Last week, something unthinkable happened. Apple finally allowed emulation of any and all OS on iOS and iPadOS. The intended purpose is to emulate retro Windows based games, which matches their recent trend of approval of gaming-system emulation apps. However, for me, it restarts a long-time hobby of running retro OSes purely for nostalgia and hobby purposes. This was not possible before because I don’t have a real computer, just an iPad. The first app to take advantage of this change of heart from Apple is UTM SE.
Now, UTM SE has been available on macOS and jailbroken iOS and iPadOS for quite some time, but this is the first time the app is officially available through the App Store.
Overview
The process to configure a new VM is much like most virtualisation apps out there. You use either an existing image or create a new one, select various parameters like RAM, HDD, CPU architecture, cores etc.
UTM SE: New VMUTM SE: Mount CD/DVD or Floppy imageInside UTM SE: Select Platform, CPU architecture, RAM and CPU CoresUTM SE: Select HDD Size
Your Bluetooth mice/keyboards can be mapped to the guest OS via USB or PS/2 emulation. For older OS (Pre Windows ME) which don’t have out of-box support for USB peripherals, you need to disable USB support for Mouse/Keyboard so that they are emulated as PS/2. Even touch gestures can be used in lieu of a mouse, although the experience is clunky.
UTM SE: Switch between USB or PS/2 for mouse and keyboard
Another useful feature is that you can map a folder on your iOS/iPadOS filesystem to the guest machine allowing you to transfer files easily.
Select Shared Directory
Also, you can choose to include your VMs in your iCloud backups.
For me, the performance is roughly similar to my first Celeron 400Mhz computer. Which, when compared to the 4×3.49Ghz high-performance cores on the Apple M2 means there is an approx 35x performance penalty for emulation. No wonder the “SE’ in UTM stands for “Slow Edition”.
Also, switching to another app causes UTM to suspend the VM after a few minutes. None of this is UTM’s fault, but needless restrictions from Apple to stop iPads from cannibalising Mac sales.
Also, the iPad screen locks after inactivity, which I think is on UTM, because apps (especially games) have been able to keep the screen unlocked through inactivity.
But the good thing is, you can resume from where you left off. Also, you can run multiple windows of UTM itself, even with multiple windows mapping to multiple monitors on the guest.
Battery usage is also extremely high because of the inefficiencies.
As you can see from my last post, I bought a new motorcycle. Since then, I had been bitten by the wanderlust bug. My hands had been continuously itching to take the motorcycle on the highway. So, the soonest I could, I decided to drive from Bangkok to Pattaya Beach.
I have done this trip before, but that motorcycle was not suitable for highway riding and I wanted to do it again, the right way.
Bangkok to Pattaya
On the morning of the ride, I woke up to find the city soaked in rain overnight, so I left with caution. The way out of the city was painful with morning traffic, but outside, I opened up the throttle a bit.
Since the motorcycle is new, I had to follow running-in restrictions. I drove at a steady 60kmph with occasional 10-20 second bursts up to 70kmph. At this speed, I could not keep up with traffic on the motorway, so had to drive on the frontage road.
Frontage road at Bang Phli
The motorway from Bangkok to Pattaya is highly developed, with 22 lanes (8 lanes on the upper level, 8 lanes in the lower level and 6 lanes frontage) in most places. There are restrictions on where motorcycles can be driven, so need to pay close attention to Google Maps, which is mostly correct as long as you select the motorcycle option.
On a bridge over Khlong near Bang PakongNear a lake at Bang PakongAt a PTT station
Stopped to take breaks many times to give the engine a break (and also sneak in some photos). Was quite impressed with the low-end performance of the engine. Gear shifts were mostly not required, as the bike can thump its way up in 5th gear from as low as 35kmph.
In Si Racha district, the view is quite nice as the road passes in between various hills.
Near a hill at Si Racha
Pattaya Beach
Because I stopped so many times, it almost took me 3 hours to get there. Once there, I spent some time chilling at Pattaya beach.
At Pattaya beachIn front of Pattaya BeachAt Pattaya Beach
After getting my feet wet, I went to a cafe to drink some coffee and have a snack. It was typical below-average tourist fare.
Coffee at a cafe at Pattaya beachBruschetta at a cafe at Pattaya beachView of Pattaya beach from a cafe
Pattaya to Bangkok
On the way back, I focused on making good time and only stopped at one place to take the below photo of the Bang Pakong river.
At a bridge over Bang Pakong river
On the way back, it only took me 2 hours to get back home.
Tripper
The Tripper proved its worth, as it provided very clear directions and I didn’t have to stop and look at my phone (which was nested safely away in my saddle bag) even once. On the 3 hour ride to Pattaya, my phone lost 23% charge, with tripper navigation as well as audio streaming (And the occasional photo).
Also, found a weird bug in that the tripper’s display and my polarised sunglasses seem to have the same polarisation plane when I am seated normally, which completely blanks out the tripper. If I move my head 10 degrees to the left or right or rotate my head 10 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise, the display comes back.
This happens only with polarised glasses, regular sunglasses work fine.
Lessons Learnt
Learnt the below lessons which I plan to apply to my next trip(s).
Need to buy thick handlebar grips, as the factory default is too thin and cramps up my hands.
Always wear AirPods even if I don’t want to listen to anything. Active (and worst case Passive) Noise Cancellation is worth it to protect ears from traffic and wind noise.
Always wear sunglasses during the day time, even if it is not too bright, to protect eyes from the wind (I cannot, for the life of me, see through any helmet visor And keep it lifted up).
The USB charger is quite slow. So rather than wait for battery to drain and then charge the phone (Phone gained only 11% on the 3 hour trip back on charge, with navigation and audio), it is better to keep it connected from the beginning.
This trip also pushed my motorcycle over the first stage of running in, next trip should be faster.
The Covid-19 pandemic was hard for everyone, but especially for the movie industry. I, too, missed going to cinemas to watch newly released movies. Below, I write about my post-pandemic cinema experience.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
My Expectations : None My Rating : 6/10
This was the first movie we saw after pandemic restrictions lifted and also the first movie we saw in Bangkok. It was good that I went in with no expectations because the movie was dull and forgetful. I remember nothing of what was in it.
No Time to Die (2021)
My Expectations : None My Rating : 7/10
This was the first Bond movie I saw in years and it didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed watching it, but don’t remember the details of what happened in it.
This was my first MCU movie since Endgame and it delivered as per my expectations. It was entertaining, but relied too much on the appearance of Doctor Strange and the previous Spider-Men to carry the movie. Don’t regret watching it, though.
Doctor strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Although Doctor Strange was a bad sign for what was to come, I hoped Taika Waititi would make a good movie. But no. What a bore.
Avatar : The Way of the Water (2022)
My Expectations : 4/10 My Rating : N/A – Left in 30 minutes
I didn’t know why I even went to watch this movie when I hated Part 1 and already had such low expectations from Part 2. Never again.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
My Expectations : 7/10 My Rating : 9/10
The best movie I have seen in years and the only MCU movie I enjoyed. I watched it twice in the cinemas and once on Disney+. Deserves a separate post.
Oppenheimer (2023)
My Expectations : 9/10 My Rating : 6/10
Being a fan of quite a few Christopher Nolan movies and the hype surrounding this one, I had huge hopes. But the movie turned out to be only slightly above average. I would still have seen it, but wouldn’t have spent extra on IMAX Laser.
The Flash (2023)
My Expectations : 7/10 My Rating : 7/10
Time-pass movie. Just like spider-man, it relied heavily on the appearance of Keaton’s batman, Affleck’s batman and Clooney’s Bruce Wayne to carry it. Also an appearance from Nicholas Cage’s Superman.
Godzilla X Kong : The New Empire (2024)
My Expectations : 6/10 My Rating : 6/10
We went to watch this movie with very low expectations and weren’t disappointed. Mindless action.
Furiosa A Mad Max Saga (2024)
My Expectations : 9/10 My Rating : 7/10
I went to watch this one with very high expectations, but it couldn’t compare to Mad Max: Fury Road.
I did have my eyes set on this one, but after a test ride, I didn’t find its riding stance suitable for long highway rides. Coming from a long history with the RE Thunderbird, the natural progression would have been to buy an RE Meteor 350, but at first, I didn’t like the Meteor 350 I saw on Royal Enfield’s website (I found it too modern, especially the allow wheels and the powered coated engine) and I found the Super Meteor 650 too busy, so initially decided to buy the Classic 350.
2022 Royal Enfield Meteor 3502022 Royal Enfield Super Meter 650
Royal Enfield Classic 350
However, when I went to the showroom, I saw the new Aurora Blue variant of the Meteor 350 and fell in love immediately and decided to buy that one.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 in Aurora Blue
Anyways, these are my views after 10 days/200km, specifically, comparing it to my previous motorcycles.
The Good
The engine is so refined, I can hardly believe it is a Royal Enfield engine. There’re hardly any vibrations and absolutely no clanking. I am so glad they removed the pushrods and replaced them with a chain and overhead cam system. Even with a reduced stroke, the bike pulls quite well at low RPMs.
There’s still the trademark thumping. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the exhaust actually sounds good/better than the completely muted Thunderbird Twinspark. The exhaust-to-engine noise ratio is vastly improved. When cruising at constant speed, you can hardly hear the engine, only the soft, bass-rich exhaust.
I really like the dual-tone design, the chrome parts and the overall retro look compared to the regular Meteor 350. I love the spoke wheels, although that does mean giving up on having tubeless tyres.
The new rider seat is quite comfortable with a subtle but useful back-rest.
The LED headlamp is quite nice and illuminating at night.
The Tripper is useful, but a bit limited. I will dedicate a separate section for the Tripper.
Overall switchgear feels refined and comfortable to use.
The USB port for charging is very useful.
I didn’t like how the windshield looks, but I found it immensely helpful at moderate-high speeds. Allows me to keep my helmet visor open.
The Neutral
I am not entirely sure I prefer the new digital cluster as compared to analog dials. I don’t really like or hate it.
I don’t care for the ECO indicator or the gear indicator.
Because of the refinement, the engine feels the same every time I ride, which is different from the carburettor Thunderbirds I was used to, which felt different based on temperature, humidity etc.
This is my first motorcycle with a rear disc brake. The Dual-channel ABS is nice to have. The brakes do feel a bit mushy compared to what I am used to, though.
The Bad
I really-really miss the tachometer. I won’t forgive Royal Enfield for removing it.
They removed the kick starter to simplify the engine design. This means if the battery dies, you are screwed.
The engine does get hot during start-stop traffic in the city and could have benefitted from liquid cooling. However, unlike the carburettor motorcycles, it does not cause the Idle RPM to runaway or cause knocking during acceleration, thanks to the ECU.
The fuel level indication is wonky.
Meteor 350 at Bangchak Bang Na
The Tripper
Tripper on the Royal Enfield Meteor 350
The Tripper is a pseudo-navigation system developed by Royal Enfield. Here are my thoughts on it:
The tripper connects to the Royal Enfield app on your phone and receives instructions from your phone, hence is dependant on it. However, unlike doing navigation directly on the phone, using the tripper uses much less battery on the phone itself (I measured 6-7% drain per hour on my phone, all inclusive).
It uses Google maps data, so navigation is quite accurate. Supports live re-routing and previewing multiple routes before starting the trip. Has the regular Google Maps options to exclude things like tolls, ferries, highways etc.
At first, I struggled to understand tripper’s instructions and found myself stopping and reaching for my phone. However, once you make an effort to understand the symbols, it feels quite useful. I am now forcing myself not to look at my phone.
This has also increased my directional awareness of and I find myself paying more attention to the road and signs instead of my phone.
Meteor 350 at a pit-stop at Nonthaburi
Technical comparison with Previous Motorcycles
Here’s a comparison of specifications of different motorcycles I have had over the years (All single cylinder):
The more I live & see what’s going on around me, the more I am convinced that we humans suck big time and don’t deserve this planet. Let’s look at why:
US has sent billions of dollars worth of aid to Palestinians in Gaza. So noble. But on the other hand, US is also the biggest supplier of armaments to Israel which kill the same Palestinians. I mean, what’s the point even? This is so counter productive. Either just kill them or just let them live. Why this game?
Modern buildings cost millions to build. It also takes millions to make missiles which will eventually destroy the building. How counter-productive is all this? Why build something only to build something else to destroy the first thing?
I won’t even talk about climate change in detail, because that is a whole new topic in itself. Most of the planet will be uninhabitable in less than a century, but we won’t stop there and are planning to colonise other planets. Who gave us the right? Must be the colonisation behaviour we inherently have. Some cunts even think it is more productive to terraform Mars than to save our own planet.
This behaviour of humans is not even new. We have been the most selfish species ever, for millennia and other species have always suffered from it. Because of this, I think this behaviour is inherent in most humans and humanity as a species is flawed and cannot improve.
This is Part 2 of my previous post listing songs I consider timeless. I don’t claim that these songs are the best in any way; is just that I keep coming back to them every now and then, even after all these years.
These songs are in no specific order. I may be obsessed with one of them today and with some other tomorrow.
Also, like before, I actually listened to each song and then wrote about it. For any song where I did not find anything to write about, I discarded from this list.
The first time I heard this song was during the end scene of The Matrix and was immediately hooked. Shamelessly political, this song has killer guitar riffs and bass track. I listen to it at least few times a week when I run and also otherwise.
This is one among the many songs Jaideep Singh (JD) introduced me to, when I went to the tiny room he lived in. Although I never was a Bruce Springsteen fan (still am not), this song hit a note with me. I found the song melodious with great bass.
The FLV version of the below video was one of the few videos I kept on my Nokia E50.
This song also reminds me of my early courtship period with my (now) wife in Nagpur.
This is undisputedly one of the best songs ever written, period. The beautiful lyrics are only matched by the haunting, winding guitar work by Mark Knopfler.
The entire song is one beautiful never-ending guitar solo.
This song reminds me of my friend Vipin Panwar, whom I sent this song as an mp3 after a night shift and he (said) he got hooked. I also used to listen to this song a lot when driving around Delhi in my i10.
This song starts with a killer bass track and I love the lyrics. Although I did listen to this song long ago, the one time I remember is when I couldn’t sleep all night and saw the Farewell 1 Tour: Live from Melbourne concert while wondering if I was playing it too loud and would wake up my landlords downstairs.
I heard this song when watching the RoboCop TV Series. It took quite some effort on y part to find this song on Kazaa after which I asked a fiend to write it on a CD for me.
The song is not that popular and doesn’t vein exist on Apple Music. But for some reason, I like it and keep coming back to it, especially if you listen to th lyrics from the point of view of someone whose brain has been removed from his body and fit into a robot.
This is probably the first song in this list that I ever listened to and as such, is special to me.
I first listened to this song when one of my father’s friends in Durgapur gifted me my first Aiwa Walkman. The Man-Machine cassette came free with the Walkman and since I was not in a position to buy new ones, I listened to it over and over again. This whole genre was new to me and I was fascinated by all the computer generated sounds. I remember lying in bed listening to this song with my eyes closed, imagining the aforementioned neon lights.
I love listening to this song at night to wind-down. The song is slow-paced and soothing to the ears. It would be a great song to fall asleep to, if it wasn’t so beautiful.
When I lived in Panchkula, I had a friend Vishal Chopra who I have mentioned before. His family had returned from Canada, and as such he had lots of gadgets, including a Playstation. He had a game called Rogue Trip: Vacation 2012 which we played often (In black n white, because his system was NTSC but the disc was PAL). This song appeared on one of the levels. Of course, not being exposed to western music much at that point in time, I didn’t understand what they were singing, but I made up lyrics in my own mind.
I think everyone already knows this song and needs no introduction. Although I won’t call this song “great”, it is iconic enough to keep listening to over the years.
This song has 3 great guitar solos (the first one of which, David toggles the pickup switch mid-way). The rest of the song is also easy-going and nice.
This song, too, reminds me of leaving Someplace Else late at night.
I also remember going crazy when Parikrama covered this song when they played at YCCE, Nagpur.
It is also one of the few Pink Floyd songs I could listen with my non-rock listening friends.
This is just a nice soothing song that I love that I didn’t hear till recently because it is so obscure. I also tried watching the movie it was a soundtrack of, but couldn’t tolerate it.
Back in college in Nagpur, when I was falling in love with my (now) wife, we chose the worst rated movie as our first movie to watch together. But purely based on the above-mentioned falling-in-love phase, this movie and this song left a deep mark on me. I even read the lyric translations to understand what the song was about.
I was introduced to Avial by my friend Goru, while we were going to attend Sonal’s rural wedding at Saharanpur. While I found most of their stuff average, I really liked Ayyo, even though I couldn’t understand a single word of what they were singing.
I had listened to this song many times in college, but the first time this song really left a mark on me was when Arka came to visit us (We were still in final year and he had already passed out). He had one of those Sony Walkman series phones and he asked me to try the sound quality. The opening bass notes blew me away and I listened to this song from a whole new angle for the first time.
The first time I listened to this instrumental was when I watched the Live at Pompeii video. The double bass track blew me away and I was hooked.
What I associate most with this song is going on solo motorcycle rides to Katol and other places around Nagpur. And as such, I remember this song with the background of my motorcycle engine thumping. I remember driving on the highway with my phone in my pocket and the earphones in my ears and wind whistling by.
This song reminds me of the time when we had just moved to Bangkok, living in quarantine and my daughter was obsessed with Teen Titans Go! Anyways, I love the song and listen to it often.
The most recent song in this list.
Time for some Analytics
After this interesting experiment of making this list, I wanted to also analyse my preferences from different angles.
Decade
Number of Songs
1960s
1
1970s
13
1980s
3
1990s
11
2000s
2
2010s
2
Favourite Songs by Decade
Looks like I mainly like songs from the 70s and 90s. Wonder what happened in the 80s?
Language
Number of Songs
English
28
Instrumental
1
Punjabi
1
Malayali
1
Bengali
1
Favourite songs by Language
Genre
Bands
Number of Songs
Progressive Rock
Pink Floyd
9
Rock
Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, The Doors, Dire Straits, Joe Walsh, B.E.R.
9
Alternative Rock
The Cranberries, Avial, Vertical Horizon
4
Heavy Metal
Iron Maiden, Metallica
2
Folk
Arnob, Rabbi Shergill
2
Heavy Metal/Rap
Rage Against the Machine
2
Grunge
Nirvana
1
Heartland Rock
Bruce Springsteen
1
Electronic
Kraftwerk
1
Ska Punk
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
1
Favourite songs by genre and band
Genre
Bands
Number of Songs
British
Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, Dire Straits
13
American
Eagles, Nirvana, Metallica, The Doors, Rage Against the Machine, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Vertical Horizon
One thing that you should know about me is that I don’t seem to be able to learn a lesson. I am writing this just a few weeks after my latest anxiety medication fail.
So, I had a good thing going on with my medications, no problems, good productivity, happy in life. But, I started looking for ways to cheap out. I found a pharmacy which would provide me cheaper versions of the medications I currently take from my hospital.
Basically I replaced my expensive medication with cheaper versions, with supposedly the exact same chemical composition, but at 1/4th the price. What could go wrong?
Lots.
Turns out, all medication are not created equal, even if the box says so.
The first night I switched meds, I had awful sleep and woke up the next morning with an altered mental state. I had a work-related argument the night before, so I thought it was related to that.
The second night, too, I slept awful. At this point, I started suspecting the meds, but decided to give it another try.
Luckily, I still had some of my old medication left. So I decided to do a series of experiments
Third night I rolled back Escitalopram to Lexapro – No Joy
Fourth night I rolled back both medications – Much joy
Fifth & Sixth night, I did Esidep + Neuris – Much joy
Hence, I identified that the Risperidone generic version is no good. The next day, I went to the doctor and got my regular medication.
In case I have not made it clear already, I love music. Music plays an important part in my life. So I decided to make a list of songs I consider timeless. I don’t claim that these songs are the best in any way; is just that I keep coming back to them every now and then, even after all these years.
These songs are in no specific order. I may be obsessed with one of them today and with some other one tomorrow.
Also, I did an interesting experiment with this post. I actually listened to each song and then wrote about it. For any song where I did not find anything to write about, I discarded from this list.
The first time I remember hearing this song was at my erstwhile friend Bhavesh’s house. He had just found the Hell Freezes Over video and his family had gathered around the computer to watch it. So this version stuck with me over the years. The starting notes of this song was one of the first songs I learnt to play on the guitar. It was quite some time till I even heard the original version & even then it took me quite some time to develop a taste for it. Now, I listen to the original version more and the Hell Freezes Over one not so much.
Overall, this is a timeless classic that will stay with me till the end of my days. The guitar duet between Don Felder and Joe Walsh is unparalleled in rock history.
I don’t remember exactly when I heard this song for the first time, but I assume it didn’t leave a big impact on me then. What I do remember is, like the previous entry, I listened to the Pulse version of this song before I did The Wall version. Over time, this song grew on me, especially when I saw the movie and understood the meaning behind the lyrics.
The song is special, because of the fantastic guitar solos by David Gilmour.
The first solo starts off with an uplifting note and is simpler in nature.
The second solo starts much later and is more serious in nature. It is also much longer and technical. If you like the song, do watch the movie to understand the deeper meaning as the protagonist loses his mind.
Like the previous entries, the first time I heard this song was the cover version in this concert. But the original version came to me from my friend who now goes by the name of Lee La.
This song was also my introduction to Fleetwood Mac.
I think I love this song because of how melodious it is, in spite of not being too technical or having complicated solos. I also love the bass track.
The FLV version of the below video was one of the few videos I kept on my Nokia E50.
Even though I had been a Pink Floyd fan for a long time, I hadn’t heard Animals. and when I did it drove me crazy. Of all the songs in that album, Sheep is my favourite.
This song is like an unstoppable train, relentless in its pace, reflected in the distorted guitar shredding. The bass track is also awesome.
I love how the song crawls down to a near stop around the 3:50 mark, stays that way for some time and then goes back to its frantic pace.
Although when I was young, I preferred the heavier songs from Nirvana, I have stopped listening to most of them over the years, leaving this as one of the few Nirvana songs I still listen to, regularly.
This song is defined by its melody and simplicity. The bass, guitar, drums are all relatively easy to play, leaving only Cobain’s angtsy vocals that still cannot be matched.
I had just come back from a trip from back home in Kolkata and the first thing I did was install my Worldspace satellite radio system. I put on Orbit Rock and went to take a shower, when this song started. Even though I had never heard it before, I immediately recognised it as a Pink Floyd song and was captivated and listened to (all 23 minutes of it) in my towel. After it finished, I went online and looked up Orbit Rock’s schedule to find out the name of this song.
Over the years this song has left a deep impression on me. I am not sure why, but this song reminds me of driving to office just before Durga Puja and being excited about the upcoming holidays.
The Live at Pompeii version is even more special as it has an elaborate bass track by Roger Waters.
I remember going to office listening to this song and reaching before it got over and then spending up to 10 more minutes in the car in the parking waiting for it to get over. One day, like this, a colleague knocked on my window to ask me why I was sitting in the car alone and I pretended not to notice him.
I didn’t listen to rumours till (relatively) recently, but what an album! But this section is about my favourite song from the album, not the album itself.
The song starts off slow with Lindsey Buckingham’s haunting guitar plucking with chorus vocals coming in after. The bass and guitar duet-solo is also iconic.
To understand the deeper meaning of this song, I suggest you watch the Classic Albums episode of this album, which explains the personal turmoils the band members were facing.
This is my favourite Eagles song of all time, I just love it so much. It made me a fan of Timothy Schmit’s beautiful vocals and Don Felder’s haunting guitars.
The song is slow and easy-going. The 2 solos are just beautiful.
I bought an electric guitar to play these solos. I grew long hair and a beard, wore a shirt with a big collar and recorded myself playing the 2 solos.
The FLV version of the below video was one of the few videos I kept on my Nokia E50.
This song also reminds me of my early courtship period with my (now) wife in Nagpur.
This is my favourite song from The Dark Side of the Moon. The opening clock sounds are so iconic, many movies, songs and TV shows have used them over the years. And every time I hear them, I get excited for this song followed immediately by disappointed when its not this song.
Nick Mason’s drum solo in the beginning is iconic, too. Gilmour’s solo is amazing; I even learnt to play it at one point of time.
This is one of those songs, whose lyrics I have used to live my life by, mainly how not to waste your time on unpleasant things (like toxic relationships) and if you aren’t careful, the world leaves you behind.
The song ends with a reprise of Breathe, which is also a song I like.
The number of times I have listened to this composition would surely be close to a thousand. This is my favourite morning song. The >13 min long Parts 1-V are perfect to listen to when your morning coffee hasn’t kicked in and you want to take it easy.
This version reminds me of my time in Nagpur when I had finally gotten serious about studies and rewarded myself between study sessions by listening to music. I remember listening to it on a shitty Samsung phone, whose SD card retainer had broken and I had to use tape to keep it inside.
I remember listening to this one in college. Although Zombie was the more popular The Cranberries song, I preferred Linger. I just find this song so melodious and haunting. My ultimate feel-good song.
This is my go-to song when I want a dose of heavy metal. The guitar riffs and the bass track are just amazing.
I find the lyrics fun (I don’t consider them deep or something). One of the things I do is, when I am speaking/chatting with someone, I try to fit-in the lyrics of this song somehow into the conversation. Has led to hilarious conversations in some cases, especially when the other person recognises what I am doing and responds in kind.
One great moment was when I discovered that there’s a clothing store named Golden Goose.
Whenever I buy a new set of speakers or headphones, this is the song I test on it. The song starts off in a soft melodic setting, but it develops through multiple sections into heavier and faster speed metal sounds, leading up to a tapping solo by Kirk Hammett, and a dual guitar section by Hammett and James Hetfield. The double bass drumming by Lars Ulrich is the only bass in the song as this album famously has almost no bass guitar sound.
Ah! One of the most beautiful & melodious songs ever. Such beautiful bass and keyboard tracks. The first time I heard this song was not the original version, but the Snoop Dogg cover, in the game Need for Speed: Underground 2.
This song reminds me of leaving Someplace Else late at night while its raining outside or has stopped raining, but the streets are still wet.
We also had a fun rule in our family for many years. Whenever it would rain (rare in Gurgaon), we would play this song.
I first heard this song at our favourite (now defunct) Bengali restaurant & fell in love with its melody and simplicity. Although it’s in a language I understand, the dialect is foreign to me and I don’t understand all the lyrics.
One thing I love to do, is go to Ibirapuera Park, sit on my favourite bench facing the lake and listen to this song.
I also want to go to Bangladesh one day and listen to this song while sailing on the Padma.
Zombie is a powerful anti-war anthem by The Cranberries, which is still relevant today, because humans can’t stop making war.
My earliest memory of this song goes back to our college second year fresher’s party where my friend Arka was (supposedly) going to perform this song with a junior girl on the vocals. We were all quite excited, so you can imagine our disappointment when we found out the girl had fainted and the performance was cancelled.
That’s it for Part 1 of this post, look out for Part 2, soon.
Recently, I participated in a running event called Bangkok 21K Park Run 2024. Even though the name says 21K, I participated in the 10k event, which was my third, ever.
Even though, in my last race, I had decided I would try to break the 1 hour barrier for the 10k, because of travel, excessive heat and medical issues preceding the run I was not able to prepare well. On top of that, monsoons started in Bangkok just a few days ago, so I was not sure whether the event would even take place. So, overall, I decided I would just enjoy the run without worrying about the performance.
Anyways, luck shone on us and there was no rain on the morning of the run.
Bangkok Park Run 2024 starting line
The run was in one of the most beautiful parks in Bangkok. If it wasn’t so far from here I live, I would got here regularly to run.
Bangkok Park Run 2024 starting line
The run itself was uneventful and enjoyable with great views of the park during sunrise.
Bangkok Park Run 2024
Considering I hadn’t prepared that well, I didn’t do too bad.
Bangkok 21k Park Run 2024 statistics
Bangkok Park Run 2024 splitsBangkok Park Run 2024 HR ZonesBangkok Park Run 2024 medalBangkok Park Run 2024 medal
I wrote about how I went sober (But eventually failed to maintain it), I wanted to reflect back on some of the worst benders I have been through. Why? Maybe just to remind myself why I shouldn’t drink like that anymore.
Below are some of my worst benders over the years:
Most of my engineering days were about booze. And since I was young, the benders were not that bad. However, there are some incidents I remember.
This was when I was living with my senior roommates. For some reason, one day we decided to drink whiskey at 9 AM in the morning. I have never had a good relationship with whiskey, so after many pegs, while I was at Sandeep Kalia’s house, I puked in the toilet. His kindly grandmother (We called her aaji) was very concerned what was happening, but the others told her I had eaten something bad.
One time we went drinking at PP’s garage pub and drank too much vodka. While others were puking, I was puzzled why I was lying awake in bed and not able to sleep. This was one of the first times I realised that alcohol affects my sleep so negatively.
One time we were returning from a drinking session at one of the dhabas and my motorcycle got tangled in a high tension electricity cable hanging on the road and launched into the air. I remember passing out, but luckily I was back to normal next day.
Our time in Gurgaon was the first time we had freedom to do what we wanted and we had money to spend because we were earning. Sood sahib was my roommate and very frustrated with his job. So, almost every evening, he and his degenerate colleague would come over and get drunk. It didn’t help me that I worked night shifts and went to work drunk many times. However, this was not the worst part.
I remember we gathered together with Chatur after a long time and started pub hopping at Saket. He came all sophisticated in a car, dressed in a suit, which we found funny, but probably helped getting us into fancy places. So we got drunk on cocktails and not being satisfied enough, drank at 2 more thekas over the night. Eventually, Chatur passed out and we somehow got home. Again, I couldn’t sleep all night while Chatur was puking in a pizza box.
While working night shifts, it was very common for us to go drinking after our shifts. One morning, after our shift, we went drinking with Amar sir, who was famous for making “lauly (Lovely) pegs”. We were standing on the road outside DLF Phase II Central Arcade (Less than 100m from where my parents were sleeping). Since it was peak winters, we all got drunk on dark rum. My body doesn’t react well to dark rum & I don’t remember getting back home. Next afternoon, I woke up with my knees bruised and vomit all over my bathroom. Somehow, I cleaned everything up before my parents saw but felt terrible. All afternoon I drank water and Gatorade, but there was hardly any pee and it burnt when I tried.
We once went on an office party and Karkose (who incidentally doesn’t drink himself) suggested I drink beer buster, which is beer mixed with tabasco sauce. It felt fun drinking it then, but I couldn’t sleep all night because my chest and stomach were burning. Horrible experience.
Xiamen
Baijiu at Zhongshan Road, Xiamen
I was drinking Baijiu at Zhongshan road with my office colleagues. It was very cold, so instead of sipping it like the others, I did shots non-stop. Big mistake! I couldn’t sleep because my chest and stomach were burning all night. I puked many times and next day the pain in my stomach was so bad, I had to see a doctor at the airport (I was travelling back to India). The doctor told me the 60% alcohol volume Baijiu had stripped my stomach of its lining and likely made ulcers. I couldn’t eat anything other than simple rice for at least a week afterwards.
I am just glad I didn’t puke in front of my colleagues.
I was at São Paulo for the second time and me and my colleague went drinking Caipirinhas at Eu Tu Eles. Now, Caipirinhas are one of the most deceptive drinks I have ever had. They are sweet and tasty, so it is very easy to have too many too fast without realising it. Anyway, I don’t remember how I got back to my hotel and what happened later. But next morning I woke up to find my hotel room smelling of vomit and my brain feeling like it was in a vice. I used many of the hotel towels o clean up the vomit and then hid the towels behind the AC unit on the balcony. One of the most shameful things I have ever done.
Bangkok
Once we moved to Bangkok, I discovered how cheap and easily accessible booze is. But since I have absolutely no friends here, there have not been many social occasions for me to go on benders. There have been just 3 incidents, all with office colleagues. Unlike the other incidents, I drank too much not because I was having fun, but because of peer pressure.
I was just visiting Bangkok and it was my farewell party. 6 of us finished many crates of beers within a few hours. I don’t remember how I got back to the hotel.
Stacks of beer bottles
We (the wife, the kid and the dog) went to the kid’s friend’s house, whose parents are north indian. He doubted from the beginning, if me, as a Bengali would be able to drink much. To prove him wrong, I got shit-faced. Soon, I proved him correct by missing my step in the dark, losing my balance and falling into their building fountain. Again, I don’t remember how I got back home. Next day I cursed myself and promised I will never get into such a situation while out with the kid or the dog.
The last and most recent incident was when I went out to drink with my colleagues. 3 of us went through 8 bottles of wine in 6 hours. I came to, next day covered in bruises and my room smelling of vomit and me still drunk and stumbling about. Unfortunately, soon, the AC servicing guys came and saw the state the bathroom was in. I have never felt worse in my life than that day. My nails, my room etc all smelt of booze and I felt sick. It was truly the worst day of my life & the day I decided to give up alcohol for good.
I am still not at a stage where I can look back at all this and laugh about it. But just the act of typing all this out has strengthened my resolve to not get drunk ever again.
