@#$&@!!!!

"Nee Marylin Monroe Cloning a, 

ille Jennifer Lopez scanning a?

One day mattum girlfriend aaga variya?"

Elders keep telling us. And used to keep telling us, that songs were a lot more beautiful and a lot more meaningful in their days. And I used to brush them off thinking they were just being menopausal. But look at this.. Its just rubbish. Most of the songs these days are. And they are the most popular ones. Nakka Mukka. What the @#$% is that? Its the worst thing I've ever heard! Not just the worst tamil song, but the worst song, hands down! And look, for a comparison, not so many years back..when i was 10-11 years old:

"Narumugaiye, Narumugaiye, Nee oru naaligai nillai,

 Sengani ooriya vai thirandhu, nee oru thirumozhi sollai

 Attrai Thingal Annilavil, Nettritharala Neer Vadiya

 Kottrapoigai aadiyaval neeya?"

and more recently, with less obtuse tamizh:

"Kilayil kaanum kiliyin mooku

 Vidalai pennin vettrilai naaku

 Putham puthidhaai ratha roja 

 Bhoomi thodaa(dha) pillayin padham"

Now I'm sorry, but progress is just taking us backward these days. Our kids will soon be dancing to static and random words threaded together. However, the same can't be said of music, a few music directors still come out with music that's very fresh and listenable to. Unfortunately, few and far apart. But inspiring, nonetheless. A few men, to reassure us that all is not lost. 

"...If they ever tell my story let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of AR Rahman, tamer of carnatic ragas. Let them say I lived in the time of Mani Ratnam.." -  Troy(Slightly modified though)

As for the others, they get the golden cock award. 

I wish I could stay longer, but I've an exam to study for. Toodle-oo! 

Ambiguously Titled..

Indeed, life is immensely complex. An equation.. with infinite variables. All sorts of variations.. the combinations one can create.. the situations one can create..mind boggling choice.

Mind boggling choice though.. not for people IN, or living, life. For the universe... to mess with the people who live in it.. yes. 

A series of hill climb challenges. Say, a racing challenge, even. Highly dangerous.. people expect me to be scared of the thought "Will I return after this race?"

And yet... what scares me more is "Will you be there when I return from this hill?" Once I am started on the way up, nothing disturbs me anymore. I won't hear of you or think of you until I'm back, and the thought that you might not be there when I'm back is disturbing. 

In a way, the sense of not being completely in control is scary. Being brought up hearing "You are in charge of your life" and then along comes something called "luck". Some people have it, some don't. Not in their control, either. Your hard work might be rewarded. Parthasarathy-next-door's sloth might be rewarded more. 

And yet.. We live life. We work as hard as we can. We make sacrifices, for work, for relationships. All in the belief that life will be same tomorrow. And we can't let the otherwise scare us into not doing anything at all, because then life would be a waste. We believe 99 out of 100 times, it'll be all good. 1 out of 100, life gives you a bum deal.. Sometimes destroys you, sometimes strengthens you. Depends on each person's mental makeup. One more factor.. 

Life is a game. Hah. If that were true, given a choice, nobody with anything to lose would play it. Although.. if you don't play the game, you don't have anything at all. In other words, nothing to lose. And you might as well play. 

One hopes one comes out of life with a net gain. I am now on reserve battery power. Mentally and notebook-ally. That'll be all.