Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Simpler perspectives
As I am a biologist, I have taken up to reading more on the areas I have never been able to work on much. One such is the elusive Protein modeling area. In the book that I am reading currently (Introduction to Bioinformatics) by Arthur Lesk, the author has given a wonderful introduction to proteins. The following is an extract from that book where he talks about the most complicated process in nature, that of protein folding:
How does the amino acid sequence encode the three-dimensional structure? Any possible folding of the mainchain places different residues into contact. The interactions of the sidechains and mainchain, with one another and with the solvent, and the restrictions placed on sidechain mobility, determine the relative stabilities of different conformations. This is a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics, which states that systems at constant temperature and pressure find an equilibrium state that is a compromise between comfort (low enthalpy, H) and freedom (high entropy, S), to give a minimum Gibbs free energy G = H - TS, in which T is the absolute temperature. (In human relationships, marriage is just such a compromise.)
--------------------
Though the passage will sound like a whole load of jargon to many, I found it very simple and lucid. Comparison of a very difficult problem in nature to a thermodynamical system and finally drawing an analogy to marriage is the best part. Shows how complex things can be made to look simple by comparing them with day to day problems. I will always remember protein folding by associating it with the compromises one makes in a marriage than by recollecting biological facts . Simpler perspectives bring in a breath of fresh air.
Monday, December 05, 2005
b/w to color
Sheet of snow like white
a constant reminder of purity
awaiting for some color
hoping that would make it bright.
Amidst fits of pain and fights
red drops trickle down
coloring the snow.
Bright but alas, with the smell of death.
a constant reminder of purity
awaiting for some color
hoping that would make it bright.
Amidst fits of pain and fights
red drops trickle down
coloring the snow.
Bright but alas, with the smell of death.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Whoever said "Show me your friend and I will show you your character" has been quite correct. I had never given a second thought to such sayings especially ones on friendship. But now I realize that I had underestimated the truth conveyed by the above saying.
While brooding over my thoughts on friendship, this was what I came up with. In whomever I call a friend, I recognize a part of myself. A friend is more like an extension of oneself. There are similarities one recognizes in them and these similarities need not necessarily be the good qualities. Even those qualities one detests in other people, one finds those residing within oneself. Amongst some of my so-called friends, there are some whose beliefs on certain issues I totally diasgree with. But in my urgency to avoid verbal conflicts, I remain non-commital when such issues are brought into open and discussed. Recently, I had a major disagreement with a friend. The source of the discord seemed so trivial to me that my "say-no-to-fights" attitude took over and I asked my friend as to why we should even promote such an argument. Unfortunately, the other person involved in this whole affair didn't seem to share the same mental attitude and it became more of a prestige issue to her. The end, as anyone can predict, was not that great and she had just lost out on a potential good friendship.
While on a phone conversation with another old friend, I was told that I had changed a lot over time. To this person, my attitudes and beliefs had changed and he doesn't find me as the same old sort now. On rethinking, it is actually true.
"Life in its own journey presupposes its own change and movement. And one tries to arrest them at one's own eternal peril. Times change and we too change with them."
That aptly summarizes my thoughts on the statement made by my friend.
With all the change around and within, maybe it is not a bad idea to revamp the friends list too. As for the anxiety of losing out the best friends during such shuffles, some wise soul said "Best friends are those that manage the transition between address books".
My address book is undergoing construction and I can see a good many deletions, new additions and some crazy retentions ;-)
While brooding over my thoughts on friendship, this was what I came up with. In whomever I call a friend, I recognize a part of myself. A friend is more like an extension of oneself. There are similarities one recognizes in them and these similarities need not necessarily be the good qualities. Even those qualities one detests in other people, one finds those residing within oneself. Amongst some of my so-called friends, there are some whose beliefs on certain issues I totally diasgree with. But in my urgency to avoid verbal conflicts, I remain non-commital when such issues are brought into open and discussed. Recently, I had a major disagreement with a friend. The source of the discord seemed so trivial to me that my "say-no-to-fights" attitude took over and I asked my friend as to why we should even promote such an argument. Unfortunately, the other person involved in this whole affair didn't seem to share the same mental attitude and it became more of a prestige issue to her. The end, as anyone can predict, was not that great and she had just lost out on a potential good friendship.
While on a phone conversation with another old friend, I was told that I had changed a lot over time. To this person, my attitudes and beliefs had changed and he doesn't find me as the same old sort now. On rethinking, it is actually true.
"Life in its own journey presupposes its own change and movement. And one tries to arrest them at one's own eternal peril. Times change and we too change with them."
That aptly summarizes my thoughts on the statement made by my friend.
With all the change around and within, maybe it is not a bad idea to revamp the friends list too. As for the anxiety of losing out the best friends during such shuffles, some wise soul said "Best friends are those that manage the transition between address books".
My address book is undergoing construction and I can see a good many deletions, new additions and some crazy retentions ;-)
Monday, November 14, 2005
Back to action
Back after a long break. Lots of action happening in my life. Action in the real physical sense of the word. Had been moving around and trying to fix up lots of things before i took my month long break ;-)
Atlast things have been completed. Relaxing now !!!
I met my husband after our first longest separation since marriage. Feels nice to be back with loved ones. A warm feeling of security envelopes you. I am contended.
Also, its my first stint at remaining as a day long "domestic" person. Ever since I have taken up a job, I have never been at home longer than 3 days. So this is a welcome break for me. I am going to discover what it means to stay at home and take care of the house without any hustle bustle.
I am all set with loads of books, recipe books, stitching kits and CDs to transport me to a different world all together for a short span of time. Ready, one, two, three, go.........
Atlast things have been completed. Relaxing now !!!
I met my husband after our first longest separation since marriage. Feels nice to be back with loved ones. A warm feeling of security envelopes you. I am contended.
Also, its my first stint at remaining as a day long "domestic" person. Ever since I have taken up a job, I have never been at home longer than 3 days. So this is a welcome break for me. I am going to discover what it means to stay at home and take care of the house without any hustle bustle.
I am all set with loads of books, recipe books, stitching kits and CDs to transport me to a different world all together for a short span of time. Ready, one, two, three, go.........
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Hope
After a rather depressing post on my blogspace previously, I am back with more Hope. I don't remember if I had mentioned about the dose of "daily meditation" that I receive from a mail subscription. Many people have found the idea of receiving such mail subscriptions funny, even outright silly, but to me it has always been an enriching digest. Its like those irregulary rounded Nutties (those cruncy chocolates), buttery and soft but also crunchy and tasty. Agreed that sometimes even I feel like skipping through some of the oft repeated theories and facts, but still in the end it wins hands down in providing motivation.
One of the recent meditations had carried a small article by the author on "ways to beat depression". I am sure all of us have read these self-help techniques at some point of time. Difficult part is to put into action atleast one of the suggestions mentioned in the self-help pages. The article I read listed some very simple ways that the author resorts to when she is depressed. That set me thinking. All of us have our own ways to survive crisis situations. It would be better if we think about the various methods we have used to handle such situations in the past and record them for future use. After all, one's own remedy never creates further complications. It is like the human body's immune system. Only the foreign stuff starts off an allergic reaction. Body's own cells, organs and bio-molecules are protected from an attack. (A normal body's behaviour, not one which has symptoms of an auto-immmune reaction)
Personally, I choose to fight depression by brooding over it for sometime and then majorly cribbing to some close friend or family about how hopeless I feel. Most of the times, some reassuring words from friends and family helps me tide over the situation. There have been times when I have found solace in some quotes or statements made by other people. Sometimes it has been a combination of methods that has done the trick. Whatever be the means, it is the end that matters. Medicine has had effect... I can clearly feel the more positive tone in this blog.
Quotes and the statements i mentioned earlier are the jottings I make in various scrap books, my daily use notebook, office notepads, diaries, rather any material on which the pen can be put. Funny how some previous writing brings in a new dimension to the current problem.
"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it"
- Goethe
How very appropriate to my current situation. Here I am, hoping for a brighter day and waiting with the knowledge that it will arrive... tomorrow is not that far, just another 8 hours of wait.
One of the recent meditations had carried a small article by the author on "ways to beat depression". I am sure all of us have read these self-help techniques at some point of time. Difficult part is to put into action atleast one of the suggestions mentioned in the self-help pages. The article I read listed some very simple ways that the author resorts to when she is depressed. That set me thinking. All of us have our own ways to survive crisis situations. It would be better if we think about the various methods we have used to handle such situations in the past and record them for future use. After all, one's own remedy never creates further complications. It is like the human body's immune system. Only the foreign stuff starts off an allergic reaction. Body's own cells, organs and bio-molecules are protected from an attack. (A normal body's behaviour, not one which has symptoms of an auto-immmune reaction)
Personally, I choose to fight depression by brooding over it for sometime and then majorly cribbing to some close friend or family about how hopeless I feel. Most of the times, some reassuring words from friends and family helps me tide over the situation. There have been times when I have found solace in some quotes or statements made by other people. Sometimes it has been a combination of methods that has done the trick. Whatever be the means, it is the end that matters. Medicine has had effect... I can clearly feel the more positive tone in this blog.
Quotes and the statements i mentioned earlier are the jottings I make in various scrap books, my daily use notebook, office notepads, diaries, rather any material on which the pen can be put. Funny how some previous writing brings in a new dimension to the current problem.
"Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it"
- Goethe
How very appropriate to my current situation. Here I am, hoping for a brighter day and waiting with the knowledge that it will arrive... tomorrow is not that far, just another 8 hours of wait.
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Cycle
There are days when I feel like humbly submitting instead of constantly putting on a brave face and fighting the many vicissitudes of life. A simple bow when the going gets tough seems so much simpler. Everytime I try to act smart and start to work on the solutions, problems always manage to outwit me, making a mockery of my "smartness".
A popular saying goes like this:
"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going".
Yes, the tough gets going but a faster rate, ahead of you. Only when the presumed "manageable" problems go out of hand that they start to exert their pressure and gain significance. I read somewhere that Life is a cycle of good and bad. But somehow at this stage in my life, good seems to have opted out of the cyclical process. So, it is just bad, more bad and worse that have joined the race.
With the whirling cycle exerting its effect, my life isn't just revolving, it is spinning at ultra speeds. With such a dizzying feeling, I can just numbly accept whatever is being dished out to me. No protests, No fights.Just puppeting my role in the whole scheme of life.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Punyabhoomi
"Man arrested on charge of raping teenaged daughter"
ran the headlines in the front page of today's national daily. Along with the above crime details, several such crimes were reported which had occurred in my residential city in the recent months. What was striking was the fact that the article did not delve into the punishment that was awarded to any of the criminals.
Such crimes are indications of the kind of perverts that roam around in the society freely. I am paraphrasing a funny signature here - "Just because it is illegal to kill, some people are still alive". On a serious note, why should people who commit rape crimes, especially the incest types, be locked away behind bars for a few years ? Why can't we give them more severe punishments ?
Raping one's own daughter and making her pregnant - its such a revolting thought. I felt pukish after reading the article. Just imagine the plight of the girl who is brutalized and made to carry one of her creator's progeny inside her. Being raped by one's own father or brother or any relative, not only affects the girl physically but also mentally. The very people she relied on for support and security actually take advantage of her physical weakness. Isn't it a breach of trust ? The after effects are always painful. More than the physical abuse, the mental agony lingers.
Should we really call India a "punyabhoomi" when there is too much of "paap" strewn over?
ran the headlines in the front page of today's national daily. Along with the above crime details, several such crimes were reported which had occurred in my residential city in the recent months. What was striking was the fact that the article did not delve into the punishment that was awarded to any of the criminals.
Such crimes are indications of the kind of perverts that roam around in the society freely. I am paraphrasing a funny signature here - "Just because it is illegal to kill, some people are still alive". On a serious note, why should people who commit rape crimes, especially the incest types, be locked away behind bars for a few years ? Why can't we give them more severe punishments ?
Raping one's own daughter and making her pregnant - its such a revolting thought. I felt pukish after reading the article. Just imagine the plight of the girl who is brutalized and made to carry one of her creator's progeny inside her. Being raped by one's own father or brother or any relative, not only affects the girl physically but also mentally. The very people she relied on for support and security actually take advantage of her physical weakness. Isn't it a breach of trust ? The after effects are always painful. More than the physical abuse, the mental agony lingers.
Should we really call India a "punyabhoomi" when there is too much of "paap" strewn over?
Friday, September 23, 2005
Latest avatar of MahishasurMardhini
Sankha sent me this link (don't mute the volume in your system ) -
MahishasurMardhini
Very innovative.
If demons were like the ones in the animation then I will surely start liking them. I will be a follower of "Love thy enemy" policy :-)
MahishasurMardhini
Very innovative.
If demons were like the ones in the animation then I will surely start liking them. I will be a follower of "Love thy enemy" policy :-)
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Perfect marriages
"There is no perfect marriage and there never will be one - neither is it necessary to be so. All the fun will be lost if marriage is always sedate and predictable."
Very true.
Supporting the above view point is Khalil Gibran, a poet and philosopher. In his book , "The Prophet" , there is a beautiful chapter on marriage. This is an extract from that chapter :
" .... Let there be spaces in your togetherness
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you
Love one another, but make not a bond of love
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each of you be alone
Even as the strings of a lute are alone they quiver with the same music
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts
And stand together yet not too near together
For the pillars of the temple stand apart
And the oak tree and cypress grow not in each other's shadow "
I get spellbound every time I read this bit of work. Every line subtly states the truth. Though i have always enjoyed the passage, i have always found it difficult to follow. But I am still working on it. "Never give up" is my middle name !!! :-)
Here is another perspective on marriage that I found in one of the Reader's Digest issues....
"Never criticize your spouse's faults; if it weren't for them, your mate might have found someone better than you"
;-)
Now, which is easier Khalil Gibran or idolizing and appreciating your (spouse + faults)package !!!!
Very true.
Supporting the above view point is Khalil Gibran, a poet and philosopher. In his book , "The Prophet" , there is a beautiful chapter on marriage. This is an extract from that chapter :
" .... Let there be spaces in your togetherness
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you
Love one another, but make not a bond of love
Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls
Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf
Sing and dance together and be joyous but let each of you be alone
Even as the strings of a lute are alone they quiver with the same music
Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping
For only the hand of life can contain your hearts
And stand together yet not too near together
For the pillars of the temple stand apart
And the oak tree and cypress grow not in each other's shadow "
I get spellbound every time I read this bit of work. Every line subtly states the truth. Though i have always enjoyed the passage, i have always found it difficult to follow. But I am still working on it. "Never give up" is my middle name !!! :-)
Here is another perspective on marriage that I found in one of the Reader's Digest issues....
"Never criticize your spouse's faults; if it weren't for them, your mate might have found someone better than you"
;-)
Now, which is easier Khalil Gibran or idolizing and appreciating your (spouse + faults)package !!!!
Mentors
"We will probably never know or understand the impact we have on other people's lives. We all have the opportunity to effect people's lives for the better... or for the worse."
I had found these words in some magazine. My office lays stress on mentoring. Mentors are identified for all employees who will guide them through their careers at the company. I have been asked to choose a mentor who will help me to empower myself.
The opening statements claim that all of us have the ability to act as examples for others. Even our small acts, those that we routinely perform, have the potential to affect another person. I vividly remember my friend telling me as to how she found one of my daily routine acts interesting and followed it. I think the act has become a part of her routine now.
I found one such mentor in a friend of mine. A normal visit to her house, time spent with her kids and a good stimulating talk with her elevated her to the level of a mentor. And the talk wasn't even any bit philosophical. It was just about her daily way of life and how she chooses to handle problems. If someone asked me the cliched beauty contest question on "who would I consider a great person", i think my answer will be all those normal people who by their small acts have made a difference to me and shown me the existence of different perspectives. It has been these people who have made more deeper impact on me than any of the great thinkers. And the reason for this is because they tell me how to deal with the practical nuances of life.
Maybe I will tell my office HR that i am undergoing continuous mentoring in my life.
I had found these words in some magazine. My office lays stress on mentoring. Mentors are identified for all employees who will guide them through their careers at the company. I have been asked to choose a mentor who will help me to empower myself.
The opening statements claim that all of us have the ability to act as examples for others. Even our small acts, those that we routinely perform, have the potential to affect another person. I vividly remember my friend telling me as to how she found one of my daily routine acts interesting and followed it. I think the act has become a part of her routine now.
I found one such mentor in a friend of mine. A normal visit to her house, time spent with her kids and a good stimulating talk with her elevated her to the level of a mentor. And the talk wasn't even any bit philosophical. It was just about her daily way of life and how she chooses to handle problems. If someone asked me the cliched beauty contest question on "who would I consider a great person", i think my answer will be all those normal people who by their small acts have made a difference to me and shown me the existence of different perspectives. It has been these people who have made more deeper impact on me than any of the great thinkers. And the reason for this is because they tell me how to deal with the practical nuances of life.
Maybe I will tell my office HR that i am undergoing continuous mentoring in my life.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Anamika
I couldn't find a suitable title for this blog. Hence the anonymous - Anamika.
The name reminds me of a Sanjeev Kumar movie with the song "Anamika". Lovely song.
No, let me call this -- random mutterings.
I happened to read a blog topic on "Life after marriage", penned nicely. I got the link of this blog from another blog I frequently visit. Given below are the links to the blogs.
Source blog
Blog being talked about
Note: It will be better to give a cursory glance of the blogs given above to grasp the context of my current blog.
Well when i was reading about the Life after... blog, I found one of the comments very interesting. One of the readers, apart from agreeing with the author on the topic, threw in a new line of thought. She spoke about how most women (rather girls :-) ) change from being the ambitious type to the concern laden types who put their careers on the back burners to fulfill family needs. That seemed to strike a similar chord with my opinion too.
I have personally felt that change. There have been many instances when I have actually felt like throwing up a good job to be near my family. Recent weeks have set me thinking about the need for further education, the time involved in the whole process, the long separation it will create from my family and the overall futility of the whole process. After mulling over all this, I even came to a decision that I shall stop further work on the application process. If someone had even suggested the above points to me earlier (read pre-marriage), I would have given them a dirty stare and pointed out hundreds of flaws in their reasoning (which i did with my parents !!!).
My attituted surely seems to have changed after marriage. Is being less career driven and more drawn towards family a bad sign ? I am leaving it to the best judge to decide ------- Time.
The name reminds me of a Sanjeev Kumar movie with the song "Anamika". Lovely song.
No, let me call this -- random mutterings.
I happened to read a blog topic on "Life after marriage", penned nicely. I got the link of this blog from another blog I frequently visit. Given below are the links to the blogs.
Source blog
Blog being talked about
Note: It will be better to give a cursory glance of the blogs given above to grasp the context of my current blog.
Well when i was reading about the Life after... blog, I found one of the comments very interesting. One of the readers, apart from agreeing with the author on the topic, threw in a new line of thought. She spoke about how most women (rather girls :-) ) change from being the ambitious type to the concern laden types who put their careers on the back burners to fulfill family needs. That seemed to strike a similar chord with my opinion too.
I have personally felt that change. There have been many instances when I have actually felt like throwing up a good job to be near my family. Recent weeks have set me thinking about the need for further education, the time involved in the whole process, the long separation it will create from my family and the overall futility of the whole process. After mulling over all this, I even came to a decision that I shall stop further work on the application process. If someone had even suggested the above points to me earlier (read pre-marriage), I would have given them a dirty stare and pointed out hundreds of flaws in their reasoning (which i did with my parents !!!).
My attituted surely seems to have changed after marriage. Is being less career driven and more drawn towards family a bad sign ? I am leaving it to the best judge to decide ------- Time.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Anagrams
I was going through this
Anagram Server .
Sankha had given this anagram earlier to me:
" Go King Odolo West Ye ! "
Any guesses as to how else the above phrase can be rearranged !!
Anagram Server .
Sankha had given this anagram earlier to me:
" Go King Odolo West Ye ! "
Any guesses as to how else the above phrase can be rearranged !!
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Hyderabad blues
Don't worry, this is not going to be a review of the movie that hit the theatres in the late 90s. Rather this blog is more about the blues hyderabadis (and current residents of the city) are facing because of the traffic chaos.
Driving in hyderabad is dangerous especially on the "route" leading towards Hitech City (note the singular form of the word route). Just imagine a whole community of IT guys have to reach their destination by 9.00 a.m sorts. And what has the friendly traffic department done. No, I am not questioning and asking what they have done. On a fine sunny morning, MONDAY, they have made the entire stretch of the Hitech route ONE-WAY. Chaos, that is the only word I can use to sum up what happened on that balmy day. I developed a severe headache finding out a decent navigation route and ended up in office late (that doesn't matter) wondering what all that was about.
The evening scenario was no different. All buses, trucks, Scorpios, small cars, motorbikes, even the cyclists competing with each other to get on to the bylanes. End result, all commuters, residents staying in the peaceful bylanes of Hitech suffered and the traffic policemen suffered.
I heard from one of the traffic policemen that this was going to be a permanent traffic arrangement. By making the roads one way, how has the traffic been regulated. It has just got diverted to the parallel roads. Oh, i forgot to mention that the one way rules are imposed according to timings. 9.00 a.m to 12.00 p.m, road is one way allowing vehicles "from" Hitech towards other locations in the city and evenings, from 4.00 p.m to 9.00 p.m, vehicles from all other locations in the city can go to Hitech.
Do these rules make some sense to you ? It doesn't sound logical to me ...
--------- Thoughts penned by a vexed victim
Driving in hyderabad is dangerous especially on the "route" leading towards Hitech City (note the singular form of the word route). Just imagine a whole community of IT guys have to reach their destination by 9.00 a.m sorts. And what has the friendly traffic department done. No, I am not questioning and asking what they have done. On a fine sunny morning, MONDAY, they have made the entire stretch of the Hitech route ONE-WAY. Chaos, that is the only word I can use to sum up what happened on that balmy day. I developed a severe headache finding out a decent navigation route and ended up in office late (that doesn't matter) wondering what all that was about.
The evening scenario was no different. All buses, trucks, Scorpios, small cars, motorbikes, even the cyclists competing with each other to get on to the bylanes. End result, all commuters, residents staying in the peaceful bylanes of Hitech suffered and the traffic policemen suffered.
I heard from one of the traffic policemen that this was going to be a permanent traffic arrangement. By making the roads one way, how has the traffic been regulated. It has just got diverted to the parallel roads. Oh, i forgot to mention that the one way rules are imposed according to timings. 9.00 a.m to 12.00 p.m, road is one way allowing vehicles "from" Hitech towards other locations in the city and evenings, from 4.00 p.m to 9.00 p.m, vehicles from all other locations in the city can go to Hitech.
Do these rules make some sense to you ? It doesn't sound logical to me ...
--------- Thoughts penned by a vexed victim
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Raindrops
When I am on a philosophical note, I ponder about life and what it means to me.
Once when i was casually browsing through Reader's Digest, I glanced upon a beautiful advertisement. It was from Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and had a picture of a tree branch after a heavy rain, overladen with raindrops. One drop was just on the verge of seggregating from the branch. And a caption below read -
"That's Life"
An excellent advertisement as it conveyed lot of meaning in the allotted small space in a magazine. Some of the ad.s on the TV are also great. Just like the majority of the TV viewers, Hutch's ad. is on my top favorites list. Nice song too.."Raindrops are falling...."
I have mused too much about raindrops. Getting back to the original question of what life means to me, i m still pondering..... :-)
Once when i was casually browsing through Reader's Digest, I glanced upon a beautiful advertisement. It was from Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and had a picture of a tree branch after a heavy rain, overladen with raindrops. One drop was just on the verge of seggregating from the branch. And a caption below read -
"That's Life"
An excellent advertisement as it conveyed lot of meaning in the allotted small space in a magazine. Some of the ad.s on the TV are also great. Just like the majority of the TV viewers, Hutch's ad. is on my top favorites list. Nice song too.."Raindrops are falling...."
I have mused too much about raindrops. Getting back to the original question of what life means to me, i m still pondering..... :-)
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Untouchable
I happened to browse through the photo galleries of National Geographic. This picture captivated my attention - for obvious reasons.
A Picture says a thousand words
This was the cover story in the magazine on Untouchables in India.
Cover Story : Untouchable
I had read this entire strip in the magazine. Quite a detailed and elaborate coverage provided to one of the burning issues in india.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Purposes
After my earlier blog on Future, Blah, Blah .. i had taken some action towards achieving "it" (- "the Goal") instead of pushing it aside as just a "possible dream". Not at all a bad show for one lazy bum like me.
Well that has brought me to writing the statement of purpose essays :-) Here is where i am stuck now. If only i knew what is the purpose of my life (or should i have used "purpose in my life" ???) wouldn't I be writing / doing something better than mulling over my "probable" bright future . :-)
When it comes to expressing yourself in prose, you should be either a writer gifted with lucid thinking or a glib liar. Its a pity, I am neither. One of my friends put the same idea across to me, rather rudely. Well, he said instead of writing sob stories about how your life stinks in your blog, put in some effort to create an equally powerful SOP. On second thoughts, not a bad piece of advice but sadly it is difficult for a person like me. I have been sitting and brooding over this "Purpose" question for so long that i have become totally haphazard with my daily life.
Its true that our every action shadows a purpose but should it necessarily be a strong , logical one. How i wish, i could just say, i did some act 1 b'coz i had nothing else to do. Simple and true. But no one wants simplicity. Grandeur seems to be the rage.
Let me make a move from this purposeless chatter to the task of getting out a verbose SOP :-)
Should be ready with one sooner.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Darby and Joan
"Pop" into my inbox came this Word for the day from one of the word mailing groups - "Darby and Joan "
According to definition, it refers to a happily married old couple. The origin according to the mail had been from a poem titled
"The Joys of Love never forgot. A Song" written by Henry woodfall.
One verse in the poem reads “Old Darby, with Joan by his side, You’ve often regarded with wonder: He’s dropsical, she is sore-eyed, Yet they’re never happy asunder.”
Unlike movies like "Baghban" where the oldies romance is exaggerated to the point of irritation, this simple verse of the poem brings about the warmth of love in a much better and elegant fashion.
This reminded me of the movie "Notting Hill" .(One of my all time favorites) There is a scene where Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant jump into a park in the night and take a stroll. There they come across a bench with the following engraving:
"For June who loved this garden from Joseph who always sat beside her."
And Julia says "Some people do spend their whole lives together."
Another Darby and Joan there :-)
Btw for Notting Hill lovers like me, i found this nice website:
Memorable Quotes from Notting Hill
Hoping that i and sankha will become the Darby and Joan couple.
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Forces of Nature
National Geographic is a great magazine. I have always had special preference to this magazine. I found this nice animation clip at the magazine's website.
Forces of Nature
Each clip describes about a specific force of nature. Truly brilliant and very informative.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
WWW links
Friday, August 05, 2005
Hats off
Loyalty does earn its award ......
or should i put it as
Patience does pay
:-)
Whichever .... My company is putting me on its "loyal" bandwagon and giving me an award today.
If loyalty is to be rewarded then my parents should have been rewarded innumerable times to exemplify theirs. :-)
But let me not reduce my achievement for the day by making comparisons.
Sankha has also got his loyalty / patience award today.
Kudos to us !!!!
Accounting both of our work experience in years, we have contributed eight solid years to our company.
Now, aren't we the loyal and the patient couple. ;-)
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