too special. The Computer was purchased in October last year.

1> Processor - AMD Phenom 9550 X4 ~2.2 GHz x 4
2> Mother Board - Asus M2N MX SE Plus ~Nvidia nForce chipset, AM2 Socket
3> Graphics - Onboard Nvidia 6120 SE ~400 MHz, 1.4 GB shared.
- Points of View Gforce 9400 GT ~850 MHz, 1 GB GDDR-2 Overclocked :P
4> RAM - Kingston 2x2 GB DDR-2 ~800 MHz
5> i Ball Cabinet + 400 W SMPS
6> Acer 19 Inch Monitor LCD
7> Logitech Keyboard and Mouse.
9> 500 GB Seagate Baracuda HDD
10> Samsung 22x DVD RW.

Windows Vista rating - 4.8 (This is the lowest score that my graphics card got)

The Bad Days commence
----------------------------

Six Months after the purchase, I've already played games like Crysis, Call of Duty 4 and 5, Need for Speed Underground and Most Wanted at low resolution and Ultra High Detail settings... and no glitches or freeze up or jitterbugging at all... All the games ran smoothly. Not to mention my Music and graphics production went very very smoothly. It was to a large extent a very very good system despite the cheap Graphics Card.

However, one day, the monitor stayed blank. My computer worked, but there was no display. I connect to the onboard graphics and it works. To my horror, both Windows Vista and Linux don't show my 9400 GT graphics card...

1st Trip to Service Center ::> The Engineer Diagnosed my whole system and Declared the Graphics card was loosely set and put a few screws on the card to tighten it up and prevent it form shaking.

Next I had to buy a Wireless Card -> Netgear WG311v3. I didn't know it back when I purchased it... but when I installed it on my system myself, I came to know that this was the worst piece of Electronic Hardware ever engineered by any firm.... The Card won't run on Windows... After a lot of effort I make it work in Linux flawlessly, but it would run only 2 out of 10 times in windows vista.

About 2 months ago, I started having the same problem as I initally had. My 9400 GT wasn't detected by Windows or Linux, and worked only 2 out of 40 times. Only the onboard graphics worked... Plus, my Wifi card stopped working altogether. I decided to go to the service center.

2nd Trip to Service Center ::> The same engineer is now Flabbergasted by the problem. After about 3 hours of brain storming and testing, he declares that the Graphics Card is the root of all problems. He sends me to the MSI Point of View Service Center to have the card serviced. An hour later, he sets up the system with on board graphics and demonstrates that my wifi card is working perfectly. The wifi screwed up cause the Graphics card was not working... I'm happy and come back home.

Windows Vista Rating -> 3.1 (lowest score by the onboard graphics card)

6 Hours later, my computer won't start at one go. I press the power button, the computer turns on and 6 seconds later, it turns off. I have to press the power button a second time to start it up. When I restart the computer, it shuts down. Another 1 hour later, while I was working out a solution to the newly developed problem, I suddenly noticed that my Windows Vista rating was now 1.2...

WTF?!?!?!

I immediately noticed that it was showing my processor speed at 1.1 GHz. I checked the Mother Board's BIOS... it too showed the processor speed at 1.1 GHz. I yet again decide to go to the service center.

Ultimate Bad Day Begins
---------------------------

I leave the hostel early in the Morning. By 9:30, I was in the bus headed for the Service Center.

3rd Trip to the Service Center ::> The Engineer is now irritated by me. He immediately checks the Cabinet's SMPS. Declares it faulty and asks me to get it changed from the company. It takes me about 2 hours to find the i Ball office and have the SMPS replaced. I come back with a new piece that was given to me under warranty. He sets it up... the problem is not solved.

About half and hour later, he declared the Mother Board Faulty. I somehow managed to find ASUS's Center and after about 40 mins of standing in Queue have the motherboard replaced with a new one... I come back to Service Center, the problem is still not solved.

Now in 10 mins he declared the RAM sticks to be faulty. I got them changed... As it turns out Kingston is a good company. There was no mad crowd at their center and changed my RAM immediately with no paper work (Unlike ASUS or Nvidia). I come back with new RAM modules and the problem is still not solved. This time I'm Breathless... not from all the "Running around Service Center" game... but because I was afraid that so many faulty parts and testing would have destroyed my Processor.... it was the most expensive component (about Rs. 9000)... and it wasn't under warranty.

About half an hour later, the Engineer declared the Mother Board Faulty...

"Who thought about the concept of God???" I thought to myself... and abused the Philosopher who did.

The Engineer comes with me this time to the ASUS Center, and some 38 abuses later (Yes... I counted them... I really had nothing better to do) gets a fresh, out of the Box Motherboard. We come back to the Service Center and finally reassemble the system (yet again). This time it works!!!

The Engineer heaves a sigh of relief. He said, "Mister, Either you're too damn lucky or this processor is really something... It was the only thing apart from your wifi card that survived such a rough treatment."

"AMD Rocks...", a friend of mine once said. Today, I had to agree with him. Intel is good... but AMD has it's own plus points... and I guess durability comes into it now.

I come back to the hostel at about 7'o clock.

Another Bad Day Brewing up
---------------------------------

I once again have my wifi card giving me problems... won't work on Linux and occasionaly runs on Windows 7 (yes, I removed Vista... it got corrupted) What's gonna happen next????
Well... before anything happens, I've decided that I'll buy a new wifi card the day I save up enough money for it... I've decided on Realtek RT 8180 this time as it works in all known operating systems without a hassel...

And my 9400 GT is still with the Nvidia Center... God knows when will I get it.

The World God Only Knows

2009-07-23T11:33:00.009+05:30

"The World God Only Knows" is an ongoing manga series. I won't do much hard work... here is a copy and paste from Mangaupdates

Katsuragi Keima is known on the net as the god of getting the girls while in real life he’s known as otamegane and he hates all real girls. However he is approached by Elsee, a devil from hell, to help her in catching runaway spirits that hide in people. Apparently the spirits only hide in the hearts of girls and the only way to get the souls out is by making the girl fall in love so the spirit gets forced out. And he’s not allowed to fail or he will lose his head.

Now, my version of this story.

Katsuagi Keima is a regular high school goer. He is a hardcore dating sim gamer, and can be (always) found playing games even during the classes. In the gaming world, he is known as the Capturing God, because he has been able to capture every video game girl ever made. He likes all beautiful girls... but here is the catch. He only likes beautiful girls found in games (referred as 2D girls) and totally hates real life girls (referred as 3D girls). The real life girls hate him just as much, and he is popular in school by the name Otamegane (Otaku+Megane, Otaku = geek, Megane = Glasses). And this is when a Demon named Elsia comes to him and tells him to make real life girls fall in love with him, and fill the gaps in their hearts, which will then enable Elsea to capture the evil spirits, that is known only to hide in hearts of young girls.

I rate this as one of the most refreshingly new concepts for a story I've ever come across. Not only that, the way Keima makes the girls fall for him fun too... (At least I enjoy it to the maximum)

And his punchlines...
1> "I can already see the ending" -> Pre climax
2> "Let me tell you something good..." -> Notions and rules are about to be stated by the capturing god... :P

Snapshots ::>

Serious Addiction to games...

The God of the Gaming world

The "Let me tell you something good." moment :P

And yes, the girl in the snapshots is the demon who is in contract with Keima...

I recommend everyone and anyone to read this... this is entertainment guaranteed. Find at mangfox.com or onemanga.com or mangahut.com :)

...
...

After a lot of consideration.... I'll buy this when it's licensed in English :D

Milking Music... with Milkytracker

2009-06-24T23:49:00.007+05:30

Today, this post is going to be about two things basically. Tools of Creativity and one of my Creations. Do go through the creation that's in the end. I couldn't help but pump in some detail about the Tool of Creativity, that may bore some people... ^^;;

Once upon a time, when computer's weren't very powerful, there were only three or four music formats. The popular ones were MIDI, WAV and Music Modules. While MIDI was the most popular because of small size, it wasn't really what we call "Digital Music". It was just a pattern of notes, played by the computer. Meaning that it was a format that could only play Unrealistic Sounding Instrumental Music. WAV was a format which took too much memory for even a 2 minute song. The final format was Music Module.

Music Module used a small sound recording of an instrument (called a sample) and automatically generated the other notes on the reference sample. It could also generate it's own instrument using inbuilt 1 Channel or 2 Channel Oscillators ( or Sound Generator). It gave the ability to make realistic sounding music without taking humungous amounts of memory. Because it could take in recordings, vocals could be added too. Remember, this was "Great" during the time period of 1988-1994, where 32 MB Ram was considered Luxury, and normal desktops had a Hard Drive capacity of 512 MB to 1 GB, which was "too much" for the common user. The most popular Music Module Softwares were from Amiga (MOD), Fast tracker (XM/IT) and Scream Tracker (SM/S2M/S3M).

All this going over your head?? Not Surprising...

To sum up... Music Modules by todays standards, is a very outdated technique for making music. But it still exists. There are people who still use it. And the first ones I came across was Milkytracker. It is a Fast tracker clone. and this is what it looks like... (All images ripped from Google Images and are not my own screenshots... simply call me lazy :P )

This next image shows what all is in Milky that lets us make music.

The final Pic shows us how music is arranged in Milky. All the notes and which instrument must play it are recorded along each column. The colored bar goes down as the music progresses. There can be many pages of these columns.

At first, very much like everyone else, I was thrown of by the seemingly complex looking interface, that had endless amount of options in it. But soon, I got a knack of the concept. How to put in samples, edit them and arrange notes in the column. Very soon, I ripped of some samples from other MOD/S3M files and some from the FL Studio 6 package ( ^^;; ) and made one Saw instrument in it. Then applying them on the keyboard, I made many tunes, and god knows if they even sounded like music or not...

Today, while browsing through my old computer, I found this one Milky file that was a Surviver of, I don't know how many Hard Disk crashes and consequent formats. Nonetheless it survived and amazingly, the title this file had was "Victory". It suited the occasion that time.

This song gave me an image of a torn and tired warrior walking on a battle field towards his team mates, dragging his sword soaked in blood along with him. His team mates are waiting eagerly to celebrate as dawn approaches the horizons...

Does this song give you a similar image?? Try to make a video in your mind that would suit this song... and do tell me what image you had when you first heard this song. Be sure to tell me... if you may -_-

In Love with Fate/Stay Night... and it's Songs

2009-06-19T01:30:00.005+05:30

Saber - From a Scene in Fate/Stay Night

Cover of the Fate/Stay Night A.OST

In recent days, nothing has caught my imagination more than this Anime Series. Originally a RPG Game (also categorized in the H-Game Sections... O_o ), Fate/Stay Night is all about 7 Masters, who control a Servant each and their Battle to win the Holy Grail, which will grant the winner all their wishes and desires. The Story centers about Shiro Emiya, who Unwantingly and unknowingly becomes the Master of Saber, and how their relationship develops as the story progresses.

I was attracted to this Series by Saber... I'll Dedicate a full post to her later. But what really pulled me the most into watching the Anime was the Awesome, Inspiring and Heart Touching Background Music this Anime Series carried with it. The music charged the atmosphere of Action and Fight scenes, added a strain to the soul in Emotional scenes, and put a knot in your stomach in the more Romantic Scenes (which is rather difficult to observe in this... o.o )

Thus, this post is all about the songs that came with the Anime. Or to be exact, the ones that really threw me off my feet. I'll go in the same sequence as the OST listing...

03. Unmei no Yoru

I'm yet to come across someone who hasn't praised this song after hearing it. This is on Ultimate instrumental, where the fast Beats, combined with the Opera Vocals really charge up the atmosphere and the people listing to this song. Listen to it, and I'm sure you'll praise it too... :)

06. Kodoku na Junrei

The Music made me feel like I was actually looking a the most Beautiful Girl I've ever seen, amidst the soft breeze, a bright sunlight and Lush Green Garden laced with Beautiful Flowers; and I'm slowly falling in love with her. Yes, this music has a very serene, peaceful and slight romantic feel to it. This song can only make you think of Beautiful things. For me, it's some Girl sleeping in my Dreams (Not someone in real life... so Mom and Dad... Don't get worked up about this OK?? -__- )

16. Uketsugareshi Kokuin

This song, Unlike the previous one, has a more sad touch to it. Nonetheless, this song invokes Deep thought of all that is going on around you and is hurting you to some extent. However, there is some hope... a very slight touch of hope, that can save you. At least that's what I felt...

23. Emiya -Kawaii Kenji Ver.

This song has amazing Beats, that start off suddenly after a vocal chorus. It was made to suit the Archer/Emiya fight sequences. And this song fits perfectly into it. I somehow always fail to see any other image/emotion while listening to this song. Another instrumental that pumps me up... :)

27. Kishi ou no Hokori

People may think this to be Violin version of the Song, "06 - Kodoku na Junrei". But if you ask me, this is a song that concludes "06 - Kodoku na Junrei". Meaning this... I saw the most Beautiful Girl in the World, fell in love with her and am now she is sleeping on my lap, amidst the soft breeze, a bright sunlight and Lush Green Garden laced with Beautiful Flowers.

31. Keiyaku

This song is a softer version of "03 - Unmei no Yoru". This is cool and gives a feeling that something big/troublesome is about to start.

37. Tenchi hou Take

This is one song that pumps my blood upto my head the instant it Begins. This song potrays an ongoing struggle/battle/tragedy. Right upto the end, the "On the Edge" feeling remains. And in the end, things end suddenly, in a way that is not expected or wanted.

39. Gunyuu Shissou

(Ignore the Electric Guitar in the Beginning. The song starts when the OST cover appears)
A faster violin only version of "03 - Unmei no Yoru". This song unlike "Unmei no Yoru" which has this "On the Edge" feel as well, this has a feel that "I'm gonna win, and nothing can Defeat me". The tempo is faster.

===============================

To Conclude this post, All I can say is that these are the few songs that have inspired me to no limits... Especially "06 - Kodoku na Junrei" and "27 - Kishi Ou no Hokori". I've fallen in Love with these two (In real life this time), so much so that I've been practicing these two on the Keyboard for about a week now... I still have a long way to go to be able to play perfectly, but once I'm done perfecting it on my Keyboard, I'll try to record and post a video of me playing it. :)
Hope that day comes soon. :)

About a documentary...

2009-06-09T00:46:00.004+05:30

One of my friends tried making a documentary. He planned to make a documentary that would depict the fact that there is a time wrap in a country named India. He wanted to show that there are both old, ancient, simple and slow lifestyle in this country and Also, a new, changing, fast, urban and complicated lifestyle. In layman terms, the life in a village, and a life in new modern cities and industries.

So, he made plans, arranged a video camera and went to his grandpa's place which is a supposed to be a backward village. A couple of villages away is an industrial city with all the modern amenities, and some big industries, one of which belonged to one of his relatives or so. He planned his trips by going to the village first and then the city.

It was while he was making his plans that I offered him that, I could make some background music for him and edit his videos, so that it would be a 100% original Documentary, with no parts copied from anywhere, in it.

We had a huge plan, great expectations and high hopes. But the Idea never materialized completely. He did get the camera, but it didn't work when he had the time. And when it was fixed, he came to knew, he couldn't go to the city cause he had to attend some more important family functions. However, I did make one song/background music for this guy's documentary.

This song I imagined would play in the background of the documentary, when he's traveling from one place to another, walking or sitting on a train/bus/car/whatever. I imagined various people moving around, scenery that keep changing every half kilometers, the subtle sunset scene of the lake by the village in a bright moonlight.

However, by the time I could complete this... I got a call from him saying he wouldn't be able to make it. I lost interest in completing this song. But whatever was done, stayed and sounds pretty decent even incomplete... :)

Below is the song that was made by me... Song made for a something that died even before it could be attempted. But I do hope one day, that friend of mine is able to complete that Documentary. I still like his concept. ^^

Dialouges : Part I

2009-06-04T01:47:00.003+05:30

This is another interesting thing...
Dialogs in a Movie... A good Movie.

I rarely come across dialogs that impress me and catch my attention the moment they are spoken out. I rarely come across dialogs that have enough power to render the audience speechless (or at least render "me" speechless). Good or Great Dialogs require a great deal of Imaginative thinking... so much that the average brain might short circuit and explode to become a useless piece of data churning Machine (later simply put by Mr. V as "PULP". I ought to envy him -_- ). I hence have great respect for these dialogs and the people who write them down. My brain has become PULP in many occasions

I have a friend, Mr V, who is a huge movie buff (watches one movie a day... without fail... in any form, genre or language...) has this Diary, where he writes down the best Dialogs he can find in a Movie. I've posted some here, and will post more later. For now, this ought to be enough to convice people to pay attention to the dialogs while watching a Movie, and not their Girlfriends (or simply Girls if they don't have one... ).

From Lucky You:
'You want sympathy? You'll find it somewhere in the dictionary between shit and syphilis'

In Troy, When a kid goes to wake up and bring Achilles (Brad Pitt) to the war to fight a huge man....the kid says "He is the biggest man i have ever seen.I wouldn't want to fight that man"
And Achilles replies "That's why no one will remember your name."

From v for Vendetta:
V: [Evey pulls out her mace] I can assure you I mean you no harm.
Evey Hammond: Who are you?
V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.
Evey Hammond: Well I can see that.
V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is....... Whats the difference?"

From Scarface:
"I speak truth even when i lie."

From The Pursuit of Happiness:
Will Smith comes to the interview with bad cloths on
Interviewer : What would you say if man walked in here with no shirt, and I hired him? What would you say?
Will Smith : He must have had on some really nice pants.

A few moments of Nostalgia

2009-06-02T17:24:00.003+05:30

Everyday, I live for a few moments alone, in total nostalgia. Of friends I had but are now living far far away... or of things I liked but don't exist in my life now.

Everyday, these few moments of nostalgia give me a mixture of Happiness, Sadness, Loneliness and Hope.

As an aspiring Artist... I thought maybe I'll put it in some form of Music...

Here is something short and seemingly incomplete tune I made... this was the best I could do, but I feel I've done well... It only remains to be see if the same is felt by others...

Absurd Notions... Innocent Notions

2009-05-31T11:43:00.002+05:30

Scene: A classroom of 1st Grade. Anuj, Kapil, Amit and Swati are sitting on their seats. It's lunch time and they are finishing their lunch like good 6 year olds.

Anuj :: Kapil?
Kapil :: What?
Anuj :: Have you ever wondered why Mom and Dad sleep together on one bed? How come I have a different room and not sleep with them on the same bed?
Kapil :: How do I know? They sleep like that maybe cause they want to...
Anuj :: So basically, they don't have a reason.

Swati who was munching away a sandwich uptill now intervenes.

Swati :: You know, your Mom and Dad are just sharing the bed cause they have only two. They give you one whole bed to sleep on cause they love you and want to give you their all...

Amit, who was also munching away a sandwich (and probably forever...) also intervenes

Amit :: And I thought that Mom slept with Dad cause she once told me she was afraid of Ghosts.
Swati, Anuj, Kapil :: Eh?!?!
Amit :: Ya, I mean, come on, if you are afraid of ghosts, you'd never want to be alone right? You won't be scared if you're with someone. So, Mom stays with Dad whole night long.
Anuj :: Yes, that makes sense. I think you may be right.
Kapil :: Yes, I agree too.
Swati :: I don't...
Kapil :: But you have to... don't you sometimes hear your Mom scream out at night??
Swati :: Eh?? No. That's what I'm trying to say, both Mom and Dad aren't afraid of Ghosts. Neither am I.
Kapil :: Ah! But I'm positive. I sometimes hear my mom scream out at night... so I'm positive she is afraid of Ghosts and Dad takes care of her when Ghosts come to scare her.

A boy screams out to the group. The group quickly packs the luchbox, and goes out to play not worrying about why their Mom and Dad sleep on the same bed...

Float away to nowhere... :|

2009-05-27T16:49:00.004+05:30

This is something that is still incomplete. It still needs an intro. When that's done, the intro will be as cool as the ending...

Right now, that's all I've made cause I've run out of ideas -__-;;;

This song was made in a total time of 5 hours 33 mins. Not bad eh? :)
This will remain an instrumental and I will not put forth any efforts to pump in lyrics or vocals into this... esp when I don't have anyone who'll give me vocals anyways :|

Ah! This song is inspired by "Intro", which is the 22nd Track on Death Note - Original Soundtrack II. I recommend you listen to that song. It's really that good. ^__^
Once you listen to it, you'll also understand what kind of an intro I'm giving for this song.

The English of Our Times

2009-01-05T00:37:00.004+05:30

One fine day...

Me -> Hey AD, Good Morning! ^__^
AD -> Goods the Mornings Seleniums :)
Me -> Eh? ?_?
AD -> Whats the Happens? Whys you makes the funny faces? :|
Me -> Errmmm... maybe because I didn't expect this kind of English out of you. -__-
AD -> Arey Nose Yaar. This is the Englishes of our times. :)
Me -> You're putting a Nostalgic tone to it. -__-
AD -> Buts its the yoos whoose talkings in the old Englishes. :S
Me -> Me? Old English? o_O
AD -> Yeses. Evens the DPs wills tells you. Oyes! DPs! :D
DP -> Oh! ADs! Goods the Mornings. :)
Me -> WTF??! x_X
AD -> Yeses. Goods the Mornings to yoos toos :)
DP -> Goods the Mornings Seleniums :)
Me -> Good Morning DP... But why are you... o_O
DP -> Yoos sounds likes a littles "Old Fashioned". Feelings the Sads abouts somethings?? <:| Me -> Okays... No... I mean OK. So what are you two getting at... //o\__/o\\
AD -> Nothings yaars... we just the wants the yoos to gets the outs of yours sadnesses and bes the Happies agains :)
DP -> Or doos yoos needs the times to the Thinks??? <:|

Me -> OKays... No... I mean OK. So you think I'm sad and upset, while you the guys... No, I mean you guys are acting normal??? -__-
DP -> Noes yaars! Comes the ons yaars... <:|

MD -> Goods the Mornings Seleniums :)
Me -> Goods the .... No, I mean Good the... No... OK... Crap! Suprabhatam!! (Sanskrit for Good Morning) -__-
MD -> Whats the shits mans. Yoos talkings in the unknowns Language. Yoos the Upsets abouts the Somethings? <:|

Me -> Okays Okays Okays.... errr... no I mean OK OK OK... Why are the Three of you trying to drive the me mad!!! T__T
AD -> Areys... Seleniums is reallies the sads about the somethings... :O
Me -> Bye... Hope to wake up from this Bad Dream Soon enough... Mays the Gods Help me T__T

=================

One Week Later...

AD -> Goods the Mornings Seleniums :)
Me -> Goods the Mornings ADs ^___^

=================

One Month Later...

Me the writes this singular Blog hopings that the someones would comes and help me goes the back to the olds the Englishes...

Can you prove that Smoking causes Tsunami??? o_O

2008-10-10T20:53:00.006+05:30

One fine sunny day... I'm going to my Network Systems Lecture Class. I come across Mr. Pp. Well, for a short introduction, Mr. Pp is in a different branch, has the ability to Pull Legs to a dangerous level (Enough to cause "Mental Trauma" ... ) and always has enough free time to go after me... (that f###### b####### (: ) But I admire this guy again due to his amazing level of useless creativity (for which I have some use :P ). I'm yet to come across anyone else with this ability... (putting aside IS... the one who did the Bike Mata Ritual )

Mr. Pp stops me and we have the following conversation...

Mr. Pp -> Yo! Selenium... You going to do classes I see.
Me -> No, I'm going because you are free...
Mr. Pp -> OK then, I won't take too much of your time... you're a busy man and you intend to remain one the rest of your life... so Please just help me answer one question.
Me -> Go on... Shoot.
Mr. Pp -> Can you Prove that Cigarette smoking causes Tsunami??
Me -> (X_x) WTF?????
Mr. Pp -> Come on yaar... you have such storng Technical and Knowledgable mind. You can prove it.

Mr. Dg enters the Scene. He is one ultimate guy with one ultimate venoumous imagination and thoughts... as demonstrated below...

Mr. Dg -> Ah! Selenium. Nice to see that clumsy face of yours... makes me feel that there are at least some people left in this world who concentrate more on their jobs and works and not the girls who'd be impressed by them... {insert some more crap to save your own time}
Mr. Pp -> You know Dg, the sun has started rising from the west, the river ganga is flowing towards it's glacier and not towards the Bay of Bengal (Some language man... o_O ).
Mr. Dg -> Really!! What is happening here???
Mr. Pp -> See, Selenium can't prove one Statement!
Mr. Dg -> What is going here? What is it Selenium? Are you not feeling well?? Didn't you go to the toilet today??
Me -> The Statement is - "Can you prove that Cigarette smoking causes Tsunami??"
Mr. Dg -> And you can't prove this?? Come on man. You have such strong technical and knowlegeble mind. You can prove it.
Me -> I don't have time for this crap. Let me see you do it (I'm about to walk away... see, I'm more concerned about the Teacher throwing me out for coming late, over their interesting crap)
Mr. Dg -> Wait... It's not that difficult.
Me -> How?
Mr. Dg -> Well... you see... Cigarette smoking cause smoke...
Me -> Naturally it does...
Mr. Dg -> Being warm, it rises up in the atmosphere and goes near, under the ozone layer...
Me -> ...
Mr. Dg -> Having Greenhouse gases, it lets the heat pass into the atmosphere but not out. This heat touches the surface of ocean and causes the water to evaporate and form clouds and storms...
Me -> O_o
Mr. Dg -> Now, going back to the smoker and his fellow smokers on Land, their smoking generates heat apart from smoke. So that means this heat + the heat coming from the sun (that can't escape out) causes lower pressure on land than on sea where the strom clouds have formed on sea. The heat on the sea is completely wasted on evaporation process, so due to lack of heat on sea, there is higher atmospheric pressure on sea.... Now, Wind and Storm clouds move from high pressure to low pressure area. The difference in Land's Atmospheric Pressure and Sea's Atmospheric Pressure is very vast causing high velocity winds... The higher the wind velocity the greater the height of wave formed. It can be prove mathematically that this relation is exponential, so for a hurricane like wind velocity, the wave will have a height that is of a Tsunami's. Hence, we can conclude indirectly that Cigarette Smoking causes Tsunami...
Me -> (X_x) WTF was that???

===============================================================

This did sound logical at first... but then...

===============================================================
P.S. ::> Just a note... Mr. Pp and Mr. Dg are best of friends and they have near similar thinking... but really, Mr. Dg is more dangerous a guy... :)

My times with my synth ~

2008-10-09T19:37:00.006+05:30

I have been amazed many times in my life. I've been irritated many times in my life. But nothing has ever amazed me more than the music that comes out from a piano... and at the same time nothing as irritated me as much either.

When I got into the 2nd sem of my 11th class, my brother got himself a Guitar. He was in college that time and nothing is more popular than a Guitar among college boys (Yes, I know girls are there too... but we are for once talking pure and simple music :P ). My Dad finally decided to buy me a Keyboard for me that time, naturally after I had raised enough tantrums (enough to make me a Britney Spears Clone... -__-). I got a CASIO CTK-481 back then, which I still play now. It's not the best Keyboard out there (It's probably the worst -__- )... it's just a basic model with 61 keys, 100 tunes and 100 demo songs with an added feature of 100 accompaniment rhythms. At that time, I was totally clueless as to what music really was. At that time I was just amazed and dazed in my own world where I could play any music.

Two days later, I snap back to reality like a really tight elastic rubber hitting my face after being pulled out tightly (And that hurts...). I didn't even know where to start. Now, I was thoroughly irritated by this one Keyboard. I was never as irritated in my life as I was back then. I didn't have time to join any Keyboard classes either... so, it was just me alone.

2 Years later, I realize that I still don't know anything about music and playing the Piano. I realize that all the time, it was me who demanded a piano back then, and now I wasn't playing it, left me with a bad feeling. I was irritated again. So I finally sat down on the Internet and started digging out tutorials and related stuff about piano. I put some effort, repeat, only some effort into learning how to play. While reading the tutorials, I was once again amazed at the simplicity of things in music. Then I had some help from my brother as well. Add to that some of the "Demo songs" in my synth taught me how to play some songs.

4 years Later and in the present time, I'm once again amazed. From the frustration that ate me 2 years ago, to sheer happiness I feel while playing some of my favourite tunes on the synth... It was a slow journey. But when I think about it, it was just as amazing too. I still sometimes think how happy I was when I was finally able to play "Canon in D" by Paschelbel with both my hands. That time I was happy and amazed... over myself. (I know how to play good piano without ever taking any classes or coaching from anyone in real life ^__^ )

Today I'm still not that good at piano cause I don't practice everyday. I just touch my synth one or two times a week to play some songs that I want to play, and that's what I've been doing for the past two years too. For now, things seem to go fine with me and my synth.

Here in I post a pic of what my synth is really like :

Blogger is like Nature...

2008-10-08T21:46:00.003+05:30

Today in the evening, I just thought about my blog. How I leave it without posting much in it while there are thousands of bloggers around me that go on posting everyday. Should anyone assume that I'm not serious about my blog or don't like writing blogs and just have one for the sake of it? Or maybe because my friends have blogs too, so I thought of having one too?

My blog is like a plant. I post slowly and occasionally, so it also grows slowly. When I started it, it was like a sapling coming out form a seed. It grew slowly as I posted. Soon enough, the sapling turned into a tender and vulnerable plant. It is yet to become a tree, but for now, I feel that this one plant is doing well... it's all green (pun intended) and bright. :)

But mine may not be the only one too. Like there are tens and thousands of varieties of trees and plants, there are blogs. Some are huge and protective Banyan trees, some are beautiful and graceful like Cherry Blossoms or Gulmohars. Some are small but lovely like Roses and Lilies. Some may be small yet widespread like mosses. There are countless of them. They all have their place and give us a shade when we need it.

Now, let's think about the blogs which get posts everyday. These blogs may have some resemblences with animals. They are born, and soon grow up to become a full grown adult. They are experienced and know how to make themselves notice in crowd. Ok... some may don't, but they too are there... and someone or the other may notice them. Some are Elephants which carry a vast source or knowledge and experience, while some may be rats and foxes that are not large, but cunning enough to impress others around them. Some may yet be tortoises, slow steady and always looking into the future. Some may be tigers, highly aggressive and yet majestic.

To sum up, animal type blogs grow fast and have their own pace and life.

For once, I know my blog is still a plant. I planted this plant not knowing what plant it actually is. It may grow up one day to shower flowers upon anyone who stands under it, or it may give fruits that anyone can eat and relax. It may always remain a small plant like it is now, but give a few flowers to those who come across it...

Let's just see what this blog becomes ^__^

Discovering Terragen

2008-06-19T23:27:00.005+05:30

Terragen is a really really cool (and free (: ) software which is used to make realistic looking terrains and Landscapes. It's so damn easy, that the first landscape I've made came out really good and it took the software just 20 minutes to render it (The likes of Lightwave [another 3D modeling software] would have taken at least an hour and a half). A nice looking sunset scene :)

Here is the second one I made. This time I have painted and sculpted the terrain and generated the clouds. Nice mountainous river banks and a gentle rippling river...

Over all, I'm very very happy with this thing. It really satisfies me. I found it very easy (maybe because I have some experience with 3D Modeling). The biggest plus point is that it generates great looking terrains with very little hard work. If you use a couple of plugins, you can make really cool sky boxes (A 3D landscape where you can turn around and see the whole landscape as if you were standing there!!!).

Even if you don't know anything, it always yeilds good result. This is the last one I made (titled "Unreal") I really didn't do anything, just randomly tweak the controls and options for 3 minutes and then render the whole landscape, which took another 8 minutes :)

Links ::>

The official webpage
www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/

Wikipedia Information
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terragen

The Slow Connection

2008-06-19T23:10:00.003+05:30

I'm pretty happy with my Dial up connection. It's better than any broadband connection out there. Ask me why and I have an answer ready for you.

Firstly, with a slow internet connections, people like me can type the internet address in the address bar, press enter, go up to the fridge and get a can of Amul Cool Cafe; relax and drink half of it and quit worrying about what is about to come... be it any page (except Google, which is fast on even a 24 Kbps dial up connection :O )

Secondly, you don't have half the neighborhood coming up to your feet and pleading you to use your internet. If by chance someone does come in, tell them the net is too slow and costs you like a rupee a minute and they will get their work done faster elsewhere. If they still don't pay any heed to your worlds, then simply let them use your net. They will suffer and in future act as anti-advertisers for your private slow connection.

Thirdly, and finally while reply windows take time to open up, you can always get up, go out and have a breath of fresh air. This breath of fresh air helps the mind to think effectively as what you should reply considering all the previous chats/posts. This small amount of time matters a lot in the internet world. The better you write, the more popular you are... (:

So that concludes my answer and commences the argument with other people reading this. I dare say, I'm more happy than the guy having a broadband connection. Just like a poor man is more satisfied and happy with his life than a rich man :P (But I'm not giving off my shirt (: )

Amazing Instrumentals :O

2008-06-09T01:37:00.002+05:30

Here are two musical Performances (Both found on You Tube :D ), that have left my jaw on the floor. And I can't seem to get it back up, whenever I see them again.

First is this one performance by some guy (I don't really know who he is... but if he's reading this, I request him to send me a mail or something... ^_^ ). I've also posted the original song so that guys can know how well this guy has played the piano, playing even the slightest of the cello bass and other change and breaks in tunes

The Original Song
>Shiro - Long Tails
>>Yoko Kanno

The Piano Video
>Unknown

Second is this Amazing Guitar Duet by some two guys who play the Contra Jungle Theme. It's a must watch for everyone.

Contra Theme - Doubled
>Unknown

Cloud 9

2008-06-09T01:10:00.005+05:30

Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
A grubby halo, A vapour trail in the empty air.
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly,
Out of the corner of my watering eye.
A Dream unthreatened by the morning light,
Could Blow this soul right through the roof of the night!

There's no sensation to compare with this!
Suspended Animation, A state of Bliss.
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky,
Tongue tied and twisted, Just an earth bound misfit.

Those who have flown in a plane, know what it feels like to look out of the window and see the beautiful and incomparable cloudscape. As if you are completely on a different land, a different world or maybe a different planet all together, where the land is made of soft and fluffy cream and milk. The sun is brighter than anything that can be seen on the earth, giving an unparalleled brightness to the cloud scape. I assure you, that amount of brightness can only bring out the happiest feelings from you. You will forget that you live in a world that has sadness as a part of it too.

Somehow, all this came into my mind when my brother mailed me a photograph via email. It reminded me of Cloudophobia - A arcade game for the PC, that had the most beautiful cloudscape formations in any game that I've seen in my life.

Now you know why I wrote the lyrics of "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd (If you noticed it by chance :) ) These images remind me of why man wanted to Fly since times immortal. Man knew that if he flew, he could see a new world altogether from a new point of view; a point of view so beautiful that shall leave your mind Comfortably Numb, and ironically Fresh too. :)

And these train of thoughts also help me to deduce the possible origin of the Phrase -> "on Cloud 9" :D

Infinite Imagination

The Last Party

When...

Under a night sky

Clouds n Stuff

My first Tablet sketch.

Yet another Tag

5 Weeks Later...

Tags

The Painter and The Photographer

Hiatus?

Trapped...

The Car Trap - Part II

A Car Trap - Part 1

Building up your ideas...

The Reader (Innocent version)

The Garden of Sinners (Kara no Kyoukai)

Tears not Alone

Monsoon Spirits - Part II

My Custom Anime Mug...

Monsoon Spirits - Part I

Finally, The Chosen One is Here...

The Script - Alpha Edition...

Back after a lot of things... like Studios!!

Expressionless ...

Evolution of Music - Floating Away

Awards??

The Path of Melancholy (Instrumentation Only)

A Bus Stop Story

My never ending list...

An Evening of Confession

Unforeseen Chronicles of a Smoker

A Calender of Memories...

Raining in the Sunshine

Latest Inspirations - Makoto Shinkai

Poetic Ability?

A venous Incident I

New Song / Blocked Youtube :(

Thinking up a name...

Writing songs again???

Tagged... -___-

Music Streaming :) (Bonus... ringtone materials)

The Ultimate Bad day... or was it Good?

The World God Only Knows

Milking Music... with Milkytracker

In Love with Fate/Stay Night... and it's Songs

About a documentary...

Dialouges : Part I

A few moments of Nostalgia

Absurd Notions... Innocent Notions

Float away to nowhere... :|

The English of Our Times

Can you prove that Smoking causes Tsunami??? o_O

My times with my synth ~

Blogger is like Nature...

Discovering Terragen

The Slow Connection

Amazing Instrumentals :O

Cloud 9