Weekly Update #3

Dale Harding

So,the NITK chapter of rotaract club organizes a play every year,in the month of March.This time around,they’ve decided to do the play version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. So,there I was, auditioning for the role of a character in the play:Dale Harding.That explains this post’s title.

As someone who had neither read the book nor watched the Oscar-winning movie based on the book,which is about the different people in a psychiatric hospital,I had to rely on just the character description given to me.It described Dale Harding as being a man who is college educated and the most sensible of the lot.He is also the unofficial leader of the patients at the hospital until the main character,Randle McMurphy, arrives.And,he’s a closet homosexual.So far so good.I was auditioned by AM for the first round,which was a scene involving  just Harding and McMurphy,and he apparently found something good about my performance.I sure as hell didn’t.Anyway,I was called for second round of auditions,held the next day.For the second round,I had a different scene where I had to interact with other people playing other roles,such as that of the nurse and other patients.I didn’t do that well. Other people kept changing roles for successive takes of the same scene.And a lot of people took on the role of Harding,probably because he has very few lines and he is the most normal of the lot,easy to play.

While I was not at all good as Harding,with my delayed responses and relatively lower enthusiasm,I did notice the others trying to play him a little gay.It kinda felt wrong.I feel Harding is the sort of man who is covertly gay,not overtly.The novel is set in the early 1960s after all,when homosexuality was still considered to be a mental disorder.Also,some of the people were making Harding show strong,expressive displays of emotion.Harding is the unofficial leader of a group of people crazier than he is.In the midst of such a group,he would have to be a beacon of normality,someone who did not act out,did not display emotion so strongly.I still sucked though,even though I felt my interpretation of the character was good.

A dog found its way into the Mining Seminar Hall,where the second round of auditions were taking place,briefly disrupting the scene taking place.One of the girls,who was playing a nurse,was afraid of dogs and started moving away as soon as it came closer.It finally left,after sniffing around a bit,with its tail between its legs,just like I did.

Weekly Update #2

VSK

Woke up early on Monday

A little late on Tuesday

Took ill on Wednesday

A little better on Thursday

Still alive on Friday

Watched Masters of Sex on Saturday

Writing this shit on Sunday

Inspiration Courtesy: Solomon Grundy

Running post…in progress

#1:I’m trying something new here,so bear with me. This ‘running’ post is something I’m gonna be updating daily(fingers crossed),starting from today, until I’m satisfied that I’ve conveyed enough through this post.

I was surfing the net,earlier this week,checking out all kinds of stuff and wondering what I should blog about.That’s when I saw this quote by Gary Provost:

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals–sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

Which made me realize,it’s not what I blog about that matters.It’s how I go about doing it.Not sure if I’m doing that good a job but I have to keep trying.After all,you only get better at something by doing it.Repeatedly.

#2:I don’t like astrology much.However,people I know and love set much store by it.Major life decisions are not made without consulting an astrologer.That’s a major handicap,in my opinion.Think for yourself,people.Find out what you really want;don’t ask some crummy astrologer.

Sometimes, though,these astrologers turn out to be uncannily accurate.A relative of mine was told by an astrologer that if she traveled on a particular day,she would face an accident.To prove him wrong,she did travel and her bus met with an accident;she survived though,but with lasting damage.How does one explain this?

Weekly Update #1

How you doin’?

Well,I’ve decided that this is going to be a bi-weekly blog,with one post which is a weekly update and the other post on any topic I feel like writing about.Let’s start:

• Mon: College reopened.Course registration and stuff.Boring….until PN suggested that we watch Forrest Gump.Amazing movie,just loved it.STR doesn’t like it,the pessimistic prick!
• Tue: Missed SRH’s introductory class(He was introducing himself,not the subject).One course registration in the afternoon:KKP’s. Came back to Mangalore with STR, PN and SM.STR and SM did some boring purse shopping,footwear shopping.Also went to Reader’s Delight(Is that correct?) library on Light House Hill Road.Good collection of books.Finally(after an hour of goddamn shopping),we went to Ideal Ice Cream Parlour,Hampankatta..
• Wed:Had 2 classes in the morning.Powder Meta is gonna be great with RM as prof(Technically,he’s an ‘assistant’ lecturer).PN introduced me to Homeland in the afternoon.Amazing show! Claire Danes is extremely talented.
• Thu: 3 classes.Ceramics guy is Ok. Economics guy is good but irritates me with repeated use of the word ‘like’ and by expecting us to complete his ambiguous sentences.

• Fri:Just One Class.Economics.Interesting but very general,we still haven’t delved into the basics.He is good at fumbled rambling.Then,I watched Schindler’s List. Spielberg’s best movie,according to me,and definitely one of the best movies of all time.And I got 3 seasons of Homeland.Yay!

That’s all,folks!

p.s. Arvind Kejriwal is da man.