Tag: parallel universes

  • From the corner of his eye

    Dean Koontz

    That Dean Koontz is an amazing writer of supernatural stories is a known fact. What makes this book special is the mix of several themes that work in superb harmony – a psychotic killer, quantum physics and faith. I’ve always wondered about parallel universes and in this book, the author has tried to put a structure to it through the theories of Thomas Vanadium and the abilities of Bartholomew, Angel and Mary.
    Koontz uses Enoch Cain’s obsessed journey to find Bartholomew as a background to highlight the connection between human beings’ lives, a sort of ‘Butterfly effect’ among people’s destinies. Each character is built perfectly with specific roles to play in this journey, and they all fall into place magnificently, like a jigsaw puzzle.
    There is an underlying theme of hope that runs through this book, and Koontz does a great job of balancing it with the pure evil that is Enoch Cain.
    The pace never slackens, and while I like all the author’s works (that I have read so far), this one just went beyond the regular gripping thriller category.

  • A bridge across time

    As I sat in the cafe, I occasionally turned around to watch the Metro construction. Vehicles and pedestrians jostled for space on the ever declining width of MG Road. Just before I got into the cafe, I was part of the crowd – most of which was cursing the mess that the construction was creating, not just then, but in many people’s daily routines, thanks to the regular traffic blocks and detours required.

    Detours. I had had a conversation with a friend a couple of days back on how, if I had the perspectives I had now, 5 years back, I might have done things differently then. I might have re-prioritised – things that I wanted to do, goals I set for myself, person I wanted to be,and so on. I said that blessed are those who can turn back, take a look and say that they wouldn’t have done things differently. I honestly can’t. Specific regrets I may not have, but a different set of perspectives, I wouldn’t have minded.

    The friend maintains that whatever path one takes, it would be impossible not to have some regret or the other. I can’t say I disagree. But i do maintain that it is possible to minimise. Does that mean that I am not happy now? Of course I am. But to paraphrase the tee that I keep mentioning says, it ain’t about the destination, its about the journey. The possibility of regret minimisation comes from a belief that if you are doing what you are meant to do, then everything else would fall into place. A faith.

    Faith. The book that I finished later that day had a theme that mixed faith, quantum physics and parallel universes. It had people with different levels of abilities regarding the different universes. One could sense it, one could travel through it, observing, without being able to alter anything, one could transfer objects through it without knowing where they went, and finally one who could travel through it and control it far better than all the above. It talks about every day being a momentous day when we make choices, which creates ripples across other people’s lives (like a butterfly effect on human destinies). It talks about destiny giving you a chance to set it right again. It takes the analogy of an oak tree for a human life. Too many right choices and you’ll have a trunk with a few branches, risks never taken, adventures never had, a life less lived. Too many wrong choices and you’ll have a gnarled tree, fruits never enjoyed, an existence too scarred, a life too consumed to be enjoyed.

    We would like a balance. The friend has made peace with the self on this matter. I need to work on it a bit more, and ensure that I don’t read this post years a few years later and say Oops, I did it again.

    Maybe years later, a new generation would thank the decision maker for the metro. Or perhaps they would curse it for being built for a lesser capacity than it should have been. Time, and context, that would form the perspective. Perhaps its too much to wish for the perspective and the destination before the time has been traveled through, step by step, baggage by baggage.

    until next time, step up 🙂

  • One step at a time, still

    have been wondering about the roller coaster ride called life, much like wonderbug, in her post…….yesterday was another ‘gaze at the stars’ night, so there was lucky ali playing in the background, a pepsi in hand and star gazing, although, being a cloudy night, there were hardly any stars, but the sky served the purpose….
    i am generally cautious by nature, but what i was wondering was that there were so many defining moments in my life so far, where one moment’s thought or decision has effectively set my life on a particular track…..now when i think of it, there are a 101 ( in management lingo) opportunity costs…..
    for example what if i had decided that i would focus on only bio and no maths during my +2, i might have lost a year, i might have been still studying medicine or i might have become a good doctor by now……what if i decided i didnt want to go for a pg, i might have been a programmer…and so, with each action/inaction i have changed all things associated with it, and thereby created or destroyed so many manu’s, and i guess, so also altered the people in my life……according to one space/time theory, they are all existing in parallel universes, leading parallel lives….. my guess, they must all be blogging…. 🙂
    all ye budding storywriters, ram gopal varma is on the lookout, so if you wanna get famous post, read this article
    have got a humour board , thanks to wonderbug…..all u bloggers, its free and quite good…..thanks for tuning in, will leave you with
    manuscrypts trivia
    fwdd by a guy working in tcs
    One day, three consultants, one from Wipro, one from Infosys and one from TCS, went out for a walk. They were old buddies from engg college, and they were together for a college reunion..For no apparent reason, they went into this zoo and passed a monkey. Being in the same business and from the same college, there was a little bit of a peer competition going on between themselves – they couldn’t resist testing themselves against each other – especially the Infosys guy. Said he to the others:”Why don’t we prove who is the best among ourselves?”. Why not, said the other two.The Infoscion said “Let’s have a test. Whoever makes this monkey laugh, works for the best firm”.By mutual agreement, the Infoscion took the first turn. Being a pure logical strategist, the Infoscion tried to make the monkey laugh by telling jokes. The monkey stayed still. As a more practical consultant, the Wipro guy tried to make funny gestures… no good, the monkey stayed put… Now, comes the TCSer… being the practical guy he was always trained to be, he whispered something into the monkey’s ear, and it burst out laughing at him.The other two were astonished. How did this TCS guy manage to beat them?No way they were going to accept defeat so easily.So the Wipro guy said “OK, let’s take another test. Let’s make this monkey cry !!”So there they went again, applying the same methods as before. The Infosys guy narrated sad stories, the Wipro guy made sad gestures, and they failed again…Then, the TCSer again whispered something into the monkey’s ear and lo! It started crying, patting the TCSer’s shoulder!The other two just could not believe their eyes!So the Infoscion said “OK, you’ve won twice. If you can win just this one, we will bow to you. Let’s make this monkey run”. And he barked at the monkey and ordered him to run. Of course, it stayed where it was. The Wipro guy, true to his type, pushed and prodded the monkey – still No go. So…here comes our TCS guy, again, and whispers into the monkey’s ear. The monkey just takes off! It runs and runs as fast as it can, as if it was scared to death!The other two surrendered. Said they: “OK, we give up. You’re the best among us, and you work for the Best firm of the three.But please, please tell us your secret,” they begged him. “Well”, said the TCSer,”The first time I made it laugh, I told it I work for TCS. The next time, I told the monkey how much I get paid…so it started crying. And then I told him that I was here for recruitment!!!”