Portland Musings
Oh boy, its been a long time. More than a sem since I last blogged. Finally some respite, finally some time off. If there is one thing I realized in the past few weeks, vacations typically mean spending (money)… and I had quite a few things pending(no rhyme intended). Well, most of my spending (I think and pray that this is correct) is done, and I am flush with stuff. Hope you holidays on a similarly bankrupting note. 
Well, I am in Portland right now. This place has sunsets even earlier than Raleigh. Its sunset before 5 here… suddenly, the time zone difference doesn’t make much sense. And, since I have got a bit of time off, and more importantly, out of my laziness to write a blog, here I am writing one. Hope you enjoy this one.
Two distinctly different things have caught my attention in the past few months. The first one is marriage. Although I am not getting married anytime soon, the sheer number of people around who have, to use the cliché, taken the plunge, is quite large. There are a couple of things I have noticed. One, that north Indians get married a lot sooner. Tamilians get married sooner. Probably the rest of the world gets married before a Telugu Brahmin takes the plunge (last time, I promise). I am just guessing that the ruthlessly pragmatic mindset among gultis which (wrongly) pushes almost everyone into either engineering or medicine, also wants to wait until the guy is settled, earning well, got an H1B and can demand the highest dowry possible. And I also realized that engagements can happen in India while the groom and bride are in US. This came as a major surprise to me. I always thought the groom and bride are integral to the whole thing. But apparently, even the organizers of the event, share my view of it. A large scale food-distribution program to everyone you know, and some you don’t. Wonder if the marriage could also be done that way? Engagement I guess, is more of a formality in India, than the “last-chance-for-you-to-bail,-have-your-bachelor-party-and-plan-the-wedding” thing that it is here. But the marriage would need to be telecast (ustream, youtube or maybe even doordarshan) for people back home. Wonder how the muhurtham stuff would work though? Would it be the time zone of the bride and groom, or those in India?. And FYI, since we are on the topic, I think God is nocturnal, and expects us to be so, because most of the muhurthams I see are in the dead of the night. If you are like Ross (Friends), you should be scared.
The other thing that caught me is this whole holiday/vacation stuff. Up until now, I have never really thought about it what it meant. It was simply “holidays => find friends who are free => spend time with them => start new year with zero bank balance”. But now that I asked myself the question “WTF does all this mean anyway?”, it kind of dawns on me. It’s just the best way to skip work. They are so conveniently placed that it couldn’t be anything else. The American ones are placed towards the end of the year/sem (depending on whether your are rich/poor) to get your pumped up and work hard. Once you hit thanksgiving, you know your work for the year is done, and you can be the Santa for your credit card company. Otherwise, it has to be a mighty coincidence that we bunched up Christmas and New Year within a week of each other, so that we bunk the days a little before, a little after and in between. The Indian ones in constrast, give any worker an excuse on any given day. They are distributed so well over the year that five day weeks are not necessary. We already take a day off every week or so, and sometimes, bang in the middle. Secular credentials don’t hurt in this regard.
As I am relaxing, sitting before a huge tv, bose speakers and too lazy to take a bath, I hope you all see the point of a vacation. To kick back and write blogs like this. Here are my thoughts on a few things…
Guzaarish – I was really hoping that the court permitted Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik) his much-wanted euthanasia(when Hrithik smiles while saying “ethanasia”, I almost killed myself. And he was smiling because he knew that.), since, after watching the movie I was hoping for euthanasia for myself. This movie proves the other fact — I prefer that the hero of the movie is fitter than I am, otherwise I won’t like the movie.
Golmaal – 3, 4? Can’t remember – the new one. Well, they say that even in the best of your moods, there are still things which can very easily piss you off… actually, they don’t. But after this movie, they should. I think if the cast of the movie actually talked what they had in their head, instead of going by the invisible script, the movie would have been a million times better. I seriously think Indian movies should start looking 90min movies. That will atleast leave a few brain cells alive in the audience.
Gossip Girl – yes, I do follow this – in the Rahul ka swayamvar way – but more religiously. Hope Dan and Blair hookup… I think that is the only combination left.
Two and a half men – please write full episodes. Don’t make half-ass shit. It’s a great franchise, don’t ruin it.
Komaram Puli – babies cannot march when they are in the womb! — I rest my case.
Highly recommend: Unstoppable, Udaan (slightly longish but good) and PS3.
Hope you have a wonderful vacation. I’ll try to check in again with another blog real soon. Please feel free to drop comments, as usual.
