The Flyer's Bay Max Nano 3.5 Channel Nano Helicopter (V-MAX HX721)

A surgeon friend once said to me that best way to develop "brain skills" for arthroscopy was to play with a three channel or a four channel helicopter.

so i bought the The Flyer's Bay Max Nano 3.5 Channel Nano Helicopter online from their unboxed store. i bought the cheapest version, thinking "lets see if this thing is my cup of tea"

after recieving the toy , i googled but couldnt find proper details about how to get this up and running.

I did find some instructions but i didnt find these to be of much help.
so here's my hands on experience, intended to help others like me.

when you get your copter you will get a box containing a copter, a charger and a remote.

1. get yourself four AAA batteries. these go into the remote.


2. locate the charging point on your helicopter.




3. fix the charger cable to the charging pin properly.



4. Let your helicopter charge for about 45 minutes on power supply.



5. locate the TINY ON-OFF button on the helicopter. turn this button ON. after you turn it on, a LED light on the helicopter will turn on.




6. Press the power button on your remote on. Red light starts to blink.



7. Once the light stops blinking, You can gently get the copter blades to rotate by slowly toggling the left side key (the throttle) towards the front. gently make it fly to about 1 meter height from the ground

As you push that key forwards, the copter blades may start to rotate and the copter begins to fly round and round (rotates about itself in the air)
so work this throttle gently, just like accelerator of a bike or a car. if you push it to far forwards your copter will hit the cieling.

8. Press the small square button on the left hand side repeatedly till the copter stops rotating about itself. this button is called trimmer and what we do now is called trimming.

9. now the right hand side toggle key can be used to move the copter to the sides and to the front and back.

Other useful tips i found online were:

fly it indoor.

switch the ceiling fan off.

at any point if you feel you are losing control, stop flying and let the copter fall. they say that its better if copter falls without motor running.

its better to learn it with any kind of carpet or bed on the floor so that the fall of the copter gets cushioned.

even though the manual given with the product is rather tiny and too damn precise, go through the manual carefully.

the box quality and the remote plastic, and the toy as a whole looks kinda tiny, flimsy and fragile. this isnt the case, the helicopter works beautifully and the fun of flying this is incredible.

this is infrared controlled so it works same way as the remote. the manuals i found online recommend to use it indoors, which is great cuz i can play with it sitting on the couch!

so my review for this tiny toy is two words:
freaking awesome.

cologne - h0w i did it

disclaimer: this one is for helping others plan a cologne exploration. it may not be an interesting story for normal friends to read. i found many ideas and tips from stuff other travellers have written, so here's my two cents


okay i was doing a fellowship in germany and everyone kept telling me i should explore

but i was somewhat anxious cuz i didnt speak any german, and i needed to do it on a shoestring budget.
but when my boss felt that i should see more germany rather than waste weekends studying in my room, it was the last straw. i mean germans are very easy-going and friendly people but they will never give you personal advice. "you do as you see fit" is their primary rule.

so when your boss says something like "you must hit a different german city each weekend. even if you tour europe later when you got the time and money.. doing it now has its own charm", you cant just sit and do nothing.
With long weekend due on labor day, this was THE chance to explore cologne

why cologne?
very close to lippstadt, Where i lived.
cologne has its own flavor and culture as a city. founded by roman emperor claudius, whose wife agrippina came from cologne, so he promoted this town on rhine river to the status of colony of the roman empire. colony = colonia = Koln = Cologne.

so the eau-de-cologne we use = water of cologne is named after cologne the city and not the other way round. i honestly believed that before knowing the history!

This is what i did:

made a list of places to visit from trip advisor and google maps and planned which spots to cover on what day.

the good news is that most spots are easily accessible on foot. even though rental cycles are available pretty cheap at the hostel (10 euros/24 hours), i preferred walking since its easier to find unknown spots for me on foot than cycle in an unchartered territory. April onwards the daylight lasts well beyond 9pm, so longer days make it uber convenient to explore your brains out.

day one:

I got down from train at cologne HAUPTBANHOFF at about 3 pm. fancy name of hauptbanhoff really means railway station.
Even though i had planned Dom for day two, it was right in front of station, so i couldnt resist taking a stroll. so after spending about an hour looking around the dom i realized i need to finish my day one agenda.. so i walked for about 15-20 minutes to reach the EL-DE house.

EL DE HOUSE is very highly rated attraction to see in cologne BUT its known to be depressing. so my agenda was to get done with depressing-intriguing part on day one and do more of happy stuff towards end. El-De house was the headquarters of the Gestapo, complete with offices, soldiers quarters, prison cells, torture chambers and yard in which the prisoners were executed. the basement of this building is claustrophobic and imparts a deep sense of melancholy, helplessness and desperation. It is painful to read what the prisoners scribbled or clawed into the walls. Often innocent french, polish or ukrainian people were questioned and later executed. the horrors literally send chills down the most emotionless spines and leave you craving for fresh air. Post war initially no one knew its existence and it served as a government office. But prisoners that survived launched a movement to expose the reality of this building and restore it to its previous state, as a reminder of what hell people went through under the reign of Hitler.

on the same road, about 50 metres ahead is the mustard museum where you can taste different kinds of mustard. Cologne being a trade centre it was apparently a centre for mustard trade too. Its a nice break after ravaging torment El-De Haus wrecks upon your mind.

Then i checked my bags in at the Hi-Hostel pathpoint cologne. this place is close to the railway station and most tourist spots, therefore the BEST place to stay. a shared dormitory for four comes at about 35 euros and you get a CHEAP unlimited breakfast, so that you can skip lunch.

being a dormitory there is zero sense of luxury, space or privacy. it WILL feel cramped up and utilitarian but the bed is comfortable, bathroom clean and location unbeatable. the staff are friendly. you can make friends with people from different countries, who might end up being your tour group for the day.

After checking in, I first went to a local bar and grabbed me a Kolsch beer : local freshly brewed beer that is famous for its taste, sold exclusively in Koln / Cologne.

Refreshed by a couple of beers i walked my way to SkulptureGarden cologne. while a walk around this garden barely takes 45 mins, entrance is free and its open well past 7. so its one of the few things you can do after 5 in cologne. Right across Skulpturegarden is Botanical gardens and Cologne Zoo. So you can easily cover everything on foot.
I wasnt interested in Zoo, and too late to fully explore the Botanical Garden. so i skipped both for the day and went instead for rope-way / cable car ride over the river Rheine, called the Rheinselbahn at about 630 pm. There isnt much going for this except it gives you fabulous views of cologne from high above.the cable car terminates close to a luxury spa, accidentally breaching privacy of clothing optional areas of the spa before landing. it terminates close to the rheine-garten along the banks of Rheine.

this garden is massive expanse of lawns along the river rheine with lot of college kids, families and couples lazing about, playing and enjoying the weekend. its lively and colorful, giving a true feel of this cosmopolitan place. Beer and cheer are omnipresent, as are happy and gay people.

the walk along rheine led me to the hohenzolleren bridge, meant for pedestrians and trains to cross the rheine. what makes this more beautiful is the hundreds of colorful lovelocks and the iconic architecture of this bridge with the Dom in the bakground.



After crossing the bridge, I grabbed a burger for dinner at railway station, praised online as a source of cheap but good food in Cologne. I had pretty much exhausted my stamina for a walk. I read that cologne isnt very safe at night, so i went back to the hotel and took a nice hot bath and slept for a solid 8-9 hours.

DAY TWO

I woke up early, finished gettin ready by 8ish. I made two new friends at breakfast- one a student from sudan studying phd in italy, the other a I/T grad from china doing masters in France.

With these friends i first went to St Ursula church, which is shrine to the memory of queen Ursula and her 1000 handmaidens. these women were all slaughtered by the barbarians and the church walls are jaded with human bones of these women on the inside, reminiscent of a mausoleum in poor taste. talk about freakin morbid sights to see!

We proceeded to walk to the Old city wall, that was actually the boundary of the actual old city of cologne. NOT a lot to look at, but its fun to see. from here we covered the culture centre, st agnes church, gross st martin, st gereons basilica and finally to the Dom cathedral.



at the Dom cathedral, you can climb about 500 steps to reach the top. it has about 5 euros entry, discounts given to students, so make sure you carry a student id to every museum you visit if you have one.
climbing isnt a very big deal, although steps are rather steep and narrow you will be able to reach the top in about 30 mins. the breeze at the top is amazing, views are great- but for me the best part was the climb. you realize that only when you reach the top.

Right across the Dom is the Romanisch Germanische Museum. This museum houses artefacts from neanderthal man of the stone age to ornaments and articles belonging to romans and ceasars to artistic glasswares of the 16th or 18th centuries. the main artefact here is a historical mosaic which was unearthed accidentally after an air raid. rather than moving the mosaic elsewhere they rebuilt the villa housing it and made it into a museum.



when you explore the museum and realize that all of its massive collection has either been excavated in cologne itself, or belongs to cologne you simply marvel at the incredibly rich heritage of this city.

Even though our legs ached by the time we were done with this museum, may in germany means daylight beyond 9pm. so we egged ourself on to walk some more and explored the city streets, finally reaching the botanical gardens. botanical gardens are worth a visit if you revel in beauty of flowers, or the biodiversity of plants amuses you. in one place you see plants from India, China, The americas, africa and deserts world over, and that too for free. IMPORTANT: Although on internet it says that the garden closes at 6, we were exploring it way past 7.

the zoo was right next to this but we skipped zoo since it was almost closing hours. Then I bid my friends goodbye, and they boarded their trains to respective destinations.

even though I was in cologne for two nights, but Hihostel pathpoint was available for just one night. So i booked Kolnotel for the second night. on map, this place is about 5 kms from the dom, and is rather cheap.. about 50 euros for a night. I assumed i could easily cover this on foot partly to save money and partly cuz i had nothing better to do after checking in. BIG mistake

an entire days tourism on foot + luggage checked out from HiHostel + discharged mobile phone (no google maps) = about two hours of walking for over 6 kms with my 10ish kg backpack.
BUT it was one hell of a walk because i was walking through cologne city on a saturday night. the streets had come alive with the night life. almost all hotels from downtown till kolnotel in suburb were brimming with revellers in varying stages of dipsomania. i kept reminding me a useful tip i read online : stay away from groups of drunk men and/or noisy people, and that somehow meant all people around me. but the feel was nevertheless electrifying. i did take a couple of pitstops at supermarkets which house german brands of beer, each for about a euro per tin. important to buy beer at supermarkets, elsewhere its costlier. and better beer than water cuz both cost almost the same.

I was delighted to see my room at Kolnotel. it was part of a three bedroom flat that shared a kitchen and bathrooms. The hotel manager is a very friendly guy who tries his best to put you at ease and make your stay comfortable. he will provide you all the information you need earnestly, even lent me his mobile charger for the night.

Having thoroughly exhausted my legs to their maximum, I climbed into bed and woke up well past 8 the next day. the shared bathroom had fresh shower gel, shampoo, shaving gel and even hair dryer. it was the perfect low budget hotel. within two minutes walking distance of the hotel is the Koln- ehrenfield station. from here,you take a ticket of 2 euros and the train takes you straight to Hbf (Hauptbanhoff) in under 15 minutes.

I had three more places to cover: Wallraf Richartz museum, Koelsch triangle and museum Ludwig. but i had to make sure i reach back home for dinner and start my monday properly.

wallraf richartz museum took me so long i skipped the other two. and it was absolutely worth it. I had no idea i'd be in for such a feast of paintings. the museum spans from 14th century paintings of biblical stories and characters to 19th century masters and impressionists. i met rubens, van goghs, rembrandts, pissaros and even a fake monet for the very first time.



by the time i finished it was already past 2, so i rushed to the station and boarded my train home.

more tips:

Kolsch and currywurst. you MUST try this in cologne. pretty yummie. i had it at railway station, its pretty good.



you can buy a love lock right at the train station so that you too can put it at the hohenzollern bridge . i had a pretty hard time tryin to find my lock

# Brisk walking is crucial, carry minimum baggage

heavy breakfast - skip lunch - early dinner

start your day by 9 because everything opens at 9 but most things close at 5 or 6

mark important locations on google maps and then save your map to make it available offline

trip advisor has people puttin up three day plan or itinerary. download it in your phone in pdf for reference.

journey

i remember
the feel of breath on the nape of my neck
the feel of legs and hips pressing against mine
or how i feel violated and secure
at the same time

i wonder
if the sweat on my skin is mine
if the heart beats i feel thudding, are mine
i feel part human
and part swine

human mind works in ways sublime
what may seem a night of passion
is really a journey
in the second class of a local train on time.

(dedicated to hapless travellers of mumbai locals.. central, western n harbor)

An Orange Day

had seen some like her, BUT she was my last,
i didnt know that when we met.
i went through with her with no forecast,
i indulged in her like the rest.

probably for her i was just another guy
and she treated me just the same,
strong and focussed was what i thought
fragile and naive, was what she felt.

and when it happened,
i felt no pain;
but, for things undone,and loved ones hurt;
a lingering emotion, a bitter shame.

my sights and visions have begun to fade
to a welcoming numbness, a timeless void i head
shes not a murderer, shes not a friend
her seduction, my orgasm, the noun called dead.

i'm not a victim, nor a martyr,
and shes not what seems it may,
i called her a girl, and her actions vile;
but shes just a day called today.



the inspiration is a blog called An Orange Day

asoaka unsoaked

this is my attempt at creative writing for the surf excel matic "soak no more" contest.


Asoaka was the standard clerk. His non descript middle class life flitted in the endless routine of dombivli dadar 815 fast, BEST bus to worli passport office, and then a rather brisk walk to the office at paradise towers. And contrary to his name, asoaka would end up soaked by the time he was just starting his day.
Soaked in the sweat and grime of the traffic, Soaked in the angst and desperation of the overcrowded local, Soaked in the tears and misery of mumbai, Soaked in the desperate ratrace of getting his life from the slow track to the fast track.
And when the clock struck 5, his mind would go numb. Not from the endless mind boggling numbers and emails, the constant ringing of phones, or the incessant multitasking; these things didnt bother him. Rather, he loved the busy-ness of his bussiness. But the silent anticipation of the ordeal the next couple of hours would hold always got to him. Every single day, asoaka was slated for another gruesome bout of soaking up the stains and grime of the humid mumbai.
And it didnt end when he reached his demure one room kitchen flat. Rather, the ordeal intensified.
There he prepared himself to fight. The projected image of a well groomed, well adjusted, pleasant professional is an uphill task, especially so if you are the single middle class man whose entire wardrobe can fit a single large suitcase.
Everyday, as soon as he reached home, he would jump in the shower, soak his formal shirts and only then, allow himself to sit, watch the news and have tea. Then he would get back to the grind and get done with his laundry. After that, if at all he had any energy left, he'd watch some tv, grab dinner and go to bed.
In a perfect robotic world, this routine would sound fairly reliable. But that was rarely the case. The tiresome day and the mundane loneliness of the house almost always got to him. And soaked up in the drill of his life, Asoaka often dozed off into a slumber of exhaustion.
Eventually, as the tiredness wore off, his eyes would pop open in alarm. No, it didnt bother him that he had skipped dinner. It didnt matter that the tea had spilt over and burnt. What really bothered him was that his expensive branded shirts had been soaking for hours! Each shirt was carefully picked over countless others, a perfect combination of class and style, something his south mumbai clients and corporate colleagues would look at with approval.
And he couldn't just leave it to soak, could he? The fabric would age before its time and the whole load would stink! Be it wee hours of the night or early hours of the morning, he would have to get up and finish the laundry.
And there began the vicious cycle... of missing out a nights sleep, missing his fast train, hanging on to the BEST bus door by his life, and then running his way to work, stopping briefly only look up along his office buiilding from the footpath. Here in a minute, looking up he would gather his breath, mop the sweat off his brow and head inside. The receptionists dissapproving look towards his dishevelled attire, the colleagues' taunts about always running late, an unrewarding day, a depressing week, and a additional task to finish over the weekend usually followed. Asoaka was so wrapped up in dealing with life, he kept wondering WHERE it all went wrong.
And then, one fine friday, he crumbled. He called in sick. Not because he was sick. He was just too tired. He had no will to go on. He HAD to figure this out.
He looked at the man in the mirror. A single man, touching 30, with temporal baldness and the early hint of a paunch. The reflection bore resemblance to a stressed out man who has seen better days. His attire, though neatly ironed and clean, looked dull and worn. He brainstormed, analysed, and kept moving in circles, like a man lost in the desert.
Finally, he decided to give himself a break. He strolled down to the neighbourhood shoppe. he knew he desperately needed A CHANGE. Acting on a whim, he decided to change the brand of everything he was accustomed to. The deodarant, the bathing soap, the underwear, THE WASHING POWDER. He chuckled. Lonely people find ways of amusing themselves, after all.
But it was sunday already. it was time to get back on the horse. He let water run into the bucket and rounded up all the clothes that needed a wash. Sitting on the bath stool, he looked at the blue detergent box, and let out a soft whistle. NO SOAKING? he read all the technical mumbojumbo about hydrogen bonds and vibrations and smacked himself on the head. It didnt matter to him that stains had tails and water particles vibrated. For all he cared, they could invent detergent that worked without water! what counted was this thing worked. No Soaking!
Voila! laundry done in 15 minutes.
They say that When a butterfly flaps its wings.. it can cause a hurricane in another part of the world. The butterfly of asoakas life had finally began to flap.
The next day asoaka woke up fresh, didnt miss his train, got early into the bus, and strolled into his office. His shirt crisp, his hair groomed, and a smile on his face. His day went surprisingly well. When asoaka reached finally home, he couldnt believe his day. Neither could he believe the value of a whole free hour. An hour to relax. Or grab a nap and then add lunges and pushups and whatnot. Or chat with school friends. Or forward jokes to that cute receptionist at work. The value of the hour asoaka was to discover as life went on.

epilogue:
An Audi pulls over at the paradise towers. The doorman jumps at the door and holds it open. A man in an expensive tailor-made suit and greying hair steps out. He looks skyward, admiring the way this building seems like a bridge from the pavement to the sky; like a man-made staircase from the earth into the heavens. His first building. The bulding he practically ran to, when he was thirty.
He would still not mind running to it, asoaka thought. Only this time, not soaked anymore in the stains, the grime, and the misery.

October 10, 2020. Zeekyu's 6TH BIRTHDAY
(THURSDAY 6:30 PM)

ZQ, or ZeeKyu, smiled as he hit the 'broadcast' button on his Lifebook webpage.

Instantly his internet abode came alive with webcams of relatives and friends across the globe. Everyone wishing ZQ "happy birthday" in their own style using colorful fonts, tunes and tones.

ZQ clicked away a wink to daddy dearest: Zeeshan.

Zeeshan, or Zee,lovingly admiring the boyish charm his son radiated, even just on a 3d webcam. Just about then, his mom Kyunsin Ki pinged him with a kiss. ZQ blushed and smiled shyly.
Being kissed in public embarrassed ZQ lately, but he was happy. Everyone he knew had logged on, and Zee got Paradox, ZQ's favorite band, to beam a live personalized webcast on ZQ's own webpage.

As if to outdo Zee, Kyunsin had pulled off a complex code to let everyone compete in a virtual wrestling match.

The VirtuaRoom was a big din with everyone chatting up all at once.. as real a celebration of dwindling humanity as it could get. As the noise began to settle, people split up into private chats and Paradox switched to romantic melodies of the days gone by.

ZQ let out a virtual yawn, silently muttering, "nostalgia provoking romance, oldest trick in the book"
He chuckled as the comment was instantly 'liked' by 39 people.

He followed it up with "and 80% of those who liked this are single teenagers"
To no surprise, this comment was liked by another 24 people that obviously weren't single.

Paradox lined up the birthday tunes next, nodding at Zee to activate the 3D birthday cake n firecrackers.. that were, apparently 2min47sec overdue..

PRIVATE CHAT (off record)
(THURSDAY 6:45 PM)
Zeeshan (bangalore) : hey babe, how are you doing.. sexy new watch?

Kyunsin (shanghai) : sun’s always shining in some economies;) doing good mostly.. things any better at your end?

Zee: yeah, about that.. any luck gettin a job 4 your virtual husband across the border... i think i really need a to start afresh ..

Kyunsin: zee, our love is not virtual.. so stop calling yourself that! ZQ is 6 years old today, and you still have to keep bringing this up?

Zee: sweet words of you make me tingle..:*... BUT babe.. any luck on looking for a job for me? the suspense is killing me :P

Kyunsin : business always comes first uh....
honey, i'm sorry.. but i never said i could pull THAT off.. getting a job in this economy for AN IMMIGRANT is impossible.
and what the hell is this adolescent idea of "fresh start" every time after the going gets tough..

Zee: hold it right there!
you think gettin you on board for the bangalore concept last year was a walk in the park? just when I ask for a favor you wanna be a bitch

kyunsin: do NOT abuse me. 'm not a doormat. you know how the system works! gettin work from outside isnt a big deal.. gettin INTO the system.. dont even dream about it!

Zee: come on! please? YOU gotta do something for ME this time...
actually.. theres no better way of breaking this to you.. i am broke!

kyunsin: haha. AGAIN? and why am..

Z: FFS spare me a tirade.. i'm telling its not my fault... GODDAMNED E-COMMERCE.. my Payments have NOT BEEN CREDITED FOR OVER 28 MINUTES... AND....

Q: AND 'M SURE YOUVE ALREADY SPENT THE MONEY YOU DIDNT HAVE... stretching your credit beyond limit
you amaze me but still i cant say i'm surprised.. what is wrong with you?? why cant you..

Z: why cant you grow up? stick by YOUR decisions? learn business from Q THE CHINESE GENIUS???

PLEASE. STOP. LECTURING. ME!!! its NOT always MY fault, its just how I do bussiness.. please let’s just stop arguing and enjoy the party
Transfer some money to paradox and the webgenies cake shop.. I'll have it back within the hour..

Q: an hour???? are you NUTS??

Z: its just A LOAN for chrissake.. stop makin a big deal out of it!

Q: THAT pretty much sums up what your entire life, Zee: "jus money for chrissake"... but you never have any!

Z: Thats right bitch.. dont just stab me.. turn the knife about for what its worth..
lets just stick to one thing right now: Are you gonna transfer me the money?

Q: so thats how you ask favors these days, uh? abusing the hell out of a person*sniff sniff*.
this is what i get for bailing your ass out EVERYTIME??

you know what? the answer is NO Zee! I WILL NOT LEND YOU ANY MONEY/ I WILL NOT SHARE ANY CREDIT ON YOUR BEHALF/ I WILL NOT PUT MY NECK ON THE LINE FOR GETTING YOU A JOB. FEND FOR YOURSELF YOU cheap, abusive loser of a leech!!

I am here to celebrate our son’s birthday, not to take shit from you..
I JUST DONT GET IT! WHY does EVERY conversation end this way?? *begins to cry*

Z: not my fault? you always emotionally blackmailed me when it suited you.. but if i ask for help you sell me out?

Q: i cant believe YOU are the same person that said " no man is worth your tears"??

Z:oh great! pit my own words against me!
and deny me a few thousand bucks so that you can splurge on designer labels and shoes and perfumes..

cant you see i need the money.. MORE than you do? i need it for the birthday of OUR son..

Q:are you using ZQ as leverage against me spending my own money???

Z: i didnt mean it like that!! Stop manipulating my words and stop being so selfish? for once, can you think about the world beyond you and your goals?


Q: ok. you know what Zee? this is it! i am done.
i'm done with you. your family. your stupid imagination. your romance. your abuse.
you are NOT the man i fell in love with...

Z: YOU are done? when its time to take a little heat for me.. you are DONE?

go to hell!! I AM DONE! I AM DONE TRYING TO MAKE THIS WORK WITH YOU.

Q: *CRYING*
why cant you just treat me as a friend and stop trying to use me?
I ‘ve always wanted the best for you. But somehow you keep failing on yourself everytime!

Z: you've lost the right to say that, Q.. just because i take risks you are afraid of doesnt make me naive..

Q: i'm AFRAID?
lemme make sure you REALLY regret this! Lets call it quits. FOR REAL.

AND this time, I am gonna make sure you don't get to make any comebacks. GO TO HELL!!!

Kyunsin Ki has invited Morpheus (Gyn-andro-fun.com) to join the conversation


(meanwhile, on ZQ's lifebook homepage)
THURSDAY 7:10 PM
random.guest11 : whats wrong? why did Paradox stop playing? hellooo?

Zee: hey friends...due to unforeseen problems THIS webganza's gotten botched up... REALLY sorry my bros n hoes..

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE VIRTUAROOM:
ZQ e-hospitality apologizes sincerely to our patrons. Due to unforeseen difficulties, the birthday webganza is summarily cancelled.

Paradox: a conflict with the sponsors has been detected. the webcast program will auto-disable in ten seconds. Inconvenience is regretted.

WebGenie's cake shop: due to outstanding credit, the e-cake delivery is suspended. However, patrons are welcome to sample our epastries, with delightful gustatory and olfactory stimulation, by clicking on link emailed to you. HURRY! a special 20% inconvenience discount is on the offer for the first 100 orders.


IM chat : kyunsin ki, zeeshan and Morpheus
THURSDAY 7:30 PM

morpheus: hey love birds!! hows my number one "couples without borders"?

kyunsin: easy on the sweet-talk morph.. you trying to sell another baby to us??

zee : hey morph! thanks for turning up, though our party isnt exactly going like I planned

morpheus:
@zee: no problem mate.. better luck next time...
@kyunsin: hahaha! guilty as charged! so tell me, what can i DO YOU for? ;)

Q: no mood for jokes morpheus. i just wanna get out of this 6 year hellhole!!

M: hey hold your horses, girl! my job's designing.. and thats all i do!
frankly, ZQ.. with his fathers charm, and mothers brains.. is nothin short of a poster boy!

The issues you have of your 6 year old hell hole.. Thats between you two.. take em up with the man above, not ME!!!

Z:morph.. 'm sorry mate. whats she's tryin to say is Q and I are done. we broke up. n thats that.

Morpheus: whoa seriously? damn sorry to hear that mate!
are you guys are sure? its six years worth of effort, and you are lettin ONE messed up birthday party take it all away from you?

Q: its not just about the party morph. and its none of your business. Just stop tryin to pimp your wares dude.

Morpheus: zee, honestly.. how in hell do you put up with this girl?? and does she always speak for both of you.. or she lets you decide sometimes too? ;) ;)

Z: heres the thing morph.. 'm not gonna be able to fund ZQ alone.. and to think about it, 'm not too keen either.

Morpheus: well if thats what you wish for, so be it. it was nice doing business with you guys, but damn.. it never works when techie impulsive teenagers do the hiring. so long, love birds!

oops, i mean, FREE birds!


meanwhile on ZQ'S lifebook page...
THURSDAY 7:45 PM

ZQ simply stared at the screen in disbelief, unblinking, as everyone began to log off, some even cursing.

The Paradox and WebGenie areas, the wrestling ring all were replaced by Google advertisements..

what a crazy birthday it had been!

and a single big tear welled up in ZQ's big brown eyes..
he squeezed his eyes shut tight.. wishing all this would simply go away like a bad dream..

the big pearl sized tear slowly rolled off ZQ's cheek,

and

as if magically,

just when the tear drop was about to hit the floor,

it DISSAPPEARED.


In the next fleeting second, just as ZQ's face lit up in a expression of astonishment on a 6 year old's face,

ZQ VANISHED

or as the humans would say,

Morpheus deleted ZQ.

change

wrote this in a comment on a blog about change...
dear change,
are you the mistress, or are you the wife?
are you the broth, or are you the spice?
are you the hammer? or are you the knife?
not permanent as death, but evolving.. as life
:)

when the going gets tough..

okay board certification exams are closin in.. over 25,000 pages of the textbooks... even the thesis is way behind schedule..

so damage control..

uninstalled yahoo messenger..

deleted unwatched seasons of californication, 2 n 1/2 men, and movies..

even removed bookmarked shortcuts of times of india and midday..

and then i was lookin at the tiny bookmarked shortcut to blogspot.. and i faltered:)

but yeah,for the next 6 months, you'll probably hear less n less from me.. even though i have like 4 blog ideas already cookin in my head, 'm gonna try n give this a rest.

so till next time, take care.

au revoir!

55 words. revenge.

me, 28 years old, was walkin on the street, to nowhere in particular.

a ball fell from terrace of the building.

15 year olds looked at me and said teasingly,

"ball please UNCLE"

i picked it up,

and threw it,

into terrace on the opposite side.

sometimes it rains.. and sometimes.. it pours!

a good labourious day was comin to an end.. and three of us surgical residents, mohit, aniket and i were in an awesome mood. we'd pulled off smoothly a superheavy list.. a list full of major cases that are gonna start early in the morning, and can either end predictably, or go on till eternity. n ot list is like a house of cards.. if one case takes too long.. the staff, instruments, residents.. and most importantly an OR (operating room) stays occupied.
so when the onslaught was successfully over.. we guys walked outta the institute heads held high. and as luck would have it, it was a cloudy, overcast evening and winds blowin across our face.. a pleasant drizzle soothing our brows.
three tired guys. weather like that. obvious conclusion- we hit the bar.. this place, a terrace restraunt, serves really good starters and is open on the sides.. kinda ideal for a evening of this sort.
superhungry from missin lunch, we placed the order of our usual starters right away.. salted peanuts, paneer saute, chicken tandoori and ofcourse, kanda bhajia. conversation was flowing well.. jokes, incidents, backslaps and high fives flying all over the place. and hungry wolves inside our tummies were on a happy drumroll.. savouring the scent of the meal to come.. like the one in the movie 300.
but the drumroll kept going on and on... like the bunny of the energizer battery.

it was an hour already, but there was no sign of starters. and we had already reminded the "captain" once... captain being common parlance for the head waiter who takes the orders. what sucked was we guys were new to this guy. and this guy was new to us. so the exchanges were somewhat formal, n not the usual banter we gave our regular "captain". so at the hours end we reminded him again.
as hunger, fatigue and anticipation began to creep in, the conversation moved on from jokes and banter to nostalgia, and how we, as kids.. we used to love being dished out hot bhajjia on rainy evenings after playing all day in vacations.
from the eager beaver early bird customers, slowly we were subconsciously submitting into the role of supplicants.. praying that the food would be here soon.

finally.. when the meal did arrive, i had to step back and wonder if we guys were on gods candid camera. the paneer saute was cold. not warm. not room temperature. OUTRIGHT COLD. as if it had been lying there for an hour.. while we guys were waiting for it right here, barely 15 feet away.
the tandoor was barely passable, but not really well marinated.
and then we saw THE KANDA BHAJJI
for the un-ordained.. kanda bhajjia refers to irregular clumps of onion rings that are coated with besan (gram flour) and deep fried. basic tenets of kanda bhajjia dictate that these are crisp, a little salty and 'oniony', and served HOT.
kanda bhajjia is probably the easiest snack to cook.. detangle the damned onion rings, mix it with wet semisolid besan and fry it. trust me, if done with a little attention to detail, it can win you fans for life. literally.
and what we were dished out was big thick slices of onion, coated in besan.
you guys would call us wimps.. call it desperation or submissiveness.. conversation abruptly stopped and we guys jumped at the three dishes we were, for so long, fantasizing about.
NOW imagine the disgust when you find out that saute is soo damn salty, it'd freakin sink in dead sea.
the chicken is burnt on the surface and yet raw n fibrous deep within.
and the goddamned kanda bhajjia.. which a rookie cook like ME with limited artillery of omlette, maggi and coffee can cook well, were practically screwed up.
so for the third time.. we call the captain.
and his highness walks to us with the disdain of PHD mathematician forced to teach arithmetic to first graders.
Mohit is the guy who always likes his things perfect. naturally mohit had had enough.. and assuming that this guy was "THE CAPTAIN", mohit politely tried to explain the situation to him.
(part of his politeness also comes from the fear of cooks spitting into your food if you are mean to them. damn that guy watches too many english movies!)
we realise the captain is not really keen on listening;
and this is when aniket.. the "mard maratha" joins the fray.
aniket is known to take things straight to the task. aniket offers this guy to taste whats been served.
captain refuses to taste. he is confident that the food is right.
imagine the cheek, he doesnt accept a single mistake, let alone apologise, doesnt even offer to taste, and begins to argue with HIS basic reasons..
1. anywhere in india, kanda bhajjia is served exactly the way it was served. if we wanted it to be "kekda bhajjia" style.. we wouldnt get it anywhere except in "mumbai".
2. chicken was not burnt on the outside. its supposed to be black when its tandoori.
3. Saute is a salty dish. the reason why it tastes so salty is because tongue doesnt appreciate the taste when food is served hot. items taste saltier when they are cold.
4. reason why it took so long is, we had placed the order for three items together.
so it was only "manners" that he served all three dishes together. obviously one of the dishes is expected to get cold. EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT.
now this guy was shooting us down with a mindblowing ammo of reasons. did he seem to forget that we have been having food everyday of our life? naturally our combined experience with taste beats his experience with silencing noisy or irate customers?
the reason why i am slow to anger is i always analyse everybody's point of view. and also in part because i dont like me when i am angry.
the only logical explanation about the attitude of this shiny new "captain" was probably he was worried that we guys were doin this for escaping bill payment.
so i thought i would help matters by ensuring him that we guys are regulars here. we have had these same dishes on this same table. so we know what we are talking about. and we will pay in full, provided he accepts his mistakes and gets these dishes changed.
i think THAT pretty much kicked his ego. cuz by now the waiters were hinting him to step away.
and THEN, his reply to us was.. he could get everyting made a hundred times.. IF WE COULD AFFORD THAT.. and still, each dish would be exactly the same.
till now, me and my friends, a trio of 26 year olds, were being polite to what was a middle aged 'captain'. but now, matters were seriously getting out of hand.
screw modesty i felt. i am a lean and short guy, and my frame is not intimidating by the farthest stretch of imagination.
time to pull the ace up the sleeve, i thought. so while my friends were still arguing for what seemed a lost cause, i stepped away and made a call.
then i came back at our table. and i gave him a piece of my mind.. "you are obviously new to this place, which is why you lack the basic etiquettes of the hospitality bussiness. not only do you forget orders, but you lack the intelligence to cover up your mistakes with a smile. i have had excellent service from your regular waiters, who seem far younger and inexperienced than you are. but the most important thing that you have forgot is while we are being polite, calling you "aap" and "uncle", you are treating us like we work here for you. so now i am going to treat you exactly like a waiter.. and i am going to show you exactly what is your position (the word i used was hindi.. main tumhe tumhari auukad dikhaata hu") 've just placed a call to mr. X and he is on his way here."
i realised that the only three other tables that were occupied had gotten silent and listening to us. my voice, kinda deep, and my tone, from being a surgeon, nothing short of authoritative, had effectively delivered a powerful monologue.. too bad there was no cheering at the end of it.
this guy, finally realising he was out of his depth, handed over our service to some other guy, and dishes were fished out in a jiffy.
and within next ten minutes, two things arrived simaltaneously.
our familiar trio of favourite starters.
and mr. X. a well behaved, cheerful middle aged man
who doubled up as a former patient.
and tripled up as the owner of this restraunt.
needless to say, since the last two years, i still hop on to that place once in a while. and the service.. is, now, better than five star :D
but yeah, since then, i always inspect the food well, before i take it to my mouth.
damned euro trip n other movies like that.

carpe diem, baby!

time to start another new year,
another attempt to introspect on whats wrong,
another battle on self improvement.
another way passing time and not feelin so bad about it.
make new years resolutions!
lookin around at people introspecting and setting up self improvement goals.. i cant resist setting up a few for me.. invariably adding a few to everyones list :)
but the real problem with new years resolutions are that,
you never make them in a sound mind..
and the first of january usually is spent half asleep, other half gettin antacids,analgesics and sometimes anti-diarrheals, cleanin up the nights mess, replying messages and emails.. n stuff like that.
which is why i am, wisely indeed, penning them down AFTER my system can be expected to keep up to them.
1. reduce global warming.. google servers are allegedly melting the polar ice cap.. and i am over utilising the rent i pay for internet. so basically, less bookin faces, logging b's, n stuff like that.
2. aerobisation of lifestyle. those who really know me, know what i really mean... huffhuffpuffpuff
3. gujju-i-sation of economix..no need to explain that to anyone who knows a gujju. and frankly, anyone anywhere in the world probably knows atleast ONE of those stingy sticky noisy animals:)
4. more cerebral, less spinal .
i can confidently say that i have used my lappie of two years for the sole purpose of seeking pleasure and entertainment.. not that i am particularly proud of this, but
frankly its about time i use things the reason i got them for.
digicam for clickin pictures of patients, not birds, friends or random places. internet for reading articles.. not playin online games or watchin youtube or downloading sitcoms
external hard drive for storing orthopedic stuff.. not for collecting and flaunting movie/ music/ sitcom collection.
laptop for thesis, research papers, cuz the way i 'surf'.. my laptop should have been surfboard shaped, n i should've been featured in that old spice ad.
5. yes to recreation.no to procrastination.
yes to reality. bye bye virtuality.
yes to protein. no to calorie - liquid or solid.
yes to hanging out in the library. no to hanging out in the hostel.
more jogging. less blogging. ok i know i dont blog much but it rhymed :P

n now i realise that
if new years resolutions are one way to justify timepass or your own sense of responsibility..
blogging about it is almost a parallel to regrettably declaring what a naughty boy you have been the last years or so..
its dumb enough to confess your sins in a church. n to confess it here.. the word dumb is too small. but then,
and this is the real kicker..
the things you've enjoyed the most.. are often the result of being dumb enough to try them in the first place:D

TIPsy turvy~

what was the biggest tip you ever tipped?
n what was the occaision?
passing MBBS? passin Post Graduation? proposing your GF? gettin a dream job?
n how stupid did it really make you feel later?
'm not your regular spendthrift, nor am i a very generous guy. and i've practically set a personal record for tipping!
howzzat? u'd say.. :D
and how in hell did I LET THAT HAPPEN?
last friday, i was scrubbed in a particularly difficult Total hip replacement, some guy wit coxa vara, AVN and a femoral nail implanted 40 years ago.. removal of that implant was attempted thrice outside,without success.. and without the nail coming out, THR was almost impossible.
it could have fell on the head of any of the other registrars, but as luck would have it, the axe fell on my neck. and frankly, not just the surgeons (my boss and his team of "talented" registrars), but even the patient knew that the case could go wrong in a hundred different ways.
BUT, suprisingly, the case went on ridiculously well, and we had all the bases covered. probably thats why,the case took under 90 minutes.. and this was fast even for a routine THR.. nevermind a complicated one. so when, at nightfall, the boss asked us to join him for dinner at a local bar, we werent really surprised.
this local bar, called "black bush -the blackout bar" is really the terrace of a hotel with darkness as its theme. the chair, the tables, even the cutlery n the livery is black. you even have to read the menu with a torch. the only lights are at the bar counter and the walls, and even those are subdued. the service, the ambience and the food is pretty much okay, so its the place we guys always go to.
before leaving hostel.. i picked up two 500 rupee notes, green gandhis as i call em.. to join the usual red gandhi who likes to live in my wallet.
now dining with your boss is a double edged sword. you never know what lands you in trouble. and frankly, i am pretty much like a tail-ender who is forced to bat at no.3..in such informally formal parties... so when after too many rehearsed jokes and diplomatically placed innuendos the bill finally arrived, i practically jumped at it.. to express my 'immense gratitude' for being given the 'privilege' of this dinner.
and as is the custom, the boss kept insisting he'll pay. and thats not unusual.
but then, suddenly he popped out a 1000 rupee note n laid it bare on the table. "no negotiations" he said. and THAT is, ofcourse, unusual.
after much histrionic haggling, we were allowed to pay the rest. like a james bond gambling in casino royale, i snuck in a peek at the bill, a ugly 1580 plus, slid a 500 n a 100 rupee note, n sent the bill-guy away.. smiling deep inside.. cuz i knew that my two friends'd contribute.. so it was gonna be jus 200 per se.. yay, yay, yay!
no point in waiting for change, i said.. n we pushed off, all happy n contended.
the only good part about long day and large meals is .. you hit the bed, and then you realise that the funny sound ringin in your head is really your wake up alarm goin off..
and so, i woke up, n headed back to work.. stopping for tea. and then.. when i was trying to hunt for change in my overloaded wallet..
(dont get me wrong, my wallet is basically a closet for all papers that can be somehow be persuaded to fit in)..
i saw TWO green gandhijis smiling at me. i was about to wave back to em happily..
when i realised..
the only red bald man i can openly declare i love is obviously absconding.
i'd given away 2100 for the bill and not collected the goddamned change!
and thats how..
a regular dombivilikar who feels at home in overloaded locals, buys brands but only at end of season sales, and thinks mc donalds burgers are glorified vadapavs, who wears levis 501 on disposable fashion street t shirts..
gave a waiter a tip he wont even give to himself:P

womans day.. BULLSHIT!

sometime last week the world observed a womans day. a day for silently introspecting how you treat the women around you. a day to promote feminism, to encourage women to fight for their rights. or so it seems, from a plethora of well worded facebook updates.
furthermore, to quote sandberg, women are not making it to the top of any professions anywhere in the world. only 13% of parlimentarians in the world are women, only 16-19% women hold jobs at the top level in corporates.. even in the non profit world, only 20% top dogs are women.
this seriously annoys me. and not because i am a chauvanistic pig. not because i am a believer of empowering women. and still it annoys me a lot.
i dont believe in empowering women. i believe in treating them for what they are. i have been in serious trouble sometimes, for making women cry. i 've been impulsively blunt and rude. and i have been told i dont know how to talk to a woman.
is this what you want? to plead your case, lobbying for special treatment in lieu of your biological shortcomings? give me a break.
the world i live in, women make fabulous and successful engineers, architects, dentists, doctors,dancers, artists, writers, scientists.. any goddamned field worth dreaming of, theres a lot of womens names that instantly come to mind.
around 50% population in the world is women. simply put, theres just as many women as men. and misery, poverty, disease, crime targets the weak. men suffer in ways that are different than women. doesnt mean men dont suffer.
if nature has given women certain biological shortcomings, like childbearing and probably less muscle power, nature has equipped them with beauty, emotional intelligence, and whatnot.
i have been competing with women in every walk of life.
and i believe, that is true equality. to be feared, competed with, harassed, beaten up, and yet expected to be doing your job.. regardless of your gender.
true equality is when you stop giving a damn about being a woman first.
and if you think you are a feminist, you are in the wrong. true feminism should rather be not giving a damn about being a woman. n not expecting to be treated differently because you are one.

introspection

introspection is an intoxicating and ever-damning tool.
it challenges the very motive of what you do.
and how you felt about it.
it builds and it destroys.
it improves and modifies.
and above all, it is faith.
faith in adapting, improving, punishing and learning.
introspection is but your faith in your own greatness.

the bull dog philosophy

in MOACON 2010, a speaker quoted, against a slide showing a muscular steadfast-lookin bull dog, the bulldog philosophy.. when faced with stressful situation in life, if you cant eat it or hump it, piss on it and walk away. :))

piracy

its amazing how small lil comments we make end up in arguements about a much larger idea underneath.
this began with me carelessly commenting about a friends facebook status.. him happy about his dvd collection n me saying i prefer soft copies instead.
and i remembered how my jijoo once asked me whether all the music n sitcoms on my laptop were legal or pirated. i had no idea. problem is, i never even thought about it.
and when forced to, i was almost playin the devils advocate. i was in the wrong and defending it.
okay, in india, you cant lay your hands on a orignal dvd of the latest stuff. movies like saw4 or inception, sitcoms like how i met your mother or coupling (that arent meant to be screened in india in the first place)... and if you do want to spend some money, you end up buying a perfectly illegal pirated copy sold in legal looking covers in perfectly legal cd shops.
and if you eventually do, buying em obviously seems a stupid idea.. when you might as well watch it/listen to it on youtube.. or jus borrow your pals 1TB hard drive.. for FREE.
so its almost like you dont hack th protected website, or break the copyright on a genuine CD.. but you end up where robin hood distributes the loot. now here is the test- whether to accept robin hoods generosity with a smile, or frown upon the theif and keep waiting for the time you can.
i can challenge you that atleast 25% of music on your laptop right now is illegal.. with or without your knowledge.
i can challenge that if you are an adult indian, you have been involved on the guilty and the victim side of corruption.. be it bribing a cop or a railway TC, or getting admitted in hotels n pubs with long waiting lines..
bottom line is law is not judicial, its moral. and people follow laws so far as they are convenient. from smoking in public places to travelling in trains without train tickets, from crossin the railway line than using the bridge to payin up the passport guy to get your documents done.
someone protests against reservations, someone gets a forged document n gets into the coveted course, while someone simply bribes the management and gets in.

SO, for arguments sake, the regular tweens like you n me (tweens being a mananism for twenty plus somethings that live like teens).. are the poor. the artists are the consultants. and the corporates, the studios and record labels are the wealthy rich. who do we side with? the robin hoods or the lousy, corrupted but legally correct government?
and lastly.. parting cheap shot from the devils advocate..
what does an artist crave for really? money/wealth/designer clothing or popularity/love/appreciation and fan following?
P.S. dont take life too seriously, you'll never get out of it alive.

all iz unwell!!!

there are times in life, when everything is soo tied down n hectic, you just wish you fell sick. and that, for a change, everything revolved around you. bed rest... days on end lazin in cozy bed n blanket shell.. garam garam khichdee and ghee n aam ka achar.. a novel and an i-pod.. not too long ago, i longed for fallin sick, A LOT.
and you know what they say about wishin right.. be careful of what you wish for, it might just come true. mine did. a double jeopardy. URTI bhi.. GASTRO bhi!
three days of IV fluids, and antibiotic injections,antipyretics, nsaids, antacids,anti emetics, pro-biotics.. and countless steam inhalations n tiolet trips later i realise.. being sick is definitely the last thing i'll ever wish for..
garam garam khichdee becomes a boring annoying consumable after the fourth time you eat it..
your back hurts from bein in bed for too long, n you lonng for a walk or a jog.. but you feel so weak, you wont even last till the door..
your eyes ache n water within 50 pages of the novel. and when you sleep, whatever you had read keeps runnin on your delirious mind.. so much that you avoid lookin at the very cover of the novel..
you take one look at the playlists on your i-pod and wonder.. "what the hell was i thinkin?"
long conversations wit friends become annoying, boring or irritating.. so much that you just switch your cell off.
you try n handle this in dignity, till friends call up again, this time on your dads cell since they cudnt reach yours.. and ask.. "are we still 'on' for the plan on the weekend."
and you discover that theres a flat 50% "happiness sale" on your favourite brands..
and that you might have fallen sick for the first time in the last ten years, but its also during the first vacation you've had in the last five.

fraccommerce

commerce is a lot like biology. and biology is a lot like commerce.
savings and ready capital you can move is muscle. it gives power, provides propulsion, makes you look handsome:)
liquid assets- gold, property, bonds.. these are your skeleton. if you want to grow tall, or large, you need skeletal growth. skeletal growth is slow and lasting. its rock hard. it builds stature.
the money you earn everyday is food. its nutrition.
IF you just save all you eat, you grow obese. you dont look good, rather become prone to a lot of problems.
when you eat, if you eat well, eat regularly and you invest your nutrients properly with exercise, you build muscle.
when you eat good food regularly during the periods of growth, and you exercise too, you stimulate skeletal growth. short term exercise during growth adds muscle. a strong commitment to exercise over a long period of time leads to skeletal growth.
obviously, you can strengthen your skeleton if you eat well in adulthood. but if you wanna be a giant, you need fuel - a healthy consumption of a lot of nutrients ($$)
and a tremendous effort put into exercise (investment opportunities) - at the right time - at the growth spurt.
you can ensure adequate exercise in a fairly predictable mode by following a sport.. such as football or basketball. in commerce, sport means profession.. engineer, accountant, lawyer, enterpreneur..
a large skeleton without muscle is odd n bony. its the tall silver haired bony uncle who has a strong opinion on everything but the know-how on nothing. no one wants him on the team. apart from his hieght he has nothing to contribute.
a short shady muscular fellow instantly evokes the mental image of a goon or a mafia don. tremendous muscle on a tiny frame. he can work hard, but he prefers power-play and lacks vision.
and furthermore- during periods of starvation and stress, the first tissue to undergo atrophy is the muscle. it shrinks rapidly right at the outset. your skeleton, once in place, begins to fade only after a long tryst with time.. or after a supramajor injury, that causes it to collapse n FRACTURE.

blogs

socha maine aise hi
baithe baithe
ke blogs likhnewalo ki value
hoti nahi kuch khaas

jo karte hai painting
ya likhte hai gaane
unke words ko log
padhte hai baar baar

bas tab se soch liya
ke ab se jab bakwas karenge hum
toh paragraph ki jaga hoga stanza
aur blog ki jagah hogi POEM!

22/7

i was forced to watch a marathi movie
while travellin from miraj in a bus
although sometimes i can watch anything
that night i kept wishing " bandh karo yar. ab bass"

but the hosts wont relent and kept the movie running
and thats how i realised the difference
that lies in hindi and marathi movie making
or why RGV might idolise spielberg, when spielberg heard his name just once.

i used copying tricks i learnt in school
didnt really take genius to figure
that copying from movies is cool
just called yourself "inspired", it works for sure.

koi bhi paper uthao,
you'll get an easy clue
cuz k jo is plannin on remake of stepmom
n you get to see ajay devgn.. in speed part two!

however,
itz not jus acting, direction or technology
cuz starwars ho ya shaktiman..
tubelight leke fighting karna
doesnt suit any pehelwan.

invictus

out of the black night that covers me
black as a pit from pole to pole
i thank whatever gods there may be
for my unconquerable soul

in the fell clutch of circumstance
i have not winced nor cried aloud
under the bludgeonings of chance
my head is bloody, but unbowed.

beyond this place of wrath and tears
looms but the horror of shade
and yet the menace of the years
finds and shall find me unafraid.

it matters not how straight the gate
how charged with punishments the scroll
i am the master of my fate
i am the captain of my soul
--william e. henley