I have been reading this extremely arbit book called "Cybergypsies" by Indra Sinha. Makes for an interesting reading. Read 100 pages yet, and something radical better happen or I'll quit reading it. So far it's only been a female sleeping with 3 men(at different times) on a roadtrip. It's mainly set in the pre-2000 internet world, when the phenomenon hadn't exactly exploded.
The internet just engulfed us so quickly!! Remember life 4 years ago. Communication was so different. Internet, email, etc were just some concepts you read in technical journals or science project exhibitions, and never thought about too much. And in just four years, the scene has changed so much. The net is now an essential component of life. Like electricity or plumbing. You take it for granted, as if it was always there. I don't remember the last time I wrote an inland or a postcard.
There is something about google I read a few days back. It does not give you the best sources for information, but it gives you the sources that the maximum number of people think are the best for information. How true. I realise the true import of this as I search for something on google, and on one of our library's online databases. Google may be OK for some trivial pursuits, but when it comes to hardcore researching, nothing like the database.
What follows is what happened a week ago, but am posting details about it now.
Our batch has been getting into trouble since we got here. The events have only worked to keep me away from the bottle for 20 more months. A guy got drunk at a saturday party before we got here and got lost in the huge campus. So he knocked on the first door he saw, which unfortunately turned out to be that of a Prof. He made a demand, punctuated with swear words of the North indian origin, to take him to the hostel he lived in. The proffy wasn't amused at all. He complained to the Diro, and fellow booted out!!
The PGP Chairman informed us about this and warned us not to repeat something like that. But lo and behold, next day, the Chairman walks in and says "there has been one more incident." My curiosity was piqued. Then he said-
"who went to Hazratganj...on...what was that date.."
I kept praying he wouldn't say 26th, since, as I posted on the blog before, we went to the Ganj on 26th.
"yes, today is 28th.,..so, yes, who went to Hazratganj on 26th??"
My heart sank. I kept wondering what wrong we committed. Maybe it was the blog about the bad coffee at Barista. Maybe it was because we went to the cathedral in spite of being hindus. Sunil and I looked at each other fearing the worst.
Suddenly, sunlight shone through the dark clouds as the Chairman continued.
"to have dinner at a hotel called Shanghai Surprise in the night??"
Ahh, big relief. We never went there. Twasn't me, twas someone else.
Anyway, some guys apparently went there, got drunk, and created a scene (there are rumours that someone threw chicken at the waiter) and were almost kicked out.
I am not a drinker. I intend not to drink, at least for the next two years. I don't want one night's silliness to waste all the hard work.
In fact, I was so surprised at our fresher's party in the hostel. The seniors asked who all don't drink, and almost 75% of the freshers raised hands.
Hence, the freshers party was quite enjoyable. Pizza in one hand and orange juice in another, watching the drunks make a fool of themselves. I may not drink, but I like watching drunks entertain the crowd.
Why don't I drink? I guess, one reason is, I don't like the taste of booze. Another is that I don't feel the need to 'get high' as some describe it. There is nothing missing, no craving, for which I should drink. Thirdly, I have seen the worst happen due to alcoholism, I have seen people lose control and lose respect in the eyes of others. I don't want to be carried home by taxi-drivers, I don't want to sit mumbling incoherently on a park bench. I want to remain in control 24 hours.
If that makes me a square, so be it. But it is my choice.
