the hardest part..
was letting go.. not taking part..

and the strangest thing..
was waitin for that bell to ring.. it was the strangest start..

baatein bhul jaati hai,
yaadein.. yaad aati hai

Thanks MJ...

I've never really been a huge fan of Michael Jackson, although I do like his songs. Still, his passing does bring about a sadness.

I guess I'll always remember him for one special reason. I've only once in my life won any sort of prize for singing. We were in eighth grade then, and even though it was a only 2nd prize in a group singing competition at the Sainikpuri auditorium, I still am proud of it. We were even invited to sing at our school assembly the following week. It was for the song 'Heal the world' by MJ, and it remains my favorite song of his (along with 'Will you be there'). Listen to it sometime, watch the video, and tell me if it doesn't move you. I don't think we won that prize for our singing talents, I think it was for the message the song carried.

Despite the things he did with his body and all the controversies that he had gotten himself into, I think the world outside of the media will remember him for his music and dance, just like it should be, and for the things he did for peace. His music will really live on, and so will he. Thanks MJ!!

Flash of Genius

I was watching the movie Flash of Genius this last weekend. To be honest, it really was an inspiring story. The relentless pursuit, not just of technical brilliance, but also of honor and integrity has something in it for everyone to learn. There was this part where he describes how it all really came to him... his flash..

I was a student at a engineering college in Hyderabad. I rode 20km on a bike to get there. In the summer, the temperature would threaten to touch 50 degrees (yes, i feel all metric today). Since the ride was really long, at least by Indian standards, I'd have plenty to time to let my mind wander away and think of mostly irrelevant things. One day though, I thought... would it ever be possible to build a huge dome over the city that would protect us from the sun? Like have a city inside a house?

For the next few days,I would deliberately let my mind get lost trying to answer this stupid question. Maybe the dome would be made of a dark glass, or a dark plastic. Maybe it would be retractable so rain could still be allowed inside. Maybe it would be supported by a complex web of beams and trusses. Soon enough though, I gave up on this. The idea seemed too fantastic. The city is too big. Its an engineering impossibility. Even if it were possible, who would listen? Even if someone did, who would pay?

Last week... I was laying on my couch,watching Discovery. And suddenly, I see the dome.They wanna build a dome over Houston to protect it from the heavy rains and tornadoes. I felt sick. I had no idea that what I had thought about years ago, was infact nothing new, in concept. They're generally called Fuller's Domes (After the man who first thought about it).

I dug up a video that talks about the Houston idea (turn up the vol)..

So.. I felt like a loser after seeing this... a failed engineer.. someone who didn't take himself seriously.

Worse, this was not the first time it had happened with me. The 'Genesis' project, of which I have only very fond memories... was not so ingenious after all.. There was a thing called the Honda Canopy..



Even the now very common, backup camera in cars..

Will I ever be an inventor? Will I ever be remembered for something? Or will I just end up becoming another guy trapped in the corporate world obsessed with making money, if even that? While all these questions linger, there is a positive.. I realized I maybe I do have it in me to make that one thing which will change people's lives. Its just that I'm a few decades behind some others right now, but I surely will catch up. Its a matter of my flash of genius...

Bittersweet rain..

I wrote about the rain a couple of posts ago. That was an unequivocally pleasant experience. I'm not very sure it was the same this last weekend though. We bowled out the opposition (Greenville Hurricanes) for a mere 106 in a 35-over game.

We set out well chasing what seemed to be an easy target. We made 50 or so without much loss. And then it rained. Fifteen minutes, that's all. It destroyed the ground. The bowler's run-ups on either ends resembled Lake Jordan. It rained that heavy. It looked like a wet t-shirt contest, only with 22 clearly unfit guys though :p

It was fun getting drenched and then shivering in the cool breeze, but for company we also had the sinking feeling of having lost out on a chance to earn a hard-earned victory. We almost felt like the Kolkata Knight Riders team, only still poor.

Well... c'est la vie.