At the end of a long binge-watching session late in the night when all in the family were waiting to hit the bed, the mother spilt some water on the floor and asked son2 to help with cleaning up the mess. She had to insist twice, seeing some reluctance to comply.
Overheard this conversation between the sons when they thought they were beyond our earshot -
Son2 (aged about 9 in a low sad voice): When WE make a mess we have clear it up ! When THEY make a mess also we have to clear it up!
Son1 (aged 11, getting started on pre-teen angst) : Oh yeah! I know rite?
Son2: I have been thinking about this for years!
I saw a lady employee pick flowers in the landscaped footpath on the way to office in the morning, presumably to adorn her hair, and I was thinking of arguments in a self-righteous tone on "how its not appropriate to pluck flowers in public places".
Thats when this lyric by Vairamuthu came to my mind -
Pudhu Vellai Mazhai song- from the movie Roja. The duet has blue-highlighted lines by the male singer, and white lines by female singer.
So do all flowers bloom and is most poetry ever written - for the same reason?
How does one continue with the SLR photography habit in the age of fantastic mobile cameras?
By personification of the gadget like a family member or a pet.
As his parent, it's my responsibility to feed him regularly, and take him for walks. Else, I can sense that he endures starvation silently, sadly locked away in a claustrophobic camera bag, left to dry alone (due to silica gel).
He lives with us, sipping on battery juice and loves to travels with us. He has a ravenous appetite for viewing beautiful scenes, landscapes, flora, fauna and of course loves watching people. He needs to be carried around to nooks and corners and held in awkward poses for his regular exercise. And when he is well fed and moved around, he produces lovely photographs in return.
Its so similar to water, but its anything but.
The first time most people hear about such a compound is when their ear wax hardens.
You can actually hear H2O2 'wax lyrical' inside your ear!
Two nature-lovers debating faith:
Believer: The ungraspably infinite beauty of the universe makes me wonder, it can't be "just nature"!
Rationalist: That it is "just nature" makes the universe ungraspably, infinitely beautiful for me.
When the poorer man goes to a shop of luxuries he has to be choosy, to be able to fit his budget.
When the rich man goes to the same shop he has to be choosy, to not clutter his elegant home.
Grass being greener on the other side is not just an adage. I just found that even weeds that grow untended and unnoticed looks interesting and beautiful in a new place.
After a rather heavy lunch I resolved to forget about dinner, and around dinner time, I forgot what I had for lunch!
It is amazing how the internet can be life changing, money saving, time saving and still make you feel like an idiot at the same time.
I came across a well marketed super-fast language learning scheme called the Pimsleur approach at a low price and which seemed to make compete sense, from an ad placed in some website. I usually ignore most ads, but this one was hard to miss, and listened through their entire presentation.
Just before I almost purchased it online, I decided to read more reviews, which turned out to discourage me because of the hidden costs and ineffectiveness beyond a basic level and how its almost a scam. But they were also advertising alternative products.
By this time I basically lost interest in the whole thing, again realising the simple notion that there are no free lunches and no shortcuts to acquiring a real skill.
Will to work + Enthusiasm = Hard work
Will to work + Intelligence = Good work
Wish to work + Intelligence + Laziness = Smart work!
My mobile's keypad has twin features of auto-correct and auto-corrupt. Nobody can control which gets enabled though!
Humans, with their fickle minds, fragile lives, finite abilities and fading resolves, can never be fully trusted to keep a promise.
Promises are like words written in sand in a beach - only the lucky ones survive the test of time.
How often we just assume longevity of ourselves or dear ones, and hesitate to express feelings, delay cherished experiences, hold back love that we are really capable of giving?
Life is much more fragile than how we like to think it is.
Don't wait to - love.
Reading news and analysis is like a mystery novel, a work in progress. The social, political, economic news is like the sentiment, strategic plot twists and money-issues in the story, the story of our lives. The unpredictabilty of future events is the suspense. Grab that paper!
After more than 4 years in matrimony, I was asked for some advice to a newly wedded couple:
"Any advice I may give now is utterly useless. Most important lessons are learnt on-the-job!"
A calf or a little pony,
which is more lovely?
The family or just me,
for a long journey?
Cool shade or clear water,
for a desert wanderer?
Sunshine or mild showers,
in a garden for lovers?
A smile or an easy joke,
to please a lonely bloke?
Lightning or thunder,
what would excite more?
Some music or wine,
In an evening so fine?
A girl or a boy,
How do I choose mine?
What if our lives were really like one huge Truman show?
Where God is the producer and the universe is the grand set ?
Where all of us play our parts without even knowing we are actors?
And things go awry only when we become unpredictable or the studio equipment fails?
Forever curious to learn simple recipies from his mom, competing to try cross-stich from his sister , he wondered why should the girls have a few skills of their own, which no boy tries to learn. Why do the boys and men conveniently avoid learning some very interesting things,
labelling them as 'Pombalainga samaachaaram"(Ladies stuff) ?
With these thoughts, he sat with his paternal grandmother to learn a quintessential Indian-Ladies'art of drawing 'Kolam' - intricate geometric patterns with dotted references and connecting lines, forming a beautiful design, usually adorning the floor near the entrance of a
typical Indian home. Before he could run away to play cricket with his gang of friends, his 'Nainamma' taught him amongst others, a very simple but elegant Kolam called the Idhayakkamalam (Lotus of Hearts), and told him in a rather serious tone that its important that this auspicious kolam, which had the power to bring prosperity to a household, should not be
stepped on when its on the floor.
Years passed, and so did stages of life. We had just moved in to an apartment in a high floor, with easy view of the open skies. When my wife declared that she is going to try drawing a kolam with rice-dough on occasion of Karthikai Deepam, I volunteered to enrich her knowledge of kolams :-)
Today, an almost perfect (!) Idhayakkamalam can be found at the entrance of my apartment.
A family tradition that was 'ladies stuff', got passed on to Gen-Next by once-a-little-boy.
I snapped pics as my wife created it, and skipped over the kolam to avoid smudging it.
And Mrs.Varadhambal Rajabather smiled from above, seeing her lovely old kolam yet again !
He pushed towards me a small unassuming pocket sized Little Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus * Wordpower guide lying on his desk and told me - "Advertise this ! Gimme a caption. "
It took me by surprise, and I thought for a minute..
"No Iphone would give you the joy of flipping over the pages to find the
meaning of 'life'.
He smiled.
30 seconds later..
"Works even in dimly lit conditions without ever needing a battery"
His look told me that if he had owned an advertising agency, I would have stood a good chance !
அன்ன சத்திரம் ஆயிரம் வைத்தல்
ஆலயம்பதி னாயிரம் நாட்டல்,
பின்ன ருள்ள தருமங்கள் யாவும்
பெயர்வி ளங்கி யொளிர நிறுத்தல்
அன்ன யாவினும் புண்ணியம் கோடி
ஆங்கோர் ஏழைக் கெழுத்தறி வித்தல்.
- பாரதி
---------------------------
One could build a thousand centres to feed
Carry out many more honourable deeds
Consecrate a million temples to as many gods
And uphold charity with all that he has got.
But what could be nobler than sowing the seed
of Education, for those who are in need ?
-Bharathiyaar
Please visit for more info
http://sites.google.com/site/ezhutheni/
After watching about 80% of the movie I began to realise that I might have seen bit and parts of this movie maybe a year ago. And when the movie was about to end, I realised that I have already seen the whole movie , but I still could not remember the next scene. That alone makes this movie unique - The memories of good movies are etched in our minds, while we love to forget the deplorable ones. But this movie was not too bad , yet it was impossible to remember the scenes and storyine because it feels like you saw this movie in some past life.
This post is primarily to remind myself that I have watched the film and even commented on it - just in case I were to write another review after watching the same movie another time in the not too distant future !
Given the colossal misunderstanding between people, cultures, religions and linguistic groups we rather focus on understanding human talk than alien talk !
Ni hao ma?
I have just decided to send you this mail with the foolish optimism, that the favours will be returned. I kinda know that you are equally jobless, but pretending to be having the busiest time of your life on the eve of a long weekend.
So, you know what to do... just reply to this mail with some of your useless comments or suggestions and 'unhesitating' feedback to give me the temporary gratification of being important , busy and 'in the loop'.
Been reading too much Dilbert,
Arun
p.s: you may also choose to call me to a well deserved tea-break.
A year later-
Everyday you are my 'Life's Essentials'
- I will go crazy without you
I had marked 'Earth Hour' in my calender alarm, and planned to switch off not just the lights but the mains switch to maximise the power shutoff . Despite dangers of stuff ending up rotting in my fridge, I hoped the insulation would help for atleast an hour.
And what happened ?
Went outside to a visit to the temple at 7pm, almost forgot all about it till the alarm sounded near the altar. I felt rather glad that we had remembered to switch off all the lights before we left home, so we were actually celebrating 'Earth Hour' in absentia..
Visited a friends place, then had dinner in a restaurant, celebrated the good news of my sister's birth to a baby boy, returned home tired, slept fitfully, and woke up next morning -
-- to find that the adjacent room was unusually warm- I had forgotten to switch off the electric iron after using it the previous evening !!
A misstep of one man's stupidity,
But a giant leap for humanity !
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"Love Nature. . . Hate Paper"
The world did not come to an end with Y2K problem after all.
Computers and 'devices' talk to each other over networks more than humans do in person.
The most unreal things happen in 'reality' shows.
There is always some war or conflict in some part of the world in the newspaper.
Some crops managed to reach fuel tanks instead of hungry stomachs, in the form of biodiesel.
People go without a purse, but cannot go without a cell phone.
After laughing at the queer costumes from your dad's school photos, you find that it is fashionable again.
Camera tricks and sets are replaced by Computer graphics and animation in blockbuster movies.
Being 'Online' refers to internet instead of telephone.
Digital-divide continues where Poverty-line ends.
Your net bank savings is not a printed number in a passbook anymore, but a number stored in some server's hard disk.
Suddenly global warming is big enough to get a Nobel Peace prize, but not big enough for the most powerful nation to endorse the actions needed to reverse it.
Half of the world's ills are blamed on greedy developed countries, who in turn blame it on developing countries growing 'too fast'.
Bushfires are under control and fires caused by Bush are not.
Uranium enrichment is a considered bigger problem than a huge nuclear stockpile.
Meanwhile Rock concerts blasting music are dedicated to conserve the earth.
American Idol is seen and loved everywhere in the world.
China is actively building up its cricket team.
You can buy a ticket to experience space travel and zero gravity. No such service for heaven or middle-earth.
Bloody, repulsive images are printed in cigarette packets, yet it discourages everybody except smokers.
Corporate social responsibility is now one more stunt for 'ethical' media publicity.
It’s ok for adults to watch and enjoy cartoon animation movies too.
Microwave radiation passes through peoples' brains more often everyday, than thru their food.
Sleepy subjects in school are now primetime infotainment in NatGeo, Discovery, History and AnimalPlanet.
Terrorists replaced aliens as most preferred villains in movies.
Dinosaurs start to feature in Rocky, Die hard, Indiana Jones, Terminator, Rambo.
Australia is suddenly closer to Asia than the West and its prime minister can speak in Mandarin.
And all businesses, magazines, governments are looking 'East'. There seems to be no economic article these days that does not mention China or India.
Overpopulation is not a problem anymore, but is referred to as 'sizeable market' these days.
Immigration rate increases in some countries as birth rate decreases in others.
Countries still compete to build the world's tallest building despite some horrific disasters.
Tamil is now declared a classical language, but sadly I prefer to use English to report that.
Many common nouns get a prefix of 'e' or 'i' -e-mail, e-governance, e-passport, i-pod, i-shuffle.
Security and immigration procedures in airports can take more time than the travel time.
Countries advertise on TV to promote their tourism just like companies put up ads to sell their products. Incredible India competes with Inside Intel during ad time.
Education is spelled as 'Livelihood' for students and 'Business' for Institutions imparting it.
Simple things like food, water, land, fuel cost more and complex things like cars, electronics, and air travel cost less.
But many tech 'essentials' have remained free - incoming calls, email, voice chat, online music, video, news, data storage.
There is much more spam messages than real mails being transmitted.
Short sight of the eyes is now fully curable by Lasik, but myopic government policies are not.
The greatest Communist powers have become Capitalist, yet new communist governments are still elected.
A lot more people are discovering freedom of speech and expression in a virtual world, but Dictators who limit them have not disappeared in the real world.
More Indians work in software industries than in sugarcane plantations.
There are more Chinese products in the market than bacteria in your ear.
Spelling mistakes scorned by your English teacher are now considered kewl numonyx.
Before even saying their name, people start to share their email id or blog address with you.
You can have a phone, video-conferencer, instant messenger, alarm clock, calendar, calculator, internet browser, mp3 player, still and video camera, GPS receiver, voice recorder, pager, notepad, document reader, email client, FM radio, dictionary, gaming device, emergency torchlight (and trouser pocket warmer) -- ALL in one small handheld device --But it still cannot be used as electric shaver !
This decade, I finally came to realize that I won’t be a student forever - but will eventually complete education, find employment, fall in love yet again and get married.
Most of all, their energy to create.
I asked one director I was working with in between the scenes, after seeing him run around getting things done at 4am in the studio - 'Sir , from where do you get all this energy from ?' 'Nuclear power ?' I suggested.
And he replied without thinking for long "Vairagyam power", and went on to direct his next scene ! (Vairagyam ~ Strong willed perseverance)
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.. We have more
degrees but less sense, more knowledge , but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one
night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
With specimens of the opposite gender,
Familiarity breeds !
Example:
"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing,
wind braces us up, and snow is exhilarating;
there is really no such thing as bad weather,
only different kinds of good weather."
-John Ruskin (1819-1900)
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Originally scribbled on the notepad during such a presentation to avoid getting the above symptom ! Due to some unexplained reason didnt feel the need to write shorter sentences..
