This post is dedicated to Ambigrams!! One of the most interesting forms of art.

The ones I admire the most are from 'The Da Vinci code'

(Angels & Demons, Earth air fire water, Illuminati, Air, Fire, Earth, Water)

An ambigram for my first name....

Look at this in a mirror and you can still read "Devesh". You can also try spelling "Heaven" if you read my name backwards!! (Hint: Try reading the 'S' as 'e' and the 'E' as 'A')

Interesting obsevation with my last name "Nema"..

Spelled backwards it reads "Amen"!! And if you rotate the above pic by 180 degrees you can read Amen !!!!

Devesh <-> Heaven

Now rotate this by 180 degrees!

oxyMORONS :)

I really like the different aspects of English language..the various figures of speech, the etymology of words, puns, oxymorons, alliteration (ah!), satire, rhetoric..everything... But today I will pounce upon 'oxymorons' :)..

My liking for oxymorons can be testified from 3 things

1) The link to my blog itself is an oxymoron

2) The title 'Forgotten memories' is an oxymoron too

3) One of my blogs' title 'Silent thunder' is also an oxymoron :)

The thing I and mostly everyone else in this world wonders is how can two different words with entirely contradictory meanings unite to form a new phrase..whether or not this new phrase makes sense!!

I've always noticed lotsa bloopers in English..like many people say "its almost done", now if u notice almost n done don't fit together, they are oxymorons!!!!

A more funnier one is 'Bad luck'...and the one you encounter in daily life 'Liquid gas'....and if you go to a history school you may find students studying 'Contemporary history' or probably 'Modern history' !!!!

When someone asks you, 'Hey, whatsup?', you mostly reply 'nothing much' without noticing that its an oxymoron too :)

To mention a few more:

practice test
pretty bad
soft rock
all alone
graduate student (this is the best)
real potential
virtual reality

So you see how often you use oxymorons without even noticing it!!!!

Puns


Its well said am empty mind is a devil's workshop! I was idle while I had left some simulations to run and I thought I should expeiment with puns.

So I just made some funny sentences like.....

1) An ape cows does and intimates to its intimate friend cow who does the same to a couple of pride couples. monkey milks the cow while the dove dove into the bushes and the buck who aint got any bucks apes the ape. And the pride couple lost all their pride.

2) A pride of lion will never loose its pride, even if they are tied loose they wont escape...the lion is not of loose character either.

3) Does an ape understand the difference between does and does?

4) Is insurance invalid for the invalid?

5) Does the wound of the does get wound by a bandage?

6) A couple of couples were coupling with the coupling couples

7) That chick has got a chick :)

8) You got only a pack of dog-food for a pack of dogs!!

9) This school of fish never went to school

These may sound funny and stupid to someone but they are interesting!!!To make these even funnier one can try a trick..What I call as fooling around with Google's Languate Tool for translation.To do this trick just follow the following steps:

a) Go to http://www.google.ch/language_tools?hl=en
b) In the 'translate text' box type/paste these sentences.
c) Now choose "English to French" in the translate menu and hit "translate"
d) Paste the French text in the textbox and choose "French to German" in the translate menu and hit "translate"
e) Paste the German text in the textbox and choose "German to English" in the translate menu and hit "translate"
f) Read the translated text in English and enjoy!! :)

Silent Thunder


"Silent thunder...", ofcourse its an oxymoron, but the story of Edmond Dantes in "The coount of Monte Cristo"(CMC) is like the aforementioned oxymoron. Stating this in alliteration, its a story of ingenious revenge, a beautiful retaliation,a just retribution and sufficient repremendation, ofcourse accompanied by remorse, repentance and regrets. Edmond honestly and just like a silent thunder avenges his foes.......


Reading the stories of Alexandre Dumas is so relishing and captivating that once you start reading it, you are totally engrossed with it and nothing but the story preoccupies your mind. I sometimes wonder , if we were epicures and his story a dish, we would have been able to acknowledge his culinary skills in concocting such coherent and smooth stories, that the reader is left licking his fingers(metaphorically !) at the end and that his gastronomic appetite is quenched by devouring Dumas's story.


Now let me revert back to CMC. The protagonist Edmond is deceived by his own friends, in whom he had complete faith. His own friends befraud him at the peak of his bethrothal, he is denounced as a Bonapartist in the reign of King Louis XIV. His friends(rather deceivers) were a fellow Sailor Danglars,(I forgot to mention, Edmond was a Sailor), a tailor and neighbor Caderousse and a catalan fisherman Fernand( who also single sidedly loved the catalane Mercedes, Edmond's bethrothed). And yeah, one of the cause of his suffering is also the procureur du roi, M. de Villefort, who actively denounces poor Edmond.


Edmond spends 14 years in a dungeon, but to his good luck, he comes in contact with an old abbe, who was in the adjoining cell of the dungeon. Although the abbe Faria was a very learned person, with mundane knowledge and a great affinity for Science, he was considered mad by everyone but Edmond. Faria while in the dungeon, educates Edmond , makes him wordly wise, creates him perfect in science and also tells him of a hidden treasure at the Island of Monte Cristo. After the death of the abbe in the dungeon, Edmond escapes and goes to the Island,becomes quite affluent, buys the island and assumes the title of its Count and then envisages remarkable plans for avenging loss of his love and that of his father. (poor edmond's father dies of old age, waiting for his son's return). He goes to eastern countries and learns about their culture, their languages etc. Becomes a respected man in the society. Makes acquaintances with the most famous personalities and with the nobility. And succesfully takes his revenge. (how??? Well the story of revenge is quite big one. So I refrain from writing it here, even I cannot afford so much time. If I get time, I'll surely write it)

Anyway I can cite what happens finally to the characters:
Fernand commits suicide.
Mercedes (who marries fernand) and her son Albert relinquish their aristocratic life.
Caderousse is assassinated.
Edmond being noble hearted makes everyone happy and one day departs away secretly....with a message to one of his friend's son, i.e. "Wait and Hope".

Politics, Love, Ambition. Can you handle them all??

Recently I happened to watch this movie "Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi". Although I seldom take interest in politics and any damn thing related to it, I should say I liked this movie very much. To give an idea, this movie is based on the spirits of few young people during Indira Gandi's prime ministership in India( mostly during the emergency). Their dauntless enthusiam to bring about a revolution in India, given the fact that its an utterly corrupt political system and society. Everything in India during those times (and infact today!) was corrupt to its root, politicians used their powers for their own good. They were always interested in augmenting their power and wealth.

The thing I really liked was Siddarth's(Kay Kay Menon) and Geeta's (Chitrangda Singh) dedication to this revolution thing, to bring about a change in India. They infact spent most of their times in some reomte villages of Bihar, living there among Naxalites and bloody corrupt policemen. No matter what difficulties they went through, Siddarth was always for the revolution and this also inspired Geeta. I was nonplussed by their adherence to this social cause, they made great sacrifices just for this cause. They were to very small extent able to bring some changes in those villages But the point is great changes cannot be brought by a handful of people. you need a mass movement to bring any significant change in any society. This movie is really inspirational but I guess its impractical for the following reasons:

1) Common man cannot stand corrupt(and rich!) politicans and policemen. (Its a fact!!). Even in the movie Siddarth is the son of an Ex-Judge and his other friends whose parents are not any great person do not agree to go to villages in Bihar.

2) Political connections work everywhere. There is this rich guy Vikram (Shiney Ahuja) who always comes to the rescue of Siddarth and Geeta. Thats because he is rich and has deep political connections! Ironically Vikram himself would have been murdered by policemen had it not been for his father(who happened to be a politician) to arrive at time and rescue him.

3) These days its really difficult to find people who are really interested in bringing chage in society and nation. People are selfishly interested in their own future, their own ambitions and life. And its only through the power of youth that this nation can change. Even if the young people are ready their parents are not ready to deliberately push their child into a well!!

4) People are just not brave enough to sacrifice their life for the sake of their country!

Regardless of these things, Siddarth and Geeta were there to lay down their life for the sake of their nation inspite of the kind of sacrifices demanded and adversities encountered. The bottom line is that Siddarth and Geeta are exceptionally selfless and brave people and India needs such people to make great changes in its socio-political system. But the thing I most wonder is, do people like Siddarth and Geeta really exist today??

The Boxer

This is one of the best songs by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, one of my favourite bands..


I am just a poor boy and my storys seldom told
Ive squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest.

When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know

Asking only workmans wages, I come lookin for a job, but I get no offers
Just a comeon from the whores on 7th avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there

Now the years are rolling by me, they are rockin even me
I am older than I once was, and younger than Ill be, thats not unusual
No it isnt strange, after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same

And Im laying out my winter clothes, wishing I was gone, goin home
Where the new york city winters arent bleedin me, leadin me to go home

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains