Indrobot_18082009.txt.log

People complain/ joke about the sparse number of posts I write about myself. The problem is I can’t write about stuffs which generally most people do. Everyone is bugged with his work, every one looks forward to Fridays and everyone loves The Hard Rock Café. The point is why anyone would want to read about some thing they themselves do and may be do more than me and hence my reluctance to talk about myself.

Anyways I certainly have some new stuffs happening in my life. I have been staying alone for the first time. Surprisingly, I have been managing decently. Ok it’s a little tough sometimes. Prioritizing things was a bit confusing in the beginning. I got myself a “new” second hand bike and an internet connection before getting a proper drinking water supply. But then surviving can always wait but the latest “Weeds” episode cant. Also about to start volunteering for Rangashankara for a theatre festival they are organizing. Let’s see what sort of experience I can get out of it but I guess what ever it is, it will be more fun than the 9 to 6 job. More update on it in later posts.

Clint's Torino...

Just finished seeing Gran Torino by Clint Eastwood and it was great. The story of a hardass Korean war veteran mentoring and protecting Hmong family next door has Clint's signture all over it. The movie and any of his movies will make you realize that when it comes to good movies the only things matter is a amazing story and a breath taking performance. Its amazingly subtle. Its hardly ever about any incident but always about relationships. Relationships you wont find everyday, everywhere but is more fulfilling and can altersomeone's whole life.

Through the movie one wonders why its called "Gran Turino" named after the 1972 car that Clint owns in the move and treats like a old war friend. But everything falls into place as he sings,

"Gentle now, the tender breeze blows.

Whispers through my Gran Torino.

Whistling another tired song.

Engine humms and bitter dreams grow.

Heart locked in a Gran Torino.

It beats a lonely rhythm all night long"

Just another day in Myanmar...

So the world’s favorite pro-democratic fighter “Aung San Suu Kyi” has been put in another 18 months of house arrest. It hardly surprised anyone who is familiar with the Junta’s long and murky record of suppressing the democratic leader’s activities. What is even less surprising is the usual condemnation of the judgment by countries asking for more sanctions, etc. It’s more of a ritual than an effective measure. But what’s surprising is the lack of any retaliation from the people of Myanmar itself. It seems that they are hardly bothered about it and most of the media hype is just a propaganda created by other nations. Or it might be possible that the Junta’s reputation of brutality got the better of them and they decided to stay back. In any case, they don’t have the will to fight and thus don’t deserve and won’t get the freedom they seem to be dreaming of. A people’s revolution can never be underestimated no matter how tough the ruler may be. But it has to be led by the people not by foreign governments. Right now Myanmar doesn’t seem to be in any mood for change.

Meanwhile I wonder who’s more interested in bringing democracy to the country, nations who are finding it hard to lose out on the trading opportunities or Myanmar’s people who have got used to the state they are being forced to live in.

Hardest Changes…

“The hardest changes are always for good”, so one said. But that’s the last thing we care for, do we? It hurts and it hurts bad! These changes always involve a new way of life with no guarantee of being better. They always start with no one smiling back at us when we look over our shoulder every now and then. And it gets even worse when part of us says “Hey I didn’t ask for any of this”. But then the “rule book” doesn’t say anything about spreading out a menu of paths we can choose from. We just got to play along.

Even after we get through the change and reach the “good” part of the first line, I am sure there will be tinge of doubt asking the question “Was the entire price paid was worth it at all?”

There I go again..

Was on my long way down,
In the stuffy & sweating elevator.
The door slid again gallingly,
And she beheld my eyes.

White shirt, denim skirt
And brown streaked tresses,
The charm of her fragrance
Could dent even a queen’s allure.

As she stood there staring
At the ever sliding numbers.
I looked for an alibi to talk
How I wished the lift had got stuck.

But our trip ended like any other
And she just walked away.
I wonder was that love. Damn!
There I go again……..

Can you read the line???

That’s what was asked to me the nth time by two different opticians in one week. I don’t remember ticking off any member of the Optician’s Union. Yet they seemed to be hell bent to make me miserable. I have been made to change my glasses TWICE in a week and yet the optician has failed to provide me with glasses with correct specification. Now, having headaches all day and seeing stars instead of pretty ladies pass by has become part of my usual day. A weekend visit to the optician earns me the assurance that “the glasses they have provided are fine”. That actually is a subtle way of them saying, “The damage is done. I can’t admit the mistake as I might get into trouble. No free replacement for you. Adjust Madi.”

Anyways, after two days somehow my eyes have learnt to decode the stars and ignore the headaches. But a word of advice, “Always get your eyes checked by a reputed guy and make sure that you are careful to leave nothing to be read between the lines.”

Circle the cat!!!

Recently, I got a link of this fun game from a friend. Try it out when bored (when you have to sit in your workstation with nothing to do.)

Cribbers over Career..

Most folks around me (and others also I believe) bleat a lot about how their work is making their life miserable. They just love to create the illusion that it’s their “villainous firm” who’s responsible for the sad work they do. But most of the time they fail to ask a very fundamental question to themselves “Do I have the ability to do a “better” work in a “better place”?”

If your answer for the question is YES then LEAVE!!!! No matter what they say about “how critical a resource you are”, just leave. The corporations are big enough to forget you the minute you leave their gates. They all lie. They don’t really care.

If your answer for the question is NO then its time to realize the fact, “Just because you got a puffed up ego doesn’t mean you deserve something better.” You deserve to be here for your past failures and you will be here unless you do something about it. So stop whining and better use the time to be capable enough to something better that you can also enjoy. I see people realize the hard fact and then work to change it and the satisfaction on their face while leaving for other places is too good.

Trust me!! It’s always better to have the choice of leaving than the realization of the fact that you are doomed to be somewhere you believe you should not belong.

Motivated??

Motivation is a funny thing. Once you start something new it’s brimming out of the pot. Wait for a moment and “POOF” it vanishes leaving behind fading smudges of alibis. The problem is not with finding motivation. It is readily available in every other roadside shop. The problem is finding motivation which sustains itself till the target is achieved.

Motivation is hugely influenced by the reasons behind our aspirations. One can’t be Chopin if he plays the piano for a “standing ovation”. To have the motivation to go ahead and be a pianist as great as Chopin one needs to be as passionate about the piano as he was. When one takes a lesson his dream should be of playing the piano alone for hours just to himself. The motivation from the desire to master every stage of learning sustains till the end. Learning the piano for any other motives will lead to the futile attempt to speed up to the end which will lead to the disappearance of the motivation. If one is passionate about what he does, then finding motivation will never be an issue.

So think before you do something just for the sake of applauses. I am sure there are quite a few things which you will actually enjoy doing and also fetch you approval from others.

Bugs and pleasures...

Nothing, I mean absolutely nothing can be compared to the ecstatic pleasure one gets after finishing an exceptionally difficult task. Particularly those, for whom all the usual solutions don’t seem to work and you have to “push the limit of your proficiency really far” as the usual jargon goes.
It always starts with a request to resolve a very weird “never heard” bug. The first few minutes go by pondering over the question, “Why me??” Then few hours goes trying to make sense out of it. After which one starts a hopeful search for solutions from his “more enlightened” peers. Sometimes this tactic leads to wasting more time but there’s no harm in being a bit optimistic and lazy, is there?? Then, starts the grueling part of actually trying to figuring it out ourselves. The usual fun filled days get filled with innumerable googling, reading up on obscure concepts, rants from one’s boss and meeting dead ends in what seemed to be the most feasible(and brilliant) ideas. After days of dragging it around all avenues, shows up the shy glint of the most apparent solution. Anticipation and fear fill the bay (figuratively) as one tries it and hits the return key the final time.

Thundering Typhoons! It works!! That’s when the pure pleasure of victory and realization of the fact that one is not yet completely worthless rushes in. While others around give a cynical “So what, doofus!” look one just stares at the screen for a whole bunch of minutes. Seriously, nothing compares to it.