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.

2009 - The Year That Has Been

I don't know when, where and how 2009 breezed by. There were LOADS of things I decided to do at the beginning of this year - on the professional and personal front. Hardly a few have been completed. And some have not even been started! Such as:-

1. Cleaning my room to make it look perfect (I like to be optimistic!)

2. Shopping for clothes I will USE

3. Writing my travelogues

4. Finding the treadmill wire

5. Buying a new cell phone

6. Dining at Basilico (Its Shridhar's fault, not mine, that this has not yet been completed)

7. Blogging regularly

8. Reading all blogs I decided to follow

9. Completing reading all books / articles on my reading list

10. Searching for the said books / articles

But I have managed to:-

1. Learn how to use Facebook effectively

2. Start making lists like Mia Thermopolis

3. Design and decorate my alcove

4. Fall asleep while reading a book with the lights on in my alcove

5. Got recognition for my work (That is one professional accomplishment)

6. Read a bunch of e-books while at work and still got a thumbs up from my boss (for my work, not the e-books)

7. Attend wedding ceremonies of two friends and enjoyed them thoroughly

8. Take the GMAT and score decently

9. Feel surprised and have even resented, at times, at the changes I have observed in me and the people around me and not show it on my face.

10. Talk to a friend after a long time :)


All in all, not a bad year. Just a fast one with me and a couple of cousins pleading for it to slow down, month-wise ;)

Maya - Re-visited

Lately, I have done a lot of retrospection, thinking about various people, places and incidences. And I thought of Maya!

For those of you who do know her:
I have mailed a couple of people asking about her, but no leads. She has disappeared! Totally! I would have liked to follow her, though.

And for those of you who do not know her yet, get to know her! Following is a mail I sent more than two years back and a dear cousin (Muah!) saved it for me in the form of a blog which I am happy to copy-paste from her! :)

I still get that mixed feeling of admiration and heart-wrenching happiness when I read it. And for all this, I sincerely hope she is very happy.

" Maya, a lady in her late 20s, probably 27 - 30. She is a 8th standard drop-out from छबिलदास School (Rucha, its a school which was ONLY good during our आजी's schooling years and probably a few years after that!). Her family lives near Curry Road Station, very near to लालबागचा गणपती. Her mother works as a cleaner at Mumbai airport. Her father probably does a similar kind of job somewhere. She looks after patients who have very little hope of survival or extremely old people. She was a so-called nurse for a kid with lukemia. She was jobless after 5 years as the patient was no more. Then she was offered a similar position with a family to look after their very old grandfather. She was and I think still is with the same family.


Do you know where she lives? In the Heart of Central London !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Her second employer was so happy with her work that he sponsered her work permit and since she already had been in the UK for the past 5 years, he even helped her with her residentship.


Today, a very proud Maya is one of the official residents of the Queen's country. In these 11 years, she has travelled to Nigeria, Spain and Italy. She converses very well in English, though not that very fluently, with a bit of an accent !!!! She knows Marathi, Hindi and Gujrathi - reading, writing and speaking. She cooks very good Gujrathi food (it was a part of her second job). And of course English for her daily life.


I met her when she had come to meet माधवी मामी. When she registered with मामी's marriage bureau, मामी told her that she would not accept any registration fees from her as it would be entirely मामी's pleasure. But when she completed the form and left, she had quitely slipped 100 pounds between the pages.


It was संक्रांत and Mami gave her गुळाची पोळी which was generously soaked in ghee (there is no तूप here !!). That was the first time she said she had tasted a real गुळाची पोळी!!


I sent a usual Sunday nite mail to aai and just as I switched off my laptop, I remembered I forgot to mention the most important event of the weekend. I was sleepy and thought I would do that from office tomorrow and with that I turned off the light at midnight. But for the next 40 minutes, I just couldn't concentrate on sleep. Somewhere in my mind a voice was saying, "Send the mail NOW! Tell everyone NOW ! " So now its 1:00 am, Monday morning and as I finish writing this mail, I feel completely relaxed and genuinly happy for Maya. My Sunday evenings are generally spent in thinking about the boring week ahead or which company have I left out for job applications. But I couldn't help feeling absolutely happy for Maya today !!


3 Cheers for her."

What's Your Time?

I am wondering if you know what "time" you live in? Are you "with times", "ahead of times" or "behind times"? And by 'you' I mean the society in general.

Our society is such a varied mixture of everything thrown together, all mixed up and confused! And then that same mixture of confusion thrown back at us in different forms, that I sometimes wonder how we (or at least I) manage to stand up again after a new series of this throwing and catching game of mixed confusions takes place?

All this has confused me beyond limit! :) But what I really want to say is that how do we manage to survive peacefully in all this mess that we call the 'traditional Indian culture'? Or is it just me bothering about apparently insignificant things?

At least that's what MY society is like - the people I meet everyday and those that I don't.

To quote a few unique examples... the first one that comes to mind is a former colleague - a classic case of timeless confusion! A simple, plain-Jane, good girl and starved in the name of religion. So starved, that I thought her to be much younger than she actually was when I first met her. Plain-Jane fasted for most days of the week not knowing (1) the significance of the day, (2) the deity/God she was supposed to be fasting for and (3) the 'rules' that are to be followed during a fast! When asked why she bother about all this when she didn't know answers to any of the above, all she would say was, "That's the way it is. I can't help it."


And do any of you (yes, you, the reader) have answers to any of the above? Are you aware of the 'rules' that I am talking about? Maybe not. Here are a few:

(1) When a person fasts for one day, that day is counted from dawn to dusk.

(2) Coffee and not tea is allowed during a not-so-strict fast because coffee beans are not native crops/plants of this country. Same for potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts and chillies. (Yes. Thank Mexico for all the spicy chillies.)

(3) God does not come to your rescue if you do something stupid like wait in queue for long hours in scorching heat outside his temple (which he NEVER claims, by the way) while fasting and then faint on your way home.


The cherry on the cake was Jane not eating red-coloured potato papads on one of her fast days because I told her she could not have them if she was fasting! I said thay because the papads were fried. Not because of the colour. But she thought it was because of the colour (She told me so).


The next case is of a friend trying to be 'ahead' but is in fact between 'with' and 'behind' times. While finding a suitable wedding present, I came across a beautiful set of earrings in silver. But was advised not to buy those (by Aai) because (according to Aai & I fully trust her with such things) she and her family are a little conservative and such people usually prefer the newly married girls in their families to wear gold jewellery. Silver jewellery is for the younger, un-married girls! "What crap!", was my immediate reaction. "If silver jewellery looks good with an outfit you are wearing, then you wear silver jewellery! What has that got to do with your marital status? And does jewellery not symbolise wealth?" All Aai had to say was, "These girls wear outfits which only go with gold jewellery."

This same friend will soon be leaving her job as she is moving to a different city after marriage. Given the current economic and job scenario, I casually mentioned that continuing with her present job till an equally good one is at hand will be wise. Hers is a love marriage. So I thought a little adjustment will neither be a problem nor a mis-understanding. I was gently reminded that it was impossible to work out such a situation and it was best not to discuss it further!


I understand that such changes are not possible overnight. But why don't we use our own brains while deciding what is good for us and what is not? Afterall, we have been given the power to think so that we can employ it for our own use and betterment. Not for Nature's amusement!


All said and done, I wonder which "times" do we live in? "With", "Ahead" or "Behind"?

For September's Sake

I have waited the entire month to find something to blog about. Nothing seemed to be remotely interesting. So on this 29th day of September of the year 2009 (शालिवाहन शक 1931 or विक्रम संवत 2065), the following is for September's Sake...random pictures taken on spur of the moment which I shall never upload anywhere else.

My hyper-active, clever nephew, Raadnya

A born drama-queen, my cousin, Shreya, on her 4th birthday

Thankfully, I just got half a blue-coloured worm painted on my nail as against the WHOLE earthworm in black that my cousin got!

A new beginning amidst the concrete forest?

My photo identity card when I visited Pfizer. Apparently, these cards are issued to EVERY visitor EVERY day. Their office building has just 3 floors - ground + 2 - and they still have a lift! The company has SO MUCH MONEY!! But will they pay us??

Two of my friends discussing their exam.

And the remaining. This was after a seam-splitting dinner of chicken and fish taken from a good phone camera by a not-so-tech-savvy मावशी! But I like it all the same :-)

Starstruck !!

"Captivated by famous people". That is what I am. STARSTRUCK!! :) And the star? A new author (from as much as I know) - Monica Pradhan. For those who are lost, she has written a really cool, contemporary novel about how the ABCDs* are ABC-ed. Actually, there is less of the confusion part and more of the "finding a new meaning to life"- cum -"mid-life crisis"-sort of situations. With mouth-watering recipes thrown in at intervals, this book is a great read. Specially for mothers and daughters. Not that guys are banned from reading it, but well...they are guys! I am not going to review the book here. Making it a 'compulsory read' for Mum, my aunt and cousins is a review in itself! But what I am going to write about is the starstruck part of the entire thing.

Blame it on my efficiency or recession, I found I had nothing to do (work-wise) yesterday morning at work. Since I was reading Meg Cabot's blogs (another fantastic writer!) and was very much into books (when am I not?), I decided to Google Monica Pradhan. Not getting satisfactory information, I FB-ed her. Something got into me and I sent her a message (& a friend request which embaressed me A LOT as I couldn't undo it). But YAYYEE........ she not only replied back promptly, but also accpeted the friend request. So YAYYEE........ again !! And that is why I am starstruck!!

After the initial bubble of excitement ebbed a bit, I decided to blog (Mind you, I am still floating!). But for my initial reactions, read along:
"This is just so cool you know. Because Meg Cabot, J. K. Rowling, and so many other favourites have a huge fan following. They can't really take time out and reply. But this lady is just GREAT !! Besides, you know, I have never joined a fan club or some thing like that. Nor am I a celebrity-worshipper. But this is so cool!! :) She is a proper author and now a 'friend' (YAYYE... :D). And she seems totally cool about adding me as a friend!! And all this is so exciting because:-
1) Most of the authors that I like/love are dead (except the 2 mentioned above and they can't reply for the reasons stated above) so they can't reply as it is !!
2) And this is just so cool...saying "Yeah. Monica Pradhan...nice lady... A friend of mine you know..." (Oh so cool. Sounds super cool when I read it!)"

Can't stop grinning ear-to-ear!! Imagine this: My name has been added to a good author's friend's list on a social networking site !! Wait till I tell Aai.

*American Born Confused Desis.

"Its all about the liquid Ma'm!"

An hour at a beauty parlour is a good way of expanding one's knowledge on a wide range of topics - Bollywood gossip, latest films, household remedies on infinite problems, train crowds and rush hours, latest numbers of piggy-flu deaths, weekly offs, pollution, diseases, latest on the daily soaps and reality shows, scandalous marriages, children, rains or no rains, senior colleagues who are not present, junior colleagues who are present, rising costs, un-availability of vegetables, problems with in-laws, .... and it goes on! During my last visit, little did I expect that I would learn more about biochemistry!

While getting my hair trimmed, the hair-dresser started commenting on greying hair at early ages. For those of you who know me well will know that I have a lot of white/grey hair ever since the last of my school days. Now, this kind lady was patiently explaining that one should not pull out grey hair. I nodded (to the extent possible to let her know that I was listening) thinking, "Of course not! It would hurt a lot!" But she had a different story to tell.

"People always pull out their white hairs Ma'm. But you know Ma'm, it is not good to do like that. You know, there is a liquid at the hair roots (I beg your pardon?). When you pull out you hair, this liquid spreads to the surrounding areas and goes into the roots of surrounding hair (I was silently crying "Miracle" by this time). And they also become white!" (I couldn't control the hysterical burst of suppressed laughter any longer, so I said aloud, "Really? Incredible science!!"

And I was thinking, why do they not teach this at college-level? Its all about controlling the spread of that stupid liquid! I mean, if science can control spread of harmful rays, water pollutants, virus (up to a certain extent), then why not that damned liquid?!

Friendship Day & more...

Friendship Day calls for celebrations! And thats exactly what we did yesterday. I was hoping to meet at least 5 of my friends, but managed to meet just 2. But this blog is not going to be about my friends. It is going to be about my parents' friends (who also happen to be my friends' parents!)

Our parents met 22 years ago, when we started school, and have come a long way since then. Hats off to them and long live their friendship! Lately, however, they have started acting like teenagers. I have been the sole witness to this event when we were at Saral, a village near Alibaug. And as if squabbling, arguing and chattering like kids was not enough, they have started planning on watching movies. Just yesterday, at the above mentioned Friendship Day celebration get-together, following was the conversation that had me frozen on the spot with the sambar spoon suspended midair.
सं काका: "ऐका जरा...'लव आज कल' ला जायच का? रात्रि चा सर्वात शेवटचा शो? पीव्हीआर ला जाऊ या."
पू मावशी: "ए हो...आम्ही पीव्हीआर ला गेलो होतो दोघे... खूप छान आहे."
सं काका: "कुठला बार पहिला सिनेमा आपण? हा....'कंबक्त इश्क'. धमाल आहे रे सिनेमा...फुल टाइम पास."
बाबा: "हो. मंगळवार बार पडेल."
शि काका: "मला मंगळवार नाही जमणार. शुक्रवार जमेल का?"
सगळे: "हो जमेल की. मग ठरल तर...ह्या शुक्रवारी 'लव आज कल'."
...............
Moving on to other things, I have started reading Atlas Shrugged, again! And there are so many parts that I did not completely understand the first time I read it, that I am glad I started readng it again :) This is a must read book for all who hate to see ability being wasted.
...............
Coming back to the topic of friends, our parents will be celebrating 25 years of friendship 3 years from now. I wonder how many of us will be there for the "event". It does seem strange that the people because of whom they got acquainted may not be present on that day. I hope at least one of us will be able to make it.

CCD

Social networking sites - and Facebook is what I am specifically talking about - have given rise to CCD.
Compulsive Commenting Disorder.
And I have started feeling repulsive about it, so much so, that I sort of like it when nobody comments on my status/quiz updates.

I guess I am just being... well... ME. The not-wanting-to-talk-to-too-many-people-and-not-wanting-too-many-people-to-talk-to-me Maitreyee!

Of Times Gone By

Ever wondered about the first page of a history book? Has anyone ever read it? May be time has! It must have even lived the first page of history. And is sure to live long enough to tell the real story about everything. Only if it had a tongue!

Some of the things I would like to know from Time:-

1. How exactly was the first living cell formed? And how/when did it replicate?
2. Was Nature so pleased with herself that she went on indefinitely replicating cells, so much so, that they formed dinasours?
3. How did the Harrapan people sound like? I mean, their voice. How was it?
4. Who invented the fire and who invented the wheel? Were they proudly smug about it?
5. Did Marie Antoinette really say, "Then let them eat cakes, instead"?
6. Who was the one who thought that observing stars could lead to something? Did he/she have any idea what a lot of science as well as a lot of crap it was going to lead to? (No, I don't think he did!)
7. Before the Big Bang that led to the formation of the current universe, was there life anywhere at all?
8. Did गणपती really exist?
9. When Australia and New Zealand broke apart from the main land and sort of started drifting away, did the people and/or animals notice it? Did they jump from this part of the land to the other and then back when the two land masses were close enough?
10. And where did Jesus Christ breath his last?

Only if time had a tongue...

Mail's Here!

I love getting mails. I mean, the conventional, postal mail. Though these days, it has reduced to bank statements, cell phone bills and the likes of it, I still love seeing an envelope with my name on it. It gives me a feeling of belonging to a place though I am physically not there! (Not cell phone bills!). Too bad we never got anything from school/college send to us by post. Though I got my felicitation invitation through post, I sort of knew it was on its way, so I don't like to count that. It was a photocopied letter, anyway.

I also love writing letters and occassionally posting greeting cards. They are much better than the stupid flash e-cards that are available. Its just that these things are more personalised. They convey the 'real you'. I agree this form of communication is extremely slow than the ones used today, but I never feel elated in the true sense when I get an e-mail. Hand written letters, even if they are short, always rock!

The hand of the writer moves along as he/she writes the letter...one can never get such a feeling with an e-mail (Fingers of the person punched certain keys? Ew..I don't think so!)
Reminds me of a book, "The Walled Garden" by Catherine Dunne. A major chunk of that book is in the form of letters written by a mother to her children. Also, I could truely connect with Snape's feelings when he found Lilly's letter. So true. My eyes stung reading that bit. Because I myself have a few letters written to me by my grandparents and cousins that I treasure a lot.
On the whole, its better to pen down one's thoughts than to type them out. Is it hypocricy on my part that I am blogging about 'pen-ing down thoughts'? I wonder.

_ _ _

Indian people DON'T understand the terms 'office' and 'colleagues' !! Or at least the ones in my office don't. Certainly don't.

About 2 months back, there was this girl who joined office. Lets call her 'A' for the time being. She used to call me दीदी. And not the entire दीदी; used to be just दी. Ewww ............. And she called a few other guys (more or less my age) भईया !! (Can't write that properly. Something wrong with the Devnagri font tab). Its an Office, for crying out loud!!

And since this week, another girl 'D' has joined। All that she has told me about her is that her name is 'D' and she is from some small town in Maharashtra. And she is so country !! And why am I expected to give her parental guidance?

Why? Why does this happen to me? Why do I end up meeting "absolutely country people" where ever I go? This is positively disgusting!

P.S. The reason this post is not titled is because I am too irritated to think of a suitable title for such irritating events in office!

Weather - Nice and Sunny!

I have been observing the weather for the past week. Bright sunshine, clear skies with an isolated white cloud. Slight breeze, enough to keep one from sweating, but not enough to get a nice cool feeling. Well-defined shadows of people, cars and cattle on the concrete roads. All this reminded me of Maldives :)
And suddenly, I could smell the salty sea. Continued to smell it even while I was stuck in traffic...and even now as I sit in my air-conditioned office at the end of the day, typing this and thinking about the abnormally long 'To Do' list that is starring at me from my table.
But whatever...And the rains will be here soon!!

Indiam Premier League or Intellectual Property League

I am not a very devoted follower of the SpicyIP group blogs, but do read an eye-catching-titled entry at times. I am numbed seeing the way people, particularly team owners, are cashing in on the popularity of IPL.
Just this morning I heard on the radio that Reebok is giving out customised team jerseys to the ardent IPL fans. And this was the SpicyIP blog that finally made me blog about something (again!) I don't like very much:
"Along with everyone else cashing in on the success of the IPL, IPR firms do not seem far behind. With the objective “to protect IP, make a profit and increase brand valuation”, teams like the Deccan Chargers have opted to create an IP portfolio, including trademarks for team logos, copyright over player uniforms and website layouts.
The Mint reports that the exponential popularity of the IPL has led team owners to recognise the inherent brand value attached and proactively protect the same. Aside from The Deccan Chargers, the Kolkata Knight Riders seem to have also applied to the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks for protection of their mark in the fields of financial services, insurance, beauty care products (amongst others) and the Mumbai Indians have filed trademark applications for cosmetics, musical instruments and photographic equipment etc.
Apart from the more traditional protection, with the aggressive promotion in the real world has been coupled with a more defensive approach on the internet. The teams have opted to drive away cyber squatters by pre-empting unauthorized linking of team websites to other sites as well as pre-empting squatters from buying the team domain names.
With matches becoming more exciting, these concerns are definitely well founded. It certainly looks like it has become the Intellectual Property League!"