Cooking something well, watching kids play, Reading a novel while curled up in bed with a cup of chai next to you on a cold winter day, staring out of a little window while it rains, trying to catch a glimpse of the outside through the corners, or going on a long drive with friends with no ideas or schedule. These are some of the little joys in life.
We live a long life, but its the smaller things that make it worth living.
In a mundane existence, I had forgotten to live. Forgotten to enjoy the little things. Fogged by the lack of meaning and interest in what I was doing. Wanting and thinking only of getting out.
But as the day come closer, it seems more real. I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing, but what I want to do, and even though it seems like I might be derailing my life, I am living it. It may be that I am not doing what is in my best interest for the future. I have always done that. Putting what I want aside and doing that which will give me a "Brighter" future. But now that I am here, I really wish I had not put away so many things. Chasing after a dream, I had forgotten to live. When I look back, I cant remember the last time I was happy. Truly happy. I did sometimes enjoy myself, MYsore was the best months of my life. But if I think of anything before or after, I draw a blank. Only thing I can remember is what I gave up to get something I thought I will need.
No more.
I plan to have joy. She will be my mistress. My affair with her shall not be hidden. Others may look at me with contempt, but I shall not care. Others may give me unsolicited advice, but I shall not care. I may not be doing whats in my "best interest" but I shall be doing something intresting. Something that will be worth doing. It may be the biggest mistake of my life, but I shall look back and think, TOTALLY WORTH IT!
I promise to think less. I have been listening to so much music off late that thinking has taken a back seat. I wont listen to just any crap. I shall try to leach life out of it.
I got mugged sometime back. If I meet those guys again, I will thank them. By taking my phone from me, they forced me to buy this one. It has walkman, which means I can listen to music all day long. Now I have to get is a huge memory card and fill it with music that has life in it.
There is no real end to this little piece, its just random words.
Words of joy, a little bit of my life. Decisions, thoughts and events that have been moulding me, affecting me and changing me. The effects will be seen in the future, but I am not worried nor to I care.
I have decided to find the little joys in life :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Chetan Bhagat's speech...
Got this one in a mail. Seems like he was speaking to me. :)
Keep the Spark—Inaugural Speech by Chetan Bhagat for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008.
Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.
Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.
But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?
They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.
I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously.
One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.
But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.
Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India . From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release.
Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.
Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India , so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.
In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise.
Love yourself first, and then others.
There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.
I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.
Thank You.
Keep the Spark—Inaugural Speech by Chetan Bhagat for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008.
Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.
Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.
But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?
They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.
I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously.
One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.
I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.
But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.
Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India . From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release.
Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.
Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India , so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.
In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise.
Love yourself first, and then others.
There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.
I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.
Thank You.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Wassup Doc???
News today on Yahoo:
1. Raging California wildfire forces 10,000 to evacuate.
2. Obama moves to political center on surveillance vote.
3. Prosecutors clear JonBenet Ramsey's family with DNA
4. Survey: Nearly half of Britain's troops have considered quitting.
5. Suburban families feel financial pinch as U.S. fuel prices soar.
6. New flatfish solves missing link in evolutionary theory.
World News :
1. Iran test fires missiles.
2. 7 peacekeepers killed .... and so on.
But featured news : Impossible to get new shoes : Kobe has a pair. But getting the shoes Marty McFly made famous in "Back to the Future" isn't easy.Is it just me or is the world of news moving more and more towards absolute bullshit?
The world is in chaos. The economy is screwed up. The job market is bare. Inflation is skyrocketing. Fuel prices seem like highway robbery. More people are dying in a war that has never really taken place in a land almost half way across the globe. And while all this is happening, the featured news is, shoes are impossible to get.
Any teenager today knows exactly what is wrong with Britney and Paris. But ask where is Iraq, and they won’t be able to spot it on the globe. Forget the number of troops perishing there.Every grownup has an opinion about religion, but ask him about Green house effect and global warming, and he will say "What has painting a house green got to do with the increasing temp around the globe." And even the ones who know, don’t know how the increase in temp. is going to affect them. Some even say its a hoax, amongst the biggest ones ever. No matter the world is seeing the exactly the effects predicted at a pace much faster than predicted. The proof is available and proves the theory beyond doubt. People believe in god simply because some book written some hundred years ago says so, but cant draw simple conclusions on hard facts.
Movies gross amounts with so many zeros that make your mind go dizzy, Movie stars are demigods. Their lifestyle and attitude, today’s culture and bible. But care to know any thing about people who actually made a difference in the world? Any one know the story of Mother Teresa? Gandhi? Any of the real heroes? How bout the heroes still among us? May be not for their philanthropic work, but because of their vision and the effect they have had on the world?May be even crazy lunatics like Hitler. Even if what he did was scandalous and evil, but knowing what he did and the source of his power will act as a lesson for the world in may ways. At the very least, we will know what to prevent in the future. But how many know about history?We live in a world that is numb. I don’t mean numb to pain and suffering and all that. I mean brain dead. We have lost our ability to differentiate between that which matters and that which doesn’t.
Sports are a big event. Death matters not. Crime matters not. War matters not. World matters not. Life matters not.....
I heard of Iran launching missiles and therefore checked the news, and the featured news was : some shoes worn by some hero in an age old movie was launched by a company and worn by another sports star and the "fans" are unhappy because not enough of the shoes were made. In fact they are selling for a 1000 bucks online. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for a pair of shoes. That is more than the annual income of people in some countries! That can feed a thousand people a meal for a day in some countries! That will be more than what some people earn a month even in this country!
Einstein said "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." People sometimes go to all possible limits and beyond to prove others right.I am not going to judge what is wrong in today’s world. I cant, not as long as I am a part of it. My judgment might be clouded. I therefore cannot comment on what needs to be done to fix it. But I believe we can start by accepting that there is something wrong with it.What is wrong will depend on your perspective. Once again to quote Einstein "Whether you can observe a thing or not depends on the theory which you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed." A religious fanatic will say lack of belief is the problem, a scientist might argue its the lack of logic. Some try to fix things which aren’t necessarily broken, others break stuff just to have something to fix.And while all this is happening, the majority of the species sleeps in deep slumber.
Awake, Arise, Act. For the time of change is now. Its the time of great need and great deeds. Men might wander, but Man can lead.Its a world in chaos. Its a world in peril.Its one earth, one planet, one home. Lets fix the roof for its leaking. I want to see the wonders of this world someday and I mean to save it for the future.
1. Raging California wildfire forces 10,000 to evacuate.
2. Obama moves to political center on surveillance vote.
3. Prosecutors clear JonBenet Ramsey's family with DNA
4. Survey: Nearly half of Britain's troops have considered quitting.
5. Suburban families feel financial pinch as U.S. fuel prices soar.
6. New flatfish solves missing link in evolutionary theory.
World News :
1. Iran test fires missiles.
2. 7 peacekeepers killed .... and so on.
But featured news : Impossible to get new shoes : Kobe has a pair. But getting the shoes Marty McFly made famous in "Back to the Future" isn't easy.Is it just me or is the world of news moving more and more towards absolute bullshit?
The world is in chaos. The economy is screwed up. The job market is bare. Inflation is skyrocketing. Fuel prices seem like highway robbery. More people are dying in a war that has never really taken place in a land almost half way across the globe. And while all this is happening, the featured news is, shoes are impossible to get.
Any teenager today knows exactly what is wrong with Britney and Paris. But ask where is Iraq, and they won’t be able to spot it on the globe. Forget the number of troops perishing there.Every grownup has an opinion about religion, but ask him about Green house effect and global warming, and he will say "What has painting a house green got to do with the increasing temp around the globe." And even the ones who know, don’t know how the increase in temp. is going to affect them. Some even say its a hoax, amongst the biggest ones ever. No matter the world is seeing the exactly the effects predicted at a pace much faster than predicted. The proof is available and proves the theory beyond doubt. People believe in god simply because some book written some hundred years ago says so, but cant draw simple conclusions on hard facts.
Movies gross amounts with so many zeros that make your mind go dizzy, Movie stars are demigods. Their lifestyle and attitude, today’s culture and bible. But care to know any thing about people who actually made a difference in the world? Any one know the story of Mother Teresa? Gandhi? Any of the real heroes? How bout the heroes still among us? May be not for their philanthropic work, but because of their vision and the effect they have had on the world?May be even crazy lunatics like Hitler. Even if what he did was scandalous and evil, but knowing what he did and the source of his power will act as a lesson for the world in may ways. At the very least, we will know what to prevent in the future. But how many know about history?We live in a world that is numb. I don’t mean numb to pain and suffering and all that. I mean brain dead. We have lost our ability to differentiate between that which matters and that which doesn’t.
Sports are a big event. Death matters not. Crime matters not. War matters not. World matters not. Life matters not.....
I heard of Iran launching missiles and therefore checked the news, and the featured news was : some shoes worn by some hero in an age old movie was launched by a company and worn by another sports star and the "fans" are unhappy because not enough of the shoes were made. In fact they are selling for a 1000 bucks online. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for a pair of shoes. That is more than the annual income of people in some countries! That can feed a thousand people a meal for a day in some countries! That will be more than what some people earn a month even in this country!
Einstein said "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe." People sometimes go to all possible limits and beyond to prove others right.I am not going to judge what is wrong in today’s world. I cant, not as long as I am a part of it. My judgment might be clouded. I therefore cannot comment on what needs to be done to fix it. But I believe we can start by accepting that there is something wrong with it.What is wrong will depend on your perspective. Once again to quote Einstein "Whether you can observe a thing or not depends on the theory which you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed." A religious fanatic will say lack of belief is the problem, a scientist might argue its the lack of logic. Some try to fix things which aren’t necessarily broken, others break stuff just to have something to fix.And while all this is happening, the majority of the species sleeps in deep slumber.
Awake, Arise, Act. For the time of change is now. Its the time of great need and great deeds. Men might wander, but Man can lead.Its a world in chaos. Its a world in peril.Its one earth, one planet, one home. Lets fix the roof for its leaking. I want to see the wonders of this world someday and I mean to save it for the future.
Bucket List - Updated!
5. Go camping. (DONE.. wanna do it again)
4. Learn Rock Climbing (DONE! LOVED IT... hope to do this again)
11. Try to make/create/put into practice at least 1 of my ideas. (Made, rather remade DaVinci's Crypt. Maybe it wasnt my idea to make something like it, but I had to design it from scratch and I built it... ok it was done with cardboard, but it was still fun and gave me a sense of acomplishment. :) Will continue doing more. Maybe an automatic Vaccume cleaner, it has been been on my mind for some time now.)
12. Create a collection of Books and CDs/DVDs (Have a collection of books, though no where near enough :D. But the reading bug is wearing off now. Hope to get bitten again sometime soon. Got a lot of movies, good ones too but on my HD. Does that count? I can make my house a complet wireless one. Will be awesome to work with that kind of freedom where I can access any movie from any cornor of my house without worry of my DVD's/CD's getting scratched)
9. Write a book (On my way... a lot more difficult that I thought it would be, especially I didnt make it easy by planning a saga rather than a bunch of short stories :( But I shall not give up. After all this is part of my Bucket LIST :D)
6. Go trecking. (This seems a lot closer to being accomplished. I might get to do it in the near future! WOOT!. )
10. Learn to Sketch. (This was because of a girl. Now that she is out of the picture, I dont see the fun in it anymore. Ohh well, it was on my bucket list, maybe I will give it a shot too.)
1. Sky Diving
2. Learn to play guitar.
3. Learn to play Violin.
7. Learn French.
8. Learn German
13. Hot air baloon ride.
Wow! the rest take a lot more time, effort or money. But I think I can do them too. Need more stuff on my Bucket list. Its not been 2 years and I have gone through half of them!
Well hope to get new ideas, intrests or hobbies soon :)
4. Learn Rock Climbing (DONE! LOVED IT... hope to do this again)
11. Try to make/create/put into practice at least 1 of my ideas. (Made, rather remade DaVinci's Crypt. Maybe it wasnt my idea to make something like it, but I had to design it from scratch and I built it... ok it was done with cardboard, but it was still fun and gave me a sense of acomplishment. :) Will continue doing more. Maybe an automatic Vaccume cleaner, it has been been on my mind for some time now.)
12. Create a collection of Books and CDs/DVDs (Have a collection of books, though no where near enough :D. But the reading bug is wearing off now. Hope to get bitten again sometime soon. Got a lot of movies, good ones too but on my HD. Does that count? I can make my house a complet wireless one. Will be awesome to work with that kind of freedom where I can access any movie from any cornor of my house without worry of my DVD's/CD's getting scratched)
9. Write a book (On my way... a lot more difficult that I thought it would be, especially I didnt make it easy by planning a saga rather than a bunch of short stories :( But I shall not give up. After all this is part of my Bucket LIST :D)
6. Go trecking. (This seems a lot closer to being accomplished. I might get to do it in the near future! WOOT!. )
10. Learn to Sketch. (This was because of a girl. Now that she is out of the picture, I dont see the fun in it anymore. Ohh well, it was on my bucket list, maybe I will give it a shot too.)
1. Sky Diving
2. Learn to play guitar.
3. Learn to play Violin.
7. Learn French.
8. Learn German
13. Hot air baloon ride.
Wow! the rest take a lot more time, effort or money. But I think I can do them too. Need more stuff on my Bucket list. Its not been 2 years and I have gone through half of them!
Well hope to get new ideas, intrests or hobbies soon :)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Totally Bored!
Lifes a Sham.
I am so bored!
All my life I studied and I am still at it. It seems never ending. I just want to start working so that I have enough money to really do something I might have interest in.
I might become a Programmer sometime, but I have spent so much time waiting to become one that I dont want to do it anymore. There is something called too much of a good thing and too much of a bad thing. Now I know there is also Too much of waiting.
Life seems so meaningless! I cant imagine what I will be doing an year from now.
Sure I will be working. May be even draw a six figure income. But what will I be really doing? Entertainment via television is equivalent to self inflected brain Damage. Books are something better, but even they cant keep u going for long. What I need is a proper hobby. SOmething that will really interest me.
Gaming might be a good passtime, but it only kills time. Its not productive. I could takeup some social cause, but I am not driven by that. Human misery does get my sympathy but not intrest. It can maybe propell me to send out a mail, but to get me out of my chair, it will have to happen to me. Maybe something that I can do with my hand. Like craft or somekind. Carpentry, photography....
All fun but ultimately pointless and so not lasting.
I could learn learn about investing in the market, but whats the point without money to invest?
Maybe I could become more intrested in the events that affect the world. Learn about what might be happening in different cornors of the world and trace their implications. Then possibly I could become a fellow conspirosy theorist who sees a pattern in every event that happens.
All in all, I am lost. Possibly without hope or chance of revival. The sad part is, I dont even believe in religion, so cant even waste my time by following the illogical ideas that might allow me to possible apotheosise if not atleast make me feel that I am not killing my time.
I am so bored!
All my life I studied and I am still at it. It seems never ending. I just want to start working so that I have enough money to really do something I might have interest in.
I might become a Programmer sometime, but I have spent so much time waiting to become one that I dont want to do it anymore. There is something called too much of a good thing and too much of a bad thing. Now I know there is also Too much of waiting.
Life seems so meaningless! I cant imagine what I will be doing an year from now.
Sure I will be working. May be even draw a six figure income. But what will I be really doing? Entertainment via television is equivalent to self inflected brain Damage. Books are something better, but even they cant keep u going for long. What I need is a proper hobby. SOmething that will really interest me.
Gaming might be a good passtime, but it only kills time. Its not productive. I could takeup some social cause, but I am not driven by that. Human misery does get my sympathy but not intrest. It can maybe propell me to send out a mail, but to get me out of my chair, it will have to happen to me. Maybe something that I can do with my hand. Like craft or somekind. Carpentry, photography....
All fun but ultimately pointless and so not lasting.
I could learn learn about investing in the market, but whats the point without money to invest?
Maybe I could become more intrested in the events that affect the world. Learn about what might be happening in different cornors of the world and trace their implications. Then possibly I could become a fellow conspirosy theorist who sees a pattern in every event that happens.
All in all, I am lost. Possibly without hope or chance of revival. The sad part is, I dont even believe in religion, so cant even waste my time by following the illogical ideas that might allow me to possible apotheosise if not atleast make me feel that I am not killing my time.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Angel....
I saw her standing next to the window. The day was warm and sunny, the air humid. There was not a hint of wind, the barometer had toped. There was a heat wave going on that had made life miserable.
But none of this seemed to touch her. The shutters were down but not folded. Sunlight was streaming in. She was looking to her left. The light seemed to bounce of her face... kissing her, adoring her, making her look radient. Her golden hair trickled onto her face, swaying magically, touching her cheeks. Her pure white skin, seductive. She turned and I saw her deep blue eyes. Her beautiful red lips arcked slightly toward the right. She had a thought in her eyes, a deep longing on her beautiful face. She was standing there, with her arms folded, in her beautiful black shoulder dress looking angelic.
It was the summer of 2008. I didnt know who she was, where she was from or where she was going. But I knew I wanted too. Few times in life do we have such a clear perseption of what we truly want. Your mind clears, your brain stops. There is only one thought, one emotion, one moment. Life is a set of memories, some seem to have a deeper impact than others. Some are moving, others graceful or funny. Some give you a sense of achievement, elations. Others of sorrow or loss. And then there are some that words cannot explain. Those are the one that get imprinted forever. You can never explain them, but you can feel them a century later just the way you felt the first time. Its pure. Beyond joy, sorrow, anger, lust, beyond every known emotion. Its when your mind, heart body and soul become one. When you just know. Thats what I felt that Summer afternoon, watching her. An angel among men.
But none of this seemed to touch her. The shutters were down but not folded. Sunlight was streaming in. She was looking to her left. The light seemed to bounce of her face... kissing her, adoring her, making her look radient. Her golden hair trickled onto her face, swaying magically, touching her cheeks. Her pure white skin, seductive. She turned and I saw her deep blue eyes. Her beautiful red lips arcked slightly toward the right. She had a thought in her eyes, a deep longing on her beautiful face. She was standing there, with her arms folded, in her beautiful black shoulder dress looking angelic.
It was the summer of 2008. I didnt know who she was, where she was from or where she was going. But I knew I wanted too. Few times in life do we have such a clear perseption of what we truly want. Your mind clears, your brain stops. There is only one thought, one emotion, one moment. Life is a set of memories, some seem to have a deeper impact than others. Some are moving, others graceful or funny. Some give you a sense of achievement, elations. Others of sorrow or loss. And then there are some that words cannot explain. Those are the one that get imprinted forever. You can never explain them, but you can feel them a century later just the way you felt the first time. Its pure. Beyond joy, sorrow, anger, lust, beyond every known emotion. Its when your mind, heart body and soul become one. When you just know. Thats what I felt that Summer afternoon, watching her. An angel among men.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Survival of the fittest ---- Group
Human species has dominated the planet since they came into existance. We are a species like none other. Looking at the human society purely from a scientific prospective, we find a very high survival rate. We dont have any natural predators and the danger to our life is mostly from mocirobes and ourselves.
This I believe goes against Survival of the fittest. Darvin said the ones most fit to survive the current conditions will dominate. Human species seems to disagree. Everyone of the species has the oppertunity to create offsprings. They need not be the fittest, neither physically or mentally. Our species progressed because of our intelligence and adaptiveness.
We were able to use our skills and mental powers to first adapt to the sorrounding and then later change the sorroundings to fit our needs. Now we have covered the entire planet. The question is who all survived. And the answer is everybody. The requirement for survival could have been ability to think, ability to adapt to the environment, the ability to fight some desiese. But as a group we made certain that none of it mattered. Some of us might have had resistance to some desiese, the ones with brains made certain we could reproduce it so that everyone survived and the ones physically fit kept us entertained.
So what about evolution. Are we still evolving? Maybe we are. But it is different from the kind of evolution that we might have once had, atleast in the rate if not the kind itself.
During our initial evolution, our aim always was to survive, against nature and predators. Now neither is a problem. We have developed enough to either negate the effects of environment or to remove it completly. As all can have offsprings so the intelligence quotient has more or less stagnated.
Physically are we changing? Other than surgical removal of certain parts of our body which we might no longer need, we dont really do any changes to the physic itself internally. Externally, we have peoples with all sizes and forms. Thin, fat, well toned, malnurished. Even different species of the same species and mixed breeds. And all of them surivive and have off springs.
So as a group, the Human species has made certain everyone survives and maybe even put a break on evolution.
This I believe goes against Survival of the fittest. Darvin said the ones most fit to survive the current conditions will dominate. Human species seems to disagree. Everyone of the species has the oppertunity to create offsprings. They need not be the fittest, neither physically or mentally. Our species progressed because of our intelligence and adaptiveness.
We were able to use our skills and mental powers to first adapt to the sorrounding and then later change the sorroundings to fit our needs. Now we have covered the entire planet. The question is who all survived. And the answer is everybody. The requirement for survival could have been ability to think, ability to adapt to the environment, the ability to fight some desiese. But as a group we made certain that none of it mattered. Some of us might have had resistance to some desiese, the ones with brains made certain we could reproduce it so that everyone survived and the ones physically fit kept us entertained.
So what about evolution. Are we still evolving? Maybe we are. But it is different from the kind of evolution that we might have once had, atleast in the rate if not the kind itself.
During our initial evolution, our aim always was to survive, against nature and predators. Now neither is a problem. We have developed enough to either negate the effects of environment or to remove it completly. As all can have offsprings so the intelligence quotient has more or less stagnated.
Physically are we changing? Other than surgical removal of certain parts of our body which we might no longer need, we dont really do any changes to the physic itself internally. Externally, we have peoples with all sizes and forms. Thin, fat, well toned, malnurished. Even different species of the same species and mixed breeds. And all of them surivive and have off springs.
So as a group, the Human species has made certain everyone survives and maybe even put a break on evolution.
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