inspirational pi

there is an on-line journal that i have been reading since my final year of high school. i don’t know why i’m writing about it but i have to admit that it’s strange to have read the commentary on someone’s life for 4.5 years. how crazy is that? it has a soap opera kind of feel to it with much wittier comments and pics. this dude is an aspiring writer and from the following he has on-line these days i’m sure he could make a ton of dough from any possible publication. that might be downplaying his ability but at the end of the day it’ll pay the bills.

and on a similar note, i’ve been wanting to write to yann martel ever since i met him a couple of years back. he had just been nominated for the man booker prize for his ‘life of pi’ and he was a featured speaker at a conference i was at. i didn’t know anything about him at all. but he ended up being a panelists in one of the sessions and he absolutely blew me away with his conviction and passion, and of course his story of having traveled the world. speaking to him was an electrifying experience because he made me think a great deal about what i was doing and where i’m headed. after our conversations at the conference i read his book and resolved that i would write to him with something worthwhile to say. needless to say that i still haven’t done so yet… but now that m. night. shyamalan is planning to turn his best-selling book into a movie, this might be the opportunity that i’ve been waiting for.

to settle or not to settle?

so the negotiation didn't go as planned. at least my negotiating partner didn't walk out on me after 10 mins... although i would have ended up with a better story to tell. haha. i can't believe we didn't settle though. those darned swimming pools. argh.

there are some things that i should be absolutely terrified of but i just can't seem to work up the necessary energy. i have to re-channel my passions into wanting to do well in some of these things instead of being indifferent.

negotiating hypothetical thousands

i have my lawyering negotiation in abt 40mins. i have to haggle over a settlement for a pool that was not built according to specifications... in fact if this was my pool i probably wouldn't even settle given the crap job the contractor did. but it's not my pool. the settlement authority i have from my pseudo-client is not so great and i don't know who i'm negotiating against. i guess it's all pretty realistic in that sense.

i just have to work on getting angry and working myself up to a point where i'll be mad enough to threaten to walk out if i don't get what i want. i have to think of bad thoughts. angry thoughts. argh. i want my blood to boil.

there is much to write abt the events of last night... who would have thought a walk to the library could end up being so interesting. haha. anyway, back to my anger-frustration generating thoughts.

celebrations

i love eid. esp when you can celebrate it over and over and over again. a cool groundhog day variation. the main campus wide event was awesome. it was great to see the persian society as co-sponsors, and even better to catch up with everyone again after the holidays. as much as i love all my law buddies (i really do), it’s always nice to hang out with people from other schools just to remind myself of the “real” world. last night's intimate little ilsa thing was cool too. the khyber pass is supposedly an afghani restaurant but their menu consisted mainly of persian stuff which made me really excited... why does fesenjoon always taste sooooo good. there was a quasi-persian in tow so there was someone to share the joy with:) i love this place! i have their menu so we can order from them for our upcoming event which is going to be kick-ass!!

2.56 million and some change

2.56 million people. that’s astounding. in one place at the same time. doing the same thing. being the same thing. lost in a sea of white. a test before the real test.
to think that this has happened every year over the last 1400 years one realizes that there is a Truth that cannot be denied.

flash back

i know this is totally inappropriate to write here but there is a dude at school who totally reminds me of shah ruk khan from kal ho na ho. the fact that the movie was set in nyc is probably the only real connection but it’s darned freaky. i mean i kind of expect him to break out into song and dance or to do the puppy-eyes-i’m-dying-for-you look. ahhh. and before you go off thinking that i actually watch bollywood movies let me point out in my defense that the two movies i have seen were actually good (the above mentioned and devdas). needless to say that the friend that made me watch them still laughs at the thought of the tears i shed! yes, i’m incredible that way.

outside of the sphere of bollywood, there are two amazing indian movies that i would recommend to anyone. deeply moving and absolutely tragic, bombay by mani ratnam and earth by deepa mehta, both portray the senseless sectarian violence that has marred india and pakistan over the last fifty years. there’s no signing and dancing, just a raw portrayal of the pain and suffering brought about by hate. there are scenes from both these movies that still send a chill down my spine... unfortunately we never seem to learn our lesson and the vicious cycle continues.

this is a sign that i’ve been spending too much time in the library and the brewed tea is going straight to my head. must stop hallucinating.

loving the snow, living the storm

i woke up this morning to the sound of shovels clearing snow in the street below. apparently close to a foot of snow has fallen in nyc since yesterday. looking out of my window the roof-tops were covered in layers of white powder. it wasn’t so bad last night either and it was glistening as it fell. magical. and people purport not to be believe to miracles... you have to open up your heart and your mind to see the wonders of this world.

on a different note, i’ve decided that this time i’m going to hold out to see whether the mystery will unfold by itself or not. i have a difficult time reconciling my absolute belief in free-will with my hopeful belief in fate. if things are meant to be they will somehow work out with the help of the Divine, otherwise no amount of trying and scheming on my part will have any effect. it would just be nice to know which situation fits into which category... although day dreaming is often an enjoyable substitute for reading torts.

still searching, but...

i actually figured out one of the kifayeh mysteries. kind of. i’m quite impressed with myself but really i couldn’t have done it without the internet. hmm, okay now armed with this knowledge that i can’t reveal, i must strike up a conversation. it should be interesting to see how this works out. why am i being so cryptic i hear you ask... no good reason other than i’m still not used to the idea of writing something and not having any control over those that will be able to read it.

other than that, my summer plans are desperately trying to attract my attention. i can’t seem to get my mind around the idea of figuring out what i’m going to be doing in 4 months time. i barely have the weekend covered (which is shaping up nicely). my slightly cheerful mood might be brought down tomorrow though as i expect i’ll be getting my civ pro grade. but it’s likely also eid tomorrow so there’ll be some balance...

must get my hands on a complete mesut kurtis cd… right after i send off some resumes or something.

tylenol cold saved my life

or at least it's in the process of doing so.
it sucks to be sick. the shivers and aches make me realize how absolutely weak the human body is. ouch, ouch, ouch. i’ve been drinking fluids for several hours and i think i freaked out my suitemates a little. they really are awesome for putting up with a weakling like me.

now i just have to piece together a cohesive and comprehensive presentation for lawyering tomorrow. shouldn’t be too hard, but i hope i can make it to class. and all the while trying to figure out the puzzle of the kafiyehs... oh the joy of life's mysteries!

so, its 2005 already

it’s surreal to be back and it’s wonderful that the city is not covered in slush. i have never appreciated holidays the way i did this year. being home was exactly what i needed. it was only three weeks (and don’t get me wrong it was way too short) but i feel like a lot happened during those weeks. the events and lessons will fall into place eventually but for now i’m grateful to be where i am - i can't remember the last time i felt so comfortable in my own skin.