"Mistakes happened from time to time ....it is better to be safe than sorry. Hence no apology required!"
The news of the day flashed in all the websites really stunned me.
In some ways, an apology serves to right the wrong..... It is merely an act of penitence - a regretful acknowledgement of what had happened, inbuilt with an assurance that it would not be repeated...
Whats the brouhaha on why "No sorry" all about?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Life in a Metro and Inter-cropping patterns!
Watched this movie “Life in a Metro” some time back….
Love, lies, lust – yes, that’s what the movie is all about and as clichéd as it could get in an urban milieu. At the risk of generalizing, probably that’s what urban life does to most of us – perpetuate clichés!?
A bored husband while driving his car, laments how his wife (loving wife of yesteryears) does not interest him anymore, is just so boring, and how they do nothing but argue and argue all the time. He feels, there is not even one minute of peace and happiness anymore with his wife. Hence, he (boss in the office) has an affair with a female employee, justifying the boredom and happiness aspect to himself. (“I’m not hurting her, I am only pursuing what gives me happiness! Is that really a problem to any one?”).
The female employee is none other than the best friend/ roomie of the wife’s sister, a 29 year old single, independent lady 'searching for true love' (!) and marriage (exactly in that order) in
the big, bad city of Mumbai.
Interested in the female employee is another guy – who reports to the Boss and is happy to do anything and everything to make his boss happy, so long as he gets his promotion and his pay hike. And besides working at the office, he has another occupation – giving his apartment to all the couples in office having affairs - outside their commitments/marriage.
The wife goes to visit her naani – the naani’s story is another angle with her long lost love returning to her, after ditching her to go the USA. In the course of her weekly visits to the Naani, the wife runs into a handsome theatre artist – single after a bad marriage (When asked – “so who left whom?”, he replies with a straight face, “Love left us!”)
Too confusing? Well, it was indeed perplexing and challenging to keep following up who’s sleeping with whom and their reasons for doing so.
The ending is true hindi movie style - the female employee ditches the boss and goes to the apartment guy who loves her. (Finally, he does not need to give his apartment to other couples). The husband, as his female employee has ditched him, returns back teary eyed to his wife! The naani and her long lost love enjoy some days of togetherness before one of them passes away. The sister gets married to her true love just when he is about to get married to some other girl his mom has chosen.
Is “Easy come, easy go” the name of the game, I wonder….
No, says K, and rambles on as to how adultery/infidelity – be it either in a relationship or marriage - is like intercropping in agriculture! (The practice of cultivating more than one crop in the same land area).
In a coffee plantation, coffee is the main crop, but along the sides/rows of the plantation, other crops like cardamom, orange and pepper are planted for shade purposes. They vie for the same water and sunlight with the main coffee crop and the growth between the main coffee crop and the shade crop is symbiotic. Ultimately, the coffee crop grows well due to the shade provided by the side crop and vice versa. Before we know it, the season is over.
Moral of the Story – if you want a bumper harvest of the main crop, ensure to have good supporting side crops! :)
Love, lies, lust – yes, that’s what the movie is all about and as clichéd as it could get in an urban milieu. At the risk of generalizing, probably that’s what urban life does to most of us – perpetuate clichés!?
A bored husband while driving his car, laments how his wife (loving wife of yesteryears) does not interest him anymore, is just so boring, and how they do nothing but argue and argue all the time. He feels, there is not even one minute of peace and happiness anymore with his wife. Hence, he (boss in the office) has an affair with a female employee, justifying the boredom and happiness aspect to himself. (“I’m not hurting her, I am only pursuing what gives me happiness! Is that really a problem to any one?”).
The female employee is none other than the best friend/ roomie of the wife’s sister, a 29 year old single, independent lady 'searching for true love' (!) and marriage (exactly in that order) in
the big, bad city of Mumbai.
Interested in the female employee is another guy – who reports to the Boss and is happy to do anything and everything to make his boss happy, so long as he gets his promotion and his pay hike. And besides working at the office, he has another occupation – giving his apartment to all the couples in office having affairs - outside their commitments/marriage.
The wife goes to visit her naani – the naani’s story is another angle with her long lost love returning to her, after ditching her to go the USA. In the course of her weekly visits to the Naani, the wife runs into a handsome theatre artist – single after a bad marriage (When asked – “so who left whom?”, he replies with a straight face, “Love left us!”)
Too confusing? Well, it was indeed perplexing and challenging to keep following up who’s sleeping with whom and their reasons for doing so.
The ending is true hindi movie style - the female employee ditches the boss and goes to the apartment guy who loves her. (Finally, he does not need to give his apartment to other couples). The husband, as his female employee has ditched him, returns back teary eyed to his wife! The naani and her long lost love enjoy some days of togetherness before one of them passes away. The sister gets married to her true love just when he is about to get married to some other girl his mom has chosen.
Is “Easy come, easy go” the name of the game, I wonder….
No, says K, and rambles on as to how adultery/infidelity – be it either in a relationship or marriage - is like intercropping in agriculture! (The practice of cultivating more than one crop in the same land area).
In a coffee plantation, coffee is the main crop, but along the sides/rows of the plantation, other crops like cardamom, orange and pepper are planted for shade purposes. They vie for the same water and sunlight with the main coffee crop and the growth between the main coffee crop and the shade crop is symbiotic. Ultimately, the coffee crop grows well due to the shade provided by the side crop and vice versa. Before we know it, the season is over.
Moral of the Story – if you want a bumper harvest of the main crop, ensure to have good supporting side crops! :)
Thursday, July 12, 2007
IF.....
One of my all-time anti-depressants! Very inspiring and pushing me to cross the threshold (of what - I don't know myself!)
Words and their mesmerising effect on me.......
"IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
'Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"
- Rudyard Kipling
Words and their mesmerising effect on me.......
"IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
'Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!"
- Rudyard Kipling
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Vamos RAFA, Hail FEDERER!!!!
Wimbledon 2007 has divided the planet into 2 sets of people - those who saw the gentlemen's finals and those that are going to see it (on a dvd or as a tv replay).
With Roger quickly up 3-0 in the 1st set we were wondering if we were in for a quick slam bang, thank you ma'am match.... but nope... if there is one thing the erratic english weather cant short- change u out of, its quality and class.
Rafa and Federer were at it soon enough when Rafa broke back to reel off 3 games in 8 mins and make 3-3. And following some mind boggling shot making and chasing down it was a tie breaker which Federer won, painstakingly, 9-7. Federer 1 set to love.
And from there started the see-saw battle which was studded nineteen to the dozen with all the shots in the coaching manual and those that are going to be included in it soon, thanks to these two. 1 set apiece became 2 sets apiece after Rafael Nadal answered the fans calls of 'vamos rafa' to capture the 4th set with some unimaginable passing shots and line hugging baseliners.
Experience in tennis can sometimes be ironical. Playing 5 setters in the quarters and semis doesn't give u 'experience' in the 5th set of the finals. It makes u tired!! And so after 3 hours when the spanish matador started wearing down, the reserve energy of Federer, thanks to some classy outplaying of his made-to-look-mediocre opponents in quick time, took the swiss maestro through.
The scoreline of 6-2 in the final set does not do justice to the nerve racking tension. Twice Federer was down 15-40 in the last set and managed to dig deep into his repertoire of aces to get outta jail.
Only a prized idiot with an ultra strong filtrate of stupidity in his head could have felt bad for Rafa just cos he/she was supporting the underdog. to use a cliche' it was tennis at its highest level.I propose that we introduce a new term thanks to these two artists, called 'hawkeye buster'. Boy! That was the sorta placement and depth of shots that they offered. Shots defying geometrical angles, gravity defying jumps and smashes made by men twisted like pretzels!! The phenomenal backhand smash played by Federer in the 10th game of the 3rd set at deuce proved that light may travel in straight lines but a tennis ball off his racquet need not.
At the end of the day both men won 26 games apiece over 205 minutes of pulse pounding tennis and Federer won by, not more than the proverbial nose, but nevetheless he won and Rafa lost. Rafa was gracious and humble in defeat conceding cheerfuly that the better man won and Federer outdid him again, this time in modesty, saying that he was "lucky" to have made it and wasn’t sure how much more silverware would enter his cabinet considering the leaps and bounds the 20 year old Rafa has improved.
For any tennis loving fan in their right senses its a win win situation. we get to watch many more of these 'classic encounters' and we feel like saying yet again, the oft repeated cliche'- great champions produce great rivalries!!
Two exemplary men, giving their best and more, passionate about each and every point, fighting it out… never never giving up without a fight, the never say die spirit – so important in sport and in life!
Truly embodying the spirit of life, the spirit of the game, the spirit of Wimbledon – above the Center Court’s opening doors of which are inscribed words from a Rudyard Kipling poem: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same..."
These men were just living by it.
With Roger quickly up 3-0 in the 1st set we were wondering if we were in for a quick slam bang, thank you ma'am match.... but nope... if there is one thing the erratic english weather cant short- change u out of, its quality and class.
Rafa and Federer were at it soon enough when Rafa broke back to reel off 3 games in 8 mins and make 3-3. And following some mind boggling shot making and chasing down it was a tie breaker which Federer won, painstakingly, 9-7. Federer 1 set to love.
And from there started the see-saw battle which was studded nineteen to the dozen with all the shots in the coaching manual and those that are going to be included in it soon, thanks to these two. 1 set apiece became 2 sets apiece after Rafael Nadal answered the fans calls of 'vamos rafa' to capture the 4th set with some unimaginable passing shots and line hugging baseliners.
Experience in tennis can sometimes be ironical. Playing 5 setters in the quarters and semis doesn't give u 'experience' in the 5th set of the finals. It makes u tired!! And so after 3 hours when the spanish matador started wearing down, the reserve energy of Federer, thanks to some classy outplaying of his made-to-look-mediocre opponents in quick time, took the swiss maestro through.
The scoreline of 6-2 in the final set does not do justice to the nerve racking tension. Twice Federer was down 15-40 in the last set and managed to dig deep into his repertoire of aces to get outta jail.
Only a prized idiot with an ultra strong filtrate of stupidity in his head could have felt bad for Rafa just cos he/she was supporting the underdog. to use a cliche' it was tennis at its highest level.I propose that we introduce a new term thanks to these two artists, called 'hawkeye buster'. Boy! That was the sorta placement and depth of shots that they offered. Shots defying geometrical angles, gravity defying jumps and smashes made by men twisted like pretzels!! The phenomenal backhand smash played by Federer in the 10th game of the 3rd set at deuce proved that light may travel in straight lines but a tennis ball off his racquet need not.
At the end of the day both men won 26 games apiece over 205 minutes of pulse pounding tennis and Federer won by, not more than the proverbial nose, but nevetheless he won and Rafa lost. Rafa was gracious and humble in defeat conceding cheerfuly that the better man won and Federer outdid him again, this time in modesty, saying that he was "lucky" to have made it and wasn’t sure how much more silverware would enter his cabinet considering the leaps and bounds the 20 year old Rafa has improved.
For any tennis loving fan in their right senses its a win win situation. we get to watch many more of these 'classic encounters' and we feel like saying yet again, the oft repeated cliche'- great champions produce great rivalries!!
Two exemplary men, giving their best and more, passionate about each and every point, fighting it out… never never giving up without a fight, the never say die spirit – so important in sport and in life!
Truly embodying the spirit of life, the spirit of the game, the spirit of Wimbledon – above the Center Court’s opening doors of which are inscribed words from a Rudyard Kipling poem: "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster / And treat those two impostors just the same..."
These men were just living by it.
Friday, July 06, 2007
I have every right to live my life the way I want to, to pursue my path of happiness, love and success in this world but I do not have any right to hurt others in that process.
It is a matter of choice, after all.
I choose to be...........what I am.
And the choice is exercised by being honest with myself.
Only then I can be honest with my loved ones and colleagues and others and enjoy fruitful and successful relationships with each of them - personal and professional.
“Real honesty is being honest about what your possibilities are, what your potentials are. That's where true honesty lies. It stretches us. It’s not simply admitting where we are - that’s a beginning step, it’s not the end step. So be honest about where you are but also be honest about what your possibilities are. That keeps the challenge of the path always before us.”
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
It is a matter of choice, after all.
I choose to be...........what I am.
And the choice is exercised by being honest with myself.
Only then I can be honest with my loved ones and colleagues and others and enjoy fruitful and successful relationships with each of them - personal and professional.
“Real honesty is being honest about what your possibilities are, what your potentials are. That's where true honesty lies. It stretches us. It’s not simply admitting where we are - that’s a beginning step, it’s not the end step. So be honest about where you are but also be honest about what your possibilities are. That keeps the challenge of the path always before us.”
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Thursday, July 05, 2007
TIIN
(The Iyer-Iyengar Network)
I got to thank a cousin of mine for this post. He informed me that there is this Iyer-Iyengar community on orkut and I burst out laughing when he started telling me the categories. So much so - I decided to search and read it for myself.
It was too hilarious and well, as they say, its always good to laugh at yourself!
Anyways, with due respect to the person who came with these categories, I reproduce some of my favourite ones here.
§ Is Tamil/Tanglish the language of your house?
§ Do you meet other Iyers or Iyengars, only to find you're related through your
cousin's father-in-law's brother's nephew?
§ Everytime you meet another Iyer/Iyengar of the opposite sex, are your parents
thinking "what a cultured boy/girl...marriage potential"?
§ Does your last name exceed the spaces allotted for standardized tests?
§ Does your family attach the words "di" or "da" to the end of every sentence for
added emphasis?
§ Does your family rant and rave about avviyal?
§ Did your parents emphasize the importance of "Maths" when you did your homework?
§ Do you drink Horlicks out of a tumbler?
§ Do you and your family sit around and watch Super Vivek Comedies?
There are other communities like TGLI (Tall Good Looking Iyengar) – [I wonder where he is looking though ;)
All in all, good compilation! :)
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Rain
Finally- after the dry scorching summer, the rains are here. The sky is always cloudy and heavy.. and what a cool breeze has been blowing the past couple of weeks.
It is glorious! The process of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and its return to Earth! (ok I hope I got the order right!)
The rhythmic pitter-patter of the rains, the violent gushing wind, making the trees sway to its tunes, the smell of the earth after the first rains, the crystal water drops trickling down a tree after the downpour, a dash of thunder and lightning... where do i begin and where do i end......
I wish I was a poet to write beautiful evocative stuff but alas!!! :(
My love affair with the Rains continues....
It is glorious! The process of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and its return to Earth! (ok I hope I got the order right!)
The rhythmic pitter-patter of the rains, the violent gushing wind, making the trees sway to its tunes, the smell of the earth after the first rains, the crystal water drops trickling down a tree after the downpour, a dash of thunder and lightning... where do i begin and where do i end......
I wish I was a poet to write beautiful evocative stuff but alas!!! :(
My love affair with the Rains continues....
Monday, July 02, 2007
6.30 AM at the Marina Beach in Chennai - The usual sunlit morning sky is a dull grey, full of grey clouds and an almost chill breeze blows us away in sharp contrast to the usually sweaty and hot mornings.
The waves of Marina (Bay of Bengal) are mostly gentle and welcoming... alluring you to step into the waters..
Today is a different picture.The waves seem ferocious - as if in a belligerent mood!
Humming the tamil song "aasaiye alai pole... naamellam athen melle...", we leave.
The waves of Marina (Bay of Bengal) are mostly gentle and welcoming... alluring you to step into the waters..
Today is a different picture.The waves seem ferocious - as if in a belligerent mood!
Humming the tamil song "aasaiye alai pole... naamellam athen melle...", we leave.
So what if its a Monday? or Sunday?
My favourite day of the week : Sunday.
Yes, I just love the day! It's my day! I am free to do whatever I want to do and that would typically start off with my waking up not earlier than 10 AM - with a sense of euphoria and excitement, not to mention laziness in extra degrees. :)
As the day draws out, the euphoria transforms itself to despair and frustration..."Gosh! My sunday is almost over and tomorrow's monday- another gruelling 5-5.5 days to go"
There is this friend I have been chatting with every sunday evening last few weeks.. and everytime we call/chat, with a sense of what I like to call 'urgent purpose', she asks me, " Can you give me a good reason why I should not go to office tomorrow?"
"Why, what happened ?", I enquire and the reply is predictably the same - "Come on, Tomorrow's a Monday!!"
So how do we beat the monday morning blues?
My grandmom has an interesting counter to this - So what if it's a Sunday??
Yes, I just love the day! It's my day! I am free to do whatever I want to do and that would typically start off with my waking up not earlier than 10 AM - with a sense of euphoria and excitement, not to mention laziness in extra degrees. :)
As the day draws out, the euphoria transforms itself to despair and frustration..."Gosh! My sunday is almost over and tomorrow's monday- another gruelling 5-5.5 days to go"
There is this friend I have been chatting with every sunday evening last few weeks.. and everytime we call/chat, with a sense of what I like to call 'urgent purpose', she asks me, " Can you give me a good reason why I should not go to office tomorrow?"
"Why, what happened ?", I enquire and the reply is predictably the same - "Come on, Tomorrow's a Monday!!"
So how do we beat the monday morning blues?
My grandmom has an interesting counter to this - So what if it's a Sunday??
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