Lunar Eclipse 2010 - December 21st.

The Conditions : Time 1.00 m to 5.10 Am, Clear skies, Cold temperatures around 2 C (35 F) to -2 C (27 F) but extremely windy feels like -7 or -8 C.

Photo showing the windy conditions at 4.00 in the morning - taken with a 2 sec exposure

The Event : It just only a Lunar Eclipse of 2010 but it was the first total lunar eclipse to fall on a winter solstice in 372 years. The last time a lunar eclipse corresponded with a winter solstice, or the annual day when the Earth's axis is tilted farthest from the sun, was Dec. 21, 1638. See this website shows the animation of the eclipse : (link) Shadowsandsubstance
The way in which the moon changed its color from white to getting dark to suddenly becoming bright red/orange - seemed like a girl (in this case moon) was blushing when the guy (the earth) took her in her embrace....

A truly spectacular view at around 3.17 Am - when the moon is within the Umbra shadow region of the Earth - Total Eclipse.

The Spectacle : Following pictures taken from 12.30 Am (from before the Eclipse began) to around 4.30 Am (just when it came out of the Eclipse)

अनिच्चा Anicca

Impermanence - Pali - अनिच्चा anicca; Sanskrit: अनित्य anitya

Recently was at a 10 Day Vipassana Meditation camp here in Massachusetts. In this post I am not talking about the details of what this meditation process is, as this info can be found in detail here - Vipassana (link)

The One thing that I learned on a personal level is the notion of Impermanence (Anicca) existing in
-the world we live in,
-the desires and aversions
-the joys and sorrows,
-the pains and sufferings,
-the physical existence
-the perceptions and assumptions

All these above mentioned phenomenons and many more are simply creation of our conscious mind - that can be controlled or evaporated by stepping back or concentrating on them - thus realizing that they come and go.

So here are some photographs I have taken over last few years where I have abstracted this concept - hope you like them.

Here the baton that is lit when captured at high speed forms a ring but it really is just our perception - an illusion that will disintegrate if he slows down the process of rotation.
(A performer in a hotel at Matheran - Maharashtra, India)

Here the swift movement of hands creates a reverberation that can be rhythmic and that if timed incorrectly can be noise - reflecting the working of our thoughts that can be joyous or sorrowful - again if the hand stops the sound disappears - can we stop the mind from thinking?
(Sanyasi playing Mridangam at Nova Gokula - Isckon Temple in Pindamonhangaba - Brazil)

Here the yellow depicting the journey of our lifetime - that does end at a point - and the various people we interact or meet with along the way - every step is a new revelation - some new acquaintances and some old.
(Stairs at Miller Brewing Company - Milwaukee - Wisoncsin, USA)

Here our mind is like a furnace that is constantly thinking - rethinking. But many of these thoughts are ephemeral and transient. Some thoughts get molded into actions and some simply burn away.
(Aluminium factory in Silvassa - Gujarat, India)

Here is an example of relativity - where even though all the cars are moving at high speed - they seem static - whereas the tunnel seems dynamic - for some life is static if they are around dull people and dynamic if they slow down or change the circumstances - both the situations are in our control but not many can dwell or act on it.
(Tunnel in Dubai - UAE)

Again like every phenomenon which is transient - some may remember this post - some may simply forget it - some may like it some may not - that's the TRUE nature of life

Urge to Scribe

Just had this urge to scribe something, anything. Its been a while I wrote somethings.

Facebook had taken over the Blogging. One of the interesting part of Facebook was its status messages. I used to write small snippets that were succinct and funny.

Here are few of them - will post more later.....

- What if either Adam or Eve was gay!

- Make hay while the sun shines - but isnt Opium more profitable?

- Unable to download a nursery rhyme in time for class the kid goes................Twinkle Twinkle Little Star........How I wonder what Network you are?

- With people now meeting via online chats/forums - shouldn't there also be a category for DEAF n DUMB dates along with BLIND dates ?

- No one told me why I should have read the Tell Me Why - not even them

Gods Inc VII - Crisis

This is the Seventh post in this series - if you want to read the earlier posts click on the label "Gods Inc" on the right.

Its been a while I called GOD. He had ordered us - Me74 and 23 others like me - not to call him for a while. He was busy sorting out the design defects in the Model called Tiger Under the Hood.

But recent upheavals in the Earth Inc at various places starting from Haiti, then Chili, then China and finally Mexico and to top it all off the big smoking gun in Iceland - we Me74's decided to have our urgent meeting this weekend.

All of us Me74's posted in different corporate offices of the Earth's Inc to collect data had a video conference - we had to switch off our emotional software's lest we loose track.

Seeing the immense devastation all over and then also so many of the Models of various designs of different colors, size, shapes all being defunct and crushed to oblivion, we decided it was time to call HIM and get some answers.

So I was chosen to call and I did call HIM yesterday and here presenting you with the short transcript.

Me: Hello its Me74. Can I talk to God.

Mellisa: (Gods secretary) Hiii I was expecting your call. He knows all about your meeting. I will transfer you to HIM

Me: (scratching my head still looking for that freaking antenna that controls Me) : Ok....Glad to know that.

God: Hello Me74. (straightaway he got bugged) You guys can't follow orders I see. You had to call in spite of me telling you not to.

Me: Sorry about that but you know Why we had to do this and I also saw that you realigned the Wood on Tiger Under the Hood. He is following his earlier orders of following the small balls all over the curves.

God: Ummmm, Yeah. You are wondering Why I am not maintaining my factory Earth Inc and why are there so many shattering upheavals all around making many of my machines defunct. Right?

Me: (stunned) Precisely.

God: Now listen to me carefully without interrupting and once I am done simply hang up without asking further questions. Only answer Yes or No when I ask you- Is that understood?

Me: Yes.

God: Ok first lets talk about the Earth Inc. I had to buy 7 different continents from different galaxies to put them together to make Earth Inc.
So that these stay apart in my desired configuration I have a lifelong contract with Rain God Corp and Evaporo Bros. They take care of the large water bodies on the factory premises. Besides to keep these continents from creaking while they rotate and work I had to buy millions and millions of gallons of Oil from Slippery Nipple Galaxy.
Are you with me?

Me: Yes. (not sure where HE was going with this)

God: So anyways. My biggest design mistake is that I allowed You machines to think. And I can't fix it as the scientist who designed YOU ran away. I have told you about this earlier. Remember?

Me: Yes, something about Saturn buying him out or something like that.

God: Yes, so what YOU guys have done is created machines like cars, planes etc. to simplify your given tasks of doing manual labor in my company. To run these machines YOU are using MY resources by boring holes at various places on Earth Inc. Some of these bigger holes are being made on Man Made Rigs out in the Ocean. Now how stupid can YOU guys get.

Me: What do you mean. I am getting confused.

God: Just like YOU have designed the cars for you comfort and its engine requires OIL to run so does my Machine Earth Inc.
By boring holes you are reducing the high internal pressure that I have been asked to maintain to keep continents afloat and in position.
Then YOU are removing Oil from below the continents creating voids and loosening up the continents.
Besides this the Water is penetrating back into these holes replacing OIL. This reduces the surface pressure I have created to keep the machine intact with the help of Rain God Corp to maintain an equilibrium.

Me: Damn. Never thought about this. In short deficiency of OIL is creating friction thereby making the continents shift thus these upheavals.

God: Exactly. In short you are Fucking with my BIG DESIGN. (angry...never heard his to be this angry)And thus to save the planet I introduced model GORE1 to divert YOUR minds to seek alternative fuel sources and leave my Factory alone.
My stocks are not doing very well currently and I have no resources to got to Slippery Nipple for more OIL or carry out repairs on my Factory Premises.

Me: Aheemm. Ok then what about the Smoking Gun in Iceland.

God: I had told you to follow orders and not ask questions right. (click)

Me: Hello (tap tap tap) Hello. Damn.....lost HIM as always.

(Just as the car designed by US - HIS Earth Inc is composed of many different parts that work well together only with oil that HE has provided - WE have to conserve it soon or else Earth Inc will shake itself to extinction)

Emancipate

Emancipate :
Meaning of the word:
1 : to free from restraint, control, or the power of another; especially : to free from bondage
2 : to release from paternal care and responsibility
3 : to free from any controlling influence (as traditional mores or beliefs)

Some days back I was generally confused with certain situations going on currently so I surrendered myself to Mother Earth (don't think I am crazy - it works for me most of the times and here is one such example )
Multiple answers - (that so I think - as I still really don't know what they all mean) - appeared before me from different sources all having the same underlying message.

First:
I shuffled the jukebox on the Ipod and the very first song that played was Bob Marley's Redemption song - the one playing right now on the page.

Here are the lyrics in the song that caught my attention:

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.

Second:
That same night I happened to end up watching the movie Invictus (movie link) - Directed by Clint Eastwood with Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon - the movie shows how Nelson Mandela used the unique way of sports in this case Rugby to unite the apartheid torn South Africa.

The title of the movie is actually a poem - Invictus (link) by English poet William Ernest Henley. Here is the last stanza of the poem that intrigued me futher:

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Lastly

Next day I was browsing a link sent by a friend and this is what it led me to :

Beyond mind, there is an awareness that is intrinsic, that is not given to you by the outside, and is not an idea -- and there is no experiment up to now that has found any center in the brain which corresponds to awareness. The whole work of meditation is to make you aware of all that is "mind" and disidentify yourself from it. That very separation is the greatest revolution that can happen to man.
Now you can do and act on only that which makes you more joyous, fulfills you, gives you contentment, makes your life a work of art, a beauty. But this is possible only if the master in you is awake. Right now the master is fast asleep. And the mind, the servant, is playing the role of master. And the servant is created by the outside world, it follows the outside world and its laws.
Once your awareness becomes a flame, it burns up the whole slavery that the mind has created. There is no blissfulness more precious than freedom, than being a master of your own destiny.

Osho From the False to the Truth Chapter 7

I am not sure what this all really means with my current situation - hopefully time will reveal it.

All I can say I did take some bold steps after this subtle revelation - some worked some did not.

Meet the Bloogers

Yesterday night I met up with my fifth blogger friend - Lakshmi (backpakker.blogspot.com). She is here in New York with her hubby.

As always had a great time talking about anything and everything - over couple of drinks in a bar with live music playing in the background.

Last month I met another blog reader Sabeen when I was visiting Dubai - (comments here as Abreysham)- she has a potential to write but does not for some odd reasons. She was my local eyes and ears in Dubai for a day and it was a total blast.

Before this I have met up with Kashmira (anerimasissoapbox.blogspot.com) and Kevin (becoolmate.blogspot.com)

Lastly Jagadeesh who was my roommate and then turned onto blogging. (ootb-jaggu.blogspot.com)

I have been to Bombay-India twice after I made friends on the blog but have had so much planned out that never been able to meet up with people there - will plan and meet few next time for sure.

Sistine Chapel

I have been away for a while from here and do really want to get back to writing - but not sure of how to jumpstart - any suggestions?
As a start designed the header for the blog on a new software that I have been learning.

Meanwhile found this interesting site:



The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City is famous for its architecture and its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro Botticelli.

Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. Today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgement, are widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievements in painting. LINK: The Presurfer


For all those Dan Brown fans wondering how the inside of the Sistine Chapel looks like take an incredible Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel.

Link courtesy of: Lanalog

Mine izzz Red

Have been away from blog for a while - got a creative streak......

Altered few words for the song All izz Well and sang ka poora balaatkar kaar daala. - Enjoy

(try and read it with the actual music - much more fun!!!)

Na na na na re re .....

Jab tota ho out of control
Hathon ko kar ke gol
Hathon ko kar ke gol
Pant me ghusa ke bol

Jab tota ho out of control
Hathon ko kar ke gol
Hathon ko kar ke gol
Pant me ghusa ke bol

Mine is Redddd

Banda Kya jaane ke tote ka kya hoga
Toti milegi ya haathon se saaf hoga
Woh na jaane aaj raat ko kya hoga

Pant utar condom laga
Condom lage ke bol
Bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey chachi Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd

Confusion hi confusion hai skirt koi khula nahi
Skirt jo saala khul gaya to tota khada hua nahi

Tota jo tera baat baat pe so jaaye
Tote pe haath rakh ke usse to jaga le
Tota idiot hai pyaar se usko samjha le

Pant utar condom laga
Condom lage ke bol
Bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey chachi Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd

Scholarship ki tune dekhi porn
Pyas to phir bhi mitii nahi
Haathon me challe pad gaye
Stan phir bhi dikhe nahi

Banda kya jaane kab woh saala laid hoga
Chaadi utregi ya phir muh ke bal hoga
Woh na jaane aaj raat ko kya hoga

Pant utar condom laga
Condom lage ke bol
Bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey chachi Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd

Tota ho out of control
Hathon ko kar ke gol
Hathon ko kar ke gol
Pant me ghusa ke bo

Mine is Redddd


Banda Kya jaane tote ka kya hoga
Toti milegi ya haathon se saaf hoga
Woh na jaane aaj raat ko kya hoga

Pant utar condom laga condom lageke bol
Bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd
Arrey chachi Mine is Redddd
Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd

Na na na ..

Arrey bhaiya Mine is Redddd......

Areey bhaiya Mine is Redddd

chintan aka ceedy!