KISS Life- Keep It Simple, Stupid

Before reading the post, I would like you to read this Joke:
http://www.funtoosh.com/jokes/personality/1224

In this day, where is a time to sit back, relax, reflect, retrospect and enjoy the endangered phenomenon- Solitude.

Why is it that we always equate a good day to be a busy day?
Why do we equate a hectic life to be a good life?

By being busy what are we achieving? What are we trying to prove to ourselves or others? All we are achieving is losing touch with ourselves, losing touch with our friends, having no time for friend, family or foe.

The first thing in the morning you leave home, and get back in the evening, get holed up in your room for studies or for some work, shutting out all connections and preparing for another similar day.

Why don't we KISS life? Why don't we enjoy a simple day, where you do your work, relax, talk with others and go to sleep with nothing but a smile on your face?
Why can't all of us live life such that at the end we can say like Don Corleone(the Godfather) "Life is Good"

For me, Life is just 3 things: Peace, Purpose and Love.
To have a purpose in life is one of the requirements to live. Without purpose you’re just a shell without life in it.
Love: It is a feeling that is strengthened with time, made sweeter with the sweet memories of life and is everlasting.
If you have the above two, i guarantee you that you will have peace with life.

As a child we had a carefree day, we played, laughed, loved and in general life was simple.

As an elder, we sit back, relax, retrospect, love and in general life is simple again.

Then why is it that in the middle of this, we get so off the track and lose our happiness, peace and power to love to something called "A Busy Life"? Why are we always battling with Time? At what stage did we forget the KISS life and started this Busy Life?

Traditions: The Lost Meanings

We Indians have always been proud of our culture and traditions. We think that following our 5000 years old traditions shows that we are a civilized, developed and culturally rich race. But have we ever wondered why these traditions were made in the first place? What I mean is that there should have been some reason why something was done or followed even in the ancient ages. Common sense demands that. Those things and rituals that were a part of the life of the ancients are now what we call as traditions. Therefore a term "New Tradition" is a huge OXYMORON. 

I was pondering over it for a while. In case you do not know me, I am a person who doesn't take anything on the face value. Especially when it comes to traditions, customs, rituals and ceremonies. I do not follow the rituals and traditions without knowing why we are doing it in the first place. Let me give you some examples:

1) The tradition of Karwa Chauth: where a wife ( or a would-be-wife) keeps a fast for long life of her husband and doesn't eat anything all day. I asked my mom, why do you do it? and she explained to me the story behind it and how it all got started etc. I said "Yeah am aware of that. But don't you think that this ritual is a bit outdated? I mean... in ancient days Men were the only working people in a home and women used to stay at home and their well being depended on their husband's health and life. So , in that context having a fast and praying for a long life was valid." 

But in this modern day where the gender distinction is dissolving and men are no longer the sole income earner of the house, why is it that the ladies alone observe the fast, shouldnt the men too observe one for their wives? (Maybe not for their long life :P) but maybe as a symbol of Love and Respect for them? 

It so happened that there was a fast that my Mom kept for me. Presumably for my well-being and happiness. That day I too kept a fast for my Mom and we both broke the fast together. :)

To me the reason behind the tradition matters as much as the ritual. I wont do anything unless I know the significance of it. But it is now dawning on me that most people have forgot what these traditions were all about and just do it because "Its Tradition".

2) Another example, speaking of fasts, in the Hindu Calendar, there are some marked dates on which some fasts are to be kept( Don't ask me the dates or the reason, I do not know). These fasts were meant to be kept for some reason. Overtly, it was for well-being of loved ones or some Goddess, or for some ritual. But if you think about it, keeping fast is a good way to Detoxify your body and in general maintain good health. By not eating anything solid, or only taking liquid stuff and fruits etc, the body was purified and thus this resulted in well being of the person itself.

This knowledge really makes one see the traditions in a new light. Many of the traditions that are followed all around the world have been scientifically proven to increase the well-being of a person in some way. But most of them were encapsulated as a ritual to God so that at least the Fear Of Divine Wrath will help keep the people in check and observe such rituals. 

Another example:

3) The upcoming festival of Divali: Now there is a tradition that on Divali, some item of gold, silver or anything worthy of mention needs to be brought into the house( The day of Dhanteras). If you ponder over it you would realize that doing so made the family financial safe with the gold and silver acting as a safety guard in tough times. Maybe it was also a way to save for the marriages and other occasions when such items are exchanged. By wrapping this as a ritual , the ancients ensured that the people were financially secure and saved some for a rainy day.

I could go on and on about the rituals... and DONT get me started on the rituals in Marriage. They are so many and so diverse in reasons that I could write on and on about it.

Well I think I will end this post here....

The idea that I wanted to present here is that:

Traditions, Cultures, Rituals, Festivals are all good as a Society. But we should know why we are doing them. Just because it has been so for 5000 years doesn't mean it is correct. Always remember, Traditions were not always traditions. They were a way of life. Only the passage of time has made them the much beloved Traditions of our Culture. Let us not lose the meaning behind the traditions, others we are no more than blind ants following a blind leader.

Signing off for now. Adieu, Ciao, Bye, Au Revoir, Sayonara, Alvida.

Rohit 

Wine and Cheese Evening

It was nice. It was different. It was good. Say Cheese :D

Being a student of French and not having a passion for wine tasting and cheese is like owning a car and not knowing about the engine or wheels.

So when I got wind of the wine and cheese evening at Rhapsody, Courtyard Marriott I eagerly awaited the evening. And it wasn't a let down at all. It was actually a great evening. 

Now, this being my first such formal social evening event I do not have a frame of reference but anyway let me write what I think about it.

Lets start with the ambiance. Rhapsody is basically a bar and pub so you have muted lightings ,leather chairs, polished tables, smart waiters, background music that wasn't very intrusive and all the things you may want. I didn't find any problem with it.

Next, the event: I don't have any negative points about it. The event was well organized (although it started late). Wine and cheese evenings are a new culture Alliance Francaise of Madras is trying to start in Chennai. This event was part of a series of events hosted by AF as part of its Club Degustation events. The cheese were organised by Daniel Dubosclard, the owner of La Fromagerie from Bangalore. The wine was sponsored by Four Seasons by UB Spirits. These wines are new additions to the porfolio of UB and it was like a promotional campaign by them. There were 5 kinds of cheese Brie de Brie, Fourme d'Ambert, Buche de chevre, Morbier and Cantal. As for the wine there was a selection of 5 wines, 3 white wines and 2 red wines(Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Blush Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz). The people at the party were mostly foreigners and they talked in fluent french :( 

The cheese: Now I do not know the C of Cheese but I can tell you one thing. If you have grown up on only processed cheese (Amul, Britannia etc) your in for a big and surprise treat. When I tasted the cheese I could really see the difference between what Indians call Cheese and what cheese can actually be. From the subtlest flavour to the most prominent and aggressive ones.

the wines also have distinct taste. From sweet tasting Blush Red to the strong Souvignon Blanc. But then you need to acquire a taste for the wines so I couldnt really understand the good from the bad.

On the whole it was a good evening, a new experience for me and it was something to remember.

Au revoir :) A bientot.

Friendship

I STOOD WITH TRUTH

BUT NOT JUSTICE

I STOOD WITH A LIE

THEN IS IT JUSTICE?

I WANTED WHITE

BUT GOT BLACK

MURPHY’S LAW IS

STILL INTACT

 

KEEP FRIENDS CLOSE BUT ENEMIES CLOSER

YOU MAY BE STABBED WHEN U DOZE OFF

 

LIFE LONG BOND WAS NOT IN MY MIND

IT WAS JUST A WISH I HAD TO BIND

ALL I GOT WAS LIES AND PAIN

YEARS FRIENDSHIP DOWN THE DRAIN

 

TRUST IS LIKE A HOUSE OF CARDS

BE THE FORCE LIGHT OR HARD

A BRUSH OF WIND CAN TEAR IT APART

NOT TO MENTION HOW HARD IT IS TO START

 

 

 

IT IS TRUE OR IS IT?

PEOPLE ARE AS PEOPLE DO IT

DO OTHERS CARE ABOUT OTHERS A BIT

AND IS FRIENDSHIP JUST A PACK OF SHIT?

 

BEING EXASPERATED IS NOTHING NEW FOR ME

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHETHER ITS FOUR OR THREE

EVEN TWO WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR ME

NOW ITS ONLY YOU AND ME

 

I TOOK A CHANCE

SEE WHAT HAPPENED

MY HEART WAS BROKEN

AND MY SPIRIT DAMPENED

 

IT TAKES A WHILE TO ACCEPT SOMETHINGS

IT TAKES A WHILE TO BELIEVE SOMETHINGS

IT TAKES A WHILE TO FORGET SOMETHINGS

BUT IT TAKES A LIFE TO UNDERSTAND SOMEONE

 

IS THIS LIFE OR IS IT?

ITS DEFINATELY NOT A BED OF ROSES

ITS DEFINITELY NOT AS BAD AS SAID

ITS DEFINITELY NOT AS GOOD AS MADE

Dan Brown-The Lost Symbol- my Review

Now this was one book I had been eagerly been waiting for. I had even visited his website and played the pre-release game and won the prize which was a message from Dan Brown saying that if I was able to decipher the code in the cover page and send it to him, he will send me a signed copy of the book. This was applicable on the first 33 people. 

So I eagerly went to Landmark, purchased the book at the discounted prize which ironically still was expensive(Rs 599) only to realize that there was no code in the front cover.

Only then did I realize that as with the HP 7 book, the actual cover was not published in India and it was an Indian cover altogether. So much for my hopes of cracking the code.

Coming to the book itself, It is written in classical Dan brown style with lots of fact and fiction mixed together in such a way that you wont know where one ends and another begins. You see things you do and see in a entirely different perspective. It makes you wonder what had made you so blind so as not to see all that. It arouses you imagination, challenges you existing beliefs and makes you aware there is something more to things that what you see.

Overall the book is a good read. But I did not find it worth the exorbitant amount I paid to have it or the hours of study time I wasted to read it.  

You may ask Why? ...

Well first of all, the story has nothing new to offer in term on a baseline.

As a engineer I would say Dan Brown has created a Class of story and all his novels are Objects of this same class. 

As a cook I might say, he has used the same old recipe again and again.

As a fan I would say "Dude, don't you get tired of writing the same old shit"

1 ) Same plot as used in Da vinci and A&D. One hero...(no prizes there... its Robert again still doing 50 laps in the pool). 

2 ) Same concept of signs hidden in buildings. ( London and Paris, Rome etc) This time its W D.C.

3 )Secret cult/brotherhood(Illuminati, Priori of Sion, etc) protecting ancient secrets that have the potential to change world.

4 )Advancement in Science that opposes the ideas of the secret.(actually here it was collaborating with that of the ancients.)

5 )One evil demonic figure(Silas et all) hell bent on bringing the secret in the open.

6 )One map(The path of Illumination, The Cryptex, The single digit code et all) that tries and tests whether you deserve to know the secret or not

7 ) The map this time is not very long and it has very things to offer. Not much for cryptographers mind here. 

8 ) Misunderstanding between Langdon and Government officials. Langdon escaping, chased by police.

and everything in between. Ppl getting killed. blasts, etc. 

The only thing that changes is the way the signs are decoded and the underlying history behind it. The etymology of frequently used words and why we use certain phrases (I found the one about giving the 3rd degree a good one).

Overall I think it was a big let down after months of anticipation and waiting. 

Overall: Typical Dan Brown but fast getting boring. I swear if I get the same plot next time,I'm throwing the book out of the window with its price label still attached.

Originality of Story: 2

Facts and information:  10

Suspense and Thriller: 8 (yes it has its good edges and U turns)

Price: 6 (you really should wait for the paperback cheaper ones)

The Real You

This article may seem like crap to some and some might just curse me for wasting their time. But anyway here it is...

One day someone asked me: " Tell me who you really are". And what was I supposed to say?

Before you read this article I would like if you would read this one first:

http://oceanika-oceantalks.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-plum-ever.html

And then......

Philosophers say :"Each person is unique"         

Science says:" All person are 99% same and 1% different".

But take a look at the following pics and then truthfully answer me: Are you one person? Can you honestly say you behave the same way all the time with everyone?

In the short span of my life ( am 21 FYI)... I have met many people but if you ask me how many people I have met I would say "Uncountable" . 

Why? Because each person is a melange of many faces and personalities , all hidden one behind the other or which surfaces at different time in different places. No I'm not talking about Multiple Personality Disorder(MPD) but about how the same people behave differently at different times.

Consider my own example..

Previously, I used to behave differently in college and at home. I was extrovert at times and introvert at times. Why you may ask? The answer is somewhat the one written in the blog mentioned above... that is :

We try to be what others want us to be.

We wear a mask ,a false face, a substitute face over our real self so that we may "fit in" with the other people around us. 

We wear faces and change faces just like an actor in a play where there are a lot of roles but fewer actors. He has to juggle a lot of personalities and faces simultaneous taking care never to switch one for the other.

We for the most part are all such actors in life. We wear a smiling face with one person, a loving with another, a hateful with third, a pitiful with fourth, an angry with 5th, an aloof one with 6th, a stranger with a 7th and the list goes on.

Why cannot we be ourselves? But then "Who are we really?"

Acting as we have for a long time, we forget who we really are. We create the strings of parallel lives within ourselves and then we get entangles in them ourselves. Like a quagmire you yourself created and then got stuck in it yourself. And most of the time we cannot get ourselves out of it all.

Most of the time, the cause for such faces is not oneself but the people with whom one associates himself. By taking note of what people say about a person, the person starts to believe in it himself. Something like "if you call a donkey a goat 1000 times he will believe he is a goat". Tell a person a 1000 times " this is the truth. It should be like this" and he will throw away his ideas and accept that as the truth.

I have met people whom I think are good at heart, but was surprised to see the dark side of theirs when the situation arose. I want to say I have made many friends but truth be  told I have simply made a lot of "acquaintance" ... why? you may ask....

because when you say " He/she is my friend" you mean that you understand the person for who he/she really is. The best example of friendship I can give you is of the series called F.R.I.E.N.D.S on star world

But what I have experienced is nothing but bits and pieces of faces and personalities people keep in front while hiding behind the mask. It has given me some rude shocks and some of my friends have had a similar experience with me too.

The point I am trying to make is... People see us as one. Then why is it that we have so many faces?

Performance Vs Progress

Everyone of us has read the story about the hare and the tortoise and concluded that "Slow and Steady wins the race" 

I read a poster posted outside one of my professor's door and its idea and meaning is what I am essaying to reproduce here.

There are several questions that we can ask in the story.

1) What if the hare hadn't slept? 

            Would he have won the race and we would have a new moral called " Run as fast as you can,don't look back and you will surely win" ?

2) What if the tortoise on seeing the sleeping hare had woken him up and said " hey, we are in a race. how can you be sleeping?" 

           This would still ended in the hare winning the race maybe. But there is a world of a difference in the above 2 ways.

One makes you achieve Performance. The other makes you achieve Progress. 

In the current world, the hectic life that we are all subject to is nothing but the fruition of our being focused on performance rather than progress. In performance, you alone move forward leaving others behind. Therefore you can run faster and go a longer way. But then what? you wait for others to catch up?or you again start running even further ahead? 

Does performance really matter in the world? I have heard a lot of people saying "Dont stop running else the tide will overtake you". But how long do you run? Forever? You live your life       "on the run" metaphorically?I ask you a simple question.....

With whom would you enjoy your performance if you consider everyone else a competition?

--------------------------------

What would you say if the hare takes the tortoise on his back and both finish ?

Progress is moving forward as a whole team/group/society or even nation as a whole. Where we involve others in our working and strive together to achieve the cliched "Tryst with Destiny". Where one complements the other and pulls everyone else along so that the progress may be slow , but is much more sweet, steady and in general, a progress in the real sense. You may perform all your life, but can you call that progress?

What is the use of a society which doesn't progress?

"That which doesn't change, doesn't grow. That which doesn't grow, dies"

Thus, I would like to wind up by saying that, do perform, but don't forget to progress also.

Adieu. hasta luego.