Ship breaking screws running...

About 15 days ago, I had some sneeze.. A little bit of throat congestion... then a small pricking in my throat - I know, I was on my way to a season change phenomenon - allergic bronchi.  

I have had allergic bronchi since when I was kid.   It stopped for the last 6-7 years, when I had a car, and also when I used to run.   Key factor was the allergy did not appear - it did not matter when I ran or where. I somehow, attributed the allergen silence to my car.  

Last one month, has been trouble - the allergens are awake and active.  One afternoon,  I was sleeping through a cab ride - through Mazagon dock.   I woke up in some dust and sweat, the cabbie said'this is a shorter way'... I look out of the cab window - it was a SHIP BREAKING YARD...

That psyched me out, and all those visions of the leukemia and allergic diseases arose in my mind.  The place was deserted and dusty... I could feel the allergens - my nemesis waking up... 'dude, here am I'... and one thing to another, and occupied my breathing canal.

Blong - there went my running.  I tried all medicine I could lay hands on, some vapor inhalation, some herbal stuff.  Finally visited a doc, was slapped a prescription of a heavy dose anti-biotic and was walking around as a zombie all of last weekend.

So, I was waddling in the bed and the couch, and my shoes in the dark recesses of my shoe-rack.  I did not even bother to look at them in their eye (!).   

Feeling better, feeling better... my wife advises to take it slow... fearing another bout of wheeze and cough... I am itching to run... but actually would during the coming weekend.

Whoever thought that Ship Breaking will screw running...?

Doc Holliday - Part 2 - Life is a game, play it!

Doc Holliday - The name gives a feeling of work and play.   For a short 36 year longlife, it was a quite an eventful journey. 

Doc Holliday, Original

A doctor by profession, Doc tried his hand in practice.  Hitch - he was suffering from a perennial liver and lung infection - mostly by tubercolosis.  Treatment didn't fly, and he practically carried the disease to his grave.   His patients would turn away quickly, not being able to cope with his perennial cough.  

For a person full of life, Doc did not give up. He took to gambling.   He was reasonably good at it.   Still the good name 'Doc' stuck for life.  

He was born with a cleft lip and cleft brow - both on the right side, and they say, it made him only more handsome.  But he cared less for his looks - but he dressed well.  

He was a good gun-shot- probably the best in the Wild Western during that period.  A constantly edgy feeling seemed to have come into his life, as he grew up it become worse, with his disease eating him inside out.   

In each of his encounters ( as illustrated in Tombstone - the movie and the wealth of data available on Internet),  this edgy feeling seemed to have pushed him for a quick-draw-shoot or die solution to all arguments or meeting with his adversaries;   He always succeeded because of his natural ability of being the quickest draw.  

This temperamental talent became the friend of the Law Dog Wyatt Earp, who was considered a perfect foil - older, mature and polished to Doc Holliday.  As his friend-for-life, Wyatt seemed to bring the best out of Doc, and it also served him the '30 minute gun fight of OK Corral' and the historic duel with the best shot among the Cowboys- Johnny Ringo.

He personified confidence, that bordered arrogance.   When Johnny Ringo meets him in a bar - he says '"All I want of you is ten paces out in the street.".  The movie shows the encounter in a different circumstance - the dialogue below is self explanatory. 

Ringo: You must be Doc Holliday.                 
Doc : That's the rumor.                
Ringo: You retired too?                  
Doc : Not me.I'm in my prime.

A clear illustration of Doc's cockiness facing his much-reputed adversary.

Alcohol was his constant companion, and he was with one woman through his life - big nose Kate.   But this seems to have been more of a functional relationship than a relationship of the heart. 

When he sees Wyatt one last time, he says ' he loved a girl when he was young, and when she got away, he carried his memories for life - and advises Wyatt - ' My friend, there is no 'normal life', just life.  Live it. Grab the moment, and marry that actress you want to live with'.   

Finally, when he becomes too sick, he dies in his bed- after 36 years of zestful life.  

By that time, he had become one of the most enduring characters of the Wild Western Folklore - a gambler, a hot headed hunk, a gunshot-par-excellence, Earp's best friend and the hero of the 'greatest gunfight' of the Wild West.  For Doc Holliday - life was a gamble, and he played it!

-The One

Next - Doc Holliday -3 - 'Wyatt Earp is my friend, I dont have many'

Source - Tombstone, the movie, and Wickipedia on Doc Holliday.

Doc Holliday - Part 1... Inspiration from Tombstone - the movie

This is one blog, I have very less to say - but want to say more.  

The usual events late evening - entry into house at 9, dinner with wife and kid.  Channel surf,  vacating the news turf - watching India being 'anna'hiliated within and annihiliated out on the ground - and the cursory glance at the movie titles for the 11 pm slot.

Tombstone - Zee studio... ahem.. an inconspicuous stay... 5 seconds - more and more... saw Kurt Russell, but stayed more for Val Kilmer.   

 I did not know then that I was watching a legendary event of the wild western.    Earps vs the Cowboys...  Wyatt Earp - the Law Dog and Doc Holliday - the dying gunslinger... the most proficient of them all...

Consumed by tubercolosis, but not letting the spirit of death consume him... standing by his friend, holding his own against a calmer Wyatt Earp, and nixing the sharpest gunshot of his time Johnny Ringo is a character that the reader should enjoy.

The way the movie panned out - is for every one to watch.   I intend to write more about Doc Holliday, the more I read about him,  the more interesting his character becomes. 

Val Kilmer's rendition as the dying, hot blooded, risk taking, talented gun slinging and gambling role of Doc is one of his best ever performances - I liked his 'Templar - Saint among of Thieves' as well.  

Some links for the readers interest - Favorite Scenes of Doc Holliday in Tombstone - 1;  Youtube - 13 part series of Tombstone...

A meagre collection of the dialogues of Wyatt Earp ( Kurt Russell) and Doc Holliday ( Val Kilmer) , in no necessary order.  I will share the savoring moments - in the next few days... 

Tell 'em I'm comin' and Hells comin' with me...

It appears that Mr. Ringo is an educated man, now I really hate him. Doc

Why Johnny Tyler, mad cap, where ya goin' with that shot gun?

stick wid me il make ya famous

i havnt even begun to defile myself

Wyatt, I am rolling!!

Billy: You are so drunk yo're seeing double! Doc:  Well i got one gun each for both of ya

Doc!? I didn't know you was back in town.

Wyatt-' doc why or what drives ringos anger'.Doc' he's mad at life for being born'

 "you aint a daisy! you aint a daisy at all!"

poker just aint your game! i know. lets have a spelling contest

 i told u keep that damn cigar outta my face!!!!

"Why Johnny Ringo, you look like somebody just walked across your grave"

"I already got a guilty conscience...I might as well have the money too."

ENJOY THE MOVIE, while I am back in the town...

-The One...

A distant canary...

One day, near the window sill of my bedroom, I saw this yellow canary chirping tentatively.  A small young one, seemed to be lost.   I opened the window, and it flew in.  It build a nice little nest - warm and cozy, against the winter rains and cool during the summer.  

Everyday, it would chirp, bringing hope to a routine human life - joy of freedom,  wantonly ecstatic, bundle of vivaciousness.   It become part of my life- small, but significant.  

One morning, it had flown out of the open window as usual.   It did not come back ever again. One week later, the empty nest remained, at that.  The nest remained as long as I was there.

I moved out of this city and the nest, mostly removed, by the new occupiers of my older abode.

Then while ago, I watched this movie - The Canary ( 2010)...a story of an emotional roller coaster of an young, deaf girl living in the Scottish wilderness shaken by the arrival of an unexpected stranger...a small blip appeared on my rear view mirror- of the yellow and black canary and the nest.

One of my friends, a colleague - lives in this desert city - now consumed by cement and its wilderness replaced by urban chaos, sent me a photograph of his pet, almost incidentally at the same time. 

He is moving back to pursue his passion in photography - will fly past me to the Indian capital for a brief while.  He said he intends to give up his pet - donate it to a bird park in this desert-city before he leaves.  Another story of a canary becoming distant...

So,thinking as I drive, down another bend of the road, the rear view mirror throws up a different scene, and the canary becomes a distant view - smaller as ever.   May be I will see the canary again... on my window sill..

The curious case of Arowana... ' the blackfish is missing'

Life is a rat race these days... 730 - hit the dirt, 2200 back at home.  Most of it goes in travel.   Can't remember much so different between each of these days.  

One of these mornings, last week, my friend and I  landed up in a small restaurant.  An aquarium tank - was usual. Fish inside it -was usual.  Arowana - now that was unusual.

Arowana are bony fish found in the tropics.  Look deadly, that people sell it as the evil-eye fish, vaasthu fish.   Guys are fierce ones,  adults are 2-3 feet long, so only one fits in a medium size aquarium.   Some of the smaller fish could co-exist,  but Arowana decides the fate.

On that morning, cutting chai and a small vada- pav was consumed at leisurely pace, watching the Arowana swim around. He swam contented, but we always felt something was about to happen.  There were couple of fish - one, a type of frog fish, and another black - angel fish types, can't place it.

The frog fish, clutching the sand below, lied low, and the black fish could not swim freely - whenever the Arowana turned in its direction, this guy ducked to hide - under the air feeder or dove to depth.

Suddenly, in one turn, the Arowana spewed a few fins out - remnants of a digested fish, perhaps.   We asked the hotel employee - he said that there were about 20 live fish in its tank, three mornings ago. 

'Arowana ate only live fish' he said.   'The black-fish was the last of the lot.  The frog fish was from an earlier group, but still has managed to survive.'

We were, somewhere inside, shaken. My friend, too confirmed that.  Did not have a good feeling.   We went after our morning office chores.  

About 2 pm, I had lunch and started to work on something else.  Arowana, blackfish all forgotten.   Then a short-text popped in my blackberry- from my friend, saying  'the blackfish is missing'.   I could not recollect, and responded later ' what the heck are you talking about'; he messaged me back - ' the aquarium'.  

The same chill, we had felt in the morning,  returned.   I was silent.  Thinking more about it, I felt that the situation threw up life in its different perspectives.

The hotelier - probably fed live fish to Arowana - and more than, kept that fish - more to get some customers, than to ward off evil.    Making life by taking lives?  Or was it making business sense?

The customer - comes and returns again to watch the fun - feeding the crass curiosity of  the prey-predator duel?  

The Arowana - becomes a show, while living its natural life and character?  Wrong place? 

The black-fish - did it have better chances of survival in an ocean than it had to lead a life of fear and struggle to die?  

The frog-fish - still clutching the floor, lying low - escaping the eyes of Arowana... he survived beyond the Arowana's lunch...

Who is right and who is wrong?   What is right and what is wrong?  Or is it the way life is?  Well... life goes on... the Arowana still swims, the frog-fish is still on the floor,  the customers come, the hoteliers make the money, but the blackfish is missing!!!

Corruption- our bit...

Corruption - our bit ...

by Ashok Subramanian on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 1:39pm

A small spark started by Anna Hazare becomes a thousand... thousands become thousand small actions... when these actions become consistent- a way of life. This way of life becomes a culture...a culture against corruption.

Three things that you can do from now:

1. Vote and vote for a corrupt free and criminal free representation in the assembly and parliament. This is where you can cut the umbilical cord of corruption.


2. Think hard before you participate in the next opportunity to be corrupt - be individually. Deny that other person of that opportunity. Be patient and dont jump queues.
The last time, when I was stopped by a cop, I paid 1500 for multiple traffic offenses, and got a receipt. I had an alternate way - pay 200 Rs as a cut and get away. I DID NOT.   I did feel about needing to  pay more, but I am now proud about that action today.

3. Teach your kids to obey rules - beating the rules, beating the system creates opportunities for paying the cut- starting from carrying papers, following traffic rules... deny that traffic cop an opportunity to make money. 
More can be told, but these are simple but difficult things that can be followed.  I do have flaws, but as they say, a small spark...

Crabs and Cricket...

Somebody told me that we, Indians, have crab mentality.   Crabs, if left in a bucket, pull another down, when one tries to climb out of the bucket.

As a community we feel guilty about being passionate about anything.   We are too self critical.   Why cant we just let our emotions and belief go the full distance?

Like some countries like football, we like cricket. We have a history, and so be it!  After all, we are passionate people about sports... let us not be defensive about it!

People say cricket is a lazy support. Well, try playing a 5 day match - you will realize that this is tougher than an ultra marathon.   That is 35 hours of baking in the sun!   If you take half of it- for one team - 17 hours of standing idle, then running, thinking, hitting, being hit, diving etc., make the sport even tougher to play.

Imagine sprinting behind a ball or running in short burst in those 22 yards!  With all those protective gear ! With heightened competition, one has to sprint and dive to save runs and take catches.

Imagine being nerve-wrecked for almost 7 hours in an one-day international, or for 3 hours for a twenty-20.  
To excel in one subject, they say is specialization.    After the 2007 world cup debacle, this team has become worked hard and smart, to become No 1 in tests, won away-victories, defended at home successfully, won the Twenty-20 world cup, and is the finals of the ODI world cup again.  This is a phenomenal achievement of a specialization - of a generation that has feared nothing, but enjoys the sport it plays.

As a nation, we should be proud of it.  We have reached the  near-summit, the glory is in the wings!  This calls for celebration - the spirits shall flow!

But for those nay-sayers, if -of all people, Indians dont wish for India's victory, who else will!!! We believe that Dhoni, Tendi and co are as committed as any other sportsperson.

Our wishes and prayers for the Indian cricket team! Nothing else matters!  We want them give 100% and we BELIEVE them!!! Go-India-Go!!!