Belated Happy 200th, Mr. D!

Darwin's theory of Evolution was a complete break from the established wisdom of the age. I find this gently ironic, given that the theory itself claims that nothing is a complete break, that everything is merely a slight modification of what has gone before.

A Kind Of Logic

If you go to a restaurant where everyone's eating with a knife and fork, and you start eating with tweezers, people look at you and say, "He's loopy!"

If you go to a restaurant where half the people are eating with knives and forks, and the other half with tweezers and you start eating with tweezers, people merely say, "Oh, he's one of the Tweezer People!"

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Culture, therefore, is collective loopiness.

Brief Update

Aus 61/3 Vs SA.
Dale Steyn is a friggin' monster.

My Name Doesn't Translate Too Well In Mandarin

Parcel arrives at a Beijing post office. Clerk looks at the sender's name and address. Bursts out laughing.

Clerk 1: HAHAHAHAHHAAAA...!! OH... HA...Oh God.. Oh HAHAHAAAAAAHHHAA!!

Clerk 2: What's so funny !?!

Clerk 1: AHAHA..AHA.. This parcel... Hee Hee.. came from India. The name... the name... look at it...

Clerk 2: What's so fu... Ohhh, .. hee hee.. hee HA.. HAAHAAHAAHHAAA.... (To passing Clerk 3): Hey, Ting! TingLing Wang!

Clerk 3: Yeah !?!

Clerk 2: Take a look at the name on the parcel Dang's got.

Clerk 3: Which Dang !?!

Clerk 2: Our Dang. DangLing Dong. You'll never guess what this guy's name is.. hee hee hee.... oh dear.... (gasps for breath, before joining the general chorus of guffaws)

Curtains

Comedy Versus Mystery

It seems to me that, if you want to obtain literary immortality, you have to steer clear of comedy as a genre. As a die hard fan of comedy in all its forms, I find this depressing, but there's no getting away from it. Humour changes over time and yesterday's rib ticklers become today's stuffy boring prose that has to be ploughed through in ninth grade. I wonder if, Shakespeare apart, any comic author has genuinely withstood the assault of Time (and by that I mean 200 years or more - anything less than that is probably too soon for language to have changed enough to make that funny-boring switch). And even Billy's comedies are held in high regard for the majesty of their prose and their insights rather than their humour.

Mystery novels, on the other hand, probably get more intriguing with age. I say probably, since, as a whole, the genre is rather young. However, it kinda sorta stands to reason. The mystery is unlikely to simplify over time. On the contrary, the reader of an old mystery novel has the added challenge of having to account for the cultural and technological state of the day and age of the story. Thus, the plot only ends up thickening, and adds to the overall flavour of the story. Considering the current popularity of older whodunnits (The Sherlock Holmes Books, The Poirot Series, The Father Brown Stories), I may not be pulling this opinion completely out of my arse.

Perspective

The first thing that struck me when I entered St. Paul's cathedral was how friggin' high the dome was. It's something that does strike me every time I enter a really big room with a very high ceiling - the feeling of hugeness, of great space. On reflection, I find this rather odd. I mean, I walk out in the open quite a lot and the sky is almost limitlessly high. Yet it never evokes the same feeling in me. Nor, as far as I know, has anyone else ever gone, "Crikey, that's HIGH!" when contemplating the sky. It can't be just that we are used to it - I don't believe we've ever felt it. My personal belief is that it's to do with our finite capacity, as humans, to comprehend quantities. The sky is just too high to get our heads around, but the high ceiling of a cathedral is comprehensible.

I get reminded of this every time some white British or American friend of mine decries his country's lack of culture and praises mine. "Oh, your country's culture is so vibrant! You have such deep and great traditions!"

Now, don't get me wrong. I am proud of my country's (India, by the way) past, it's culture and it's traditions. But Western, and specifically Anglo-Saxon people have shaped the modern world. Democracy, free speech, fundamental human rights, parliamentary government, the modern approach to science, western medicine, transport systems, you name it, the West's been the engine behind its development. The reason you don't seem to have your own culture anymore is because the rest of the world has taken to being more like you. Your culture is everywhere. It has grown too big and too ubiquitous to be contemplated as culture anymore. Your culture is the sky, ours is the high ceiling.

Sacrifice

CPR is hard on the knees.

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'Tis Time, Methinks

One thing was made painfully clear to me today: The battle against the ravages of Time have begun and there is no doubt that Time has drawn first blood. I have to fight back.

On the bus home from Chapters today, a young boy offered me his seat. Of course, the gesture touched my heart. It's always nice to see that gentlemanliness and chivalry are thriving in the new generation. It makes me feel that the world may not be going to pot after all. Having said that, I'm friggin' 27. How the hell did I get into this mess !?! More importantly, how do I get out of it !?! (Being out of shape, I mean. Not being 27 - that part's awesome, moreover, I only have to wait one year and I'll be 28, which is also awesome, and the year after, I'll be 29 and.....)

And The Title Goes To...

I may have, on a recent trip to Chapters, found the most insensitively titled book ever:

The Complete Idiot's Guide To Surviving Breast Cancer.


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To Thine Own Self Be True

One of my friends, who shall remain nameless, goes in heavily for the emo/senti psychobabble that seems to be everywhere. Bless her for that. I mean, who am I to judge !?! I have my own eccentricities. I do have a problem, however, with her - or any other similar minded person - dispensing weird advice when it comes to how to cope with the various trying periods in my life. The worst one is "Just be yourself". That one just pisses me off. It seems to indicate that, for some unknown reason, I actively chose my current lifestyle - that of a guy who is (as of today, 05 February 2009) out of shape, very awkward socially, with few friends, no girlfriend, no real job and still struggling through school (of the grad variety). Does it seem at all likely that I would, of my own volition, go for this !?!

What I, and people like me, really need is some guy in a white coat sitting us down and saying, "Listen, you gave being yourself a fair go for, umm, how long has it been... 27 years !?!... yes, 27 years. And it's done you a buggerload of good. Look at that cardiac surgeon over there - he's got a great job, lovely wife, lovely kids, a big house, a fancy car and oodles of money in the bank. He's in great shape, eats well, sleeps better, goes on holidays, does the social thingy, and generally lives his friggin' life. Try and be a bit more like him."