If I ruled the world - II

The dimly lit yellow lamp reminds you that you are all alone in a hotel room in an indistinct town. Its around 5 am in the morning, and you know you should wake up soon to catch that train to that village with an unpronounceable name. You have a dull headache and fever and are dreading the day which stretches painfully in front of you.

The days' newspaper is pushed brusquely under your door. Weary, but determined to get up, you drag yourself out of bed and glance at it through half-opened eyes.

The enormous headlines leap back at you - http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/17/stories/2010021758220100.htm

You are jolted out of your slumber, the drudgery disappears as if by magic,

the weariness is replaced by an emotion you cant quite place...something like terrible anger.... for some reason you think it mustve been love, but its over now.......

oh if only...!!!

before you can say parasite....!!!

In the throes of democracy?

Just put down my copy of Can Asians think?.

I always thought democracy at every level is always desirable. But the author argues (and every cogently) that democracy must always be preceded by economic development. Well, he is right. For instance, no democratic Government can do what General McArthur did for Japan. Democracy here is the end, and not the means, something I had never considered....On the face of it, we now see why the Third World countries which have adopted democracy are inching along on the curve of equitable economic development but are nonetheless proud to be a democracy, which precedes all other considerations. That democracy was thrust on them in the name of  freedom of spirit to ensure that they remain backward... Any ideas? I have absolutely none...

(P.S: Only in Asia can you get away with asking Can Asians think? Try asking that of the Europe or the Americas...)

Emotional Atyachar!

I always thought it was a dumb concept because it can never catch people who are emotionally infidel...and thats the dangerous one, not physical...So the program was never anything to write home about. But please watch this clip and then this clip. 

This one couple, for reasons I cant explain really made me sad - the girl, the guy...everything is as if its been lifted out of a nightmare...just the fact that she is unable to even confront her guy rattles my every bone...no woman should allow herself to become this...or guys for that matter....maybe nature should be be kind to them and weed them out by natural selection... because its really not worth what it does to you as a person...

On and me finally floated a totally anonymous blog on Wordpress - its a literal account of all my dreams as I remember them..and I intend to keep it updated...I wish I could link it here because the comments are really amusing...but sadly, I cant.

And heres the big back...

Sorry about the distasteful title which has been borrowed from Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by the way - and thats a book everyone should read I say....wow, that rhymes...anyways, you should read the book to know what the title really means...27 is hardly an age to be world-weary no? But what else would you be, when the enormous futility of it all  is staring at you in the face???

I hate it when people make you convey bad stuff but if its anything good, they convey it themselves.. I am scared I am becoming grumpy and a complaint-box - now whens the last time we used that??But then why do I wake up everyday, ready to kill everyone? Do you just realize how much of restraint we have to exercise every damn day in so many things? I am scared of becoming fat...and I think Ive given up eating for good...I hate it when people dont take me seriously...but I refuse to give up colors and dress drab and adorn horn-rimmed glasses and start eating organic stuff and talking fluff...that also rhymes!....I refuse to talk about the weather and food, NO...try if you want and see me bite back...I hate all these sleazy men who at the tiniest chance try to flirt....!Someone told me I seem to be aging backwards...huh...if so, I think the termites ate my past ...ah thank God, I thought there'll be nothing light in this post :)...but if one more person says I should marry now because the "biological clock is ticking"....!!!

P.S: Heres advice that'll stand you in very good stead - now and always - dont be picky about clothes and food et al  - be picky only about what you feed your brain...cos thats all that counts dearie...Asleep at Heavens' Gate wouldve been a better title no? Okkkk I know!!!...just dont say it.

The "hi-fi" family

Well thats what we called ourselves in college :) And we met up over the weekend, after six long years...though the entire group was not there, it was worth every bit of the effort and planning...

You know, I always underestimated the value of girl-friends - many people have asked me why all my friends have been guys lately...this was not intentional I tell you...and I am not tomboyish or anything, quite the opposite, in fact...but somehow, most of the friends Ive made in the last 4-5 years or so have been guys....and frankly, I never made the distinction - friends were friends, be it girls or guys...and so when the SATC group came up with Let us be each others' soulmates, and the men in our lives be just guys we have have fun with, I was the one who laughed the loudest...

We were a group of five in college.. each as different as you could get...back then, we never did  any of the regular stuff like shopping or movies or eating out....in all the four years of engineering, we managed only one outing ...and you definitely wont believe me when I say that we never even gossiped! We were more into books and academics and writing papers and stuff like that...anyone would think that we had  a sub-zero fun quotient...but our room was easily one of the happiest rooms in the hostel....we were good friends to each other, friends we could depend on, friends who would be there by your side when  the chips were down...

It was like becoming friends all over again over the last two days..and boy, was it different this time !!!!  All of us stayed over at my place...and now I know what shop till you drop means :)..we bought like a million gifts for each other, tirelessly explored all the sales at shopping malls and Commercial Street..and oh!!! see this Tee I got...nice no? I TOTALLY LOVE it :)))...we ate till we could eat no more, had a tea-ball at Infinitea - all English with the baked beans and what not :), see the pic ...and we dressed up enough to make up for all the four years - I swear they made me change no less than 8 outfits yesterday :)...we even managed to catch a movie - Couples Retreat...which we highly recommend, by the way....talked for hours and hours, caught up on each others news and lives...and all of us felt the same - that the sad things in our lives magically disappeared  over the two days....I cant believe what  I nearly missed had I stayed back in Madurai when my train ticket didn't come through..and grudgingly I admit SATC may be on to something  here, even if not soulmates...

Diva, you said that having us meant having someone to lean on, even if it is for something as small as an opinion...Ive been thinking  about it...and how right you are!!

Shinu, you shouldve been there, I really have a bone to pick with you on this..

Vids, we missed you and your famous dry wit :)

Nasma & Goofy - we really should do this more often, no?

All in all, I really couldnt ask for a better group of friends...

Love you hi-fi :)
Thank you for being there!

If I ruled the world - Part I

So me decided to go on this deluded trip and pretend I am in charge of the world. To my surprise, I found that there are quite a few things I would like to change. I'll write them in parts to keep it simple.

Ive always wondered who on earth decided that for every 5 days we work, we should get 2 days off. And why do we follow it generation after generation without even thinking if it is a good idea? 

I get the logic for 24 hours in a day, we cant really help that, and even perhaps for 12 months in a year..But I dont get the 4 weeks in a month and 7 days to a week logic. Can someone tell me the reason? I recommend  that our week should have 6 days and we should have 5 weeks a month. It all works out the same. And it is neater because it fits better into the number of days in a month - because 6 * 5 = 30 days is a lot better than 7 * 4 = 28 days. Right?

Now for, every 4 days we work, we should have 2 days off. Its only common sense that we rest atleast half of the time we work. 

This way, we have 4 days * 5 weeks = 20 days a month of work.
And in the current system, we have 5 days * 4 weeks = 20 days a month of work.

Its the same see?..and definitely so if we were to argue on a minimum number of working days...and this way, our holidays are better-spaced and life will be easier....Nice na? So why dont we adopt this???

There are countries that have as little as 3 days in a week to as many as 20 days. But they are a depressingly small percentage of the world, which largely swears by the 7-day week with 5 working days and 2 holidays...well, not if I ruled :)

Man in the mirror

I really dont want to say it - but I think I am falling out of love with villages and more so, the people. See, Ive always loved field travel. Not just because its my work or because the countryside is pretty, but also because it puts things in perspective and gives me a sense of purpose. It was the one thing in my life which was steady.

Yesterday I had gone to this place called Arupukottai in Tamil Nadu - I dunno if we can find it on a map..it seemed like a hell-hole in the middle of nowhere...and for the first time ever, I felt claustrophobic.. the atmosphere was too suffocating...and I wanted to just run away from there...why?..because the people there thrived in their poverty...they were perfectly happy with living in penury....I know its a pretty harsh thing to say, but thats what it was...

They were content with working for nothing, they just shrugged and put it down to misfortune when their people died of diseases...they  were perfectly ok with the lack of amenities...spent most of their lives caste-politicking and street-fighting...and generally didnt even bother to dream of a better life...

This raises two important questions:

1. Who are we to decide what is good or bad for them? What makes us think that our lifestyle is superior? They may be happier than us, for all we know.. Why are we so hell-bent on bringing them into the "mainstream"? What gives us the right anyway, just because we have the money?

2. Arent we all like that, albeit in bigger things? For example, havent we accepted that we have to give bribes everywhere to get work done? Dont we pay fine to the traffic cop for no fault of ours? These are the things we've learnt to live with, just like them..

Lets now reverse the roles...(oh yes, we live on the "other side" most of our lives...didnt you know????)

We are all sentimental beings, are we not? Sentiments mean a lot to us, usually more than money...we see hundreds of examples of it around the world everyday...for instance, how else do we explain the most expensive naming rights of the world's tallest building being given in lieu of debt bailout???? That something symbolic is worth more than something concrete?? Seriously, how does it matter who names it what...why give a damn???? But we do!! Then arent we the same people who register absolutely no sentiment when we see that careers of  millions of people are ostensibly dedicated to making our lives better? Seriously, HOW can we sleep knowing that we are subjects of research and projects and patronages, that we are specimens, that someone in intently observing us, someone who thinks our life should be better and makes decisions to that effect? That our life is reduced to numbers and statistics and someone takes the liberty to actually  think for us??? Why have we never questioned this intrusion? Why have we never asked them what right they have?? The icing on the cake is that when we (or should I say we the people) are seen to be making mileage out of this or taking advantage of their "noble" intentions, they crib...yes, they the patrons of mankind get disillusioned and decide we dont deserve to be helped...now we dont remember asking them for help, do we?

And this goes for all of us, we are on both sides, think about it......the only difference is that we probably dont realise it when we are the subjects ...but people in the field, they do, its in their damn face and they dont care...but for all else, the oceans of sentiments come pouring in....sheesh !!! 

 Really want to write more, but whats the point???