Sincity Gyan Series - 3

Gamble the night onto a deck of glory,
Set the wheels of fortune to turn,
Tinker at slot machines for Sevens,
To squander a few, to many earn!

Fine the food, the beauty divine,
Feast to the eyes, for senses pleasure,
Welcome to the SinCity, you fool,
Come dip in wine and seek your treasure!

I still have not entirely figured out what it is that enthralls and drives those who spend hour after smoky hour in darkened and gloomy, gaudy and bustling casinos, oblivious of the time of day and hour of night. Perhaps the main reason is the mirage created by serendipity. Perhaps that is the chief reason I cannot identify with that excitement. I mean, you will not be particularly enthusiastic if you NEVER win. For instance, I cannot bring an occasion to memory where I earned even a safety pin, leave aside gold nuggets and hard cash. So understandably, I am just as terribly ruffled by the prospect of gambling as I am by that of making a neat bundle of my hard earned money, wrapping it up beautifully and throwing it down the drain. This is my gift, this is my curse, just to quote Spidey. And while on the topic of my luck at winning such games, let me mention the one time I earned an audio cassette in a game of 'throw the seven' at a fun fair. I am still moved to the core by that one incident when I had the unbelievable pleasure of not losing at those dumb games. That I had to forfeit the cassette to the friend from whom I had borrowed the entry fee and ended up feeling obliged to, barely dampens that refreshing memory! But it stands out as a conspicuous single hppening like witnessing a rare comet that streaks past an otherwise ordinary and colourless expanse of patchy sky! That said, if you can, enjoy the thrill that the whole experience offers. Read the lines above and do all that with full knowledge of what you are up for. :)
(And if u ever see a cynical, disdainful and observant woman in the casino, say hi to me :) )

SinCity Gyan Series - 2

I felt alternately dazzled and stoical at the grandeur and extravagance of the infamous Sincity. I was so lost in the fawning facades and ornate displays, the gold chandeliers, the marble floorings and the glass mosaics, the presentation and the splendour that I actually felt closer to my inner self. I found myself thinking more clearly, more positively. It was a bizarre experience to feel that way. Calm and quiet. In fact, Sayali kept observing my bouts of reflective silence. One little thing does come to mind though. As we were walking through the Venetian, towards the Gondola ride, we stopped at a few stores. The windows alluringly suggested 50% price offs. It was more like mockery. I couldnt have afforded the stuff if it was 98% off. :-( I happened to like a coat and some stuff and commented to Mads that all the good stuff is always so expensive! At which point, she proved why she is among my bestest friend. She turned and gave me a warm bear hug and said, "Well, not ALL the good stuff. :) Some of it is actually free!". It was a short moment. Perhaps she didnt even feel it that strongly. But I had filed a pointer to that incident in my mind. And poor pointer was nudging me to be fossilized onto this archealogical (archiac? ;-)) blogsite. :) So there. free(incident_ptr). :-D

SinCity Gyan Series - 1

Christmas weekend. Vegas. Madhuri, Chinmay, Sayali, Abhijeet aur mai. Hum paanch punter airport par miley. Well, I dont have the patience to narrate the -details of the rest of this chronicle in 'Kaante' style. (Also, one resolution I've made is that I am going to upload small pieces of my 'memoirs' and be more effective than wait to complete the larger blogs I start and dump into the abyss of incomplete drafts. )

There werent any significant earnings, but there definitely were some learnings from the City of Glamour. One thing I've filed away for use if I ever decide to have a casino of my own is the following set of facts -

The three things that are taboo in a casino, for obvious reasons -
1) Time pieces. The prey, the poor hapless victim to the vice of gambling should never know the time he is spent casting dice upon luckless dice over hard-earned or hard-won money.
2) Exit signs. There ought to be none to prompt the hapless victim from point 1, to leave the cosy comforts of the smoke filled casino and venture out into the cleaner air outside (lest he get asphyxiated for lack of carbondioxide :-)
3) Windows. The H.V. (explained in 1 above, referred in 2) shalt not be allowed to glimpse the time of day, be lured out and allowed to be unstuck from BlackJack table/ Slot machine handle. :)

That was the gyan this session. More to follow in coming sessions. :)