Related post - All The Presidents Were Men
Related not as in brother-in-law or someone's husband. Well, not really.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
For Shrimati Sonia Gandhi and her co(terie)
Related post - All The Presidents Were Men
Related not as in brother-in-law or someone's husband. Well, not really.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
The Long Tail in radio
I'm no rocket scientist(I've never wanted to be one), or an economist(which I've sometimes wanted to be) or a social scientist(which I want to be), but one doesn't need to be any of the above to figure this out.
For Jaane Do Na from Cheeni Kum, Illayaraja uses one of his earlier compositions, Jothe Jotheyali from the Kannada film, Geetha. An earlier version of the same is Vizhiyile Undan vizhiyile from Tamil film, Nooravadu Naal. Been listening to lot of FM radio and happened to make this observation. The observation being - while Jaane Do Na was played across different radio stations, the Kannada original was played more frequently. Much like this from Chris Anderson's The Long Tail. Here's an excerpt which talks about a similar phenomenon -
In 1988, a British mountain climber named Joe Simpson wrote a book called Touching the Void, a harrowing account of near death in the Peruvian Andes. It got good reviews but, only a modest success, it was soon forgotten. Then, a decade later, a strange thing happened. Jon Krakauer wrote Into Thin Air, another book about a mountain-climbing tragedy, which became a publishing sensation. Suddenly Touching the Void started to sell again.
Random House rushed out a new edition to keep up with demand. Booksellers began to promote it next to their Into Thin Air displays, and sales rose further. A revised paperback edition, which came out in January, spent 14 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. That same month, IFC Films released a docudrama of the story to critical acclaim. Now Touching the Void outsells Into Thin Air more than two to one.
What happened? In short, Amazon.com recommendations. The online bookseller's software noted patterns in buying behavior and suggested that readers who liked Into Thin Air would also like Touching the Void. People took the suggestion, agreed wholeheartedly, wrote rhapsodic reviews. More sales, more algorithm-fueled recommendations, and the positive feedback loop kicked in.
Particularly notable is that when Krakauer's book hit shelves, Simpson's was nearly out of print. A few years ago, readers of Krakauer would never even have learned about Simpson's book - and if they had, they wouldn't have been able to find it. Amazon changed that. It created the Touching the Void phenomenon by combining infinite shelf space with real-time information about buying trends and public opinion. The result: rising demand for an obscure book.
While Jothe Jotheyali is by no means an obscure song, Jaane Do Na definitely helped to bring it in the popular public realm. And how did The Long Tail work here? The radio stations can store all the content they want and with smart methods of organizing such content and information, it helps them serve their audience better. All this and more without having to spend extra resources and still being able to find that one song which a caller might ask for during a request show.
Here's the Kannada song from perhaps the best example of The Long Tail -
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
All The Presidents Were Men
Ah yes, tried playing on this. As I cleared my Deep Throat, I felt the definite need for it.
With our Presidential election having come down to the streets, we, the villagers of Domlur couldn't be far away from it. Now that there looks to be a distinct possibility of Shrimati Pratibha Patil Shekhawat becoming our President, the grandmother in our neighbourhood remarked - 'Nodi, Ee kaaladalli hennu makkalu yaariginthanoo kadime illa. Namma Mahila Mandalada Presidentoo hennu magale, eega deshada Rasthrapatinpoo hennu magale'. Meaning - See, women are second to none. The President of our Women's Club is also a woman and now, the President of our country will also be a woman. Just that, the President of the Domlur Women's Club(if such a thing exists) has to be a women. Oh yeah, the grandmother part is definitely made up. Do not take anyone in our Domlur for granted. And do not take Domlur itself for granted. Nothing less, it has a Wikipedia entry.
What makes me feel sad is that a lot of people enjoy such nonsense, they're missing out on much better fun - our Presidential election. Reading about this in the newspapers, hearing about it and watching about it in these news channels, with these pretty dumb things on air, is immense fun. For example, let's start taking everything they say literally. Pratibha lashes at critics. Imagine our future President with a whip and lashing her critcs, and they squealing on every lash. Or even if you take the phrases that these guys and pretty dumb girls generally use, mud slinging, for example. Imagine Shri Advani and co. on one side and Mrs. Gandhi and co. with Comrade Karat and co. to her Left (and no one to their left, because they are the Left) throwing mud at each other and the winning party candidate becoming the President. Wake up and realise, it is for nothing that they call this dirty politics. Huh, the Dhobis in Delhi will have a nice time.
It was not long back that the Left propped up Capt. Laskhmi Sehgal against the joint Congress-BJP candidate Dr. Kalam. Things have changed and how. And again, it is not without reason that they say politics makes strange bed-fellows. Now, taking that literally would be taking it a little too far, no? No wait, this piece in Outlook will make that clear as well -
Shalini Sharma, close to Shekhawat when he was Rajasthan CM, was accused of supplying women to powerful BJP ministers. Shalini was made VP of the state social welfare board by the Shekhawat regime.
The Congress and the Left would think they've effectively checkmated Shri. Shekhawat's chances by fielding Shrimati Patil Shekhawat. Fielding of course, in the cricketing sense, can add lot of fun too. Imagine Ahmed Patel running to 10, Janpath, panting heavily and breaking the news to Soniaji - 'Madam, we've caught Shrimati Patil'. Mrs. Gandhi will say - 'Good fielding Mr. Patel'.
So while those supporting her will think they've checkmated the NDA and allies by choosing Shrimati Shekhawat Patil to be their candidate, imagine what will she say to Shri Shekhawat(not her husband Mr. Shekhawat, of course) if they were to come face to face. 'Shekhawatji, check my mate - he's a Shekhawat too!' Huh, killing two birds with one stone. Take it literally? Not quite, we're non-violent people.
So while there can be birds, can horses be far behind? No wonder we hear about horse-trading around such events.
To me, the first memories of President of our country will always be Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma in his penguin-like walking style taking rounds of the different ghats laying wreaths to pay respects to our departed leaders. Such fun, those days were. Geetanjali Iyer, Usha Albuquerque, Minu, Avinash Kaur Sareen, Neeti Ravindran and I can go on listing those wonderful DD news readers. And man, the Sukanya Balakrishnan. And now you have these pretty dumb things. And yes, not to forget those commentaries during the Republic Day and Independence Day parades. And now you have these pretty dumb things.
And as far as the Prez election goes(hate the use of the Prez term as much as the pretty dumb things), I'll be happy if Mughal Gardens gets a good care-taker. Hoping Mr. Shekhawat(either of the two) will take good care of the wonderful flora there. The President's post was for someone scholarly, someone erudite, someone who is a true ambassador of India and someone who brought a lot of dignity to the post. Was, is the word now. For all the talk of a woman President or a masses man becoming our President, as a nation and as a political system I was quite proud of, we've lost something along the way. Sad.
With our Presidential election having come down to the streets, we, the villagers of Domlur couldn't be far away from it. Now that there looks to be a distinct possibility of Shrimati Pratibha Patil Shekhawat becoming our President, the grandmother in our neighbourhood remarked - 'Nodi, Ee kaaladalli hennu makkalu yaariginthanoo kadime illa. Namma Mahila Mandalada Presidentoo hennu magale, eega deshada Rasthrapatinpoo hennu magale'. Meaning - See, women are second to none. The President of our Women's Club is also a woman and now, the President of our country will also be a woman. Just that, the President of the Domlur Women's Club(if such a thing exists) has to be a women. Oh yeah, the grandmother part is definitely made up. Do not take anyone in our Domlur for granted. And do not take Domlur itself for granted. Nothing less, it has a Wikipedia entry.
What makes me feel sad is that a lot of people enjoy such nonsense, they're missing out on much better fun - our Presidential election. Reading about this in the newspapers, hearing about it and watching about it in these news channels, with these pretty dumb things on air, is immense fun. For example, let's start taking everything they say literally. Pratibha lashes at critics. Imagine our future President with a whip and lashing her critcs, and they squealing on every lash. Or even if you take the phrases that these guys and pretty dumb girls generally use, mud slinging, for example. Imagine Shri Advani and co. on one side and Mrs. Gandhi and co. with Comrade Karat and co. to her Left (and no one to their left, because they are the Left) throwing mud at each other and the winning party candidate becoming the President. Wake up and realise, it is for nothing that they call this dirty politics. Huh, the Dhobis in Delhi will have a nice time.
It was not long back that the Left propped up Capt. Laskhmi Sehgal against the joint Congress-BJP candidate Dr. Kalam. Things have changed and how. And again, it is not without reason that they say politics makes strange bed-fellows. Now, taking that literally would be taking it a little too far, no? No wait, this piece in Outlook will make that clear as well -
Shalini Sharma, close to Shekhawat when he was Rajasthan CM, was accused of supplying women to powerful BJP ministers. Shalini was made VP of the state social welfare board by the Shekhawat regime.
The Congress and the Left would think they've effectively checkmated Shri. Shekhawat's chances by fielding Shrimati Patil Shekhawat. Fielding of course, in the cricketing sense, can add lot of fun too. Imagine Ahmed Patel running to 10, Janpath, panting heavily and breaking the news to Soniaji - 'Madam, we've caught Shrimati Patil'. Mrs. Gandhi will say - 'Good fielding Mr. Patel'.
So while those supporting her will think they've checkmated the NDA and allies by choosing Shrimati Shekhawat Patil to be their candidate, imagine what will she say to Shri Shekhawat(not her husband Mr. Shekhawat, of course) if they were to come face to face. 'Shekhawatji, check my mate - he's a Shekhawat too!' Huh, killing two birds with one stone. Take it literally? Not quite, we're non-violent people.
So while there can be birds, can horses be far behind? No wonder we hear about horse-trading around such events.
To me, the first memories of President of our country will always be Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma in his penguin-like walking style taking rounds of the different ghats laying wreaths to pay respects to our departed leaders. Such fun, those days were. Geetanjali Iyer, Usha Albuquerque, Minu, Avinash Kaur Sareen, Neeti Ravindran and I can go on listing those wonderful DD news readers. And man, the Sukanya Balakrishnan. And now you have these pretty dumb things. And yes, not to forget those commentaries during the Republic Day and Independence Day parades. And now you have these pretty dumb things.
And as far as the Prez election goes(hate the use of the Prez term as much as the pretty dumb things), I'll be happy if Mughal Gardens gets a good care-taker. Hoping Mr. Shekhawat(either of the two) will take good care of the wonderful flora there. The President's post was for someone scholarly, someone erudite, someone who is a true ambassador of India and someone who brought a lot of dignity to the post. Was, is the word now. For all the talk of a woman President or a masses man becoming our President, as a nation and as a political system I was quite proud of, we've lost something along the way. Sad.
Monday, July 2, 2007
What sex is Bangalore?
Indian definitely promises more than it can deliver. Also that it underwent something close to a sex change operation recently, new logo and all.
And after the wonderful flight, here's what the air hostess(if she still remains she) will announce -
And yes, in honour of Shri Balaji, who reminded me of the existence of my photoblog eye5, I'm resuming posting on eye5.
And after the wonderful flight, here's what the air hostess(if she still remains she) will announce -
And yes, in honour of Shri Balaji, who reminded me of the existence of my photoblog eye5, I'm resuming posting on eye5.
Friday, June 22, 2007
External ultrasound-assisted liposuction (XUAL or EUAL)
One way or the other, you just have to get it out. While the rich can afford External ultrasound-assisted liposuction (XUAL or EUAL)or some such fancy sounding method, the poor blogger in me could only think as far as making up his mind to sit down and blog on this day, come what may. While May came and went, the only excuse I can think of was that I was waiting for it to rain again in Bangalore!
While I hope to post regularly from now on, with more organized and ordered posts, here's all that was added to that Word Document named May 8 Blog Post. Mein yeh hope karta hoon ki May there be no more such May 8 Blog Post drafts. Have I missed adding a May/mein/main somewhere?
Yes, I have been in hibernation for some time. Not that I’ve been living in a house named hibernation, a considerable time has passed since my last post. This of course, is without taking into account, the time I lost when I misplaced my watch for a few days. I was afraid I’d lose all the time in the world as I lost my watch. One of my confusions is now solved. I used to wonder what people meant when they said – ‘You can take your own sweet time’. Now I know. They meant - look at your watch and work accordingly. And probably keep licking it if they find it sweet. Ironic isn’t it? I did not have a watch and still took my sweet own time in writing this post. And by the way, I live in a house named Infant Cottage, which makes me feel more of a child under Jesus’s care. And why not? When there is Jesus Loves You written over the walls. Not all over, at three places to be precise. Thank You Jesus.
Bangalore has been fun. It’s been a little more than four months since I came here and I’m beginning to like Bangalore all the more as time passes by. Yes, you’ll have the young cool, hip, lip and such junta talking about pollution, the traffic and what was that – yes, the crumbling infrastructure! Where did you hear that? Some dumb newsreader would have said that or a screaming RJ maybe. For all the problems that it has, and which I completely accept there are, Bangalore is a nice place. One may not absolutely love the place, you can definitely not not like it. It doesn’t bring out extreme emotions like Mumbai does. For example – I absolutely love Mumbai, but I like Bangalore or I hate Mumbai, but Bangalore’s OK or some such thing. In my case, the former is true.
Why I like Bangalore is because there are places like Domlur, where Jesus protects me every night. It’s close to all the hustle and bustle of the city, yet far removed from the noise and related pains of a city. Vegetable sellers sell door to door in their carts, hearing their pitch is such a pleasure; the temples have their fairs, taking me back by many years; kids play cricket on the street during the day and badminton under the halogen lamps by the night. Not sure how many saw these knife-sharpeners in your natives, they come here in Domlur!
And of course, with Ankush around, there’s never a dull moment . Be it the sessions at Alibi, or the trip to Hyderabad that never happened, or the trip to Nandi Hills that happened, he’ll make sure it’s always happening, or make it indeed happening by not making things happen. And yes, it’s such fun when you have to ask him to keep looking at his feet while walking on Brigade Road and Picasso Street. There’s nothing like Picasso Street in Bangalore though, it’s the street on which Pecos is located. Pandit coined the name in one of his amazing moments of realization. Harsha, while all this was happening, was, well, quiet. Harsha did speak once, while we were at the air show during Aero India when he said Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia deserves a hats-off.
Pandit and Harsha know why Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia deserves a hats-off. The Aero Show was indeed a thrilling experience, especially the Akash Ganga formations and maneuvers and of course, Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia brilliant dives and take-offs. One just had to be there along with Harsha, Pandit and me to know why Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia indeed deserves a hats-off.
Hang-outs at M G Road and Brigade Road happened with Seth, Venki, Ram and Baka dropping into the city at different points of time. I’m really scared of Brigade Road though, having hallucinations that everyone on that might suddenly start beating me up. There are too many people on that road for my comfort. Church Street on the other hand is far safer. With Premier Bookstore, Blossoms Bookstore, Alibi, Ganesh Juice Center on it, and Koshy’s located at the end of it, which makes it more the kind of place I’d like to hang out. Movie watching with Pandit has definitely been fun, Apocalypto, with character names like Turtles Run, Smoke Frog, Jaguar Paw, Flint Sky and funniest of all – Ball Breath was a wonderful beginning. It continued weekly with 300, The Last King of Scotland, Shakalaka Boom Boom, Namastey London, The Namesake. Watched Anwar and Loose Change on DVD. And yes, Bharath is in Bangalore too, reminding me of this by turning up at Airport Road one fine evening. The dinner at Bombay Post was followed by a movie session at IISc - under the stars, under the watchful eyes of J N Tata, when we watched The Pursuit of Happyness.
The Iron Maiden concert was more funny than fun. With people having arrived from far and wide, from as far as Noida and Nepal, to as wide as Surat, the concert was really disappointing even for a true Maiden fan. With Chinsi and Vinzu around, we sure had our share of fun, ducking when Eddie came on stage with a gun in his hand, fearing that he may actually fire or cracking stupid jokes that the show wrapped up early because the Pandalwallah had an important marriage to set up his pandal the next day. We were also wondering if 666 was mre pronounced while The Number of the Beast was being performed because Sehwag perhaps was hitting them against Bangladesh that day. The truth as we all know now was something else. Less said the better about that. No, I will say something about it soon. But Cricket perhaps deserves more justice than just a passing mention in this post.
Between many near-life experiences,
Movies
300
Apocalypto
Namsatey London
The Namesake
Shakalaka Boom Boom
The Last King of Scotland
Anwar
Loose Change
Pursuit of Happyness – Bharath and Radhika in IISc.
A Movie A Day week
Dor – Imaan ki Chhalaang
Life in a Metro
Lage Raho Munnabhai
Parzania
Black Friday
Shootout At Lokhandwala
Books
Once Upon a Time Zone - Neelesh Mishra – husband of Nidhi Razdan.
Black Friday
My Friend Leonard
a million little pieces
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Transmission
The Red Carpet
Ludmila’s Broken English
Currently reading
Alchemy of Desire
Travel
Home, Mangalore, Bommanahalli, Home, Home, Home.
Other things – writing long letters!
Quizzing –Bangalore quizzing is funny. Thank God for Tom Swifities, buying The Undercover Economist with the prize money!
Bangalore – enough of Dr. Raj, M G Road and Brigade Road. Hate those RJs whose tribute is mocking actually. And yuppies who make fun of him – If you come today. No chai in Bangalore.
Church Street and Picasso Street are fun.
Meeting Venki, Hitesh, Baka and Ram.
Embarrassing Ankush during the swimming session! Mohit Shishodia – Air Trip
Iron Maiden - Vinzu!
Domlur is an amazing place!
BMS and PES Fest – trying to shake off the cynical feeling, of them being ‘kids’ etc.
Visits to IISc campus. Feeling of wanting to get back to studies.
Less is more - City and Blinding Lights and Snow. Stipebhai.
Nandi Hills trip. Riding downhill at 60 kmph with the engine off, overtaking three cars is not an achievement.
Mahaquizzer and World Quizzing Championship
Shootout at Lokhandwala, Life in a Metro and the auto ride back.
Kitchen, cooking. Return to Maggi.
Radio characters, sensible fun place on the internet.
While I hope to post regularly from now on, with more organized and ordered posts, here's all that was added to that Word Document named May 8 Blog Post. Mein yeh hope karta hoon ki May there be no more such May 8 Blog Post drafts. Have I missed adding a May/mein/main somewhere?
Yes, I have been in hibernation for some time. Not that I’ve been living in a house named hibernation, a considerable time has passed since my last post. This of course, is without taking into account, the time I lost when I misplaced my watch for a few days. I was afraid I’d lose all the time in the world as I lost my watch. One of my confusions is now solved. I used to wonder what people meant when they said – ‘You can take your own sweet time’. Now I know. They meant - look at your watch and work accordingly. And probably keep licking it if they find it sweet. Ironic isn’t it? I did not have a watch and still took my sweet own time in writing this post. And by the way, I live in a house named Infant Cottage, which makes me feel more of a child under Jesus’s care. And why not? When there is Jesus Loves You written over the walls. Not all over, at three places to be precise. Thank You Jesus.
Bangalore has been fun. It’s been a little more than four months since I came here and I’m beginning to like Bangalore all the more as time passes by. Yes, you’ll have the young cool, hip, lip and such junta talking about pollution, the traffic and what was that – yes, the crumbling infrastructure! Where did you hear that? Some dumb newsreader would have said that or a screaming RJ maybe. For all the problems that it has, and which I completely accept there are, Bangalore is a nice place. One may not absolutely love the place, you can definitely not not like it. It doesn’t bring out extreme emotions like Mumbai does. For example – I absolutely love Mumbai, but I like Bangalore or I hate Mumbai, but Bangalore’s OK or some such thing. In my case, the former is true.
Why I like Bangalore is because there are places like Domlur, where Jesus protects me every night. It’s close to all the hustle and bustle of the city, yet far removed from the noise and related pains of a city. Vegetable sellers sell door to door in their carts, hearing their pitch is such a pleasure; the temples have their fairs, taking me back by many years; kids play cricket on the street during the day and badminton under the halogen lamps by the night. Not sure how many saw these knife-sharpeners in your natives, they come here in Domlur!
And of course, with Ankush around, there’s never a dull moment . Be it the sessions at Alibi, or the trip to Hyderabad that never happened, or the trip to Nandi Hills that happened, he’ll make sure it’s always happening, or make it indeed happening by not making things happen. And yes, it’s such fun when you have to ask him to keep looking at his feet while walking on Brigade Road and Picasso Street. There’s nothing like Picasso Street in Bangalore though, it’s the street on which Pecos is located. Pandit coined the name in one of his amazing moments of realization. Harsha, while all this was happening, was, well, quiet. Harsha did speak once, while we were at the air show during Aero India when he said Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia deserves a hats-off.
Pandit and Harsha know why Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia deserves a hats-off. The Aero Show was indeed a thrilling experience, especially the Akash Ganga formations and maneuvers and of course, Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia brilliant dives and take-offs. One just had to be there along with Harsha, Pandit and me to know why Squadron Leader Mohit Shishodia indeed deserves a hats-off.
Hang-outs at M G Road and Brigade Road happened with Seth, Venki, Ram and Baka dropping into the city at different points of time. I’m really scared of Brigade Road though, having hallucinations that everyone on that might suddenly start beating me up. There are too many people on that road for my comfort. Church Street on the other hand is far safer. With Premier Bookstore, Blossoms Bookstore, Alibi, Ganesh Juice Center on it, and Koshy’s located at the end of it, which makes it more the kind of place I’d like to hang out. Movie watching with Pandit has definitely been fun, Apocalypto, with character names like Turtles Run, Smoke Frog, Jaguar Paw, Flint Sky and funniest of all – Ball Breath was a wonderful beginning. It continued weekly with 300, The Last King of Scotland, Shakalaka Boom Boom, Namastey London, The Namesake. Watched Anwar and Loose Change on DVD. And yes, Bharath is in Bangalore too, reminding me of this by turning up at Airport Road one fine evening. The dinner at Bombay Post was followed by a movie session at IISc - under the stars, under the watchful eyes of J N Tata, when we watched The Pursuit of Happyness.
The Iron Maiden concert was more funny than fun. With people having arrived from far and wide, from as far as Noida and Nepal, to as wide as Surat, the concert was really disappointing even for a true Maiden fan. With Chinsi and Vinzu around, we sure had our share of fun, ducking when Eddie came on stage with a gun in his hand, fearing that he may actually fire or cracking stupid jokes that the show wrapped up early because the Pandalwallah had an important marriage to set up his pandal the next day. We were also wondering if 666 was mre pronounced while The Number of the Beast was being performed because Sehwag perhaps was hitting them against Bangladesh that day. The truth as we all know now was something else. Less said the better about that. No, I will say something about it soon. But Cricket perhaps deserves more justice than just a passing mention in this post.
Between many near-life experiences,
Movies
300
Apocalypto
Namsatey London
The Namesake
Shakalaka Boom Boom
The Last King of Scotland
Anwar
Loose Change
Pursuit of Happyness – Bharath and Radhika in IISc.
A Movie A Day week
Dor – Imaan ki Chhalaang
Life in a Metro
Lage Raho Munnabhai
Parzania
Black Friday
Shootout At Lokhandwala
Books
Once Upon a Time Zone - Neelesh Mishra – husband of Nidhi Razdan.
Black Friday
My Friend Leonard
a million little pieces
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Transmission
The Red Carpet
Ludmila’s Broken English
Currently reading
Alchemy of Desire
Travel
Home, Mangalore, Bommanahalli, Home, Home, Home.
Other things – writing long letters!
Quizzing –Bangalore quizzing is funny. Thank God for Tom Swifities, buying The Undercover Economist with the prize money!
Bangalore – enough of Dr. Raj, M G Road and Brigade Road. Hate those RJs whose tribute is mocking actually. And yuppies who make fun of him – If you come today. No chai in Bangalore.
Church Street and Picasso Street are fun.
Meeting Venki, Hitesh, Baka and Ram.
Embarrassing Ankush during the swimming session! Mohit Shishodia – Air Trip
Iron Maiden - Vinzu!
Domlur is an amazing place!
BMS and PES Fest – trying to shake off the cynical feeling, of them being ‘kids’ etc.
Visits to IISc campus. Feeling of wanting to get back to studies.
Less is more - City and Blinding Lights and Snow. Stipebhai.
Nandi Hills trip. Riding downhill at 60 kmph with the engine off, overtaking three cars is not an achievement.
Mahaquizzer and World Quizzing Championship
Shootout at Lokhandwala, Life in a Metro and the auto ride back.
Kitchen, cooking. Return to Maggi.
Radio characters, sensible fun place on the internet.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Alive and kicking rain water.
I'm totally alive, reminded of it by the innumerable near-life experiences! Lots to be written, but here's something to see!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Happy Birthday, Nikhil
Dear Nikhil,
Congratulations on completing 22 years of your life. Maybe this birthday wasn’t as happening as the last one, but it was only apt that this birthday celebration, if you can call it that, was very quiet. It gave you the time, however little you got, to reflect and think on what you’ve been through since your last birthday. You also thought of what you want do and where you want to be for your next birthday. Though this happened when things were a little hazy, but the sky was still very clear and you could manage to walk straight. And when the haze cleared the next morning, you were glad that you have come a long way since your last birthday, but also reminded yourself that there’s much more to be done. Make sure you never lose sight of that. Go hang yourself otherwise or pick up the phone and talk to those special people bearing the brunt of your irritation, to get back on track.
Though you haven’t had any time to digest all that you’ve been through in the last one year, you understand that you’ve surely learnt a lot and in more ways than one, they have helped you evolve as a person. They might not be visible in terms of the acquisitions that you’ve made or explained in stupid blog posts like these, but you have certainly realized that on certain occasions, decisions based on such experiences hold you in good stead rather than anything that has been taught to you or been told that those are the right things.
Judging by yourself, but considering different perspectives before that
You’ve also learnt to make judgments by yourself, but at the same time making sure that you understand all the possible ways the same thing could be looked at. While you are certainly right on most occasions, you’ve also realized the importance of making an effort to understand first and then appreciate others’ points of view. That not only broadens your outlook, but also helps you feel comfortable while dealing with different kinds of people.
Enjoy people laughing behind your back.
To this a lot of people would say – ignore people who laugh behind your back. I say – enjoy with them. There are two things to this. One, that their amusement over you could be totally baseless and thus while you’re laughing with them, you’re actually laughing at them. Two, there might be some genuine reason to their reaction. There’s no harm in laughing at yourself. Do that and make sure without being bothered too much, work on those things. It’s a little hard to digest humiliation, but you’ll come stronger out of it. I know you are smiling now, that’s how you’ve learnt a lot of things. Now that you are doing much better, you’re definitely enjoying it!
Patience and focus
Perhaps these two are the most important things you’ve learnt since your last birthday.
You cannot do everything by yourself, immaterial of how genuinely interested in each of those you are or how important it is to you. There are a few things, which beyond a certain level, are beyond your control. Then you have to bow to the structure and order and let things take their own course. I don’t mean to say that you should become a slave of the ‘system’, it is also that certain structures and systems are put in place to maintain order and it is important to respect them. Thus it becomes important to maneuver and find your way through this structure. That skill of making sure you get what you want and to keep people in good humor is something which needs to be developed. Some smart people around you know how to do it, learn it from them. Be patient, but don’t get sick!
There are a lot of things you wanted to do and a lot you still want to do. Just to make sure your energy is used judiciously in the right direction, it is better you concentrate on a few things you think you are good at and you are comfortable with. You are indeed fortunate that you have access to people and resources to help you pursue your interests, but make sure you know the difference between your interests and matters which deserve more attention.
Formalities and niceties are important.
Well yes, on certain occasions and with certain people for sure. But otherwise remain as politically incorrect and blunt as you are. Formalities and niceties are important because not only they make you (appear!) more presentable, they lend a certain degree of credibility to what you say and what you do. Though personally you might not like as it might seem superficial, it is important that you understand and appreciate this. Ways of the world, my man! Be like them, it’s ok. But don’t be them!
[Nikhil’s reaction to this: What the fuck man? Could you please cut the crap? ]
Well, let’s put an end to this crap. But remember
* You’ve definitely done your bit, but there’s so much more to do. The benchmarks are only getting higher by the day. Yes, a lot of times you have the feeling of having ‘been there, done that’. Kick that feeling, go out and take up new challenges.
* Remain as stupid as you’ve always been. You’ve learnt a lot of things the hard way and perhaps that’s the best way to learn things. Remain stupid, ask more stupid questions and make a lot of mistakes.
* Malcolm Gladwell is definitely right, Blink! is a great book. But yes, try being a little measured and less instinctive while reacting to things. Think on your feet, but sit down and talk!
* There are those special people in this world who make you the person you are today. Some help you remain sane while others make sure you are as insane as you’ve always been. And yes, the sugarcane crushing machine!
[ Nikhil : Thanks all you special people. You know who you are. Joey ishtyle! ☺]
It’ll be interesting to watch the contents of the letter I’ll write to you on your 23rd birthday.
Congratulations on completing 22 years of your life. Maybe this birthday wasn’t as happening as the last one, but it was only apt that this birthday celebration, if you can call it that, was very quiet. It gave you the time, however little you got, to reflect and think on what you’ve been through since your last birthday. You also thought of what you want do and where you want to be for your next birthday. Though this happened when things were a little hazy, but the sky was still very clear and you could manage to walk straight. And when the haze cleared the next morning, you were glad that you have come a long way since your last birthday, but also reminded yourself that there’s much more to be done. Make sure you never lose sight of that. Go hang yourself otherwise or pick up the phone and talk to those special people bearing the brunt of your irritation, to get back on track.
Though you haven’t had any time to digest all that you’ve been through in the last one year, you understand that you’ve surely learnt a lot and in more ways than one, they have helped you evolve as a person. They might not be visible in terms of the acquisitions that you’ve made or explained in stupid blog posts like these, but you have certainly realized that on certain occasions, decisions based on such experiences hold you in good stead rather than anything that has been taught to you or been told that those are the right things.
Judging by yourself, but considering different perspectives before that
You’ve also learnt to make judgments by yourself, but at the same time making sure that you understand all the possible ways the same thing could be looked at. While you are certainly right on most occasions, you’ve also realized the importance of making an effort to understand first and then appreciate others’ points of view. That not only broadens your outlook, but also helps you feel comfortable while dealing with different kinds of people.
Enjoy people laughing behind your back.
To this a lot of people would say – ignore people who laugh behind your back. I say – enjoy with them. There are two things to this. One, that their amusement over you could be totally baseless and thus while you’re laughing with them, you’re actually laughing at them. Two, there might be some genuine reason to their reaction. There’s no harm in laughing at yourself. Do that and make sure without being bothered too much, work on those things. It’s a little hard to digest humiliation, but you’ll come stronger out of it. I know you are smiling now, that’s how you’ve learnt a lot of things. Now that you are doing much better, you’re definitely enjoying it!
Patience and focus
Perhaps these two are the most important things you’ve learnt since your last birthday.
You cannot do everything by yourself, immaterial of how genuinely interested in each of those you are or how important it is to you. There are a few things, which beyond a certain level, are beyond your control. Then you have to bow to the structure and order and let things take their own course. I don’t mean to say that you should become a slave of the ‘system’, it is also that certain structures and systems are put in place to maintain order and it is important to respect them. Thus it becomes important to maneuver and find your way through this structure. That skill of making sure you get what you want and to keep people in good humor is something which needs to be developed. Some smart people around you know how to do it, learn it from them. Be patient, but don’t get sick!
There are a lot of things you wanted to do and a lot you still want to do. Just to make sure your energy is used judiciously in the right direction, it is better you concentrate on a few things you think you are good at and you are comfortable with. You are indeed fortunate that you have access to people and resources to help you pursue your interests, but make sure you know the difference between your interests and matters which deserve more attention.
Formalities and niceties are important.
Well yes, on certain occasions and with certain people for sure. But otherwise remain as politically incorrect and blunt as you are. Formalities and niceties are important because not only they make you (appear!) more presentable, they lend a certain degree of credibility to what you say and what you do. Though personally you might not like as it might seem superficial, it is important that you understand and appreciate this. Ways of the world, my man! Be like them, it’s ok. But don’t be them!
[Nikhil’s reaction to this: What the fuck man? Could you please cut the crap? ]
Well, let’s put an end to this crap. But remember
* You’ve definitely done your bit, but there’s so much more to do. The benchmarks are only getting higher by the day. Yes, a lot of times you have the feeling of having ‘been there, done that’. Kick that feeling, go out and take up new challenges.
* Remain as stupid as you’ve always been. You’ve learnt a lot of things the hard way and perhaps that’s the best way to learn things. Remain stupid, ask more stupid questions and make a lot of mistakes.
* Malcolm Gladwell is definitely right, Blink! is a great book. But yes, try being a little measured and less instinctive while reacting to things. Think on your feet, but sit down and talk!
* There are those special people in this world who make you the person you are today. Some help you remain sane while others make sure you are as insane as you’ve always been. And yes, the sugarcane crushing machine!
[ Nikhil : Thanks all you special people. You know who you are. Joey ishtyle! ☺]
It’ll be interesting to watch the contents of the letter I’ll write to you on your 23rd birthday.
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