3 down 2 to go!

A few days back, i had posted something about a few tasks that i need to do in the coming weeks:

Hunt for tickets for india - Research completed

Finish up 3 books - Well this was a herculean task where i am concerned because i am extremely moody where reading habits are concerned. So i returned 2 of the books and am reading the third one!

Book tickets for Bride & Prejudice - Booked it and watched it! Shall talk about it in another post.

Knit a crochet baby poncho set - Almost done. Poncho and cap are done, cute little booties left :)

Complete my website - Now this is the big one. I managed to put up my website, finally after much dilly-dallying. This time around the look-and-feel is radically different from the previous version (it is deliberately so). And i can't thank my friends especially Kokwai enough for all the help with actionscripting. I managed to bug him and extract information out of him at the most inconvenient of moments (while he was neck deep in work!). Can't thank him enough! Anyways check out my new site at www.theatelier.net :)

About Aliens and God

I am watching this TV mini-series by Spielberg called 'Taken'. It traces the history and future of three families intertwined with alien abductions and sightings...very interesting indeed and thought provoking!

So are there any aliens? or should we - earthlings - be smug in our belief that we are the only ones in the universe. I remember as a child, thanks to StarTrek and a vivid imagination, i was prone to imagining that we are not alone and there are living beings out there in distant parts of this universe.

Childhood fantasies aside, i do believe that there must be some form of life in this vast universe. It would be foolish and arrogant to think otherwise. Just imagine, the universe comprises of millions of Galaxies, imagine the probability of existence of life form in some little corner of this vastness. If i may say so, we humans - the most intelligent and evolved living being on this planet (or are we??) - are nothing but a tiny speck of sand in this vast beach that is the universe.

I remember i read this story from my school curriculum (unfortunately i do not remember the name of the story or the author), which talked about existence of life forms other than that on earth. What struck me most about this story was that the author drew my attention to the apparent lack of originality in our imagination concerning aliens.

Time and again we have been subjected to aliens with two hands, two legs, face, eyes, ears (basically rehash of the same concept). Why does an alien living form have to resemble us? It can be anything! anything at all....totally different form our concepts and ideas of living form. The form, volume, mass, look of this alien being could be radically different from what we can ever imagine! Maybe they exist in the form of energy - who knows!!

And why do they need to exist in what WE percieve as environment that supports life? May be they survive in environments that are poisonous to living forms on this planet - again who knows? What i find irritating is that we assume and imagine things relative to our existence on this planet - shouldn't we resort to a little more imagination and open-mindedness?

As i said earlier due to a vivid imagination as a child, i have many a times tried to imagine non-existence of the universe itself! Imagine how would that be!! No universe - just space - in fact it can't even be called space - because one needs objects to create the feeling of space - it would basically be NOTHING - or as we indians say SHUNYA.

Another thought process that arises from this train of thoughts is the concept of GOD. I am not an athiest - i like to believe in the existence of god and like many selfish individuals i do pray and remember god when i am in trouble! BUT there is this part of me which questions incessantly our belief systems, hypocrisy (that i am myself prone to) notwithstanding!

So if we for a second think about the existence aliens, where does that leave our god? Did god create this universe? if so - then do the aliens share our god (in its varied forms - hindu god, muslim god, christian god etc etc...) And if by some miracle they do - in what form do they see god? the same way as us? or is the concept of god unique to human beings - because we like to think we are blessed and protected? To be honest i prefer the feeling of being protected any day.

And if they also have the concept of god - do they also fight like us over my god - your god?!! or is that also uniquely human?!! Did i just say that we are the most intelligent and evolved form on this planet...

I can blame it all on Speilberg. Take a look at the germ of the incoherence expressed above: http://www.scifi.com/taken/index_main.html

Main yahaan hoon yahan hoon yahan

Main Yahaan Hoon Yahaan Hoon Yahaan - I have been listening to this song again and again and again and i can't get over it! Move over Anu Malliks of the world - Madan Mohan, S.D.Burman, R.D.Burman still rule!!

Veer-Zaara soundtrack is such a HUGE and WELCOME change from the current musical trend and amazingly so. These tracks which were composed decades ago can still hold the audience captive and entranced. To be honest i didn't like all the songs...some of them are a little too over the top with the punjabi folk touch...the ones that i can't get over are the romantic ones - pure, clean, unadulterated romance which is sooooo difficult to find in this day and age....i can listen to main yahan hoon yahan endlessly....its so damn romantic! gave me goosebumps...havent heard such a romantic and melodious number in a long time!

I listen to all kinds of music, but it amazes me no end that where hindi film music is concerned we go back to the oldies time and again. Imagine the versatility of these compositions that we keep churning out remixes based on these again and again and again....

Anyways i'm back to listing to some Do Pal...Jaane Kyon...Main yahan hoon yahan hoon yahan...:)

Too much on my plate

I'm going to India in January. Am very excited about it! My mother has been quite unwell-had ulcer of the stomach, so understandably i have been wanting to meet her for a while now.

But amongst all this excitement, i need to finish off some stuff...need to complete my website, have to hunt for ticket deals on the internet (we are going via Singapore as it may be cheaper that way, so need to figure out the best deals).

Need to finish up 3 books by next week! Book tickets for Bride & Prejudice, have to knit a crochet baby poncho for a cousins baby girl.

So am going to be busy for a few coming weeks!

time to shed old skin

It's time to shed old skin, bring in changes, time for renewal.

I believe that change and rejuvination from time to time is the basis for survival and I need to change a few things in my life. Starts with my website! I'm tired of seeing the same site again and again...so time for a change! Have decided to give it a different look from the current one. Do not want to repeat the look!

Here's to a new begining!