Thinkin' on your stomach.

There was a flag-hoisting ceremony at college today at 10. Yeah,well. I overslept. But hey, I played Vande Mataram (the original one) on my laptop later. And Manav, who had comfortably lodged himself in Pathik's bed shot up...said he couldnt sleep through the whole song..I guess "Guilt" is powerful. I am not going to brood on any trash about the disillusioned, part-guilty, part-reckless generation of today...i'll let Rang De Basanti do the blabbing..Then again, there is this whole issue of patriotism being worth its money..i'm not commodifying it or anything..but with all the blasphemy happening around you, does patriotism become an endangered notion? or is patriotism all about fighting aginst the blasphemy? When you identify yourself as a patriot, you invariably get the feeling that you dont deserve to be one..why? is it because you've spat or emptied your garbage on the road more than once? or is it because you get the feeling that there's no point being one? i have no answers..as usual.

What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility ... a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime. - Adlai Stevenson

No matter that patriotism is too often the refuge of scoundrels. Dissent, rebellion, and all-around hell-raising remain the true duty of patriots. - Barbara Ehreinreich

Pakistani music seem to have had an incredible impact on yours truly. They seem awesome. mindblowing. and the like.Well, this comes from a guy who, in his first semester, thought John Denver was end-all. But then again, pak bands cannot be seen as passe. There are a horde of bands who've made it big in the entertainment circle. Strings, Jal, Fuzon, Junoon and Noori to name a few. To reiterate, they rock! Here's a list of what you should get your hands on as regards their numbers.

1. O Manwa Re-  Noori
2. Teri Yaad - Jal
3. Har Jagah Hai Jal & Dil Haray - Jal
4. Dhaani & Yeh Hai Meri Kahani - Strings
5. Aankhon ke Saagar- Fuzon
6. Doorian - Fuzon
7. Kitna Sundar Hai & Bolo Naa - Strings
8. Aadat - Jal
9. Garaj Baras - Junoon
10. Anjane - Strings  

Blogging is effort suffice. Need I say much about publicizing it?

One minor side-effect of repeated, strenuous attempts to publicize your blog is that you end up being avoided like the plague. No sooner than you appear in the horizon people begin to shriek and cry; making you feel that apocalypse is a few minutes away. Those brave, foolhardy ones who stand rooted to their place mouth the expected words, " Yes! I visited your blog yesterday...You dont have to remind me everyday, you know." Tsk, tsk. They fail to understand the desperation of a blogger who revels himself in exposing his creation to the world.

Even those who havent landed in this blog seem to have gotten a bit wary. Self is almost on the verge of getting another victim, when she says, "So THIS is the blog you've been telling everyone about." Tsk, tsk. What saddistic pleasure thou geteth frometh stabbing the creative soul?

Aaah, Persistency is a double-edged sword. Sometimes It gives you applause, sometimes chappals.

The morning dhobi seems to have quit. This week is getting to be increasingly ominous.

Those who know me well will testify to my constant reiteration of this statement. Frankly, what will life be without food? *Shudder* Perish the thought...

 Well, one major plus of Hyderabad is food. Good, inexpensive food. You get a motley crew of cuisines in various restaurants. I went to the city yesterday, after a monotonous week of classes and consistently bad mess food. Brajendu was with me and we'd planned to drop in at Ten, Downing Street. However, someone was hosting a party there and so we made a detour to Kabura where they serve Norh-West Frontier Cuisine. Thoroughly enjoyable right from starters to dessert, we had a whale of a time. And no, im not gonna ennumerate the list of dishes..I've told virtually everyone in the hostel and half of them are after my throat..wouldn't blame them; after being subjected to the fury of the mess chaps, this seems like the Food of the Gods.

Present. Warm Lazy afternoon. Got 2 good books from the Brit. library yesterday. Amitava Kumar's BombayLondonNewyork seems to make for interesting reading. Gotta catch some shut-eye as well.

later.

Before blabbing on, let me wish everyone a happy new year! Spend your time wisely and utilize every moment..

I'm blogging from college now, where they've decided to upgrade the Wifi speed network. Classes begin tomorrow; very few people have checked in and its quite cold. Food, though warm, was expectedly bad. Right. Hyderabad Update over.

The night of December 30 was a very special one for me and the gang. Old Classmates' Reunion had been planned at Ambrosia... However, Ambrosia turned out to be too claustrophobic to our liking..Ok,ok there was no space. So the 20 odd group chug-chugged along to another hangout, a past favourite, Coffee Beanz.
The Joy of Sitting Together and Doing Nothing, as one of my learned friends said, is pure and wholesome. Indeed, as we sat together, mostly digging into French Fries, Ice Tea, Mocha Beanz, Drunken Beanz (sheesh!), Appam, Chicken, Burgers, Ice Cream and Milk Shake, we could experience the warmth emanating from our friendship. .

The Bill, however, failed to emanate anything
remotely close to warmth... hehe..