A Laugh, a Chuckle or May be Just a Smile

What makes a great book great? I believe that a touch of good humor in a book’s narrative goes a long way in doing this job. Any book without a good dose of humor, fails to keep the reader in its grips however strong the story is. The humor could be out-right, mild or subtle according the author’s and the narrator’s personality. It could be slapstick, sarcastic, witty or extremely sophisticated. A book without humor is a book I have to force myself to finish.

All great literature in my belief, besides having strong and cute characters and fascinating storylines, has a very good sense of humor in its narrative. From classics like To Kill a Mockingbird to fantasies like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter; from Shakespeare to Arundhati Roy; Anne Frank and Mahatma Gandhi – Every great book that ever impressed me had its own kind of humor. It’s the lack of this crucial ingredient that Jane Austen and even Ayn Rand even with their thought provoking realism and philosophy failed to make my list of author’s to search for in the book aisles. Too drab, unfunny. Romantics like Charles Dickens on the other hand told sad tales with such innocent humor that lifted my heart and the corners of my lips. Gotta love something that makes you smile!

Mcleod Ganj, India.

When I grow up I want to live in Mcleod Ganj. This quaint little town that gives you up to 20 minutes of walking time from its end to end is my favorite place in the whole wide world.

I spent about 3 days in this magical place this summer and I just can’t stop thinking about Mcleod Ganj. I am obsessed. I dream about it, I make awkward references to it and I cannot even take any criticism about my beloved peach of its kind. It’s like being an irritating mom.

But Mcleod Ganj was truly amazing – cheap food, freely accessible magical herbs and substances, unspoiled natural beauty and an interestingly diverse populace that I would be proud to be a part of. So There’s finally a place on this planet I truly feel patriotic about! Maklordganj.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLeod_Ganj

Superlatives Mania

People often inquire in superlatives. “Who is your BEST friend?” “What is the MOST embarrassing thing you have done?” “What do you think is your BIGGEST accomplishment yet?” MOST of the times I give vague replies to such queries which I manage to pull out my ass right then and there. This Monday at work I got to thinking seriously about the mosts, the bests and the remaining superlatives that cross my everyday life a lot.

1. MOST important decision yet: This one was easy. The most important decision I’d had to make was about my tattoo and I knew this while I was making it. I knew once I had that needle finish its work, there could be no looking back. I haven’t had to make such a tough decision before or since.
2. CrappiEST moment in life: When I realized that I’ll have to take the worst course I ever took, again. FML.
3. HappiEST Moment in life: When I realized that South Park was actually funny. I had finally discovered a show that was going to be there to make me laugh for the rest of my life. This happened during Episode 1: Tonsil Trouble in Season 12 when Kyle beats the crap out of Cartman for not taking his HIV positive condition seriously.
4. What do I want the MOST: Now this is too common a question to have not pondered about it. But I haven’t pondered about it till now. Usually I am just pondering about giving an impressive answer. I think what I want the most is to see Led Zeppelin perform live. Yeah I want world peace, 1000 shoes, universal vegetarianism too, but it would suck to die without seeing some or all of Led Zeppelin perform live.
5.What is my BEST memory: The day I fell in true love for the first time ever…..with the town of Mcleodganj.

Manayunk

I have been living by myself for the past month in Manayunk and it has been every bit as awesome as I hoped for it to be. Unlike most friends, I have been a fan of living by myself. The fact that people wouldn’t want a place to live all by themselves kind of surprised me at first. I thought most people would enjoy the privacy and appreciate the freedom to literally live on their own terms. But turns out most people chose company over privacy.
Manayunk is a beautiful young neighborhood in Philadelphia. With its semi-detached houses with slanted rooftops, and several different high rising church towers in the skyline, it makes for an amazing picturesque view. This time of the year, when the leaves are goldening and the sky is blue, is a very flattering time for this part of Philly. The best part is that my bedroom window leads up to this slightly slanted roof top from where I can catch a leisurely glimpse of the scenery around me . What makes not having any human beings (I do have two cats) share my apartment so cool is that I can go out there anytime of the day, drink anything in any quantity while I am out there and come back and do anything anywhere in my house. Play any music at any hour, watch any crap, cook whenever I am hungry, eat as little or as much as I want to, take a shower for howsoever long I want to, and read cheesy crap on my bed from morning till night non-stop like a nerd if I feel like. I like freedom, obviously.

Why do they wet their beds over this?

I am pretty sure the extreme rightest wing faux-political people in India, aka the members and supporters of Ram Sene and Shiv Sena, are scared of regular things like terrorism, snakes and Rakhi Sawant; but what boggles my mind is their fear of the “Western Culture”. They hold rallies, demonstrations, group molestation, gang-banging ceremonies etc. against the “Western-Culture” as if it were some kind of multi headed kimono dragon. May be in their imagination, Valentine’s Day is a pink dragon that blows out red hearts that explode on touch. And this dragon will not escape from the Wild West and come to walk the streets of India if we burn Valentines Day cards and stop dating.

These people either need extensive therapy or may be they just need to get laid and have some chocolate rum-balls once in a while.