i just learnt that the ex-ceo of yahoo, jerry yang never uses cap sized letters in his memos. it may be the only thing we share common love for. only that he gets to live with his love and i don't. atleast for now. i hope.
am no psycologist but the way people write does indeed reveal a few distinct snippets of their personality. especially in work environments.
i see a lot of this in the emails from offices based in india. "please find attached, please let me know, please **** my brains off, etc"
you don't have to think too far to realize the state of affairs in thirld world corporate. bosses are usually 100 feet longer than the rest.
brings me back to the age old puzzle i often get into a tussle with. what is more important for an individual in his life? get there first or get there in strength?
oftentimes, people think acting sophisticated in life is a sign of strength. well, it is like a donkey trying to paint its body to finally be a tiger. it may be its only theoritically possible route to success but the key is to know that it won't work either. sophistication is an outcome of strength and not the other way round. a true test of strength, for example, is when you miss the flight because of an attendant's error. if you fail to see humor in pityful situations, you ain't that sophisticated.
yeah, too much preaching! but, i thought i should write it down so that i don't forget it myself. oh yes, it has happened before.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Frozen
Of all the things that stay with us, a broken pencil;
the smell of the fog at three a.m
when you were waiting
for the bus on the street corner
a slight whimper
when you tied the shoe lace for one last time
what is that really stays beyond?
the smell of the toasted coffee
grows on and swallows you;
you are reminded of the innocent smile
behind the scorn on the face
the only face you ever knew
and the sweetest kiss you never had.
the smell of the fog at three a.m
when you were waiting
for the bus on the street corner
a slight whimper
when you tied the shoe lace for one last time
what is that really stays beyond?
the smell of the toasted coffee
grows on and swallows you;
you are reminded of the innocent smile
behind the scorn on the face
the only face you ever knew
and the sweetest kiss you never had.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Oh my Angels
“If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us struggle together.”
- Lila Watson, Aboriginal Activist
- Lila Watson, Aboriginal Activist
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
New Beginning
Paradigm shift is bound to occur.
Below is a list of most likely events of change. Yes, We can:
1. Legalization of Marijuana
2. Zero or Negative take home pay
3. Black ain't an excuse
4. Pamela posing with her ex-terrorist pals on the cover of Vogue
5. Law becomes a lucrative profession. Again.
6. Hedge fund companies re-sized to popcorn stores
7. A new trend of ex-presidents joining Hollywood
8. Sarah Palin makes new russian friends. Naughty ones. In the neighborhood.
9. John Mccain goes back to Vietnam
10. Obama throws off his mask and winks at the mirror
Yes, We can.
Below is a list of most likely events of change. Yes, We can:
1. Legalization of Marijuana
2. Zero or Negative take home pay
3. Black ain't an excuse
4. Pamela posing with her ex-terrorist pals on the cover of Vogue
5. Law becomes a lucrative profession. Again.
6. Hedge fund companies re-sized to popcorn stores
7. A new trend of ex-presidents joining Hollywood
8. Sarah Palin makes new russian friends. Naughty ones. In the neighborhood.
9. John Mccain goes back to Vietnam
10. Obama throws off his mask and winks at the mirror
Yes, We can.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Horizons
None of us is perfect. We all have flaws and some are more amusing than others.
I often face this predicament: In the middle of a serious meeting where a client is articulating his thoughts around the dwindling market share, I tend to go back-packing onto the terrain of a mountain in an amazon forest. This is a pure and simple case of day dreaming and is one of my consistent flaws.
Well, as Plato might have agreed, boredom is one of the key causes of day dreaming. So, I write to keep myself amused and interested.
How often do you have this urge to explore new hinterlands? If the answer is "a lot of times", did you ever ponder why you have that urge? My sense is that what we really crave for is not new post-card locations but newer and broader horizons. The ability to understand the beyond.
Marcel Proust famously said,
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eye"
I often face this predicament: In the middle of a serious meeting where a client is articulating his thoughts around the dwindling market share, I tend to go back-packing onto the terrain of a mountain in an amazon forest. This is a pure and simple case of day dreaming and is one of my consistent flaws.
Well, as Plato might have agreed, boredom is one of the key causes of day dreaming. So, I write to keep myself amused and interested.
How often do you have this urge to explore new hinterlands? If the answer is "a lot of times", did you ever ponder why you have that urge? My sense is that what we really crave for is not new post-card locations but newer and broader horizons. The ability to understand the beyond.
Marcel Proust famously said,
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eye"
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Up Close and Personal.
When you hear those three words, the last thing you might think about is an MBA.
But, if you are aware of the Josh Kaufmann's brain-child "The Personal MBA", you won't be disappointed at the word association.
http://personalmba.com/
A personal project which evolved into a pioneering solution to bridge the gap between advanced business knowledge and ever increasing number of aspiring students.
The tools used are surprisingly simple. A recommended list of business readings - that is all! Ofcourse there are discussion forums for members to enable discourse and intellectual exchange. The really strong chord though is that there is no $ 150,000 fee and a grand saving of more than a year's worth of time.
The course doesn't promise to offer a complete experience which is the hallmark of Harvard and Stanford. However, it may still be a better choice than the experience than most of the other schools have to offer.
On a slightly different note, Oscar Wild had a wise thing to say many decades ago:
“If you meet at dinner a man who has spent his life in educating himself - a rare type in our time … you rise from table richer, and conscious that a high ideal has for a moment touched and sanctified your days. But Oh! my dear Ernest, to sit next to a man who has spent his life in trying to educate others! What a dreadful experience that is!”
But, if you are aware of the Josh Kaufmann's brain-child "The Personal MBA", you won't be disappointed at the word association.
http://personalmba.com/
A personal project which evolved into a pioneering solution to bridge the gap between advanced business knowledge and ever increasing number of aspiring students.
The tools used are surprisingly simple. A recommended list of business readings - that is all! Ofcourse there are discussion forums for members to enable discourse and intellectual exchange. The really strong chord though is that there is no $ 150,000 fee and a grand saving of more than a year's worth of time.
The course doesn't promise to offer a complete experience which is the hallmark of Harvard and Stanford. However, it may still be a better choice than the experience than most of the other schools have to offer.
On a slightly different note, Oscar Wild had a wise thing to say many decades ago:
“If you meet at dinner a man who has spent his life in educating himself - a rare type in our time … you rise from table richer, and conscious that a high ideal has for a moment touched and sanctified your days. But Oh! my dear Ernest, to sit next to a man who has spent his life in trying to educate others! What a dreadful experience that is!”
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Take Or Give
Should we as humans rejoice the gifts we have or constantly flex our muscles to concentrate only on giving?
I hear "give and take". Never hear "give or take". But, it looks like that is a constant choice we make. How can we give AND take? Isn't it self-contradictory?
If we watch TV for sixteen minutes, should we be guilty that we didn't spend those minutes trying to solve the hunger of the kids in somalia? Did the globe warm up by a tenth of a degree before you finish watching Joe stick his head into a turkey? Did the carbon release from that TV help the ordeal?
Should you be worried or should you not.
Choice is constant. And, it is anything but binary. The third and most common form is not to choose.
Collective subconcious of the humankind may be the single most potent force available to mankind. If we can alter it, we can possibly achieve anything we need.
I hear "give and take". Never hear "give or take". But, it looks like that is a constant choice we make. How can we give AND take? Isn't it self-contradictory?
If we watch TV for sixteen minutes, should we be guilty that we didn't spend those minutes trying to solve the hunger of the kids in somalia? Did the globe warm up by a tenth of a degree before you finish watching Joe stick his head into a turkey? Did the carbon release from that TV help the ordeal?
Should you be worried or should you not.
Choice is constant. And, it is anything but binary. The third and most common form is not to choose.
Collective subconcious of the humankind may be the single most potent force available to mankind. If we can alter it, we can possibly achieve anything we need.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Joe the Plumber
A good replacement for the palin if she decides to undergo a long term rehabilitation to cure the severe lack of intelligence.
Monday, October 13, 2008
World in a book shelf
Lately, my favourite bookstore has been a small shop called 'Raven' in harvard square.
It deals only in used scholarly books. The quite and dark non-confronting landscape of the store makes you feel immediatly at home. Unlike the other large commercial stores I mostly make my purchases at, this is a very small 'mom & pop' store with freshness and novelty.
They play interesting non-conventional music and everytime I have been in the store, I got delightfully introduced to an interesting new artist. Try 'Manu Chao' and you won't be disappointed. However, please be informed that it is all french and spanish.
I can't think of a place other than Harvard where such a store can survive.
The bookshelves are diverse and yet, structured at the core. As you browse through the sections of India, China and other parts of the world, you can't help but notice the distinct difference among the varieties of books.
Books on India mostly deal with the wounds of the age-old civilization and the challenges related to economic liberation. The narratives are often deep and critical of the government and the elite alike. The books are a testimony to the democratic values of the country.
This feelings becomes more sharp as you look at the section on China. The books about China all have a mystic title. As if the authors are trying to explore the unknown and the content always falls short of comprehensiveness. This speaks a lot about the role of individual and the freedom of expression in this famously oppresive state.
The section of Asia is also dense with books about the darkness of Afghanistan. The pain is described in poetic eloquence by intense american authors. How ironic that much of that pain is caused by their own country men.
As you move to the books on Germany, you can't miss the sub-section of Holocaust.
The imagery becomes to too heavy by this moment and if you are still man enough to be in the section, you can give me an advice or two about how to control emotions.
The other shelf I found is of great value is the one on 'media and society'. I ended up purchasing a book from this section titled 'Self-Help, Inc'. The book deals with many doubts you always harbor about Stephen Covey and other authors who sell the idea that it is possible to shift to an alternate reality. The author does a fine job of dislodging the claims of all the semi-bogus authors.It may be the one book I want to gift to my cousins in teenage if they should ever ask me any questions related with "before and after".
An other interesting book I found was titled 'Forbidden Knowledge'. A philiosphical exploration of the dark side of human ingenuity and imagination.
I quote from an analytical passage of the book:
"SARA: Axel! [He is pensive]. Axel, are you forgetting me already? The world is out there. Let's go live!
AXEL: No. Our existence is already fulfilled. Our cup runneth over. All the realities, what will they be tomorrow compared to the mirages we have just lived?"
It deals only in used scholarly books. The quite and dark non-confronting landscape of the store makes you feel immediatly at home. Unlike the other large commercial stores I mostly make my purchases at, this is a very small 'mom & pop' store with freshness and novelty.
They play interesting non-conventional music and everytime I have been in the store, I got delightfully introduced to an interesting new artist. Try 'Manu Chao' and you won't be disappointed. However, please be informed that it is all french and spanish.
I can't think of a place other than Harvard where such a store can survive.
The bookshelves are diverse and yet, structured at the core. As you browse through the sections of India, China and other parts of the world, you can't help but notice the distinct difference among the varieties of books.
Books on India mostly deal with the wounds of the age-old civilization and the challenges related to economic liberation. The narratives are often deep and critical of the government and the elite alike. The books are a testimony to the democratic values of the country.
This feelings becomes more sharp as you look at the section on China. The books about China all have a mystic title. As if the authors are trying to explore the unknown and the content always falls short of comprehensiveness. This speaks a lot about the role of individual and the freedom of expression in this famously oppresive state.
The section of Asia is also dense with books about the darkness of Afghanistan. The pain is described in poetic eloquence by intense american authors. How ironic that much of that pain is caused by their own country men.
As you move to the books on Germany, you can't miss the sub-section of Holocaust.
The imagery becomes to too heavy by this moment and if you are still man enough to be in the section, you can give me an advice or two about how to control emotions.
The other shelf I found is of great value is the one on 'media and society'. I ended up purchasing a book from this section titled 'Self-Help, Inc'. The book deals with many doubts you always harbor about Stephen Covey and other authors who sell the idea that it is possible to shift to an alternate reality. The author does a fine job of dislodging the claims of all the semi-bogus authors.It may be the one book I want to gift to my cousins in teenage if they should ever ask me any questions related with "before and after".
An other interesting book I found was titled 'Forbidden Knowledge'. A philiosphical exploration of the dark side of human ingenuity and imagination.
I quote from an analytical passage of the book:
"SARA: Axel! [He is pensive]. Axel, are you forgetting me already? The world is out there. Let's go live!
AXEL: No. Our existence is already fulfilled. Our cup runneth over. All the realities, what will they be tomorrow compared to the mirages we have just lived?"
Banyan tree
Slight twinge in the ribs reminds me of the afternoon many years ago
When I lay down in the grass waiting for the rainbow
Sparkle in the eyes and spring in the knees
Waiting to jump ahead and run.
As the dry page flutters at the turn of the decade
The banyan tree doesn't have the same shade any more.
When I lay down in the grass waiting for the rainbow
Sparkle in the eyes and spring in the knees
Waiting to jump ahead and run.
As the dry page flutters at the turn of the decade
The banyan tree doesn't have the same shade any more.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Singular Drift
It is a striking thing to note that the primary goals of humankind are profoundly misplaced. Capitalism may have given us great gifts to savour but it robbed us of our basic identity as humans.
Everything is Hollywood now. If something is not, it will soon be.
Fast-food consumerism and late-night drudgery are fashionable and considered the traits of the intelligent segment of the society which is going to lead us into the future.
The drift appears so natural that anything which contradicts the stream of mass flow is visualized as an aberrant and soon weeded out by a cohesive effort of all moving parts of the system.
We live for our culture and inspite of it, we don't.
Everything is Hollywood now. If something is not, it will soon be.
Fast-food consumerism and late-night drudgery are fashionable and considered the traits of the intelligent segment of the society which is going to lead us into the future.
The drift appears so natural that anything which contradicts the stream of mass flow is visualized as an aberrant and soon weeded out by a cohesive effort of all moving parts of the system.
We live for our culture and inspite of it, we don't.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Blood-Bath
At the far end of the horizon,
Sun is glowing red and ready to set with purpose
As history is written on the walls of the street
Wolves cry out loud and run over the edge
Paper weight stops and looks at the glass window,
Wonders what the fat lady is staring at
At the other end,
opposite a small mud hut in Kabul
the kid covers his face with little wet hands
he doesn't want to go to school
"why?", he asks.
Sun is glowing red and ready to set with purpose
As history is written on the walls of the street
Wolves cry out loud and run over the edge
Paper weight stops and looks at the glass window,
Wonders what the fat lady is staring at
At the other end,
opposite a small mud hut in Kabul
the kid covers his face with little wet hands
he doesn't want to go to school
"why?", he asks.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Just walk!
One of the complex emotions we experience as city-dwellers is when we return to normalcy from a break at a beautiful forest. It brings with it such a roller coaster ride of emotions. As the miles turn to blocks, the daunting concrete skyline of the city looms on us like there is no tomorrow. At worst, it takes on the look of a devil ready to consume us head on. At best, the devil is asleep.
These may not be the most eloquent phrases to describe the feeling. Well - not any amount or style of language can even attempt to aptly represent the gigantic amount of loss.
The experience of the aching bones trying to grab the handle on the subway is nothing less than a heart break. Such a huge contrast from the day before, where everything you could lay hands on was either green in color or gold in heart.
Streets full of people look like someone sucked the wine out of life and left the mundane coke exhibit.
It pains to see that men have no option but to carry on with their normal lives. Even after they know that the joy of life lies not in what they do but desire. Beauty, as they said, may still be in the eye of the lucky beholder.
Or, as, the holy birds' excuse for staying at home goes:
"The owl loves it's nest in the ruins
The huma revels in making the king
The falcon will not leave the king's hand
And the wagtail pleads weakness"
Each bird to his own!
These may not be the most eloquent phrases to describe the feeling. Well - not any amount or style of language can even attempt to aptly represent the gigantic amount of loss.
The experience of the aching bones trying to grab the handle on the subway is nothing less than a heart break. Such a huge contrast from the day before, where everything you could lay hands on was either green in color or gold in heart.
Streets full of people look like someone sucked the wine out of life and left the mundane coke exhibit.
It pains to see that men have no option but to carry on with their normal lives. Even after they know that the joy of life lies not in what they do but desire. Beauty, as they said, may still be in the eye of the lucky beholder.
Or, as, the holy birds' excuse for staying at home goes:
"The owl loves it's nest in the ruins
The huma revels in making the king
The falcon will not leave the king's hand
And the wagtail pleads weakness"
Each bird to his own!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
JobYantra
So, You want a job change? You got sick of the glass ceiling and too much of caffeine or worse, nicotine in your blood. A resume in hand, you made up your mind.
What do you do next? If you are in India, you may probably think of naukri.com and monster.com. Or, work with a placement consultant.
Irrespective of all the hype around them, the fact is they are mere images of an oasis. It is much more powerful and realistic if you have friends in the employer ranks to refer your application. What if you have no friends at your dream company?
A stalemate!
You have a unique skill set and you want employers who meet your unique needs. It so often seems like all the right doors are never open. Believe it or not, the right employers love you more than you realize. In the knowledge economy, the right employee is more precious than a bag of gold.
But, let's be realistic. It is so very impossible to find the right kind of job. Nothing seems to guide us to the right team or company. I emphasize on team because the quality of your life boils down to the quality of your team. The brand equity of a company accounts for zilch if the teammates are a sorrow to work with.
All this makes job search appear like a hunt for the wild goose. A fool's errand, perhaps.
Yes, but not after Job Yantra came to the party. It is a focused job platform accesible only via select partners. It means a far higher probability of the right employers screening your application.
The big elephants in the room are not laughing.
Read more at http://jobyantra.com/
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Ramayan 3392 AD
I recently discovered this fantastic comic strip, courtesy of a friend. A product of Virgin comics, it surely ranks among the best portrayals of the epic.
It also is a big relief after the popular trauma caused by Ekta Kapoor's (mis)adventures with things best left untouched.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tigers and the Streets
I am currently researching to collect graphical stories of radically fresh human beings.
Below are the requirements to qualify for the study:
1. Should have broken atleast one of the major rules by which normal people live e.g., Drop out of college, Spend time alone for a couple of years in Siberia, etc.
2. Currently engaged in something really productive but unthinkable by an average mind. Should atleast have a surprise element which stretches the meaning of surprise.
3. No criminal history
4. Open to sharing personal story with the world
5. Free time for atleast a couple of weekends
If you meet the above requirements or know people who you think fit the bill, please write to me at sureshg3@gmail.com
Below are the requirements to qualify for the study:
1. Should have broken atleast one of the major rules by which normal people live e.g., Drop out of college, Spend time alone for a couple of years in Siberia, etc.
2. Currently engaged in something really productive but unthinkable by an average mind. Should atleast have a surprise element which stretches the meaning of surprise.
3. No criminal history
4. Open to sharing personal story with the world
5. Free time for atleast a couple of weekends
If you meet the above requirements or know people who you think fit the bill, please write to me at sureshg3@gmail.com
AMZ*Prime Club 866-557-2820 US
I just got charged $79 on my debit card and I can't recollect if I asked for anything!
No, It is not Internet Fraud, but, most people may chose to call it so.
I signed up for the free trial to Amazon Prime and after the trial period has lapsed, Amazon automatically enrolled me to an annual paid membership. When I checked back at the free trial and the fine prints that follow, they did say they would charge!
Don't worry if it happened to you too. You ofcourse don't want to pay Amazon for something you never wanted!
Just do this:
Go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs/primeclub/account/homepage.html
and click cancel account. DONE! You will be refunded in a couple of days.
------------------------------------
p.s: This post is only to educate the fellow victims. Others, please do not judge me to be a miser. I am anything but that!
And, do remember to read everything which is in print when you buy something on internet!
No, It is not Internet Fraud, but, most people may chose to call it so.
I signed up for the free trial to Amazon Prime and after the trial period has lapsed, Amazon automatically enrolled me to an annual paid membership. When I checked back at the free trial and the fine prints that follow, they did say they would charge!
Don't worry if it happened to you too. You ofcourse don't want to pay Amazon for something you never wanted!
Just do this:
Go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs/primeclub/account/homepage.html
and click cancel account. DONE! You will be refunded in a couple of days.
------------------------------------
p.s: This post is only to educate the fellow victims. Others, please do not judge me to be a miser. I am anything but that!
And, do remember to read everything which is in print when you buy something on internet!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Rabbits
It took a Fibonacci to see the beauty in arrangements of mother nature. To expect it of mere humans is equivalent to buying an empty cone of ice cream in hot summer!
Hope is too expensive to be wasted in black holes.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
Commentary
Are you one of those who are fascinated by sports commentary? I definitely am one. The impressions of all my favorite sport moments are undoubtedly influenced by the commentary around the seconds.
As a teenager, I was in awe with the amazing comments of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig but always discounted the feeling. I never gave commentary the credit it deserves. Few commentators like Sidhu and Gavaskar are really discountable by any scale.
But years later, I realize that they all did have their strong influence on my cricketing mind (if I have anything like that). Off late, I have just come to love the commentators of Cricinfo. I almost read word to word of their comments on all key matches.
I should say the television commentary on the just concluded French open was of high standards but the NBA commentary sucks for the most part. It is blaring into the ears and is often too dumb in context. Very unfair to the game which is so brilliant in the nature of play.
My all time favorite piece of commentary is this: (note that unnecessary elements like names are removed)
"Look at this guy. He never walks away from the pain. I think that is what the measure of a man is. When faced by the choice between grief and nothing, he always chooses grief!"
Wow! so much better to hear anything like this than having to sip beer in a bar and watch Eurocup with no commentary!
As a teenager, I was in awe with the amazing comments of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig but always discounted the feeling. I never gave commentary the credit it deserves. Few commentators like Sidhu and Gavaskar are really discountable by any scale.
But years later, I realize that they all did have their strong influence on my cricketing mind (if I have anything like that). Off late, I have just come to love the commentators of Cricinfo. I almost read word to word of their comments on all key matches.
I should say the television commentary on the just concluded French open was of high standards but the NBA commentary sucks for the most part. It is blaring into the ears and is often too dumb in context. Very unfair to the game which is so brilliant in the nature of play.
My all time favorite piece of commentary is this: (note that unnecessary elements like names are removed)
"Look at this guy. He never walks away from the pain. I think that is what the measure of a man is. When faced by the choice between grief and nothing, he always chooses grief!"
Wow! so much better to hear anything like this than having to sip beer in a bar and watch Eurocup with no commentary!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Shivaji
There is a 300 feet statue of Shivaji being built on marine drive. People like me who do not belong to mumbai but belong to mumbai(!) are slightly irritated at the idea.
Why such mad love for Shivaji?
I spent three hours researching Shivaji and his influence on maratha society in particular and hindu society in general. At the end of the research, I realized that the 300 feet is just a spec of dust compared to what the man deserves.
Shivaji is not great because of the things he achieved in his lifetime. This is inspite of the grand scale of events which is much higher than the reach of ordinary humans. His real genius is revealed after his death. All the small steps he took in his lifetime were really his building blocks to empower the Maratha society with character and courage. The code of honour and the visionary defense strategy developed by Shivaji was what helped Marathas defeat Mughals in a war of 27 years post his death.
A real king who served his people with great kindness or simply a genius at his work. India needs many more of his statues to remind us of what we can be if only we can believe in the possibility.
Why such mad love for Shivaji?
I spent three hours researching Shivaji and his influence on maratha society in particular and hindu society in general. At the end of the research, I realized that the 300 feet is just a spec of dust compared to what the man deserves.
Shivaji is not great because of the things he achieved in his lifetime. This is inspite of the grand scale of events which is much higher than the reach of ordinary humans. His real genius is revealed after his death. All the small steps he took in his lifetime were really his building blocks to empower the Maratha society with character and courage. The code of honour and the visionary defense strategy developed by Shivaji was what helped Marathas defeat Mughals in a war of 27 years post his death.
A real king who served his people with great kindness or simply a genius at his work. India needs many more of his statues to remind us of what we can be if only we can believe in the possibility.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Why is Obama Good for the World
Imagine when you were a kid.....running around the folks of your family in the backyard of your home.
Now imagine this: Everybody in your family was white except you. You were black!
Obama had a unique problem.
Being black in America is very different from being black anywhere else. It has very different connotation and an overwhelming load of baggage associated with it. The best way for any black kid to deal with it is to have a cushion of black family which can completely absorb and distill his or her apprehensions about society.
Obama never had this luxury. He never really understood why things were the way they were.
All he could do was play basketball and smoke pot to appear as tough as any other black kid.
Fortunately or Unfortunately, he wasn't really good with the ball or pot or the girls.
Later in his life, he travelled to Kenya to discover his own roots. Reminds me so much of the epic stories of Abdul Kalam traveling to meet a Monk to understand why he could not become a pilot and Steve Jobs hiking across Himalayas with a dollar in pocket to discover the purpose of life. Somehow, great minds think alike and i wonder how!
Great leaders are born when extraordinary self inquiry results in a mental framework where they finally realign the inner self with the outer. Most of the times, it is a great thing to do.
So, Obama was born and the whole world is now waiting to see what does it really mean for the planet.
Whites in Texas, Blacks in New York, Africans in Kenya and Mullahs in Afghanistan may have a thing or more to worry less about. Hillary and McCain have everything to worry about.
Hopefully, this relief will last for more than a single term of US presidency.
Harvard Law is surely an interesting program. I Like.
Now imagine this: Everybody in your family was white except you. You were black!
Obama had a unique problem.
Being black in America is very different from being black anywhere else. It has very different connotation and an overwhelming load of baggage associated with it. The best way for any black kid to deal with it is to have a cushion of black family which can completely absorb and distill his or her apprehensions about society.
Obama never had this luxury. He never really understood why things were the way they were.
All he could do was play basketball and smoke pot to appear as tough as any other black kid.
Fortunately or Unfortunately, he wasn't really good with the ball or pot or the girls.
Later in his life, he travelled to Kenya to discover his own roots. Reminds me so much of the epic stories of Abdul Kalam traveling to meet a Monk to understand why he could not become a pilot and Steve Jobs hiking across Himalayas with a dollar in pocket to discover the purpose of life. Somehow, great minds think alike and i wonder how!
Great leaders are born when extraordinary self inquiry results in a mental framework where they finally realign the inner self with the outer. Most of the times, it is a great thing to do.
So, Obama was born and the whole world is now waiting to see what does it really mean for the planet.
Whites in Texas, Blacks in New York, Africans in Kenya and Mullahs in Afghanistan may have a thing or more to worry less about. Hillary and McCain have everything to worry about.
Hopefully, this relief will last for more than a single term of US presidency.
Harvard Law is surely an interesting program. I Like.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A long turn
At the end of the tunnel
Distant from the far
The page turned
A squirrel walked up
It said:
"How are you?
"Want some tea?"
I replied
"Why not?"
"It smells good here already!"
Distant from the far
The page turned
A squirrel walked up
It said:
"How are you?
"Want some tea?"
I replied
"Why not?"
"It smells good here already!"
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Surface
Much awaited Surface was recently launched at AT&T stores. One of the few microsoft products which may make life a little easy.
But, now it is almost proverbial that Microsoft stands for unreliability. Surface can very well turn out to be an ugly face! If you are a regular user of office 2007, you know what i mean.
The worst thing that can happen is at a Vegas poker table. Imagine the system going down right on the brink of you winning a million dollar pot!!
You can run but cannot hide from Microsoft.
We need more of you Google. You ain't doing enough.
Not Yet.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Harold, Kumar and Global Food Crisis!
George Bush finally nailed it last week. He now has an answer to the conundrum of raising food prices. It is the dark, thin Indians who are causing the mess! All this outsourcing and other diseases have put enough money into their pockets. Voila!
As Indians eat more rasgullahs and jilebis , the fat fagots in Texas need to shell out a few extra dollars for a bag of rice. Is it a case of shortage? No! It is just plain increase in prices.
Harold and Kumar know better. They smoked pot with the master. Kumar also knows the burden of having to live up to the legacy of a father, successful or not.
All that pot blinds ones eyes to the ethanol being grown on rice fields.
Or may be, it is the burgers of white castle who are the real culprits.
As Indians eat more rasgullahs and jilebis , the fat fagots in Texas need to shell out a few extra dollars for a bag of rice. Is it a case of shortage? No! It is just plain increase in prices.
Harold and Kumar know better. They smoked pot with the master. Kumar also knows the burden of having to live up to the legacy of a father, successful or not.
All that pot blinds ones eyes to the ethanol being grown on rice fields.
Or may be, it is the burgers of white castle who are the real culprits.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Paradox of Venice
many long walks
slow but sharp turns
the big man
entered the church with his head down
the little fellow on the shoulder
stopped giggling
there were blood stains
and wild whispers
the eyes looked up
it was hard to say
who looked bigger - the roof or the chair?
altitude
was incomprehensible
emotion was
well, dried
folded papers and torn wallet
that's all was left
where did he come from
where was he to go
whispers got louder
eyes closed
the last i saw
the kid was giggling
i am not there
yet, i am there
it is a paradox
- and, it is not.
slow but sharp turns
the big man
entered the church with his head down
the little fellow on the shoulder
stopped giggling
there were blood stains
and wild whispers
the eyes looked up
it was hard to say
who looked bigger - the roof or the chair?
altitude
was incomprehensible
emotion was
well, dried
folded papers and torn wallet
that's all was left
where did he come from
where was he to go
whispers got louder
eyes closed
the last i saw
the kid was giggling
i am not there
yet, i am there
it is a paradox
- and, it is not.
Friday, April 11, 2008
O negative
How strange is the fact that inspite of being termed negative, O -ve humans can donate to anybody but can receive only from an other O -ve?
Is giving to everybody not positive enough to account for the negativity of not taking from anybody?
Who has the authority to change the names of blood groups?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Food for thought
If in an infinite chain of things, a few links can be explained, by the same method all can be explained!
-Vivekananda
-Vivekananda
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Jihad
Ali bin Abu-Talib, the first Imam of Islam said this about Jihad:
"Jihad is divided into four branches: to persuade people to be obedient to Allah; to prohibit them from sin and vice; to struggle (in the cause of Allah) sincerely and firmly on all occasions and to detest the vicious. Whoever persuades people to obey the orders of Allah provides strength to the believers; whoever dissuades them from vices and sins humiliates the unbelievers; whoever struggles on all occasions discharges all his obligations and whoever detests the vicious only for the sake of Allah, then Allah will take revenge on his enemies and will be pleased with Him on the Day of Judgement!"
I will wear Denims for my day of judgement. What will you wear?
"Jihad is divided into four branches: to persuade people to be obedient to Allah; to prohibit them from sin and vice; to struggle (in the cause of Allah) sincerely and firmly on all occasions and to detest the vicious. Whoever persuades people to obey the orders of Allah provides strength to the believers; whoever dissuades them from vices and sins humiliates the unbelievers; whoever struggles on all occasions discharges all his obligations and whoever detests the vicious only for the sake of Allah, then Allah will take revenge on his enemies and will be pleased with Him on the Day of Judgement!"
I will wear Denims for my day of judgement. What will you wear?
Monday, March 03, 2008
OLPC
"One laptop per child"
If you have not heard of this already, you do now! A brain child of Nicholas Negroponte, the program plans to donate a laptop to every child who needs it. Some versions of these laptops have in-built hand-driven mechanical generators of electricity!! These low-cost laptops have amazing design features which can create envy in any product designer. They are network enabled and an entire village can be potentially made digitally alive through sponsored satellite-driven infrastructure.
There are pros and cons and there are social challenges in the process. But, the fact is that all kids have the propensity to imagine the impossible. Every kid has fearless dreams and ambitions. Giving them a laptop may be the smallest help you can offer to help them be where they belong!
http://laptopfoundation.org/
If you have not heard of this already, you do now! A brain child of Nicholas Negroponte, the program plans to donate a laptop to every child who needs it. Some versions of these laptops have in-built hand-driven mechanical generators of electricity!! These low-cost laptops have amazing design features which can create envy in any product designer. They are network enabled and an entire village can be potentially made digitally alive through sponsored satellite-driven infrastructure.
There are pros and cons and there are social challenges in the process. But, the fact is that all kids have the propensity to imagine the impossible. Every kid has fearless dreams and ambitions. Giving them a laptop may be the smallest help you can offer to help them be where they belong!
http://laptopfoundation.org/
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Dark Matter
Stretching across 270 million light years. Three times larger than any other know structure and 3000 times larger than our galaxy. Just filaments and sheets.
Dark matter. Invisible. The only way you can detect the presence is to check if anything in the vicinity is affected. How i wish i was there instead of here. May be i am really there and not here.
Amidst the mildly squeaky noise of the little birds, the first ray of sunlight from the window pierced my eyelids and forced me to stop the line of thought.
Should i be glad it is sunshine and not the dark matter i live with?
Or may be it's just the window i should close.
Dark matter. Invisible. The only way you can detect the presence is to check if anything in the vicinity is affected. How i wish i was there instead of here. May be i am really there and not here.
Amidst the mildly squeaky noise of the little birds, the first ray of sunlight from the window pierced my eyelids and forced me to stop the line of thought.
Should i be glad it is sunshine and not the dark matter i live with?
Or may be it's just the window i should close.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Path
Blind Orion Searching for the Rising Sun. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The real question is: Does creativity help you to withdraw from the world or re-enter it?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Analyst Life Crisis
1. Is the intellectual slavery worth it?
2. Does my social life exist?
3. Where’s the remote?
4. Would I be happier doing “what I love”?
5. What do I love?
6. Analysts are the only people who can one day become rich Partners
7. Do I need to upgrade my socks?
8. Things are probably far worse back in India
9. What I do is exciting
10. Life without clean roads … life on Mumbai public transportation … shudder
11. Will a 250K$* MBA be of any use?
12. If I make less money I might deflate
* Estimate includes pay loss
Five years down the line, I want to re-visit this list. Am sure the list will not be any shorter but i hope it stays as interesting.
2. Does my social life exist?
3. Where’s the remote?
4. Would I be happier doing “what I love”?
5. What do I love?
6. Analysts are the only people who can one day become rich Partners
7. Do I need to upgrade my socks?
8. Things are probably far worse back in India
9. What I do is exciting
10. Life without clean roads … life on Mumbai public transportation … shudder
11. Will a 250K$* MBA be of any use?
12. If I make less money I might deflate
* Estimate includes pay loss
Five years down the line, I want to re-visit this list. Am sure the list will not be any shorter but i hope it stays as interesting.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Is Borat stupid or wise?
"There is my neighbor Nusultan Tuliakbay, he's pain in my *******. I get a window from a glass, he must get a window from a glass. I get a step, he must get a step. I get a clock radio...he cannot afford. Great success!"
I think wise.
I think wise.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Looking Good
It is often said that wars happen because of clash of cultures. Because people don't know the folks across oceans or land masses. Men fight to eliminate other men, ignorant of the fact that they both need each other. Women fight too, but they don't often take part in the wars as much as they cause them.
If you look at it closely (but not close enough), men wage wars all the time. Any economic function we are part of requires us to out-beat and often kill opponents in a surreal way. If your company's value proposition is to be the market leader in some vague paradigm, it essentially means that the company wants to make several smaller companies go bankrupt. It is as much a war as anything else. So, why is a big fuss made out of the so called wars? May be because of the graphics involved. You know, red and other colors. Not to mention the sound. I would love to see a silent war before I die. I just can't bear to imagine the noise that is associated with a typical war. It's high time technologists focus on building weapons which don't make any sound and kill the victim before he knows he got hit. Mankind certainly deserves a nobler death than getting shattered by mortar shells.
Strangest part of the wars often is that nobody knows who the real enemy is. It is often a country or a militant group which is an enemy but nobody really knows what they are fighting against. For a recent example, Americans thought they were fighting Iraq. Well, Iraq still exists and people often get confused why does it still exist if everybody agrees that the war was won. The real problem was that Saddam Hussain got killed by the time most people realized there was a war. Talking about Iraq war, a recently published book called "Curveball" argues that it was a taxi driver of Iraq living in Germany who caused all the mess. It is a pretty interesting tale but as useless as most other interesting tales. Things which are useful are often not interesting. Do you remember the "boring" spectacled girl from kindergarten who always gave you her notes when you needed to "use" them?
So, why do men wage wars? Historically, they did so for wealth, wine and women. Alexandar waged several wars and so did Ghazni. They did so because they knew of nothing else to do. They wanted glory and power. Did they get what they needed at the end? Yes, but the only catch was that their needs changed. It took Uncle Bob around 2000 years to figure out the cleanest way to attain glory and power. He chose to call it Capitalism while he was picking his nose in a bathtub.
What's all this got to do with looking good? War is not a topic which fits under a title like "looking good". Yeah, but only if wars could have looked good, I wouldn't be such a worried man. Blood hurts. And so do all the other things you don't want but happen to you.
If you look at it closely (but not close enough), men wage wars all the time. Any economic function we are part of requires us to out-beat and often kill opponents in a surreal way. If your company's value proposition is to be the market leader in some vague paradigm, it essentially means that the company wants to make several smaller companies go bankrupt. It is as much a war as anything else. So, why is a big fuss made out of the so called wars? May be because of the graphics involved. You know, red and other colors. Not to mention the sound. I would love to see a silent war before I die. I just can't bear to imagine the noise that is associated with a typical war. It's high time technologists focus on building weapons which don't make any sound and kill the victim before he knows he got hit. Mankind certainly deserves a nobler death than getting shattered by mortar shells.
Strangest part of the wars often is that nobody knows who the real enemy is. It is often a country or a militant group which is an enemy but nobody really knows what they are fighting against. For a recent example, Americans thought they were fighting Iraq. Well, Iraq still exists and people often get confused why does it still exist if everybody agrees that the war was won. The real problem was that Saddam Hussain got killed by the time most people realized there was a war. Talking about Iraq war, a recently published book called "Curveball" argues that it was a taxi driver of Iraq living in Germany who caused all the mess. It is a pretty interesting tale but as useless as most other interesting tales. Things which are useful are often not interesting. Do you remember the "boring" spectacled girl from kindergarten who always gave you her notes when you needed to "use" them?
So, why do men wage wars? Historically, they did so for wealth, wine and women. Alexandar waged several wars and so did Ghazni. They did so because they knew of nothing else to do. They wanted glory and power. Did they get what they needed at the end? Yes, but the only catch was that their needs changed. It took Uncle Bob around 2000 years to figure out the cleanest way to attain glory and power. He chose to call it Capitalism while he was picking his nose in a bathtub.
What's all this got to do with looking good? War is not a topic which fits under a title like "looking good". Yeah, but only if wars could have looked good, I wouldn't be such a worried man. Blood hurts. And so do all the other things you don't want but happen to you.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Zero
Indians are driven by numbers. Life has never been the same for us ever since Aryabhatta invented the zero. Not less than 3-4 lakhs of math and engineering graduates are churned out of colleges whenever someone sneezes in palem. It is just but a small proof of the structure of an average Indian brain which has more mathematics in it than neurons. Ever heard of the story of the grand father of a friend who never went to school but could multiply two 4 digit numbers before the calculator does it? Well, it could very well be the gift of your own grand father!
So, what does this innate love for numbers really mean? It is statistically proven somewhere in madagaskar that people who are really good at math are not really good at sex. Ah, it may just be a forceful agenda of the west. (You know, "They" always want to bully "Us") It's no real secret that an average american has lesser abilities with numbers than Andrew. By the way, Andrew is the name of the monkey of my Norwegian friend. No, Andrew is not the pet. It is the petter, if thats even a word! Well, who really cares what statistical research really proves? They even proved that cigarette is harmful. Come on, are you kidding? There are lies, more lies and then there are statistics.
Actually, there is a bigger point i need to make. It is not about zero but it is definitely about India. It is about our statistics in the game we all love. Cricket in India is bigger than football in UK or basketball in US. It is the sport which makes a 80 year old jump out of his deathbed. So, what do statistics say?
Country Win % in Test Matches Till Date
Australia 46.6%
England 34.7%
SouthAfrica 33.6%
WIndies 32.3%
Pakistan 30.7%
Source: Cricinfo
Well, India is not in top five. Even Srilanka is ahead of us. Only Newzealand, Bangaldesh and Zimbambwe are behind us.
Yes, Love is Blind!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Breeze
He dreams. Walks long into the night. Wind blowing at 45 degrees to his face. He sees smoke erupt from behind the trees. He choses to walk away. Light scares him. Darkness is his abode. Silence breaks into two. One part leaves his shadow empty.
He is wide awake. Walks down the street in the snow. Wind chill blowing straight into his face. He hears shouts from inside a house. He choses to walk away. Noise scares him. Good mood is his abode. All of a sudden, he slips and the ipod breaks into two. One part leaves the other empty.
He is wide awake. Walks down the street in the snow. Wind chill blowing straight into his face. He hears shouts from inside a house. He choses to walk away. Noise scares him. Good mood is his abode. All of a sudden, he slips and the ipod breaks into two. One part leaves the other empty.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
4 AM
A duck is staring at the sky
It wants a last cup of coffee
Or a golden key to unlock the air
It wants to listen
See what is missing and put it back there!
May be it's not the key and the coffee,
All it really needs is
a
It wants a last cup of coffee
Or a golden key to unlock the air
It wants to listen
See what is missing and put it back there!
May be it's not the key and the coffee,
All it really needs is
a
hello!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Kabul Express
A movie released in 2006 based on an Indian journalist duo's adventure in Afghanistan. A very tightly knit screenplay which leaves no room for the audience to catch a breath. The actor who played the Pakistani army officer turned taliban terrorist is the best part of the movie. Having said that, it is impossible to imagine the movie without the silly humor of Arshad Warsi. A strongly recommended watch for people who want do a quick 101 course on the reality of life of Afghans.
My favorite dialogue of the movie:
Pakistani/Talib Terrorist: "Hum to kabse keh rahe hain, Madhuri Dixit do aur Kashmir Lo"
Indian Journalist: (breaks into laughter) .."arey woh toh shaadi karke america chali gayi"
Pakistani/Talib: "hmm...yahi hota hai....humara jo bhi acha hota hai woh ghoom fir ke wahin chala jata hai"
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Truth and Silence
Aldous Huxley said this in 1959...
"And it seems to me perfectly in the cards that there will be within the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing … a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda, brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods."
Heard of the Outsourcing? Yeah, Aldous also said this about opinion-building...
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. By simply not mentioning certain subjects... totalitarian propagandists have influenced opinion much more effectively than they could have by the most eloquent denunciations."
Strange how human thoughts at certain part of space and time can very well be iconic reflections on some state of affairs they were never part of!
"And it seems to me perfectly in the cards that there will be within the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing … a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda, brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods."
Heard of the Outsourcing? Yeah, Aldous also said this about opinion-building...
"Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. By simply not mentioning certain subjects... totalitarian propagandists have influenced opinion much more effectively than they could have by the most eloquent denunciations."
Strange how human thoughts at certain part of space and time can very well be iconic reflections on some state of affairs they were never part of!
Wish
Wish you a wonderful new year.
Hope you achieve all your goals. If not, there is always next year! :)
For all the creative professionals trying to have a credible year, i wish you have an incredible year!!
Hope you achieve all your goals. If not, there is always next year! :)
For all the creative professionals trying to have a credible year, i wish you have an incredible year!!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Step
At this moment,
Huge traffic across the high bridge ceases to move
Dark clouds stand still over water
A lazy old man sits on a cot in the middle of his vast paddy field
Waitresses in Mexico are busy taking orders
A businessman is waiting to meet his investor at Starbucks
Men are looking for their love in barbershops
Women are searching for theirs in grocery stores
A man in Iraq fires a bullet against a wall
A young lady in Havana is blogging about why Cuba is not all about its Cigar
A cricket team is fast asleep dreaming about victory tomorrow
I am busy enjoying this moment.
Huge traffic across the high bridge ceases to move
Dark clouds stand still over water
A lazy old man sits on a cot in the middle of his vast paddy field
Waitresses in Mexico are busy taking orders
A businessman is waiting to meet his investor at Starbucks
Men are looking for their love in barbershops
Women are searching for theirs in grocery stores
A man in Iraq fires a bullet against a wall
A young lady in Havana is blogging about why Cuba is not all about its Cigar
A cricket team is fast asleep dreaming about victory tomorrow
I am busy enjoying this moment.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Benazir
Bhutto.
A few things are inexplicable. My seemingly high affection for bhutto has no real basis. I don't belong to Pakistan. I have no direct or indirect connection in any way. The attachment is probably because whenever i think of her, i remember her otherwise very powerful dad being hanged to death in public. It always remained a puzzle to me as to how can a powerful prime minister of a country be dealt with such cruelty in public? What kind of barbaric society did he belong to?
Benazir has been publicly warned since many months about possible attacks. Almost everybody who followed Pakistan knew that she was walking through a very risky path. Then, why wasn't anything done to protect her? Isn't it obvious then that the powers are on the side of the assassinators?
I always have been an admirer of people of Pakistan. Against the popular opinion, i actually like the spirit of their cricket team. But, somehow, some irreparable damage has been done now. For once, i lost hope. It might probably be the first of such an instance in my life.
A few things are inexplicable. My seemingly high affection for bhutto has no real basis. I don't belong to Pakistan. I have no direct or indirect connection in any way. The attachment is probably because whenever i think of her, i remember her otherwise very powerful dad being hanged to death in public. It always remained a puzzle to me as to how can a powerful prime minister of a country be dealt with such cruelty in public? What kind of barbaric society did he belong to?
Benazir has been publicly warned since many months about possible attacks. Almost everybody who followed Pakistan knew that she was walking through a very risky path. Then, why wasn't anything done to protect her? Isn't it obvious then that the powers are on the side of the assassinators?
I always have been an admirer of people of Pakistan. Against the popular opinion, i actually like the spirit of their cricket team. But, somehow, some irreparable damage has been done now. For once, i lost hope. It might probably be the first of such an instance in my life.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Kewl
What is the difference between a good friend and a best friend?
If you went to prison, a good friend will try his best to get you out.
A best friend will bring you hot samosas, looks at you in the prison and say, "this is fuckin awsome man"!
If you went to prison, a good friend will try his best to get you out.
A best friend will bring you hot samosas, looks at you in the prison and say, "this is fuckin awsome man"!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Pain and Pleasure
What is the most painful thing that can exist?
It is the exhaustive pangs you feel when those you trust don't trust you enough!
What is the most pleasurable thing that can exist?
It is when a strange kid on the street smiles at you whole-heartedly!
It is the exhaustive pangs you feel when those you trust don't trust you enough!
What is the most pleasurable thing that can exist?
It is when a strange kid on the street smiles at you whole-heartedly!
This is what i call a good email signature
Good one, Ankit Sharma!
"Ur absence shud b long enough, so dat Sumbody misses U....But it shudn't b so long,
dat Sumebody learns 2 live widout U!
The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see; and knows what the mind cannot
understand....
Always hav a smile on ur face not only coz life is full of reasons to smile but also
coz ur smile itself is a reason for many others to smile.
Keep smiling....! "
"Ur absence shud b long enough, so dat Sumbody misses U....But it shudn't b so long,
dat Sumebody learns 2 live widout U!
The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see; and knows what the mind cannot
understand....
Always hav a smile on ur face not only coz life is full of reasons to smile but also
coz ur smile itself is a reason for many others to smile.
Keep smiling....! "
Ideas worth spreading
www.ted.com
A wonderful collection of lectures on various interesting themes. A good way to kill time if you have the luxury of it. It probably might be a better way to spend your time than doing whatever you are doing.
Happy Holidays!
A wonderful collection of lectures on various interesting themes. A good way to kill time if you have the luxury of it. It probably might be a better way to spend your time than doing whatever you are doing.
Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Grassroots
Suddenly I open up,
Everything settles down,
This blade of grass I call myself
Roots in the sounds
Honking geese, silence
Ticking clock
Incense smoke
Fading light
Wonderfully full.
I am a blade of grass,
Rooted here tonight
Grounded in these moments
Of wild bird flight.
It's here I claim my origin
And like a blade of grass
I bend and twist and live and die
In all that rushes past
Snow, ice, driving rain
Sun, stars
Pleasure, pain
Darkness, light
And on it goes with all of life.
- Hetty Baiz
Everything settles down,
This blade of grass I call myself
Roots in the sounds
Honking geese, silence
Ticking clock
Incense smoke
Fading light
Wonderfully full.
I am a blade of grass,
Rooted here tonight
Grounded in these moments
Of wild bird flight.
It's here I claim my origin
And like a blade of grass
I bend and twist and live and die
In all that rushes past
Snow, ice, driving rain
Sun, stars
Pleasure, pain
Darkness, light
And on it goes with all of life.
- Hetty Baiz
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Office Office
My job has the following si(g)ns:
Golf practice on the office carpet
Gamble with colleagues
Drink beer with the boss in the conference room
Have push up competitions
Tell me if there can b a better office to go to.
Golf practice on the office carpet
Gamble with colleagues
Drink beer with the boss in the conference room
Have push up competitions
Tell me if there can b a better office to go to.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Pink Floyd
There is music and then there is music. The English band definitely has something as basic as numbers to algebra. Philosophy oozes out of every lyric of their songs. The sonic experimentation creates a silkened fabric for the listener to float on.
Big respects.
Big respects.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Pizzahut on the moon
And a Buddhist temple in down town NY. They both have more similarities than differences. Starving for customers is what they know best.
I did my part. I bought 200$ worth of books on Buddhism. It probably meant a month of revenues for the old lady who runs the shop. Amen!
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Bitter Truth
A conversation on a local train in Boston between an Indian and an European -
(The average Indian guy somehow always manages to mention the name of the school he went to)
I: So, i went to this school called IIM-A in india
E: Oh yeah, what for?
I: It is the top MBA institute of India, it is far difficult to get into than harvard or wharton!!
E: Wow, you must be smart!! What does this school have that the top US schools don't?
I: Oh, the admission rate is so much lesser. Wharton admits a lot higher ratio of applicants.
E: So,(ahem), that's your only claim to fame?
I: (Starts thinking)
The discussion soon fizzles away to a less important topic.
(This is one the things i do during my lone travels on the local train here! Try to pretend to read a book with earphones on. But, i always manage to listen to others conversations. Sick, isn't it?)
(The average Indian guy somehow always manages to mention the name of the school he went to)
I: So, i went to this school called IIM-A in india
E: Oh yeah, what for?
I: It is the top MBA institute of India, it is far difficult to get into than harvard or wharton!!
E: Wow, you must be smart!! What does this school have that the top US schools don't?
I: Oh, the admission rate is so much lesser. Wharton admits a lot higher ratio of applicants.
E: So,(ahem), that's your only claim to fame?
I: (Starts thinking)
The discussion soon fizzles away to a less important topic.
(This is one the things i do during my lone travels on the local train here! Try to pretend to read a book with earphones on. But, i always manage to listen to others conversations. Sick, isn't it?)
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Grey Shadows
Nine years - One hundred and twelve books
Thousands of hours of toil
Swallowed by the ocean
Winters, summers and then it rains -
All that is clear is the subtle shift
Two broken glasses, twenty five half written poems,
Five lost ones and an empty dairy
A silent guitar
Less than three hundred and twenty dreams
six were not about you
Pictures - a lot of them
No real color. Few are black and white.
Some are faintly grey
I have a letter to post
The post box is invisible
Thousands of hours of toil
Swallowed by the ocean
Winters, summers and then it rains -
All that is clear is the subtle shift
Two broken glasses, twenty five half written poems,
Five lost ones and an empty dairy
A silent guitar
Less than three hundred and twenty dreams
six were not about you
Pictures - a lot of them
No real color. Few are black and white.
Some are faintly grey
I have a letter to post
The post box is invisible
Monday, December 03, 2007
December
The dreaded December is here and with it brought an awful lot of wind chill. The weather is so cold that sometimes it even freezes the thoughts. It also is a source of relief. The only solution to the cold inside is the cold outside.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Co-workers, Orkut and Facebook!
Did you ever feel ridiculous to let your boss or a colleague browse through your friend lists and messages? Well, you have company in Cory Doctorow.
Quoting a slashdot article...
"Cory Doctorow writes about the downside of social networking on the Information Week site, with a focus on Facebook. While he starts with some minor but insightful quibbles, he quickly moves to a critique of the core of social networking: 'Imagine how creepy it would be to wander into a co-worker's cubicle and discover the wall covered with tiny photos of everyone in the office, ranked by 'friend' and 'foe,' with the top eight friends elevated to a small shrine decorated with Post-It roses and hearts.' Do you really want to add your boss and coworkers to your friends list? (And more to the point, do you really have a choice?)"
The article can be found at
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/29/1745240
Quoting a slashdot article...
"Cory Doctorow writes about the downside of social networking on the Information Week site, with a focus on Facebook. While he starts with some minor but insightful quibbles, he quickly moves to a critique of the core of social networking: 'Imagine how creepy it would be to wander into a co-worker's cubicle and discover the wall covered with tiny photos of everyone in the office, ranked by 'friend' and 'foe,' with the top eight friends elevated to a small shrine decorated with Post-It roses and hearts.' Do you really want to add your boss and coworkers to your friends list? (And more to the point, do you really have a choice?)"
The article can be found at
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/29/1745240
Noise
The cost of being sensitive to percepts is the uncanny amount of noise the mind and heart has to bear. It often pushes the soul to the point where everything seems to question the very premise of humanity.
On such occasions, i tend to write. (That is for you who quite often ask me to stop write and start life)
On such occasions, i tend to write. (That is for you who quite often ask me to stop write and start life)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Yellow
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow.
I came along,
I wrote a song for you,
And all the things you do,
And it was called yellow.
So then I took my turn,
Oh what a thing to have done,
And it was all yellow.
Your skin
Oh yeah, your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
You know, you know I love you so,
You know I love you so.
I swam across,
I jumped across for you,
Oh what a thing to do.
Cos you were all yellow,
I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all yellow.
Your skin,
Oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
And you know for you,
Id bleed myself dry for you,
Id bleed myself dry.
Its true, look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine.
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And all the things that you do.
-
Lyrics of the song 'yellow' by Coldplay
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah, they were all yellow.
I came along,
I wrote a song for you,
And all the things you do,
And it was called yellow.
So then I took my turn,
Oh what a thing to have done,
And it was all yellow.
Your skin
Oh yeah, your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
You know, you know I love you so,
You know I love you so.
I swam across,
I jumped across for you,
Oh what a thing to do.
Cos you were all yellow,
I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all yellow.
Your skin,
Oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
And you know for you,
Id bleed myself dry for you,
Id bleed myself dry.
Its true, look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine for you,
Look how they shine.
Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And all the things that you do.
-
Lyrics of the song 'yellow' by Coldplay
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Choice
There are only three types of men -
Men who die screaming
Men who die in silence
Men who die with a smile on their face
It is not about the death, it is perhaps always about the life.
Men who die screaming
Men who die in silence
Men who die with a smile on their face
It is not about the death, it is perhaps always about the life.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Doors and Windows
Instant messenger has brought with it such a vast abundance of public affection. I often get mesmerized at the fact that i have so many friends who love me enough to say hi at the most odd times. May be real world distance doesn't really matter anymore. Or, does it?
Thinking of instant messengers, i had this weird but powerful wish. It was so profound that i had tears in my eyes when i spent too much of time thinking about it!
Imagine a scenario where people from all time eras could talk to each other. What a gigantic thought it is to imagine talking to a dude from yester years called Arjun. He would go, "oh! btw, i killed all my cousins last weekend at a family event". My reply would at best be, "ah! come on man. that's not how u hunt!"
A saturday afternoon chat window would say, "hi der". No, it won't be my friend after his latest breakup. It will be a guy called Ram. A noble soul of his time and a rock star. He would go, "I miss my babe man. She is off in lanka somewhere. You know what? (sends the shy icon) I hired monkeys to search for her!". I would say, "Ohh! dat's so cool!! you should buy a sea-cruiser? They are selling it off 4 cheap man. It's da thanksgiving holiday sale! And you should be careful bro. Jayasurya still bats for lanka!"
Off would I go with Ram to fetch his hot babe. Won't i make far better company than the boring lakshman prasad yadav and vibhushan Singh Gaikwad? God, they surely can play golf! Did i say the scenario has only virtual time travel and not the real one? Ahh, forget it. There are no rules today. Why, you ask? Well, i forgot to swipe on my way into the office and there is now no way to know who broke the coffee machine. That's why. Now, stop asking questions, will ya?
I do need talk to a particular man though. I have a very important question for him. I will be a sad man on my deathbed if i don't get to know the answer. The question is this, "You are a rotten potato" and the man is not inzamamul haq. It's Cartman, off the southpark fame.
So, the moral of the story is this, 'Never read a blog with 'Windows' in the title'
(claps at the back and tears)
Thinking of instant messengers, i had this weird but powerful wish. It was so profound that i had tears in my eyes when i spent too much of time thinking about it!
Imagine a scenario where people from all time eras could talk to each other. What a gigantic thought it is to imagine talking to a dude from yester years called Arjun. He would go, "oh! btw, i killed all my cousins last weekend at a family event". My reply would at best be, "ah! come on man. that's not how u hunt!"
A saturday afternoon chat window would say, "hi der". No, it won't be my friend after his latest breakup. It will be a guy called Ram. A noble soul of his time and a rock star. He would go, "I miss my babe man. She is off in lanka somewhere. You know what? (sends the shy icon) I hired monkeys to search for her!". I would say, "Ohh! dat's so cool!! you should buy a sea-cruiser? They are selling it off 4 cheap man. It's da thanksgiving holiday sale! And you should be careful bro. Jayasurya still bats for lanka!"
Off would I go with Ram to fetch his hot babe. Won't i make far better company than the boring lakshman prasad yadav and vibhushan Singh Gaikwad? God, they surely can play golf! Did i say the scenario has only virtual time travel and not the real one? Ahh, forget it. There are no rules today. Why, you ask? Well, i forgot to swipe on my way into the office and there is now no way to know who broke the coffee machine. That's why. Now, stop asking questions, will ya?
I do need talk to a particular man though. I have a very important question for him. I will be a sad man on my deathbed if i don't get to know the answer. The question is this, "You are a rotten potato" and the man is not inzamamul haq. It's Cartman, off the southpark fame.
So, the moral of the story is this, 'Never read a blog with 'Windows' in the title'
(claps at the back and tears)
Saturday, November 17, 2007
talaash
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Bechaara kahan jaanta hai
Khalish hai yeh kya khala hai
Shehar bhar ki khushi se
Yeh dard mera bhala hai
Jashna yeh raaz na aaye
Mazaa toh bas gam main aaya hai
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Kabhi hai ishq ka ujaala
Kabhi hai maut ka andhera
Bataao kaun bhes hoga
Main jogi banu ya lutera
Kayi chehre hai is dil ke
Najaane kaunsa mera
Maine dil se kaha dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Hazaaron aaise phaasle the
Jo Tai karne chale the
raahe magar chal padi thi
Aur peeche hum rah gaye the
kadam Do chaar chal paaye
Kiye phere tere mann ke
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
- Lyrics from a hindi song of the movie 'rog'
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Bechaara kahan jaanta hai
Khalish hai yeh kya khala hai
Shehar bhar ki khushi se
Yeh dard mera bhala hai
Jashna yeh raaz na aaye
Mazaa toh bas gam main aaya hai
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Kabhi hai ishq ka ujaala
Kabhi hai maut ka andhera
Bataao kaun bhes hoga
Main jogi banu ya lutera
Kayi chehre hai is dil ke
Najaane kaunsa mera
Maine dil se kaha dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Hazaaron aaise phaasle the
Jo Tai karne chale the
raahe magar chal padi thi
Aur peeche hum rah gaye the
kadam Do chaar chal paaye
Kiye phere tere mann ke
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi
Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi
- Lyrics from a hindi song of the movie 'rog'
Monday, November 12, 2007
World ain't not funny
If ever you get to a point where you begin to think there is not enough humor around and people have become such idiotic dumb nuts - think again!
Dan Lyons, is a forbes editor who writes a blog posing as a fake steve jobs. He does a fine job at it. He even predicted some of steve's product announcements and was ranked on a recent list of "The 50 who matter now".
(Read http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/)
Apparently, he is not a great fan of MBA which makes him my friend. This is what he says of it, "Good god, man. Could there be anything less creative, less imaginative, less valuable than going to business school? Is there any surer way to become an absolute conformist....than to spend two years being coddled and pampered and fed worthless pablum by failed businesspeople"
Well, it did bring out some funny and creative reactions from some poor students of a random business school!
Dan Lyons, is a forbes editor who writes a blog posing as a fake steve jobs. He does a fine job at it. He even predicted some of steve's product announcements and was ranked on a recent list of "The 50 who matter now".
(Read http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/)
Apparently, he is not a great fan of MBA which makes him my friend. This is what he says of it, "Good god, man. Could there be anything less creative, less imaginative, less valuable than going to business school? Is there any surer way to become an absolute conformist....than to spend two years being coddled and pampered and fed worthless pablum by failed businesspeople"
Well, it did bring out some funny and creative reactions from some poor students of a random business school!
Friday, November 09, 2007
Torn Shoes
Far ahead in Iran
The kid loses the shoes of his sister
Little hands can't buy a big pair
So, ran the tiny legs
Not all races need to be won
For some, third place is the only victory
Smile on the face of a little sister -
is the only glory that exists
Far ahead it might be
It's the closest i have ever been
Put the hearts of all men together
A kid's heart still wins
Of all the art that exists
Majid Majidi has the only truth
all i have is a few arbitrary lines
and a heart full of gratitude
if not for words
where is the reprieve?
Forgetful
I have always been forgetful by nature. I forget to remember the names of so many important people that i cannot recollect how many of them did i really forget. Anyway, i realized today morning while i slipped on the stairs that i do not think in my mother tongue anymore. A little litmus test to understand what language does a man think in is this: Throw him off-balance without his notice, the sudden squeal that comes out is the exact sound of the language he belongs to. Well, my sound was this: "geesh!!"
Of all the things i could have said - i said "geesh". I do not even know if it is a word. Probably, am not thinking in a language anymore. Or more realistically, i do not think anymore! After the powerful early morning occurrence, i decided to think in my natural language - telugu, the whole day. It was a tough exercise, believe me. The couple of client calls definitely didn't help the matter. I was trying to think in telugu - translate it to hindi (which became my second tongue after the long years in bombay)and then articulate it in english. It was a journey on the razor edge and i was playing by the ear. Well, it wasn't a pleasant experience and i cursed myself later for having actually done that. However, it revealed to me that am still capable of thinking in all my basic languages. And am glad at the thought.
For tomorrow - i want to think only in symbols.
Godspeed.
Of all the things i could have said - i said "geesh". I do not even know if it is a word. Probably, am not thinking in a language anymore. Or more realistically, i do not think anymore! After the powerful early morning occurrence, i decided to think in my natural language - telugu, the whole day. It was a tough exercise, believe me. The couple of client calls definitely didn't help the matter. I was trying to think in telugu - translate it to hindi (which became my second tongue after the long years in bombay)and then articulate it in english. It was a journey on the razor edge and i was playing by the ear. Well, it wasn't a pleasant experience and i cursed myself later for having actually done that. However, it revealed to me that am still capable of thinking in all my basic languages. And am glad at the thought.
For tomorrow - i want to think only in symbols.
Godspeed.
JuxTaposition
Empty spaces and hollow forms
Loud noises of high pitches
Sting through the fabric -
and remain
Flow of river across the patches of land
Connects the tomorrow to yesterday
A tall tree bends to give shade
'Somehow', it says,
'nothing connects to today'!
Loud noises of high pitches
Sting through the fabric -
and remain
Flow of river across the patches of land
Connects the tomorrow to yesterday
A tall tree bends to give shade
'Somehow', it says,
'nothing connects to today'!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Tip
If you have a free day
Learn to enjoy movies and food alone
A day will come when you will need the art.
Learn to enjoy movies and food alone
A day will come when you will need the art.
Monday, November 05, 2007
Distant
On the surface
Choice exists in the smooth key pad -
and on-demand
it's a world full of free men like you
who live the will
And if you were the surface
you probably laugh all the time
tell me you don't find it funny
all the thought landscape
Stone to stone you move
go round and square; triangles too?
meet Elizabeth and the time machine
Trying to escape
And not.
In the end,
it's only coke-
and some popcorn
If life were an object,
it surely would be a TV remote
Only, you can't switch it back on
Hang on to the red light.
Choice exists in the smooth key pad -
and on-demand
it's a world full of free men like you
who live the will
And if you were the surface
you probably laugh all the time
tell me you don't find it funny
all the thought landscape
Stone to stone you move
go round and square; triangles too?
meet Elizabeth and the time machine
Trying to escape
And not.
In the end,
it's only coke-
and some popcorn
If life were an object,
it surely would be a TV remote
Only, you can't switch it back on
Hang on to the red light.
Friday, November 02, 2007
If ever
If ever the song paints
If ever the haze disappears
If ever the prison wall seems too low
If ever the curve straightens
If ever the brick looks a brick
If ever the doors are closed
If ever the mysticism ends
If ever the smile comes back
If ever the guitar gets tuned
If ever..
Then may the light arise!
If ever the haze disappears
If ever the prison wall seems too low
If ever the curve straightens
If ever the brick looks a brick
If ever the doors are closed
If ever the mysticism ends
If ever the smile comes back
If ever the guitar gets tuned
If ever..
Then may the light arise!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Magic
Wave after wave
Far from the shore and deep inside
Sounds of balafon -
And some samba
Legs curled up -
Every atom is dancing
There is a twinkle
Lips move apart
Cool breeze
And a sip of hot coffee
Magic!
What else is?
Far from the shore and deep inside
Sounds of balafon -
And some samba
Legs curled up -
Every atom is dancing
There is a twinkle
Lips move apart
Cool breeze
And a sip of hot coffee
Magic!
What else is?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Release
In the midst of woods -
spiral branches and smell of earth
green on the out and brown inside
the colors fade by the minute
Violet oozes out of the stem
Smoothely kissing the wet cheeks
Trembling hands rush to stop
Wind chill is the new lord
Yellow life crawls up the orange oak
Sticks and stings - the wounds remain
Night blanket wraps around the moon
Take my hug and bring me warmth
Heavy sphere, got any ear?
Sometimes, i wakeup on the tenth floor
Strange that the building has only seven in the morning
Emotion needs to learn algebra
Release is but a solution that never exists
spiral branches and smell of earth
green on the out and brown inside
the colors fade by the minute
Violet oozes out of the stem
Smoothely kissing the wet cheeks
Trembling hands rush to stop
Wind chill is the new lord
Yellow life crawls up the orange oak
Sticks and stings - the wounds remain
Night blanket wraps around the moon
Take my hug and bring me warmth
Heavy sphere, got any ear?
Sometimes, i wakeup on the tenth floor
Strange that the building has only seven in the morning
Emotion needs to learn algebra
Release is but a solution that never exists
Friday, October 26, 2007
Steve, Bill and Icecream
If you were born in the 80s like me, you were probably thrown into this world when it was going through a very important series of events. The cold war ended during this period. There was uprise of urban middle-class in the US and Europe. Middle class young adults fresh out of MBA-schools were getting adequately rich to get pretty cars and prettier women. It was a period when movies and music began to get commercialized into the mainstream as we see it today. It was also a time when Microsoft and Apple started doing things which made them so fantastically successful as they are now. I wouldn't mention Infosys here as much of the value creation due to them only began to happen in the 1990s. The point however is that these are really really powerful events if you come to think of it. A lot of things happened so positively well together that it just pushed the eco-system to a higher layer and order of basic elements.
I feel unlucky because of two things. One, i wasn't born in the west, where the action always seems to be more "now" than in the east. Two, read one again. The eco-system is so much more real in the west as compared to the east and it both inspires and scares me. I am inspired because i get hope that if humans can do it at some space and time, humans elsewhere surely have the potential to do it. I am scared because i feel the eco-system is so terribly damaged that it might take a lot of time and space. One reason it is bound to take a a lot of time is that there is a lot and lot of space to cover. What can speed up the process is something only Mustafa Gaus knows. It is very important to find him.
When i was in school, a friend of mine used to tell me repeatedly about this little nugget of wisdom. He told me about this so many times that i now kind of believe in it. I think that is what it takes to convince someone about something. Just persevere and constantly bombard them with your alternative imagery of space-curve. Sooner or later, they will bend in. It is probably always the latter. Well, the nugget of wisdom was this. If you take away the wealth of all the rich people in the world and redistribute it among everybody in the world equally, the wealth will get back to the same or similar set of people very soon. That is just how the whole thing is programmed! You either have it in you or you don't. There are no two ways about it. Well, wisdom or not, it is surely an interesting way to look at things. For me, it always is a favorite thing to ponder about. If you know the essential DNA of what makes people of different walks of life wealthy and those elements which restrict progress, you can become the most powerful consultant, the world has never known. The key word, however, is "If". Nobody seems to know the answer even though people throw this crap around a few common phrases around doing the right thing, making your passion your job, etc. Well, if my passion should be my job, who will pay me for eating ice cream?
It dawned on me today that am close to hit a quarter century of my lifetime on this planet and am supposed to have a perspective of what life form is all about and where is that am supposed to take mine.
I pondered about it a lot and this is what i have concluded-
Eat a lot of ice cream.
The 1980s are also termed as the period of "greed".
I for some reason, think that greed is probably always good. The collective greed of all humans is probably what makes the seemingly complex human and para-human systems tick and move. Amen.
I feel unlucky because of two things. One, i wasn't born in the west, where the action always seems to be more "now" than in the east. Two, read one again. The eco-system is so much more real in the west as compared to the east and it both inspires and scares me. I am inspired because i get hope that if humans can do it at some space and time, humans elsewhere surely have the potential to do it. I am scared because i feel the eco-system is so terribly damaged that it might take a lot of time and space. One reason it is bound to take a a lot of time is that there is a lot and lot of space to cover. What can speed up the process is something only Mustafa Gaus knows. It is very important to find him.
When i was in school, a friend of mine used to tell me repeatedly about this little nugget of wisdom. He told me about this so many times that i now kind of believe in it. I think that is what it takes to convince someone about something. Just persevere and constantly bombard them with your alternative imagery of space-curve. Sooner or later, they will bend in. It is probably always the latter. Well, the nugget of wisdom was this. If you take away the wealth of all the rich people in the world and redistribute it among everybody in the world equally, the wealth will get back to the same or similar set of people very soon. That is just how the whole thing is programmed! You either have it in you or you don't. There are no two ways about it. Well, wisdom or not, it is surely an interesting way to look at things. For me, it always is a favorite thing to ponder about. If you know the essential DNA of what makes people of different walks of life wealthy and those elements which restrict progress, you can become the most powerful consultant, the world has never known. The key word, however, is "If". Nobody seems to know the answer even though people throw this crap around a few common phrases around doing the right thing, making your passion your job, etc. Well, if my passion should be my job, who will pay me for eating ice cream?
It dawned on me today that am close to hit a quarter century of my lifetime on this planet and am supposed to have a perspective of what life form is all about and where is that am supposed to take mine.
I pondered about it a lot and this is what i have concluded-
Eat a lot of ice cream.
The 1980s are also termed as the period of "greed".
I for some reason, think that greed is probably always good. The collective greed of all humans is probably what makes the seemingly complex human and para-human systems tick and move. Amen.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Agony
http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/oct/24india.htm
The latest report by AT Kearney talks about something as trivial as the fact that sky is blue. Yes, 800 million of Indians live on less than two dollars a day. Less than half the people are connected to the power grid. Note more than 5% are connected to the internet and all that jazz.
But, you know what? India still ranks high on happiness surveys. Surely, money or material wealth is not a source of happiness. They discovered and wrote about this in the vedas and upanishads a zillion years ago. We surely know the true path to happiness in the east.
Or, do we?
How about a village with electricity round the clock and clean water to drink?
How about adequate provision of healthcare in every nook n corner?
How about your distant cousin in the village having the chance to go to a good school?
Will that not bring any happiness?
May be we need to re-write our vedas. And give ourselves a little chance.
The latest report by AT Kearney talks about something as trivial as the fact that sky is blue. Yes, 800 million of Indians live on less than two dollars a day. Less than half the people are connected to the power grid. Note more than 5% are connected to the internet and all that jazz.
But, you know what? India still ranks high on happiness surveys. Surely, money or material wealth is not a source of happiness. They discovered and wrote about this in the vedas and upanishads a zillion years ago. We surely know the true path to happiness in the east.
Or, do we?
How about a village with electricity round the clock and clean water to drink?
How about adequate provision of healthcare in every nook n corner?
How about your distant cousin in the village having the chance to go to a good school?
Will that not bring any happiness?
May be we need to re-write our vedas. And give ourselves a little chance.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Cold
Time is staring at the watch
Laughing crazy like never before
Perhaps, never after
Chillness in the veins
Exhaust from the constant rupture
Numb feet and the gibberish
Ah, familiar
How i wish it was a dream.
A bird whispers silence into my mind
Can you a sing a song too? please
Far away in Mexico, the little girl is smiling
Her grandma wants to use the face book
Laughing crazy like never before
Perhaps, never after
Chillness in the veins
Exhaust from the constant rupture
Numb feet and the gibberish
Ah, familiar
How i wish it was a dream.
A bird whispers silence into my mind
Can you a sing a song too? please
Far away in Mexico, the little girl is smiling
Her grandma wants to use the face book
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Confession
- Loius Gluck
To say I'm without fear--
it wouldn't be true.
I'm afraid of sickness, humiliation.
Like anyone I have my dreams.
But I've learned to hide them,
to protect myself
from fulfillment: all happiness
attracts the Fates' anger.
They are sisters, savages--
in the end, they have
no emotion but envy.
To say I'm without fear--
it wouldn't be true.
I'm afraid of sickness, humiliation.
Like anyone I have my dreams.
But I've learned to hide them,
to protect myself
from fulfillment: all happiness
attracts the Fates' anger.
They are sisters, savages--
in the end, they have
no emotion but envy.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Impossible is Nothing
Have you ever taken a course in mass transfer? If not, do not read any further!
For if you have gone through the rituals, you are most likely to remember the book by treybal. If you are the unfortunate Phd kind, you probably still sleep over it.
This is not about the book. This isn't even about me. It is about a man and his deepest fears coming true!
I hated it from the bottom of my heart ever since i first met with the book. Whenever i opened the pages, i felt like i was being tied to a tree and punished with a hunter! The piercing pain and the imaginary smell of the silkened flesh still linger fresh in my memory. The psychometric charts looked like the kitchen of the devil who was cooking my misery. The problems about the distillation plants made me feel sad for the african girls who were being sold in the markets of Ethiopia. I felt a strong cord of distinct similarity. When you are forced to do something you dislike so much and there is no way out, what do you do about it?
Well, not much i guess.
Time moved on. Mass transfer became a thing of history and treybal was a happy man ever after. I actually don't remember an instance where i felt anything remotely bad for him. Even when i was going through the pain, i felt sad for the guy who had actually had to write a book about transfer of mass from a phase to an other. He probably doesn't have to worry about hell as he has lived through it!
A typical hindi movie romance starts with a fight between the boy and the girl and ends up with them falling in love. I never believed in it!
Well, most of the time, beliefs shouldn't change! That leaves for some time when they are allowed to change!
I met with the book again on this weekend. I happened to meet a friend doing his Phd at MIT and he was kind enough to let me into the room where he stores this book and treats it with atmost devotion!
I didn't know what to do for a minute. Here i was, face to face with my devil. My deepest fear. My deadliest nemesis. I slowly but surely moved towards it. I took the book in my hand and began to feel it's texture. In a single momentary flash, the entire history dawned itself before my eyes. I started going through the pages. The very psychometric charts from the past began to look like innocent puppies. It doesn't feel anywhere close to a devil's workshop. I went through the pages which discuss distillation plants. I felt something melt inside me. There were tears in my eyes.
The wonder for me is that i couldn't bring myself to hate the thing i thought was my worst enemy. I felt like i was holding a teddy bear in my hands.
I think this is a lesson for every man who is scared of something. anything. The thing that you are scared of is probably not the reason for your misery. The reason lies inside you. And gladly for me, the reason doesn't exist anymore!
For if you have gone through the rituals, you are most likely to remember the book by treybal. If you are the unfortunate Phd kind, you probably still sleep over it.
This is not about the book. This isn't even about me. It is about a man and his deepest fears coming true!
I hated it from the bottom of my heart ever since i first met with the book. Whenever i opened the pages, i felt like i was being tied to a tree and punished with a hunter! The piercing pain and the imaginary smell of the silkened flesh still linger fresh in my memory. The psychometric charts looked like the kitchen of the devil who was cooking my misery. The problems about the distillation plants made me feel sad for the african girls who were being sold in the markets of Ethiopia. I felt a strong cord of distinct similarity. When you are forced to do something you dislike so much and there is no way out, what do you do about it?
Well, not much i guess.
Time moved on. Mass transfer became a thing of history and treybal was a happy man ever after. I actually don't remember an instance where i felt anything remotely bad for him. Even when i was going through the pain, i felt sad for the guy who had actually had to write a book about transfer of mass from a phase to an other. He probably doesn't have to worry about hell as he has lived through it!
A typical hindi movie romance starts with a fight between the boy and the girl and ends up with them falling in love. I never believed in it!
Well, most of the time, beliefs shouldn't change! That leaves for some time when they are allowed to change!
I met with the book again on this weekend. I happened to meet a friend doing his Phd at MIT and he was kind enough to let me into the room where he stores this book and treats it with atmost devotion!
I didn't know what to do for a minute. Here i was, face to face with my devil. My deepest fear. My deadliest nemesis. I slowly but surely moved towards it. I took the book in my hand and began to feel it's texture. In a single momentary flash, the entire history dawned itself before my eyes. I started going through the pages. The very psychometric charts from the past began to look like innocent puppies. It doesn't feel anywhere close to a devil's workshop. I went through the pages which discuss distillation plants. I felt something melt inside me. There were tears in my eyes.
The wonder for me is that i couldn't bring myself to hate the thing i thought was my worst enemy. I felt like i was holding a teddy bear in my hands.
I think this is a lesson for every man who is scared of something. anything. The thing that you are scared of is probably not the reason for your misery. The reason lies inside you. And gladly for me, the reason doesn't exist anymore!
Monday, October 08, 2007
Happy Days!
A few things can touch you.
A few other can move you.
Very rarely, few things do happen which can actually make you cry!
Shekhar Kammula, is a director with a magic wand. Happy Days is a must watch if you want to add quality to a few of your hours on the weekend.
It has everything you want from a movie and may be a lot more. The story is very simple yet immensely powerful that you actually stop treating it as just a movie. It is everybody's story. Anybody who went onto study after highschool, will relate to this movie to the highest degree of congruence. A run-of-the mill story but shot with such elegance and freshness which needs to be seen to realize it.
Acting in the movie is such a natural beauty! There are several independent stories each linked to the other and create great screenplay in the process. The new actors (i have never seen them before) did a great job! The background music tracks are very soothing and impressive.
Freshie ragging, Puppy love, Hot english teacher, deep friendships, gang wars, worries about career goals, struggles to decide whether to stay back in india or move to US, growing up from kids to be men and women.
Add to that, there is also a chapter on graduation towards the end of the movie.
The movie definitely leaves you with a heavy heart and tonnes of nostalgia.
Is it just me or this is real?
A few other can move you.
Very rarely, few things do happen which can actually make you cry!
Shekhar Kammula, is a director with a magic wand. Happy Days is a must watch if you want to add quality to a few of your hours on the weekend.
It has everything you want from a movie and may be a lot more. The story is very simple yet immensely powerful that you actually stop treating it as just a movie. It is everybody's story. Anybody who went onto study after highschool, will relate to this movie to the highest degree of congruence. A run-of-the mill story but shot with such elegance and freshness which needs to be seen to realize it.
Acting in the movie is such a natural beauty! There are several independent stories each linked to the other and create great screenplay in the process. The new actors (i have never seen them before) did a great job! The background music tracks are very soothing and impressive.
Freshie ragging, Puppy love, Hot english teacher, deep friendships, gang wars, worries about career goals, struggles to decide whether to stay back in india or move to US, growing up from kids to be men and women.
Add to that, there is also a chapter on graduation towards the end of the movie.
The movie definitely leaves you with a heavy heart and tonnes of nostalgia.
Is it just me or this is real?
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
When the gates open...
Children walk to the school..
From the safety of mom's warmth.
Workers assemble at the factory..
Prayers never said.
Politicians are driven to their chambers..
Files smile at the luck.
Players enter the camp..
Sweat, Thirst and Desire.
Traders place the bets..
A shirt lost and and a feraari won.
Professor knocks it down.
The colour ain't changing. He laughs..
The old man at the sea..
Waits for his freedom.
A girl smiles and blossoms..
First love.
In a patch of land not very far away.................
A man opens fire.
He isn't one of us.
I wake up...
from a nightmare to an other.
From the safety of mom's warmth.
Workers assemble at the factory..
Prayers never said.
Politicians are driven to their chambers..
Files smile at the luck.
Players enter the camp..
Sweat, Thirst and Desire.
Traders place the bets..
A shirt lost and and a feraari won.
Professor knocks it down.
The colour ain't changing. He laughs..
The old man at the sea..
Waits for his freedom.
A girl smiles and blossoms..
First love.
In a patch of land not very far away.................
A man opens fire.
He isn't one of us.
I wake up...
from a nightmare to an other.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Creed, justice and Marijuana!
I just found out that Marijuana is far better for you health-wise than cigarettes. It's a medical fact!
My question is why is marijuana illegal and cigarettes are legal if this is the case?
A probable answer is that the primary motive of the worldwide law and political systems is not public health and well-being. But, i don't want to be cynical today.
The evening is just too pleasant!
My question is why is marijuana illegal and cigarettes are legal if this is the case?
A probable answer is that the primary motive of the worldwide law and political systems is not public health and well-being. But, i don't want to be cynical today.
The evening is just too pleasant!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Funny things
Dear Silence,
Trust you are doing great.
It was nice meeting you last week. We hardly talked though. Guess all the noise at the restaurant distracted you? I wanted to tell you how much i loved the way you held the flowers. And when you sipped the wine, it felt like you were weaving symphony. Wish i can meet you again soon. I call often but i don't seem to get through?
Love,
Sound
P.S: You will receive this message late as am sound and not as fast as light!
Reply from Silence:
Dear Sound,
I am silent but you are dumb!
How can i ever meet you?
Reply from Sound:
Dear Silence,
There is no physics in dreams. It's all geography.
Trust you are doing great.
It was nice meeting you last week. We hardly talked though. Guess all the noise at the restaurant distracted you? I wanted to tell you how much i loved the way you held the flowers. And when you sipped the wine, it felt like you were weaving symphony. Wish i can meet you again soon. I call often but i don't seem to get through?
Love,
Sound
P.S: You will receive this message late as am sound and not as fast as light!
Reply from Silence:
Dear Sound,
I am silent but you are dumb!
How can i ever meet you?
Reply from Sound:
Dear Silence,
There is no physics in dreams. It's all geography.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
God of long things!
Faith does strange things to people. You somehow garner the strength to achieve the otherwise arduous and impossibly cruel tasks. Life starts looking like an easy drive on a half-volley.
I was witness to several acts of faith over the last weekend. A trip to tirupati with family helped in a lot of ways!
Tirupati, the abode of lord venkateshwara, is a place full of wonders. The mind-boggling queues do not worry the devotees at all. Infact, they almost enjoy the long wait! The average wait-time for a chance appointment with the lord is approx 4-5 hours!! This is if you belong to the privileged sorts of queues (the ones with reco letters from prominent politicians, etc.). A poor peasant typically waits for 12-18 hours to get a sneak peek at the lord!!!!!
The 'darshan' is a big tragedy. You are already too tired by the time you reach the crux of the temple and are in no mood to pray. Also, you will be pushed off by fat khakhi-walas/poorly clad pujaris in an instant. A nanosec is all you ever get! And, people typically close their eyes in front of the god. That esentially means that not more than a small portion of the devotees actually have a full glimpse of the lord.
The story isn't limited to the main temple where the real slim lord is located. Around the main temple, lots of smaller ones co-exist. Each one has a story. Interesting ones i should say. I often wondered if several of those temples were just plain jokes by the erstwhile feudal lords. The joke would have been a result of a chance conversation between two weekend friends.
Sometime during 14th century, the conversation between a rich merchant and a not-so-popular king on a dull sunday would have been like below:
Merchant A: "Dude, am gettin bored these days! Not enough golf!! Also, my wife is in the states with her relatives!"
King B: "Ahh, sorry to hear that bro! Am bored too. My wife is back again. Let's build a temple for timepass. We will also earn a lot of mudras through ads!!"
Merchant A: "Kewl idea man!!!"
And so were created dozens, hundreds, thousands and lakhs of temples across villages, towns and cities alike. Back then, the population must have been fairly low and the temples were never really crowded. But, the prosperity of last several centuries (read good rains) resulted in a population explosion leading to crores of devotees on streets. They all have a single-point agenda. Stand in a queue and visit a god! We devotees typically keep a score. It's similar to a fico-score. We call it the darshan-score. The one who drank the maximum 'theertham' (holy water distributed at the temple after darshan) and climbed the highest number of steps is the most reliable devotee. And temples usually issue blessings at lower interest rates (like a bank issues cheap credit for ppl with high fico scores) for devotees with high scores!!
Whatever that means, the fact is that the long queues are constant throughout the day at all kinds and sizes of temples. All that a true devotee has to do is chant "govinda govinda" ! It acts like a crocin pill to the fever caused by all the evils of capitalism, inefficient democracies, inadequate educational institutes, poor form of justice, pathetic infrastructure and gallons of corruption.
God bless.
I was witness to several acts of faith over the last weekend. A trip to tirupati with family helped in a lot of ways!
Tirupati, the abode of lord venkateshwara, is a place full of wonders. The mind-boggling queues do not worry the devotees at all. Infact, they almost enjoy the long wait! The average wait-time for a chance appointment with the lord is approx 4-5 hours!! This is if you belong to the privileged sorts of queues (the ones with reco letters from prominent politicians, etc.). A poor peasant typically waits for 12-18 hours to get a sneak peek at the lord!!!!!
The 'darshan' is a big tragedy. You are already too tired by the time you reach the crux of the temple and are in no mood to pray. Also, you will be pushed off by fat khakhi-walas/poorly clad pujaris in an instant. A nanosec is all you ever get! And, people typically close their eyes in front of the god. That esentially means that not more than a small portion of the devotees actually have a full glimpse of the lord.
The story isn't limited to the main temple where the real slim lord is located. Around the main temple, lots of smaller ones co-exist. Each one has a story. Interesting ones i should say. I often wondered if several of those temples were just plain jokes by the erstwhile feudal lords. The joke would have been a result of a chance conversation between two weekend friends.
Sometime during 14th century, the conversation between a rich merchant and a not-so-popular king on a dull sunday would have been like below:
Merchant A: "Dude, am gettin bored these days! Not enough golf!! Also, my wife is in the states with her relatives!"
King B: "Ahh, sorry to hear that bro! Am bored too. My wife is back again. Let's build a temple for timepass. We will also earn a lot of mudras through ads!!"
Merchant A: "Kewl idea man!!!"
And so were created dozens, hundreds, thousands and lakhs of temples across villages, towns and cities alike. Back then, the population must have been fairly low and the temples were never really crowded. But, the prosperity of last several centuries (read good rains) resulted in a population explosion leading to crores of devotees on streets. They all have a single-point agenda. Stand in a queue and visit a god! We devotees typically keep a score. It's similar to a fico-score. We call it the darshan-score. The one who drank the maximum 'theertham' (holy water distributed at the temple after darshan) and climbed the highest number of steps is the most reliable devotee. And temples usually issue blessings at lower interest rates (like a bank issues cheap credit for ppl with high fico scores) for devotees with high scores!!
Whatever that means, the fact is that the long queues are constant throughout the day at all kinds and sizes of temples. All that a true devotee has to do is chant "govinda govinda" ! It acts like a crocin pill to the fever caused by all the evils of capitalism, inefficient democracies, inadequate educational institutes, poor form of justice, pathetic infrastructure and gallons of corruption.
God bless.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Itinerary
August 26 9 AM : Arrival in hyderabad
August 31 3 PM: Arrival in Tirupati
September 3 10 AM: Arrival in Delhi
September 3-9: Ladakh
September 10: Arrival in Hyderabad
September 14: Arrival in Mumbai
September 16: Departure to Boston
September 17: Hell breaks loose.
August 31 3 PM: Arrival in Tirupati
September 3 10 AM: Arrival in Delhi
September 3-9: Ladakh
September 10: Arrival in Hyderabad
September 14: Arrival in Mumbai
September 16: Departure to Boston
September 17: Hell breaks loose.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Tryst with destiny
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity."- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Happy independence day!
She lay on the bed...
I walked up to her, and turned her around. She looked at me lazily, and I could see myself in her eyes. I had loved her for years now, because everything about her was so unique, precious, and beautiful. She smiled at me, and her milky white skin shone in the morning light. I took her in my arms, caressing her tenderly, and knowing that she was now mine, for now, for ever.
She looked at peace, like the creator had thought out every inch of her design. She welcomed me with open arms, and I lost myself in her warm embrace. I knew I didn't want anything else in the world ever again: no money, no house, no doors, and definitely, no Windows.
My Angel.
My MacBook.
-Anon! :)
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Stuff inside a pumpkin and the french revolution
Yes. they are real!
And so is everything else.
Tonight will be my last day at my dearest apartment flat in an innocent corner on the planet, called powai. This small town is special to me for more than a thousand million reasons. I was a toddler when i came here back in 2001. I now am a fully grown adult and many of my impressions and ideas about the universe were given shape here. Thanks to my IIT days, most of them are worth cherishing!
The dearest flatmates, (guys both of them), shashi and the freaking idiot, bapu gave me some wonderful time. It was an honour staying with you guys as i know you both will be amongst the most important people on the planet by the time we reach our 60s.
I will miss the flat, definetly! My bike has been standing in the parking space without a shade for years now! And, god bless, it's still in a working mode! If there is one thing i hate about the whole thing about my flat, it's the landlord. Whenever i see him or hear from him, it dawns upon me that evil is real too and omnipresent. But i still wish that god blesses him with any of his favourite disease.
It's a well know fact that home is where heart is. I testify!
And so is everything else.
Tonight will be my last day at my dearest apartment flat in an innocent corner on the planet, called powai. This small town is special to me for more than a thousand million reasons. I was a toddler when i came here back in 2001. I now am a fully grown adult and many of my impressions and ideas about the universe were given shape here. Thanks to my IIT days, most of them are worth cherishing!
The dearest flatmates, (guys both of them), shashi and the freaking idiot, bapu gave me some wonderful time. It was an honour staying with you guys as i know you both will be amongst the most important people on the planet by the time we reach our 60s.
I will miss the flat, definetly! My bike has been standing in the parking space without a shade for years now! And, god bless, it's still in a working mode! If there is one thing i hate about the whole thing about my flat, it's the landlord. Whenever i see him or hear from him, it dawns upon me that evil is real too and omnipresent. But i still wish that god blesses him with any of his favourite disease.
It's a well know fact that home is where heart is. I testify!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Hack yourself!
You are hacker, ainh? A smart one?
Try these. These are not the traditional computer hacks, dey got more to do with your body!
http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-body-hacks-257746.php
you know more?
Try these. These are not the traditional computer hacks, dey got more to do with your body!
- Hold your breath longer
- Think while you sleep
- Scratch your leg to make it to the loo!
http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-body-hacks-257746.php
you know more?
Scott Adams is not worried about the future!!
Below is an alleged letter from a 10 year old to Scott Adams (of Dilbert's fame) which finally resolved all his worries about future of mankind and the planet!
-----------------------------Start---------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Scott Raymond Adams,
I am a 10-year-old boy who is an avid fan of your comic series, Dilbert. I know that it has achieved immense fame by the fact that it is shown in over 1600 newspapers around the world (at least, that was the way it was the last time I checked). I still want to know if the Dogbert's New Ruling Class (DNRC) newsletter is still available for new subscribers. I really wish to subscribe, even though it is only tri- or quad-annually, because it seems like it's better to have a regular update about your works and some random stories about people who send e-mails to you than to have to wait for the next book.
Now that I'm done with a proper introduction, I'll move on to more important matters. I like all of your books, but I'm especially intrigued with your philosophical works, God's Debris and its sequel, The Religion War. I like the way that you can exploit Occam's (I hope I spelled that right) Razor to the extent that it sounds refreshing and new, and yet doesn't seem like you're insane. I know that there's a warning in the introduction/prologue of God's Debris about how the ideas in the book are powerful and are not suitable for people under 14. I think that that is complete mish-mash, because, as you said in Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel, people know what to expect in a book. You (probably) won't get sued or ridiculed because somebody's religious parents found out that their children doubt their beliefs now because of something in a book. Actually, the law protects you from that kind of stuff because of the first amendment, which says that everybody has the right to practice freedom of religion, unless it is designed to hurt others, like a cult. You definitely aren't gathering a cult (are you?) right now, so you're completely free to do whatever you want in a book.
However, and this may sound contradicting to what I said in the last paragraph, the ideas in that book are extremely powerful. I wonder if you could incorporate hypnosis into a book, because it seems like you, a trained hypnotist, did. I was completely and totally transfixed as I read those books. The best part is, your (or rather, the Avatar's) explanation of the universe completely makes sense because we can't judge god! That is the one thing that keeps your idea alive! You simply don't know what god thinks like because he is another being, totally different from human beings.
There is only 1 counter to your idea of the universe, and that is if there is an omnipotent god, he would still need something to create him. In a sense, that other entity is the real god, and the one that we worship is only a subordinate. Then, that entity would need another thing to create it, and so it would span infinitely through lesser and greater. The same thing is true about the shape of the universe. I believe that the universe is finite, because if it was infinite, it would have to travel faster than the speed of light and that would rip a hole in the space-time continuum and so would suck all light outside of the universe at infinite speeds as well, forming a huge counter-vacuum that would make the universe uninhabitable because every shred of matter that formed would be sucked outside the universe through the hole in the space-time continuum and cause the universe to oscillate at, again, infinite speeds between infinity and nothing. I could bore you all day with my talks about the universe and all of that uncertain stuff, and I know that you need the whole day to write back to all to your e-mails and draw your comics.
I am an atheist, but my Grandmother is a Christian and my Grandfather is a Buddhist. That is why I could adapt so easily to the idea that god is really only probability and matter. It makes perfect sense!
I have some last questions for you. I would be extremely pleased if you could answer them for me in the e-mail that you (might!) send back. They are as follows:
• Is it true that you have involuntary muscle spasms in your drawing hand?
• Is it true that you once had speaking problems?
• In Pleasanton, California, is it true that you own a restaurant named Stacey's Café ? If so, please note that I lived there before and so would like directions to the place.
• Do you really believe that affirmations can make you achieve your goals, no matter how impossible they are?
Thank you for your time taken reading this e-mail.
Bobby [name withheld]
P.S. Get Google everything. It's better and more hassle-free. I have the Google Taskbar for my laptop and i can open every single thing that you could imagine from it, including the daily strip for Dilbert.
------------------------------------End------------------------------------------------
ROTFL!!!
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