By-Two Kaapi in an oilfield

The weblog of Abhilash Ravishankar, India.


Here I blog about my personal experiences [posting rarely]


At my tumblelog Intoxicated by possibility I blog about my opinions/likes/dislikes [posting heavily]


"Trust me"

The perfect irony!

Misuse of Bandwidth

I was asked to answer this questionnaire, and I didn't find a better way to misuse bandwidth at work. So, here goes!

Three names I go by:
Abhilash, Jackass and Idiot

Three Screen Names:
ali3n, ARchitect, iCon

Three things I like about myself:
The fact that I hate such questionnaires, The fact that I'm filling it up, The fact that I'm not a hypocrite.

Three things I don't like about myself:
The fact that I hate such questionnaires, The fact that I'm filling it up, The fact that I'm not a hypocrite.

Three things that scare me:
Poison darts, Chihuahuas, Black lipstick

Three essentials:
Coffee, Milk, Sugar

Three things I like in the opposite sex:
Email, Email, Email, Email, Email, Email, Female, Email ... Ha! You spotted it didn't ya!

Three things that I want to do badly now:
End this post, Forget that I posted it, Wedgie anyone who laughs at this post

Three careers I am considering right now:
Gangsta rapper, Interplanetary Internet Technician, Creator of such questionnaires

Three places I'd love to go on vacation:
Venice (No, really!), Venus and Mars

Three kids' names I like :
Kid#1, Kid#2, Kid#3

Three things to do before dying:
Become a lizard king, rule the world, and at the end of it all say 'Ah! Screw it!'

Three people who get to take this wonderful (sic) quiz:
Chinmay (for he's going to hate me for this)
Varun (for he's more jobless than I think)
Myself (for I love such quizzes!)

One of my old turns

Tales of Bengal, Boston, Bangalore and beyond

Jhumpa Lahiri is deliriously good! I'm in love with her short stories. The whiff of irony that hovers in her stories is exactly what I'd look for in a short story per se.

I've devoured Interpreter of Maladies, and a couple of other stories (1)(2).
Personal favorites:
#1: Hell-Heaven
#2: A Temporary Matter
#3: Interpreter of Maladies

The brilliant comparison between life in India and that in Uncle Sam's country is what marks most of her stories. I remember a paragraph from one of her stories which I think best illustrates what I've seen and heard here in Bangalore:

I began keeping other secrets from her(my mother), evading her with the aid of my friends. I told her I was sleeping over at a friend’s when really I went to parties, drinking beer and allowing boys to kiss me and fondle my breasts and press their erections against my hip as we lay groping on a sofa or the back seat of a car. I began to pity my mother; the older I got, the more I saw what a desolate life she led. She had never worked, and during the day she watched soap operas to pass the time. Her only job, every day, was to clean and cook for my father and me.

Is this the life the mother dreamt of?
Isn't this the definition of the generation gap?
Is this the direction that India is heading in?

Google TechTalk and me!

Awright!
I've got an invite to one of Google's famed TechTalks.
It's happening here in Bangalore!
And guess who's speaking:
One of the fathers of the internet himself, Dr. Vint Cerf!
And as my invite puts it beautifully, a father talks about the past, present and the future of his child!

Podcast on entrepreneurship @ BITS

Prof. L K Maheshwari talks on the Kirubashow! (He's the VC of BITS Pilani, chief!)
Ain't that cool?

It is. Trust me.
Given the fact that none of the big Indian Universities (read IITs, BITS) are riding the web 2.0 wave to garner more coverage.

I am very impressed with Prof. LKM for his immense belief in entrepreneurship, and the best part is that he goes all out to encourage it.
IMO, IITB is arguably the best Indian University at the Undergrad level for entrepreneurship. Look at their website, and what strikes you is the emphasis on entrepreneurship. They take pride in that very approach of theirs. Commendable.
During my days at Pilani, I once told a group of faculty headed by Prof. LKM himself that BITS should brand itself as 'India's #1 University for Entrepreneurial Leadership'. Though, it's far-fetched, it might just become a reality thanks to LKM's vision to create a Silicon Valley infrastructure around BITS Pilani.

At the end of the day,

1am in the night. Insomnia strikes back. Stare at the ceiling. Roll-over. Stare at the walls. Roll-over again. Kick your legs. Close your eyes with wretched intensity. No sleep. Make shadows with your hands. Act as if you're wailing. No sleep yet. The watch shows 3am. Curse. Swear. Cry.

Its 8am. Shit. Shove that toothbrush in your mouth. Shake it. Rinse. Open that new deo bottle. Create graffiti over your body using it. Put on a new pair of clothes. Rush to that bus which stinks of dog urine. Sit next to the window. Hear more curses. Curse yourself that you haven't earned enough to buy an iPod. Reach office. Get a cup of nirvana - a piping hot cappucino. Make Jim Morrison convince you that it is The End.

What ran in the head all the while? Frustration. At the lack of achievement.

At the end of the day,
Is it pain that you feel, or is it guilt?

PS. The last line is heavily influenced by The Interpreter of Maladies.

A childhood dream

When I was a child,
I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.

Last week,
I saw them taxi down the runway.
I heard their engines roar.
I gaped at them flying merely 200m away.
I almost felt the blood rush to my head at 6g.

Yes, I was there.
At Aero India 2007.

Death of the Ego

One fine day,
I gave up my ego.
I gave up my temper.
I gave up my high.
I gave up my freedom.
I gave up my dream.
I gave up my conscience.
I gave up my reason.
I gave up most of myself.

Yes.
I gave up my ego.

Whatever it was for, was it worth it? I'll never know.

(Mars+Venus)/2 = Earth

Scenes in a BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus:

Last week:
Lady conductor in the bus asks a guy in the bus to move slightly ahead.
The guy shouts back saying that there is no place to move.
The lady conductor shows him that there IS place and asks him to move.
He gets into a rage. Calls her a bitch. Abuses her in words that I wouldn't want to hear.
She shouts some abuses back.
Blah-Blah-Boom-Boom. [Censored]
People ask him to cool down, and console the lady who is almost in tears.

Today:
Lady conductor in the bus asks a guy in the bus to move slightly ahead.
The guy tells her to ask the guys in front to create space.
The lady conductor shouts back that he should shut his ass and keep shut.
The guy is stunned.
The lady continues abusing him for not moving front. There actually was no place to move.
Blah-Blah-Boom-Boom. [Censored]
People ask her to cool down and carry on. The guy is perplexed.

People say, "Men are from Mars, and women from Venus".
Guess this explains why we all stay midway, at Earth!

The Door

There's the world that you know, and then there's the world that you don't.
In between them are The Doors.

This image though is from Burning Man!

Update: I am going to Pilani once again! 20th-24th March 2007.

Just another playlist


  • Neil Young - Cowgirl in the sand
  • John Mayer - Gravity
  • Neil Young - Down by the river
  • Julio Iglesias - Most beautiful girl
  • Foo Fighters - Everlong

Disclaimer

This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of the people, institutions or organizations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.

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