On this chilly late-autumn night, dense heavy darkness encloses a totality of primitive chaos; indistinguishable are sky and earth, trees and rocks, needless to say the road; you can only stay transfixed, lean forward, put out both arms to grope, grope in this thick dark night; you hear it in motion, its not the wind in motion but this darkness which is devoid of top bottom left right distance and sequence; you are wholly fused with this chaos, conscious only that you once possessed the outline of a body, but that this outline in your consciousness is rapidly vanishing;

-Soul Mountain, Gao Xingjian

A damn boring book i haven't managed finish yet, but one of my many favourite passages from it. Pretty Floydish in many ways.

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Pretty uneventful day except for maybe the surprise phonecall from B. Almost telepathic. Good thing is that we've finally fixed up dinner for Tuesday night and a whole lot of school guys whom i haven't met since 3 years will be there. Wonder what they're going to have to say about my safely preserved long-haired looks. I'm supposed to be the last guy they're expecting to have done this. I was always the shanto shishto lej bishishto manush in the group, i'm worried about disturbing that image of mine too when i go to his place on Tuesday. Its funny how doing small things like growing your hair out long becomes such a big talking point with people.

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Was reading about the Live 8 concert, and the opening lines sent me into memory mode.

"It was twenty years ago today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play,
They've been going in and out of style,
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile..."

Reminded me of my first ever cassette. The first one i'd ever bought. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. But that's besides the point. What's important is that Bono and McCartney sang it at Hyde Park. Anything to do with U2 has me sitting up and notice. For me its one of those dreams worth living for- attending a live U2 concert. I remember listening to With Or Without you for the first time. I played it a million times over and my aunt, whom i was visiting, was ready to throw me out.

I also remember my most cherished moment with that song. It was a family trip to Bakkhali. I had gone to the beach alone. It was totally deserted. White sand beach. The sky was overcast and first from a fine misty drizzle the rain grew stronger. The wind howled in the coconut trees behind me. The horizon above the sea grew hazy and foggy with sheets of rain. I was witnessing a storm in the sea and this song kept playing over and over and over again in my head. I was rooted to that place.

I returned thoroughly drenched. But with an unforgettable memory.