Mad World

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me
And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.

It's a mad mad world. Music comes to haunt me again. I am staring at the screen for no obvious reason. The opening piano is enough to take you away. Maybe its not the best song to hear to, but I still like the lyrics.

The dreams in which I am dying are the best I've ever had. Do you know how it feels like to die in your dreams? It's a feeling of complete helplessness. Quiet tears roll down your cheeks and they are very invisible. You would'nt want them to be visible either. It's so true that when you feel like that - its both funny and sad. I always give out a small laugh at such a time, telling myself - not again kiddo, we've been thru this before. It's sad cos it is. You can see those dreams haunting you over and over again. And no one sees them but you. No one understands why they will always be dreams but you. And then those dreams kill you, stab you, murder every inch of your soul. What do you do then? Turn your anger outwards and murder that person that carries that soul. Make him a complete fool.

And then you get shallower with each murder committed. And you cease to know the person that was once was you. Why is everyone running for something. But maybe this is not at all about others, its about your ownself and your own inability to transform your lucid dreams into something more real. But looking at them now, dreams look good as dreams, trying to grasp them is out of the question. Maybe cos all you will end up holding ur hand is air. It's just one life, and why does it all have to be so funnily complicated. Nothing is going to change and tomorrow will certainly come unless you have had enough of killing yourself each day. And maybe that day you would be somewhere better..........

Book Review : The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

bu Douglas Adams)
Have you ever had sleepless nights wondering whatever happened to all the ballpoint pens you had bought in the last few years. Well wait no more, cause this book brings you a quaint little theory on the matter. And even if didn't think about that, you ought to now.

This book doesn't need a review from me, but I am going to do it anyhow. It's funny how when you're not looking for something, you actually end up finding it. This is probably the most insanely funny book you would ever come across. And not just stupid humour, wittiest humour at its best. And that's what the book is essentially about. There is a plot, but that is not the main attraction of the story. There are some mind bogglingly lovable characters, some strange yet amazing new FACTS to emerge and of course the occasional hitchhikers guide on the way. In fact if you've ever wondered - why are we born? Why do we die? And why do we spend so much time in between wearing digital watches? then this is the book to read. Of course if you never wonder about anything then you're better off without reading this book, cause it may damage your brain cells.

The plot of the story is fairly simple enough for you to roll all over the ground. But the best thing about this book is the characters and the narration. So, lets take'em all one at a time.

Arthur Dent is the main earthling in question. On a thursday morning, on the third planet from the sun, his house is to be demolished to make way for a bypass. But as fate would have, that same thursday, the third planet from the sun was also to be demolished to make way for a hyperspatial expressway. Arthur turned out to be the only earthling to escape earth, besides Trillian ofcourse, who escaped much before the plot begins. When he finally realised that Earth was gone, he took the loss of his parents and sister nicely, but the loss of Nelson's Column and McDonalds was too much to bear and he passes out. But he's pretty smart for an average earthling.

Ford Prefect is an alien (ofcourse!!), and he is from around Betelguese, and has been stuck on earth for the last 15 years. He is a roving researcher for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which guarantees an impverished hitchhiker to see the marvels of the universe in less than thirty Altairian dollars. Ford doesnt get sarcasm, and he's pretty straight faced. But he is a good hitchhiker and knows the universe well. He is also a semi-cousin of Zaphod Beeblebrox. He tries valiantly to convince a vogon space guard not to throw them off the space ship and even teaches him Beethoven's fifth - da da da dum!!

Zaphod Beeblebrox is the current president of the Imperial Galactic Government, with absolutely no power. He also happens to be an adventurer, ex-hippie, good timer and a lot more. He also happens to have three hands and two heads. Zaphod's got style, and though he does have brains, he uses them rather sparingly. Zaphod steals the newest ship in the universe - the infinity drive powered, the Heart of Gold. And though is unaware of his purpose of stealing the ship at first, he is actually subconciously aware of the whole thing, which is actually not known to him or us. Trillian is often quite annoyed by Zaphod not bothering to think, and wanting someone else to do the job for him.

Trillian or Tricia McMillan, also happens to be from planet Earth. Actually at a flat in Islington, Arthur Dent was trying to get along with her and failing miserably, and Zaphod gate-crashed that same very party, and wooed away Trillian. And the two of them meet again, but in space, and only by a very very miniscule probability, the actual number of which also happened to be the telephone number of that Islington flat. Are our lives governed by telephone numbers or what!! She is fairly intelligent and beautiful, quite unlike Earthlings I suppose.

Ok, whats worse than a clinically, maniacally, irritably depressed and contemptous person? A clinically, maniacally, irritably depressed and contemptous robot. Yes thats Marvin, and a lot more too actually. He is definitely my favourite character of the book. Marvin is introduced into the story, when aboard the Heart of Gold Trillian asks him to bring the two aliens - Ford and Arthur to the bridge, to which the robot replies - I won't enjoy it!! Yes, everyone is quite flustered with him and his sensitivities. But he is quite cute really, and in the end he is the unlikely hero when after explaining his view on the universe, the enemy ship commits suicide!

There are lots of other minor characters in the story like Slartibartfast - the old planet developer who lives on the legendary planet Magrathea. He did design Norway on the original Earth. There is Prostenic Vogon Jeltz, the captain of the Vogon ship that destroy's Earth. He tortures Arthur and Ford with Vogon poetry, which is the third worst in the universe. And Deep Thought, the "second-best" computer who comes up with the answer to life, universe and everything as 42. His suggestion to the answer seekers is to find the right question first. There is Benjy and Franky mouse, two of the mice researchers on Earth, searching for the ultimate question. They escaped Earth along with Trillian and manipulated her to reach Magrathea. But the star minor character has to be Veet Voojagig, the quiet young academically brilliant student at the university of Maximegalon, who one night after drinking Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters with Zaphod becomes obsessed with the problem of what happened to all the ball point pens he had lost in the last few years. To listen to his theory you gotta read the book.

The whole book is filled with memorable lines. Some of the best, I am quoting right here :

"On this particular thursday, something was moving quietly through the ionosphere many miles above the surface of the planet; several somethings in fact, several dozen huge yellow chunky slablike somethings..."

"The ships hung in the sky in much the same way as bricks don't."

"He had found a NutriMatic machine which had provided him with a plastic cup filled with a liquid that was almost, but not quite entirely unlike tea."

"Er...., said the guard, er....er.....I dunno. I think I just sort of.... do it really. My aunt said that spaceship guard was a good career for a young Vogon, you know the uniform, the low-slung stun ray, the mindless tedium..."

"Sorry did I say something wrong? said Marvin, dragging himself on regardless. Pardon me for breathing which I never do so I don't know why I bother to say it, oh God, I'm so depressed. Here's another one of those self-satisfied doors. Life! Don't talk to me about life."


So, all in all you gotta read this book. Cause your life would'nt make nonsense without it. I would give it a 4.9 outta 5 anyday. ANd 0.1 docked only cos I wish it was longer than what it was. So, get hitchhiker's and p.s. - don't forget to bring a towel!!