Youngsters

IBL - Indian Birdwatching League!

Variety and Dinner

If one has read the previous two posts i have written, the basic message has been that our class off late has completely changed. The chemistry has been higher than ever before. Confirming that belief, was the fact that for the "Variety' show in college, our friends managed to reserve two entire rows in the jam packed Audi just for our class mates.
I reached about 15 minutes late. But the performances i saw were really impressive. Must mention the fact that Mrs. Iyer sang the best [song was Chupke Se from Saathiya] and the dance performances were equally good. I must make a special mention of my friends Ms. P S and Ms. V V, who were performing in dance items.
But for me the stand out performance was by the guy who played lead guitar and lead vocals for the song 'Sultans Of Swing' [i'm waiting to get the video of that performance which i will upload soon]. It was a pity that most people in the audience hadn't heard the original ever, but i swear that even Mark Knopfler would have been proud. The guy didn't miss a single note while playing or a single line while singing. At the start there were a few people in the audience who were booing, because it was in English. But even those people were stunned into silence when the solo was played. Brilliant stuff dude!

Then again i must mention my friend and fellow Vincentian Mr. A T [the guy who was acting as Nana Patekar and Akbar in the mad ads and all]. He was really hilarious and the timing of his jokes were brilliant. He even sang 'Woh Lamhe' very well.

Finally those who have been watching the Variety and other such events for the past 2 years will very well be aware of Saahil. This guy can sing, its very difficult to live upto expectation each time and as soon as he came on stage for his performance everyone was looking forward to an awesome performance and he delivered. He sang 'Aadat' and it was really well done.

In the evening came the DJ Nite and the dinner. I danced again with my friends, good friend Mr. P S even recorded my weird but enjoyable dance performance. This time the location was the GPP boat club, just a few meters away from the Trad Day dance floor [ dance garden or wateva]. Then we headed off for dinner and again our class showed the way to the others by sitting as a group in lawn next to the instru building. Other groups followed our lead. I only hope this good rapport continues to grow.

The last couple of days have been a lot of fun and i am glad that i went for the events. But i can't help but ponder about one weird thing that happened last night during the gathering dinner. A couple of Profs i saw were looking at some students with a very evil grin, almost as if saying 'enjoy yourselves while you can' ;)

Trad Day

On Trad Day, that was on 6th March; i was in SIT from 9 am till 5 pm giving a paper presentation with my friend and partner in paper contests H P. Surprising thing is that our team name is perfect HP2 [HP squared] on account of sharing the same initials.
Anyways the dilemma i faced was whether to come for the Trad Day celebrations or not, since i was already massively late. I reached home at 6 pm n was back in COEP. I think i must've tralvelled 45 kms in less than an hour that too in the city traffic.
Anyway for me, Trad Day clothes aren't such an issue i just put on a plain white 'kurta' over my jeans and head off. Then of course, there are those who takes these days very seriously and come decked up like as if it was their wedding day!

Girls in general do dress up for this occasion, in fact its rare to see a girl who isn't all decked up, quite frankly i don't mind. In fact on rare occasion some of them do look good ;) LOL

Then came a very important moment of the day, i decided to throw caution to the winds and entered the dance floor [actually a dance lawn or whatever]. I located my friends quite easily and since it was a free-for-all i just had fun for about half an hour. Songs ranged from downright sucky to decent dance numbers. I felt bad for this one guy who was constantly trying to get everyone to do the move he was doing, but no one was actually following his lead. Dude, maybe next year.
I am no Michael Jackson [and i mean it in every which way] nor a Hrithik Roshan, but i do know how to shake a leg, and that's exactly what i did. Dancing with your friends is quite a bit of fun, especially when none of them care about how the other one is dancing. It's a whole lot of fun.

Then came the usual photo session, and then off i went, my 'kurta' drenched and nearly see-through. Now only if dancing had the same effect on 'saarees' ;)

The Mahabaleshwar Trip

Last week a lot of things happened in our class. Most of it good.
A class trip to Mahabaleshwar was planned, and the best part was that it was executed. Some absentees were there, but the ones who came more than made up for them.
It started off on Friday 29th April. We started off at 5 am from the boys hostel. What followed was an hour or so of singing and dedicating songs till we reached a Venkateshwar temple at Narayangaon. The temple was quite awesome, huge space and exceptionally well maintained. Must mention here a place called 'Kalyan Katta' in the temple premises, where we sent a couple of our friends to drink water whereas it actually was a place to tonsure your head. ;)

Up next was the journey to Panchgani, where even more singing ensued and we finally reached the 'Table Land'. After clicking snaps and all, people started off a game of football. It was a lot of fun. I must mention here that the amount of walking i did that day was way more than what i have walked in the last 5 years. A couple of over excited people rode on horseback, to each his own.

Then once we got onto the bus, we used the UPS and speakers combo-pack that some sensible hostel guys had decided to bring along. Mine being the only iPod in the bus, it was used, only problem was that i had just 12 Hindi songs in it and no Marathi songs. Still, we managed fine w/o getting the girls very angry [they generally hated all the English songs we played, only Justin Timberlake escaped their fury ;) ] Also i must mention, lest we forget, a very interesting incident. Some of the guys started playing 'BC Sutta' on the speakers and the girls started loudly singing [almost shouting] 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram'.

We then landed up at Echo Point, where the 'echoes' were conspicuous in their absence. The usual photo session was wrapped up and then we headed off for Mahabaleshwar. It was close to lunch time so we all sat down in some joint owned by some lady who many called 'maavshi'. We had 'theplaas' for which i must thank once again the girls of our class, who spent a lot of time making them for us. And i will confess that until then i wasn't much of a 'theplaa' fan, but the girls had done a fabulous job. Really.

After the lunch we all walked a little to one Strawberry ice cream joint nearby and there we spent a lot of time, sitting in a circle. We first played 'Spin the Khwaja', but the game didn't last very long. Although we got a great performance from Ms. A C [i don't divulge anyone's name on the blog, but those who were there that day will know of whom i speak]. A C was enacting a skit in Marathi, about how different people show off their new dress, earrings and other such things. A C if you are reading this, everyone enjoyed that performance a lot.
Then we had a couple of guys like Mr. S W, Mr. K S and Mr. S D [aka 'Rangu'] who mimicked some of our profs and a couple of our classmates. That was real fun, then we started off with 'Dumb C', boys versus girls. Must mention Paddy here who had to enact a movie called 'Kabul Se Aaya Kabuliwala', well he really made a funny hash of it.

After an hour or so over there we headed off to 'Arthut's Seat', I didn't go down all the way but most of the gang did go on and then a point was named 'Nutan Point' for some reason i don't know yet. After that we left for the sunset point, where a game of 'box cricket' was played. Then we had 'bhel' and we were there till it really grew dark and finally left at about 7:30 pm.

Then there was a minor argument with the bus driver and it was finally decided where we were to go next. The destination was the market. Where my good friend Mr. R K bought the Mapro stuff for me and Mr. J G. Meanwhile Mr. A J, Mr. J G and I were busy chit chatting and then about 30 mins later some of the guys came back and decided that guys and girls on the way back will sit on adjacent seats [side by side]. It worked out fine, since none of us guys had any past criminal records, i don't think the girls had any issues sitting. Then i came up with the idea of having a horror story session. It was accepted and then for the next 30 mins, Mr. Rangu, Mr. A J and I were narrating ghostly stories and unsolved horrors of the world. Must mention here that Ms. P M also had a couple of horror stories to add to our tales from the crypt.

Then finally most of the people were tired so a small bunch of guys and girls including me huddled up at the front of the bus and started playing a game where weird questions were asked and we had to vote for each other. For e.g. 'Who will get married first?' etc etc.
That game was a lot of fun and we learned a little more about each other as well.
Finally the trip came to an end at 00:00 hrs on 1st March when we were back at the boys hostel.
It was a great experience, all those who came enjoyed themselves and it has catalyzed our class into a closer unit. Something that only augurs well for the next couple of semesters.

I for one enjoyed the trip a lot, i thank all those who helped out a lot, our class is filled with some amazing people, most of whom are my friends and the trip only proved that once we decide to have fun, we will have it.

Sachin

Sachin kicked ass today in the 1st Final against Australia. If only he could repeat Sharjah and smash two back to back hundreds, India would really win the best of 3 Finals easily.
I was in the midst of watching No Country For Old Men, when i was told that India needed 120 to win and Sachin was on 64*. How often can one bet that he would get the hundred and win us the game. That is exactly what he did. It was a masterful innngs and even though Aus tried everything to stop his century [including bowling a beamer from Brett Lee at 140 kmph] he defied all his detractors and scored his 100 and remained unbeaten.
Deserved Man Of The Match award for Sachin. Today was a great day for a Sachin fan and undoubtedly for an Indian Cricket Fan.

Girls

I don't claim to know everything about girls, i believe no one can. But i have reached one conclusion about them. Every girl i have ever known has always surprised me in some way or the other. The ones i know better, have surprised me lesser than those i don't know that well.
I went for my college trip to Mahabaleshwar. It increased the camaraderie i shared with some of the guys. And as far as the girls are concerned, well i learned many things -
1. Girls [of my class at least] have as much idea about cricket as a geek has about night clubs.
2. Girls really fight a lot and play less.
3. Girls love to bat.
4. Girls don't know how to bat.
5. Girls cook well.

Another few things that i realized are -
1. No matter how much one criticizes them, guys like girls to be around.
2. Guys do behave better in female company.
3. Guys will do anything to get female attention.
4. Guys get happy even with the lamest compliment a girl gives.
5. Guys will crack sad and lame jokes but the girls will still laugh.
6. Guys will eat anything girls cook, just because they're lazy to cook anything.

Jokes apart, we really had a lot of fun and a lot of credit for that goes to the girls from my class. The trip wouldn't have been as much fun as it was if it wasn't for their company.

The Barber Shop

Yes, I do go to the barber for hair cuts, which means i obviously have hair on my head, though i have seen quite a few bald men visiting barbers. Maybe they go to him in remembrance of the time they had hair.
Moving on, a thing i have noticed is that barbers have the weirdest choice of movies and songs. The only thing that i feel they watch like normal people is a cricket match. For e.g. the only place i have ever heard the song TUM TOH THEHEREY PARDESI in the last 5 years is at the barber's shop. Today [28th Feb] i had another visit to my barber's shop. As i waited and he worked on my carefully grown and comber hair, i had to face the ordeal of watching a movie called Kiska Suhaag. Some crappy 80's movie with dialogues like 'haraamzaadey', 'dusht paapi' and so on and so forth. None of the customers liked it, but the barber was enjoying the show. Also the host of barbers-in-the-making types of people who you always see lurking around in the corner were enjoying the show a lot.
I guess barbers in that sense are arrogant, they have every right to be. Because they know for sure, that as long as you are alive and not bald, you just have to show up every now and then. Next time i visit a barber's shop i will pray that there's some match going on or else.... it's Altaaf Raja!!!

The Extent Of Copying I Deem Hazardous

It's not too often that one can say he has given 6 exams in 7 days and has another 4 more to go in the next 7 days. But hey, a lot of us from college today can say that!
The weird part about the last 7 days has been that irrespective of how much i have studied [or haven't] i've been able to secure decent marks in all the tests.
I've been doing all sorts of non-academic things. For example, i've been online 90% of the time i am awake! I've downloaded almost 3 GB of videos in a span of 4 days, which includes That 70's Show, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Omen, loads of songs and other stuff.

The Extent Of Copying I Deem Hazardous:

Since the relative grading system has started in COEP, instead of increasing competition to dangerous levels, it has increased cooperation to unbelievable limits. People distribute their answers in class tests like they were sharing holy water. New friendships have been created, new alliances forged! Few, of course still remain who feel that high marks are the poison only they are burdened to drink and wouldn't bear to see their brothers and sisters feel the pain of getting an EX!
I believe in conformity and thus have no qualms in helping people in class tests. Help thy neighbour and thy neighbour shall help you.
However once during an EXAM [not a class test], i happened to notice a gentleman who had brought a sheet of paper filled with complex diagrams with him inside his pocket. He seemed to have got the concept of an 'exam' wrong. He felt that it was actually a hide and seek game with the invigilator, because that's what he was doing all along. I applaud his courage in playing such a high risk game, because if he ever were to get caught he certainly wouldn't get to stay in the game for another game. Having said that i do not agree with what he was doing in the overall sense.

An EXAM is the one time 90% of the class decide to study [to different capacities] and come. A few whispers here and there is fine, but a whole unit on a secret page! That's pushing it a bit too far. What most of my friends believe is that in the class tests, its just the marks that count, but in the exam... well, we should show some respect to a tradition we have followed since childhood and one that was created by some god forsaken ancestor of ours, which is called 'studying'.

Nevertheless the gentleman lost his game during one of the EXAMs and unfortunately was thrown out of the class. Pity, that his discreet sheet also left with him!

TZP for Oscars? Dont think so!

I have had this debate with a couple of people, but what has forced me to write this post is something a friend of mine posted on Orkut - "TZP for Oscars"


TZP for Oscars? I mean TZP for the Oscars? Really??? That's how good it is? Well....

Firstly, I will say something in praise of the film. It's well made, with scenes that will appeal to children and parents. But that's all there is to it.
In terms of originality... well, there have been many such movies made before, in India and abroad. Only, they weren't directed by a superstar, hence didn't/don't get the attention needed. Why wasn't Parzania sent for the Oscars? It was also well made, had a more "non-cliched" story.

A few critical points:
1. Dialogues in the movie are partially lifted from another movie called Dead Poet's Society [a story about a new professor who changes the way things are taught and is loved by his students, Robin Williams ala Amir Khan]
2. Scenes are uncannily similar: One particular scene is literally a copy, but a poor attempt:

In Dead Poet's Society John Keating [Robin Williams] is sitting with professors having food [Amir in the staffroom where teachers are, guess what? having food] and questions are raised about his unconventional teaching methods. Amir says "Hail Hitler"!
In the DPS scene, a character named McAllister says to him that students must be dealt with strictly, while Keating then masterfully puts his point across:

McAllister: "Show me the heart unfettered by foolish dreams and I'll show you a happy man."
John Keating: "But only in their dreams can men be truly free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus will be."
McAllister: Tennyson?
John Keating: No, Keating.

No, I am not bashing TZP, it is a nice movie. But i really don't agree with all the people calling it Oscar worthy and all. It's a genre thats been done before in Hollywood and in India too. A nice movie, but not a great movie. No offense to Amir Khan!

2000 + 8

Happy New Year to one and all.
I saw Taare Zameen Par [yawn] and Welcome [yawn]
I also started the new year of movies in a different way. I saw The Shining. Stanley Kubrick's classic horror movie [1980]. Jack Nicholson was legendary as 'Jack Torrance'
And more on the blog later ;)

Things I should put on my blog

Hey here are a few things i think i should put on the blog:

1. I saw I Am Legend: It was ok, although i expected more

2. Modi Won: I am politically apolitical. So no comments!

3. I plan to watch Welcome and Taarey Zameen Par, very shortly.

4. I intend to update the blog a lot more, henceforth.

5. I definitely intend to find a skirt wearing chic and then i'll see if she's worth chasing ;)

6. My previously mentioned "skirt chaser" friend, i forgot to mention, was more capable of chasing away a skirt on a mannequin, leave alone a real life "chic" :D

7. My results are very close by [in terms of time]

Chasing Skirts???

I met a friend today, we met after a long time. As usual, when guys meet, the conversation moves onto chics. He asked me about my "chic status". I wont divulge that on my blog, but after i told him my "chic status", i returned the gesture and asked him. He said something, that just got stuck in my brain. He happened to use the phrase, "stopped chasing skirts". Which means that he's stopped going after girls. But what struck me was that, in todays times of skin tight [and even better ;)] jeans and tops; one rarely sees a girl in a skirt. So his statement actually holds no real value.
Chasing skirts... i'd love to see someone actually try that!

Choices I Have To Make!

Ever since I've gained consciousness [Jab se maine hosh sambhaala hai] I've had to make a lot of choices, only, they were meaningful and the time to make choices was spread out over various intervals. But now, I find myself having to make different choices. Some, I think, are downright stupid.
For example, in my leisure time, the choices i had to make were, which channel to watch. Or, to be precise, which show/movie to watch. Now, however, I find myself in a dilemma.
Once i switch on the T.V. and flip through channels, all i see is, a lot [infinite] of news channels [In Hindi, English, Gibberish], showing every useless, mindless, shameless, brainless, idiotic event in this world. At times, yes, they show something useful, like who won an election, or some important cricket news. But the rest is crap [worse than RDC (read the crap I wrote below)].
The other options are shows with Has Beens/Wannabes either singing/dancing/judging in the various, repetitive shows.
Funny thing is, that as soon as a "Season" of such shows is over, they start the "Next Season". I didn't realize that seasons change in a week's time ;)
Seinfeld or Friends would've lasted just 3 yrs, if their "Seasons" were as short as our T.V. "Seasons"!
Only thing is that in the August Season, one hears older fools singing, by November, we have "Lil' Champs". Poor kids, they barely have 7 teeth, n they manage the Saat Sur. The only other logical option is ESPN/Star Sports, with the EPL.

So friends, in my free time now the choice I have to make is not which show/channel I should switch on. But rather, whether i should even dare to switch ON the T.V. set.
I forgot to mention the only thing i really watch on T.V>, it's VH1. Thank God for that channel.

Up next, I must mention another favorite of my blog post topics: Sachin Tendulkar. The man gave 3 lengthy interviews this week and all 3 times, he was asked about his retirement. Here's a sample of stuff he had to hear.
Interviewer: Sachin, there were a lot of rumors raised about your retirement. What do you have 2 say about it?
The Gentleman asking the Q was guilty of raising same rumors. [Since when were rumors "raised", I thought they were "spread"]
Sachin: I will let you know when I decide to retire.

Interviewer: Sachin, do you get emotional while playing with such great players, knowing that you all are going to retire?
Sachin: We dont have time to get emotional, we are there to play.

Interviewer: How does it feel to play, what may be your last tour in Australia?

I'm sure by now you get the gist of what the retard of an Interviewer was asking. I think Sachin should declare his retirement, by saying that he'll retire after 15 April, 2015! Maybe then the media will shut up w.r.t. The Retirement thing.

Other issues now: I just read an amazing novel called The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart [Pseudo Name]. It was amazing.
The Back Cover of the book read:
--------------------
If that dice has a 'one' face up, I thought, I'm going downstairs to rape Arlene. 'If it's a one, I'll rape Arlene' kept blinking on and off my mind like a huge neon light and my terror increased. But when I thought if it's not a one I'll go to bed, the terror evaporated and excitement swept over me: a one means rape, the other numbers mean bed, the die is cast. Who am I to question the dice?
--------------------
The book is very intriguing and exceptionally humorous. The story revolves around a bored, successful psychiatrist who starts a mind game with himself initially wherein he throws a dice to decide whether he should commit to outrageous choices (as shown above).
Currently I am reading The Other Side Of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon [am on pg. 137]
and the book is amazing.
I'm really looking forward to seeing India play well and win in Australia. Sachin I hope scores a century before the New Year :)
I forgot to mention Led Zeppelin had their Reunion gig at the O2 arena in London, a close friend of mine was lucky enough to be there at the gig. The videos on Youtube show that it was a spectacular night of spellbinding music by the Legends.
Anyways, this post is getting way too long...
See ya!

Movies, Cricket and Exams

Its weird how the most awaited movies [according to News Channels] release just a week before the End Sem exams. Its also weird how India Vs Pakistan matches are always scheduled during the exams. Its also weird how Sachin just cant cross the 90's! [U rule Sachin]

But engineering has made me appreciate life, a lot more than i did before. I love it. This phase, why? Coz, there's always something to do, and its all exciting. I just went last week for Jab We Met and now will go for Saawariya. But meanwhile i've been really busy, switching from studies to pure time pass. I really enjoy this. Partly becoz its so simple, everything is laid out. Exams start from 19th. I have all the time in the world to study. i know the syllabus. All i have to do is study!

Nowadays, somehow i have drastically reduced my cell phone usage, i barely use it. I've been listening to songs from Jab We Met, i loved the movie and the songs are great. Truly Indian Music. What a relief from the Remix shit and crappy songs like Dard-e-Disco.

I've almost stopped hearing Rock. Just a rare Led Zeppelin Song here or there, and a rare Bob Dylan song.

How I Met Your Mother: I love this show and recommend it to everyone. I saw both the Seasons, the 3rd season is on air in the US right now. Both the seasons are Legen-wait for it-dary!

All thats left is for me to finish off the portion well and do my best in the End Sem exams. To know whether i succeed or not, watch this space!

Einstein Quotes

Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein

• "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction."
• "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
• "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
• "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."
• "The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax."
• "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."
• "The only real valuable thing is intuition."
• "A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."
• "I am convinced that He (God) does not play dice."
• "God is subtle but he is not malicious."
• "Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character."
• "I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."
• "The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility."
• "Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing."
• "Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."
• "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
• "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds."
• "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
• "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
• "Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it."
• "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
• "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education."
• "God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically."
• "The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
• "Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal."
• "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."
• "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible."
• "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."
• "Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school."
• "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
• "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
• "Equations are more important to me, because politics is for the present, but an equation is something for eternity."
• "If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
• "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
• "As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
• "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods."
• "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
• "In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep."
• "The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead."
• "Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves."
• "Heroism on command, senseless violence, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism -- how passionately I hate them!"
• "No, this trick won't work...How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?"
• "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."
• "Yes, we have to divide up our time like that, between our politics and our equations. But to me our equations are far more important, for politics are only a matter of present concern. A mathematical equation stands forever."
• "The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
• "Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
• "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed."
• "A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death."
• "The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."
• "Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
• "You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat."
• "One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year."
• "...one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought."
• "He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder."
• "A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
• "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

Copyright: Kevin Harris 1995 (may be freely distributed with this acknowledgement)