River of Dreams...

Practice... Not a game, not a Game, not a GAme... We're talkin about practice...

2011-11-15T17:30:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember this Allen Iverson interview? Back in the day when this 6'1'' genius NBA player and his veteran coach Larry Brown had completely opposite views about a practice session being the reasoning for a loss... He went crazy in the post-game interview...

Interesting perspectives from the two sides in question...

This brings us to the following thought: For every perspective in life, is there an equal and opposite perspective somewhere waiting to bounce back? Think about it...

December Bloom...

2011-08-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

We all have our memories from childhood and we remember it very well... One such memory for me is about (one of the amazing things at Chennai:) Carnatic music concerts, during what is called the 'kutcheri' season... Here's are a few sites to know all about 'Kutcheri's or South Indian classical (Carnatic) dance/music concerts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_music , http://www.carnaticindia.com/ and http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/

Within a radius of a few miles within Chennai there are several concert halls/auditoriums... At these venues during a season around Dec/Jan every year several established and aspiring artists perform... Blessed with the chance myself to learn Carnatic vocal along with my brothers, I could truly appreciate the beautiful creations and renditions of these artistes and hoped I could get such talents one day as well... During these concert seasons, there are things characteristic of Kutcheris that only seasoned audiences will know of... Different performance time slots are allotted for different artistes based on their popularity/talent... The more established and popular ones perform in the evenings while aspiring/upcoming artists perform during the day... Each venue has it's specialities and traditions associated with it... And it was such a treat to attend some of these concerts growing up...

Be it a vocal or a dance (or even a theatre concert), it would always be a team effort... Singers in a vocal concert are accompanied by Instrumentalists, while Instrumental concerts have other instrumental artistes co-performing... This side-group accompaniment, called Pakka Vaathiyam, forms an important component in the structure of a concert... There are parts of a concert where the artistes split time and sing/play solo while there are other parts where everyone performs together as a group... A popular Pakka Vaathiyam combo for a vocal concert is Violin and Mridangam, while a Mridangam and Ghatam (dual percussion) combo is a common Pakka Vaathiyam theme...

Come the Fall season, every year, there comes out a Calendar of events for the Kutcheri season, listing all artistes at the different venues... For every Carnatic music lover, this is such a joyous moment - filled with anticipation and excitement... And so much to look forward to... There are other cities in India which have shorter seasons (at other times of the year), like Bangalore and Hyderabad... In the U.S., Cleveland hosts such a season (about a week or so)... Look forward to attending one of these seasons again soon, and re-experiencing these December blooms yet again...

Time...

2010-09-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

Its been a year since I last wrote something here... In fact, its been more than that since I did some serious writing... Here's a promise to myself, to get back to blogging...

Does not wait...
The only change...
The only constant...
Keeps ticking, tick tock...
Not just a clock...
One moment at a time...
The only healer...
The faster it goes, the more there seems...
Each moment goes alright...
One moment at a time...
Tick tock...
The only change...
The only constant...

Truth... Hope... Love...

Time !!!

Thought for the day...

2009-09-29T20:20:00.001-07:00

What we are today, are the residue of our past thoughts and actions...
What we will be tomorrow will be based on what we think and do today !!!

Mann ka radio - Lyrics by Subrat Sinha... Movie - Radio...

2009-09-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

Mann ka radio bajne de zara
Gum ko bhool kar jee le tu zara
Station koi naya tune kar le zara
Fultoo attitude de de tu zara

Tuta dil kya huaHo gaya jo hua
Bhoole bisre geet ga ke bhool ja

Badala jo rhythm uspe jhool ja
Fultoo attitude de de tu zara

Mann ka radio bajne de zara
Gum ko bhool kar jee le tu zara
Station koi naya tune kar le zara
Fultoo attitude de de tu zara

Tuta dil kya huaHo gaya jo hua
Bhoole bisre geet ga ke bhool ja

Badala jo rhythm uspe jhool ja
Kya hoga kya nahi hoga uparwale pe chod de
Uparwale pe chod de

Aaj uss abhi mein tu zindagi ko jee zara
Tujhko aakash ke vaani ka hai aasara

Mann ka radio bajne de zara
Fultoo attitude de de tu zara
Gum ko bhool kar jee le tu zara

Kya khoya kya nahi paya ispe romo tu chod de
Ispe rono tu chod de

Band jo baje tera khul ke tu bhi saath ga
Dard hi bane dawa funda hai yeh life ka

Mann ka radio bajne de zara
Fultoo attitude de de tu zara
Tuta dil kya hua
Ho gaya jo hua

Mann ka radio bajne de zara
Gum ko bhool kar jee le tu zara

if today was your last day

2009-07-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

if today was your last day - Nickelback

my best friend gave me the best advice
he said each day's a gift & not a given right
leave no stone unturned
leave your fears behind
& try to take the path less travelled by
that first step you take is the longest stride

if today was your last day
& tomorrow was too late
could you say goodbye to yesterday?
would you live each moment like your last?
leave old pictures in the past?
donate every dime you had?
if today was your last day

against the grain should be a way of life
what's worth the price is always worth the fight
every second counts 'cause
there's no second try
so live like you're never livin twice
don't take the free ride in your own life

if today was your last day
& tomorrow was too late
could you say goodbye to yesterday?
would you live each moment like your last?
leave old pictures in the past?
donate every dime you had?
would you call those friends you've never seen?
reminisce old memories?
would you forgive your enemies?
would you find that one your dreaming of?
swear up & down to God above
that you'll finally fall in love?
if today was your last day

if today was your last day
would you make it up by mending a broken heart
you know it's never too late
to shoot for the stars
regardless of who you are
so do whatever it takes
'cause you can't rewind
a moment in this life
let nothing stand in your way
cause the hands of time are never on your side

if today was your last day
& tomorrow was too late
could you say goodbye to yesterday?
would you live each moment like your last?
leave old pictures in the past?
donate every dime you had?
would you call those friends you've never seen?
reminisce old memories?
would you forgive your enemies?
would you find that one your dreaming of?
swear up & down to God above
that you'll finally fall in love?
if today was your last day

Influence and expressions...

2009-01-24T11:04:00.000-08:00

It is quite amazing to think about how we think. Depending on the kind of personality we have, and the level of Ego that we possess, we are moulded as how we are. A lot depending on factors such as the environment growing up, family, friends, education, place of education, and people who influence our minds while growing up... Probably since South India (where I was brought up) is a little more conservative in its thought process than most other parts of the world, I was well sheilded from a lot of negative influences that often plague kids growing up elsewhere... While it would not be accurate to describe my experiences and actions as completely perfect, I definitely got more that what I could have hoped for. Loving family, Excellent schooling, Fun loving and bratty friends, and my wannabe-nerdy self... I used to always think that the entire world thought like me, and the entire world acted like how I would act in any situation... But I was just naive and ignorant I guess...

There was a time when I had to lay an exclamation point to an arguement I was having with my brother. I wanted to convey that he was wrong in his ways about some specific thing. When I relayed that information, contrary to my expectation my point went unnoticed and left untaken. An uncle of mine who has been an inspiration to a lot of my family members while growing up, came up to me and said "Its not just what you try to say... Even if you say things for the Good, you need to say it in a Good way for it to actually be taken seriously"... So I thought to myself at that point, if I had expressed my viewpoint in a different way (positively), it would have definitely been taken well and maybe even followed. As for exactly what it was, that I do not remember, but the bigger thing I got out of it was my uncle's way of thinking, and the influence it had on me as a person...

I Have A Dream

2008-11-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

What a fantastic day it is today, when Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States...

Key Excerpts from Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' speech:

"In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds.'"

"It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual."

"The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people. For many of our white brothers as evidenced by their presence here today have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We can not walk alone."

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood."

"This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

"Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

"Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

satyam, gnanam, anantam, brahma...

2008-10-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

satyam - the truth...

gnanam - the wisdom...

anantam - the joy...

brahma - the selfless self...

The Ripple Effect...

2008-10-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what would eventually happen if we did something in some particular way, as compared to having done it in a different way, or even compared to not having done that something at all? Knowingly or otherwise every action has not just an immediate reaction in accordance with laws of physics, it also has a ripple effect felt at a different point in time, an after-effect...

What may seem like one small piece of debris on the road, in a country of billions, may mean many billions of such acts in places where control and cleanup of it is more challenging...

What may seem like 5 cents of corruption by one person, may mean thousands of such 5 cents in corruption by millions of people, eventually causing a tsunami of corruption beyond control and cleanup...

Change is needed indeed... Not just in the big picture, but in the details too... Not just in the system, but also in the people that comprise and consume the system... Not just in the rules out there, but also the way we look at them and follow them...

Responsibility is needed indeed... Not just external, but internal too...

Next time you think its no big deal to something, 'Oh - think twice... Its just another day for you and me in paradise...' - Phil Collins

Chaos... And the state of mind...

2008-10-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Was watching a program on the Science HD channel, called 'Human Body - Pushing to the Limits'. The series showcases different scenarios of extreme conditioning of the physical and mental components of the human body, and delves into the details of how adaptive and capable humans are to withstand extreme conditions, both physical and mental.

The past few weeks have been a little stressful for me personally in terms of schedule and project timelines. I must say its been a long yet enduring journey so far... The next couple of months promise only to add to this chaos... Then again, it makes me realize these moments are created so we'll be able to cherish the fruits at a later point in time...

What prepares us for the worst, is not so we go through tough times but for how we are actually moulded to handle anything less than the maximum with the perception of considering it meagre. In other words, it feels like being caught in the eye of a storm right now! And hopefully the blackhole is only the start of a new galaxy!!!

"Hope - is a good thing!" - Shawshank Redemption...

Basic Instincts...

2008-10-02T18:04:00.001-07:00

As is the case with most things personal, our Ego is as big as our imagination! Ofcourse 'We' know the answers and 'We' know it all... As humans we have our basic instincts, some automatic and some developed over a period of time... It may be oxymoronic to term Basic Instincts as a 'Developed' trait but a closer look makes the picture clearer...

For someone who was born and brought up in a densely and heavily populated country (India), I used to believe I could handle a Big-City lifestyle... It turns out its only a relative factor as people are only as used-to as they want to be... For instance, back in India there is a unique yet risky way of surviving roads and traffic... There is no value for a Honk, nor is there value for Yielding! At the same time life seems great to locals as they swing and swirl their way through the maze of a traffic every single moment of their lives on the Indian roads... I guess people got 'used' to driving in India... Something that they 'developed' over a period of time with practice over and over again... Basic Instincts take over, and mindless driving becomes impossible...

Think about this: If someone in your next lane cuts ahead of you with no indicator, and then slows down in front of you - how would you react? ...

To Be Continued...

A Brand New Day, A Fresh New Start !!!

2008-09-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Almost like getting out of a Coma - I restart blogging today... Cant believe how long it has been since I last wrote...

I remember the first time I started blogging and told a friend about it, his initial reaction was - please dont blog like the guy who writes about how his toothpaste tastes great or the girl who writes about her new shoes... But then I thought to myself, is it not the very premise where blogging made an entry into the world wide web... As I figured later for myself, I had a tendancy to write a lot about philosophical and thought-provoking stuff... With this fresh new start I plan to write on a variety of topics, some real, some imaginary, some funny, some not so funny...

Its a new day, its a brand new day... Its a new start, its a fresh new start!

Blogosphere - here I come, again!!!

Over and Out !!!

2008-04-30T21:22:00.000-07:00

This blog site has been temporarily shutdown due to inactivity !!!

Thank you for visiting and for reading my previous posts!

The truth about Cats and Dogs!!!

2007-12-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Has anyone wondered what kind of a hypcrotic society that we all live in? For starters, any rule that we want 'others' to follow, have merely been created for our own convenience! Something that really comes to our attention today, is the differences between what is perceived to be humane and what is perceived to be inhumane! While you may be wondering why the title of this post has been named 'The truth about Cats and Dogs', I wanted to use an analogy to elaborate on a topic long seen in this age as Business As Usual!

Its a known fact that Cats and Dogs are some of the most popular animals that become personal pets to millions of people around the world. There are even laws across several countries protecting these Cats and Dogs against human violence and ill-treatment, and rightly so! Does this mean that all animals which are termed 'not pets' though still being 'Herbivorous' really cause a serious threat to Humans in the food chain so as to justify merciless killings or even articulated slaughters? I would only like to think not!

By this I mean, before anyone with a clear conscience can state that he/she feels sorry for an injured cat or dog, maybe they should ask themselves how many animals' deaths they were responsible for in the past week/month! And all that for what? A tasty meal? ABOMINABLE!!!

Its that time of the year again...

2007-12-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

Its that time of the year again... Yes, its the holiday season...

Its been a real long while since I wrote anything here, but I do plan to come up with a lot more posts in the coming year... What more, it'll have a lot more variety in topics and themes... Am really looking forward to good times, good things to come and great things to achieve and learn!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

satyam, gnanam, anantam brahma...

2007-08-02T13:22:00.000-07:00

satyam - the truth...

gnanam - the wisdom...

anantam - the joy...

brahma - the selfless self...

its all about...

2007-08-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

attitude... the best friend one can have, or the worst enemy one could fear...

back in the days when i used to be in grad-school, i had a tremendous experience of meeting kids from various backgrounds... some would think they are kings and queens of the world, some would think they are the greatest losers to have ended up in grad-skool in the first place... there were a bunch of them, whose attitude i could never forget or bear... it was the first week there that semester, and the international students association had organized a welcome party for all incoming students... while we were all in the process of meeting fellow students, there was this bunch standing in a corner... they were literally discussing the last names of students, and their regional/cultural/religious origins, basically mocking at atleast one of those things... though i meant to go right at them and bash them up, i realized that we are all educated to behave in cultured ways, and dissent is reserved for brutes...

as far as the school, it was a great place for getting an education... a calm, peaceful college town... the place itself was not buzzing with party-activities as such, but campus events kept the atmosphere quite happening... time and again, i would meet students who would basically crib that the place is dead, and is not as happening as their home-city (a Mumbai, or an NYC)... Despite coming from a reasonably big city (Chennai) myself, I neither had the time nor the energy to crib and be frustrated about it... Infact I only enjoyed the calm and the peace of such a learning paradise...

it is a matter of mind, most problems are... especially when we constantly complain of things that we do not have, while failing to appreciate the wonderful things that we DO have around us... how many times in a day do we actually realize that somewhere in a developing country, the money we just spent on a cappucino would have been sufficient for an entire meal's cost? or, how many times in a day do we actually do the right things, even if trivial? like being judicious with electricity or water usage or not driving a fuel-gulping-SUV?

one of my most favourite slogans... "attitude is everything" - sums it up... the truth is out there... but alas, the horse can only be taken up to the lake... to drink it up though, the horse is on its own... the will, leads the way!

do you...

2007-07-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

do you respect pedestrian signals? or, do you just behave like those big-city-brutes who are so busy to even notice the stop-signal in front of them?

do you take care not to litter? or, do you just trash the world around you?

do you care not to be rude or harsh to people around you? or, do you come across as an arrogant egoistic person who is too good for fellow-beings?

did you take time today to be thankful for what you have, and to make that tiny yet positive difference in someone's life? try a smile...

"I used to think the God is Truth... But I realized that the Truth is God" - M K Gandhi...

"For all theists, God is Love... For those atheists, Love is God" - Anonymous...

a few random thoughts...

2007-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

ever thought why it gets so silent and uncomfortable while in a slow elevator with a bunch of strangers who would not look up to see you in the eyes? try some office elevators...

ever tried to cross a pedestrian walkway in a crowded parking lot, when no one wants to yield to you despite you trying to help out a senior citizen cross the road? try walking in parking lots in the Bay Area, CA...

ever gone to a X-Mart, stood in an endless line only for an irritant rep at the counter show her sick attitude on you and yelling at you for bringing an item without its price tag stuck on to it? try going to a 24-hour X-Mart at some 11-PM or so...

ever tried to walk on a sidewalk when you are not only expected to speed-walk, but are abused and called names merely for slowing down or stopping? try going to a city which also has the same name as its state...

a popular quote goes:

Live in NYC but get out before it makes you too hard... Live in Northern California but get out before it makes you too soft...

have you given your thought some food today?

One drop at a time...

2007-07-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

The oceans are vast and deep, but what makes them so are the induvidual drops that they are made of...

Have you ever yielded to a pedestrian and looked into their eyes to feel their gratitude? Have you taken time to talk to that friend of yours who needed a minute of yours, to open up and share? Have you controlled your temptation to pickup a fight when there was enough reason yet not enough value on a heated debate over a sales counter?

Have you ever shared or lended anything close to you, to someone in dire need? Have you ever thought of all the poor and hungry people when you have a meal, and been thankful for what you have to eat?

Where does social responsibility end, and personal responsibility begin? Ever wondered how the world would be if each of us had this personal moral responsibility to live humane, be it toward fellow-humans or not?

Oh those horizons...

The hopes they bring...

If not for these drops, where would we get...

If not one drop at a time, how would we sail...

One drop at a time...

Is all it takes!!!

Beautiful Day

2007-06-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

"Beautiful Day" - Lyrics - U2

The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town

You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere

You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace

It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away

You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination

You love this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you

It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out

See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

Its a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now

A beautiful day...

The philistine and the philosopher… Part 2 – For the sake of arguement…

2007-01-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

No matter whether we believe in something or not, for the sake of arguement we do go about strongly defending our own point/s of view... however factual or otherwise it may be...

The deep sense in this kind of belief comes from a concept known to lesser mortals (like us) as Ego... The Ego in a philistine (the non-believer in philosophy) keeps him blind-folded to the wonderful world of philosophies and arguements... The lack of Ego in a philosopher, on the other hand, keeps the philosopher continue doing what he/she does best - philosophize...

While it may only sound to be a vague term, the 'philosophizing' concept has its own history, science and great past associated with it... More on this in blogs to come...

The philistine and the philosopher… Part 1 – The definitions and getting started…

2007-01-05T13:50:00.001-08:00

Do we ask the question ‘why’ or ‘why not’? Or do we just go ‘whatever!!!’? Do we think we ‘must’ question the facts? Or do we think we must stop talking about things and start acting instead… If someone asks questions, does it mean he/she is lazy and spends too much time talking about things than rather doing? Or does it actually have mean it is only important to ask the questions?

The philistine says that it is almost sinful to merely discuss what could be, when it actually can be made to what it needs to be… The philosopher tends to ask if it is worth it, if it is the right way, and if it is getting where it needs to be with the right approach and attitude…

All the conventional wisdom, the wise-men and the experts, the messengers of knowledge, and the glorified philosophers of the past... All of it leads to everything but one… Is there a clear answer to any of these questions? In a world of materialistic survival guides, of mechanical routines and chores, of tasteless freedom, of reward without respect, and of value without pride, we can clearly make the cut from the wisely to the mistaken… Every mistake that we make - is only another step we take - another step in the right direction – in the quest for perfection…

the most wonderful time of the year...

2006-12-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

right from things that are hoped and expected, to the resolutions that are meant to be broken... the season headed up to the new year is always the most wonderful time of the year...

wishing all a very happy and prosperous new year 2007!!!

The real beauty...

2006-11-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

The nuances involved while steering one’s self through tough circumstances include but are not limited to determination, persistence and a positive attitude in general. We all face difficulties at some point in our lives. The levels and the frequencies may vary but we sure do face them. It is not how we get into these situations that are always the most important factor, but it is how we handle them and work our way out of them. The primary factor determining this is the kind of person that one is.

Let’s imagine that there are three theories to define different kinds of people in this world. The first kind: those who are unaffected by anything, be it positive or be it negative. In other words, these people do not care about anything, and do not FEEL excited about anything. The second kind: those who are always unhappy, and find faults not only in themselves but also in others all the time. In other words, these are absolute PESSIMISTS. The third kind: those who always look for positive things in what they see and what they do. In other words, they have a positive attitude and are absolute OPTIMISTS. Needless to say, there is no real 100% of any one kind and is usually a blend of these three.

When it comes to handling adverse conditions, it is so critical that we increase our optimistic part to as high as we can. It takes a lot to look at a bad situation and see the good parts in it. When India was still under the British rule prior to 1947, maybe this is what Mahatma Gandhi was able to do.

Life is too short to waste away whining and complaining. It’s a beautiful world alright, but what actually makes it beautiful is the perception of how we see it.

being selfless...

2006-09-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

being humans it is only natural that we are selfish beings (for the most part)... at times when i think about how we are like crabs trying to get out a deep well... the famous story goes: there are many crabs stuck in a deep well... instead of helping each other out, each crab infact makes sure that no other crab climbs out of the well... too bad...

if only we listened with open ears to what our parents/dear ones tried to tell us during our formative years... if only we understood the terms compassion, teamwork, unity, etc... for starters, what can we really do? what could be a good first step toward understanding the concept of being selfless?

is being selfless being like Karna, who was foolish enough to succumb to the tricks of Lord Krishna (the story goes: In a famous Indian Epic, even Lord Krishna had to use treachery to overcome the evil and achieve greater good for the truth! In that process, the Lord deceives Karna, a noble soul who donates anything for the needy and ultimately ending up donating his own life-guard!)... is being selfless not acquiring any material wealth and donating 100% of one's earnings for the needy and the poor? is being selfless going out of the way not considering one's own needs to help out another person who is in dire need?

well, the simple answer is ofcourse 'it depends'... we can call ourselves selfless based on a few acts of basic goodness, but what really matters is when it really counts... when we are in that deep well, how we behave defines our character... when we try not to deceive even in the cause of greater goodness...

one of the most popular catch-phrases in recent television advertisements goes: there are some things money can't buy... for everything else, there is mastercard... the feeling we get when we see a needy person after we have helped them, is priceless...

these acts of moral goodness and selflessness can come from simple daily activities like yielding to pedestrians in parking lots, being courteous to customers/cashiers (works both ways), helping a friend in desperate need to the extent possible even if it costs us time and/or money...

thinking about it should make us all wonder... while doing so... keep this in mind:

Lyrics - Enigma

Thats not the beginning of the end
Thats the return to yourself
The return to innocence.
Love - devotion
Feeling - emotion.

Love - devotion
Feeling - emotion.
Dont be afraid to be weak
Dont be too proud to be strong
Just look into your heart my friend
That will be the return to yourself
The return to innocence.

If you want, then start to laugh
If you must, then start to cry
Be yourself dont hide
Just believe in destiny.
Dont care what people say
Just follow your own way
Dont give up and use the chance
To return to innocence.

Thats not the beginning of the end
Thats the return to yourself
The return to innocence.

Dont care what people say
Follow just your own way
Follow just your own way
Dont give up, dont give up
To return, to return to innocence.

If you want then laugh
If you must then cry
Be yourself dont hide
Just believe in destiny.

random thoughts today...

2006-08-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

being an indian not only makes me proud due to the commonly known factors like culture, unity in diversity, etc but also the fact that some things come more naturally to us than any other people in this world... sometimes i wonder if people born outside india even think of some things in some ways like how indians do... call it the influence of indian media, call it the classes in the indian society, call it the educational system, call it the family values, we are indeed a special breed...

the power of information can be used constructively as well as destructively... myself being the optimist, i always like to think of constructive ways in life... managing personal information, especially in countries like the u.s. becomes not only a necessity but a social responsibility to survive the information hackers... there was this one time when i had some personal details in a homepage of mine... someone from back home had followed it and approached my family for assistance to their son who was going to join the same school as mine in the u.s... as much as i wanted to help out, i did not appreciate the intrusion into privacy that these people did...

personal experiences and acquired knowledge (be it from education or from media or from family) are the driving factors in the way that we live our lives... the human psyche understands and interprets things as right or wrong based on a personal understanding rising out of judgements/rulings of others' actions... these actions may or may not have been witnessed or felt in person, but could merely be learnt... a small innocent child may touch fire despite the warnings from parents for a couple of times... but as soon as it learns the fact that it can hurt the huamn skin, the child stops to do the same... some things as much as we want to follow, we tend not to listen to when being instructed by others...

while still a kid, during an attempt to offer a piece of advice i scolded someone... and that person didnt even care to listen to what i had to say... i tried giving the same piece of advice again after some time in a more loving tone, and believe me it reached the other person's head and heart just like how i wanted it to... it was obvious that the information had to be passed across, but the means and methodology involved were the key factors in making sure that it did so...

we all waste so much of time fighting with each other, and complaining about petty stuff... everyday i see more unhappy people than happy... if i want to be the change i want to see in the world, like what Gandhi's ideal human would, i would like two things set in every one of us: personal attitude + responsible information management...

getting it done...

2006-07-03T08:47:00.000-07:00

in one of the popular writeups about 'how to crack a microsoft interview', i read about the two most critical qualities to possess... 'being smart' and 'getting things done'... i guess, as generic as they may sound, they are very specific points about induvidual personalities and attitudes...

i'm totally sure that every induvidual is in the absolute sense, perfectly capable of acheiving any results provided the right attitude, right energy and the right motivation are put behind the tasks. while that being said, it also becomes necessary for the person to be what is termed 'being pro-active'... being smart is one thing, being pro-active is an entirely different thing altogether...

if i were interviewing a candidate, i would not just look at how intelligent or how smart a candidate is, but would also look into his/her aptitude, drive/thirst to get things done... two of my favourite quotes are: 'quitters never win, winners never quit', and 'attitude is everything'... in a world where only the crazy rats win the race, it is absolutely a must to not just be smart, but to be constantly motivated and self-driven to go out there and get the job done...

taking it easy...

2006-06-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

temper... one of the most important aspects of our intellectual beings that takes control of us during emotional circumstances... keeping the calm and taking it easy is much more easily said than done... neverthless, it is reasonable to say that the universal fact remains: the temper and the anger are almost always "after-the-fact"...

keeping a cool head not only defines patience, but also character to a certain extent... if only we could put ourselves in the shoes of the other person... every harsh word spoken is a hard unerasable stain in the mind and heart of another person... there have been a lot of harsh words spoken to me, at me, by people whom i had even considered near and dear... but my lack of worldly-wisdom at the time made me react too strongly internally and take things to heart... but now i do realize that to-each-his/her-own, and it is only human to err... i'm sure i have committed a lot of mistakes knowingly or unknowingly (NO, am NOT going to go to Jesus to bear my sins on his shoulders...)... i do however understand that its not the end of the road, and i will continue to do my best in working toward the greater good and following the inner truth from the heart...

if only i could, i would...
take away the pain and suffering from the struggling...
take away the evil from the selfish rich...
take away the sugar from the lying...
alas i have more ego than power...
for, all i can, is to take care of my own...
and take care not to step on someone for the sake of doing so...

there shall be a dawn, to follow the dusk...
when there will be light, and there will be freedom...
in the name of goodness, people will stop bloodshed for
religion/land/lust...

there shall be a time, a time soon enough...
when we'll all be together...
working toward a common cause...
of being humane... and being true...

if i could, i sure try would! to make this a better place!
- Me

sweetness...

2006-06-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

out in the woods... i lay on the floor of mother earth... watching the starry night and the mighty skies... for a moment i think i am dreaming, as the only sound i hear is that of the birds chirping and the leaves swaying in thin air... i can still smell the sweet earthy smell all around me... i have no emails to worry about, no cell phones to attend to...

i look to my side, and find an angel with the sweetest of smiles... the one i'd been secretly praying to god, to have as my best buddy for life... being lost in her eyes, i now live in a different world, even more serene and calmer than the world around me... in the silence i hear a thousand words of truth, of love, of trust, of a promise... in this phase i slowly realize how blessed i am, to be in the company of my guardian angel...

while i know that the sun will soon rise, the stars will soon slide, the moments never set aside... i also know that i'm now ready... ready to take on anything... now that i have my angel by my side...

high and dry...

2006-05-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

no. am not talking about the chartbuster metal hit by Def Leppard, but am talking about the emotional states of mind that we go through... when we are high, we sometimes feel the world is not ready for us, and when we are dry we feel the world is too fast... the energy, the enthusiasm, the zeal, comes from within... there are however a lot of factors that are the driving engine behind a livewire...

"Karmanye vaadhi kaa raste maa phaleshu kadaachanaMaa karma phal hetu bhurma te sangotva vikarmani"
- Lord Krishna, Bhagavad Gita !

somebody once said 'show me your friends, i'll tell you the kind of person you are'... although i do not completely agree with this, i feel it is true when it comes to the overall energy levels in people... the people around you, more or less influence you in your way of thinking and even mannerisms in some cases... these influences caused, may be as minor as an 'accent' or as major as 'philosophies' and 'outlook/perception of life itself'...

it is reasonably safe to bet that no two people would experience the same set of things at the same instance of time from the same perspective... we can always put ourselves in the other person's shoes, but whether we REALLY understand what it is like to be them, is only questionable! philosophizing is very easy, and comes naturally to a lot of us who are good in expressing ourselves while drawing our own social limits and sticking to it... as long as we remember that we can NEVER preach what we dont practise... only then does every single word of wisdom and experience becomes of invaluable measure...

while all of us can and will enjoy these high moments, the toughest challenge in our lives come when we are faced with a crisis in our laps... one of the quotes in the national basketball association's (NBA) motivational campaign series of ads on television says 'greatest glories are not acheived by not falling, but rising every time we fall'... the strengths of character, and the courage of the heart... more easily said than done... neverthless, once we make an attempt sincerely, 'to try' even when the odds are not in the favour, make us grow into an entirely different level than mere mortals...

inspiration comes standard (no, not the chrysler ad!!!)... its the heart to follow it, and ears to listen to one's self that makes the difference!

silence is golden... or is it?

2006-04-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

1. have you ever wondered how the quite ones are often assumed to be the intellectual ones in a group?
2. have you ever wondered why somebody is not taken seriously when they talk a lot?
3. have you ever wondered about drawing the right balance between active participation and passive participation when in a group, to actually get your voice heard?

just like most questions, the answer for these also tend to be 'well, it depends'...

imagine scenario 1: you are in the middle of a group discussion session, and your primary objective is not to make your point favourable to the group but to make sure that your participation is visible to the judges, you DO forget about question 3 from above, and go full throttle...

imagine scenario 2: you are in the centre stage of a classroom, set to be an instructor helping a bunch of students over a certain subject... it becomes imperative to be communicatively effective, for starters... here, you DO forget about questions 2 and 3 from above, and selectively talk about topics per the audience/requirements...

while these imaginary scenarios are of frequent occurence and acceptably implementable, the tough scenarios are when we have to follow the thoughts from answers to question 1 from above. while maintaining the thin line between arrogance and humility, we learn to adapt based on the group members, context and sensitivity of the topic under discussion, knowledge and wisdom about the context and subject, all play important parts in our ways of expression... add to these, the natural inclination of an induvidual to be either introvertish or extrovertish or ambivertish, the actual outcome becomes unpredictable...

as we learn and adapt, we also tend to become opinionated, and hence influenced to choose how we want to respond in situations and then participate... the critical moment does arrive when one's actions either leads to a catastrophe in an inter-personal or professional relationship, OR leads to a lost opportunity... every chance not taken, is a lost opportunity to be heard... every bond broken is a chance wrongly taken despite having the power to choose...

to talk about it? or not to?

2006-04-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

a month ago, i had made a call to my apartment office... the lady who picked up the phone, asked me how she could help me... i told her that one of the ladies at the apartment administrative office was handling my new lease application, and that i was calling in to follow-up with her... then, after a moment of silence, i could not believe what i heard... the lady in all coolness and totally no realization of the impact of her statement, asked me 'is she black or white'... i was extremely shocked by her question, and chose (rightly i think) not to respond to that question... i did tell her that there were only 3 ladies at the small leasing office, so it had to be one of them... i did eventually get through the line and complete the purpose of my call, but what happened in this phone call started making me wonder about a lot of things that go on everyday that people dont even stop for a moment to think about...

the fact that 'black or white' popped up in a casual conversation was not the only bothering issue for me (irrespective of who mentions it), but the fact that the sensitivity of this issue was not even on the mind of the person who told me made me realize that its still inside all people who claim to be 'irrespective of' to have a classification in their psyche 'on the basis of'... i thought of it to be completely disgusting...

a good friend of mine from Texas (back in the days when i was at grad school), now is the vice-president of 'Race and Ethnic Studies' at Texas A&M University, and i remember clearly about her mentioning some of the distinct challenges in such a position at such a State with history, present and potential future filled with lots and lots of people with prejudices and patterns (genetic or otherwise)...

along these lines, it is extremely saddening to note that, in a country like India filled with intellectuals at every level, a hopelessly cheap and political-benefit-only acts like the quota system... the concept provided by people who implement such things is that they want to reduce the gap between the different sections of the cultural divisions... but thinking about it, rather than reducing, it only emphasized the fact that there is a split in the sections... on the basis of merit, and merit alone, reservations could be made, but not on any other factor... just because someone is born in a certain family should not, and must not make it easier or harder for them to get admitted into an educational institution... it would be a shame if we are to see a day when the country is burning the rage of castismic evil... education is the heart and essence of the shape of an induvidual's personality, and it is unfair to set a quota based on caste, or for any other factor other than academic merit...

even a country like the u.s. of a. took its own time to sort out fundamental issues of segregration at the big level... and for a rapidly changing and urbanizing India, it will only be fair to hope... to hope that the sun will rise, for one and all irrespective of caste, color, religion, sex or any other factor... infact, some words like black, white, caste, etc should be eradicated from the dictionary...

having the listening ear, while being assertive...

2006-04-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

a lot of times people tend to forget that what they have, is merely a personal point of view and try to impose on others... it is only human that most of us, including myself have fallen prey to this fine line of imposing-an-idea-forcible syndrome... but while we think that we are doing it for the best, we must also realize and put ourselves in the shoes of the listener...

having a strong opinion on something does not, and should not be completely unchangeable, for we all know that change is the only constant phenomenon that we witness all the time... however at the same time, how far would someone go trying to support self-driven perspectives on worldly idealogies? and how easily would one get convinced by another person? i guess its highly subjective and the answer is usually 'well, it depends...'

when it comes to personal decisions, we all tend to follow either a) conventional wisdom, or b)personal instinct, or c)peer-pressure... the significant point to note is that at most times, we choose based on a) or b) and only a few times like while making a professional decision that we are succumbing to peer-pressure... the key to holding these in a nice balance is to sort-out the plan in the psyche and have a listening ear to the 'wise' ones... and once a brain-storming happens between these two, being assertive helps gain the final steps in crossing the bridge successfully... again, the 'wise' ones, may be just a relative concept, and completely contextual (a baseball card collector may be an expert in it, while he may know NOTHING about aeronautics...)... the street-smart take it a step further and do some personal research before making particular decisions... this personal research may include but not limited to looking into historical/statictical data for similar decisions taken, surveying the potential market and do an evaluation of it...

nothing else matters...

2006-04-07T14:15:00.000-07:00

Lyrics - Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are and
nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say and
nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view and
nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are and
nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us, something new
Open mind for a different view and
nothing else matters

never cared for what they say
never cared for games they play
never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
and I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No, nothing else matters

somewhere down the lane...

2006-03-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

a few years back in my memory lanes, at a space observatory in the largest state within the united states of america, there were a few moments of introspection, that has haunted my thoughts ever since...

this is about a simple philosophy about which someone once said

'its funny but as kids we all desire to become grown-ups, and as adults we all
desire to return to innocence and become kids' - anonymous

how true are those words... while a bunch of us were happily enjoying the demonstration given the lead physicist at the observatory that day, seldom did any of us adults realize that we were merely going through a mindless drill of been-there-done-that routine... until one small kid started a series questions asked by a set of kids in that group... at the end of it, the physicist did make it a point to sweetly but surely let us all know that the strength that lies in the courage of a kid's innocent question, can never be attained by the ever-diminishing quest for knowledge in adults, mainly contributed due to the ever-inflating ego growing within them to huge extents...

a pompous lifestyle, and a stereo-typic so-called high-society life, is one of few things that suffocate me when i imagine how dark it must be out there, in the minds of those mindless people... flying thousands of miles across oceans for business meetings, being amongst the richest people in the world, or even being THE most celebrated personality in the world, is of absolutely no use if we do not learn to live life in its truest sense and see the world with those inquisitive and innocent eyes of the mind... the day we think we know, starts our downfall... (ofcourse, this is assuming that the thin line across the confidence-issue is already crossed over...)...

people inspire me, as well as make me feel sorry sometimes... the greats are often the silent ones, while the ones making all the noise more often than not, turn out to be charlatans... this may be a sensitive topic to open up on, but organized forms of preached-philosophies coupled with fear-driven religion is something that i totally cannot accept personally... this being a whole topic in itself, would just leave it open-ended for the moment...

what's so civil about war anyway?

2006-03-14T19:31:00.000-08:00

Guns N Roses - Civil War Lyrics

"What we've got here is failure to communicate.
Some men you just can't reach...
So, you get what we had here last week,
which is the way he wants it!

Well, he gets it!
N' I don't like it any more than you men."
Look at your young men fighting
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying

The way they've always done before
Look at the hate we're breeding
Look at the fear we're feeding
Look at the lives we're leading

The way we've always done before
My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can't deny
And are washed away by your genocide

And history hides the lies of our civil wars
D'you wear a black armband
When they shot the man
Who said "Peace could last forever"
And in my first memories
They shot Kennedy
I went numb when I learned to see
So I never fell for Vietnam
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
That you can't trust freedom

When it's not in your hands
When everybody's fightin'
For their promised land
And I don't need your civil war

It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh
I don't need your civil war

Look at the shoes your filling
Look at the blood we're spilling
Look at the world we're killing

The way we've always done before
Look in the doubt we've wallowed
Look at the leaders we've followed
Look at the lies we've swallowed

And I don't want to hear no more
My hands are tied
For all I've seen has changed my mind
But still the wars go on as the years go by
With no love of God or human rights
'Cause all these dreams are swept aside
By bloody hands of the hypnotized
Who carry the cross of homicide

And history bears the scars of our civil wars
"WE PRACTICE SELECTIVE
ANNIHILATION OF MAYORS
AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
FOR EXAMPLE TO CREATE A VACUUM
THEN WE FILL THAT VACUUM
AS POPULAR WAR ADVANCES
PEACE IS CLOSER"

I don't need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh

And I don't need your civil war
I don't need your civil war
I don't need your civil war
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh

I don't need your civil war
I don't need one more war
I don't need one more war
Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway

birth, actions and truth...

2006-02-11T16:24:00.000-08:00

"Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. " - BUDDHA

janma - the birth...

"so... do you really believe in rebirth? or do you believe only in eternal hell and eternal heaven?" a couple of questions often asked by people in search of opinions and points of view from the second person... to say the least, these are real tough questions to answer... the main reason for the complexity involved in giving a reasonable answer is the lack of scientific evidence or practical proof to any theories...

if there is anything that is really hard to measure in this world, it is the absoluteness of a new born's innocence... innocence - what a beautiful concept... if anyone tells you it does not exist, it is out of ignorance... every time when we learn something new, we must realize that we have either not known it thus far, or have learnt to ignore learning about it thus far... 'the signs' are all around us asking us to learn, every single moment...

another tough thing to describe, quantify and frame-in-a-box, is to recognice the 'value' of someone's life... i mean, in terms of 'what', 'why' and 'how much' somebody has done in their lifetime for the greater good... we all have a race against time, in the course of which we have an inbuilt overhead of safeguarding one's self against disease... an analogy would be the concept of installing an anti-virus program in a computer... it is not part of the plan to acheive results, but it is a necessity to guard the system against evil viruses... while a major part of everyone's lifetime is consumed heavily by this guarding process, a lot of time is also spent in survival essentials... from our earlier analogy case, we can correspond this case to the power/space requirements...

apart from all the time used up for promiting self-interests, there sure comes enough time when we make the 'choices'... these choices dictate our actions... and our actions our destiny, sometimes even others' destinies...

karma with dharma - actions with 'truth'...

our actions... for the most part, we do think that we have an idea of 'why', and some other times we learn 'why' with time... it becomes of utmost importance to realize the value of 'the greater good' and 'contextual truth'... contextual truth - not the one we all conveniently like to use for promoting self interests and gaining financial and materialistic gains, but the one when the greater good IS kept in mind and does not directly or indirectly alter or affect another person's balanced life in a bad way... the 'intent' being truthful, and the 'consequences' being for the greater good, is what is called for...

the only point of reference for us being ourselves, pointing to another person's mistake and claiming truth in it would be not just absurd, but would be against the truth in the first place... every action done against the call from the heart, be it as small as a penny or as big as the pacific ocean, is like adding fuel to the burning fire, in this corrupted, lying and selfish world that it already is... the fruits of planting such seeds lie not in the present, but in the future...

while there are seasons every year, the cycle for the seasons is within every year... the best part in this context being that, the present does not stand in a specific season, but in the head and heart of the living soul...

a fresh start...

2006-02-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

after a fun-filled and eventful January, 2006 kicks off in my blogoshere...

it is most often that we take resolutions for every new year... it is very often that we forget them.. it is quite often that we consciously skip it... it is often that we plan to get back to it in the near future... and it is hardly often that we follow it successfully...

one of the primary resolutions that i thought of for the year, is to accelerate this process of self-improvement, in multiple facets of my personality... true to its sense, am still seeking the link to the escallator... as vague as it sounds, i'm quite sure that the thing that gives me personal satisfaction, is on its way in the coming year... for me as well as my near and dear...

and this brings us to the most non-generic and self-centred blog post that i've typed in so far :) but the intent is, to get this blog alive again...

cheers and thanks for reading!

this day that year...

2005-12-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

December 29, 2004... the day i posted my first article on this blogsite...

its been a great experience so far, and i only hope to continue for as long as i can, in the times to come... to start with, 2005 proved to be a year where there were great opportunities for me to go to more places, meet more people, learn more about communities, more about compassion, more about love... the wish is for the journey to continue further, in the new year to come!

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006...

a synopsis from articles i posted in 2005:

what does one have and what does one not have?: If one possesses the knowledge of the fact that 'anything is possible if a sincere effort is put into it', then, not possessing knowledge on any subject matter is not actually not knowing it...
points of view: while the challenge lies in constantly being able to take a neutral stance despite all temptations to form opinions, and make judgements, the tougher part is not controlling these temptations but overcoming the default way of communicating what one might think is a WELL-THOUGHT-OF judgement... so, if you ever feel that you HAVE TO let someone know about something, make sure that you do it the RIGHT way...
lessons from nature: to be able to observe beautiful things its one thing, and to be able to observe the beauty in what one might think are ordinary things is an entirely different thing...
the importance of courtesy: the value of education is not in all those textbooks that one may read to get through all those tests and grades, but is infact in things like these, where an educated person must be able to distinguish clearly between cultured and uncultured behaviour at a social as well as an inter-personal level...
moments of silence: those moments of silence, when one reflects with one's self... are probably the most important moments defining someone's personality...
the extra effort: at every step in the everyday life, it becomes so important to always do the right thing... and by doing the right thing, i mean, an action which does not affect another person in a direct or an indirect way as far as the knowledge of one's conscience is concerned...
essentials in life: To live, To love, To learn, To leave a legacy...
the importance of well being: this life is probably just that temporary phase of a fascinating journey, of which no one knows the absolute start or the absolute end points... all that are known, are the times that one's conscience comprehends and the times that one's psyche co-operates and co-exists with...
the significance of being insignificant: what one must actually take to heart is that, since this world (and life) is made up of all kinds of perspectives, all kinds of cultures, all kinds of intellects, all kinds of circumstances, all kinds of experiences (good, bad and neither), this concept could easily be argued differently at different points in time by different people, living at different places!...
oh... those wonder years: it is indeed special to cherish every single special moment around, and merely to be thankful that it happened atleast for that little bit... for, there are those who live to tell the tales, when they do not even know what you are talking about!...
the art of negotiation: such an art associated with the philosophy of making everybody involved happy, involves a lot of situations as to what may be termed 'win-win' situations...
what a wonderful world: Lyrics By George Weiss / Bob Thiele
the hidden patterns in chaos theory: amidst the chaotic real world, is this calm and peaceful inner world, which longs for nothing but peace!...
squeezing time out of 'no time': the difference between an ordinary being and a difference-maker is determined by small mental adjustments to the increasingly mechanical life-styles of an urban living...
the thin lines between: as we take our stance on certain qualities that we possess, seldom are we aware of being caught at the thin line between two extremes... the thin line between lack of confidence and self-confidence, the thin line between self-confidence and over-confidence, the thin line between over-confidence and arrogance, are all examples of typical caught-in-betweens...
defining the absolute sense of satisfaction: an absolute sense of satisfaction, while sought after very hard by every single person, can probably be only be achieved ONLY if one tries to correct himself/herself... to start leading a moral life...
introspection: about me - the results of some online quizzes i took recently...
taking a deep breath: what you do, does not matter if you do not do it the right way... how you do it, does not matter if you do not do the right thing... what you do and how you do it, does not matter, if you do not do it when it is needed the most!...
simplicities and complexities: there is not a complex problem that does not have a simple approach, but we approach even the simplest problems with a complex approach... the need of the hour? take a simple approach, have a simple attitude, and stay positive!...
the side of the greener grass: something to look forward to, almost every single time, even if one succeeds completely(again, a relative term)? getting the big picture is as important as attention to the inner details of things...
finite yet infinite: it is not what it actually is... it is what you perceive it to be...
from being static... to being stable: what lies in a heart is the only truth, and nothing else matters!...
impressionable perspectives: one of the most important lessons that a western living has taught me, is 'being a self-starter and being self-dependant for most things'...
today: today i will NOTs and today i wills - today and everyday...
pride... and prejudice: pride - one who knows that he knows not much, knows it all... prejudice - a sad state of mind when one refuses to put one's self in another's shoes... and Lyrics by - Hoobastank
ethics: Quote By - Arthur Dobrin
ignorance, instincts and conscience: Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment; The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance - Benjamin Franklin... Criminals are none but those who get caught for things we all do in our everyday lives - Source Anonymous
coming back to life: Classic Lyrics - Pink Floyd
the controllable domain: Be the change you want to see in the world - M K Gandhi
oh... think twice: Lyrics - Phil Collins
the chaos and the calm: while some may say they prefer the chaos, and some may say they prefer the calm, the reality remains that there could be calm within the chaos and chaos amidst the calm, and to choose those parts of what one wants, would be upto the induvidual!!!...
'intent for incentive' and 'the passion': 'buy a man a fish, and he'll survive a day... teach him how to fish, and he'll survive for a lifetime' ...
so far away: Lyrics - Staind

so far away...

2005-12-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Lyrics: Staind

This is my life
Its not what it was before
All these feelings I’ve shared
And these are my dreams That
I’d never lived before
Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

Now that we're here,
It's so far away
All the struggle we thought was in vain
All the mistakes,
One life contained
They all finally start to go away
Now that we're here
its so far away
And I feel like I can face the day
I can forgive and I’m not ashamed to be the person that I am today

These are my words
That I’ve never said before
I think I’m doing ok
And this is the smile
That I’ve never shown before

Somebody shake me
Cause I, I must be sleeping

I'm so afraid of waking
Please don't shake me
Afraid of waking
Please don't shake me

'intent for incentive' and 'the passion'...

2005-12-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

oh those countless hours... spent in front of the television... while they seemed to be lost in the calculations of our 'well-spent' time, are often only observed by a third-eye...

imagine an everage person in the coprorate world, and his/her biggest complain... 'i dont have any time'... while it may sound reasonable to agree to a certain extent based on their perspective, philosophy and thought-process behind it, it only seems a lame excuse for not being able to find a suitable answer in the long run... a related line of thought would lead us to the question 'how many of us do REALLY consider doing the things for the sake of REALLY doing them? and how many of us keep trying to do things for the sake of the incentives associated with the actions?'... a principle-oriented work-routine could be a good start... 'buy a man a fish, and he'll survive a day... teach him how to fish, and he'll survive for a lifetime...'

inspiration is almost always drawn from others, by seeing how 'other' people live... a classic example: if an MLK had looked only to draw inspiration from others, he probably would not have been the GREAT person he was... instead he chose to draw it from within as well, and serve a purpose in his lifetime, one which could only be cherished for the times to come forever...

i've seen people who work up to the specified minute and leave right when the clock strikes, and have also seen people who take projects as personal challenges and consider them as objectives in the true sense... ofcourse both extremes would be a combination of personal choices and corporate culture in organizations... the point is: at what point does one need to work for an incentive, and at what point does one work for a mere passion for something?

the 'big picture' would probably be different for different people... but lets just say that there could be some common denominators that apply to everyone like 'volunteering' for a noble cause... while many of us tend to think of it at most times, only few of us have the privilege and joy of actually getting to implement... the key is to 'think' and then to sincerely 'try' to make a difference...

the chaos and the calm...

2005-12-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

a peaceful coexistence beetween humans are often defined by people without taking into consideration the environment, density of population, and the culture that exist in the society... often we find people living in chaotic urban environments telling you about how little they care about another human's existence... on the other hand, for someone living in a relatively quiet suburb or rural part of a country, the way of life may be more driven by how the society is structured and influenced from a bigger picture...

a classic example of the urban culture could be found in many big cities around the world... new york in the u.s., bombay in india, shangai in china, cairo in egypt, etc... ALL face a similar problem... lack of space, lack of time, lack of money, lack of human values, lack of peace... all that there remains, is ALL THAT JAZZ that come associated with the hype and the buzz surrounding it... to me personally, i dont care if i do not work at times square or dine at an exotic french restaurant, or for that matter live in an estate home in long island, new york... i would much rather prefer a place where there is 'value' to an individual in the society, not merely coming out of an economical status but out of character and out of integrity...

on the contrary, a complete opposite would be to live in the middle of country-sides either rural or suburbian, away from the maddening crowds... for people who live here, the rest of the world doesnt matter... in-fact often times they are happy and self-contented to live where they are put up, for the rest of their lives and for future generations to follow... the quiet may or may not include mixing with the nature depending on geography and an animal-life presence, but sure enough there is great simplicity amongst people who live here...

unfortunately life is not defined to be simple enough to be able to categorize everything into such simple divisions... there come these people who have been exposed to the two extremeties and often left with a choice to make, either based on professional interest or due to family circumstances or due to a personal frame of mind... in most cases, professional interests take over, and influence the decision made, as to where the destination would be, to form an identity... theoretically observing, it is quite not possible to create a permanant identity for one's self at any place whatsoever not matter what, even if a few generations in the family have managed to stay in a single place... for, all that we are, are nomads in search of bread and butter...

this thought about divisions in living environments and societies came to my mind when i was visiting a national park in texas a few years ago... we had gone there to find some peace and quiet away from city-life for vacation... a lady at a counter in one of the convenience stores there remarked 'you come here for your holidays in search of your peace, and we as small town people go to big cities like yours, to find ours...'... that remark, made me realize how perspectives are merely relative and is different from one person to another... right from day 0 till day N, the kinds of experiences we go through, form all these impressions somewhere deep in our minds, and unfortunately at some point we lose the essence of the bigger picture (of-course in search of which we all roam around restlessly in this place called earth)...

while some may say they prefer the chaos, and some may say they prefer the calm, the reality remains that there could be calm within the chaos and chaos amidst the calm, and to choose those parts of what one wants, would be upto the induvidual!!!

oh... think twice...

2005-12-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

Lyrics: Phil Collins

She calls out to the man on the street: 'sir, can you help me? '...
It’s cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep...
Is there somewhere you can tell me? ...

He walks on, doesn’t look back...
He pretends he can’t hear her...
Starts to whistle as he crosses the street...
Seems embarrassed to be there...

Oh... think twice...
it’s another day forYou and me in paradise...

Oh... think twice...
it’s just another day for you...
You and me in paradise...

She calls out to the man on the street...
He can see she’s been crying...
She’s got blisters on the soles of her feet...
Can’t walk but she’s trying...

Oh... think twice...
Oh lord... is there nothing more anybody can do...
Oh lord... there must be something you can say...

You can tell from the lines on her face...
You can see that she’s been there...
Probably been moved on from every place...
cos she didn’t fit in there...

Oh... think twice...

the controllable domain...

2005-12-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

"Be the change you want to see in the world"
- M K Gandhi

at the time of sunrise when you see a flock of beautiful birds headed out of their nests straight above that water-body in which the tree rests, you realize from the river-front that you are witnessing one of nature's best demonstrations of life... you, the mere mortal, are witnessing the scene right at the very moment because you 'chose' to be there, 'at that time', 'at that place'... they do not fly for their audience, neither do they fly for any other external factor... they fly for their own living, its their basic nature...

alas! if only, mankind had the will, simplicity, and the courage to live per their basic nature... this world may indeed have been a better place to live in... for, when 'he chose', he chose money... he chose lust... he chose land... what a pity that the damned box was opened, and pandora lived to only tell tales of how 'pleasantville' used to be...

however, the most crucial point would be to have a few clear realizations, in order to get out of this sunken feeling...
if there were a tertiary state for people (other than good and bad), it would have to be a lie...
the falls are meant to be, so the rise could be called what is called...
the ONLY part of this universe that one could control, is one's self...

simple things go a LONG way in making it an easier place to live in, for generations to follow... examples could be drawn out from real life situations and every moment... a personal example would be trying to control littering from a personal level, irrespective of local laws... another example would be to adopt a 'live-and-let-live' policy with fellow-men and save the so-called-protests, spending more time usefully on leading by example, in the society... sure it takes a lot of influence, media-hype and public exposure through word-of-mouth to reach out to people, but things like protests, especially in developing countries, often kills the average-person's living...

an extreme level of thinking would lead to: 'what could i do, in order to help make life better, for people whom, i can understand and realize, have lives that deserve to be more normal... and how do i start'... i often come up with a thought 'life is too short to be wasted fighting over petty things, misunderstanding people, and acting greedy... it could instead be optimized in trying to come up with a sincere effort to something extra, than what we do today!'

coming back to life...

2005-12-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Classic Lyrics: Pink Floyd

Where were you when I was burned and broken
While the days slipped by from my window watching

Where were you when I was hurt and helpless
Because the things you say and the things you do surround me
While you were hanging yourself on someone else's words
Dying to believe in what you heard

I was staring straight into the shining sun
Lost in thought and lost in time
While the seeds of lifeand the seeds of change were planted
Outside the rain fell dark and slow

While I pondered on this dangerous but irresistible pastime
I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the moment had arrived
For killing the past and coming back to life

I took a heavenly ride through our silence
I knew the waiting had begun
And headed straight..into the shining sun

ignorance, instincts and conscience...

2005-12-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment - Benjamin Franklin

trying to identify with the right and wrong, is an endless process for each of us... however, there do seem many a things that are either outright 'right' to all or 'wrong' to all... or atleast to all who live with a conscience...

lets start by looking at these 'wrong' things, and correlate to their origin... typically they could be categorized into broad reasons... acts out of ignorance... out of instincts... out of conscience or lack of it rather...

ignorance is bliss, as some may want to perceive... but probably Benjamin Franklin also got it right when he said "The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance"... being ignorant about something may be acceptable once, or twice, but not every time... there's something fundamentally wrong if someone tries to use it as an excuse for wrong-doing...

most of us end up going through an emotion described popularly as 'regretting after'... the root-cause for this is our inability to hold ourselves back and falling into the trap set by this materialistic world, and act on instincts, in an impulsive fashion... a lot of times, we 'regret immediately after' and sometimes it takes a realization to even understand the concept...

and then, there are the set of us, who for no rhyme or reason do things completely aware of the fact that the actions are being unreasonable and evil to fellow-men and co-existence... selfishness; greed for land, lust, money; psychological disability to distinguish the needed versus desired... call it whatever, this is the most dangerous of all the causes for bad things happening in everyday lives...

"Criminals are none but those who get caught for things we all do in our everyday lives" - Anonymous

the counter-arguements often used is the 'threshold' of bad things we do every day... but then, who sets and/or defines these thresholds? law-enfoecement? administrative bodies? compliance groups? the answer is quite simple... we as individuals, set these at every stage, every second, every moment, as we do little things... the transformation must be within, to get results at a global level... "it take only a drop of poison to spoil a whole gallon of milk"... every drop counts... and being the every drop that we are, it hence becomes of significance to lead a life without ignorance, witholding and talking control of our instincts, and merely leading a life with a genuine conscience...

ethics...

2005-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

A Humanist Code of Ethics (Quoted By: Arthur Dobrin)

Do no harm to the earth, she is your mother
Being is more important than having
Never promote yourself at another's expense
Hold life sacred; treat it with reverence

Allow each person the digity of his or her labor
Open your home to the wayfarer
Be ready to receive your deepest dreams;
sometimes they are the speech of unblighted conscience

Always make restitutions to the ones you have harmed
Never think less of yourself than you are
Never think that you are more than another

pride... and prejudice...

2005-11-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

pride: one who knows that he knows not much, knows it all!

EGO - is the worst trait that we naturally possess, and gets us into trouble most of the times... from underconfident introverts to outrageously confident extroverts, this 'ego' plays such a strong role in shaping all our lives day in and day out... too less of it prevents us from learning, and too much of it prevents us from realizing that its a learning process...

'change' is inevitable... probably the only constant principle (other than absolute energy, absolute mass, etc) in the continuously observant world that we live in... a chinese proverb says: 'the moment you stop learning to adapt with these changes, its almost like swimming against the flow of the river'... humility from a societal perspective (which again is comprised of people) would have prevented great men of honor and wisdom like Babbage, Galileo, Bell, Socrates, etc etc to be so mistreated for being who they were, and doing what they did... its only basic nature to refuse to accept a 'change' process... but it becomes all the more critical to acknowledge this fact so as to make the most out of this 'change' process...

prejudice: a sad state of mind when one refuses to put one's self in another's shoes

there are not many things that make my heart grow sad... when i see people possess this dreaded quality, its one of those few moments that i sink to my knees... when i read about things like the royal family in britain, or about the often-celebrated world of celebrities, for instance, i realize that prejudice could hurt not only when its in its negative sense, but also indirectly through its positive portrayals... i mean, COME ON! all accepted one may have ancestors who used to be in a so-called ROYAL status in the society, i wish people had to earn their way through their deeds and not through their mere births... there's a tamil-saying which means to an equivalent english explaination: a mother of a child is TRULY proud of her kid when he/she earns a repute of honor and wisdom through actions of such value!

being judgemental - while many might argue that it is inevitable, either initially or eventually, every time, i truly believe that it is possible to stay without having to be so, no matter what, and no matter how long... especially if it has to do with being so in a negative way! putting one's self in another person's shoes is probably the easiest solution whenever there is a temptation to lean toward this attitude... it takes a REAL realization to understand that every action is driven by what is called a 'reason'...

talking about 'the reason', a song by a band called hoobastank comes to my mind...

such sweet lyrics, here it goes:

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you

And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears

Thats why i need you to hearI've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new and the reason is You

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do And the reason is you

today...

2005-11-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

today i will NOT:

judge anyone, no matter what...
do anything expecting any returns...
have expectations...
complain...
be part of any gossip...
look down upon another person no matter what...
look away from someone who needs help...

today i will:

be thankful for what i am, where i am, and how i am...
think about, and be thankful to my parents...
give my 100% into everything that i do...
watch what i say, and be considerate...
make someone's day by merely being there when the need comes...
have a positive attitude and spread it around...
be humble...
break the habit and do something new and out of the routine...
get organized...
reflect on myself, and plan a revision of thoughts and actions, working toward a greater good...

impressionable perspectives...

2005-11-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

one of the most important lessons that a western living has taught me, is 'being a self-starter and being self-dependant for most things'... while there could be many arguements to this depending on the environmental conditions related to being-dependant-on-others as to why it is better in certain situations considering the greater good, it sure is still is a set of excuses created to defend something done without any realization whatsoever...

if the last paragraph was a bit unclear in terms of expressing my point of view on menial labour, and conditions in which they happen, i'd like to elaborate more here... while growing up in one of the more conservative cities in a normally conservative country (as it is progressively being westernized in idealogies and practise, and maybe it will transform eventually), getting help for everyday chores was just considered normal... this would not just reduce the amount of menial work that one had to do, but also was a stream for potential employment opportunities, in a country with a huge population and a very low annual per capita income, even in cities... maybe because i was too young, or maybe because i did not even know how bright the sun could be at the other end of the planet, i had not even thought about these things when i was in those tender formative years... before explaining further, i'd also like to mention that i do not claim either of these two sides of the coin to be a better one, but just trying to think about the pros and cons of either side...

a core reason why the average energy level, in a country such as India, is so high, is undoubtedly the fact that people are so well bonded and connected to each other... all said and done about family troubles, political corrupt, or infrastructural deficiencies or population-density-explosion, or whatever else, there are so many positives that exist that i personally feel fortunate to have gained so much out of... this includes qualities like family values, honest virtues, fundamental principles in being a good citizen, focus on primary education (although there could be a million debates on sub-aspects of this), and the list goes on...

a few lessons from the western world (not the hyped up western culture in the east, by people who have no idea about the life of an average person in the west), like having to be a self-starter, having to take care of one's personal requirements to keep pace with the rest of the world, having to maintain an inter-personal relationship with friends, acquaintences and business network contacts, and having the enthusiasm, zeal and hunger for more... when coupled with the simple core concepts from the eastern world of living, its becomes a sweet algorithm to implement and practise...

taking the positives from both worlds is definitely one of the most beautiful of things, and it sure gives one a lot of pleasure in enjoying everyday moments... however, the most important point being: the flip side where negatives from both ends of the world are taken and put into practise, could be the worst thing to do!

from being static... to being stable...

2005-11-16T10:53:00.000-08:00

Picture on the left: 'The Sky Is My Home'
(Source: My World Beyond Stars)

"An idle mind is the root of all devils"

There was a recent speech given by Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc., and Pixar Animations, at a graduation ceremony in Stanford University. He spoke about three stories for inspiring young minds, fresh and heading out of College life. Here is a link to it if you want to read the full aricle. By far, it has been one of the most inspiring speeches for me so far.

There is so much to life beyond what people think. And it is often found to be too short and too wanting for things we crave for. When we do the things that we do, as everyday chores, we often fail to understand that on a periodic basis we need to do several things that we only end up thinking 'could have, should have, would have if and only'.

So, what is it when you hear about someone complaining about being bored, having nothing to do? It probably means that either they are lazy to find something to do, OR that they are eternal pessimists who want to reject every idea around from others as well as from their own hearts. For, they say after all, it is so easy to wake someone up if he/she is really asleep, but it is quite close to impossible to wake someone up if he/she is merely pretending to sleep...

Stability, an aspect that people often look for, when they look at somebody else. But when it comes to themselves, they know somewhere deep down that it is something quite relative, and not an absolute factor. It is always the kid next door who gets higher grades or the buddy who gets a better deal, or someone else getting something better... it almost always boils down to a comparative thing... what people fail to comprehend is the intrinsic beauty of this relative phenomenon, where one can draw such content by just comparing themselves with other people who do not possess the things that he/she possesses. For starters, if you are reading this, BE THANKFUL that you have eyes that are functional either naturally or through the help of an optometrist. Quit complaining about how wonderful someone else's eyes are, but start realizing how beautiful the world can be, when you look at it through your very own eyes, for there are people who wish they had what you have and can only pray for it in another lifetime...

Stability is also often misinterpreted by many as a mere monetary/financial factor. I really feel sorry for such people as they are only victims of the evil rules of the world... what lies in a heart is the only truth, and nothing else matters!

finite yet infinite...

2005-10-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

it is not what it actually is... it is what you perceive it to be...

the beauty in perception of life lies in the mind of the beholder... signal transmission to the brains: through vision, through audio/ears, through smell, through touch/sense, through memories, through 'de ja voos', through physical activity and through emotional stress/joy to name a few modes...

the possibilities are endless, and it indeed becomes so hard to visualize how infinite the definite things actually are... cookie-cutters is a term often used traditionally from the industrial revolution days, for referring to man-made mass-production initiatives... if we start asking the question, trying to reach how the things in space and time continuum originated, and the design of the whole cookie-cutter-idea behind this existence and life-form, it is quite overwhelming... how much information can a small amount of space inside one's head really hold? maybe it is often so under-estimated by quitters, and often over-estimated by day-dreamers... this inside information about the outside world, brings us to the ever-contraversial topic surrounding a three lettered word which people often use more to misrepresent and self-benefit and less to self-realize...

experiences are the key to everything, including the future which holds a hundred percent uncertainity index... at every point in time, we have a child's fascination coupled with an adult's ego within us... this ego keeps telling us that we are the most mature people in this world, while this child's fascination keeps us interested in the concept of continuing to perceive life and experiences... personalities develop in different ways among people, depending on which of these two characteristics dominate over the other... it is probably the most accurate statement to say that 'everything is relative' in this world... well, the previous statement, as idiosyncratic as it may have sounded, points us to the fact that if somebody thinks about an absolute truth in something, then it means that they have failed to understand the real meaning of things... they are trying to do what is called 'live-along play-along' thing that we, as humans in this period of time, keep doing day-in and day-out all the time...

perhaps, a process called self-reflection, at periodic moments in our lifetime (and as frequently as possible) would be one of the options available, for not only increasing the infinite possibilites of utilizing the limitless powers of our intellects but also helping us in repeating the same mistakes over and over and over again...

the side of the greener grass...

2005-09-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

A Beautiful Indian Sunset,
From My Trip, August 2005...

the grass is always greener on the other side...

it is such a misleading proverb that more often than not people tend to overlook the greenery on their side of the river... on one side, imagine what would be the result of having the greener grass on your side... a boosted ego resulting in a built-up superiority complex? an attitude to not just be arrogant but also to look down on the other side? on the other side, imagine the result of having the grass greener on the other side, always... a modest outlook to life? something to look forward to, almost every single time, even if one succeeds completely(again, a relative term)? getting the big picture is as important as attention to the inner details of things...

simplicities and complexities...

2005-09-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

simplicities and complexities... situational challenges we all face in our race against the world's self-created issues, could be thought of as simple issues or complex problems... it takes a fall to appreciate a rise... it takes a night to brighten then the day...so, as you may have guessed already, there could be two perspectives to every single aspect in life... the negative perspective and the positive perspective...

if noted well, the negative perspective was mentioned ahead of the positive perspective at the end of the last paragraph... this is specifically to iterate the significance of two things... the first one being that: it is more common to find people taking a negative approach to things and/or have a negative attitude to life in general, than taking a positive approach and having a positive attitude... the second one being: it is extremely critical to keep the balance between the psychological rollercoaster that we all go through, and end on a positive perspective every single time...

it is one thing to call an approach positive negative or positive, and it is an entirely another thing to call an approach simple or complex... they dont necessarily correspond in the expected way... being positive could be simple for a few, while too complex for many... on the other hand, being negative could be simple for many, while too complex for many...

along these lines of thought, i remember a blog post by a friend of mine, where he mentions how simple life was, prior to information technologies taking over us all over (well, almost, or atleast to a major extent for a lot of the urban population in the world...)... however, i thought after reading his blog, it takes a revolution from an innovative and a daring mind to bring out an invention or a discovery into light... imagine how charles babbage was thought of as a fool when he built the first abacus, imagine how galileo was thought of as evil when he built the first structurally complete telescope, imagine how graham bell was thought of to be a crazy person when he invented the telephone... it takes a simple mind to realize that all complex things in life start with a simple switch...

talking about perspectives, another example that comes to my mind is an experience when i visited a national space observatory in south texas... i was part of a group of people that were being given a tour of the observatory, including a guided tour about some of the specialized telescopes... the instructor/guide over there was a physics genius who had decided to teach kids about basic physics... a point he made during the tour still stays fresh in my mind: it is the innocent minds of kids that make them special... they do not have the false and pretentious inhibitions that we as adults possess in most occasions, which stop us from asking questions... it is either a case of hurt ego, or a case of mere shame, or a case of a psychological complex... he said: what it takes to be a scientist is to have that innocent mind that kids possess, coupled with the strength to persevere something that your heart wills and desires...

there is not a complex problem that does not have a simple approach, but we approach even the simplest problems with a complex approach... the need of the hour? take a simple approach, have a simple attitude, and stay positive!

taking a deep breath...

2005-08-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

if you've heard of this phrase being told to you: "relax... take a deep breath", then you're pretty normal and surrounded by pretty normal people... when i say normal, i mean, 'sucked into the mechanical everyday life, tensed up, nervous, goofy, irritable, being a cry-baby, etc. etc.' ...

so what takes us into this mode of deep stress, and hence deep strain? probably its a question of such high standards set for ourselves by ourselves, trying to reach which, we fail often, almost every time... OR its probably the negative energy levels of all the WRONG people around us, who succeed every time, in bringing our morales down and getting us down on the floor... OR its probably the pessimism that we've cultivated by living in this so-called realists, who claim to talk practicality, and end up being losers not worth a mention themselves...

when i saw a movie called 'batman begins' recently, there were some extremely powerful dialogues in it, which made me think about the general attitudes of people that i meet everyday, and realize how much they all need it... one of the dialogues goes: "WE ALL FALL, BUT... ONLY TO RISE AGAIN... DONT WE?"... and another one that caught my attention goes: "IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO I AM... WHAT I DO, IS WHAT DEFINES ME"... learning to stay relaxed, is not a practice... its more like a penance... needs years and years of experience and learning, to know it completely... no matter what the situation may be, to learn how to stay relaxed and approach problems while not getting panicky, is such a key ingredient to satisfied living...

what you do, does not matter if you do not do it the right way... how you do it, does not matter if you do not do the right thing... what you do and how you do it, does not matter, if you do not do it when it is needed the most! with the timing clearly being a relative definition, it becomes absolutely critical to do it ALL THE TIME...

introspection...

2005-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

the results of some online quizzes i took recently ...

You are a Self-Discoverer

You're not religious, but you've created your own kind of spirituality.
Introspective and thoughtful, you tend to look inward for the divine.
You are distrusting of all forms of organized religion.
You especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who you feel are charlatans.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

How You Live Your Life

You are honest and direct. You tell it like it is.

You tend to avoid confrontation and stay away from sticky situations.

You prefer a variety of friends and tend to change friends quickly.

Some of your past dreams have disappointed you, but you don't let it get you down.

How Do You Live Your Life?

Slow and Steady

Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy.

They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder.

It'd really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment.

They expect you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then usually decide against it.

How Do People See You?

defining the absolute sense of satisfaction...

2005-08-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

as you may have guessed from the title of this blog entry, with all of us living in this diverse world, with people needing, wanting, desiring, yearning for completely different sets of things, it would only be right to talk about some commonly sought after goals and ambitions...

personal lives of people is often dictated by their regional culture, family environment when growing up, levels of formal education, professional field of work, and ofcourse the most important of all - friends... someone told me once that the reason for unhappiness and frustration with this world's ways of life come not from the world itself, but from within one's within... call it an inner voice, or an intellect, or the call of your heart, it is this feeling we all have, that carries us on, day in and day out... while some people may be able to stay happy with a limited set of experiences surrounding their life, most people remain unsatisfied in their quest for happiness... that sense of acheivement, sense of glory... something like the rise of the sun, although the fact being its the earth which has moved its positions...

summarizing experiences and chalking out lessons from the past may sound like a good idea to deal with this quest, in order to improvise and reach the horizon, but what might be of real help, is not just learn from our own mistakes, but to start looking at everything from everybody's perspective... a stage comic once performed a spoof on how people from a certain (most-populated) country always like to get the most out of you in business, and how people from a certain (second most-populated) country always like to give the least back to you, while in business... his point was essentially not to point fingers at someone, but to understand how much double-standards we maintain in our everyday lives... it is a certainty that the pandora's box has been open since SEVERAL generations of the human breed, but what has been increasingly more certain is the fact that we tend to have patches of black across our eyes when it comes to our own mistakes... an absolute sense of satisfaction, while sought after very hard by every single person, can probably be only be achieved ONLY if one tries to correct himself/herself... to start leading a moral life... despite being well aware of the fact that you may not prosper financially, despite being well aware that of the fact that you will be toyed-around-with in life by all kinds of evil people, despite being well aware of the fact that you may not achieve anything worthwhile in the first place by doing so... but, hope..... my friend, is a good thing... is it not? maybe one day we'll start being nicer to fellow-men, maybe one day we'll stop cheating people for money, land or lust... maybe one day we could live in a better world...

It is not without what you live matters the most, it is the sense which lies within!

the thin lines between...

2005-07-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

as we take our stance on certain qualities that we possess, seldom are we aware of being caught at the thin line between two extremes... the thin line between lack of confidence and self-confidence, the thin line between self-confidence and over-confidence, the thin line between over-confidence and arrogance, are all examples of typical caught-in-betweens...

as we stand on every such thin line, it becomes critical to identify not merely which side of the line we stand right now, but also to understand which is the 'right' side to move to... personal perspectives, situational constraints, percentage of ego (will get to this percentage thing later in the post), past experiences, quality of friends, age (to a certain extent) are all some of the many factors that help us determine the two rules of thumb to handle these thin line betweens... once we identify our stance and choose our move-to-make, the journey to that destination is as important as the goal itself... in the path of this personal transformation, the strength of the intellect and the truth of the heart should prevail for the traveller's success...

as we talk about inner qualities, it is worthwhile analyzing another important aspect of life that we live with during every single moment... our very own 'EGO'... while some may like to define ego as an enumeration of a set number of states, i personally consider it to be a certain percentage rather to be an absolute, just like most of the other personal qualities we possess...

it is however not right to say that someone with a higher percentage of this 'ego' is a bad person... looking at the big picture and then assessing the result, is what counts... a simple example of a situation where one needs his/her ego at a boosted level, is at a workplace... if members of a project management team are all people with such less ego that they bind to the rules of the project implementation team, then they are pretty much not serving their primary purpose... the other extreme also works, to demonstrate the same effect... finding the right balance involves a complex set of rules that we have in place... these rules, which as we learn to live in this wonderful filled with such a variety of people, are iterative, which means that our intellect iterates with every change that it comes across... and so continues the beautiful journey...

squeezing time out of 'no time'

2005-07-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

if someone's said a 'thank you' from the bottom of their heart, not because you left them a fortune but spared a few of your minutes to go out of the way and help them, there lies REAL satisfaction... this sense of personal satisfaction comes as a result of that willingness to squeeze out the time within your mind, more than the actual time...

taking time off for one's self will also help tremendously in maintaining a balance between keeping the senses together with that growth-of-the-thinking-domain... while it may help you maintain low stress levels, it'll also help in giving a 'refreshed' feeling, each day, every day!

probably one of the most common phrases you hear people say is: 'sorry - didnt have time'... just before giving up on anything due to 'lack of time', the difference between an ordinary being and a difference-maker is determined by small mental adjustments like these to the increasingly mechanical life-styles of an urban living...

the hidden patterns in chaos theory...

2005-07-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

it would take a beautiful mind to figure out the distinct differences in the existential world and the creative world... one such creative world exists within the intellect... there is a dream, there is a hope, there is a theory, there is a definition, there is a flavour, there is a taste... amidst the chaotic real world, is this calm and peaceful inner world, which longs for nothing but peace!

secrets to life is not merely experiencing the patterns, but living 'it' to the fullest, and understanding and appreciating the gains out of any challenging situation, treating it as part of the same whole which provides all the other 'sweet moments' as well...

for not what it takes to forget makes you great, it is what you forgive... it is for this reason, that when great people are made, it is for-real and not may-believe...

the pic is from a recent trip of mine to Vancouver, Canada... just made me realize how wallpapers are taken out of 'actual' places!

what a wonderful world...

2005-07-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Lyrics By George Weiss / Bob Thiele

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Oh yeah

the art of negotiation...

2005-07-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

in a world that is constantly 'expecting' something in return, for any and every action, it is almost a mandate to know how to make 'everybody' happy! we may think that it's not possible to make everyone happy, but i strongly believe it is! you may call it 'playing the tables' or 'making hay while the sun shines' or whatever, it is certainly possible with a few basic rules of the thumb...

such an art associated with the philosophy of making everybody involved happy, involves a lot of situations as to what may be termed 'win-win' situations... for instance, if you attend an interview, do not merely say what you are capable of, but strongly portray your positive qualities in a way that can solve the needs of the employing organization... another example would be getting the best deals on purchases like a cellular phone, where the key lies in how you can convince the service provider that it is a win-win situation (or convincing the customer, if you are the service provider)... win-win situations are far too many in everyday living to be ignored for long... despite this fact, we often tend to overlook this aspect in everyday life... the earlier the realization to make complete use of them, the earlier the benefits of those fruitful situations would be...

it is however extremely critical that we create such situations out of what would otherwise be 'selfish motives' or 'using somebody to their gains' kinds of situatons... a thought worth thinking about ??!! you betcha!

oh... those wonder years...

2005-07-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

for a majority of the people, those years growing up from being a kid to an adult - are often thought of and cherished to be 'wonder years'... having 'no ties', 'no responsibilities', 'no fear' are probably some aspects that we often correlate those years of experiences to...

somehow we tend not to, or to least think about what actually were the driving engines behind those high-speed high-powered years of glory, of fascination, of freedom, of fantasy, of learning... on deeper inspection, we will realize that it was a phase meant to serve a certain unique purpose... just like how one appreciates the value of some 'cool shade' after being out in the sun, like how one appreciates the value of some 'hydrating fluids' after a physically exhausting session of workouts/sporting activities, like how one appreciates the sunrise after long hours of darkness... some experiences happen so that we live through them, learn through them and start cherishing them for even having been a part of the ever-diverse set of experiences in our lives...

it is indeed special to cherish every single special moment around, and merely to be thankful that it happened atleast for that little bit... for, there are those who live to tell the tales, when they do not even know what you are talking about!

the significance of being insignificant...

2005-07-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

i was commenting on a friend's blog recently, when a certain 'eureka' struck my head... if and when we do wonder at often times about our insignificant presence in this monstrously HUGE world, do we really wonder what it actually means to be so?

some believe there are always two sides to a coin... many others believe there is always one side that you can see, the other one being the flip... looking at the problem in hand from an optimist's perspective, physical insignificance never limits one's abilities to be truly significant to the eyes of the world... sure there may have existed ONLY ONE Gandhiji, or ONLY ONE Martin Luther King, or ONLY ONE Sir C V RAMAN, etc etc etc... but he fact of the matter remains that they were 'naive' about being insignificant... call it a blessing or a boon, so was it! now, looking at the same problem from an eternal pessimist's point of view (note that i'm using an extra word in this context - eternal, as thats how they usually stay... its so easy to poison a whole lot of pure milk, than to purify just a little bit of poison... ), the concept of physical insignificance is too trivial to be noticed in the series of sad, terrible, disgusting and depressing set of issues in hand (according to the eternal pessimist of-course) that its more often than not, rejected from being a subject of discussion...

what one must actually take to heart is that, since this world (and life) is made up of all kinds of perspectives, all kinds of cultures, all kinds of intellects, all kinds of circumstances, all kinds of experiences (good, bad and neither), this concept could easily be argued differently at different points in time by different people, living at different places! a wise-man once said

"life is like a grindstone... whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what you are made of"

its about time you quit thinking about your being insignificant... and start twinkling in the deep blue skies instead!

the importance of physical well being...

2005-06-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

a healthy mind needs a healthy body... does this mean our priorities should change to pamper our bodies? probably not! but, it is of great significance to how one goes about in his/her thinking process...

a nagging physical ailment or an injury, will not just divert all the attention of the mind to that, but also hinder the mind's natural incline to think out of the box... when somebody says 'take care', it more often than not means 'take care of your physical health, and your mental health will take care of itself'... there are ofcourse exceptions to everything, and we are talking about the examples, not the exceptions...

this life is probably just that temporary phase of a fascinating journey, of which no one knows the absolute start or the absolute end points... all that are known, are the times that one's conscience comprehends and the times that one's psyche co-operates and co-exists with...

essentials in life...

2005-06-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

a friend once said:
a few years back, i was not contended. so i thought to myself, i will earn enough so that i can buy enough, and ultimately contentment will follow... but it was not meant to be... as time passed, sure my earnings got higher, but so was my getting entangled in the wordly material things and attachments... eventually, i found the solution - not to think about it too much!

have you ever thought about the ONLY essentials in life that one really needs? if you just thought they were some things(materials), you are not alone! so did many others when they were asked this qustion! the ONLY needs one must have?

To live
To love
To learn
To leave a legacy

Some great thoughts on the purpose of a being : A Bernard Shaw Quote...

this is the true joy in life being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one... being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little cloud of ailments and grievences complaining that the world will not devote itself in making you happy... i am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as i live, it is my privilege... my privilege to do for it whatever i can... i want to be thoroughly used up when i die... for, the harder i work, the more i love... i rejoice in life for its own sake... life is no brief candle to me, it is a sort of splendid torch which i've got to hold off for the moment... and i want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations...

the extra effort...

2005-05-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

everyone goes through days when they are tired or exhausted physically, and this indirectly affects the way they think, and eventually the way they act or react...

while it may be very tempting to say whatever comes to the random intellect's thoughts, it becomes all the more important to take that extra effort in "not saying bad things about anyone, or not doing bad things to anyone"... it is a common belief that every person in this universe, is a selfish being to a certain extent, and this extent differs from one induvidual to another... just like the fact that it is SO EASY to break something but SO HARD to make/maintain something, people and relationships with them works the same way... at every step in the everyday life, it becomes so important to always do the right thing... and by doing the right thing, i mean, an action which does not affect another person in a direct or an indirect way as far as the knowledge of one's conscience is concerned...

moments of silence...

2005-05-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

life in a crowded environment can sometimes lead one to long for a few moments of peace and quiet... infact, one could even start believing that time and silence are the most craved aspects of life... in order for one not to get saturated with the everyday-life would be to be balanced... a good balance between time with people and time with one's self, is usually the best way to get the best of both worlds...

it is said that for a healthy living, one needs to COMPLETELY relax one's mind for a few minutes every day, without having to think of anything... almost getting blanked out... however, this obviously is so difficult for us to practice in real life, due to the restless minds of ours which are often preoccupied with so many random thoughts that they are capable of getting intrigued upon...

those moments of silence, when one reflects with one's self... are probably the most important moments defining someone's personality... whether one gets to become more stronger mentally or weaker emotionally, at the end of the day, it sure does make one realize what are the most important priiorities in one's life...

the importance of courtesy

2005-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

how many times have you come across books that talk about Customer Service or books that offer advice on how to be courteous to a customer or client? the answer would be atleast MANY if not ALWAYS... how often have you ever wondered and thought about it from the other side? how many times are customers actually courteous to the people who offer them service? personal experience coupled with feedback from a lot of my friends, point me to the fact that not often would a customer actually take the time to really appreciate the service being offered to them, although there is a price for everything. when I say there is a price for everything, I mean that this is a material world that we are living in, and everything revolves on how much money one has and how much one does not. is this problem with the customers inherent OR is it just that they do not even think for a moment about this?

if one introspects the REALLY happy people in this world, it would be more often than not the case that they are all simple minded people who work from their hearts. Sure, money to life is like a healthy body to a healthy mind. but people and basic courtesy come first, ahead of everything else. the value of education is not in all those textbooks that one may read to get through all those tests and grades, but is infact in things like these, where an educated person must be able to distinguish clearly between cultured and uncultured behaviour at a social as well as an inter-personal level.

lessons from nature...

2005-03-04T15:08:00.000-08:00

there is a tamil(one of many officially recognized indian languages, spokem primarily by people whose origins are from a state in the southern part of india called 'tamilnadu') saying 'kattradhu kal alavu, kallaadhadhu ulagalavu'... it means 'what one has learnt is equivalent to the volume of a small stone but what one has not learnt is equivalent to the volume of the world... this saying, couples well with a chinese proverb translating to 'learning is like swimming against the stream of a river... the moment you stop learning, you are bound to go in the wrong direction'...

once we realize that learning is a constant process happening in every moment of our lives, we could focus more on the sources that could teach us the deepest things in life, to optimize this learning process... according to native american indians, 'nature is god' and 'god is nature'... their point was not to worship nature, but to learn their lessons from it... whether it is the endless seas or the untiring rivers or the every-rising sun or the changing-seasons, they attached values to it, and learned invaluable lessons out of it... they recognized that with the falling of leaves in the autumn, the lives of the branches and the roots of a tree do not end, but get more stronger and work towards re-growing them... they recognized that the most has to be made out of nature's gift of natural light through the sun, and most has to be made out of the innumerable natural resources that nature has to offer...

to an average person who is too busy planning his life in the quest for enriching his life and feeding his own interests, it helps in getting out of the so-called-planned-life... which is a set of chores carried out mechanically day-in and day-out, which is highly prevalent especially in countries like the u.s. of a. where money comes ahead of moral values, and selfish-interests come ahead of family values... and all it takes to get out of this imprisoned-life stuck-up-in-a-bunch-of running-behing-self-treat and do something that is more meaningful to people around and more selfless, is to look at nature and learn lessons from it... to be able to observe beautiful things its one thing, and to be able to observe the beauty in what one might think are ordinary things is an entirely different thing... this is what they mean when they say 'take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy what you have... ', rather than trying to be like a blade of a ceiling fan which is ever-trying-in-vain to catch up with the blade ahead of it'...

"go with the flow, and see what life has to offer... you'll be so surprised how exciting it can get!"...

points of view...

2005-02-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

how often do you look at someone and NOT form an opinion or judge that person, even before knowing what he/she actually is? OR, how often do you HEAR about people from OTHER people and NOT form an opinion or judge, even before knowing what he/she actually is? OR, how often do you NOT form an opinion after actually knowing about someone? the answer probably is: not very often do you actually NOT form opinions and NOT judge people...

while the challenge lies in constantly being able to take a neutral stance despite all temptations to form those opinions, and make those judgements, the tougher part is not controlling these temptations but overcoming the default way of communicating what one might think is a WELL-THOUGHT-OF judgement... according to the one of what i consider the greatest souls to have ever existed on earth, Mahatma Gandhi,"if you have something positive to say about anyone, go for it, but if you have anything negative to say about anyone, you will be helping that person AND yourself by not telling the negative thing as it is, but conveying it in
positive light..."

to inculcate positive encouragement in someone, it takes a positive approach on part of the person who is trying to communicate... and for that, one needs to believe that it is the RIGHT way to approach things in life... so, if you ever feel that you HAVE TO let someone know about something, make sure that you do it the RIGHT way...

what does one have and what does one not have?

2005-02-12T23:11:00.000-08:00

The answers 'It depends...' or 'Maybe...' or 'Not sure...' are all excuses we use to shy away from facing the truths OR when we do not possess enough knowledge on the subject to comment on it... Sometimes, it becomes a habit of saying 'not sure...' so much that we tend to over use it... What knowledge does one have, and what does one not have? If one possesses the knowledge of the fact that 'anything is possible if a sincere effort is put into it', then, not possessing knowledge on any subject matter is not actually not knowing it... Unfortunately, it usually takes a personal discovery or overcoming a bad experience, to realize this fact... and anything that is TOLD, will seem pointless...

One of my most favourite quotes - 'Attitude is Everything', sums it all up... Whenever you say 'I didnt have time' OR 'I hate it' OR 'Whatever!'... just look at youorself, and look at your attitude... Maybe the problem is not with the world after all.... Its ALL about you !!!

Head Start...

2004-12-29T18:18:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, as they say (wonder who comes up with such one-liners!!!) - I kick off with my first blog...

So many times when I look back at 'the' things I've wanted to accomplish in life, the could-have, should-have, would-have kind of stuff, it motivates me all the more to get up and do something about it atleast now... For a head-start, am starting this blog... Wait and watch for more posts...

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year 2005... Hope the new year brings more happiness and peace on earth...