Bandwagon Shift

In this post am only going back to about 10 years of my life and trying to reiterate few mammothian shifts in ideas, the acceptable and others.

When I finished my 12th grade, engineering was the last option I wanted to take (I finally ended becoming an engineer), but my folks wanted me to become an engineer. It was the norm them, it was the bandwagon on to which every parent wanted their ward to board. 10 years later, parents are little more skeptical in making their kids an engineer. It's an urban legend here in Bangalore that if you throw a stone up into the air, it will either land on a dog or an engineer, a software engineer at that.

I never had the awkward conversation with my folks regarding the person whom I should marry, their religion, cast and so on and so forth. But I did hear lot of relatives and friends in their youth who have had fall out with their family because of the choice they made in their love life. Now when I take a look around, the old do exist in pockets, but most are happy when their kids wed someone who is Indian/Opposite sex. Another major shift???

When in college, I was one of the early ones to use the cell phone. The only purpose was to be in touch with my family. Now there are times when am being educated about the various functions in the uber cool cell phone by 6-7 yr olds. My mom uses short codes in the msgs, my kid brother takes better pics on the cell than I, I hardly know the difference between Nokia, Samsung and iPhone other than that I find Nokia easier to manouveur through.

I used to try and maintain a Diary when as a kid. It was a personal space for me that nobody used to intrude into, and yet I found it hard to maintain. Now am maintaining a blog, which is more public than the diary of celebs and yet I find it interesting and easy to maintain. Another of those shifts.

Before joining for my graduation, I used to be in touch with friends via STD calls and the snail mail. Then came the email revolution and later on the scraps in orkut. Not being present in one of the networking sites was considered more of an anathema and being accepted by your peers was partly depended on your online presence. Now orkut has become a fad and thus arrived facebook and twitter. If you are not on FB, then you are not alive for most of your friends. FB has become more of a bandwagon that you need to be on, maintain your online reputation and grow yourself as a brand.

Anyways, am pretty sure that I will be alive for another 40 odd years to see more bandwagon shift. Guess I should be prepared for all that I will live to see and experience. :)

Profound Thoughts

If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

Can you be a closet claustrophobic?

If the funeral procession is at night, do folks drive with their lights off?

If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?

When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?

If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

Why is the word abbreviation so long?

If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?

Do cemetery workers prefer the graveyard shift?

What do you do when you discover an endangered animal that eats only endangered plants?

Do hungry crows have ravenous appetites?

Is it possible to be totally partial?

What's another word for thesaurus?

When companies ship styrofoam, what do they pack it in?

If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?

Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?

Why is there an expiration date on my sour cream?

Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

How do you know when it's time to tune your bagpipes?

Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns because they taste funny?

When you choke a smurf, what color does it turn?

Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?

Do radioactive cats have 18 half lives?

If you shoot a mime, do you need a silencer?

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

How can they tell that twin lobsters are really twins?

What is the speed of dark?

How come you never hear about gruntled employees?

What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?

After eating, do amphibians have to wait one hour before getting out of the water?

If white wine goes with fish, do white grapes go with sushi?

What's another word for synonym?

If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

When sign makers go on strike, what is written on their picket signs?

Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why are builders afraid to have a 13th floor but book publishers aren't afraid to have a chapter 11?

Some people cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

You're never too old to learn something stupid.

Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat.

Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says "In case of an emergency, notify:" I put "DOCTOR". What's my mother going to do?

Since God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.

I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain to be a vegetarian.

If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble putting on your pants.

Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting one in a fruit salad.

We never really grow up – we just learn how to act in public.

The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action.

How can there be self-help groups?

Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can't drink and drive?

Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there?

If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?

Why is it that when you transport something by car it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship it's called cargo?

Why do we play in recitals and recite in plays?

Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?

If knees were backwards, what would chairs look like?

When you open a new bag of cotton balls, are you supposed to throw the top one away?

When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you're just sitting there staring at the carpet?

What happened to the first 6 "ups"?

If an orange is orange, why isn't a lime called a green or a lemon called a yellow? Or maybe I'll just have a bunch of purples.

Why does your nose run, and your feet smell?

If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?

:)

"The most painful part of life is to be one half of the perfect love story which was never meant to be"
This is a line from my favourite book Shantaram. Now what if you believe that the above statement is true all your life and wake up one day and realise that you are no longer part of this one half of the perfect love story??

Cuz you are very much part of the perfect love story that is meant to be.

Woof! Woof!..life

"woof woof," Jimmy looked at his son.

"What is it son. You seem to be having something to ask me." He waited, licking Caesar on his forehead, the way his dad used to lick him.

"Dad, I have few things to ask you." he said in his feeble voice.

"Bring it on," Jimmy said, like a veteran who knows everything that happens around.

"Dad, why does Mr&Mrs Smith always fight over something that is called money?"

"Oh, that is quite simple. See, in our life we never have to come across those things. But what I gather is that money is something that is instrumental is bringing us the food. Mrs Smith can never be happy with the basic amenities like food and shelter. She always wants more. We are happy when we get food. She wants things like jewels, car, party and so on, which is beyond my realm of understanding. Mr Smith is not able to provide her with all this. That is the reason why they keep fighting."

"Why is Mr Smith called an alcoholic?"

"I think the reason why Mrs Smith calls him alcoholic is because Mr Smith comes home everyday drinking something that makes him delusional. At times he is so delusional that he calls me by my dad's name."

"Ok," Caesar nodded like he understood. "What about the guy who comes home everyday when Mr Smith is away in office. Who is he?"

Jimmy had to think before he answered his question. "The person who comes here everyday apparently is called the lover boy. He gives Mrs Smith what Mr Smith cant deliver."

"What kind of service is that? I mean, if he really wants to deliver something, cant he do it when Mr Smith is home?" he questioned his dad.

"Son, the way humans work is different from how we work. They want to do things in a very clandestine manner. Otherwise their ego is hurt."

"Ok, but what is ego? I have never come across something like that before."

"From what I gather, ego is something like the mixed feeling that we share with the cats in this house. We never let the cats run the show do we? Similarly, humans can accept that somebody could be better than them."

"It makes lot of sense you know dad. But there something that has been troubling me. I once overheard Mrs Smith saying that she does not love Mr Smith. Now what is love?"

"That is a very tricky question my dear son. I do not think that I can do justice in answering that question."

"Please dad, you know everything that happens around. Please tell me about love also. What does it do?"

"Son, love is something the humans can never understand. It is the simple relation that I share with you. Humans always associate love with the opposite sex. What they lack is the ability to understand each individual and accept them the way they are. The day they start doing that, then you can say that they love everything around them. Unfortunately their greed never lets them accept things the way they are. So they run after love the way we run after a car or bark at a stranger, not knowing what exactly we want from the action."

"But dad, if they cant love others, do you think they love themselves? As in, do you think that Mr Smith loves himself?"

"I think that humans loving themselves is like us chasing our own tail. We keep trying to bite our tail thinking that we will succeed, but we never do, do we? Similarly humans try to ove themselves, but never succeed."

"Thanks dad, you were great. I hope I never become a human any day. I am happy being a dog, and enjoying the simple things in life. what about you dad. You have seen them long enough to know whether they live a happy life or not."

"Even I prefer this life to that of humans son. At least we have each other and we also get food and shelter everyday till we die."

Catch 22

So am back to square one. It is official that I am now spiraling down a whirlpool. A week back I was better off, at least thought I was better off. With each passing day, the figures and targets that I am facing is becoming a nightmare of sorts. Each time I find a way out, some other obstacle comes in the way. It has been good three-four months since I was last happy with my numbers. That is about work life.

Now to more personal stuff. There are no damsels unlike my usual stories. I am happy about that, at least tell myself that. The work life balance that everyone raves about these days is something that I just can't contemplate. Think I have lost touch with myself.

The only thing that remains constant is Chandy and the numerous drinking sessions. We both face the same problems, be it the work life or personal life. We are in need for less options to choose from.

The other day I was browsing through my cell for people to call as I was into my blues. I came across the name of this person who is really close to me. But I did not call her. I speak to her every other day, did not feel like boring her again. So left it at that.

Went about browsing again, and guess what? The one person who I finally called, did not pick up my call. The call was never returned either. And to recall that I was once the most important person in her life brought about a smile on my face; at my own loss.

Then I saw another name. Now, I wanted to talk to that person. But the voice deep within told me that the call would never be answered. I feel like shouting out loud and asking, "Where did I go wrong in understanding them all?"

Take for example today, after another grueling day, from which I got nothing more than more setbacks, I thought I would try and see the silver lining. I looked up to see if there is some sort of recognition as to who I was. So what do I get??? A blank stare. Guess I should stop expecting even the smallest sliver of peace of mind.

Hence, it is ideal that I call myself in a catch 22 situation. No way of getting out of it easily. So as someone once said, rather than fighting the storm, try enjoying the rain.

Or better still, bring out the glasses and drink till you know that it would at least give you a good night's sleep.

TFTD2

Food for thought

" What hurts your ego the most during a breakup? The fact that you are breaking up or the thought that he/she maybe with someone else?"

TFTD 1

How can i reason with the world if it has already decided not to listen to me??

Everyday Life1

The whole world asks for forgiveness not knowing what they did wrong. Should I empathize and forgive or should i deny them their peace of mind???

Life

"The biggest challenge in life is to choose which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn. I am the bridge that has to be burnt after crossing."

Ideals decorate books, not life

Falling into those myriads of thoughts,

I take my chance, not to contemplate the things I did,

But turn around and see how different it could’ve been done.

It is not about the accomplishments that I made,

It is rather the things I did not do that hurts.

Those times when I could have lived a better son,

The times I could have acted a better brother,

If not a better friend, at least a better acquaintance.

The opportunities I let go with the one I loved,

Everything hurts, and if only I could do something about it.

If only I could go back into time,

Not to undo the mistakes I did, for mistakes are never undone,

But to have thought on their behalf, and to have acted with little more wisdom.

I never could identify myself with anyone,

Not anyone I met, not anyone I heard about,

Not a single character I read about could reach me at all,

And then I met him, and I felt something within,

Howard Roark, he epitomised what I wanted from life.

You could call me foolish, for I was living in fool’s paradise,

For everything I believed in was in its idealistic form,

And now I know where I went wrong, for ideals decorate only books,

Not reality.

Now I am strewn between the life I once knew, the life I once cherished,

And the awakening within, that has shown me what life truly is.

I feel like a kid, awestruck by the magnanimity of life,

For nothing I saw or heard come close to the dawn of realisation,

That I just had.

That life is not about ideals, nor about principles,

It is about living, cherishing, smiling and giving.

I sure may have a hard time living up to it,

Yet I hope I do not give up this effort,

Life is only one, and living it is a lifetime.

Courage

"One of the greatest ironies of courage, and the reason why we prize it so highly, is that we it easier to be brave for someone else than we do for ourselves"

These are the words from the book Santaram. Unlike the many words that i have come across in the many book s that i have read, these words spoke to me for some odd reasons. When i thought or contemplated the gravity of the words, i realised that these are true for almost every individual living on the planet earth. I have been there too, showing courage for someone i had loved when i could not have shown the same courage for myself.

I do not want to think too much about the same, i do not want to violate the sanctity of these words by putting up my own thoughts, let these words remain the way it is, speaking for all the romantics in the world.

why one should know himself,........

why is it that the many people are very much fixated on the idea that knowing oneself is the best possible way to know others, and if you have not met anyone like that, then you are welcome to take my position and see such specimen???isn't knowing oneself only the best way of knowing just yourself, with no strings attached what so ever???i believe knowing thyself is the best way of becoming complete in your own ways. again, one should know that nobody is ever right or wrong, we should always treat every single being as separate individual different from each other and with various needs and hence with his own right and his own wrong. and if u find two persons whose rights and wrongs coincide, then one knows that one of them is lying over his head.

knowing yourself is only the first step of attaining perfection, not that anyone could ever attain perfection as human mind is the most complex of things and it's beyond any living creature to understand it completely. even the doctors who have studied the human mind and emotions are at times, most of the time, bewildered by the complexity of the human mind. so understanding human mind completely is out of question for the laymen like you and i. so why am i saying all this now, that to to an audience that i don even know exists. the explanation is simple, i have understood me to the best of my ability and i like to express what i go through, and also because none of my friends have the time or energy to listen to the crap(as many call it) coming out of my mouth.

coming back to the topic of understanding thyself, do we really understand what we are???if you think that you do understand yourself well enough, then is there any negative emotion or nefarious need involved in it???if your reply to your own question is in the negative, then my friend, you have not understood anything about you. am saying this not because am entitled to say this or because i have the authority to preach about it, but because of the simple logic that human mind does not also think positively. the first and foremost task of our mind is to protect ourselves from the malice around. that in itself is a selfish act, which in no dictionary or no book, can be described as a positive feeling. here comes the distinction between what you know about yourself and what you do about this understanding. turning green when a close friend of yours chooses somebody else over you is a natural feeling to have, anyone and everyone should have it. but it is what you do about it that matters the most. you can turn violent at the very thought and go bonkers all over the place and hurt yourself and others in the process. but that doesn't necessarily pull you out of the predicament does it. it only aggravates it as you know that you have become jealous of something or someone(as mentioned here) and the only thing you can do about it i hurt everyone. but had you taken the time to think about what happened and why the initial thing happened, you could maybe, perhaps find the root cause. and once you know what led everyone into the fix, the negative emotion in itself would vanish. thus understanding alone isn't enough to make yourself better, accepting what you understood is the single most crucial part.

there are many people who have tried to understand the meaning of their existence, but have failed. it is not because they did not try to the best of their ability or because they gave up the effort of understanding. it is because they were not ready to accept what they saw in them. how many of you can accept, without trepidation, that they could also be wrong???that itself is the single most biggest example that we do not accept what we see. if you have accepted it, we would be happier as there would be a reason for everything that happens to us. we would reach a state when we could always see a flip side to the bad things happening to us. and so can make ourself a little more happier being.

yes, the more we understand and accept ourselves, the more we understand others also. but that should not be the reason why we should understand ourselves. the reason why am saying that we can understand others better is simple. the nature of human being, as i told you earlier is to be selfish. for us to accept something in others, one should have it in him first. so if we cant understand and accept ourselves first, how can we even imagine to accept others for what they are???

understanding oneself is also a coin with two sides. because the more you understand yourself, the more you leave behind the accepted standard procedures and formalities of living. you will be pitched against the majority who aren't ready to see themselves. here is what will happen if you have accepted yourself. you will first find reasons for everything, because you no longer have to ponder into knowing what you are. the more you start thinking about the reasons, the more adept you will get in finding the right solutions(from where you stand of course), and the emotionally challenged side that you always had disappears. not saying your emotions will go,just saying that the challenge it always had disappears. hence you can control your mind and thought in a far better way. this state, from where others stand, will be interpreted as you being cold or dead inside for they have not experienced the freedom that you are experiencing. you may lose the people you love or care about, and you may even wonder how to get back to the superfluous life you once had. but you cant do anything about it as the life that you left is far beneath you and your understanding would never let you enter it again. thus we reach back to square one, where we had nothing to begin with and experienced everything possible and yet wanting to go back on everything even though you know how high you stand above others.

this continues on and on,....few people try to re-enter into what ever life they had, others just wander off to who knows where. but in spite of having nothing valuable to themselves, the ones who wander away are the most complete men and women....

are the right things always the good things????

here i am sitting so late into the night, which is so not me for various reasons. i maybe one of those rare guys who wants to sit late into the night, not just sit but live through the night, but have the compulsion to go to sleep at that fixed time no matter what. the more i think of the reason for the compulsion today for not sleeping, the more i enter the world of darkness. am not the normal person who sits and broods over the mundane failures, but am the person who thinks best when in the most adverse of conditions. now don't get the notion that i don't brood at all,....oh!i do, but only after taking the right decision and executing it no matter how painful it is to my soul and how destructive it is to the very existence of me.

doing the right thing is not completely about pleasing other human beings, but it's the only way of pleasing the very existence of thyself as a human being in this very cruel earth. the people you love and care about would also misinterpret this gesture of yours , but that does not mean that you are on the wrong path. as long as you know that you are treading the path you believe is true and would bring a smile upon the face of others, you are always on the right track. you would be wondering what is prompting me to write all this at this point of juncture when i got to be wondering why i haven slept yet, then maybe the answer is in the question itself. maybe it is the thought of the things i have done and want to forget in life and its dire consequences that is troubling me like never before.

i believe life is not about taking anything from anyone, but giving everything you have to others. the very meaning of your happiness may depend on the act of being selfless towards the people you love and adore in life. but many at times i find myself in a position when the ideologies and faith have been challenged by the very people who call themselves your friends and companions. i cant fight them as they wont heed to the simplicity of my nature and the beauty of my decisions, and so I'll most definitely lose the battle that i would never win even if i fought. so i bow out in front of them, which again is misinterpreted and end up being called a coward. thus i have come to the conclusion that trying to convince a person about what we believe in is as bad as not trying to convince a person what we believe in. if both the options open to a person is proved wrong, then what exactly is right and what exactly is wrong???

i doth want to spend the rest of my life as being called 'just a guy', because i, like everyone else, believe that i can do something in life, maybe make a profound impact on the life of others. the only way to make a difference in others' life is to show them the path of you believe in, but how often do you find people who want to see life through others' eyes???that brings me back to my biggest problem, that is if am not ready for a change, then how will others be ready for a change???? but of course there is a difference when it comes to the path that i've chosen, for i see the life through others' eyes.

at times i think the world is already too selfish a place to see what others are going through with their life. the world has left the point of no return and they just cant change even if they want to. that to make an impact on others as i want, i have to first become one of them, but am just too scared. for if the world is that bad a place, then i may forget myself and get too comfortable with the ways of this world. that the very existence of my faith and belief would be lost in these murky waters which i so loath. that would be a certain failure on my part, and i am not the person who wants to fail something that i want so bad and believe in. thus i have to fight a losing battle against the whole of the world, but atleast i would have the satisfaction of putting up a fight for what i believe is right, against what others believe is wrong.

at the end of all this what you find is not the girl you love, it is not the friends you trust, it's not the world you loath, but it's only you you find. the more you think of the things you have done in life because they were the right things, the more you will see yourself with clarity and lucidity....and at the end that's all that matters...so now that i have come that conclusion in the best possible way, to the best of my understanding,that what matters is what you are...i think i better sleep now,....after all, i do not have to please others,....the whole exercise of this writing is for me to arrive at a conclusion and i believe i have,.....