Kite Runner

Recently I read the ‘Kite Runner’. I had planned on reading it so long back, when it had caused the rave in the literary circles and when I had read so many awe struck reviews in its favour, but that never did happen and now, finally almost a year late I finally got down to reading it, and I must admit that one of the books after a very long time which has made me finish the book in the least number of sittings. The story and the characters somehow do that to you I believe when you are reading a fiction. Some books have it in them, and all due respect to the author alone. The last book of the same character which I read was ‘Untouchables’ by Mulk Raj Anand. The depth of the characters and their thoughts seem to always keep them on your mind, till the stories completely unveils before you, and that is what seemingly pulls you back to the pages of the book, to know what beholds for them.

Another aspect which I realized as I was reading this book was how I did know Taliban but not the fact that Russians attacked Afghanistan which along with the US support for Russia resulted in the rise of the Taliban. How can you blame a country’s men in coming up to save their country when many just fled their country with whatever that could fit into a sack! Then, what led them to their present ways of terror and hatred such that in a few years time, the natives who stayed on in Afghanistan and who looked upon the Taliban as a saviour now looked upon them as equals to the Russians a few years back.

The various instances sited where so many try to leave the country only to be fooled by their own country men just for the few dollars to feed the hungry mouths at home. Who do you blame? Cheats or fathers?

Something similar to what you see in Untouchable where those fathers, mothers, brothers, wives are also in such a situation where their voice is not heard and rather there they are not even allowed to voice! A country at war looks savage and looks uncivilized, in fact looks like those times when we were also not where we are now. We move back in time with each step we take closer to war, as I truly doubt whether we will ever be able to prosper with war on our doorstep. War will only deter the growth and slow the process, but everything will eventually happen if not today, the day after!

Classic Rock --> Turkish

I was on a look out to download some new music, stuff which I have not heard and things which I would have missed all these years.

I have always had a liking towards Rock and Turkish music, though I must admit that my true start into Rock music started way later in life, a mere 6 years back. I joined college and I think eventually that music did find its way into my playlists.

I have been a huge fan of Def Leppard, Deep Purple, AC DC, Metallica, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath and many others, but nevertheless I have never ever listened to all the songs in a single album of any of these artists, maybe except for Metallica. So now I have decided that I need to have a wider perspective of these artists, and was on a trail of finding music which have been featured as the best rock songs by these and also other artists.

I came upon some nice websites where I found many good and a few not so good songs, most in line with my music tastes. Two amongst them which I really appreciated are:

• http://www.wanderlist.com/bestrocksong
• http://www.8notes.com/f/8_48114.asp

Anyone knows any other listing, (apart from the billboard charts)?

Love the Confusion !

It is so easy to get confused.

I am sure many of you would agree with me. Yesterday, I was shopping for crockery and I needed to pick up just two bowls for morning breakfast, and that was such a disaster. There are far too many choices which one is faced with I feel on one side, and then I am also so grateful for all the choices that are there which will only make the whole household shopping more fun. (I love colours, plain pastel coloured bowls, deep coloured dinner plates and serve-ware to my list).

On reaching the store, I also realized that there are Oh so many designs available in dinner plates too. I wanted something in ceramic and not melamine. That sort of helped In deciding whether I should be looking on the right aisle or the left one. But then I was just not prepared for the variety available. And the fact still was I did not find what I wanted, I just saw so many designs, in fact I saw them many a times too but nothing really struck! I have this ideology that I pick up stuff which I really like on the first look of sorts, else those which you just pick up after a lot of thought are just compromises.

Anyhow, by the end of almost an hour, I walked out with no dinner plates nor breakfast bowls but I did find some nice cute small yellow bowls… not for breakfast but just for Whisky, for her breakfast!

I don't know ... but, maybe I do!

For every conversation that you do not wish to continue or in fact do not want to prolong under any circumstances, then the best answer is always...

There come so many situations when you don’t want to say anything, but then the people facing you do not seem to understand that. Just got me thinking what’s the best option?

I am trying to look for the not so direct push off phrases…

1. I don’t know, would not work, as the person might tend to believe 'it' to be an invitation to pour knowledge unto thy poor unknowing soul!
2. I am busy right now, might just result in pushing trouble for a later time.
3. I am too tired, lets talk tomorrow, might draw undue trouble on your health and all such related aspects.
   

I cant really think of anything else which might successfully push someone off!

I guess many a times one has to know what will put an end to the conversation and what works for one might not work for another.

For example, when someone says I don't know, I take it to be a uninterested statement and hence would not bother to waste my breath explaining, where as I myself have come across so many others who tend to think this is an open invitation to speak about everything that they know!

Even just standing there not uttering a word and just smiling doesn't at times seem to get the message across!

Fat, fatter ... fattest !

Fat and cholesterol is some issue that has been suddenly thrown onto us with arteriosclerosis and cardiac arrest cases being on the rise.

I at times wonder how many of us have it in us to believe that sticking to the rules will help us have a longer life. I feel that however one tries, there are left even more ill affecting items on earth now to help take us towards the various diseases as fat and cholesterol can. Then why even bother with them when you know that many a times, your body might be receptive to these external factors or at many other times there might be no effect at all! Each body also seen to be affected by varying external factors which usually are not predetermined and to whatever extend we try to predetermine them, we term it as hereditary.

So many oils comfortably state “ 100 % Cholesterol free”, which even I am aware of, as cholesterol is produced only once within the body! Why would it be there in the oil which is sold? Looks like they are trying to pull the health string and also remain in the clear with their marketing statements.

How many of us actually knew this that cholesterol is made only within the human body? I knew that it was made within the body but was not sure of the path mostly followed in its production cycle.

Even in its production it seems that there are some oils/ lipids which tend to cause the production of LDL (Low Density Lipids) and there are some other fats which result in the formation of HDL (High Density Lipids). The HDL is considered way better than the LDL for the body as LDL can not be transported through the blood and hence tends to accumulate! That’s how all that cholesterol lines our poor arteries and cause very high level strain to the heart in pumping the blood through these now narrow arteries to the rest of the body.



So maybe there might be some hope in preventing it if we stick to taking in those fatty stuff which will hopefully result in more HDL vs LDL. We can’t give up the fat ( all tasty stuff are fatty), so why not make a wee bit of a compromise!