The Prefixed 'i'

There is something about the photograph that has been put up on the Apple India homepage. He seems to be saying, "Wait for the next launch. I have quite a few surprises lined up!" The photograph also portrays a sense of humor and an almost mischievous glint in the eyes. Photographs taken at various events impress his strong personality upon the observer - simple hand gestures and a confident jaw.

I have never heard him speak. Not even his much acclaimed Stanford Commencement Speech on Youtube. And I do not know how he sounds. Rather, how he used to sound. And I would like to keep it that way.

I would rather remember him as the thin man in a black turtleneck - the iMan.

The Things People Say...

There are a couple of mails that are frequently circulated that contain a list of all the funny things people say. Some have equally funny/witty replies. We all know them. Here are a few things people have said to me / I have heard:-

On understanding that I lived abroad for a year and a half, a kind looking gentleman asked me, "Were you all alone in a new city, a new country so far away?" I replied, "No, Sir. I was with a cousin and her family. I also had friends there. So I was never alone."
"Oh! You mean you were all alone with you cousins and friends."
Phew! Go get a dictionary, and look up the words "alone" and "missing family", if that's what you mean.

One day, I was at the watch-maker's, waiting for Mum's watch to be repaired, when I heard the lady behind the counter yell into her mobile phone, "You just switch off net now otherwise there is one tight slap for you!"

Its funny how people are good at writing in a specific language and how they goof-up while speaking in the same language. Let me admit that I have had such goof-ups too. I just hope there weren't too many of them! Some of the phrases/parts of sentences literally translated from one's mother tongue to English and vice versa:-
1. "Where/What it is?" for "ते कुठे / काय आहे?"
2. "If anything goes, it goes of me. What goes of you?" for "तुझ काय जात? काही असेल तर ते माझ बिघडत"
3. "I was there only" for "मी तिथेच होते"
4. "I don't believe on that" for "माझा त्याच्यावर विश्वास नाही"
5.And an annoying habit to insert 'the' at will. For example, "Does the (name of celebrity) live here?"

On a serious note, languages are very important. Communication started because of language. It was a medium through which daily life and business was carried on. Every language is as varied as the other. The older the language, the richer it is. There is huge scope for expression in languages. Languages evolve and get richer because people use them. Adaptation of languages is one thing and maiming them is another. It is sad that the importance attached to them has been decreasing in schools. It is time we wake up and start respecting them!

Considering that this blog is about language goof-ups, the following tweet (RT queen_uk) sums up my feelings towards all languages:
"No, Mr Jobs, there is no such thing as American English. There is English and there are mistakes!"

A Step Nearer

I was a mere child of 8 during the 1992-93 blasts and riots that rocked Mumbai and India - in extension (Every thing that rocks Mumbai rocks India - in extension. Otherwise won't they target places in the remote interior corners of the country?!). I have very few memories of that time. Most of what I know is from what I have heard. Given my age, my parents (I think) did not discuss the events that unfolded in my presence. However, I heard a lot of things at school and on the school-bus (main source of education and learning, even more than the classroom itself!). They were gruesome, yes. Even then I remember thinking that people cannot be as evil as described. I still do not know if the school bus stories were real or mere figments of wild, unhampered, young imagination. During the following years, due to no such unfortunate event, the memory of '92-'93 faded away and I naively assumed that terrorism in India had come to a near end - there were just the wars along the borders. And of course, I was very far away from them! Not in my vicinity!

Roughly a decade after, followed the blasts on the London Underground and at other major metropolitan cities across Europe and of course, the 9/11! (I may have got the order incorrect). But every time, it seemed as if the blasts happened in places where I could not possibly imagine me and/or my parents and relatives to be. This strengthened my feeling that nothing of this sort would happen in my vicinity. I started believing that I would be safe, no matter what. This did not happen in my vicinity!

Back in India, the first decade of the new millenium saw a series of blasts throughout the country - Bangalore, Delhi, Jaipur - to name a few. Again, not in my vicinity! Mumbai was not left out, of course. There were blasts on local trains, near railway stations and at super markets. Again, these were places me and my family did not frequent - Bombay Central, Vile Parle and Mulund Railway Stations. And there were others at Zaveri Bazaar and Gate Way of India. Again, not in my vicinity! Though close to the areas I frequent and certainly close to my father's office. This was the first step nearer.

Next came the one of the most gruesome firings at Hotels Taj Mahal & Oberoi-Trident and Nariman House. Though not frequented, these were places that hosted conferences and exhibitions which I did attend. Also, I visited other places that are in the vicinity of these. This was the next step nearer.

And the most recent on July 13th at Dadar. DADAR! Do I frequent it? Yes! Is it in my vicinity? Yes!! Do I know many people visiting that place? Hell YES!! It's like a huge, homely super market!

With every planned activity, are they getting a step nearer?

Reflections

Today being a Saturday and a half working Saturday (I work full days on Saturdays!), I decided to de-stress and go a-ramble into the depths of cyber space. And that reminded me about my space in it, my blog that I had neglected for so long.

Signing in after what seemed like ages, I found it amusing to read my previous blogs. As amusing as going through old school photographs and smiling at triggered memories.Something about the blog gave me a stale feeling, a feeling of unchanged-ness. This feeling has been surfacing quite frequently these days. Probably because of the office and its environment. (Note to self: Blogged when with LifeCycle). Nevertheless, I decided to revamp and give my dear blog a new look. I randomly follow various blogs and this inspired even more.

My blog has to reflect me. Period. But what is it that really reflects me? I thought about many many many things but all that I could come up with was - Books!! And hence this background image :)

And with this revamp, I shall endeavor to blog regularly, yet again!

Pity for Poor Africans (1788)

I own I am shock'd at the purchase of slaves,
And fear those who buy them and sell them are knaves;
What I hear of their hardships, their tortures, and groans
Is almost enough to draw pity from stones.

I pity them greatly, but I must be mum,
For how could we do without sugar and rum?
Especially sugar, so needful we see?
What? give up our desserts, our coffee, and tea!

Besides, if we do, the French, Dutch, and Danes,
Will heartily thank us, no doubt, for our pains;
If we do not buy the poor creatures, they will,
And tortures and groans will be multiplied still.

If foreigners likewise would give up the trade,
Much more in behalf of your wish might be said;
But while they get riches by purchasing blacks,
Pray tell me why we may not also go snacks?

Your scruples and arguments bring to my mind
A story so pat, you may think it is coin'd,
On purpose to answer you, out of my mint;
But, I can assure you, I saw it in print.

A youngster at school, more sedate than the rest,
Had once his integrity put to the test;
His comrades had plotted an orchard to rob,
And ask'd him to go and assist in the job.

He was. shock'd,sir, like you, and answer'd -- “Oh,no
What! rob our good neighbour! I pray you, don't go;
Besides, the the man’s poor, his orchard’s his bread,
Then think of his children, for they must be fed."

"You speak very fine, and you look very grave,
But apples we want, and apples we'll have;
If you will go with us, you shall have a share,
If not, you shall have neither apple nor pear."

They spoke, and Tom ponder’d -- !I see they will go:
Poor man! what a pity to injure him so
Poor man! I would save him his fruit if I could,
But staying behind will do him no good.

"If the matter depended alone upon me,
His apples might hang till they dropt from the tree;
But, since they will take them, I think I'll go too,
He will lose none by me, though I get a few."

His scruples thus silenc’d, Tom felt more at ease,
And went with his comrades the apples to seize;
He blam'd and protested, but join'd in the plan;
He shar'd in the plunder, but pitied the man.

By William Cowper.

A Pleasant Discovery

I wonder how many of you remember the poems we studied at school. There were all sorts of poems. Poems about rain, rainbows, God, daffodils, Pied Piper, pirates, arithmetic, Man, children, historical places, cities, soldiers, travelers... The list is a long one.

Many of these I remember because I have kept old text books. However, my collection has one textbook missing. For many months now, I have been searching for a particular poem which happened to be in the missing textbook. Even Google failed me. A few friends vaguely remembered the poem but nobody could manage to entirely recollect it. An uncle who recalled the title informed me that the textbook did not mention the poet. That turned out to be a dead end as well. Due to the change in syllabus, the said textbook's contents are entirely different from what they were 10 years ago.

I had almost given up on the poem when suddenly, a line from it came to my mind - '...had once his integrity put to the test...' And then Google did not fail me :) But what I found hugely surprised me. Apart from changing one word in the first line of the poem, which happens to be the twenty-second line of the original poem, the syllabus setters also changed the title of the poem. No surprises here because what we studied was only the second half of the original poem under the title 'Principles Put to the Test'.

Of Rejections, Frustrations and more

Note: This blog is not going to make sense to anyone. Its completely random.

I woke up all fresh and energized to start a brilliant day - a long day with exciting work and a nice cup of steaming coffee at the near-by cafe in the evening with a friend. My idea of a perfect day. But apparently, Someone up there (I don't really believe in these things!) had other plans.
When I came to work, I found out that a colleague had a major argument with the boss last evening. He is not very happy about it today. Looks like I am about to lose another colleague soon! (Just 2 days back, another colleague resigned). I checked my mails only to find that my application for MBA had been rejected. Met a couple of friends online. All of them have been worried sick about:
1. Current jobs
2. Finding new jobs
3. Exam results
4. Finding new place to move in
And now I am worried sick about:
1. My company closing down and locking its shutters (and literally mean shutter because we don't have a door to enter. Just a hole in a shutter which needs to be unlocked and is usually accompanied by a lot of clanking sound of rusted iron!) for ever.
2. In which case, I have to start looking out for a new job.
3. My MBA applications
4. And my career! (Thats what everything is all about)

Then I got into an argument (friendly) with a colleague who said, "All guys think about how to make money. And all girls think about how to get guys with money." Ridiculous nonsense!! See, this is what is exactly called mind-set - something that is difficult to change. People just don't understand that some people can be different, can beg to differ. Because I do. I want to make money. Enough so that me and my family can live comfortably. I don't even want to talk about the husband-earning-for-all-too factor. I don't even know if I will marry, yet. And even if I do, what I earn is what I earn. I have sentiments, a feeling of great pride attached to it. I am financially independent. Yes. That's what I want to be. Financially independent.

But this is not what I am blogging about. Its just that about a week back or even less everything was perfect, just perfect. I would not have imagined that things could go so TWANG in the span of a week!! What happened? What happened? Why the sudden sullenness, dejection, frustration? This is the first fortnight of the new year. Things, events, people are supposed to be good during this time (at least according to me). Then why are they behaving otherwise?

I don't like all this. I want to go to bed tonight and wake up tomorrow as though all of this was just a bad dream. Alas, this is my reality. Such is Life.