Why?
Why do we grow old? physically and mentally? What is the purpose behind it? If we are going to die anyways, why can't we be the same way and die?we can be babies or stop growing old beyond a certain point - why grow old enough in to dysfunctional bodies and die?
And - why, most important of all, Why? What is the point anyways of this life and all these things? What happens 5000 years from now? I dont even know what happened 5000 years ago. So nobody may know of me. Im sure somebody so long ago had similar thoughts as me, and he would have been gone. And, why am I having the same or similar thoughts again? What are we learning as the whole species then? If we all die or do not pass down the knowledge or even if we pass down knowledge, we go through same or similar things - why this birth at all?
Is there any other type of birth available at all? Why am I even thinking like this? What is that makes me think like this? Why does that whatever inside me think like this? What is that I want? Even if I want something/anything - it is all from here, in Earth. We are yet to explore and use outer planets, even if we can be. And pollute them as well, who knows. Then we can get what we want from other planets, till then it is all here. So even if I get what I want, got to leave it while going. Then what is the point of wanting it at all?
Is it all the summation of everything and nothing put together?
Why are we doing so much when we are nothing. When we can't take anything. So should we stop what we are doing or refine what we are doing? What is the point anyways? Then, why?
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
How globalized are we?
http://www.barackobama.com/live/
Just finished watching obama live on his website. And, I couldn't help wonder at the globalization that has dawned on this world.
To win an election in the state of Illinois, Obama had to bring in China, had to bring in Singapore, had to bring in Germany. You can no longer say that what you want to do is right, just by the virtue of it in politics. You had to quote example and draw attention to the practices in other parts of the world to add virtue and credential to your argument. It also tells me how interlinked all our actions really are in this world, now.
And, boy don't I love it.
Born Indian, worked for Americans while I was in India and working for Americans while Im here in America. Allright, globalization has to be a two way street, how can I be enjoying it an US not enjoying it. They do, not only in terms of quality of work, time and cost. But the two way street of it. Indo US nuclear deal opens up billions of dollars to american firms to build nuclear reactors to India. American firms engage in upgrading Indian military, air-force and navy. Deals running to the tune of billions of dollars.
China's globalization policies may be slightly different in execution but it is all the same story - two street . US companies get quicker product development cycle with less than a quarter of investment to make the product and that is not the only reason they grudgingly shift the jobs. China is the largest investor in US government bonds. China if it can dare, may shall hold US govt for ransom on account of its investments. No - they wont do it for US companies investing in China run its middle class family.
It is the same or similar story all over the world with globalization. It is more dependency amidst nation. The challenge lies in striking the balance. A nation should be self reliant, driven by home grown and outside innovation but be prepared for crisis. If outside driven innovation and money is not there, it should not lose its livelihood. It shall afford to lose its luxury but not its necessity. I think India is on the path of striking that balance but still far fetched. We need more leaders like Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram and Montek Singh Aluhiwalia, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, APJ Abdul Kalam. I hope I can add more leaders to that list as well.
US has got Obama. And, may be few more whom Im not aware of.
While watching it live, I was waiting for him to quote India. However, he did not. May be he genuinely believes India is not doing any greater harm to US. Or, he is preparing himself for the India State visit.
PS: For erstwhile Imperialistic nations like UK - please innovate or perish even before you can see. You can make tougher immigration laws and close your markets or make them more open and competent enough to enter anywhere else in the world as well.
Just finished watching obama live on his website. And, I couldn't help wonder at the globalization that has dawned on this world.
To win an election in the state of Illinois, Obama had to bring in China, had to bring in Singapore, had to bring in Germany. You can no longer say that what you want to do is right, just by the virtue of it in politics. You had to quote example and draw attention to the practices in other parts of the world to add virtue and credential to your argument. It also tells me how interlinked all our actions really are in this world, now.
And, boy don't I love it.
Born Indian, worked for Americans while I was in India and working for Americans while Im here in America. Allright, globalization has to be a two way street, how can I be enjoying it an US not enjoying it. They do, not only in terms of quality of work, time and cost. But the two way street of it. Indo US nuclear deal opens up billions of dollars to american firms to build nuclear reactors to India. American firms engage in upgrading Indian military, air-force and navy. Deals running to the tune of billions of dollars.
China's globalization policies may be slightly different in execution but it is all the same story - two street . US companies get quicker product development cycle with less than a quarter of investment to make the product and that is not the only reason they grudgingly shift the jobs. China is the largest investor in US government bonds. China if it can dare, may shall hold US govt for ransom on account of its investments. No - they wont do it for US companies investing in China run its middle class family.
It is the same or similar story all over the world with globalization. It is more dependency amidst nation. The challenge lies in striking the balance. A nation should be self reliant, driven by home grown and outside innovation but be prepared for crisis. If outside driven innovation and money is not there, it should not lose its livelihood. It shall afford to lose its luxury but not its necessity. I think India is on the path of striking that balance but still far fetched. We need more leaders like Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram and Montek Singh Aluhiwalia, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, APJ Abdul Kalam. I hope I can add more leaders to that list as well.
US has got Obama. And, may be few more whom Im not aware of.
While watching it live, I was waiting for him to quote India. However, he did not. May be he genuinely believes India is not doing any greater harm to US. Or, he is preparing himself for the India State visit.
PS: For erstwhile Imperialistic nations like UK - please innovate or perish even before you can see. You can make tougher immigration laws and close your markets or make them more open and competent enough to enter anywhere else in the world as well.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Time moves on - but I stay still
4:10 Am and, as I listen to the songs that are randomly playing in my playlist, I hear one familiar song that I have not listened to for a while now. Songs of the movie Kadhal; and just as the first song started playing, I find myself enjoying and appreciating that song the same way as I did it 5 years back. I like it even now.
It just made me think - that much of my preferences have not changed over the years. May be they have grown to be accommodating and but not lost what is inherent to me. I find myself enjoying the same activities that I did long time back, of course, and new experiences are also thrilling but still the old ones are not being replace. hmmm....
I think - Im the same kid-guy-man-person. Now, probably (hopefully) ever. Well, some people will interpret in a different way and say that we should change over time and grow up and play new role and responsibilities. Well, Im playing all those but wish to retain/remain the same way.
hmmm :)
It just made me think - that much of my preferences have not changed over the years. May be they have grown to be accommodating and but not lost what is inherent to me. I find myself enjoying the same activities that I did long time back, of course, and new experiences are also thrilling but still the old ones are not being replace. hmmm....
I think - Im the same kid-guy-man-person. Now, probably (hopefully) ever. Well, some people will interpret in a different way and say that we should change over time and grow up and play new role and responsibilities. Well, Im playing all those but wish to retain/remain the same way.
hmmm :)
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Titanic
Watching Titanic now and I'm not sure the count of the number of times I have watched it before. But every time, I watch it, I want to watch it and fully. Its one of the first movies in my life that has fascinated and impressed me in my forming years, during school.
What fascinated or interested me was not just the drama in the movie, the wonderful love or the wonderful movie making, which was as wonderful as the love that was showcased in the movie itself. Its the incident itself.
The fact that this was a real incident and this happened in a century that I Was also part of made me empathize with this incident so much. I even had a collection of images, pictures, posters from that movie collected in a small little file pouch that I'm so proud of. I have not seen it in the last few years though, but it should be there, somewhere in my erstwhile table.
Nature and life, gives humans the same lessons, time and again, that we fail to get it also, time and again. However we grow, how much ever advancements we make, ours are all still relatively small compared to whats around us. Trees have been in this land even before us, if Im not wrong. Atmoshphere, air, water. So on. But we need constant reminder that we are not so big and nature has to teach us something catastrophic and take away some of our lives as the cost to make us understand. Alas, we forget it all too soon.
Titanic too, unfortunately stands testimony to the weakness of human beings. The procedural failures in following the rules and other important things while running the ship and the professed PRIDE on some small things such as class and categorizing people as class. How long do we need to realize that we are all one and the same? Stupid class, color, creed, religion and other separation holds only amongst people, but to nature, all are same. All will have to survive for the fittest. That never takes any criterion - and nature reminds us that we are one and the same, even one among the same with itself too, by all these events. Most of which are caused by our stupidity while some of that are natures fury.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Cloud watching
[Well, this has to be the most delayed blog post of mine till date - almost 2 years late]
Cloud watching - wow, what a simple yet fun and pleasurable way to spend some leisure time quiet. Either with oneself or in the company of like minded people.
I had the privilege of such company in the navratri month of 2008 @ ashram, in bangalore. I was with my Ashwin, Vaish and few more at the Radhe kunj place in the ashram and we were sitting in the amphitheatre and just simply watching clouds. We were looking at the clouds and giving names and designs to its pattern in the sky - it was such a simple but wonderful activity to just do that. To see what the natural canvas has for you up in the sky. Seldom do we pay much attention when we look up to sky to notice and start naming patterns and reflect your imagination on the natural canvas.
In my opinion, this is by far one of the best canvas available for a living being and the best entertainment possible for a curious and creative mind. With clouds moving as fast as they are, you are bound to think of innumerable things just by looking up. WOW. I happened to do the same not so long ago at the same place and got reminded of the previous time I did it there. It is such a simple activity and realized that it will enthrall me always in life :)
Cloud watching - wow, what a simple yet fun and pleasurable way to spend some leisure time quiet. Either with oneself or in the company of like minded people.
I had the privilege of such company in the navratri month of 2008 @ ashram, in bangalore. I was with my Ashwin, Vaish and few more at the Radhe kunj place in the ashram and we were sitting in the amphitheatre and just simply watching clouds. We were looking at the clouds and giving names and designs to its pattern in the sky - it was such a simple but wonderful activity to just do that. To see what the natural canvas has for you up in the sky. Seldom do we pay much attention when we look up to sky to notice and start naming patterns and reflect your imagination on the natural canvas.
In my opinion, this is by far one of the best canvas available for a living being and the best entertainment possible for a curious and creative mind. With clouds moving as fast as they are, you are bound to think of innumerable things just by looking up. WOW. I happened to do the same not so long ago at the same place and got reminded of the previous time I did it there. It is such a simple activity and realized that it will enthrall me always in life :)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Disappointed
Ufffffffff - Im, well kinda disappointed.
It wouldn't be surprising for us to know that politicians are involved in corruption and so forth. But selling one's vote to elect Rajya Sabha polls? Yuck - I don't know if there is anything meaner a man can do in life than this one. Some MLAs are offering to sell their vote for 50L or 1 crore or ever 2 crores to elect somebody. And, who are all coming in to RS nowadays? All big industrialists - who knows how many in the past have come to RS through this means?
I hardly see any tall figure as Industrialists - Ratan Tata , surely yes, one of a kind. May be Narayana Murthy. May be Azim Premgi. I couldn't think of others.
If this wasn't enough - Common Wealth Games is heading to a slow disaster and a bigger embarrassment for the nation :(. An event envisioned for 754 crores has shot up budget by 100 times to cost 75 000 crores and above. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. To put things in comparison, the farm loans waived off by Chidambaram was around 60,000 crores to poor farmers. Here we are just organizing a 50 day event or something. Agreed, it is prestige and other things - but at what cost? Has it improve India and her sports talent at grass roots level? NO. Only stadiums are constructed at Delhi and that too new stadiums are leaking. PHEW. And, now there is this great fact of corruption by Kalmadi - in funds. 25000 Pounds have beeen deposited to a one man company in UK for the last 4 years from CWG funds - gosh. IT IS OUR MONEY. And, some selfish beasts are eating on this money.
What worth are receiving medals from these hands?
And - there are these two "Modi"s. One is Lalit. Another is Narendra. Both are good at doing what they like doing. Management and administration. Alas, if you have done a mistake and dont have the courtesy or the guts to accept it and go through some correction, time will catch up with you sooner than later. That is what is happening in both Modi's camp.
Uffff - Im kinda disappointed.
[Still with a smile and enthusiasm coz life is just the summation of these two]
It wouldn't be surprising for us to know that politicians are involved in corruption and so forth. But selling one's vote to elect Rajya Sabha polls? Yuck - I don't know if there is anything meaner a man can do in life than this one. Some MLAs are offering to sell their vote for 50L or 1 crore or ever 2 crores to elect somebody. And, who are all coming in to RS nowadays? All big industrialists - who knows how many in the past have come to RS through this means?
I hardly see any tall figure as Industrialists - Ratan Tata , surely yes, one of a kind. May be Narayana Murthy. May be Azim Premgi. I couldn't think of others.
If this wasn't enough - Common Wealth Games is heading to a slow disaster and a bigger embarrassment for the nation :(. An event envisioned for 754 crores has shot up budget by 100 times to cost 75 000 crores and above. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. To put things in comparison, the farm loans waived off by Chidambaram was around 60,000 crores to poor farmers. Here we are just organizing a 50 day event or something. Agreed, it is prestige and other things - but at what cost? Has it improve India and her sports talent at grass roots level? NO. Only stadiums are constructed at Delhi and that too new stadiums are leaking. PHEW. And, now there is this great fact of corruption by Kalmadi - in funds. 25000 Pounds have beeen deposited to a one man company in UK for the last 4 years from CWG funds - gosh. IT IS OUR MONEY. And, some selfish beasts are eating on this money.
What worth are receiving medals from these hands?
And - there are these two "Modi"s. One is Lalit. Another is Narendra. Both are good at doing what they like doing. Management and administration. Alas, if you have done a mistake and dont have the courtesy or the guts to accept it and go through some correction, time will catch up with you sooner than later. That is what is happening in both Modi's camp.
Uffff - Im kinda disappointed.
[Still with a smile and enthusiasm coz life is just the summation of these two]
Monday, July 19, 2010
The way life prepares one for death - Wow
[Spoiler Alert - This may have nothing to do with death or that biological process or anything. I just have got the title of blog named that way]
I'm a person who can't give up on things that easily. I think I still have this character/quality in me, however, it has come down to a level that Im so happy/proud of. :-)
Being a kid - I cannot even digest losing my wicket in a game of cricket. When we are playing cricket at my aunt's place, whenever I lose my wicket, I will blame the bat or say the bowler bowled a no ball or it was not out or something. I cannot stand losing my wicket or for that matter of few other things as well.
Alas now, I can willingly come forward and give up on few things coz I know in the end I don't take even a penny back. As the famous line in the bhagwad gita goes "What have you brought for you to lose here? Whatever you have taken, you have taken from here". Practicing or being this way is little hard but not impossible, definitely no and it is true for all of us.
Losing what - the materials that we have around us? The things lost by theft, or lost by repair or lost by tear and wear out. All things kinda go away in time. One strange things happened when I fell down on the road recently - after I got up (thankfully, Im ok) but I looked at my bike and it was kinda broke. I felt real sad. I felt like oh my bike - the one thing that is for me with me and the one thing that I reckon on. It is you (hehe, bike gets personalization and almost gets called as life-like-the term YOU). And then a day later, I felt - gosh, how attached am I to my bike. Phew, is that good :D but yeah I like it still, but just got realized of my attachment to it and Im sure it will kinda come down (me :( and also :) ).
The larger, greater loss is of people or relation or with human. If the attachment with bike can be so significant for me, what about with people. It will be much more, right? Yes, it is. However, life (time) prepares one so beautifully. Im still amazed at the fact that I didn't shed a tear when my aachi passed away recently. I did a few when my periappa was around - don't know why, may be it was the fact that I saw the person who has got same or more love from my aachi like me.
When I look back, was I prepared to lose my aachi few years back - Im afraid, I dont think so. Am I prepared now, the moment it happened, well - I didnt have a choice :). But, I think I was much better prepared to handle it and move on than I was few years ago and guess it needed 25 years of my life time to prepare me to lose somebody like my aachi :-).
I think that is what is happening in life - you are constantly being prepared for the current and whats next and you are going through each of it - till the point of losing oneself. At this point, I really wonder at the quote I came up 4 or 5 years back - "All your possession in your life, including yourself is an illusion". Im not sure what prompted me to come up with that quote or what inspired me to say that but guess this post resonates something of it.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Symbolism - life is all symbolic
I don't know. I don't know if I agree with rebirth or not. I know that all things on earth has earth on it; simply said, all things have grown from earth. Eating, living and dying. And, upon death, the body again tends to go back to earth in one form or the other. And once back in earth, it again becomes part of the cycle that goes on to become the living organism again.
However, I find myself not in entire knowledge on this coz I don't have any personal experience to substantiate on the rebirth scenario. I don't recollect my past experience so far. It could be coz of the following things:-
1) I don't have the skill to know of those things yet.
2) I'm trying to understand something which cannot be understood but felt or known (Im not sure what Im saying here)
3) May be I'm brand new in this world - with no past exposures - yeyyyy (not sure why am I 'yeyyyying' for)
Guruji says - rebirth is there and happening. Hmmmm..I don't have as much experience as Guruji on things or neither am I close to being enlightened yet to know it all.
When my aachi (paati) was lying with out any movement or breath on 25th of may at 10:30 pm, I resorted to give her breath by blowing air through her mouth and few push and pats on her chest to make her heart beat again. Alas, my struggle didn't result in her coming back to life and looking at her body didnt evoke any great deal of emotions in me coz I knew she is gone. But, when my aunts and other people who came started crying, I realized their love and also the amount of love my aachi commanded. However, when I saw my atthais saying " amma unnai naan inime eppo ma thirumbi parka poren" - I understood what that body there stood for. It stood as symbol of what my aachi is. It is my aachi's body. I have to call it now as "aachi's body" and not as aachi as she was no more. So what are you? Are you the body, mind or soul? Mind is inside the body or is body inside the mind (thinking on the number of times we are thinking of body in mind). I know there is something else apart from these two that makes a person - it can be called as soul, prana, life force or self or whatever and what not.
But, my aachi's body there few days back stood as a symbol of my aachi - and evoked such emotions unseen. And, that makes me realize that all the things in life are symbolic. The statue of god we use to pray - is a symbol or representation of different emotions or avatars. And, even the act of praying is an expression of love and gratitude to all including oneself.
Likewise, all the gestures in life are symbols. The act of hugging a person is a way to bring the two hearts together, symbolizing closeness. The frown on the face symbolizes anger. Even words are a way to symbolize or convey something. Gestures and even the consequent action is also symbolic of something else in life.
And, my aachi (grandma) symbolized something really simple things but that are far greater in life - love, resolve, determination. She is a classy and gutsy woman. GUTSY. I underline it. It is simply stunning to know what she had to go through in life single handedly and what she stood for even till her last days.
Some tit bits about her:
1) She calls paal/pal (milk) as Vella thanni (white water) - coz Thattha name is Palvannanathan. And she like all age old tamil ladies, doesn't want to utter her husband name so calls pal as vella thanni
2) After the death of thattha (at her early age of 33), one fine day, she decided to make herself a mattress by using all the veshti's of thattha. She rolled all the veshtis of thattha and layed one on top of the other and had a separate cloth to cover the bunch of veshtis and got herself a mattress. She slept on this mattress in the floor till she was literally forced to sleep on cot only by doctors few years back.
3) My mom (whatever difference of opinion apart) has such a great level of admiration for her in-law that she had sent a write up about her life,how she struggled and how she got the entire family to survive the hard times to a tamil magazine called, Mangaiyar Mazhar. This was sent few years back. This was her pure admiration of this woman - not coz she was her in-law. Actually, nowadays, in-law and admiration are antonyms :D
4) She was instrumental in many members of her family being in job or getting the first job in the early days of 1970's and 80's.
5) And, she has been with me ever since I was born. My aachi.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Period
Somebody who has been part of my life, my self from my very birth - is no longer there PERIOD
It feels weird for me to even blog now but I have only blog to just scribble.
I guess I will realize the effect of this loss only in days to come.
Some part of me says that this is life
PERIOD
It feels weird for me to even blog now but I have only blog to just scribble.
I guess I will realize the effect of this loss only in days to come.
Some part of me says that this is life
PERIOD
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Rested -> Felt like Rusted -> Now, the urge is back. I can sense it
I got rested off late due to changing project requirements and project change. But I guess the rusting started even before the resting.
And - guess this rusting is due to the age old knowledge - lack of activity. Thanks to rusting, I feel the sense of uneasiness in me growing up for a long time now and has reached its culmination. And, I feel, despite the rustiness I would be able to at top of my performance in a very short span of time and notice. I mean it.
However, the afore statement should not be interpreted as an indicator of the way I used my spare time. Well - most of it sort of got whiled away in one activity or other. And, that his in a sort of increased the urge more.
And, I feel I'm ready to do lots of things that I want to do - really lots of things. Work majorly and my interest in the same. I have all the tools, and just waiting to rev it up. Let those times come - and I will post pretty soon on the same as well.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Yeyyy...My family
This is my family.
Well - me and my appa both of us are not Kamal - C'mon, I'm not even making that comparison. May be, in looking good scale, I will back myself up to be up against Punnagi mannan. However, what is unsaid of me is I'm a crazy Thalaivar fan.
But, yeah - my mom is good looking. And - both of them rock in their support towards us, and each other. A fact that got illustrated even by a stand they took last month in support of me. They simply rock coz they don't enforce but suggest and give more than they ask.
And, coming to my sister, with whom I'm currently in a fight - coz she seldom understands (she is half as my age, that explains her level and ability to understand). But similarity can be drawn to this video with her. She also dances Bharatnatyam - and I make fun of her dance. She definitely is more loquacious now, I hope it comes down in future :-D.
But, we (all of us in family) feel good when seeing this song - may be coz of the character identification we unknowingly draw with this song. And, I somehow feel that a family with a bro and sis is actually wonderful coz you get a chance to enjoy (and suffer :D) a myriad range of emotions and battles and happiness.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Mannipaaya
I love this song- not just for
Ar Rahman and Shreya Ghosal
But for the lyrics which seems so beautiful....
Unnai yenni yengum
Idhayathai yenna seiveyn..
Idhayathai yenna seiveyn...
Ar Rahman and Shreya Ghosal
But for the lyrics which seems so beautiful....
Unnai yenni yengum
Idhayathai yenna seiveyn..
Idhayathai yenna seiveyn...
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Happiness
Happiness - that is all it is all about.
Ensure two things in life, always:
1) Happiness in this present moment; see if you are happy now, else make yourself happy.
2) Happiness in the moments(years) to come - work towards it.
There are various things said about happiness:-
Life is a pursuit of happiness - life will always move towards happiness as it is human nature, to be happy. However, life should not be pursuit of happiness - it should be, happiness in the present/every moment and pursue what you want. Else you will not have time to be happy when you are pursuing it always.
But, see if you are happy in your present moment. Else do what it takes to make you happy.
Make others happy and that gives you happiness
True - the happiness that one derives from making others happy is boundless compared to other material happiness. Happiness in making a child smile; happiness in helping mom/parents; happiness in making some stranger happy by your genuine help or act of kindness.
However, there is one question that lingers here - what if you embark on a journey just to make others happy and compromise your happiness or unable to see that you are really in to it or happy, would you be able to complete the journey or task, merely by the drive to keep others happy. To put it in simple words, what if you find yourself not happy by doing something for the sake of others or making others happy? (Friends, comment your answers for this question, please). I say, Live your life and make others happy, in all your actions and deeds. And, leave the rest of activity of being in that happy state to others. You can only make others happy but cannot feel it for them. You see what I'm saying? To put in other words, you cannot live others life in order to make others happy - you have to live your own life. If others expect such a thing from you - they are being cruel to you. Most often, those others are people who are the closest and dear ones to us.
But, if your ability to be happy is so integral to you, would you still go for a failed compromise and choose practicality over happiness for flawed reasons?
However, I can't understand decisions and other whatever taken without considering happiness in to the equation. "What good is your life in that case if you aren't giving yourself or others the chance to be happy".
we are all told the following things at various points in life, in some cases, repeatedly.
"Be practical"
"You will not get what you want always"
"Things have changed. Time has gone. It is a different world now ".
The aforesaid things are the reality and is a well known truth. However, change yourself to accommodate reality and facts. Change is the only permanent thing in life - but it has its own dimensions, and sides, like that of the coin. People should see it not only from their side or dimension alone - but from the other side and the dimensions as well.
If changing yourself still aint bringing happiness, change yourself further to change the environment and the set up you are in - for happiness is all that is about it in life.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Men of Quality are not threatened by women's equality
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Cautious, careful people always casting about to preserve their reputation or social standards never can bring about reform. Those who are really in earnest are willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathies with despised ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences - Susan B. Anthony
Women themselves have the right to live in dignity, in freedom from want and freedom from fear - Kofi Annan
Sexual, racial, gender violence and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture. -- Charlotte Bunch
Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their opressors. ~Evelyn Cunningham
The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it. ~Roseanne Barr
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Advanced Women's day wishes to all the wonderful women in life :)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own.
In 1991, when I first saw Terminator 2- Judgement day with my dad in Alankar theatre in Chennai, I was scared. How can a person get bullet hits and still walk along, can melt down and back to life again. How can computers walk at all?
My dad had no answers. But he did what he could - took me to that movie.
Few years rolled over and when I was in 9th standard, me and friends watched the same movie at a friends place. We were completely engrossed in to that movie and started discussing it, without having any clue. And, it was dusk by the time me and a friend of mine started back to my locality in a bike (cycle). And, on our way return, out of no where we heard this huge sound of engines and machines rattling up and smog raising engulfing the entire road ahead. For a second, we had our hearts in our mouth - me and my friend. I was still in that movie inside me and to see such sudden change of things right in front of us in a peaceful locality was a shock to me.
Well, thanks to Chennai corporation, that was the mosquito repellent sprayer vehicle which rattled up spewing smoke at us.
And, then started my romance with James cameron's film. I have seen almost all of his films, barring one or two. And, I have seen all of his films multiple times over. It is through this films that I realized that I have struck a similar chord with the man. Science fiction, Space science, Exploration, the thrill of it and boundless amounts of excitement this nature and our minds have in store for us.
And, I saw the following video a short while back and I told to myself, James Cameron, no wonder I love you.
Some of his inspiring lines from the speech are...
Curiosity - its the most powerful thing you own.
Imagination - is a force that can actually manifest a reality.
Don't put limitation on yourself.Other people will do it for you, don't do it yourself.
Failure is an option - but fear is not.
PS: Another author whom I love is Michael Crichton. Sad that he is no more :(
My dad had no answers. But he did what he could - took me to that movie.
Few years rolled over and when I was in 9th standard, me and friends watched the same movie at a friends place. We were completely engrossed in to that movie and started discussing it, without having any clue. And, it was dusk by the time me and a friend of mine started back to my locality in a bike (cycle). And, on our way return, out of no where we heard this huge sound of engines and machines rattling up and smog raising engulfing the entire road ahead. For a second, we had our hearts in our mouth - me and my friend. I was still in that movie inside me and to see such sudden change of things right in front of us in a peaceful locality was a shock to me.
Well, thanks to Chennai corporation, that was the mosquito repellent sprayer vehicle which rattled up spewing smoke at us.
And, then started my romance with James cameron's film. I have seen almost all of his films, barring one or two. And, I have seen all of his films multiple times over. It is through this films that I realized that I have struck a similar chord with the man. Science fiction, Space science, Exploration, the thrill of it and boundless amounts of excitement this nature and our minds have in store for us.
And, I saw the following video a short while back and I told to myself, James Cameron, no wonder I love you.
Some of his inspiring lines from the speech are...
Curiosity - its the most powerful thing you own.
Imagination - is a force that can actually manifest a reality.
Don't put limitation on yourself.Other people will do it for you, don't do it yourself.
Failure is an option - but fear is not.
PS: Another author whom I love is Michael Crichton. Sad that he is no more :(
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Orkut - now and then. And, when......?
http://www.orkut.com/Main#Profile?uid=2880291781645158378
I have been accused of living my life in Orkut at one point of time in 2006. That is how insanely I love orkut. It is my first social network site and the one that I really thrived on. I love meeting people, connecting with them and orkut provided me an opportunity to do that online what I never could do so far in the net.
Having said that, this post is a look at what Orkut is now (so called new version) and how I still like the old one better to this one. And, my own suggestions on it's road map - for I love Orkut and as a member, I'm allowed to have my vision for Orkut. C'mon, Eric ain't the only person who has vision for Google products :-D.
I can't list down and do a through a differentiation between the old version and the new version. However, I'm going to list down the key features that I noticed and why the new one doesn't seem to be just right yet.
Old Orkut
I have been accused of living my life in Orkut at one point of time in 2006. That is how insanely I love orkut. It is my first social network site and the one that I really thrived on. I love meeting people, connecting with them and orkut provided me an opportunity to do that online what I never could do so far in the net.
Having said that, this post is a look at what Orkut is now (so called new version) and how I still like the old one better to this one. And, my own suggestions on it's road map - for I love Orkut and as a member, I'm allowed to have my vision for Orkut. C'mon, Eric ain't the only person who has vision for Google products :-D.
I can't list down and do a through a differentiation between the old version and the new version. However, I'm going to list down the key features that I noticed and why the new one doesn't seem to be just right yet.
Old Orkut
- The UI has three vertical pane - better and intuitive way to navigate.
- Scrap book opens up in a fully blown page retaining the left pane which helps in navigation.
- Photos are displayed in much bigger size - which is really good.
- There is a difference in content when you switched between home and profile page. The middle pane displays different data while the left pane remains the same and maintains the consistency in navigation. Right pane is also there - which can go away and display some thing else if needed.
New Orkut
- The UI has 2 vertical pane display.
- Scrap book opens up in the same place as the updates from the other user would be.
- Photos are displayed in a small size compared to the previous version.
- The right pane - it is as static as the old HTML is. All I can see is three boxes on the right side of the display that doesn't change if Im viewing the home page or profile. It is just static and to be frank, kinda annoys me too.
- All the friends are displayed in the friends box. I don't think anybody would want to view all their friends in the same tiny box using a list sort of UI.
- Rating the user as Fan or Cool or Sexy is not present. Or, Im not able to find it.
- Color customization is an ill equipped customization and not feature rich and also for the below point.
- OLD Orkut appears when,
- I click on the fans on profile
- Settings
- Manage friends
- Manage communities
- More info link on the profile page.
- I think the rendering of old UI is still called or used for some of the links. And this brings about inconsistency in the look and feel.
- I LIKE
- The ability to approve members on home page
- The option to view friends based on their classification/groups.
Remove
- Search Web button. If I want to search the web, I will use google in a next tab. I dont want to have an option that lets me use Orkut to search web - too many buttons. And even if it is there for a purpose, it needs to be presented in a better way.
- Remove multiple links in the page. Profile is listed twice in the page. And, Home and Profile stands as two separate tabs on top - looks incomplete.
Please see the below image - Green is the one I like; Red needs another look by orkut folks.
Vision
Orkut can mimic the real world socializing - this brings in a huge scope of things that can be part of Orkut but select few can be tried and tested as feature. Like,
- Get Introduced to - this feature can be used by members to get introduced to other members.
- Collaborate more with google's other social products. Bring in features that can involve interaction between orkut and Picassa, Blog, Maps. These are all web user driver app and they can be integrated with orkut in more ways than one.
Curious question to Google
Why is orkut coming up in the first few listings of the search of my name? Is it a conscious decision by apple to not promote its own app in the listings? Not even my blog (this one) gets listed in the search results of mine. See below.
This is how it is - Now and then. Orkut. Question is when? and what do orkut has to offer and when?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
iPad
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Bill Gates - to enable pc what it is now
Bill Gates - one of the world's richest man, ever. And, I haven't worked with him, yet, but have always worked on one of his company's software all the time of using computers.
Three years ago, when I was having a casual discussion with work people on various things in world, we gradually drifted to the topic of computers and PC. And, my friend commented saying " he is the one who made software industry. No one till that point thought of writing software and expected to be paid for that". It was not a working thing or business model till Bill pushed it and struck insanely rich. People had worked only on hardware and hardware people worked on softwares for them.
And, by writing this post, I have in no way diminished my interest in opensource or some of the apple products, but have to concede that almost all of my computing have been on windows products. And for the question of "Is windows operation system the best one for PC " I decline to comment, much more than what is already known. However, it is till date the most successful platform for personal computing and using which the majority of the industry grew and thrived and thrives till date.
I have used apple Macintosh, Linux but couldn't quite come over the fact that what is that windows has that enabled it to be most used (market share) till date and why and what the former don't have?
Having said that, my appreciation for Microsoft is mostly for the aforesaid reason and the one below as well.
Bill Gates - To enable pc what it is now (mostly good and little bad)
http://www.gatesnotes.com/
Three years ago, when I was having a casual discussion with work people on various things in world, we gradually drifted to the topic of computers and PC. And, my friend commented saying " he is the one who made software industry. No one till that point thought of writing software and expected to be paid for that". It was not a working thing or business model till Bill pushed it and struck insanely rich. People had worked only on hardware and hardware people worked on softwares for them.
And, by writing this post, I have in no way diminished my interest in opensource or some of the apple products, but have to concede that almost all of my computing have been on windows products. And for the question of "Is windows operation system the best one for PC " I decline to comment, much more than what is already known. However, it is till date the most successful platform for personal computing and using which the majority of the industry grew and thrived and thrives till date.
I have used apple Macintosh, Linux but couldn't quite come over the fact that what is that windows has that enabled it to be most used (market share) till date and why and what the former don't have?
Having said that, my appreciation for Microsoft is mostly for the aforesaid reason and the one below as well.
Bill Gates - To enable pc what it is now (mostly good and little bad)
http://www.gatesnotes.com/
Thursday, January 21, 2010
would you apple?
Would you apple?
Rumor has it, apple is working on its own search engine as well. http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=6800&tag=nl.e539
And, Google will not be the default search option in their latest iPad or iSlate or iWhatever. It may even be pushed down to their other products to be removed as an option.
Why does everybody jump in to search bandwagon? I would write a new post for that - Watch out for that.
But one thing that impressed me was how easily some of the really cool technology giants interfaced and used each other products - for eg.
1) Apple having google as the default search option.
2) Mozilla having google as its default search provider in the browser tab
3) Motorola using Android OS (Google mobile OS) to build its new range of smart mobile phones.
Now all of these synchronization (or) integration stands at tender hooks, which can or may fall off soon.
Possible reason :-
Google launching Nexus one - mobile phone that is targeted at the mobile market
Google launching Chrome browser - that is targeted at the browser market.
Google was tipped to target and hit the Mighty Microsoft - and it did, and does. For chrome OS is going to come out as well. Their first success was the search (away) from Microsoft and the Gmail.
However, Google now is treading in to the market space of its technology friends - who may not like it and severe their association with google.
Let us just wait and watch this space.
Rumor has it, apple is working on its own search engine as well. http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=6800&tag=nl.e539
And, Google will not be the default search option in their latest iPad or iSlate or iWhatever. It may even be pushed down to their other products to be removed as an option.
Why does everybody jump in to search bandwagon? I would write a new post for that - Watch out for that.
But one thing that impressed me was how easily some of the really cool technology giants interfaced and used each other products - for eg.
1) Apple having google as the default search option.
2) Mozilla having google as its default search provider in the browser tab
3) Motorola using Android OS (Google mobile OS) to build its new range of smart mobile phones.
Now all of these synchronization (or) integration stands at tender hooks, which can or may fall off soon.
Possible reason :-
Google launching Nexus one - mobile phone that is targeted at the mobile market
Google launching Chrome browser - that is targeted at the browser market.
Google was tipped to target and hit the Mighty Microsoft - and it did, and does. For chrome OS is going to come out as well. Their first success was the search (away) from Microsoft and the Gmail.
However, Google now is treading in to the market space of its technology friends - who may not like it and severe their association with google.
Let us just wait and watch this space.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
live 100 % every single moment
Live 100 % every single moment. Whate ver you do let your attention be on that. Even wasting time is fine - but dont waste and attempt or pretend to do something else the same time.
Im so in a not so describable state - but still I think I always retain my cheerful state. I think it is a fault with me - I dont know how to feel sad or get dragged on or be overwhelmed by some of the mundane things in world. Im by default happy and at at times that doesnt seem to be appropriate - I dont know why.
I have my wants and what I want I know.
And, coming back to 100% feel - this repeat thought got reminded this time by looking at AR Rahman song....how good it is , all time. He does what he wants and gives it all.
And, not everybody is as lucky :-). And, the extra effort required to do something you like will always pay off but expending that extra effort and also having clarity on those things amidst confusion in your surrounding really makes me not do anything. how conveniently have I found a reason - phew.
Nevertheless - live 100 % every moment. Peace
Im so in a not so describable state - but still I think I always retain my cheerful state. I think it is a fault with me - I dont know how to feel sad or get dragged on or be overwhelmed by some of the mundane things in world. Im by default happy and at at times that doesnt seem to be appropriate - I dont know why.
I have my wants and what I want I know.
And, coming back to 100% feel - this repeat thought got reminded this time by looking at AR Rahman song....how good it is , all time. He does what he wants and gives it all.
And, not everybody is as lucky :-). And, the extra effort required to do something you like will always pay off but expending that extra effort and also having clarity on those things amidst confusion in your surrounding really makes me not do anything. how conveniently have I found a reason - phew.
Nevertheless - live 100 % every moment. Peace
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
There are always opportunities in life
Life is nothing more than opportunities and there are plenty of them. We miss some and we hit some and still there are plenty of them - it applies for things personal as well as things work wise as well.
I dont think there is anything as work wise as well - what you are, what you are. Personal or workwise.
There are plenty of opportunities in life - that is what I want to tell myself and never is it ever late.
It is a confusing post reflecting my state of mind :)
I dont think there is anything as work wise as well - what you are, what you are. Personal or workwise.
There are plenty of opportunities in life - that is what I want to tell myself and never is it ever late.
It is a confusing post reflecting my state of mind :)
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