I Hate taxis but Paris, je t'aime!

The title is quite contrary to the earlier blog, but its true, I love taxis when I am inside but I hate them when I am outside, specially when I am in my bike. In Paris, the bikes share their lane with Taxis and Bus. The buses are ok, its not so frequent, but the taxis are really annoying... Specially with my latest enlightenment " Early to bed and early to raise make a person healthy and wise" ! I started trying this short cut method to become wise and ended up getting early, and started going to lab early around 9 am, instead of my usual time , 11.30. Oops! Biking in the peak hour, and specially I have to cross two big round about (junction of 6 roads) with millions of taxis in my lane, I was almost killed by a taxis yesterday. Hey! Taxis!!, I wrote a nice blog about your bravery. please be nice to me!
Also, it was my second anniversary yesterday, I was married to Paris exactly two years ago on the very same day, inspite of small difficulties I face with Paris, I can still say Paris, je t'aime, wholeheartedly. I guess I will spend another one and half years with Paris, and lets see which country I fall in love after that.

Taxis Parisian...

We know that the French are proud of their bread,cheese and wine, but recently I got to know that they are proud of their taxis too. The Parisinan taxis played an important role during the first world war, "Miracle of the Marne" (1914), when the German troops invaded Paris, the french transported 6000 soldiers in 600 taxis to the banks of Marne. so taxis de la Marne is proudly called as the scared union by the french it seems. People also crack joke on this incident,saying that's the only time the Paris taxis were made to go in the direction that we wanted to go. Well ! I didn't have much problems with Paris taxis, sometimes they get annoyed with my accent, while giving directions, but I also had some interesting raids, seeing a foreigner they are always very curious to know more. Exactly one year back on this day (I remember well because it was on the Valentin's day's eve) I put a taxi driver into tears with a very sentimental story, and ended up having a free raid. (well! I just gave some tips) I love having such 'small talks'..which I miss a lot in France because of the language problems..once in a while I get some good english speaking drivers. This weekend, Me and Micha were returning from a party in a taxi, after leaving Micha at his home, I continued in the same taxi, and when I started giving directions I ended up in a conversation with the driver...

Me: dernière a gauche, S'il Vous Plaît! (last left, Please!)
Driver : So...you speak French..!
Me: Just a little! but you speak good English!
Driver: Thank you! What do you do in Paris?
Me: I am doing my PhD in Biology in ENS.
Driver: ENS!!! oh! you should be intelligent!
Me: Well..Not..Ex.!!!(he interrupted)
Driver: I have a doubt in Biology, Lets see if you can clear it!
Me: oops ! I am in trouble (to myself)
Driver : During fertilization among millions of sperms, how does egg select just one!
Me: All Biologist don't work on Eggs and Sperms (to myself) May be the strongest one gets selected!
Driver: But How???
Me:!!??? May be by some chemical signals!
Driver : so, you don't know exactly how it happens!
Me: Thank god! (to myself) Right here please!..that's my house! (Gave him the fare)
Driver : Thank you! But!....
Beeeeeeep! (Horn sound from a car behind)
Me: Oops! I think we are blocking the traffic, so, to be short I think.... " The Humans struggle for existence and survival of the fittest" starts right from when we were still a single cell"
Driver : Hmmm! Yeah...!
Me: Merci! au revoir ! bonsoir ! (Thank God ! He is not my external examiner!)
Note: Thats image of the taxi used by army, which now in musee de l'armee!

Close to my heart...

For many centuries across many cultures, the poets and scholars have always used Heart to symbolize love, emotions and for deep desire. Even in religion and spiritual things we hear people saying “pure / evil heart” etc. But the modern science so far has seen it only as an organ to pump blood. Recently I was following few of the mind shock documentaries in youtube. Last week I saw this amazing but highly controversial documentary on heart transplantation, which talks about people acquiring some unique memories and some passions, which were ‘close to the heart’ of donors. Hmmm! Interesting isn’t? So, what will happen to the person who receives my heart? May be he will end up being a talkative, crazy eater?

Doubting Thomas....

What are Diatoms? Why are you studying the Genome of Diatoms? I asked these questions five years back to a person, and the answers were so convincing that I am doing the same today. Yeah! Me and Anton started working together on Diatoms, five years back when I was still in India, more than 100s of questions, 1000s of mails and my first three scientific publications….believe me that’s all happened even we before seeing each other in photograph. My stilly doubts and questions took an another step of intensity, when I landed in Paris, exactly two years back, Anton came to receive me in airport and took me around and introduced me to Paris, Snow, My Lab, French wine and the French food. I attacked him with questions as a bunch of arrows, how does metro work? How to buy the tickets? How does automated laundry work? Which is the best place to Jog? From such simple questions to some really complicated questions like “what is one night stand? What sorts of people do that? Etc..etc.. Last week was his last week in Paris, my questions and discussions I had with him was more intensive than ever, my Illusionist, reality and myth were all the outcome of my silly doubts and his enlightening explanations. Check out these pictures taken on my day of arrival on a snowy February evening and yesterday on the day of his departure on a gloomy February evening. You can understand what silly questions can do to a person..yeah..I was driving him crazy..…and he was enlightening me.....well! I wish he was here to read this blog and give his opinion...Anyways...He can do it from Barcelona…Right? Ok..Let me check if he is on Skype and ask him “if he likes this blog? “. Anton! You just cant escape from my questions.

Little Mr.Sunshine!

What a gloomy weather!!!...cloudy weather threatened me from taking my bike out! When will my desk, the plants on them, me and my little kitten on my table will get Mr.Sunshine back? when will I see my desk filled with light as in this summer photo? I am missing the Sun and my non-complaining nature of my innocent childhood!!!!

Nothing is what it seems...

Guys...Now that I am writing this blog for more than an year..you should be knowing that time to time, I get obsessed to some movies, which make an impact on me..Now on this list is the Oscar nominated movie "The Illusionist" . After writing my previous blog "a myth; it is not a reality" ..blah..blah..blah...This movie, came as an another step to make me understand ??? few more things, the impact of this movie was more similar to the impact of the movie "Matrix" . Most of the ancient Indian Philosophy(religions) say that this world, and every thing that we see,do,think is an illusion(Maya) and the only reality is to comprehend the illusion as illusion, without getting entangled in it. This movie, beautifully explains our status in this world using three main characters,the prince who is a victim of illusion, the cop, who is try to understand the "reality" of the illusion and finally my favourite character "The illusionist", a man of few words, the creator of illusion and hence completely comprehends the illusion. The recent emotional trauma which I was facing made me feel like the prince, who suffers as being a victim of the illusion, I was trying to name and talk about, explain the illusion, without comprehending it as an illusion. I wish I can understand the illusion and become a girl of few words...whats the point in bullshitting about the illusion again..again..and again...Uma..and a girl of few words....Hmm! thats a looooooong way! anyways...I am just bitten by the philosophy bug in this new year.....