Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Quote of the day

"I do the very best way i know how, the very best i can and i mean to keep on doing so untill the end" - Abraham Lincoln

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Chembra Peak (in Wyanad, Kerala) Trek

Went on a trek with the $16 Trekkers gang, on Jan 26th weekend . It was six hours trek. It's got to be the most difficult trek i have done till date in South India. It wasn't as bad as Kodachadri though. That one still holds the top spot in my 'worst treks ever' list.

Losing the way made it interesting and added atleast an hour to the climb. There are some nice views of tea plantations and mountains along the way.

The 'heart shaped' lake located about halfway to the peak is a perfect spot for long and refreshing break. The view of the mountains from the peak was amazing.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Bangalore not safe anymore!

Riots are becoming common place in Bangalore (i know it's now called 'Bengaluru', but i prefer 'Bangalore'). Since April 06, there have been four riots including the two that happened this past weekend. Riots trigger at the drop of a hat and everytime there's a riot, people are killed/ injured, buses and auto rickshaws are burned, houses and shops are looted, businesses and schools are shutdown. Then there's the growing crime rate & threat of terror attacks...

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

It's the story of a demented middle aged man who has incestuous relationship with his adolescent step-daughter for over two years. As if that was not enough, in the end he goes and murders the man who 'steals' the girl from him. According to a reviewer this book is written the way prose is supposed to be written i.e., ecstatically. Well, i couldn't appreciate the style... I thought it just went on & on with lot of unncessary details for e.g., one page description of the way she plays tennis, mr.humbert humbert sitting in his room and visualizing the girls movements around the house... all that was too much to take...

Monday, January 22, 2007

To Kill a MockingBird by Harper Lee

This book deals with the issue of racism in USA in 1930s, from a child's perspective. It was an eye-opener to me as I had no idea how bad the situation was. Easy but very interesting read. Am curious to know how things stand today... i guess it's not as bad

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

My friend Gyan gifted me 'The Kite Runner' on my last b'day. I just finished it and i have to say it's one of my favorite books. Thanks Gyan...

It's a story about two boys, set in Afghanistan. For most part, the book is quick paced - it has drama, suspense, unexpected twists & turns and lots of emotions. It gives some shocking insights into the turmoil in Afghanistan starting from1973 (change of power thru bloodless coup) through to 2001 (US attack on Afghanistan following 9/11 attacks). The level of detail about the war and politics is just right and is beautifully woven into the story. So you don't feel like you were reading a war report or digressing from the main theme... Neat!