Earlier today acquired copies of this, this, the much recommended Oppenheimer biography  and one condensed version of this brilliant graphic novel. (Having English translations of all the 4 originally french !? volumes)

All for just under 1500 bucks. Steal, no ?

It did not stop there.

On the way back i bought a ticket for tonight’s 10:20 pm screening of this (This is the last show in Satyam im told – its being taken off tomorrow. Ha!)

Might as well add a trip to here in the evening – and round off what will turn out to be a truly lovely day!

I go to Bombay tomorrow will stay there until thursday – We’re having a meetup – T, C, A, M – even IS is coming down from kanpur*

[to attend seminars and meet a few blokes, learn a thing or two about what big brother does for a living :) ]

And hey, i turned 25 last friday.

And i haven't had such a stimulus-filled birthday  – since, like my 12th birthday** i think. 

Heaps of phone calls, smses, scraps and what-not.

Then X called*

* – Um, It wasnt to deliver giggly birthday wishes as one would have wanted. It was about some random Hotel / Travel agent Reco – i of course promptly gave it to her. She hasn't followed up – the poor thing - must have been busy planning her holiday! I of course haven't followed back too – i am busy too, am’nt i ? I am such a weak b%%#$%d. No ?

** - i was like in 7th standard – and one time, under the influence of big stroke of childish hyperness - i distributed like 30 or 40 of these cute like 2 rupee / piece invitation cards to all the girls in class asking them over for a birthday party at home. 3 or 4 of them turned up. D, my first dreamgirl ever – turned up too – her sister, mother etc. in tow – and we played cricket under the tree next to our house. I was hopelessly in love with D, i think, for like 3 years)

Tomorrow is an experiment.

• I will wake up at 5:30 work on website until 8
• Break at 8 until 8:15 - work on cost reports of AHU/panelling, PO for doors and the building – 9:45
• Leave for plant around 10:15 am.
• Get through ALL pending sampling jobs, meeting with Civil Engr.
• Back at 2:30 pm (be home around 4 ish)
• If youre early work on website until 4 pm power cut.
• Gym at 4 – until 6
• Email from 6 to 7
• Chat / Food until 8:30
• Penthouse – Review, Emails etc.
• book, sleep at 10:30 pm

I can see atleast 15 available hours for work here. If all goes well – i’l stick to this routine for the rest of the week.

The next week is screwed anyway.

P.s – I should blog about work often i think. WTF, im atleast obsessing about the right stuff :), no ?

It is more than abundantly clear, now more than ever, that all my failures will be attributed NOT to lack of information / stimulus (for, without a shred of doubt, i think that i have had FAR superior exposure than most people i’ve known).

But they will probably be attributed to my lack of level headedness, perseverance and, believe it or not, common sense. 

I will be a MUCH better performing person if only i stopped procrastinating so much and just go through all the work on my list (that will probably take 10 or 15 minutes each)

I’ve been a lifelong* advocate of the theory that:

Betterment = Continuous Pursuit of better stimulus

But sadly, as with everything nice, there will be a point where one overdoes something – and off late, i appear to have reached that state now.

I appear to be spending most of my time trying to acquire one skill set after another, running after exposure to one stimulus after the other – but basically ignoring the fact that i have to follow up on previously acquired skill sets, absorbed stimuli (so to speak) - put them to use – get something tangible  in the bag – before wandering off to another potential gig.

Maybe it is just a passing phase, maybe it is not.

(* ‘Lifelong’ is a rather, um, tall (shall we say?) word to use. But WTF, i turn 25 in a couple of days time. And I’ve gone past, what, like atleast 30% of my quota ?

Corny, no ? if one thinks of it that way.. like you’re done living a third of your life already)

Books

Grabbed the following at Delhi airport:

Charlie Wilson’s war a book (and the subsequent movie which sound very interesting as a subject), The much hyped & written about Superfreakonomics and finally the highly recommended Death of a money lender 

Also (aided by a rather remarkable stroke of good luck, i guess) at the Jalandhar train station bookstore i got a second hand copy of Ron Rosenbaum’s article collection called ‘Travels with Doctor death’ (the guy gave it to me at Rs.75 – it had a cigarette burn from the cover, running down to about 50 pages deep)

I just read one i’d already heard of called ‘Who was Maria’s Lover ? : The controversy over Hilter’s ancestry’. It reads brilliantly. More later.

Update

I have done up 2 out of 5 things that i planned to complete before midnight, sat through the boring UTD-Chelsea match which chelsea invariably won.

I still will go watch Inglorious Basterds on Tuesday

Mua ha ha haa – i am lazy and i am evil ! 

Apart from a trip to work and a 3 hour sleep in the evening, I’ve been with her all day.

Interesting writing, Alice Munroe’s is. The first of part of the book ‘No advantages’ – after a sort of a rambly start is just about warming up. How this book will fit into my ‘spend time on  only the kind of books which will provide wholesome fundae / gyaan / subject knowledge ’ is something i still dont know **

There are trips to Landmark, even, um, kinokuniya in store later this month.

Starting tomorrow – i’l spend a couple of days in madras, then a day or two in Delhi, a couple  in Jalandhar (S has promised me a droolworthy sightseeing trip this Sunday to Amristar), back Home and then to Thailand, returning via Bombay for Cphi.

I actually wanted to get through the posts on Madrid and Barcelona today – but cant – they’ll continue to remain WsIP

I’ve shifted a table, sofa outside the penthouse, to the TV room, hoping to get through work, whilst keeping the TV on, hoping that Man UTD wont lose.

IF i am satisfied with what work i get through tonight – ive promised myself that i’l watch Inglorious Basterds in Madras on Tuesday night.

Alone. If it really comes to that.

** MB and i have been talking a lot about money making, quality of life etc. ‘ Quality of Life ’  loosely defined as maximizing time spent ( from total available time ) over a standard list of things one enjoys doing. There is of course, a more sophisticated explanation to Quality of Life that we’re clear about – but it is (im sure to everyone’s relief) for another day. 

The mechanism, variables we have to consider while choosing what books to spend time on – is what i meant. Will write it up when it takes concise shape.

Work

 

Theres a photo of one of the sections from the powder processing area of the plant job i’ve been on all this time.

Looks like one of those photos on firangi brochures, no ? (i am hoping that it does look that way)

More later..

I deserve a special place amongst the most shameless* blokes that ever have walked this planet for what happened today, just a little while ago.

Zeenat has actually set up a ,what she calls, ‘date’ for me, later on this month. This ‘date’ is the daughter of so-and-so who is a friend of so-and-so and so on and so forth.

I told her that it is extremely kind of her to set me up with a date and BTB,I asked, if it indeed is a ‘date’- then why is she worried about the day of the week, day of the month, time of the day, Ammavaasai and so on..? ( i caught her red handed, chatting away on the phone, calendar in hand, with an aunt)

She promptly burst into crocodile tears and her sidekick, MB, appears and delivers this poker faced, stern-dont-mess-with-me style lecture etc. while ive laughed it all off.

I am considering telling Zeenat that i am in Love with Anamaria (Fa’s assistant in Sao Paolo) and we’ll be officially seeking permission soon – or better still – that i am still in two minds if i am straight or gay. Believe me, She’ll then provide enough material to make a movie as long as all the 3 parts of the Lord of the Rings combined.

It is sort of sad that i have such manipulative, strong-willed parents.

We’re all – im quite sure - one way or the other – hapless victims of parental manipulation, no ?

(*Why ‘Shameless’ one might ask – well, one does feel kind of corny when one’s mother actually sets up something - that she has the gall to refer to - as a ‘date’. eh ?)

P.S – I was just telling MB that a good writer of masalafied behaviorial theories, maybe Gladwell, if permitted, will end up with a bestselling masterpiece analyzing the behavioural patterns of Zeenat & Co – and we’ll all be that much richer with the share of royalties from the book.

I've almost gotten through Patrick French's biography of V.S.Naipaul : The World is what it is. As it takes up no less than 499 pages in annoyingly condensed font size, hitting on it all week long does takes its toll. But this is probably the only chance i have to get this done. So here goes.

The book's key strength, as one review mentions, is the way French has cautiously kept 'Naipaul the person' and 'Naipaul the writer' distinct - and apart from a small anecdote from the first few pages - French keeps his own assessment/opinions of Naipaul out of the book.

I've never ever thought of reading any of Naipaul's works, but have always been fascinated by the aura and hype associated with him. In one sense, this book will serve as an easily digestible, condensed summary of Naipaul's books - as nearly all of Naipaul's notable works of fiction including A House for Mr.Biswas appear to be near-completly derived from personal experience. In fact, i am quite sure that I'l probably never ever manage to read some of his racier works (For instance 'Guerillas' influenced by Black power wackos like Micheal X**) primarily because they all revolve around themes which are pretty dated and are of absolutely no interest to me.

Most of Naipaul's driving force, writing material appears to have come from his own background, being born into an eccentric, extended hindu (Brahman) immigrant family in Trinidad and his move to England as a student after winning a scholarship to go to Oxford.

This unique combination of ethinic, geographical factors - him being a Hindu of Indian origin (but no other connection with India whatsoever), childhood experiences, his father's influence (a sort of a smalltime, failed writer), his native intelligence, the oxford education, the black influence from the Caribbean - in my opinion- put into his head this potent mix of - eccentricity, identity crisis and writing talent.

Most of his works are considered to be of very high literary quality but almost always appear to have caused much scandal, hue and cry - mostly because of, what i feel - his fuck-all, egoistic attitude, related lack of subtleness, sensitivity.

French has presented, throughout the course of the book, incisive references from other people's critique of Naipaul's writing, often quoted verbatim. One that particularly stuck to my mind, quoted from page 351:

Quote

'Naipaul is a scourge, He never relents,' wrote Joe Klein in Mother Jones. His work 'can best be described as a literature of buggery: His main purpose seems to be the desecration of this audience.'

All the same, Klein admitted, "I, as a devoted reader, cannot resist the temptation to be ravaged'

Unquote

But what makes this book truly interesting is the truly wonderfully well done presentation of - Vidia Naipaul, the person - his eccentricity, thought processes exposed by way of excerpts from personal correspondence, his early life in Trinidad, relationships with siblings, Pat, the period he spent as a struggling writer, his publishers, his social set, his affair with Margaret, accounts of his travels across the world on writing assignments. etc..

Did you know that Naipaul probably spent more time executing writing commissions as a travelling journalist than actually writing fiction ? word-by-word he's probably written more for this genre than actual fiction.

Did you also know that Naipaul met you know who in Africa, when the latter was just in his early twenties ? In fact,  Theroux is a constant presence in this book - He appears to have treated (the mostly misanthropic, boorish) Naipaul as some sort of mentor-type figure, writing letters, reviews, seeking guidance and so on..

Theroux has of course written several books, collection of memoirs on Naipaul - most notable amongst them being 'Sir Vidia's Shadow*' (Click the link and you'll know how complex they both are, as people).

If i ever had to make a Naipaul-centric reading list - i'd probably try 'A House for Mr. Biswas', go on to his India Books and take a call from there. But for people with lesser bandwidth, this book offers a nice dose of Naipaul's writing with superbly entertaining background on the man***, the state of the world during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, and the kinds of specific stimulus he received to make him do all the stuff he did.


*Sidetrack # 1 : There is a section in this book, where French compares Theroux's distorted description (from 'Sir Vidia's Shadow') of a specific lunch party hosted by Naipaul and his wife (Which Theroux was invited to) - with true facts obtained from other attendees.

There are several instances where Theroux's description of the Lunch (which was claimed to be fully reporting facts) is actually factually wrong. In fact, most of the distortion appears to have been done on purpose, with full knowledge.

That leaves me smug with the satisfaction of having found factual evidence that my original theory on Theroux's writing is correct.

I've always believed that a large portion of Theroux's stuff is actually only based on a true BACKBONE - most of the facts that go along with the misanthropic humor and kink that is actually (in my humble opinion at least) considered to be Theroux's selling point is actually fictional. Not that it makes him any less fun to read.

(** Remember the Jason Statham starring Brit-pic i wrote about seeing on Emirates last year The Bank Job - that had a bit of a side story involving the Micheal X scandal tpp..vaguely interesting. We, of course, are WAY off the subject.)

(*** I have a theory on why i find reading background / biographical fundae on blokes like Naipaul interesting. Later, maybe.)

I have been, since like from April or May, been on a sort of a health-kick to like get into some kind of physical shape. I have been fairly successful, clearing at least a sort of an internal cut-off, you know, WRT a weight loss target.

I actually weigh about 5 kilos higher than what i used to weight when i left college, But i am no longer, like, clinically obese. (BTB, the last semester in college, i used to jog about 5 x 400m daily with R, stretch with G , play tennis in the evening, used to run on a 1500 bucks-a-month fruit juice budget and did not have unlimited access to Ganesh Vilas Kadalai mittai - so that is a pretty stiff target to achieve).

The problem is, to keep this up , (i.e) shed the 5 extra kilos and not put on weight again - i need near daily excercise. Now because i have go to work at 9 am ish - and i need atleast 2 hours between waking up and being ready for work - (Gym, transit etc.)

- I need to wake up between 6 & 6:15 and NOT switch the computer on until i get to work.

- But i invariably switch it on, officially to check up on carry over correspondence from Latin America and possible firefighting jobs from the Far East, but actually to mostly do random stuff* online.

- The actual problem is with my evening routine. I typically finish up work around 7 pmish at the plant - shut computer down +/- that time and be home between 7:30 and 8:00. Eat and do nothing/chat with mother etc. until 9/9:15.

The situation seems to boil down to a scenario where i have to get to my 'Change-Grab a book -Sleep' routine around 10 pm.

If there is excitement in Latin America, which happens atleast on 2/3 days every week - work online/MSN/Skype drags on for a bit - and with some random dabbling thrown in - the 'Grab a book - Sleep' routine gets shifted to 12 amish - meaning that if the book is as good as this - i cant sleep for atleast another hour - and i'l be groggy in the afternoon if i wake up at 6. And i cant complete anything if i wake up at 7:30 or 7:45.

The only viable solution appears to an overhaul of the evening routine - getting to the 'Grab-a-book' routine before 10/10:15 pm max - and ONLY work online until 10 pm.

Its turned out then, that i, almost certainly, never will be one of those 'work-all-night-wake-at-4am-run10km-worth-10bn' type people profiled on magazines and all...Sad, no ?

Notes

*Gtalk, Twitter, Reader, Google finance, Random/Not-so-random stalking etc.

P.S - But on the whole, setting up this routine is terribly important. Amongst other withdrawal effects, I seem to have trouble with digestion, trouble with skin, with overall stamina levels etc. if i dont excercise regularly (as i've discovered this month)

More importantly, I now sort of feel like a deflated balloon - possibly because i have excessive collagen in my skin - but i always have this feeling that i'l get fat if i stop exercising - and this situation must be sorted out - possibly with careful weight training - and i HATE weight training.

P.S.2 - Back when we were still kids - it used to be a simple enough to talk a friend into getting into your daily routine, helping each other with the rhythm etc. - used to be much more easy and fun that way. Sadly, the odds of Gurpal Singh coming to live in Madurai & jogging with me dont look great..*sigh*.. i wonder what the geezer is upto these days..?