Some of my many, very random memos

It's a beautiful world, you know? Well, it is- and you'd better believe it; cause beyond this veil of urban garbage and raucous lies the unhampered natural beauty of Mother earth. Her green trees and blue streaming waters call out to us, arms astretched to come and bask in her utmost glory.
Why then, do we chose to sit in a concrete building away from her bosom? I fail to comprehend.

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What is it about people that makes them such selfish brutes up there seated on the pivot of the food chain? Tigers deserve to be well above us. They are undoubtedly the most fantastic mammal to roam the earth today- except it isn't so much 'the earth' as small pockets of human-free thickets. It's a disgrace to know the whole world is dependent on us, India, to see these wild cats through the many generations to come; and it's a disgrace because this is the worst country for them to be stuck in. Their fate lies in irresponsible, lazy, uninterested and incompetent hands. If the tiger is to survive, it must do so in another land- not one infested with ignorant fools and undeterred, greedy poachers. How disheartening it is to see these fierce, magnificent, dominating cats being reduced to vulnerables at gunpoint.

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You see those lights above the sea?
We wonder aloud, 'what could they be?'
A star and a lighthouse, maybe,
No wait baby, it's you and me.

Mmm.

 HOT schezwan rice is lusciously, gorgeously, delightfully, exquisitely delicious.

That is all I have to say. 

I don't know

Orange hues

Want or necessity

Sometimes, it's just so easy to keep things to yourself. To have a little secret. Or maybe, even a big one.
Sometimes, the truth is a lot more complicated than a lie.
Sometimes it's hard to chose between conscience and convenience.

I've chosen both paths in the past. Call it courage or weakness. But when you chose convenience over conscience, your conscience is bound to get the better of you. It happens every time. And then, it's not convenient anymore.

Sometimes, it's better to take the hard road. Actually, it always is. Even if it means ending up unhappy, or half-satisfied. Even if you don't really have it your way. At the end of the day, it's the right thing to do- fortunately or unfortunately. 

A Moose In A Tree

Here's a funny dream I had lately:

It was around 5 in the morning. I was seated at my window sill peering out into the moonlit darkness. I noticed some movement in the lower branches of the tree right outside the window. I accustomed my eyes to the dim light and tried to figure what it was. It was a moose. A great, big moose- antlers and all that jazz. It was climbing the tree. A feat I strongly doubt occurs in their natural habitat. I went into my balcony to get a better look. It was all the way up now and it seemed to be struggling in the intricate branches. It seemed smaller, about the size of a full grown lab. The tree was incredibly close to the window in the dream, almost growing inside my house. Its antlers got entangled in the branches and then very easily came off and were left hanging in the branches. I wondered (after i awoke, not while dreaming) whether it got stuck or just fell off to make room for new ones. Either way, without them he seemed better off up there and looked even smaller now. He saw me and decided to climb into the balcony. This he did. Quite effortlessly, if I remember correctly. Now standing on the window sill, he was about the size of a mongrel. He jumped inside. After he sniffed me thoroughly and circled me curiously, he started strutting up and down. I don't remember why, but I recollect leaving. When I returned, I didn't find him anywhere. After some searching, I found him sleeping curled up, exactly like a cat would behind the door, exactly the same size as a cat- but still was a moose. It ended somewhere there.

Sometimes, I just don't understand where I get these ideas.

five minutes of fame

dusting off the camera

Into The Wild- The story of Christopher Johnson McCandless

Into The Wild was very strongly recommended to me by a close friend of mine a few months back. Ever since, I had been eager to watch it- and now I finally have.

I haven't been so inspired in a long time. I have so much awe and respect for everything he did, for the way he thought, for the life he gave himself. It takes extreme courage to do the things he did and to make the sacrifices he made. But after watching the movie and reading about him, they don't seem like sacrifices- he was just liberating himself. The less he had, the more free he was. The less he knew, the more there was to discover. The deeper into the wild he went, the closer he got to understanding people and their greedy ways. It's like the lyrics of Society; they're so beautiful in their meaning, because it's the plain, simple truth. We want more than we need. We're not free until we have it all. It's all too materialistic and monetary. We just hoard in on things, not on experiences and joys. Life is about putting yourself out in the world and living, not about buying things to try and improve your sedentary existence. It's not about bickering and fighting. It's not about pitting your ego against someone else's. It doesn't matter who wins an argument. Chris McCandless's (Alexander Supertramp's) story is a lot deeper than just the craze of living out in the wild and enjoying nature in the raw. It isn't merely about survival or tragedy. It's so much more than that. It's about the thirst for freedom. But not just any freedom. Freedom from the clutches of routine, from the cliche's of human behavior, from the ruins that people have created around themselves. This was his rebellion. His way of having a life.

Throughout his travels, he touched many hearts because of the pure and honest person he was. He wasn't pretentious. He didn't judge people by their things or situations. The kind of books he read, the things he learned along the way, seemed to have molded him into becoming who he was. Philosophical, analytic, practical. His perspective on life was so uniquely different- and it was the right one. Perhaps if everyone had the same outlook on life, we'd be a happier folk.

He struggled. He truly struggled to find his place in this world. Life wasn't a breeze for him once he left home. he certainly was a supertramp and he proved it to everyone. Going to Alaska was no joke, but it was his ultimate dream and he made sure he got there. After spending over 100 days there, the books he read lead him to the truth. He wanted to forgive his parents, the people around him. He realized he was running away when he shouldn't. He decided he'd had enough of this life. He had nothing more to prove. He packed up to leave, but when he did, the massive river was in turmoil making it impossible to cross over into civilization. Mapless, directionless and nearly foodless, he was forced to retreat back to his magic bus. There was no game for him to hunt, only the wild trees, plants, shrubs.

The movie claims he ate a poisonous potato plant- one that hampered with the digestive system and thus lead to starvation and ultimately death. This he realized when he read about it in his book on the local fauna. He knew death was inevitable. How painful it must have been. He was so close to going home, so close to happiness, so close to doing what he felt was right. And now here he was, crippled by his fate, laying weak and helpless in his magic bus and there was nothing he could do. He must have been so lonely, so utterly hopeless, so scared. He waited for death as he saw the life leave him day after day, moment after moment. He was miserable. He died with tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, staring up at the blue skies. There's a line he uses in the end that's very beautiful. It brought tears to my eyes. He says, "What if I were smiling and running into your arms? Would you see then what I see now?"
How could they?

It took a lot of courage to be Alexander Supertramp. Pain, agony, suffering, deceit, denial, trauma, indignation, sadness and yet through it all, a ringing peacefulness and an underlying happiness. I admire that man. His death was tragic and unfair. He was a man who deserved to live. But one thing's certain- he squeezed all he could out of the years he had and he had a good life. Throughout his travels, his insisted ignorance made things more exciting, more adventurous...but it got the better of him in the end and that breaks my heart.

People have been very rude and strong in their criticism of him and his exploits. But they're all too blind. None of them would have in them what it took to be Chris and none of them are broad-minded enough to realize the truth behind his actions. He was so angry with society and he couldn't take it anymore. I feel he was right in his retaliation and unless put in his shoes, one shouldn't make such blatant comments about the way he conducted his life.
Chris McCandless, rest in peace- you really deserve to.