Actually

Woke up to the sports headlines Maradona is critical and a column on his drug problems. Perhaps a little poor taste, but got reminded of this fantastic scene from Love Actually. TV producers try to silence an exuberant Bill Nighy, who was absolutely smashing as the aging rock star, commenting about drugs. He then assumes this serious expression and implores the kids not to buy drugs. When the happy producers nod their heads at this unexpected caring display, he smiles and says "become a rock star, they give it to you for free". His performance was impeccable and had me laughing so much.

Weekend

Weekend was good. Danced with great abandon. With all these sleek cameras in the market, can only hope no incriminating photos end up in the internet. Got reminded of Elaine from Seinfeld. Was in a destructive mood so got a lot of cleaning done. Watched the dark clouds gather and loom and then the rain. A nice bonus.

Started reading a book, this time with a self-imposed rule that I wont go to the next chapter unless I finish atleast 80% of the exercises. Finding it tough not to go to the next chapter right away. I am lecturing myself on discipline and application and all those other things that I obviously lack.

View

My unseeing eyes and my wandering mind came into a sharp focus at the site of a butcher curing meat on the pavement. In just a moment before I shot past, the scene unfolded with extreme clarity. He was holding the tail of what I could only presume to be a dead cow and the belly of the animal - the carcass lay exposed. I wondered abstractedly about the lack of hygiene and then was promptly bothered about my own desensitization.

CA

Staying in a hotel room is affecting me more than i imagined. Woke up last night convinced there is a fire in the room. Bungled about, hit my knee on the side table like in a classic slapstic movie and waited for the firefighters to break in. My sleep drugged brain somehow didnt figure out the green that occassionally flashes on the smoke alarm didnt mean anything bad. Then this morning, mulling over something, I walked straight into an intersection much to the horror and very vocal protests of a driver. The F-word very loudly jarred into my ears and startled me out of the reverie. Glad I am checking out today and am heading home. This short California stay was amusing mostly. Many friends interviewed me about my life in India now. I obliged them ofcourse. It was an interesting study to guess what they wanted to hear and their reaction to what they actually did. "O what fools these mortals be"

Saddam

Tired Saddam stroking his beard, US rhetoric screaming on the channels - "final resolution", " caught like a rat in a hole" - has shaken me out of my apathy to write something about it. Why didn't he kill himself? The US soldiers would have given him plenty of opportunity to do so? Has he decided he would die only in his terms, after revealing the hypocrisy of the west and exposing their sham of self-righteousness? Or is this one of those wag the dog setup right in time for christmas, new year and the reelection?

That said, from the human rights perspective, I think it is good news indeed.