Planet of God's humor

I remember writing to myself "Life would be life as long as funny remains funny". Humans in general, and men in particular, take immense pride in their sense of humor. We see it as a measure of wit, intelligence and humility all at the same time. Given that it is such a pleasant quality, would it makes sense to accord God with a sense of humor better than any living being? After all, He is the Superior being, and any good quality found in such relative abundance (almost all men believe they have it, whether they are honest about it or not can't be said, but either ways, that beats honesty fair and square), would manifest itself in greater abundance in the divine being. It certainly appears to me to be the logical conclusion. The only reason God would not have a greater sense of humor, then appears to be if God was not logical. But since we human beings are logical, the same logic rebounds on itself that he must be logical too!

The other simple reason is to believe that there is no special God person anyways. I disagree with this belief on grounds that it is the smarter thing to do. Believing in Him doesn't seriously affect my present life and can only do good things for my after life. So having settled that God exists and must have a sense of humor, it goes without saying, it would larger and more lavish than anything we've experienced. How big would this sense of humor be? That depends entirely on the size of God you believe in. But is it rash to admit he would for his amusement, build a planet to get a few good laughs? I do not think so. In fact, I believe earth is that "planet of God's humor". It is a far shot, but some days it seems like the only good explanation.

We on earth have either not got the joke as yet, or maybe we are finding it hard to be at the butt end of the joke. Human beings have discovered the most glorified way of existence as could be for the survival of any species. It is apparent that the pressure of being the most intelligent specie on the planet, clearly got to us. In our bid to outdo the dolphins (recognized as the second most intelligent specie, by the way) by a fairly large amount, we chose to build this entire network of relations, rituals and society.

To enumerate all the instances at which mankind as a whole has acted funny, would be too big a task for me. I can just offer glimpses of the ludicrous behavior that I see around everyday. To start with we have the mesh of virtues and vices. We have these confusing definitions of what is right and what is not. some of them are outrightly crazy. Ambition of earning money is a "low" ambition, while working to become a successful business man is a "good" ambition. Helping others because it makes you famous (which makes you happy), is selfish while helping others because it makes you happy is not. And I don't even want to get started on the number of problems we create for ourselves. From family feuds to wars, from household waste to nuclear holocausts, we are just trying to solve problems that we created in the first place. And last but not the least, most of us believe that we have figured out what our purpose on this earth is. No, we don't even have a clue. But this one single illusion is the funniest. We believe mankind is consequential, intelligent and in control. And God up there is smiling from cheek to cheek.

Lets see how far we've come

Probably one of the peppiest songs talking about a real issue:

Hello
Hello
Hello

Waking up at the start of the end of the world,
But it's feeling just like every other morning before,
Now I wonder what my life is going to mean if it's gone,
The cars are moving like a half a mile an hour
And I started staring at the passengers who're waving goodbye
Can you tell me what was ever really special about me all this time?

I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I believe it all is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

I think it turned ten o'clock but I don't really know
And I can't remember caring for an hour or so
Started crying and I couldn't stop myself
I started running but there's no where to run to
I sat down on the street took a look at myself
Said where you going man you know the world is headed for hell
Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to

I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

It's gone, gone, baby, it's all gone
There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home
It was cool cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me and it's over for you
Well it's gone, gone, baby, it's all gone
There is no one on the corner and there's no one at home
Well it was cool cool, it was just all cool
Now it's over for me and it's over for you

I believe the world is burning to the ground
Oh well I guess we're gonna find out
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Well I, believe, it all, is coming to an end
Oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend,
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come
Let's see how far we've come

Reclaim your life...

A cryptic status message by a friend led me to this. Nice feeling to know its an Indian advertisement :)
 

The perfect love affair

I've often wondered what the perfect love story would be. What kind of a demi God would the hero be and how many ships would the heroine be able to set sailing for her. How would the cosmos conspire to make them meet and what would their destinies hold after this fateful meeting. Would they turn into a doting couple who live together and die together, or would they never meet and go down in history as a beautiful thing that couldn't be.

The few things that really come close to the perfect love story are fairy tales. The waiting for the right person to come into your life, knowing at a glance that your true love has arrived, and heroes and heroines who are as good as they look. And then they live happily ever after. 
Real life however, tragically happens to be longer than a 10 page story book. And sadly most of it is spent in the "happily ever after". Soon the "happily" goes away. With time the "ever" seems longer than ever before. And all that is left is "after", a period not well documented in most books that authoritatively describe the events that led them there. 
The perfect love story would, I guess, not really be a story, at least not in the kind of meaning the word is generally used. It would be a tidbit of life, another day, a lone journey. The perfect affair is what occurs between you and the pretty young girl on the platform as your train draws out of the station. It is perfect because it is impractical and practicality ruins it.In those few moments she can be everything you want and you don't even have to know what exactly you want her to be. And as she disappears into the milling crowd, you can think of the infinite possibilities for a love that could be. One that wasn't long enough to be tarnished by practicalities of making it real, of making it work. That is the closest we get to a perfect love affair. Most of the times, the hero would give in to the way things are, almost always out of control. But sometimes he may be brave enough to get down from the train.. he may be brave enough to chase the dream.. to call out to her in the busy crowd.. to run up to her.. grab her hand.. and make her turn... 
But practicality ruins it. 

(Disclaimer: Views expressed are solely of the author. Feel free to jump off moving trains or whatever it takes to chase your dream, at your own risk)

 

The Lone Runner

I wrote it a long time back. Thought I'd paste it here before it gets lost and forgotten...
he was walking down the road talking to himself... cos he was happy... he was enjoying walking and so he was walking... he met a lot of ppl, he met them all, he liked them all... probably bcos he was happy. then he was pushed aside sum1 had come from behind and pushed him aside... sum 1 who was running for God knows why... but he didnt care cos walking meant all to him and he was in no hurry....
a few minutes later another guy brushed him aside... he too was in some hurry.... and this time he got a reaction, slight brushing aside by our hero. when a 3rd man ran past him it was too much. our hero let go off his slippers slipped into sneakers and he ran like no man has ran before... he ran for he was angry at being overtaken... he ran because he wanted to find out what is at the end.. but most importantly...he ran because everyone else seemed to be running too. but as he ran.. ppl overtook him and for the first time, he wished they would fall. he saw familiar faces standing in the path.. but he chose not to stop. he kept running not knowing when to stop. and forgetting wot he was running for... . slowly he got tired, he lost speed and he thought for the first time..."what am i running for?" suddenly he saw the man who had brushed past him... he was sitting under a tree crying... our hero asked him- why was he running as he was.. " i dunno why i was running for and i dunno why i cudn't stop before". but why are u crying now he was asked.." cos i have come too far now and i can't go back home tonite."

Stop running....there is no rush. stop before it is too late. life is a journey, there IS no destination.

Some traffic definitions delhified

Motorcyclist: someone who likes to put his life in other people's hands. 
Overtaking: A mechanical snigger that puts to shame the driving skills of the overtaken vehicle.
Female driver: Bad driver, because she can't beat you up if you call her that.
Car: A vehicle that tells you, your father's name is MCD and all roads are basically his.
Two wheeler driver: one who chose the wind in the face feeling over his life.
Lane driver: learner
Rikhshaw puller's and cyclist's motto: Right is Might.
Blue line bus driver's motto: Might is Right.
Motorcyclist's motto: Speed kills but thrills; It is better never than late.
License: A photo id card helpful in getting new credit cards/passports etc.
In case of two equally positioned vehicle, who moves first?: One who can put his vehicle at a higher risk.
What if both are willing to risk?: One who can show his emotional/physical/optical/mechanical inability to brake without hitting the other vehicle gets to go first.
Zebra crossing: A place you drive over, unless ofcourse you see a zebra crossing.
Indicator: A light force that would somehow assist you in braking if the vehicle ahead suddenly goes for a sharp turn in front of you.

Thats it.. I can think of more and I know a few here are stupid. but i wanted to write just 3. rest are there to fill up the page.:)
Happy Driving.

Bye bye Monu's mom

It is saaddening to note that of just twenty-four blog entries so far this is already my second eulogy. I guess death remains one of the few rituals that still overwhelms me with emotions. An emotion that passes the restrictions of the mind and can directly affect my heart. So much so, that after a long time I am writing a blog entry not because my blog page needs it, but because I need it.

In life there are peaks and valleys of happiness. The problem with a peak is that you can't go higher without climbing down from there. Neither can you move deeper than a valley without climbing up the gorge first. A lot of our unhappiness isfelt when we are midway in a valley. So we don't really know what to say or do when we are the bottom. "Sab kuch theek ho jaayega", is an overused phrase in comforting someone. But its motive is clear. To replace the thought of an immediate loss with that of a distant hope of progress. But you feel orphanated without these words. What do you say when these words make no sense at all? Nothing, I guess. No smart phrases, no witty lines. Nothing, I felt, at least in my vocabulary, made sense. Just empathy. Maybe with time I'll know the right things to say, and maybe someday I'll say these things without meaning them. But till then I was happy to see I was dumbfounded with emotions. I've been delhified, but I've managed to remain human, so far.

I had to go and receive Monu at the airport yesterday. I had not told him about his mom, considering he would be traveling alone from Kolkata. Airports are interesting places in that they let you experience a life time of emotions at one place. Like in statistics it is known that sampling of one system over a period of n time units and sampling of n independent systems simultaneously yields the same information. Standing at the receiving gate you can feel the presence of a plethora of emotions around. I myself remember standing at the same place, not so long ago, awaiting the arrival for my sister, anticipating the times ahead. And there I stood yesterday, in front of the same information board, dreading the time ahead. It was the longest drive home. He was asking questions and I had no answer. I felt at a loss of words. I felt inadequate.

It was late yesterday by the time Monu arrived home, so the cremation was postponed till today. He exhibited the strongest will power I have ever come across. All his energies were channelized into arranging things and this attitude was contagious. I guess every one was waiting for someone to set an example as to how to react. Monu provided them that. Emotions were given the back seat and logistics required for the various rituals took over. It was then that I realized how the rituals around death are devised to soothe pain. There are rituals like bathing the dead body and adorning it with jewelery that caters to the female need to get it all out in tears. And there are rituals like carrying the dead body on shoulders, sorting out wood for the pyre, that are aimed at the male need to get distracted from emotions and reality. And then there is the symbolic gesture of hurtling the final bamboo stick over the burning pyre, indicating our last offering.

Coming back to the eulogy I think am incompetent in writing intelligently about Mrs.Krishna Singh. That job might be done by a lot of other people and much better than myself. I, on the other hand, am grieving the loss of "monu ki mummy" as she was for me. I remember numerous visits to Monu's place, and each time I'd find her working diligently in the kitchen, trying to make a home of the house she inhabited. She'd often force me to eat things she had cooked and often share her apprehensions about her sons. We came from different worlds and our gap was more than just ages. I come from a world where the biggest question on everyone's mind is 'what is the purpose of our lives'? She on the other hand lived for just one purpose - to take good care of her close ones. In my world that would be called a wasted life. In hers it was cherished and successful. I can't estimate the loss of the individual she was, but I know one loving mom in this world just passed away. The average affection in this world has dramatically decreased. May her soul rest in peace.

Nickelback: Rockstar

Vanity?? Maybe. But of the highest kind. That's what gets it a place here.

Nickelback Lyrics

Inadvertently Complicated

God created a simple world. All physicists seek simplicity in their theories. All mathematicians vie for it in their expressions. As Einstein put it, "I have deep faith that the principle of the universe will be beautiful and simple". Even us, the not so gifted members of the race, somehow intuitively like the the simpler hypothesis better than the more complicated ones. And yet we are unable to understand that happiness in life could be so simple!

When it comes to happiness somehow the most convoluted path appears to the best one. Happiness is always a thing belonging to distant future and the journey to it is shrouded with various conditions becoming true. We make a simple thing more complicated than it deserved to be, and here is where we miss the point. Happiness is a state function, and like all state functions (think internal energy U) its value depends only on the initial and final state of the mind. There is not a certain path to happiness and even if there was it would be as good or bad as any other. 

How digital cameras help you forget the moment for the rest of your life.

I like the concept of pensieve, the way Rowling describes in her books. The idea that the memories of a person can be poured into a pot to be experienced by someone else is probably the closest one can get to preserving a moment. But no digital camera in the market, regardless of its mega pixel count, comes even remotely close to doing that. A moment is so much more than a still 2 D image. A moment is what you live. But the basic human instinct to make everything pretty his own, gets in the way. It is saddening to see that people go to hill stations, and cities and beaches with people they love, and see the world not thought their eyes but a 2.2 inches LCD screen. And pretty sunsets are stored not in our minds but our transflash memory sticks. 

I wish we could let go of the fear of losing the moment forever. I wish we live the moment and not stack away memories to relive some other day. I wish we would stop planning to live and start living.

"You stand relieved from the services of the company ..."

.. And it was done. With those words on my relieving letter, the first phase of my professional life came to an end. And after all the anticipation, that had lasted for more or less the entire notice period, I realized I had not thought beyond this point. Suddenly I was scared.

I have always believed that happiness is directly related to the number of things a person has to look forward to. They may be simple things like catching up on lost sleep over the weekend or mentally irking things like getting no dues from every department in Aricent. Either ways, these things act like distant nondescript sign boards on the highway of life. Sometimes they may be ordinary snippets having no information and sometimes they'll be valuable for your journey, but either ways, their anticipation, is what makes the entire journey endurable. It's fun to watch these distant objects grow, as you approach, into interesting forms and then watch them as you pass them by, sometimes happier, sometimes aggrieved, but amused nonetheless. And then you spot the next one!

For the past 2 months all anticipation, all 'looking forward' to was about parting ways with Aricent. And now that the time had come I felt I was grossly unprepared. Standing in plot 31, taking the elevator down, I realized how much a part of myself I was leaving behind. It was comprehension of the fact that though it had always been my choice to part ways, the option did not belong to me anymore. Aricent had let go of me too. Life henceforth might be equally good or worse or better but it would never be the same...

"Thank you for one heck of a ride" a.k.a last day @ Aricent

"Something hidden.
Go and find it. 
Go and look behind the ranges. 
Something lost behind the ranges, lost and waiting for you. 
Go."
--Rudyard Kipling

Today I part ways with Aricent, I guess just to look beyond the ranges, in search of the all elusive happiness. 
Aricent will always hold a special place in my heart. A place where I found how the world works outside the confines of college walls.
I think of all the years of my life so far, I've grown the most in my two years stay here. Professionally, socially and emotionally it has been an indulging lesson of life. 
I am thankful to all of you, for all the warm support extended in my stay here. Thank you for the lessons that you have knowingly and unknowingly bestowed upon me. And regardless of whether I found these lessons bitter or sweet, there is no denying they made me better suited to tackle life. You guys truly made my stay here a memorable one.
I will still very much remain a part of the software fraternity, a family of young, enthusiastic people who make this industry such a fun place to work. Just that my x-y co-ordinates would have changed to Noida. 
I hope we always stay in touch, I'll certainly try to. You can reach me at ashishdua123@gmail.com. 
Wishing all of you fare well in lives. 
Cheers and God Bless
Ashish Dua

A space misplaced

Though I've used the word farewell a million times in my life, never until today did I doubt its atomicity. Only when I got the farewell card from GKM, Arun and others that I realized it is "fare well". Well here is hoping you guys fare well too and so does our friendship!
Cheers!

Of parting ways...

Every one wants a partner in crime. Though no crime may actually be involved but just knowing that a friend, a best friend, would be there ready to share your punishment, ready to take the blame! And life is so simple cause you have a person, in the same predicament, contemplating on the same choices, apprehensive about the same decisions, and skeptical of the happiness coming his/her way. Its like walking hand in hand towards the sun, just that there is no real hand holding involved.

I guess the worst part of growing up is that at each junction of life, you lose a co-passenger. Sometimes to distance, sometimes to fate, sometimes to time itself. And it leaves behind that void, the loss of a person who could be in your shoes and tell you that your socks smell bad! In short a person with whom you share life, not always by choice, but more so because your fates are intertwined in some unfathomable way. The presence of so many such people in the same predicament is what, I guess, makes school and college lives so easy, and professional life progressively harder. Chopra was my partner in crime since the time I can remember. Tomorrow, we'd have parted ways, to different paths. And though he is and shall remain my best friend for life, I'd miss the times when he made my part of the shit feel better just by telling he was in it too. All the best mate. Good luck and God bless. Love u!

Tagore's letter to the viceroy.

Posting it as an example of beautifully written English. The message ain't too bad either!

All that glitters is gold

So I finally had the chance to visit my native land. Punjab, the land of five rivers. To be honest, I am actually quite wary of true "Punjabis", typically I find their pompousness and exuberance scary at times. And Golden Temple sounded like the perfect example of the Punjabi psyche which would go something like - "Ofcourse marble is expensive but Gold is even more expensive, so while people make temples of marble lets make a temple where we put Gold over marble".

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Well, my personal interactions with the golden color though rather infrequent, have been enough to convince me of its paucity in making things prettier, especially when used in large amounts. In fact, my trip to the golden temple was triggered more by spiritual reasons and the fact that after a long time our family was on vacation together. But, golden temple or the darbar sahib as it is called by the locals, is one place where the sikh pompousness has payed off. The sight of the golden island swimming on the lake is stunning and the contrast of the golden colors encircled by white colored temples is the same as what would be between us mortals and the almighty. Thats all I have to say. Do go there when you can. If nothing else, just the sight of all the pilgrims would make you respect the holy Grantha Sahib, and suddenly you will confess to yourself what you never thought possible. Suddenly you'll feel, as I did, that somehow it makes more sense to respect and worship a book that preaches conduct, than a divine human being born in the times of our ancestors.

Think about it :)

The Dunning Kruger effect

The Dunning-Kruger effect is the phenomenon wherein people who have little knowledge think that they know more than others who have much more knowledge.

Coming soon!

So who decides what you deserve?

POLAND—Teresa, a child in a residence for disturbed children, grew up in a concentration camp. She has drawn a picture of “home” on the blackboard, 1948. © David Seymour

I feel the fear of tomorrow in people around me. I feel the need to perform within them. It was perfectly fine if they were doing things for themselves. But instead, typical reason given for it is that you get only one life and you don't want to end up getting less than what you deserve.

My question is, who decides what you deserve? What makes one ask for more and feel he deserves more? You may feel that life is not fair, that God is against you, that your fate is screwed up and this is is not what you were entitled to. But what exactly are you entitled to? Where in the offer document of life is there a promise it would be fair? Can you justify the things you were born with, and the things you now take for granted, never questioning, just assuming their perennial presence? If not, then how can life be called unjust?

I think it is unfair to call life unfair till you take into account all the things you were born with. I guess its a human limitation that it is unresponsive to the absolute quantity and can only recognize change. Just as the human mind doesn't recognize speed but feels acceleration, doesn't feel heat but can tell when it flows in or out. The human mind can recognize only deltas. And, I guess, this limitation makes us utter crazy things that "life has not been fair". Look around, be thankful for the senses, for the mind, for the beauty. In this great plan of the cosmos don't ask for fairness, don't question what you deserve, just enjoy the ride. Have a great time !

The theory of falling in love.

I've believed in it for quite a while.Thought I might as well share it. Here's how I think the process goes.

Phase 1: Attraction.
This is perhaps the most important step in the process. For guys it might be for every girl they meet(:P). For girls it may be more intricate and could be triggered due to good looks, intelligence, power, wealth, but there would be a cause nevertheless. I guess a very important factor is the X factor at this stage, the thing you think the other person has and want to find out moreabout. In most cases this phase lasts for a few hours of a good, long conversation. In this period either you realize that she is a babe with no brains or you move on to phase 2.
Phase 2: Exploration and Pretense.
This is a pretty phase in the relationship. In this period you see the person not for what he/she is but for what you want to think he/she is. Also, in this phase you try to be a more perfect person depending about the things you know about yourself. This phase may last for months in a teenage/first affair to weeks in other cases. For a mature couple this phase may not exceed more than a few hours. And most likely there would be little pretense and lots of exploration. It may sound like a fake phase, but I think it is actually the prettiest form of love away from reality and truth. And if they were to design an hoarding for selling love I am sure they would use snaps of a couple in this phase. Depending upon your enthusiasm for changing for the other person , you may grow and mature a lot as an individual in this phase.
Phase 3: Reality, problems and alternatives.
This is the phase where most of the relationships perish. It is like an elimination round in the process. Here you meet the actual person you've been dating for a while and since, by now you've grown comfortable with his/her feelings for you, you are not scared of speaking your mind about things. I think there are two opposing influences in affect at this stage.

· One is the growing boredom that creeps in as you get to know your partner's fallacies and eccentricities. This factor grows at different rates, depending upon the people involved, their lifestyles, their commitment to the relationship and the commitment to make it work.

· The other influence is the growing habit for your partner. He/she starts becoming an important part of your life and becomes essential for you decisions and thoughts. This factor grows at various rates depending upon the fundamental compatibility of individuals, their respect for each other's individuality and the time they get/try to spend together.

The output of this phase depends on which of the above two influences grows faster in the particular case. I don't know the length of this phase but for some people, I think it lasts for the entire lifetime :)
If influence one is stronger then the person looks for other alternatives, sometimes a single life if he/she is tired or otherwise he/she returns back to phase 1. Some people actually enjoy the journey from 1 to 3 (i) and back again. I personally don't understand nor appreciate these people. For cases when the second influence is overpowering it results in an endearing relationship with mutual respect and growth and sometimes it moves ahead to phase 4.
Phase 4: True love
This is the elusive true love. I don't know much about it, because I couldn't reach this far. It is when your mental image of a partner ceases to exist. Instead it becomes the other way round - your partner instead defines the image. And there is perfect bliss. I don't know people from this phase but I do know that a lot of people are in fact phase 3 (ii) but believe that they are in phase 4. Either ways I would call them lucky :)

Speaking of old people...

Of all the lessons life teaches you, an important but often overlooked one is not to

take bath in old people's bathroom :) 

I happened to do that today, on my trip to mini didi's place. There was no particular reason for choosing that bathroom, but I guess it seemed like the logical thing to do, given that the other bathroom was occupied and I was running late. I realized my mistake as soon as I turned on the shower and nothing happened. Though I don't usually express my approval for people who dance naked under the shower inside the bathroom walls, but it is true that I do approve of such people. I believe that people who don't dance naked under the shower inside the bathroom walls are very less likely to do something more amusing in the rest of their day. So a shower that didn't work was already a bad sign. Well, being the perennial engineer, I picked up a comb and started working at the holes and was soon able to prove my mettle as an instrumentation engineer just as the water started pouring out. But it was just the beginning. 

Then came the shampoo. Remember seeing those big one liter bottles of hideously colored liquid with the word "herbal" stamped all over the cover. Well there it was and under the name it said "suits all hair types", probably a phrase too ambitious to be used on a Rs. 30 bottle. Or maybe it means it treats all hair types with the same respect that a detergent shows to different types of cloth. Anyways this was enough for me to skip the shampoo part and I chose not to torture my hair cells in their uneventful after life. 

Then it was soap. I picked up another piece of "herbal" cosmetics, this time a conspicuous looking brown colored bar, with no fragrance to give it away. Well I went about running it across my body and it was to be honest quite OK, except for the fact it didn't lather at all. It was only when I put it on my face that I could smell what it was. Remember " multani mitti" ? The utterly useless household remedy supposed to fight acne? Well that was what the soap was made of! And I don't know about you, but regardless of nationality or origin, I don't like mud. So even if the mud had traveled all the way from eastern Pakistan to finally find its calling in life, the idea of being covered in mud from head to toe, while in the process of cleaning oneself is not very appealing. Anyways that was my last attempt at completing the process. I just cleaned up and left. 

"You'll never understand old people till you are too old" 

I resigned from work this week.

On Monday this week I resigned from my post of software engineer at Aricent.

Natural as it was, I still can't say it was an easy decision. After I keyed in the mail and till the time i sent it, I felt uneasy about the way this change would affect my life. I could feel in those minutes what exactly they mean by fear of change. I could feel the human tendency to hold on to habits, even the bad ones.

Habit: The thing that makes an escaped convict miss prison.

Show me the MoNEy

"Show me the MONEY"

I've always liked this quote from the movie Jerry Macguire. What i can't reproduce here in text is the absolute matter of factness that comes along when Cuba Gooding uses it in the movie. Leave everything aside, just "show me the money!"

But that is what life has become. Life has essentially changed from being a pursuit of happiness into a demand for instant gratification. The days of life long pursuits of life's meaning and goals have been put aside. The hours spent into exploring oneself from within, are regarded as a waste of time. The only good answers are the ones that are quick. So a feeling like love is strongly felt only if it is known its likely to be reciprocated. A particular course is pursued only if it yields results and that too in a predetermined time interval. Our choices are controlled by the ease and availability of the resource rather than our need for it.

Simply said, patience is no longer a coveted virtue. Where voices of the inner self are unheard in the strident noises of possession. Our achievements have been quantified, the quality has been forgotten.

A lesson in rafting.

One good simile that rafting offers is the way you have to put in everything, put in all

your physical energy into pedalling so that you avoid falling into the rapid and getting caught by a funnel. Same applies to an engineer's life where the funnel is replaced by a secure job and marriage. The battle as always is between monotony of getting the known v/s the fascination of finding the unknown. Let me see how hard I can pedal. Pedal Fast Forward!!

Why its costlier to be careless in England

1. Density of money increases. One note = lots of rupees
2. Everything is expensive so you can't go out with less money.
3. Empty places make you move faster. So you get to places faster than your mind does.
4. Your assumptions about how things work are mostly wrong.
5. The warm and courteous Britishers are very unlike the crooks and robbers you are accustomed to!

So watch your back ;)