Buying and owning a mac

For all those who know me and my brother know us to be crazy about the Mac, Apple and all things Steve Jobs (this may well change after reading iCon sent to me by my brother). We had collectively corned, cajoled and pushed would be converts into buying macs at every opportunity that we got. We were so fervent that people often wondered if we were on the take from Apple. But I think we successfully shrugged off that accusation and settled with "just plain loons".

I had never spent more than $600 ever for a laptop. All of mine were stupid Toshibas and Compaqs and all based on that silly excuse for an operating system, Windows. So when I made the momentous decision to spend my hard-earned money on a dual core intel based MacBook Pro, I was extremely excited about it as you can well understand. But I had finally reached the saturation point after having wanted one so badly for so long. And the fact that I was going for the best of the best computers out there was even more thrilling.

But I don't think Steve and the rest of the gang at Apple knew about my love for the company. Because buying the computer was when I touched skin to skin with Apple. Before that it was just infatuation. They seemed to have built that computer to look good from afar but it was a whole another story when I started using it.

My first computer got so hot that I could make an omlette right on top. And no matter how I tried to convince myself, I couldn't convince myself that the all knowing Apple would design a computer with a hot plate built right in to keep your food warm. My first impression was "Hmm, novel idea but completely impractical..." So I called Apple Tech Support to inquire about the heat and whether it was normal. The first person to answer my call was completely evading the issue by saying "No it's within spec and it's really because the newer processors we are 'providing' you with are so fast and because of that they tend to get really hot. And therefore the bottom of the computer gets really hot." I have three problems with that statement - one, they're not doing me a favor by giving me a super fast computer. I paid for it. Two, it's not the freaking bottom of the computer I am talking about, its the damn keyboard! And three, I don't care to know why it's giving off so much heat. Knowing the reason will not let me fingers cool off magically.

So when I emphasized that it was not the bottom and that the temperature was really high, they put me to the second line of support - the super geniuses. This guy came on the phone and started off with a bunch of questions, some of which were really frightening and disturbing. Things like "Did you suffer any burns? Did anything around the area burn? Did you notice sparks coming out of the computer?" Jesus Christ! No, but are you telling me that there IS such a possibility? And then I saw the video of the iBook that caught fire! And it all made sense!

Apparently Apple has stopped making laptops! Did you know that? So I asked the tech person on the phone what those things they were advertising was and he informed me that it was a 'portable' computer. Hmmm. Does it sound like someone is trying to hide behind some legalese? I THINK so! And it's true, you can go to Apples website and see that there is no mention of a laptop anywhere on the site. And it's a mistake to even think of doing so as I have seen rumors about constant exposure to heat in the groin region causing men to become sterile!

So I take this computer back to the store where I bought it and quickly enough got an exchange. But she had also mysteriously never heard of anyone having any heat trouble with the Macbook Pro which was surprising to me because their own website has so many reports of it and across the web there are forums after forums with users complaining of heat coming from the computers. The users also had planned a massive coordinated attack on Apple's support department by making all the calls related to heating issues on June 20th. So how was it that this store manager had never heard about it? Hmmmm!

It was not long before I was back in the store asking for an exchange once again. This time it was the heat, the noise coming from the keyboard area, and the wireless connectivity dropping every now and then. Tech support wondered whether it was a loud noise or a soft noise and whether it was becoming louder when you turn up the brightness of the screen. And does it stop when you turn on 'PhotoBooth'? It's funny, it DOES stop when you turn on PhotoBooth or are using the built-in camera? Hmmm. Apparently they had logic board issues on all early edition Macbook Pro's until week 12 of production.

So I got my exchange and this time I got a computer produced in week 14. Same problem, so went back, got the exchange but was warned by the manager that I shouldn't come back for an exchange with the same problems. What did she want me to do cook up some new ones? Apparently she couldn't guarantee that the computer I had in my hand was not going to have the same issues but wanted to guarantee herself that I wasn't going to go back there with the same issue.

For those of you who have actually read all these lines above, you know what's going to happen next - yes, the computer had the same problems. So I called in this time frustrated that I was not getting a quality computer for the amount I paid and I refused to travel an hour each way to Delaware where I bought the computer. Why not some local Apple store you ask - well you see Apple's good with the creative stuff but when it comes to Accounting, they have no idea. They won't simply process a computer as a return/exchange, they will mark the original computer as a return, but will actually SELL the replacement computer. And you know when you sell something you are taxed for it right? But maybe it's that Apple's not being dumb about numbers but are actually being extra creative here and skimming something in such transactions. But who knows. Hmmm. My only problem with the whole thing is that it is being done at my cost.

Anyway, I mailed this one and they were good enough to send me back another computer by mail. This time they upgraded my memory too. But the whole thing took three days longer than was promised by the manager. However, I think the exchange wouldn't have happened if I was actually in the store. If that manager saw me there again, she probably would have chased me out the door.

Take a break here if you want to because we are at computer #4 and it's only the middle of the story!

Back from the break - so when this computer also caused problems, I decided that it was time to stop with the Macbook Pro's and switch to plastic non-conductive Macbooks. As I didn't really need the power being offered, I decided this would be a good decision. Also I hadn't seen any reports of these computers having problems. So I decided this was a good decision. But hey, what do I know right?

I have now been through three macbooks and am on the fourth. Two of them had high heat and a clicking sound coming because a fan motor was getting stuck or something, one started scratching the CD's I put in and the third had an even worse symptom - it started drawing colored vertical lines on the screen when I started the computer. Hey don't get me wrong, I appreciate art, and this one was apparently original too as no one had programed it to do that, but I need my computer to also fetch my email you know. So with a sigh I had to go back to the store to return it and get it exchanged.

I am now sitting here with my latest Macbook - portable computer #8. I am extremely frightened about what may cause this to break and have turned the AC on high just so as to keep it cool. But this computer also is causing enough heat on the left part of the keyboard to feel discomfort. But I have resigned to the fact that this will be the mac I keep. However I will never refer anyone ever to a mac again.

I know this blog is going to get lost and people will begin to think that I am but one single case as the rest are happy. But I'd like to mention that I have had the experience of 8 laptops, er, portables and have been a mac fan for the longest time and that I run a software company, and that I am providing an educated, unbiased, opinion. I have exprienced the tech support people, some were nice some ridiculed me and blamed me for making their computers hot. Some managers told me not to go back to the store, some looked at the number of times I had exchanged computers and looked at me with accusing eyes and treated me like I was there to thieve from them. I have seen the improper accounting practices in these stores. I have seen the buying experience in five stores total and I have THEN formed an opinion. I don't think it gets any more thorough than this. Don't buy a Mac portable. The desktops are fine and the OS is something so cool it blows Windows away.

Religious cries, name changes and the good old days

India is a land that has experienced invasions one after another. It has been one conqueror after another that has come to India in search of natural wealth, treasure and a place to live. This may not be news to any one of you, but I'd like to bring to view India's chronology. You may find this fascinating and surprising.

It began with the settling of the Indus Valley about 3000 B.C.E. This civilization flourished for about a 1000 years after which it was invaded by an Aryan race in approximately 2000 B.C.E. These civilizations moved further east and south towards the Ganges plains where these Indo-Aryan races met with the original inhabitants - the Dravidians and possibly another civilization called the Mundas. The birth of the Vedas, Upanishads and eventually Hinduism and the assimilation of the Dravidian culture into the Aryan culture took place there. It is possible that the cast system was also born during this time to segregate the Aryan race (brahmans) from the Dravidian (sudras) which as you all know took a life of its own later on. But back to the invasions thing. Alexander came to India around 327 B.C.E., then came the Kushans (1 C.E.), the Huns (5 C.E.), the Mughals (712 C.E.) and the Mongols (1221 C.E.). The Persian Zoroastrians, came to India around 10 C.E. fleeing religious persecution in Persia. And just so that they shouldn't miss the party which everyone was invited to, the Portugese, the French and the British came around the late 17th century. The rest of the story you guys all know.

So is it any wonder I ask, that today, when you look around you in India you find people who look so different from you? I have been to a club in San Francisco and hit on an East Asian looking girl only to learn that she spoke Kanada and is from Bangalore! I have seen women with blue eyes, green eyes and some have light brown eyes and not just the ones that wear contacts mind you. I have seen skin colors that are just white, pinkish white, light brown, dark brown and black. I have seen straight hair, curly hair and frizzy hair. Mind you that I have noticed all of these things just amongst my Indian friends, and not across different races! In fact, there are 4,635 anthropologically well defined populations in India, incuding Mongoloids, Australoids and Caucasians, of which 72 are from a primitive population.

So it's easy to see that all of these invasions have, over these great amounts of time, assimilated people and cultures into our own. Even our religions, Hinduism in particular is an example of this nature of our country. The religion has assimilated Gods of every kind so that everyone can identify themselves within it. Much like the Romans who invented equivalent Gods of their own so that the conquered Greek would adapt to it (for example, the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite, is the Roman Venus), Hinduism also had an assimilating mechanism that made all the Gods of all the sub-cultures that it came by, a part of the greater Hinduism and thus brought everyone under a unified religion. That's why you find white Gods with blue eyes like Indra, Vishnu and Brahma as well as dark Gods like Krishna, Shiva and Rama (no, they weren't "blue", that's just the PC way of saying they were dark) and you find an explanation for all their existences through a convenient mechanism called 'avataars'.

This has been happening over such a long time, that the definition of who "we" are today is a blurry one now. Many of the invaders didn't come to plunder and loot alone, they settled here and made this their home as well. They have built, contributed their knowledge, art, literature and language to the greater society, bred and included themselves in our gene pool. So when people in India make efforts to get rid of the "outsiders" I wonder who they are talking about. When they make efforts to remove all traces of external influence by changing the names of our cities to 'Mumbai', 'Chennai' and 'Bendakalooru', I wonder what they are talking about. When they say that they would like to break down the Babri Masjid and revert back to the 'original' state, I wonder how far back they want to go in time.

India today is an assimilated mixture of everything that has happened to it over the very long time it has taken. We are a people of multiple influences. And it has served us well. From the art and culture brought in by persians and mughals we have monuments today like the Taj Mahal. Through the religions they brought including Islam, Christianity as well as the indigenous religions like Buddhism and Jainism, the persecution of the untouchables, who converted at the drop of a hat, greatly reduced. Through the fact that we traded with them, we have the railroads that traverse India and also the mastery of the English language which we all know has had such a tremendous positive influence on our society today. Moreover, Bangalore, which was initially a British Cantonment, and India's hotspot for all things IT, completely owes it's birth to the British. And because of the genetic diversity available in one location, India is going to be the epicenter of clinical research for medical companies in the future. We owe all of the good fortune we enjoy today to the past that made us.

And we're never going to enjoy the fruit of our past if we keep bickering over whose land this belongs to and who we should get rid of from our land. The only logical point in time when we can draw the line and agree to as the starting point is the time of the birth of our nation, 1947. What happened before we should just consider it as our glorious past and not try to rectify it. We don't need to relive another Ram Janm Bhoomi/Babri Masjid issue ever again. It doesn't make sense.

The Bastard

Born of Mother Earth, the Bastard walked her surface trying to search for his father.

With no one to look to for support, and no one to answer his queries, the Bastard had become overly curious about his existence. He wanted to know who his father was. Who was it that had played the critical role in his birth? Whose sperm was it that had raped his mother’s womb and and burst forth an abortion such as him out onto her bosom? Who had committed the unforgivable sin and summoned his life into existence against his will, against every last ounce of effort in him?

Was he the blue heaven? Was he the green sea? Was he the red sun? Were they all involved in this criminal conspiracy? What were their reasons? Was he an accident? Was he the evidence of a crime? Or worse still, an experiment designed to appease their senses of curiosity?

“Let’s see what he does.”

“Let’s see how he walks around aimlessly.”

“Let’s see how he tears his eye out of his skull trying to find the answer to ‘Why’”

Golf Movie

This is another installment of movies that I will be producing in order to enhance my skills with video editing/direction/production. For those of you who saw the previous movies, you will see a definite improvement over the previous one, primarily in the editing - look at the flow between shots and the overall tempo of the movie. And to give credit where it's due, 2/3 of the used footage was shot by Gauri - look at the amazing action shot of the ball being struck. Let me know your thoughts on this movie, both the good parts and the parts where I can improve.

[Broadband] http://www.redd.in/sharan/GolfMovie%20CD.mov
[Narrowband] http://www.redd.in/sharan/GolfMovie.mov

As for upcoming features, I am presently working on a movie that I hope to shoot this weekend. That will be a bigger production effort than these "home movies". Look for it at your closest theater.... :)

Adios.

Credit and Maturity

I was talking to Sriram the other day over lunch about this concept and it occurred to me that the concept is valid and worth a mention here. Later on I was reading the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and it added more support to my argument.

As it goes, one of the definitions that describe a 'mature' person is his or her ability to accept a greater delayed gratification over a lesser immediate gratification. In other words, immature people are far more inclined to making impulsive decisions than the mature. I feel that this concept is valid because it highlights the age-defying principles that say that you should work for your rewards and that's the only way you will appreciate it.

But in today's society, something quite contrary is taking place and taking place in a huge manner - the whole credit cards and credit in general. It's allowing people to act impulsively and thereby immaturely and get suckered into the "buy now, pay later" principle. It's inducing whole generations to behave more childishly. It's not surprising then that there are so many of us in the US and soon to be in India are drowing in debt caused by expenses incurred without careful thought and consideration and greatly aided by things like credit cards. What "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" was saying was also simple - spend what you can within the limit of your earnings, which to me is just plain common sense, but this thought seems radical to many today.

I think all of us should also take into consideration this fact and prevent ourselves from buying things excessively on credit. Things like iPods, computers, phones, etc. - the non-essentials are first rate candidates for not buying on credit. Regarding buying a house, a car, etc. I would suggest that you read the book first. I have it if anyone wants to borrow it.

Your thoughts?

Music Genome Project

Hey guys, check out this site. It defines the kind of music you like in an objective manner. I never wondered that it would be possible, but this is pretty cool.

http://www.pandora.com

Religions and the roles they play

I have had this theory for a long time about the purpose of religion and the existence of the concept of God. I wanted to put my thoughts down in words in order to gain clarity for myself and to explain my point of view to others. You may agree with me or completely find my theories ridiculous. Nonetheless, I ask you to contribute your views on the subject.

Man's edge over other mammals was his ability to think and reason. As soon as he gained this ability, he used it to question everything around him, to understand the world better, to gain control over it. He understood the role the animals and plants around him played in the nourishment and wellness of his family. And once he learnt the art of agriculture and moved away from the hunter-gatherer form of existence, he understood the role that the winds and rains and the earth played in his life. The more he understood of the role these entities played in his life, the more he revered and respected them. Concurrently he also made the move of seeing them as individual entities i.e. the animals, trees, winds, etc. to looking at them in a single form - nature.

The more he learnt about the role nature played in his life, the more he revered it. And in approximately 2500 B.C.E. he even made efforts to anthropomorphize nature by giving it a human form and names like 'Pashupathi' (a god of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization known to be the predecessor of 'Shiva'). This was a good strategy because it allowed everyone in the society to put a 'face' to the things that influenced them, the things they depended upon for food, clothing, medicines and basic survival. Further, by having ascribed human characteristics to nature, they were now able to understand the acts of nature in terms of the characteristics of a person. For instance if there was thundering and lightening, a very frightening event for children, their parents were able to simply explain to them saying that Pashupathi was angry at something. Or, if there was a drought, famine or disease, Pashupathi was punishing them. And in times of plenty, Pashupathi was happy with them.

On an unconscious level, by ascribing human characteristics, the people also had began to believe that it was possible to influence Pashupathi to change his ways, that it was possible for them to ask in a particular way and make him do things that were in their favor. So great was man's need to influence everything around him (he had learnt farming and to make plants grow according to his needs , domesticated animals and made them do his laborious tasks and built houses and learnt to control the weather) that he delved into it trying to figure out how this was possible. After understanding something, we try to control it - it's very basic human nature, it's in our blood.

So just as one would rationalize with another human, man began to request Pashupathi for favors in the form of simple requests, but as man was experimenting this idea, it might have evolved to requests placed in solitude and in full concentration (today's prayers). A chance occurance where a prayer was requested and the prayer was "answered" might have sparked off a wide-spread belief in it - to find the logic behind it, think of the greatest legal scam on earth - the lottery or a casino. And when it didn't work, it was rationalized with "you're not doing it correctly", or "you're not doing it with enough faith", or "you have to ask it with a pure heart", all of which were reasonable explanations to the lesser evolved minds of the time.

The concept grew further and further with the help of 'specialists' until the priests had an esoteric solution to every conceivable problem that man could face. The prayers also became specific, for instance, if you were not able to conceive a child, you were to do a set of tasks (however helpful or not they were) and your problem would be solved.

Though science grew side-by-side and began to explain things within the realms of understanding, there were ample unknowns that remained, and still remains even to this day. It is therefore not surprising that we still 'believe'.

I'm sorry that this has such a 'plausible' feel to it rather than being based on facts. I believe it is only by theorizing that we can gain a direction to research and find the facts. It's much harder to do when you have no direction. Anyway, it is a logical progression in my mind. Please post your thoughts and comments.

Bijli

With the caveat that I got 53% in my 10th Standard Hindi exam (the year that my school had a record number of students scoring more than 90% in Hindi), and that only I get my jokes (fortunate, that), here is Ustaad's next adventure:






Har izzeddaar shayar ke jaise Ustaad bhi side mein kuch lafda chala rahe the. Bijli naam ki ek ladki ke saat. Bijli ek izzeddaar ladki thi, jo izzeddaar ladkiyon ke tarah kisi izzeddaar aadmi se kab ki ek izzat ki shaadi kar leti, par uske sar par ek badthi bald spot ne us naubat ko goli maarke rakkha tha. Woh jabbhi haircut karwane ko jaathi tho naai pocchthi, “Kya bolte hai aap, aapke taangon se kaatke, kuch baal aapke sar par chipka doon?” Naai ko tip nahin milta, par woh is nazaaren ko dekhna kaafi samajthe the.

Ustaad andhe nahin the. Par unko pata nahin tha. Bijli, kayeen saalon ke experience se apne sar ke peeche ki bald spot ko chupaane mein kaafi maahir ho gayi thee. Waise dekhe tho, Ustaad ke begum ke baaju koi langdi, kaane ya lulli bhi chaand ke tukde lagne lage, par Bijli utni bhi gayi guzri nahin thi. Waqai, Ustaad Bijli par marte the, aur lambi, lambi prem ke kavita uske naam likha karte.

Bijli in cheejon se kaafi khush thee, par woh apni haisiyat se khush nahin thi. Jab bhi Ustaad jasoos bhainson se jaan bachake Bijli ko visit karte, woh us shyaam mein ek na ek baar shaadi ki baat ko ched dethi.

“Aji, kya bolte hai aap? Hamaari shaadi kab hogi?” Bijli poochthi, bed par lete, ek gulaabi chudidaar pehne. Usko apne badti bald spot ki phikar thi; na jaane kab band kabootar gutur-goon karne lag jaaye?

Ustaad unko kuch doobe doobe, surme waale aankhon se dekhthe, aur “Haan haan, jaldi!” bolke chup ho jaate. Apne talaak – aur subsequent maut – ke baare mein sochthe. Unko Bijli ki badthi bald spot ki koi phikar nahin thi.

“Such?” Bijli khush ho kar poochthi. Usko unke maut ki koi phikar nahin thi.


Ek din yeh baar baar poochna aur baar baar jhoot bolna Ustaad ke seeme se baahar ho gaya. Ustaad Bijli ko dekhe, aur pyaar se pooche “Ek kavita likha hoon, sunegi?”

Pyaar se Bijli boli, “Nahin”.

Ustaad us nahin ko haan samajhke apni dil ki baat keh daali:

“Labzon se bole nahin jaate,
Dil ke har baat,
Aankhon se nahin nikalte,
Dil ke har aansoon.

Majboori is duniya ki reet hai,
Preet, is dil ki khwaaish,
Shaadi Moti se ho chuki hai,
Pyaar tumse hai naajaayiz.

Hataana chahta hoon main is naqaab,
Hakikat mein chahta hoon main jeena,
Chutkaara chahta hoon shaadi se memsaahb,
Milegi chutkaara sirf zindagi se, tum dekhna.

Rangeen ho jayenge uske haat,
Pairon se thod degi mera dil,
Bikhar jaayegi meri ruuh,
Tadpedi (ruuh) qayamat aane till.

Manzoor hota mujhe yeh taqdeer bhi,
Agar utne mein chodthi mujhe woh Moti,
Dafnane ke baad nachegi woh kabr par,
Baynd baaja bulaake woh bhi!

Pyaar kiya hai tumhi se,
Par samjho meri majbooriyan,
Pyaar karoonga main tumhi se,
Par rakhon doori darmiyaan!”

Bijli yeh kavita sunte hee phoot phoot kar rone lagi. Woh melodramatic tarah se cheekne chillane bhi lagi: “Nahin! Taqdeer mujhe phir se dhokha nahin de sakti!” Ustaad usko nihaare aur namr swar me bole “Abbe, kyoon nahin?” Bijli unko nihaari aur aankh baboola ho gayi. Ustaad yeh sab signs ko achchi tarah pehchaante the, aur jaldi se Bijli ke ghar se bhaag gaye.

Ustaad beech sadak mein apne pyjama uthaake bhaag hee rahe the jab “THAP!” karke do darzan tamaatar unke sar par aa gire.

Is the stigma justified?

The question began simply, "Would you partake in having sex with someone other than your spouse while remaining completely within your relationship with him or her?" The answer most often received was, "Obviously not, my boyfriend [girlfriend] is my only lover and I have no intentions of having it any other way! ...How would that be possible anyway?"

Sex might have began as that instinctive special act of procreation that we indulged in as mammals. But the minute man invented the condom, it was clear that this was an act that we simply didn't want to restrict for procreation. In today's society it is far more widespread. People indulge in it all the time and at many times just socially with someone we might have not known for very long. However there is a social stigma attached to this. This act is only meant to be performed with someone who you are married to, seriously committed to or atleast thinking about serious committment with. Everything else is taboo.

If such 'laws' are adhered to, it could leave persons who are dissatisfied with their spouse's sexual nature disgruntled and frustrated. And what's worse, they might love each other for everything else but this one quality but might sometimes be forced to end the relationship because of its inexclusivity.

Man is a social animal. The advantage for any animal including man, to exist as a group are many, but one of the biggest drawbacks is the speed with which any fatal disease can wipe out the entire group. Sexually transmitted disease has been top on the list for a very long time. Since the desire to procreate and propogate the species is so intense, this disease was sure to claim every adult in the group. This has existed in chimpanzee colonies as well as in humans.

When this was recognized by humans, we took steps to control the spreading of such diseases within our groups by instituting marriages and other such binds which required a couple to practice sex only between themselves and no other. This ensured the continuance of large groups as well as the localizing of the spread of any sexually transmitted disease. Along with the institution of marriages, we got rid of our prostitutes - the women who civilizations has known by many names including mistresses, harlots, vaishya's and concubines. These women were revered, considered of high status, and commanded considerable power and respect in society. But today they are considered with such disregard and are outlawed in many countries around the world.

But the world is so very different from those times. Medicine has progressed so much and we now have the benefit of contraception (if used correctly) and abortion (if used incorrectly). So if one were to propose that sex be treated as a simple activity just like playing sports, participating in debates or even playing computer games, it wouldn't be such an outlandish idea because we have the tools necessary to make this a safe possibility. And going further, if groups of people were to engage in this act together, there is the greater benefit of people staying within relationships even if the sex isn't good enough.

There are however implementation issues apart from the social stigma attached to such behavior. There is the emotional aspects that need to be taken care of as was observed by Kinsey in his revolutionary report on the subject. But in theory, if couples were to choose their partners carefully, for instance choosing other couples who they both cared about as much, it might be possible to instill this concept without adverse effects. And then again this lifestyle is not meant for everyone, just the ones who would like it.

Anyway, this is just a theory. What's your opinions on the subject?

These women that mess with our minds

The two of them were sitting on their evening bench as usual watching the birds, the water and the sunset, not in any particular order of priority. She wore her favorite skirt, the one that bothered him every time she wore it. "Honey it looks great as long as it is in the closet!" he had said in the manner Ford had spoken about his Model T's. Both had been wrong and she knew it. She therefore never acknowledged that statement even with a grunt for a response. This was their usual reprieve from the everyday bustle that they indulged in as one would in a hobby of some sort and she felt it reasonable to spend it comfortably.

On the surface anyone who knew them individually would never expect them to be a couple. But when they were together, everyone agreed that they were as inseperable as neodymium magnets - that is, everyone who knew what neodymium magnets were. They spoke different languages, but they had been successful in building their tower of Babel.

She started giggling in the midst of the flight of a few pigeons across the orange sky in front of them. Sensing a delightful conversation in the making, he turned a smile and then his head toward her asking her to let him into that delightful and convoluted world in her head that only he had been successful in mapping out. She continued to giggle and now she shrugged her shoulders and leaned forward a little while attempting to cover her giggle with one hand indicating that even though she wanted to tell him what she had been thinking about she would be embarassed about it. He continued to look at her in his relaxed posture and then smiled inquiringly, prodding her to go on and tell him. In part he was reminding her about their promise to each other to never hide any thoughts no matter what it was.

"Nooo! Hehehe!", she said.

"What is it sweetie? Tell me..."

"Noooo, I don't know if I should. Hehe!"

"Why, what is it?" He asked while not prodding her too much - an effort that he was still hoping would result in her doing the same towards him. Their promise of unbriddled, uncensored, honest, open communication between them had cost him the most in terms of efforts made to change. His method of dealing with situations was to take off for a little, clear his head, think the situation through and then rejoin her - he needed his space from time to time. She was the type of person who wanted to solve issues by talking it out and discussing every one of the details with him - she believed that they were two different bodies only because she didn't have anything to say about it when they were being made!

"No, do you remember our argument yesterday?" she asked.

"Uh huh...", he affirmed.

"No you took so long to tell me what was bothering you so much. I had to beg you so much before you would tell me.", she seemed to complain.

"Yeah, but that's how I deal with things. Don't you think I should have some space of my own every now and then?" He demanded, while simultaneously feeling proud of his 'very masculine' behavior trait. The idea of 'Brutus the stoic' came back to his mind from his high school days.

"Yeah, that's what I was finding very funny!" she answered.

He just screwed up his face requesting an explanation as he didn't understand what on earth was so funny.

"Hehehe!" Was all she offered.

"No, what was so funny?"

"Hehe! But I don't think I should tell you!" she said coyly. This would take some more begging on his behalf.

Anticipating this he replied, "No, please tell me"

"Hehe, no, I really don't think I should", she said.

"No seriously, don't worry about it. Just tell me." He assured her.

"Hmmmm, I most probably shouldn't.", she persisted.

"Okay, fine then, I don't want to know," this was the final call, you either boarded the train now or headed back home. He also knew fully well that she absolutely wouldn't fall for this reverse psychology trick. She had seen this before. She would just totally ignore that statement.

As if on queue, she carried on nonchalant, "If you promise me that you will not use this information or change your behavior after listening to this, I will tell you."

"Hahaha! You're ridiculous! You're laying down terms and conditions for me when I don't even want to know!" He said trying to provide his previous statement some credibility, failing miserably.

"NO! But I HAVE to tell you. Remember our promise - we have to tell each other EVERYTHING." She continued relentlessly.

"No, it's fine by me. I don't mind. Let's not tell each other everything." he said making yet another attempt to gain his own space.

"No, I HAVE to tell you, but you HAVE to promise me that you won't let this affect you in any way!" she shot his attempt down like a champion skeet shooter. Bam! Poof!

This was the last round. She knew she had him. She made a puppy dog face and looked up at him through those big hazel eyes.

"Hahahaha! SWEETIE! Fine, I won't change my behavior. Just tell me."

"But you have to say the words 'I promise...'", she demanded further. This wasn't going to float well with him.

"No, I don't have to say the words. I said I won't change my behavior, that itself qualifies as a promise from me." he said with an ever widening chest, basking in the sunlight of masculinity.

"Okay, so you remember yesterday's thing right..." she said moving closer to him. She cuddled up with him, put her head on his chest, and hugged him with both her hands. He put one arm around her. She continued, "You said you didn't want to talk about it, but you rally want to tell me, but your sense of 'manhood' gets in your way. That's why you wait until I ask you so many times right?"

She clung on harder while he struggled to get free.