Gym Playlist

I have been going to the gym in the hostel regularly enough these days. Yesterday, I realised how important my lil iPod nano has become for me; it ran out of battery power, and I felt stranded. So, I decided to write a post on my favourite gym songs, i.e. songs that really get me going to push myself that much further.

1. Supermassive Black Hole by Muse: I hate to begin my workout with this song. I randomly select a song with eyes closed. I have the shuffle feature on and when this song suddenly comes on when least expected, a smile comes on my face. It's my favourite Muse song (a band I don't particularly die for) but, I love the pace of this song. Also, it reminds me of the Cullens in their most playful, and for me their most sexy moment! "oooooooooooaaaaaaaah! you set my soul alive...." :)
   


2. Faint by Linkin Park: With its 135 beats per second, it is the best song ever to run with!! Another good one is the mashup of "faint" and "Toxic"by Britney Spears! (I Know!! It's crazy - I like a song that is remotely related to Britney Spears!!)



3. Paranoid by Megadeth: It's a cover of the Black Sabbath song. Its faster than the original version, and therefore a prefered version.



4. Prince of Darkness by Megadeth: The lyrics are awesome. The beat is awesome. The vocals a good-creepy awesome :) ! It builds up bit by bit. And when it hits the part where the bass starts... ah! it makes me feel like feline - smooth, sleek, sly, sinuous... evil! and my movements match up!



5. Orgasmatron by Sepultura: Another cover song. Originally by Motorhead, apparently... coz I only know the Sepultura version, which I love!!!!! The build up is soooo.... AHH! The drums superb! if only I could hear this live! when the guitar solo comes in and the drums progress... are there any words to describe music? every time I hear this song, I want to stand up, headbang, energy seems to pulsate thru my body!



6. Mr Brightside by The Killers: It's slower.. by a minuscule degree from my other favs... but I generally like this one to start off with.



7. Don't Stay by Linkin Park: LP have great gyming songs with the appropriate fast pace I need with racy beats and strong bass sounds. I prefer the album Meteora.. Figure.09 is also a good song.



8. Chop Suey by System of a Down: I was introduced to SOAD by David while driving down to book club. I remember he scared me quite a bit. Coz the song came on and he shouted-sang along to the "You wanted to" part. And I wasn't paying attention at all, and suddenly dave is headbanging while driving!! I was too surprised to notice the beauty of this song, but now I know better! :)



9. Sleeping Awake by P.O.D.: From the soundtrack of The Matrix Reloaded, this song seems slower to my ears than other heavier songs. But, I love it!



10. Reload by Rob Zombie: Another Matrix Reloaded song... This is the best! It is so fast! Awesome beats. I would love for this song to be played in a club and I would love to be in that club when it is played!



11. Bring Me to Life by Evanescence: OK, I know, this isn't a typical gyming number... but the chorus is heavy enough for me!



12. Snowblind by System of a Down: Another SOAD song that really gets me going. there is no build up, it just starts! when I first heard their discography, most songs seemed incomprehensible, they are just so fast! But my ears are quite attuned now and I actually crave faster tracks at times!! Apparently, this is also an original Black Sabbath song... guess I should download and listen to them!



13. Ryukyu no Kokoro by Mongol 800: At least one Japanese song! There are so many fast paced J-Pop songs, but I choose the punk one! :) This song starts slow, but hell! Does it pick up a beat or what!?



14. Decode by Paramour: Ok, fact is I LOVE the Twilight soundtrack!
    The part I like best is when the lyrics are
    

    "The truth is hiding in your eyes
    And its hanging on your tongue
    Just boiling in my blood,
    But you think that I can't see
    What kind of man that you are
    If you're a man at all
    Well, I will figure this one out on my own
    (I'm screaming "I love you so..."
    But my thoughts you can't decode) "



15. Stupify by Disturbed: When I first heard this song in a heavy metal compilation CD a friend from Maldives lent me, I was like "woa, wait a minute, this song should be in a Harry Potter movie!" but then, I looked up the lyrics... hahaha! i am sure parents wont approve of the use of the f-word! No build up, just start 'whack'/fuck/rock-ing away! :)



16. Toxicity by SOAD: SOAD are great! So wish I could attend a concert.. so wish they would get back together and come to Delhi... Wishful thinking... If ever they do go on tour, I will so be buying a ticket! Toxicity was my first SOAD fav. I didn't know that its one of their most successful songs. I just liked it for the melody entwined with heavy sounds. Vocals.. perfect; Lyrics.. perfect; Guitar.. perfect; Bass.. perfect; Drums.. perfect; SONG.. perfect!!

So, this has been a nice change from my sad posts, huh? :)

Sunny days, where have you gone?

It was one of those days. Bang after a week of torturous heat and dryness, a storm and rain. glorious sweet scintillating rain. sudden darkness at 2.30 in the afternoon which made the soothing yellow of bulb lamp feel nice. and thunder so loud it drowned out all other sounds. clouds so low you could touch them. breeze to blow all worry and stress out of your system. the smell of wet earth to refresh all senses. sublime. poetic. blue.

after the downpour stopped there were still thick clouds hiding the harsh summer sun. the lingering coolness made me get up and walk out of my room. that and the longing.

it was one of those days you wish you could share a companionable silence with someone who would walk by your side holding your hand just happy to be there. i longed for that simple joy.

i walked concentrating on each step. i walked as if i was walking a tight rope. it seemed to make so much sense to make sure that each step followed directly ahead the other. walking unselfconsciously aimlessly seemed most unacceptable.

i let soft slow songs on my iPod drown the mocking calls of the peacocks. i hummed along,

why does it always rain on me is it because i lied when i was seventeen why does it always...

so apt...

the tiny raindrops fell on my burning skin like pin-pricks. it was a welcome pain. afterall the thorn in my chest hurt worse.

i was sad. i honestly have not been this sad in a while. i can suppress sadness with little joys usually. today the little joys eluded me.

i walked back into the hostel when raindrops became bigger and fell more frequently. Sister Lucky needed my help carrying a 20kg bag. Sister Lucky is one of the most friendly sisters i have met in the hostel. she is truly kind and sweet. always has something happy or good to say. her real name is not really Lucky, but how does one pronounce their impossible names! so each sister usually has an easier name.

maybe something alerted her. she called me into her room to chat before taking the luggage down. she was leaving for Vietnam tonight. she cheered me up in her own special way. her English is still better than many other nuns, although her tonal singsong nasal enunciation still needed extreme attention. it was nice to focus hard on what she was trying to say to me. that process of concentration and the content of her words made me forget my loneliness. she was my sunny day.

it's selfish and twisted, but i hope the hot weather returns. at least it is tiring. it fatigues the body into numbness. dripping sweat makes one detest the thought of bodily contact. the heat doesn't let the mind wander. heat is the only thought that comes to the mind when it's that hot. heat is not conducive to romance.

But that's not what Travis meant the song to mean, did they?

hmmm...

My Favourite Part About Indian Summers:

Amaltas - the Indian Laburnum

Revelation

I had a sudden flash of revelation... I know now why I had been scared of the sea in Okinawa. Why when we jumped off the boat into the water near Taketomi, I was hesitant even though I wanted to do it very much. Why kayaking in Higashi was fun, but I could be on/in the water only with a life-jacket. Why countless time I wouldn't stay in the water for hours like I always had done before going to Okinawa. Why I wasn't braver in the water. I was not afraid of the ocean, I was afraid of myself. I know now that it would have come easily for me to let go... let the tide take me where it may... and maybe unconsciously I was not ready for that yet, I was too happy and felt I needed more time. It wouldn't be very difficult to walk into the sea when I am finally prepared... it would be painful, I know... but I think it would be peaceful as well... such a calm descends over me when I think of it. I wish I could let go now... too bad Delhi is surrounded by land and the only water body - the yamuna - is as good as a drain...

food is my religion, albeit the vegetarian kind...

About a dozen women of my mother's age group are singing, dancing, shrieking and making rude jokes in my living room rite now. I have run away after sitting patiently and clapping along for a while. Now I am sitting in a dark room hoping they wont remember me and call me to dance again. My mom organised this "kirtan" or a prayer service. I dislike it. Very much. I don't believe in its religious part. I can only dance when I am under the influence, so I can't really enjoy it in a secular way. But I am waiting for the food at the end of it, maybe coz I had only one meal since morning and its nearly 7:30 in the evening now, or maybe I only appreciate these events for the gastronomical pleasures.... ah food glorious food! :)

voted

The General Elections came to Delhi. And I voted. I took my decision based on candidates' qualifications. Unlike last time when Delhi elections were held and I voted for a party, not candidate. I also discovered I can 'vote for nobody,' but for that one has to fill a form apparently. Well, this time, even though I feel that no-one is really qualified to run India, I still didn't want the candidate who looked like a rapist to represent my area! So, I chose one who has a PhD and who has actually achieved real goals in the past... This is my proud mark:


(In India they make a square mark with permanent ink so that you don't repeat your vote.. I guess the man making these wanted to put his unique design on us, so he made a diagonal line instead...)

my second A

I found out today that I got an A in my Visual and the Verbal course. YAY!! It was the Marquez and Dali paper... :) I want to celebrate but can't because there is lost of work to be done for my dissertation. My supervisor wants to see as much work as possible before supervision ends on the 30th of April... Gah! this means a further delay on the Liz in India blog post.

contemplating

I have been contemplating for a long time to update my blog, with something more fun than ad campaigns to save turtles. I still have to write a blog about Liz in India (which has been unceremoniously dumped in drafts with the single word Liz as a title...) Its not like I don't have things to say. I have lots. But I find that recently my thoughts have been highly unstructured. Even while studying I am unable to focus on the task at hand. I jump from one book to the next thinking that maybe the other book would automatically grasp my attention allowing me to get some concrete work done. But no. My mind wanders from happiness that was travelling with Liz and to sadness at the loss of some stuff. In this year I have managed to loose some sentimentally valuable stuff - like my Nine West pouch with my favourite eyeshadow and a necklace a friend sent to me in Okinawa in it at Niigata. I lost a pair of earrings Isa gave me. Then I recently lost one of a pair of silver earrings that I just bought in Jaipur with Liz. It was fast becoming a fav as regular wear didn't make my earlobes sore. I believe I have also lost a friend recently - and I don't want to talk about that. Then a couple of days ago I smashed to smithereens one of a pair of new contact lenses. I guess I am becoming either careless or very unlucky; maybe I am both. I am sad most of the times for no reason, even though apart from these loosing sprees I have been alright otherwise. I think too much and consequently accomplish nothing. It could also be that I now live in the hostel, and even though I have friends, at the end of the day a loneliness sets in. I am going home tomorrow, so I shall do a happy task - that of posting travel pics and write the blog on Liz :)

(click to enlarge)

I'm a Punk

I have been reading The Philosophy of Punk by Craig O'Hara as part of the research for my dissertation; and I have come to the conclusion that I am a Punk. I am anti-homophobia, anti-racism, anti-sexism and pro-environment. I like 'loud' politically motivated rock music. I love to shock. I am non-conformist/ or at least I like conceptual anarchy and non-conformism. Thus, I am a Punk. I would love to have the garb occasionally too, even though bondage clothes and coloured spikey hair might be a little much for the Indian sensibility. For a long time I have been wanting a peirced tongue and at least one tat. Is this a mid-youth crisis?

yeh Dilli hai meri jaan

22 Feb 2009 : I know I have been away from this site a long time. Only because I didn't feel like writing. this is what I wrote a long time ago but kept it in Drafts:

So, am back. I had a good flight, even though the weather was mostly bad and we had a longer flight than usual for the route. I got to see Fujisan by fluke! Usually the captain makes an announcement, but this time none was made. I was being served a drink at the time and I looked out the window; and there it was, poking out of the clouds, just about to be hidden by the wing of the aircraft.

When I landed, I shedded my coat, and was sweating even in the light sweater I wore. Good Heavens! When I stepped out of the airport, Delhi Juhi persona came back on. I was on guard, coz I had to take a prepaid taxi home. We decided that I am finally old enough to do so on my own :)! Everything went fine. No complaints.

Oh! I have to add: After I wrote that last post, one of my friends came to dad's office where dad and I were. She asked me if I had time to spare. We went and ticked off 3 things on my list - purikura, taiko drums and kaitenzushi. Another girl, also from the Urdu Department also joined us and when we reached Musashi Sakai station yet another girl also from the Urdu dept. greeted Asuka (my friend). Many people know Asuka it seems! The second girl actually reacted to my name by shouting, "Oh! Juhi? Juhi Chawala!?!" I have not had that reaction ever in Japan from a Japanese person, and its anyway been a while since such a thing happened. For those who are wondering.... Juhi Chawala is a famous Bollywood actress. Although her shinning era has gone, in the late 80's and 90's she was quite the hit. I was not named after her, although everyone seemed to identify me to her for the longest time very much to my irritation. I was not irritated this time, just shocked that this happened yet again and that too in a foreign country.

Left for next time

I am at the end of my trip, and less than 24 hours remain till I catch my plane back. My bags are packed. But I am not ready to go. I still have so much to do. I have mixed feelings about leaving. I never really like the fact of returning to Delhi (for obvious reasons). This time though, the cold has finally taken its toll on me and I wish nothing more but warmer climes. Since the past 2 days, it has been dark and wet. I was happy while it was sunny; luckily in my 1 month, 2 weeks and 4 day trip, it was not sunny for maybe just 6 or 7 days. Tokyo is only going to get colder as February approaches, and Delhi must have already begun to get warmer.

The things I wasn't able to do ...
Karaoke - I met up with some friends, but was not able to plan a karaoke night. It is so lame to go alone! I don't even think there are single karaoke boxes in Japan. Karaoke is best done when a group of genki gaijin get together. My favourite times in Karaoke have been with my dear friends from Okinawa. Next time I might just drag someone along with me.
Visit Nikko and Hakone - Plans didn't take shape. Weather was also a huge consideration.
Sumo - I was ready for this one, especially since the tournament took place in Tokyo this Jan. But my dad left his big Nikon camera in Delhi. It would have been best to take pictures since I would have bought the cheapest ticket that seats one very far from the pit. (Even the cheapest ticket costs more than Rs.2000 though!)
Kabuki - I dont really know why I didn't put any effort into going and seeing it! Just lazy I guess..
Climb Fuji - like I said before, not possible in winters anyway.
Purikura - again, a group activity. I would have done this with friends studying in the Urdu Dept. but plans got cancelled when one friends caught the flu.
Kaitenzushi - no prob coz I ate lots of kappa maki bought from the supermarket.
Tokyo Disneyland - thrice cancelled due to bad weather.
Taiko drums - Ah.. whatever.
I am getting bored of this post... so what if I couldnt do all the things I wanted to! Just escaping Dehli was enough! :) and I DID do so many other things that I am quite satisfied with! To hell with it! These can remain pending so that I can dream about them while I do my dissertation...

...dreaming of my next trip!! :)

details from NMWA

Detail from Paul Signac's The Port of Saint-Tropez

Detail from Yellow Irises by Monet:

Daruma

To know what the Daruma is, check this site! I could write out an abridged version, but am lazy. Plus this article is really informative and interesting. Highly recommend a read through!!

This is one of the two Darumas I bought. This other is more decorative (i.e. it has the eyes drawn) and this one is functional (i.e. I shall make a wish on it.):

Ueno

I wanted to go to the zoo in Ueno for a long time to see Pandas. Unfortunately when I arrived at the ticket counter and asked the sweet lady if it was possible to see this cute creature, I was told that it had passed away sometime ago. I nonetheless went in, because I haven't been to a zoo in many years. I think the last time was when I was 8 years old and we went to Frankfurt Zoo. My chief memory from that visit was seeing Flamingos and buying a parrot and a peacock stuff toys. I might have been to Delhi Zoo - but that was ages and ages ago. I find zoos sad and the animals pitiful. This zoo despite being in a much better shape than many zoos in India, was still depressing. But I saw a couple of polar bears and a gang of very restless meerkats among other animals that I hadn't seen before.

At the entrance:

Origami cranes for the memory of Panda:

A real (not origami) Japanese crane:

Sleeping Emperor Penguins (what an uncomfortable posture, though!):

Drowsy, Polar Bear #1:

Unsure of Whether to Jump in the Water Or Not, Polar Bear #2:

National Bird of Trinidad, Scarlet Ibis:One of the funniest mammals I have seen, Meerkats:

Swarm of Rats:

This Guy happily posed while I took pictures of him! Seriously!!

Flamingos... a disappointment from what I remember in Frankfurt:


Hippos are huge! I never really realised how huge they must be!
'ey there, mate!
Mother goose:

I also went to two Museums in Ueno that day - the Tokyo National Museum and the National Museum of Western Art. TNM was quite big and more valuable for people with an interest in ancient art and Japanese art. It was nice to look at the Indian Miniatures preserved there and the history of Buddha in art traced there.

I had been to National Museum of Western Art before, but I couldn't resist going there again! I had an hour before closing time and the option of 2 Museums - Natural Science and Western art. I chose the Monets, the Renoirs and the Cezannes over dinosaurs. I got to take many pictures this time, but I might clog your RAM with so many photos loading on the page! Also, I think it would be a copyright issue.