December 21, 2008

Deshdrohi

Did you watch Kamal Khan's latest movie - Deshdrohi? I didn't. I just saw the trailer. But that was sufficient for me to recognize this new genius of Indian film Industry - Kamal Khan! I was truly inspired and awed by his performance. I can vouch that no actor in India can match his skills. Honestly... trust me!

Did you see how he deliver dialogs. UNPARALLEL!! Yes... it is unparallel to anyone's in the existing film industry. Checkout the scene in which he says: "Mujhe marna manzoor hai. Magar darna mana hai!" What a throw!! Fellows, what a throw... what a throw of dialog!! I had goosebumps. (I think, before he delivered that dialog, he watched Ram Gopal'sDarna Mana Hai”.) And his voice... wah wah...! Not even Amitab Bachan can match it.

His action sequence is the stealer - the quintessence of his performance! There is one particular scene in which he lifts a chair easily, as if it is made out of plastic, and throws it at the villain. Very impressive! That is one of the salient scenes of the movie.

You must see the way he runs. Man... I wish I had the get-up of Kamal Khan. Every thing he does has a superhero touch. For instance the way he punches the goon's balls...! Boy, that send shivers through the viewer's spine! Trust me! I'll not be surprised if the audience screams out of excitement. But... but... but... the best scene I liked was how Kamal Khan twists the arm of two goons, and rotates them "single-handedly". Yes... I mean... “literally” he does it single-handedly - with just one of his very thin and lean hands.

There are many scenes that would inspire a whole generation - such as the one in which he somersaults and snatches the gun from his opponent. Can anyone do that? Can anyone?! No... Absolutely NO! Not even a Hollywood actor can do that.

Wait a minute... Do you think I'm making fun of Kamal Khan? NO... Not at all! Please don't mistaken me. I'm serious folks!!! Do you know why I'm really awed by Kamal Khan? Because he embodies a normal Indian's dream of appearing on the big screen. In spite of having such a voice, get-up, body and acting skill, Kamal Khan made it to the big screen. Had Barak Obama seen the movie during his election campaign, he would have played the Deshdrohi trailer to his supporters, and said - "Yes we can! If Kamal Khan can act in a movie, then YES... WE CAN dream bigger!"

Deshdrohi is one movie that proclaims loudly that anyone can do anything in this world. Pursue your dreams boldly. Whenever you are beaten by failure..., whenever you feel depressed..., if not the movie, at least watch the trailer of Deshdrohi. It will motivate you. It will bring that smile back on your face.



Kung-Fu

Do you know Kung-Fu?” I asked.

To me, the question appeared logical and natural. After all, he is from China. He might have learned Kung-Fu during his childhood days. And if he knows Kung-Fu, this is a good opportunity for me to pick one-or-two simple Kung-Fu moves. Besides, during dinner time we are supposed to exchange pleasantries lest boredom would creep in.

With a giggle my Chinese colleague shook his head and said "No". He continued with his Chinese English "Not all Chinese know Kung-Fu. Only little know. People of other country think all Chinese know Kung-Fu." With that he laughed.

That resonated well with me. I have come across Westerners, who have asked me about snake charmers. Not whether I charm snakes, but whether snake charming is common in India. I used to wonder what made them ask such silly questions. Now I knew. They did so to avoid boredom!

It is good to EXPERIENCE different perspectives. I thought.

"Alright. So... where is this Shaolin temple?" I continued...



December 20, 2008

The power of blog...

A few weeks back I was at my sister's place. My mom too had come down. The house-maid was on leave, and hence, all the household chores had to be taken care by my mom and sis.

After having lunch, I had to take leak, and also complete a small work-item. Without bothering to wash my dish, I walked out from the kitchen only to be stopped by my mom's rumble. I turned and looked at her eyes. The message was loud and clear. Silently I took my dish to the dish-sink, washed, and kept it on the utensil-stand.

I, then, headed to the toilet. My mom saw this, and mistook my "pee urge" as the reason behind my rush, and "inappropriate behavior" of not washing my dish. (Actually she was wrong. My bladder had enough room for more pee. :-) Anyways, the point is: she misread it.)

While I was relieving myself, she knocked the toilet door and said "Sorry". Bemused, I said "No problem" and continued emptying my bladder.

When I went back to the kitchen, my sister and mom were smiling. I asked what happened. To which my sister replied what my mom told her a few minutes back. With genuine concern and alarm she had said: "I shouldn't have stopped him. He will now go and put this incident on his blog!!"

While all of us broke into a heavy and hearty laughter, between laughs I said: "Now, THIS part... qualifies to be on the blog"

After that incident, these days I tease my mom telling her that I'll put on blog whatever she does,. I have found my little way of blackmailing ;-) I now know the power of blog.



Meet my crush...

The inkling starts around the age of 12. From that till his death, a guy keeps adding numerous ladies to his list of crushes. Out of those, some would score a perfect 10-out-of-10, while others would score a little less.

I too have had my list of crushes, perfect-10s..., and heartbreaks! Yes... heartbreaks :-(

Do you know how it feels to see your perfect-10 playing with her kid, whom you have NOT fathered?!
It feels terrible! Like waves, those good old sweet memories would rush-in - one after the other - followed by jealousy, and then disappointment, before depression sets in. Then numbness would touch the heart, and would register on the face, in the form of a gloomy smile! To feel what I just said, you need to have the heart of a guy, and at least one perfect-10!

The feeling that encompasses the above paragraph seized me when I saw my perfect-10 with her kid. Her eyes had not lost that old sparkle, which had mesmerized me. The smile was as beautiful as ever. And the vermilion... - I have to admit - looked so good on her. Alas, I couldn't put it on her. Her son had her eyes, and his face carried the hint of a naughty smile, which made him adorable.

Memories came rushing in. It wasn't long back when I had put a reminder in the yahoogroups condoling and condemning her wedding anniversaries. Now, here she is with her 2 year old son! Time indeed flies - faster than one thinks. I smiled at myself. As I was surrendering to the numbness, my friend SMS-d me: "Who is your favorite Malayalam actress?"


I looked at her photo once again... and replied "Samyuktha Verma".

Before folding the magazine, which carried Samyuktha's and her son's photo, I grinned and thought: "Time to hop to my next crush". I picked my cell and SMS-d my friend once again: "... and Meera Jasmin". After all, I have the heart of a guy... to move on... from one crush to the other ;-)


December 19, 2008

I humbly accept this award!

Hello World. Thanks a bunch for voting me to get this award. I sincerely appreciate your support. I humbly accept this award.

If the award is a news to you, please click here to see the video.

Special thanks to Sanjay for nominating me...

PS: If the link does not work because of site maintenance issues, just make a note of the fact that I was awarded the "World's greatest business mind"


December 05, 2008

India made Car

A couple of weeks back I was at Delhi traveling in a cab with my Chinese college, who happened to be on his first trip to India.

While observing the traffic he came across an Ambassador car. With "eureka excitement" written all over his face, he pointed at the car and asked me "Indian Car!?"

I said: "Yes... an old model. It is called the Ambassador."

The Chinese smiled and replied in broken English "In China, no such cars... Only in Village". with a broad smile on his face he shook his head and laughed.

"Sala.. he is speaking as if he is coming from some developed nation. Rural China is not so advanced" I mumbled in my mind. My Indian pride was obviously hurt a bit.

The Chinese continued in his Chinese accent: "Is there other Indian made Car?"

I looked around for an answer and saw one Maruti SX4 behind our car. I was about to show him the SX4 when I saw the big Suzuki Logo in front of it. I thought: "What... !!? There is no India based car companies that manufacture good quality cars!? Forget good quality, at least one good looking one so that I can show this Chinese fellow!?"

God answered that question quickly. Suddenly an Indigo passed our Innova.

At its sight, I leaped forward, pointed at it and almost shouted in excitement: "That one...! That one...! That is 'India made car'!!!".

While he was staring at the Indigo, and perhaps wondering why I got excited, a grin spread on my face. With a relief, I said to myself “God bless the TATAs



December 01, 2008

The "Cross and Garlic" of Bangalore

Cross and garlic are used to ward off vampires, who normally disguise as ordinary human beings. Cross and garlic protect the place from a vampire attack.

Kannada Paksha Flag is used by businessmen to ward off goons, disguised as Kannnada patrons, from attacking their establishments. The Kannada Paksha flag is supposed to protect establishments, which fetch business for Bangalore, from the attack of hooligans.


My Chinese Name: 威沙 奥古斯丁

I work in a Chinese company.

One of my Chinese Collegues explained the Chinese meaning of my name. It is funny and interesting...

Here it goes:

My first name is written as 威沙

威 means tall and 沙 means strong. It is pronounced as Wei (威) Sha (沙)

My last name is written as 奥古斯丁. Out of which only 古 - pronounced as "Gu"- has a meaning. The rest are just syllables. 古 means ancient.

All in all in a nut shell: The Chinese people find it easy to pronounce my name. Coz I'm an ancient , tall and strong man ;-)


October 27, 2008

Take my breath away

A bus journey... from Bangalore to Calicut. It takes approx 8 hours to cover the distance.

Time: Around 10:00 PM. The guy walks in. He slumps onto the seat next to me. He is drunk!

"What a luck!" I murmured angrily. The guy was stinking with alcohol. I used to wonder why such 'spirits' drink and travel?! What pleasure they get!? What 'kick' they get by releasing their 'spirit' in an air-tight enclosed bus!?

Sometime back a friend enlightened me that the spirit they drink helps them sleep well. Hence they drink and travel!!! Wah...! What profound social nuisances!

A boiling me cannot sleep. But I have to. I started counting till 100 to calm myself down. I knew my act won't help much. But that was the best bet I had to get a good sleep. Somewhere at the count of 100000000901 I slept.

*****

Time: 3ish in the morning...

A stinking smell of alcohol wakes me up. Half awake, I turn my head to my left-hand side, and slightly lift my eyelid. I see my neighbor's snoring wide-open mouth threatening to eat my nose; his uvula dancing to his snore.

I grin.

In my stupor I lift my palm and smell my breath. Terrible! The chilly chicken (my dinner) had rotten well. With my palm still facing my mouth, I redirect my fingers to my neighbor's nose... and then... BLOW HARD ONTO MY PALM and thereby onto his nose. I repeat the same three or four times.

The snoring stops! The alcohol stink stops! And I go back to my sleep.

*****

When I woke up in the morning I saw the 'drunkard' sitting in some other seat.

*****

Fellow travelers, follow the example I set. ;-)

*****

DISCLAIMER: This post is a work of NON-fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are NOT the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is NOT coincidence. They actually happened


Underprivileged?

Who is an underprivileged kid? A kid who commutes in auto-rickshaw and carries one of the most flashy mobile handsets? The English definition of underprivileged is "Lacking the rights and advantages of other members of society".

My friend is a project manager with around 8 years of experience in IT industry. A few days back I met him at a bus stop. He told me he was waiting for a bus!! He doesn't have a car or a motorbike. He is no miser. I can vouch for that. So then... why bus and not an auto-rickshaw!!?? Because he (and I) think the rickshaw-walas of Bangalore are looters who charge exorbitantly and extort money from their passengers. He said he couldn't afford their charges, which seldom go by the meter. Hence commuting by bus.

My relative has three kids studying in a "privileged" school in Bangalore. None of them carry mobile handsets. They don't have the latest computer and accessories at their home. All they have is an obsolete model that gives them constant trouble.

Why am I bringing up all these?

One of my part time activities is to teach "underprivileged" kids as a volunteer of an NGO. I teach them computer basics. I admit there are a bunch of kids who are truly underprivileged. But when I see some others walking into the classroom with flashy mobile phones, and see them commuting in auto-rickshaws, I wonder why am I spending time here teaching “underprivileged” kids, who appear to be truly privileged!! Had I had to teach privileged kids, I would be teaching my near-and-dear “privileged” kids! That would be far more rewarding! Besides, they truly lack the advantages a mobile phone or a rickshaw can offer!

I'm not ignoring other aspects these "underprivileged" kids might be having, such as, a troubled family. But then, it is also my choice and impression, which I can't ignore. I would prefer working for the upliftment of those kids who do lack mobile handsets and who, like other common people in India, commute by bus!

Perhaps the truly underprivileged are unable to find their way to my class. Perhaps the teacher should go out searching for them...

October 19, 2008

The Kite Runner

Read "The Kite Runner" of Khaled Hosseini. A good page turner. Khaled knows the art of story telling...

To some extend, The Kite Runner educated me about Afghan people, their culture, and their problems. After reading the novel I had the urge to watch this novel over celluloid. The movie version turned out to be a damp squib. The director and the script-writer could not do justice to the novel.

Given below are a few interesting quotes from the novel.
Baba: You'll never learn anything of value from those bearded idiots - the mullas. Piss on the beards of all those self-righteous monkeys. They do nothing but thumb their prayer beads and recite a book written in a tongue they don't even understand. God help us all if Afghanistan ever falls into their hands.

Baba: No matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft.

Amir: That's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.


August 31, 2008

Firsts in Photography...

Came across this link that talks about the firsts in photography: http://www.maxpower.ca/a-timeline-of-imagery-firsts/2007/10/03/

A good one...


August 17, 2008

Between Jobs...

Click the above image to enlarge

Am jobless. Am between jobs. I quit my prev company on 14-Aug-2008. Joining the new company tomorrow. Everything familiar has disappeared. The world looks brand new! It's like having a big white sheet of paper to draw on. It's a magical world out there! Let me go explore... Wish me the very best :-)

August 06, 2008

Shoe

There they were - the two pairs! Bathed in pitch black, they adorned a polished look. With smug written all over, they were bold enough to look down upon mine. The conceit was conspicuous and unbearable. I was seething with controlled anger! Oh... how I wish I had a big bucket of gutter dirt, that I could splash it all over them and get rid of that bloody smugness!

Grinding my teeth slowly I looked at their owners' face with a phony smile and continued my conversation. But my eyes kept darting to their pitch-black well-polished shoes. Even the sole of their shoes were BLACK, with no signs of dirt or mud! My jealousy could hardly keep me standing there for long. I found some excuse to cut the conversation short, and hurried to the rest room. I grabbed a few paper towels, soaked them, and with frustration started removing the dirt on my shoes with the paper towel. "It is a workshop happening in a five star hotel! And here I am, with a pair of dirty black shoe!" I exasperated.

Oh... how I hate black shoes! It is such a pain to maintain them. I've often wondered how most of the guys maintain their black shoes. That too in India! In the polluted and dusty Bangalore City! During a trip I have seen my colleague boringly brushing his shoes, carefully examining tiny teeny dirt particles, and then carefully removing them. God...! Kudos to his patience! And kudos to the patience of all those guys, who polish their shoes to perfection.

I have a theory! Do you know why the security guards of big hyper-star hotels look at your shoe before judging whether you are worth entering the hotel? Coz black shoes are meant for the rich! A well polished black shoe with less wear-and-tear means you often travel in cars, and often stay indoors. It means you – the owner of such a pair of shoe - could be rich. Yes... that is the fact - black shoes are meant for the rich. They are meant for those who travel in cars – and not for those who commute on bikes - like poor me.

As I was cursing the "black shoe culture" and working on my shoes with the wet paper towels, the door opened and the janitor strode in.

He was wearing a pair of well-polished pitch black shoe!



August 05, 2008

Conspiracy of Fools

Long time back one of my friends recommended this book – Conspiracy of Fools. She said the book gave an interesting tale of the otherwise boring subject - accounting and finance.

It took me quite some time to complete the book. The 1st half was dragging. The going was hard for me coz I have a non-finance background. By the time I reached the second half, I could comprehend some of the accounting issues mentioned in the book - not fully though. And then the going became easy and interesting.

The book helped me realize that there is quite a bit of learning I need to do in the finance world.

A few words on the real life characters of the Enron debacle:

I felt really sorry for Ken Lay. His story shows how important it is for a leader to pick the right trustworthy lieutenants. Perhaps one of the most important things a leader should do, other than developing a right vision, is to get the right, capable and trustworthy reportees, and keep them happy.

It was hard to learn that the real culprits (Andrew Fastow and Michael Kopper) of the Enron scandal - those who hatched the conspiracy, those whose greed had no limits - got easier incarceration than their colleagues, because they "cooperated" with the legal system! Isn't the justice system flawed in a major way?


July 23, 2008

Limitations

In the movie - The Great Debaters – prof. Tolson explain to his debater team how the black slaves were controlled and "utilized effectively" by the minority whites: by keeping the slaves physically strong but psychologically weak! That is, the blacks retained their body, but gave their mind to the whites!

A few days back, I got this fwded mail, which talked about how humans control the mighty elephants. Read it...
As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.

I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away." Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free."

I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Isn't the message obvious? Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they are yours. Hence don't argue for it. Defy it. Make an attempt to grow further.


Heaven and Hell

When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me this story of "Heaven and Hell" to inculcate the value of being courteous and not greedy. She used to tell the story during our lunch/dinner. It was nice to see that same story, after many years, finding its way to my mail box.

Read and enjoy :-)
A Swami was having a conversation with Lord Shiva one day and said.

'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like'.

Lord Shiva led the Swami to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the Swami looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the Swami's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly! They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The Swami shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

Lord Shiva said, 'You have seen Hell.'

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The Swami said, 'I don't understand.'

'It is simple,' said Lord Shiva.

'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

PS: Of course, being a Christian, my mom's story had a Christian background, with Jesus opening the door, and not Siva. But the rest... is the same...

July 20, 2008

Sheep

The slaughter house near my house:

The butcher grabs the front leg of one sheep and drags it to the slaughter house.

The remaining sheeps in the herd follow the sheep.

The butcher smiles at the herd that's following the sheep he is dragging.

The butcher pushes the sheep to the slaughter bay

The herd follows. Without any force they get into the bay.

After a few hours the butcher hangs the carcass of the sheeps in front of his shop.

Is there any other species that walks into death as obediently and silently as sheeps do?

The definition of sheep is “someone who would rather follow than make an independent decision

Public Display of Affection (PDA)

Public Display of Affection (PDA) is the norm in Bangalore City. Yours truly Sophroniscus, even though not yet reported through this blog, has witnessed it innumerable times.

After skimming through an article on PDA, I was curious to know my friend's take on it. Placing the paper on the teapoy, I lifted my cup of hot CoffeeDay cappuccino. She had just finished a hushed conversation on her mobile...


"So... What do you think of PDA?"
I asked her sipping the cappuccino
.

A bit surprised on the topic I have thrown at her, she carefully kept the mobile in her tan purse and said: "I like it."


I was taken aback. I didn't expect THAT answer to come from her - someone who hails from a traditional Indian family. More than the answer, I was surprised by the aplomb and coolness with which she said it!

"What do you mean you like it?!" I asked, trying hard to suppress my surprise.
"It is good time pass" She said adjusting her yellow kameez and dupatta, and then reaching out to grab her cup of mocha.

"Time pass?! When... Which part...?!" After blurting out that question, I felt like a fool. I shouldn't have asked.

"Well... "
she paused, thought for a while, and said "I think I’ll enjoy it in the bus. You know how boring the two hour bus ride to-and-from office can get..."


"Times have changed"
I grimaced and said to myself.


She continued "If I have a PDA, I can find ways to cut time... or at least I think so..."


At that statement I started laughing. She was talking about Personal Digital Assistant - PDA!! In this world of HTC and iPhone, how can she talk about Personal Digital Assistant!!?? Yes... my assessment was right. She is a pakka traditional Indian girl. I continued my laugh.

Startled at my laughter she stared at me for a while before I pointed her to the article on PDA. She looked at it and blushed.


"So... you like it in the bus!! I'm wondering with whom?!"
Before I broke into another round of wild uproar I saw her flung the paper on my face.


Career Switch

What profession should I choose?

I've been thinking of a change for a while. I need a change from my current boring mundane profession. I need a change that will put me on the edge. A change that will get adrenalin pumping all over my body. A change that will give me the comfort, which only money can buy…, and truck loads of money to buy that comfort. A change that will solicit travel and take me to different parts of the world. A change that will get me in touch with different people from different walks of life. A change that will make me famous...

Is there a profession that can satisfy my needs and wishes?

How about becoming a politician? A politician gets all the above mentioned. Isn't it? But then, a more important question is: Can I become a politician? OR… Do I have the “qualities” to become a politician…? Well... If I kill the left-over ethics in me, I can become one... I think so… But then, I know, a politician’s life is not that rosy when he is NOT in power. He has to reduce some basic comfort such as air-condition. Under the hot glaring sun, he has to visit different places and in that process… literally “sweat out”. All this… to grab power…, which, after all that effort, can elude him forever!

So... may be I should go for some other “stable” profession. I think becoming a guruji will be good. Unlike politicians, god-men are never forced to bequeath power… and comfort…, esp. basic comfort such as air-conditioned rooms and luxurious cars. Those are permanent for them. All they have to do is give gyaan to the crowd. And “giving gyaan” comes naturally to me. Yes… I think I can become a successful god-man. Besides, of late, I have been having this strong feeling of something spiritual inside me… bubbling and waiting to burst out.

Wait a minute… That is not just a feeling! It is my destiny. I know I’m destined to become a god-man! The spirits and nature are conspiring in favor of me…! Otherwise why did wisdom dawn on me during my Meenmutty forest visit? Yes… it was enlightenment…!! See the picture below. Don’t you see a halo around my head?!


Skeptics might pooh pooh my argument by dragging some “photonic theory”. Don't believe them! There is no dearth for skeptics in this world. Every god-man has his own set of detractors. Do you think my sitting like a Maharaja surrounded by body-guard disciples, and the appearance of the halo was a mere coincidence? NO! No science can explain this… because this is beyond science…

I have made up my mind! I'm starting a new secular sect... The Sophroniscaya sect…! Chant the following mantra and you will be blessed: "Om Sophroniscaya Akbar. Amen"

All your problems will go away if you chant that mantra a billion times a day. If you think you need more blessings, please send a check or DD in favor of Sophroniscus Dialectic, #5, 20th A Cross, 2nd Floor, Ejipura Main Road, Ejipura, Bangalore 560047. Since I'm in the process of getting established, any denomination will be accepted. Make best use of this opportunity. Later, when I become more famous, I will not accept small contributions. Worse… I will treat small contributions as an insult and will curse you...

Om Sophroniscaya Akbar. Amen!




July 19, 2008

Managing Expectations...

"Do you know the root cause of all rifts between people?" I posed looking at her, but not expecting an answer. The breeze was playing with the tuft on her face. She looked at me through the corner of her eyes... expecting me to answer.
"Expectations..." I said continuing my stroll with her.

It was long since we had caught up with each other. An evening stroll, we felt, was good to share the latest news, gossips and philosophies of our life.


"Be it work or personal life... one has to manage expectations to avoid rifts. You set meetings with customers... Why? To manage their expectations so that future relationship with them won’t go sour. Parents get angry with their kids when the kids go against their expectations. Spouses fight with each other because each one has a set of different expectations from other. Chinks appear in solid friendship because of improper ‘expectation management’...!"

I looked at her with the satisfaction of unraveling the universal truth (and secret) to her...

"Hmmm...” She paused… looking straight and not at me, she continued: “We are supposed to meet tomorrow for dinner?"
The breeze continued its rendezvous with her tuft.
"Yes" I replied
"Can I manage your expectation....? Can you expect me not to be there for dinner?" I saw the wicked-naughty smile showing its signs at the corner of her lips.

Time to stop lecturing my philosophies... I thought


June 29, 2008

Generation Gap

Three or Four years back I was taking a stroll on CMH road. That is when I came across this attractive damsel walking towards me. I don't remember her face. But I do remember something else! She had this very-low-neck pink top that revealed a looong cleavage! When she walked all her assets swayed to the rhythm of her cat walk. My jaws almost dropped...! And I sang to myself - "What a wonderful world….!" As I passed her, I turned back to enjoy her cat walk. That is when my eyes bulged out, and jaws hit the pavement. She had exposed her "rear" and rare cleavage too!! Thanks to her blue ultra-low-waste jeans! My lips almost produced a whistle before my brain intervened.

Months passed... Bangalore adopted the fashion I saw on CMH road. Thanks to low-waste jeans and translucent blouses, figuring out the color and type of a lady’s under-cloths became a cake-walk. The "good ol'coin trick" was no longer required to take a peek at the cleavages (front and rear) some ladies proudly displayed.

Did I enjoy this fashion change? I guess I did. I considered myself lucky to live in this era where nobody has to pay a penny to watch old B-grade movie-bits/scenes. All he has to do is: go to a posh mall... and enjoy the latest “fashion sense”!

But something happened today that made me think seriously...

Today, while coming out from a restaurant, I saw this girl with ultra-micro mini-skirt. Had she bent even a tiny-teeny angle, I would have clearly seen her undies. Unlike three years back, this time I didn't sing "What a wonderful world". I didn't enjoy what I saw! May be I'm finding it difficult to appreciate the latest fashion sense of the youngest and latest generation! Am I getting old? Am I having a generation gap?


April 17, 2008

Everything happens for the good

On that unfateful day he met me. I had no malice... I swear! He was getting engaged the next week and I thought we'll just exchange pleasantries. That I'll wish him in advance a happy married life filled with love. And he will thank me. And we will dine together and then we will say bye.

But the talk took a different turn.

I could see that something was bothering him. I probed: "You appear to be tensed?"
"Not really. But yes... next week is my engagement and all this happened so fast…"
I empathized "Yeah... I understand. If I were in your shoes I would feel the same"
Lost in some thoughts, he nodded. His engagement was an "arranged" one.
I continued. "Marriage is perhaps one of the most important decisions in a person's life. Marrying a person whom one doesn't know much is like hoping to win a lottery. I think that decision should be made after knowing the other person well"
"Yes... but there is no way how you will know ANY person WELL"
"Precisely" I said "Especially in an arranged marriage. You will come to know only the polished side of the other person. That is not the REAL character of that person, isn't it?"

From there the conversation took off to a detailed analysis on why marriage is a real risk!!

At times I would console him stating that his philosophy - "everything happens for good" - is the best. I kept reassuring him that he is on the right track. He appeared to be cool till I brought up the misuse of the dreaded Section 498A of Indian Penal Code. I explained to him, with real life examples, on how 498A was being misused. As soon as I did that I wished I shouldn't have done that. He was now really really tensed. I figured it out from his tone: "Hey… Don’t scare me too much!"

So I decided to switch sides and argue in favor of marriages. It was approaching 11:00 PM - the time when his to-be-fiancé would call him. When we said adios I hoped and still believe that I cooled him.

*************

His engagement got over last week

*************

A few years from now:

I ring the door bell. He welcomes me to his home and introduces me to his wife: "This is the moron who scared the shit out of me just a week before our engagement". He beams and looks at my reaction.

I spread my entire array of teeth and says hello to his wife.

*************

Well... Everything happens for the good :-D


Our Soul

Say "OUR SOUL" repeatedly...

Say it faster...

And listen to yourself...

Did you hear yourself saying arsehole??!!

OK... Now do it the reverse.

Say "arsehole" repeatedly... do it faster... and then listen! Did you find "OUR SOUL" in arsehole?

Next time you blurt arsehole (or asshole), and an undesired audience heard you say that, tell them that you said "OUR SOUL".

Jai Gandhigiri ;-)

April 15, 2008

Masala Movies

I like masala movies! In those two or three hours I get the chance to transmogrify to that guy in the screen who can sing, dance, kick-butts... All that at the drop of a hat! In real life doing all that is difficult. I truly know I possess the talent. But I can't do it at finger snap. Special venues and preparation are required. I remember quite well my friends praising my dancing skills at a party! Now... don't think that they praised me under the influence of alcohol. You can't say that until you see me dance. If there is going to be another party in the next two or three months, I'll invite you to watch me dance.

Anyways... the point is not how well I dance or sing or fight. The point is transmogrification... in those two-three hours and then... visiting the most beautiful and exotic places in the world with your crush; driving expensive cars, bikes and even planes; dancing with damsels that come from different continents; firing different types of guns at anyone with the license to kill... Phew... isn't that KHOOL...??!!

And then you have this misunderstanding cropping in between the hero and heroin, creating a rift between them. The problem could have been solved had they talked to each other. But they won't!! As the drama unfolds, impatiently I wait for myself to get into the screen as "me" (not the hero); all to have a chat with both the folks and clear the misunderstanding. Alas that doesn't happen. The drama would unwind ONLY to the scriptwriter’s tone.

Real life provides us the opportunity to be our own life's scriptwriter - the opportunity to talk to folks and clear the air of misunderstanding. How many time do we grab that opportunity? Not many times I guess. And often… because of that… the drama in our life takes a sour turn. So… what to do then? Purchase a masala movie ticket and transmogrify?! ;-)



April 13, 2008

My Road

It had rained that night. The side pavement was spotless. The road was washed clean by the rain water. The long black dirt-less road looked beautiful with patches of violet flowers strewn by the roadside tress. "What a beautiful morning": I murmured. I kinda flirted with the silly thought that the road and trees laid those violet carpets to welcome me! With gloat I jogged slowly savoring the beauty and the solitude.

The solitude was soon broken by a cycler-rider. He too was enjoying the nature. I could say that from the way he held his head back. He was at the other end of the road. But I could sense him humming some tune. He was pedaling leisurely with no hands on the handle-bar.

A smirk spread on my face.

When he was a few yards away from me, I jumped from the pavement to the road to pick a violet flower. He lost his balance momentarily..., caught hold of the handle-bar, and regained control. I looked at him with a sorry innocent face and said: "Sorry". Did I hear him say fuck. I think I did ;-)

As he passed behind me, I looked at the solitude road in front of me... and grinned... “She is mine again” :-)

Forecast of the week

Everything appeared boring - the book I was reading, the animated discussions of the co-passengers, the artificial smile of the beautiful air-hostess... everything! I folded my book, eased my seat belt a bit, and pulled out the magazine - The Week - which was lying in the next-to-next seat. I flipped through the pages. Nothing interesting was there either. The political situation, the Agni missile, the market crash, the romance of some bollywood actor... the magazine had nothing interesting to report!

I lifted my head and was greeted with a fabricated smile by the air-hostess. I returned a phony smile and went back to the magazine. I turned the page and there it was - Forecast of the week by KK Vamanan Namputhiri.

Being a Taurian, I went to the section that read "Taurus". It read "This week make sure you do either of the thing: get married or find a new business partner". I froze!! Only a couple more days were left for the week to end. And I have not yet found a girl to marry!! Forget about business partner… that will not happen in a couple of days. With the resolve to find a girl within the next two days I closed the magazine.

I lifted my head… and my eyebrows, and took a deep look at the air-hostess. Did the hunter get his pray? My eyes narrowed, and moved from her face to her body… to her belly… and that is when I noticed it: Her stomach was bulging! Was she pregnant?!! “Wrong choice...!” I said to myself.

Mr. Namputhiri, I’m better off without your advice.

PS: Horoscope believers please excuse this sarcastic post.


March 17, 2008

Job opening ads

Have you seen some of the job ads? Sometimes the requirement, in terms of years-of-experience, in a nascent technology exceeds the age of that technology itself! Long time back seeing those requirements I used to get baffled. Slowly, as time progressed, my eyes (and brain) got trained to such ads. I classified them as "advertising gimmicks" of the recruiting companies.

But it took a dilbert cartoon strip to let me realize the real and true motive behind such ads :-)
Click here to see the 29-Feb-08 strip…

In the strip, Catbert (the evil HR director) posts a job opening. The requirement states: Candidate must have an I.Q. of 300, Two Centuries of Unix Experience and a track record of winning Nobel prizes.

After posting the ad, Catbert thinks with a smug: 90% of my job is convincing people they don't deserve theirs.

PS: HR professionals, please excuse this post.

March 16, 2008

It's not about the Bike

Read Lance Armstrong's "It's not about the Bike". His other book - "Every Second Counts" - appealed to me more

Linda Armstrong's - Lance's mother’s - character wowed me. To me, her character is much much stronger than Lance's.To bring up a child ALL ALONE in her teenage; manage her studies; and grow up the corporate ladder, without anything to prove to anyone but herself, requires tremendous amount of courage. Do you know what the litmus test of courage is? Carrying-on all-alone with determination, when the chips are down and when nobody cares about you. Lance didn’t pass that test. Linda did! In the hospital bed, before his surgery, to hide his courage Lance declares to his friends that he will fight and defeat the cancer. But he later admits that the declaration was to camouflage his fear. He had friends, his mother and his "declaration" to support his courage. Linda had none of those. (This doesn't mean that I don't admire Lance's courage)

One particular section of the book reminded me about the importance of presenting things in the right way:
Lance Armstrong had approached two hospitals to cure his cancer. Given below are the responses of the two doctors of the respective hospitals. You will see that the content of their message is the same. The way they put across the message is what differs.

The doctor in Houston: “I'm glad you are here. You will crawl out of here. I'm going to kill you. Everyday I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to bring you back to life. We're going to hit you with chemo, and then hit you again, and hit you again. You're not going to be able to walk. We're practically going to have to teach you how to walk again, after we're done."

The doctor in Indiana: "You are in an advanced stage. The percentages are unfavorable. But this is potentially curable. Even-though you're in the poor-prognosis category, we've cured a lot worse. And we don't want the chemo to affect your lungs. This is to give you a chance later to recover physically and compete in cycling."

I think anyone can guess which hospital Lance chose for his treatment. Putting things across in a nice and polite way, and mixing it with hope, makes a huge difference.

Some other interesting quotes of the book are given below:

Lance Armstrong: Your past forms you, whether you like it or not. Each encounter and experience has its own effect, and you're shaped the way the wind shapes a mesquite tree on a plain.

Linda Armstrong: If you are going to get anywhere, you're going to have to do it yourself, because no one is going to do it for you. If you can’t give 110 percent, you won't make it.


March 03, 2008

Tell Me Why

While hopping from channel to channel I came across this performance by Declan Galbraith. It is called "Tell Me Why". I loved the 10 year old's performance. He has got good control over his voice...! I managed to catch two philosophical lines in the lyrics ;-)
Everyday I ask myself what will I have to do to be a man?
Do I have to stand and fight to prove to everybody who I am?
For other trivias of this music that set a world record, click on the link above. And if you know where to download the free mp3 of it, please drop in a word ;-)



March 02, 2008

Marxist Rumors

A conversation among a visitor, my father and me...

“I heard your entire family's name was cut from the voters’ list. Did you get it reinstated?” I asked the visitor
“Yes... These dirty tricks of Marxist party!” He exasperated “Many sisters' and priests' name were cut form the list. In the next election, the Marxists want to come back to power by hook or crook. They want to manipulate the voters’ list. They want to do West Bengal in Kerala.”
“But... won't that create a permanent hatred among the people towards the party?! Anyone whose name was cut will most likely never vote for the party!!” I was bemused
“Even otherwise they will never! The communists are shrewd. They are cutting the names of those whom they are sure will never vote for them.”

He had a point. I nodded.

The visitor continued. “In West Bengal the situation is so bad. To construct a house one has to donate an amount to the local party office. Can you believe it?! The party has tried something similar in Kerala. Have you noticed that the number of "bucket-donations" the party used to conduct has come down drastically. How do you think they are compensating for the financial loss they incur?”
“How?” I asked.
“Recently, in Kottayam, they approached a govt.-medical-college doctor and asked to donate 5 lakh rupees to the party fund. The doctor refused and said he can contribute only 3 lakh rupees!! 3 lakh!! Not a small amount!! But the comrades were not convinced. In fact they were furious. They refused to accept 3 lakh. Before leaving they threatened him that they knew how to get 10 lakh from him. The next day the doctor got a transfer order. He had to now settle the row with 10 lakh rupees. Btw, do you know what happened in Baby Memorial Hospital?”
“No”
“Well... the Marxists asked for 1 crore donation. The hospital owner refused. The hospital soon received a show-case notice from the environment department asking them why the department should not take action against the hospital for polluting the nearby canal.”

We were silent for a few seconds before my father spoke. “Whatever be the party, politicians are birds of the same feather. All hungry for money and power. They will do anything for it. One of the worst things the Marxists did was extremely politicize Calicut University. The University now reeks with their filth.”
My father - an ex-professor in Calicut University - shared an incident. “There was this institute with excellent facilities that wanted the recognition from Calicut University. I was the invigilator. I liked their dedication and facilities. I approved. The next step was to get an approval from the Registrar. The institute approached the Registrar. His response was to contact Matahi Chacko - the local Marxist veteran. At that time Matahi Chacko was a Senate member. The institute's officials weren't sure what to do. So they contacted me and requested to help them understand the procedure. I knew the official procedure, which was quite simple. All the Registrar had to do was sign the document. Since I had approved, he had to have a strong reason NOT to sign. And I was sure that there was no reason NOT to sign. Since the institute appeared to have that dedication, which is rare to find these days, I told them I'll check with the Registrar what went wrong. On contacting the Registrar, he asked me to contact Mathai Chacko!! I didn't understand why Matahi Chacko has to have a say here. I communicated the Registrar’s message to the institute. Around the same time the institute came to know that another institute was recognized by the University. The other institute had no basic facilities. Bemused they approached me again. Looking at their plight I thought I'll try to help them. I called Mathai Chacko. He lifted the phone and started speaking in an extremely rude and impolite manner. A typical rowdy language which I’m not used to. I was irritated. I snapped the call without speaking anything further. I conveyed the same to the institute. I don't know whether they got recognized later. But that incident was another reality check. I knew once again that the Marxists are not angels.”
The visitor chipped in. “They are devils. Pinarayi has lot of benami property throughout Kerala. Deepika daily is his benami. The whole world knows it…!”

The phone rang and our discussion thread broke…

***************

This post might be a surprise to my friends who have known me as a leftist. I’m no leftist or rightist. Just a humanist. It is better to let the world know about the rumors that are floating around. Support the good in anything. And vehemently oppose the evil.


Lady In The Brown Sari

Bangalore Airport...

Arrival Section...

I have been waiting for the past 15 minutes for my friend to come out through the Arrival Gate. Waiting is something I detest most. That too for 15 minutes!! I started becoming fidgety.

With no one to talk I looked around. That is when I noticed this girl. Clad in a brown sari, she had her hands clasped against the steel rails. Her eyes was constantly searching for someone's glimpse at the arrival gate. Her eyes spoke volumes. She was expecting someone. Now and then her lips will break into a smile at the sight of someone's shadow in the gate, only to repose when the person steps out from the shadow. “No… it is not him!” Her eyes spoke. In a few seconds hope will again spread in her eyes. She will lean against the steel rail, squeeze them and then gently smile at the shadows with her eyes.

She was 'longing' personified. I wanted to capture that image. It was such a beauty observing her. She stood there with hope dancing throughout her body. But something was restraining her from expressing it to the fullest. Another 15 minutes might have passed. That is when the smile in her eyes became broader... and moved to her lips... to stay there without diminishing. Her eyes stopped wandering. It was now steady, focusing at the arrival gate. I looked at the subject that had captured the fascination of the lady-in-the-brown-sari. With a tired face he walked out slowly. His smile had the touch of relief.

He walked to her, and hugged the old man standing next to her. “His father...” I whispered. Now I knew what was restraining her. While walking to the taxi that was parked for him, he managed to escape the old man's chat-and-eyes. For a moment he held her hand and squeezed it. Both looked at each other and laughed silently...

"Hey...! Stop ogling!"
I turned to see my friend staring down at me with a wide grin.
Ogling!!!! No point explaining to him. He won’t understand.
“How was your journey?” I asked him with a smile.


February 27, 2008

My niece

I'm crazy about my niece. Here's one incident about her.

She loves observing people. So, under her keen observing eyes, which is difficult to escape from, I get into this store-room where my mom keeps her home-made wine. (I like the wine my mom prepares) I take the wine jar out and starts pouring the liquid into the glass.

My niece comes to me and asks: "What are you doing mamman? What are you pouring?"

Of course I can't give wine to my niece. And if I tell her that it is "wine" - something she has never tasted - she will create a scene forcing us to let her taste the drink.

So I tell her that it is black tea. She doesn't like black tea. The color of the wine supported my lie.

She observes me for a while, then runs to the kitchen and comes back with a tea filter to help me "filter" the "tea". With a chuckle I try to convince her that "this tea" doesn't require a filter.

She listens, thinks for a while, and runs to the kitchen again; only to bring another glass. I thought she is going to ask me her share of the "tea". She holds the glass to me and says "The tea will be hot mamman. Use this glass to bring down its heat"

My chuckle soon became a roaring laughter

******
Last week she left for Canada. I miss her...


February 18, 2008

Shantaram

I read Gregory David Roberts’ 900+ page Shantaram. I completed it much faster than I had anticipated. I liked the way Roberts wove the story. Two main threads of his fabric is philosophy and love. I am not impressed with the philosophy part. I have read better books that put across philosophy in a better way. But the love part intrigued me. It remains as a puzzle, especially Lin's love for Khaderbai. Khader had used Lin for his selfish motive. Lin knew it. But still he loved Khader as a father. But why? Does it happen to all people? Perhaps love is all about giving without expecting anything back. Worse... it could be giving even when one knows that he will get bad things in return. I guess it is that kind of love that makes a person forgive from the bottom of his heart. I guess it is this pure love that drags your loved ones even more closer to you. Equally interesting is the love between Lin and Karla. Their love went numb because mistrust and misunderstanding never let it blossom to the fullest. Without trust love can't grow.

Given below are a few interesting quotes from the book
Never let anyone know what you are thinking.

Karla: The truth is a bully we all pretend to like

Scorpion & Frog Story: The frog agrees to carry the scorpion across the river, because the scorpion promises not to sting him. But half-way across the river the scorpion stings the frog. The drowning frog asks him why he did it, when he knew that they'll both drown. The scorpion says that he's a scorpion, and its his nature to sting

Karla: Most loves are like your heart feeling like a over-crowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect and your independence. After a while you start throwing people out - your friends, everyone you used to know. And its' still not enough. The lifeboat is still sinking, and you know it's going to take you down with it.

Didier: The worst thing about the corruption as a system of governance is that it works so well

Qasim Ali Khan: Justice is not only the way we punish those who do wrong. It is also the way we try to save them

Lin: A girlfriend of mine once told me, a long time ago, that she was attracted to me because I was interested in everything, and committed to nothing.

Lin: Real suffering is measured by what is taken away from us.

Karla: The surest way to hurt someone you like, is to put all your trust in him

Dider: News tells you what people did. Gossip tells you how much they enjoyed it.

Karla: Men reveal what they think when they look away, and what they feel when they hesitate. With women it's the other way around.

The Enfield of India 350cc Bullet was a single-cylinder, four stroke motorcycle, constructed to the plan of the original 1950's model of the British Royal Enfield. Renowned for its idiosyncratic handling as much as for its reliability and durability, the Bullet was a bike that demanded a relationship involved tolerance, patience, and understanding on the part of the rider. Un exchange, the Bullet provided the kind of soaring, celestial, wind-weaving pleasure that birds must know, punctuated by not infrequent near-death experiences.

Lin: There is a difference between a choice and an ultimatum: A choice means that you know what’s going on, and why before you decide. You can't order me to do something, without an explanation. I'm not that kind of man.

Vikram: A man is truly a man when he wind the love of a good woman, earns her respect, and keeps her trust.

Winston Churchill: A fanatic is someone who won't change his mind and can't change the subject

Lin: Honor and virtue are not same. Virtue is concerned with what we do, and honor is concerned with how we do it. Criminals, killer and mafiosis can be honorable men.



February 08, 2008

Blessed (Cursed) ATM?

An ATM near Forum Mall, Koramangala, Bangalore....

The user - ME

I swiped my card, entered the PIN, and then the amount - Rs 5000
Some machine movement happened before the ATM started humming that sweet little music of Rupee-Notes getting machine-counted.
After a while it presented me the money. I took it and counted...

Did I count an extra 100?! Not sure... I count again. YES! There is one 100 Rs note extra. The ATM indeed gave me an extra 100 Rs! Wait a minute... What did the receipt say? I carefully check the receipt the machine had produced. It said Rs 5000. But I got Rs 5100!

With grin all over my face, I said "God bless this ATM!"

PS: If I got lucky, someone else might have got unlucky. So folks, count the money before you leave the ATM. Machines are not perfect!


A different perspective

While reading Shantaram I came across this ordinary, but interesting paragraph. It talks about a 19 year old slum dweller who resorts to theft.
The 19 year old states: I know someday I might get caught, but I hope not. I hope the Enlightened One is on my side. It's for my sister. I pray that no harm will come to me, you see, because I'm not stealing for myself, but for my sister. She will be married soon, and there is not enough to pay the promised dowry. It is my responsibility. I'm the oldest son.
So... Why am I sharing this?

A few days back, past midnight, I was awaken to a huge pandemonium in my neighborhood. The dogs were barking and people were shouting. When I opened my window, I saw a group of men pounding two teenagers and yelling "chori kartha hai!!??"... meaning "You dare stealing!!??". The teenagers were all in tears, hand-folded, squealing and involuntarily chattering "sorry sorry..." The drama continued for almost half an hour. While the drama was unfolding I was least sympathetic to those teenagers. In fact, I was glad that someone was thrashing them on my behalf. Call it mob psychology or whatever...

The next day, I forgot that incident and got busy with my daily chores.

A paragraph like the one from Shantaram can remind you about your limitation to put things in the right perspective before acting...


February 04, 2008

Investment nuggets

Came across some John Templeton quotes. Golden nuggets from the investment guru...
The time of maximum pessimism is the best time to buy and the time of maximum optimism is the best time to sell.

I never made money for clients by buying anything expensive.

The only investor who should not diversify is the one who is right 100 per cent of the time.

For those properly prepared in advance, a bear market in stocks is not a calamity but an opportunity.

If you buy the same securities as other people, you will have the same results as other people... To buy when others are despondently selling and to sell when others are greedily buying requires the greatest fortitude and pays the greatest reward.

Bear markets have always been temporary. And so have bull markets...

...Too many investors can spoil any share selection method or any market timing formula.

History shows that time, not timing, is the key to investment success. Therefore, the best time to buy stocks is when you have money.

Article @ click here



February 03, 2008

Interpret this...

There is this book in my hand... I'm trying to read it. But the contents are not clear at all. Everything in the book appears to be blurred out. I don’t know why. All I know is that I'm trying hard to solve a problem. And I know that the book holds the key to the problem and solution.

Suddenly some of the contents become clearer. It says "PSALMS 14"!! And I'm somewhere in the second paragraph of PSALMS 14!!

That is when I woke up from my dream!

I’m obviously puzzled by the dream. Bible is not my cup of tea. I have read only a few chapters of it. I have never gone close to PSALMS. I'm no great believer either. The pendulum of my belief often swings between theism and atheism; often passing through agnosticism. So why this dream??!!

I opened PSALM 14 and read the first two paragraphs. It said: Fools say to themselves, "There is no God!" They are all corrupt and they have done terrible things; there is no one who does what is right. The LORD looks down from heaven at us humans to see if there are any who are wise, any who worship him.

Now... the interpretation of the dream:
  1. Theist: The dream is a divine intervention.
  2. Atheist: Something has been troubling you off-late. The subconscious mind, which was brought up in the Christian faith, is responding to it by echoing your old beliefs.
  3. Agnostic: I’m contemplating on the above two arguments.


February 02, 2008

Miracle!

I was chatting with my friend, who 'claimed' to have a recent breakup with his girlfriend

"Are you through with her?" I asked
"I guess so..."
"Do you miss her?"
He lifted his head, gave it a slight nod and said: "She is a poor sweet person". His tone said that he did miss her... perhaps badly
After a brief silence I asked: "So what's your decision? Are you gonna continue with her?"
He sighed and said: "I don't know. If some miracle happens, then yes... !"
I smiled and said: "You seem to hoping for a miracle. May be you should act. That will bring miracle to your doorsteps."

We all wait for miracles to happen. At times it is our own actions that create miracles in our own life.


January 31, 2008

Feel it...!

This post is not for the hyper-sensitive heart...

How would you feel seeing your friend getting slaughtered; you are caged (or tied), and you know that you are the next to go down?

Here's something that happened in my neighborhood.



Five Point Someone

Read Five Point Someone of Chetan Bhagat. A light one that spreads that smile on your face. Loads of reviews are available on the I-net. I don't want to add to add to that weight :-) And sorry... am publishing no Chetan quotes either ;-)


January 27, 2008

The Road Less Travelled

Completed Scott M Peck's "The Road Less Traveled". An interesting read. It took me quite sometime to complete the book. I had to skim and skip some of the last chapters, which deals with grace and laziness. Yeah... In Scott's words, perhaps I was a bit lazy and rejected "grace" by doing so ;-)

Given below are some of the quotes and excerpts that I liked.

Discipline is the basic set of tools we require to solve life’s problems. Without discipline we can solve nothing. With only some discipline we can solve only some problems. With total discipline we can solve all problems.

If we feel ourselves valuable, then we will feel our time to be valuable, and if we feel our time to be valuable, then we will want to use it well. Those who procrastinate do not value their time.

A General: The single greatest problem in this army, or I guess in any organization, is that most of the executives will sit looking at problems in their units, staring them right in the face, doing nothing, as if these problems will go away if they sit there long enough.

Eldridge Cleaver: If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

Mental health is an ongoing process of dedication to reality at all costs

To our children we say, “Don’t talk back to me, I’m your parent.” To our spouse we give the message, “Let’s live and let live. If you criticize me, I’ll be a bitch to live with, and you’ll regret it.” To their families and the world the elderly give the message, “I’m old and fragile. If you challenge me I may die or at least you will bear upon your head the responsibility for making my last days on earth miserable.” To our employees we communicate, “If you are bold enough to challenge me at all, you had best do so very circumspectly indeed or else you’ll find yourself looking for another job.”

A life of total honestly also means a continuous and never-ending process of self-monitoring to assure that our communications – not only the words that we say but also the way we say them – invariably reflect as accurately as humanly possible the truth or reality as we know it.

Lying can be divided into two types: white lies and black lies. A black lie is a statement we make that we know is false. A white lie is a statement we make that is not in itself false but that leaves out a significant part of truth.

The feeling of ecstatic lovingness that characterizes the experience of “falling in love” always passes. The honeymoon always ends. The bloom of romance always fades. When it fades, the couple, in the privacy of their hearts, begin to come to the sickening realization that the beloved has and will continue to have his or her own desires, tastes, prejudices and timing different from the other’s. One by one, gradually or suddenly, the ego boundaries snap back into place; gradually or suddenly they fall out of love. Once again they are two separate individuals. At this point they begin either to dissolve the ties of their relationship or to initiate the work of “real” loving.

I define love thus: The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth.

When someone says that he/she can’t live without his/her love, it is a description of parasitism, not love. When you require another individual for your survival, you are a parasite on that individual. There is no choice, no freedom involved in your relationship. It is a matter of necessity rather than love. Love is the free exercise of choice. Two people love each other only when they are quite capable of living without each other but choose to live with each other.

If being loved is your goal, you will fail to achieve it. The only way to be assured of being loved is to be a person worthy of love, and you cannot be a person worthy of love when your primary goal in life is to be passively be loved.

In a constructive marriage the partners must regularly, routinely and predictably, attend to each other and their relationship no matter how they feel. Couples sooner or later always fall out of love, and it is at the moment when the mating instinct has run its course that the opportunity for genuine love begins. It is when the spouses no longer feel like being in each other’s company always, when they would rather be elsewhere some of the time, that their love begin to be tested and will be found to be present or absent. The person who truly loves does so because of a decision to love. This person has made a commitment to love, the will to love, still stands and is still exercised.

When we love another we give him or her our attention; we attend to that person’s growth. When we love ourselves we attend to our own growth. When we attend to someone we are caring for that person. The act of attending requires that we make the effort to set aside our existing preoccupations and actively shift our consciousness.

Love is work, nonlove is laziness, and anti-love, which is evil personified, is the extreme form of laziness.

Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the making of action in spite of fear.

With cathexis there is always the risk of loss or rejection. Love anything that lives and it will die. Trust anybody and you many be hurt; depend on anyone and that one may let you down. The price of cathexis is pain. If someone is determined not to risk pain, then such a person must do without many things: having children, getting married, the ecstasy of sex, the hope of ambition, friendship – all that makes life alive, meaningful and significant.

The essence of life is change, a panoply of growth and decay. Elect life and growth, and you elect change and the prospect of death.

As long as one marries, enters a career or has children to satisfy one’s parents or the expectations of anyone else, including society as a whole, the commitment by its very nature will be a shallow one.

Parents who are unwilling to risk the suffering if changing and growing and learning from their children are choosing a path of senility – whether they know it or not – and their children and the world will eave them far behind. Learning from their children is the best opportunity most people have to assure themselves of a meaningful old age. Sadly most do not take this opportunity.

Loving spouses must repeatedly confront and criticize each other if the marriage relationship is to serve the function of promoting the spiritual growth of the partners. No marriage can be judged truly successful unless husband and wife are each other's best critics. The same holds true for friendship. There is a traditional concept that friendship should be a conflict-free relationship, a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" arrangement, relying solely on a mutual exchange of favors and compliments as prescribed by good manners. Such relationships are superficial and intimacy-avoiding and do not deserve the name of friendship which is so commonly applied to them. Mutual loving confrontation is a significant part of all successful and meaningful human relationship. Without it the relationship is either unsuccessful or shallow.

When we confront or criticize someone it is because we want to change the course of the person's life. There are many ways to influence the course of events than by confrontation or criticism. by example, suggestion, parable, reward and punishment, questioning, prohibiting or permission, creation of experiences, organizing with others, and so on.

One’s feelings are the source of one’s energy; they provide the horsepower, or slave power, that makes it possible for us to accomplish the task of living. Feelings are one’s slaves and the art of self-discipline is like the are art of slave-owning.

The genuine lover always perceives the beloved as someone who has a totally separate identity. Moreover, the genuine lover always respects and even encourages this separateness and the unique individuality of the beloved.

Kahlil Gibran:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

A common and traditionally feminine martial problem is created by the wife who, once she is married, feels that the goal of her life has been achieved. She cannot understand or empathize with her husband’s need for achievements and experiences beyond the marriage and reacts to them with jealousy and nerve-ending demands that he devote increasingly more energy to the home.

The path to holiness lies through questioning everything.

Education is derived from the Latin educare, literally translated as ‘to bring out of’ or ‘to lead forth’. There fore when we educate people, if we use the word seriously, we do not stuff something new into their minds; rather we lead this something out of them; we bring it forth from the unconsciousness into their awareness. They were the possessors of the knowledge all along. When we are reading a book and come across an idea or theory that appeals to us, that ‘rings a bell’ with us, we ‘recognize’ it to be true. Yet this idea or theory may be one of which we have never before consciously thought. He word says we ‘re-know’ the concept, as if we knew once upon a time, forgot it, but then recognized it as an old friend.

Ultimately there is only one impediment to spiritual growth, and that is laziness.

Original sin exists. It is our laziness. It is very real. It exists in each and everyone of us.



Leftovers

He carefully poured the leftover tea into the steel tumbler he was holding... He picked the next tumbler and repeated the act, till the tumbler he held was full with “leftover” tea.

With satisfaction he lifted the tumbler to his lips and started drinking the tea he just collected. That is when he noticed that I was observing him. His expression changed. He slowly hid himself behind the tree next to him...

I had heard stories of people eating leftovers. This was the first time I was coming across one in real life. I didn't know what to do…

Next time If I see something like that I'm gonna buy them some food. Btw, the man I'm referring to works in Shanti Sagar Restaurant, Koramangala, Bangalore. You can see him cleaning tables, plates and tumblers of the hotel.


January 26, 2008

Superstition

The Superstition goes that if there are cobwebs in your home, money will dessert you!

Superstition... ah!” When I heard it first, I laughed at it...

That’s when my friend explained the logic behind the superstition: “What will you deduce about a person whose home is filled with cobwebs? Don’t you think that person is most LIKELY to be lazy and disorganized? What are the chances for such a character to keep accumulating wealth? Slim? The superstition is based on that logic...

I nodded...

January 16, 2008

A small fight...

My sister was narrating an incident to me. It was about a friend of hers. Let us call that friend Meenakshi. Meenakshi was having a bad time at home - with her husband, to be specific - and badly wanted to vent her anger and lighten up her mind. My sister was her chosen outlet.

What struck my sister was the hatred with which Meenakshi narrated one particular incident - an incident that involved "ill-behavior" of her husband towards her parents. Meenakshi knew how much pain her parents were taking to see the couple in good shape. But her husband seemed to have lesser appreciation towards what her parents were doing. She felt that he was not respecting her parents. That infuriated her. Her hatred was visible in her words, expression and every cell of her body.

So, why am I posting this? This is for couples, who don't well-treat their spouses’ parents and siblings. Be careful. Right now, your spouse might be vending his/her anger somewhere else. And he/she has every right to do so...


A couple's conversation

Given below is the overheard conversation of a couple.
Girl: Hey... look... discount is going on in Megamart
Guy: No No No No...
Girl: Come on... let us take a look. It is 50% off! We might get something good!
Guy: Nops.. This is just the 2nd week of the month and almost ENTIRE salary of mine is already spent...!
I chuckled. I had heard that spendthrift girls can become a real pain in the ass. This was one first hand incident I was witnessing! Poor fella...


January 15, 2008

A harrowing bus journey

A bus journey from Bangalore to Chennai. The bus is air-conditioned and hence the windows sealed. It is 11:30 in the night. Most of the passengers, including me, have slowly drifted into a nice sleep.

Someone in the front row removes his shoes and exposes his stinking socks. The foul smell pricks my nose and I awake from my slumber. In my stupor, I try to open the window to let the foul smell go, only to recollect that I'm travelling in an A/C bus. Cursing the guy who took off his shoes, I try to catch up with my sleep. When I had almost succeeded in welcoming my sleep, my neighbor releases his fart! The stink from the socks and the fart starts attacking my nose!

Later I did manage to get some sleep. But when I alighted from the bus, I was wondering whether my whole body was stinking of rotten socks and fart!

This is a request to all travelers: If you know your foot stinks, please do not take off your shoes or sandals while traveling. To those farters in bus, controlling fart for a long time may not be possible, but controlling the food you eat is certainly possible. Before traveling please do not eat those junky stuffs that will produce “natural gas” in your tummy. Have some concern to your fellow being...