On Her Anonymity...

Woke up this morning, with her thoughts in my mind. Had been dreaming about her. Memories from 14 years back. It wasn't a regular dream. All the while I was aware of the fact that I was dreaming but it wasn't like lucid dreaming. And the most weird aspect of it was that it made me recall a dream from 14-15 years back. And not just a dream...a dream about her again. Made me remember somethings which I had assumed I would have forgotten by now...

I had gone to sleep early, being bleary eyed and tired. And then her thoughts filled my mind for no apparent reason. We have not met in years and have not spoken to each other for as long as I can remember. But the dream was simple and even fun-filled. It was scheduled around 6 years back in time when both of us were in school (ironically, the same class). And we sat around casually talking about things that might happen, on uncertainties and of other matters including what would happen if I were to switch my school etc. Interestingly, I quoted a certain incident to her, something which had happened on a Saturday 9 years back: I had gone to give an entrance exam for a different school. 

In fact, I remember smiling to myself in my dream looking at the expression on her face and on the face of a friend of hers, thinking what it is like to be studying together for 12-14 years yet having nothing in common...hardly knowing each other.

Some 15 years back, we were good friends. We shared a common passion for an action cartoon series very popular in those days and passed the time between classes "playing" out self made stories about the series. I owned  a pencil box back then with characters from a different comic series printed on them (I have no idea why did I buy it because I have never watched that cartoon series ever...or maybe I never did buy it). That "box" was our portal to the typical landscape of such action based cartoons (or rather should I say cartoons which existed back in those days?). The thought about the pencil box made me think about a different pencil box which I would have never been able to recall in an awakened state.

And so we sat and talked. Curiously, the scene kept shifting between the stage in my school and a room back in my home (or rather the memory of what was once my home). We chatted with the pleasant familiarity of old friends who know each other well. There is no forced pleasantry and no unnecessary control exercised when talking. That reminded me (in my dream) of a dream I had 14-15 years back. It was regarding her again. She was never a part of it but it was about her.

The most ironical part of the dream was that both of us knew that we used to be great friends (when being a friend was simple) and that we had fought over a very trivial and stupid issue. Throughout the fact that we might have become good friends for "life" prevailed but was never a part of the direct chat. The dream later moved on to other things including the dead (or should I say the un-dead?) and other things (interestingly the major material of these were again from way back in time...12 years old?).

In retrospect, I realize that it could have been a dream about anyone. Not particularly her. Of course she was there in this one, but it might just easily have been anyone else too. The "shifting" scenes still made it more disconnected. In hindsight, I realize just how disconnected I have been with all almost all the people from my school days. Well of course nothing can be done now...

I woke up with my left eye creating the usual trouble. I stayed in the darkness for almost half an hour thinking about the entire dream. Why did I dream it? But of course there was no answer...but isn't that the most beautiful thing about dreams?

Maybe yes...maybe no...

~ Parekh, Pravesh

May 31, 2012; 5:30 AM

Lochinvar

Lochinvar is a poem by Sir Walter Scott. It is from his epic poem Marmion.

I first read this poem when I was in class 9th, that would be almost eight years back but the beauty and the gallantry of this poem is still fresh in my mind...and so I share it with you....

Oh! young Lochinvar is come out of the west,
Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save his good broadsword he weapons had none.
He rode all unarmed and he rode all alone.
So faithful in love and so dauntless in war,
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.

He stayed not for brake and he stopped not for stone,
He swam the Eske river where ford there was none,
But ere he alighted at Netherby gate
The bride had consented, the gallant came late:
For a laggard in love and a dastard in war
Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.

So boldly he entered the Netherby Hall,
Among bridesmen, and kinsmen, and brothers, and all:
Then spoke the bride’s father, his hand on his sword,
For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word,
‘Oh! come ye in peace here, or come ye in war,
Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar?’

‘I long wooed your daughter, my suit you denied;
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide
And now am I come, with this lost love of mine,
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine.
There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far,
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar.’

The bride kissed the goblet; the knight took it up,
He quaffed off the wine, and he threw down the cup,
She looked down to blush, and she looked up to sigh,
With a smile on her lips and a tear in her eye.
He took her soft hand ere her mother could bar,
‘Now tread we a measure!’ said young Lochinvar.

So stately his form, and so lovely her face,
That never a hall such a galliard did grace;
While her mother did fret, and her father did fume,
And the bridegroom stood dangling his bonnet and plume;
And the bride-maidens whispered ‘’Twere better by far
To have matched our fair cousin with young Lochinvar.’

One touch to her hand and one word in her ear,
When they reached the hall-door, and the charger stood near;
So light to the croupe the fair lady he swung,
So light to the saddle before her he sprung!
‘She is won! we are gone, over bank, bush, and scaur;
They’ll have fleet steeds that follow,’ quoth young Lochinvar.

There was mounting ’mong Graemes of the Netherby clan;
Fosters, Fenwicks, and Musgraves, they rode and they ran:
There was racing and chasing on Cannobie Lee,
But the lost bride of Netherby ne’er did they see.
So daring in love and so dauntless in war,
Have ye e’er heard of gallant like young Lochinvar?

Quiz of the day!

Go to Gmail and set your theme as "Zoozimps "
You will see creatures with three strands of hair all over your Gmail page.
We will call them buggers. Now when you chat with someone, one of these buggers will be looking into your conversation...

Guess the colour of this bugger?

A Word On Free Software...

Well there are a lot of free stuff available on the internet that allow you to work wonderfully well. So why go for more sophisticated stuff which come with a price? And the best thing is that they are available on the website of the company so that you do not need to go to some other download sites (which are blocked at many places and institutes...alas!) For example there is this wonderful software company that I have found: NCH. Well make a Google search and you will find it. The company specializes in making software related to audio and telephony but they have a host of other software as well. I found a few of their software especially useful. One is Switch. It allows you to convert audio files from one format to another and what's more is that it can convert video to audio as well....comes quite handful. Easy to start and no messy clicks. One simple click on the convert button and it will do the job for you. Another one is Wavepad. Its, as the name suggests, a wave editing tool and for those of you who are wondering what it is...it basically makes the wave pattern of the audio file you want and then allows you to edit it...I found it to be especially useful in case when you want to mix files (say for example you got to make a mix of tracks for a dance performance). It has a wonderful tool for noise suppression. I used it to make a movie. It was simply superb. Give the software a small noise sample and it will edit the entire audio clip and suppress noise...a job made easier for you! Apart from this it also has some other useful tools. Their other software like VideoPad and Prism are also worth trying they being for video editing and video conversion respectively.

So long so good. But the best thing about NCH is that their software are really really compact. I mean the setup files are hardly a few hundred kilobytes (max to max would be close to 400KB I guess). Easy to download even in the worst speed. I mean one can easily download them even using a Dial Up Connection (I bet most of you would have even forgotten what it is by now).

NCH allows you to download these setup with just a click and no questions asked. Well a drawback that a user might face is that the software are trial versions that work only for 15 days. No worries! The best thing is that they are fully functional trial versions. So you can enjoy full functionality in the 15 days that you use it. And once the trial is over you can uninstall it and then reinstall it. No problems. Use it again for another 15 days! And you can keep doing it for years...I have been....for over 2 years now...hehe....

Bring Forth Ye Shadow

Theatre of Tragedy is taking over me! The lyrics are just so amazingly brilliant that I have been listening to them over and over again. This one is from a song "Bring Forth Ye Shadow". Sheer brilliance I would say...

Time is an abyss -
Profound as a thousand nights;
I sojourn my haste, I make respites
For what availeth this eager peace?
One step more naught to face,
Save the heirloom fatal kiss.
I rave no more 'gainst Time or Fate,
For lo! my own shall ne'er come to me,
Yet! - Who doth my future narrate?
Dim the lights - I cannot see!
Bring forth ye Shadow! -
With whom danceth thou?
Time hath stopp'd -
Yet for others ne'er halteth;
For me the Pages of Life do not turn,
Lo! - on the funeral pyre they burn.
The oh so eathing Velvet Darkness they fear -
Heed! - wherefore delve a burrow,
When in my arms "O! Come here"? -
I say, elsehither is naught but sorrow!
For what deemest thou so dear thy blood
When through my veins it could flood? -
Bide to merry-make me unaptly;
And hence grant me the fell gift,
The gift of passing on the dark trick.
'Tis such a brazen act of erotic;
Trifle for thee, yet for me grandly thrift,
O! such an innocence depriv'd so hastily -
Alas, for what deemest thou so dear thy blood
When through my veins it will flood?

My Dying Bride

Kneeling beside her bedside
Clasping her frail hand
The lights are turned low
Fleeting tears deck my brow.
Outside the world is merry
Moonlight is bright and sky starry
But O for the pain in my heart
My bride lies here bleeding fast.
Faint memories stir in my head
But her hollow face sends them away
Her once crimson lips are now cracked pale and yellow.
I kiss her soft hand
The yellowed skin that once glowed with inner joy and light
Consumed by fever and plight
Her soul cries for deliverance
The devil chuckles in delight.
Favored by Fate
Death waits with its everlasting embrace
I can do nothing else but wait
And see her tear streaked face.
Her eyes are bleak and desolate
Hope fades away as if in disgrace
Together we wait for a new day
But tomorrow she shall not wake.

Knowing the IP of an Email sender

OK guys....so what if somebody someday hacks open your account and sends mails to all your friends? However you somehow manage to regain control of your account and now you wish to know who did this thing to you? Well one way to give you a clue is to get to know the person's IP address from which he accessed your account. This can be easily done if he has sent mails to somebody you know. In the following few lines I will describe the method of finding the IP of that person. I am assuming that you use either Gmail or Yahoo. If you use any other mail account then the same thing can be done but with slightly different clicks which hopefully you will be able to figure out for yourself.

Ask that somebody who has received the mail to open the mail. If you are using Gmail then:

-Click on the small inverted triangle next to the reply button (see the reply button? It's just next to the show details which is again next to the from line)

-Once you do that you get a drop down menu having options like Reply to all and filter messages blah blah blah. In that small list you have an option of "show original"

-Click on show original and a whole lot of details suddenly pop up in a new tab (if you using Mozilla Firefox. If you are not then too it pops up. No worries)

-Somewhere in the initial lines there will be a line Received from followed by some info and the IP address of the sender in the square brackets. There you go!

If the receiver is a Yahoo user:

-Open the mail

-Scroll down to the bottom of the page (not the mail but the page).

-There is an option of selecting the message encoding. We are not concerned with that. There is an option of Full Headers just next to this message encoding thingy. Click on it

-Whole lots of details pop up (in the same tab even if you are using Mozilla Firefox...duh!)

-In the tangled mess of all those details there is a line that gives you the IP of the receiver (Received from line).


However one of the drawbacks in this entire procedure is that if the mail has been sent using a Gmail account it is not possible to know the IP by this procedure because Gmail does not send this information in its headers. (Header is basically the whole lot of information that pops up apart from the mail content). But the procedure works wonderfully well if the sender is not a Gmail user.