Why why do I keep doing these things? *sigh*
- Do not procrastinate. Results vary from "Phew, that was close" to "Gosh, that was embarrassing" to "OMG this is disastrous."
- Do not contradict your superiors (read profs). Learn to "identify possible problems" and "suggest alternative solutions". And do so in private or via email, or, better yet, don't do it at all. Potential problems in failing to comply with these standards include you looking like an idiot if you are wrong and making the prof look like and idiot if he/she is wrong, both of which will not help you.
- Read weather reports. The weather in this country can change suddenly, and you do not want to be lugging around a heavy jacket in warm weather, or worse still, be caught in a blizzard without heavy gear. Weather reports are surprisingly accurate and precise over a period of 2-3 days, which seems miraculous for us desis who are used to weather reports that say "Possible chance of light to heavy rain or thundershowers in the afternoon or evening or night," rather than "35F at 1:00pm with 40% chance of light rain and 30F at 3:00pm with 60% chance of rain mixed with snow flurries."
- Ice is slippery, watch your step. If it snowed sometime in the past few days and it hasn't melted completely, the odds are there are patches of ice on the pavement and roads which can be extremely slippery. Watch where you put your feet and do not, repeat, do not, run!
- Eat and sleep regularly. Screwing up your biological clock can give you head aches and stomach aches and aches in places you never knew you had. Plus (courtesy my Mom) you run the risk of getting ulcers, and you weaken your immune system.
- Stop assuming that everyone knows everything you know. After 20 minutes of trying to explain things to a classmate, I gave an exasperated "Why are you behaving as though you've never seen a robot or a PLC in your life?" and he says in bewilderment, "But I really haven't seen a robot or a PLC in my life." Bet he thinks me arrogant, supercilious and overbearing. Perhaps I can write it off with a "Hey, I'm an IITian, I have a big ego." Hah.
- Talk to people. Go places. Do things. Make friends. I can't even complain that life is boring without feeling guilty that I haven't tried above four. Its okay to stick to bridge and computer games and novels if I'm happy enough, but may God (if he exists) strike me down for a hypocrite if I crib about my pathetic boring life without making an effort to change it.
But, I never learn. I'll never learn....
Cheers,
Prashanth.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 20, 2006
Conversation...
This looks a little disjoint, because its cut and edited from a conversation in ymessenger.
...
D: Blah! IITians are just a hard-working, parent-pressurized lot, who lose the ability to choose a line of their own choice and go with the flow of the masses. Thats what IITians are all about - like you!
Me: (LOL) Who gave you that impression? Neither me, nor that girl, nor my best friend Baal, nor n other IITians I know, are hard-working! And none of us have been pressurized by parents for anything in our lives!
D: Thats what you all say! My god.. maybe u really havent seen the other side of the river.. which is why u think a little bit of less growth of grass means infertile?
Me: ...and we are all so *weird* that its downright silly to say we "go with the masses"
D: But u all end up in the same place, cooking the same thing, joining mass companies.... having no social life...
Me: No... I am saying that you have the stereotypical impression of an IITian... which is DEAD WRONG! Joining mass companies? Hardly! There are IITians in politics, consulting, engineering... some with their own businesses... most IITs have an entrepreneurship cell. Having no social life... well that applies to people like me... but its a bad generalization.
D: Yeah, yeah... but in my view, if they go through all that stress and still survive, its like a stigma, that they hold close to them.. its a very.. "I'm an IIT person" kinda ego.
Me: But I was not stressed in IIT... just the two years before that! But big ego is right... thats one thing most IITians have in common. So, finally, you got something right :)
D: If only half of u realized.. that u were better in something in due course.. and not force urself to sit in IIT.. i think there would be some creative genius over-flowing from India.
Me: We didnt force ourselves to sit in IIT... its a goal we worked for 3-4 years to achieve.
D: Exactly. Its madness! You really think at the age of 16, you have the ability to decide what u want to do?
Me: Correct again... it is madness.. strike two for you :)
D: But... no.. its not about what I do 10 yrs down the line.. its about gettin into IIT... tell me one person, who had a vision as distinct as himself, and worked towards it, and thought IIT is the way to go.. not many in my view.
Me: See, when we started studying to get into IIT, we didnt really know anything about the IITs; we were aiming at an ideal; aiming at something abstract, intangible... rather than the real-world IIT. We didnt know what we were getting ourselves into, and you know what? It doesnt matter! because, whatever happens, we still have free will to do what we like with our lives. But yes, it is madness to be working so hard at something you know nothing about...
D: But not for one sec, did anyone sit and say.. I wanna become a.. somethin something.. and go for it.. heck, i found my interest 4 months before i finished 12th. If i had thought its too late.. then i would have moulded into a software person.. like billion others...its never too late when it comes to life and decisions. But it is too late when it comes to IIT madness.. by then its the social stigma.. u gotta live up to it.
Me: No da... free will... its not fiction. IIT teaches us that by giving us a taste of freedom.
D: IIT trains u to be a winner.. and not be a loser.. thats what u all have for ur advantage. After u come out of that pressurized state..
Me: IIT doesnt train you to do anything... its the getting into IIT part where all that happens.
D: You breathe ur first breath of fresh air.. and u navigate urself to any position u want... because IIT in ur portfolio.. will give u a better treatment than one who has specialized in something.
Me: ...so, you see, it is all self-imposed and not the fault of IITs at all
D: See.. much easier for u to say when u got into IIT finally. Imagine working towards it for 3-4 yrs and not getting in.. because of some 0.5%.
Me: hehe... MOST of my friends to whom that happened... they say it was one of the best things to happen to them!
D: Yup. First breath of fresh air... leave the chains behind.. and fly!
Me: ...because, with all that sharpening of the mind that goes with the training, they find themselves able to perform much better in their environ, whereas if they got into an IIT, they would be some mediocre person!! And chains? What chains? Chains are self-imposed....
D: See, honestly.. i am not patronizing IIT.. because after all its an institution.. been there for a long long time.. has provided some marvelous geniuses.
Me: A LOT of people do something completely different after graduating from IIT..
Me: Ah, but you see, I am not arguing on behalf of IITs at all... I am trying to hammer into you...
D: But.. it doesnt hold any value in my eyes.. because it also snatched away some free choice of thinking. I wish there was an intensive training given to students from 16 to 18.. and then decide then. After going thru that intensive training.. ur already influenced to an extent.
Me: ...that you perceive chains and fetters everywhere, and in the process, you fetter yourself more truly and any real chain.
D: I can only hold my views to ppl who get to IIT and who study in IIT.. not for what ppl do 10 yrs down the line later.. ok? Thats not something i can judge or discuss.. because its got nothin to do with IIT in the end of the day..
Me: What influence are you talking about? And what free choice did it snatch away?
D: Your coaching classes. You cant put hardwork into something unless you believe in it.
Me: Oh really? Well, you are chatting with a contradiction to that..
D: Yeah.. so accept it.. that ur forced into the hardwork part.. u pursue the IIT and work for it, not pursuing ur free choice of a career are u? Thats what im tryin to state..
Me: No da... I did not force myself... it was a challenge... the allure of that is impossible to describe to someone who feels that he/she was forced into doing the same
D: I know.. its a ball of yarn.. waiting to be possessed.. and lets see which cat gets it... its pure competition...
Me: No da... I didnt for a moment think about the competition... its the problem itself... the challenge is in cracking the toughest exam in the country... the challenge is not beating other people in the process!
D: I wish u could tell me, just exactly what does that toughest exam tell u.. apart from the fact that u beat it.. while many didnt.. isnt that called competition? So u mean to say, one who passes this toughest exam is crowned genius, and everyone else isnt? Even the one who lost it by 0.5%?
Me: Wrong again... its the JOURNEY that counts, not the end. In this particular case.. see, my other friends who did not get in, they still went through the same coaching as I, right?
D: Ya
Me: Well, they weren't forced into it... and they enjoyed it. Several of them quit after one year, because they did not like it and they weren't good at it as a result. Now, those who finished the coaching and still didnt get in, they were disappointed at first, but as the years went by, they found that what they gained in the process was worth all that hard work, even if they did not get into IIT. What you learn from the journey enriches you, and prepares you for things at a later point in life, but only if you do it of your own free will. If you did it out of pressure, you will not learn anything and will come to despise it, irrespective of the outcome.
D: hmm
Me: *phew* my fingers are aching :p
D: :) Ah, but ur an IITian. Youre probably used to it :P
Me: No way... being an IITian makes me used to headaches :) fingers dont have much work at all
D: My view stays with me.. i still feel many sitting in IT could hav been doing so many other things they r better at. But i wont argue over this.. because its an individualistic viewpoint. Probably my experiences and observations have shaped me into perceiving it in this format.. thats all.
Me: No, you see, you are correct that these people could be doing other things which they might also like and be good at. But the fact is that, many of them actually do... only, after finishing their degree in IIT, rather than before. Because you learn the meaning of freedom of choice, and its importance, during life in IIT
D: We have no way of deciding that for sure. Because, end of the day its a process of learning.. IIT is one just like others. Yes, perhaps superior in many ways.. yet we cannot decide for sure.. that those who go in IIT only after that they will shine in some field of their choice.
Me: See... after so many years, you still feel constrained...
D: ...because u havent seen the same pursue another chosen field of their choice right from the start.
Me: Ok... tell me, about these people who chose their field right from the start. How many of our chennai friends are artists and musicians and historians and sportsmen? ZERO. ZERO!
D: The point is... hello hello wait... the point is.. we dont have any other choice.
Me: See, the constraints of society and parental pressure are always there. Where is the IITs fault here?
D: India hasnt got that. bas. You are studying in US now..u know how it works
Me: Yeah... I know
D: Thats wat i hav been telling u
Me: Blame it on Indian society da...
D: IIT is supremely ruling ur choice
Me: IIT coaching has nothing to do with it
D: I didnt say its because of the institution did I? I praised the institution or not?
Me: Not the IIT itself... I'm saying dont blame it one the coaching system either. Blame the root cause.. and what I am saying is that one learns to exercise one's freedom after 4 years in an IIT
D: No.. IIT is supremely ruling ur choice .. and this holds true in the whole of the Education system of India..
Me: Oh please... how many people can get into the IITs anyway? And how many people try? It is a remote fraction of the population.
D: See.. thats ur IIT ego talking :P im happy i dont have it.. bas.
Me: No da... this idea of the IITs ruling our choice and all.. it is a personal opinion affecting people like you
D: You mean to say u dont learn to excercise one's freedom after 4 yrs in ANY UNIV???
Me: Aha, now we come to the point... you see, in IIT, the people are WEIRD. They do the strangest things and there is nobody to tell them not to do them. Its kind of a tradition... right from 1970s, IITs the breeding grounds of change
D: Hehe.
Me: Its true... Mardi Gras in the old days had a notorious reputation. Anyway, the other colleges in chennai are very well-ordered, well-maintained etc, with nicely laid down rules, and students expected to come clean-shaven with shiny black shoes and full shirts, and not talk to girls even (it true, I swear). Our parents like that. They want their kids to be brought up in a disciplined manner. Which is DEAD wrong as an ideal! In IIT, you find the antithesis of all that, and by the time you come out, you end up being an iconoclast in many respects. And many people construe that as ego, actually, because if they don't have the guts to do such things, they have to belittle it right?
D: Maybe.
Me: ok, end of lecture for the day :) I am going to cook lunch. Before I leave, tell me... what is the moral of the story?
D: Yes? Moral is.. dont touch IIT topic :P
Me: >:P try again :)
D: :p err that ur hungry and u want to cook?
Me: #-o once more
D: :D lets not forget.. the world called archimedes a psycho too. They called einstein a weirdo too. Soooo... youre the next einstein? :D
Me: Keep trying :)
D: Poda. Now im gettin headache. I will stay away from IIT :P
Me: No no you must tell me the moral of the story, or all that typing is for waste!
D: Your viewpoint.. ur ideas. I listened. I will mull on them for a while. Like a cow..
Me: Ufff the moral is not related to IIT at all
D: Ok.. its relatedto me?
Me: Yes
D: That I have a twisted american mentality screwed up biased idea about life?
Me: Nope
D: Oh I know that :D
Me: :)
D: Hehe.
Me: Ok, am i supposed to spell it out for you?
D: That ppl like u, because of ur IIT background, are able to think outside the box, while ppl like me are still stuck inside the box?
Me: Close... but not exact...
D: Anyways congrats :P
Me: You see, the whole point is... we all seek to ascribe reasons for our actions based on the circumstances. Its about time we stopped that and started taking responsibility for our choices, because, when it boils down to it, there is always a choice.
D: Every individual lives for himself, in other words?
Me: Yes...
D: Good. Point taken.
Me: It may take some doing to get used to the idea that our decisions in the past, which we regret, were not "caused" by society or parents or whatever; but we meekly acquiesced.
D: Yeah thats because by that time, u have already walked 10 steps forward of ur own choice
Me: Once we embrace and accept that guilt... we can be ready to make our decisions for the future out of free will
D: Guilt-free zone... I'm creating one:)
Me: Oh, its always a weighing of different guilts... all actions have tough consequences, one way or the other.
D: Yup. Two sides to a coin.
Me: But with this point of view, you will approach the whole problem with a different viewpoint. If you can start without the bias that you are *expected* to do certain things, you will be better armed to take the correct decision.
D: Yup
Me: ok, I'm done :) chew on it :D
D: :P
Me: goodbye!
Care to join the fray, anyone?
...
D: Blah! IITians are just a hard-working, parent-pressurized lot, who lose the ability to choose a line of their own choice and go with the flow of the masses. Thats what IITians are all about - like you!
Me: (LOL) Who gave you that impression? Neither me, nor that girl, nor my best friend Baal, nor n other IITians I know, are hard-working! And none of us have been pressurized by parents for anything in our lives!
D: Thats what you all say! My god.. maybe u really havent seen the other side of the river.. which is why u think a little bit of less growth of grass means infertile?
Me: ...and we are all so *weird* that its downright silly to say we "go with the masses"
D: But u all end up in the same place, cooking the same thing, joining mass companies.... having no social life...
Me: No... I am saying that you have the stereotypical impression of an IITian... which is DEAD WRONG! Joining mass companies? Hardly! There are IITians in politics, consulting, engineering... some with their own businesses... most IITs have an entrepreneurship cell. Having no social life... well that applies to people like me... but its a bad generalization.
D: Yeah, yeah... but in my view, if they go through all that stress and still survive, its like a stigma, that they hold close to them.. its a very.. "I'm an IIT person" kinda ego.
Me: But I was not stressed in IIT... just the two years before that! But big ego is right... thats one thing most IITians have in common. So, finally, you got something right :)
D: If only half of u realized.. that u were better in something in due course.. and not force urself to sit in IIT.. i think there would be some creative genius over-flowing from India.
Me: We didnt force ourselves to sit in IIT... its a goal we worked for 3-4 years to achieve.
D: Exactly. Its madness! You really think at the age of 16, you have the ability to decide what u want to do?
Me: Correct again... it is madness.. strike two for you :)
D: But... no.. its not about what I do 10 yrs down the line.. its about gettin into IIT... tell me one person, who had a vision as distinct as himself, and worked towards it, and thought IIT is the way to go.. not many in my view.
Me: See, when we started studying to get into IIT, we didnt really know anything about the IITs; we were aiming at an ideal; aiming at something abstract, intangible... rather than the real-world IIT. We didnt know what we were getting ourselves into, and you know what? It doesnt matter! because, whatever happens, we still have free will to do what we like with our lives. But yes, it is madness to be working so hard at something you know nothing about...
D: But not for one sec, did anyone sit and say.. I wanna become a.. somethin something.. and go for it.. heck, i found my interest 4 months before i finished 12th. If i had thought its too late.. then i would have moulded into a software person.. like billion others...its never too late when it comes to life and decisions. But it is too late when it comes to IIT madness.. by then its the social stigma.. u gotta live up to it.
Me: No da... free will... its not fiction. IIT teaches us that by giving us a taste of freedom.
D: IIT trains u to be a winner.. and not be a loser.. thats what u all have for ur advantage. After u come out of that pressurized state..
Me: IIT doesnt train you to do anything... its the getting into IIT part where all that happens.
D: You breathe ur first breath of fresh air.. and u navigate urself to any position u want... because IIT in ur portfolio.. will give u a better treatment than one who has specialized in something.
Me: ...so, you see, it is all self-imposed and not the fault of IITs at all
D: See.. much easier for u to say when u got into IIT finally. Imagine working towards it for 3-4 yrs and not getting in.. because of some 0.5%.
Me: hehe... MOST of my friends to whom that happened... they say it was one of the best things to happen to them!
D: Yup. First breath of fresh air... leave the chains behind.. and fly!
Me: ...because, with all that sharpening of the mind that goes with the training, they find themselves able to perform much better in their environ, whereas if they got into an IIT, they would be some mediocre person!! And chains? What chains? Chains are self-imposed....
D: See, honestly.. i am not patronizing IIT.. because after all its an institution.. been there for a long long time.. has provided some marvelous geniuses.
Me: A LOT of people do something completely different after graduating from IIT..
Me: Ah, but you see, I am not arguing on behalf of IITs at all... I am trying to hammer into you...
D: But.. it doesnt hold any value in my eyes.. because it also snatched away some free choice of thinking. I wish there was an intensive training given to students from 16 to 18.. and then decide then. After going thru that intensive training.. ur already influenced to an extent.
Me: ...that you perceive chains and fetters everywhere, and in the process, you fetter yourself more truly and any real chain.
D: I can only hold my views to ppl who get to IIT and who study in IIT.. not for what ppl do 10 yrs down the line later.. ok? Thats not something i can judge or discuss.. because its got nothin to do with IIT in the end of the day..
Me: What influence are you talking about? And what free choice did it snatch away?
D: Your coaching classes. You cant put hardwork into something unless you believe in it.
Me: Oh really? Well, you are chatting with a contradiction to that..
D: Yeah.. so accept it.. that ur forced into the hardwork part.. u pursue the IIT and work for it, not pursuing ur free choice of a career are u? Thats what im tryin to state..
Me: No da... I did not force myself... it was a challenge... the allure of that is impossible to describe to someone who feels that he/she was forced into doing the same
D: I know.. its a ball of yarn.. waiting to be possessed.. and lets see which cat gets it... its pure competition...
Me: No da... I didnt for a moment think about the competition... its the problem itself... the challenge is in cracking the toughest exam in the country... the challenge is not beating other people in the process!
D: I wish u could tell me, just exactly what does that toughest exam tell u.. apart from the fact that u beat it.. while many didnt.. isnt that called competition? So u mean to say, one who passes this toughest exam is crowned genius, and everyone else isnt? Even the one who lost it by 0.5%?
Me: Wrong again... its the JOURNEY that counts, not the end. In this particular case.. see, my other friends who did not get in, they still went through the same coaching as I, right?
D: Ya
Me: Well, they weren't forced into it... and they enjoyed it. Several of them quit after one year, because they did not like it and they weren't good at it as a result. Now, those who finished the coaching and still didnt get in, they were disappointed at first, but as the years went by, they found that what they gained in the process was worth all that hard work, even if they did not get into IIT. What you learn from the journey enriches you, and prepares you for things at a later point in life, but only if you do it of your own free will. If you did it out of pressure, you will not learn anything and will come to despise it, irrespective of the outcome.
D: hmm
Me: *phew* my fingers are aching :p
D: :) Ah, but ur an IITian. Youre probably used to it :P
Me: No way... being an IITian makes me used to headaches :) fingers dont have much work at all
D: My view stays with me.. i still feel many sitting in IT could hav been doing so many other things they r better at. But i wont argue over this.. because its an individualistic viewpoint. Probably my experiences and observations have shaped me into perceiving it in this format.. thats all.
Me: No, you see, you are correct that these people could be doing other things which they might also like and be good at. But the fact is that, many of them actually do... only, after finishing their degree in IIT, rather than before. Because you learn the meaning of freedom of choice, and its importance, during life in IIT
D: We have no way of deciding that for sure. Because, end of the day its a process of learning.. IIT is one just like others. Yes, perhaps superior in many ways.. yet we cannot decide for sure.. that those who go in IIT only after that they will shine in some field of their choice.
Me: See... after so many years, you still feel constrained...
D: ...because u havent seen the same pursue another chosen field of their choice right from the start.
Me: Ok... tell me, about these people who chose their field right from the start. How many of our chennai friends are artists and musicians and historians and sportsmen? ZERO. ZERO!
D: The point is... hello hello wait... the point is.. we dont have any other choice.
Me: See, the constraints of society and parental pressure are always there. Where is the IITs fault here?
D: India hasnt got that. bas. You are studying in US now..u know how it works
Me: Yeah... I know
D: Thats wat i hav been telling u
Me: Blame it on Indian society da...
D: IIT is supremely ruling ur choice
Me: IIT coaching has nothing to do with it
D: I didnt say its because of the institution did I? I praised the institution or not?
Me: Not the IIT itself... I'm saying dont blame it one the coaching system either. Blame the root cause.. and what I am saying is that one learns to exercise one's freedom after 4 years in an IIT
D: No.. IIT is supremely ruling ur choice .. and this holds true in the whole of the Education system of India..
Me: Oh please... how many people can get into the IITs anyway? And how many people try? It is a remote fraction of the population.
D: See.. thats ur IIT ego talking :P im happy i dont have it.. bas.
Me: No da... this idea of the IITs ruling our choice and all.. it is a personal opinion affecting people like you
D: You mean to say u dont learn to excercise one's freedom after 4 yrs in ANY UNIV???
Me: Aha, now we come to the point... you see, in IIT, the people are WEIRD. They do the strangest things and there is nobody to tell them not to do them. Its kind of a tradition... right from 1970s, IITs the breeding grounds of change
D: Hehe.
Me: Its true... Mardi Gras in the old days had a notorious reputation. Anyway, the other colleges in chennai are very well-ordered, well-maintained etc, with nicely laid down rules, and students expected to come clean-shaven with shiny black shoes and full shirts, and not talk to girls even (it true, I swear). Our parents like that. They want their kids to be brought up in a disciplined manner. Which is DEAD wrong as an ideal! In IIT, you find the antithesis of all that, and by the time you come out, you end up being an iconoclast in many respects. And many people construe that as ego, actually, because if they don't have the guts to do such things, they have to belittle it right?
D: Maybe.
Me: ok, end of lecture for the day :) I am going to cook lunch. Before I leave, tell me... what is the moral of the story?
D: Yes? Moral is.. dont touch IIT topic :P
Me: >:P try again :)
D: :p err that ur hungry and u want to cook?
Me: #-o once more
D: :D lets not forget.. the world called archimedes a psycho too. They called einstein a weirdo too. Soooo... youre the next einstein? :D
Me: Keep trying :)
D: Poda. Now im gettin headache. I will stay away from IIT :P
Me: No no you must tell me the moral of the story, or all that typing is for waste!
D: Your viewpoint.. ur ideas. I listened. I will mull on them for a while. Like a cow..
Me: Ufff the moral is not related to IIT at all
D: Ok.. its relatedto me?
Me: Yes
D: That I have a twisted american mentality screwed up biased idea about life?
Me: Nope
D: Oh I know that :D
Me: :)
D: Hehe.
Me: Ok, am i supposed to spell it out for you?
D: That ppl like u, because of ur IIT background, are able to think outside the box, while ppl like me are still stuck inside the box?
Me: Close... but not exact...
D: Anyways congrats :P
Me: You see, the whole point is... we all seek to ascribe reasons for our actions based on the circumstances. Its about time we stopped that and started taking responsibility for our choices, because, when it boils down to it, there is always a choice.
D: Every individual lives for himself, in other words?
Me: Yes...
D: Good. Point taken.
Me: It may take some doing to get used to the idea that our decisions in the past, which we regret, were not "caused" by society or parents or whatever; but we meekly acquiesced.
D: Yeah thats because by that time, u have already walked 10 steps forward of ur own choice
Me: Once we embrace and accept that guilt... we can be ready to make our decisions for the future out of free will
D: Guilt-free zone... I'm creating one:)
Me: Oh, its always a weighing of different guilts... all actions have tough consequences, one way or the other.
D: Yup. Two sides to a coin.
Me: But with this point of view, you will approach the whole problem with a different viewpoint. If you can start without the bias that you are *expected* to do certain things, you will be better armed to take the correct decision.
D: Yup
Me: ok, I'm done :) chew on it :D
D: :P
Me: goodbye!
Care to join the fray, anyone?
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Capitalist Conspiracies
My best friend and partner-in-crime is a staunch capitalist. If someone called him a capitalist pig (which he is), he would probably blush at the compliment. I guess some of his opinions must have rubbed off on me, for I went from "no-opinion-on-any-economic-or-political-topic" to "hurray for capitalism". And I didn't even have to read Ayn Rand to come to that stage.
The beauty of capitalism is that it works with less rules than any other economic system, and still works better than them. The capitalist influence invades the economic, political and social structure of any nation that embraces it. Or even of those that don't - the erstwhile Soviet Union, for example. And it's all based on human nature. For all the talk of Nash equilibria and such jargon, capitalism is a pretty simple thing to understand and harness: figure out the best way to make money, and everybody wins.
In fact, I used to love the sweet ironies of the so-called capitalist conspiracies. Take for example, Mother's Day. It's such a blatantly fabricated excuse for some businesses to make more money. I mean, if you love your Mom and want to show your appreciation, you can do it at any time and in any way. Why does there have to be a Mother's Day? Every day ought to be Mother's Day. However, the arrangement works out much better than it has the right to. Mothers are happy with the gifts and the wishes and the appreciation... besides the fact that they don't have to cook that evening. Fathers and children and glad for the respite from nagging. The greeting card companies, department stores, florists and restauranteurs make money, as do all the related businesses. It's a chain reaction of happiness! And how did it start? With an eminently capitalistic idea, that nobody cares to challenge because everyone is happy with it, even if it doesn't make sense.
Which brings us to the reason for this topic. Valentine's Day. That, to me, is the granddaddy of all capitalist conspiracies. The guys get an excuse to ask out girls they normally wouldn't have the guts to. The girls get flowers, chocolates and superb food - all for free. If they're lucky, they even get some romantic poetry. A ton of businesses make money and everyone is happy. Except for people like me who have nobody to go out with and hence sit at home watching TV. I mean, it ought to be no different from any other day, because the things you do on Valentine's Day you can do on any other day. But the capitalists created it, and it makes some people feel miserable simply because everyone else isn't. Oh, that sort of thing, by the way, is the root of most evil and grief in the world, but thats a topic for another day.
Darned Capitalist Pigs. Grrrrr.
Cheers,
Prashanth.
The beauty of capitalism is that it works with less rules than any other economic system, and still works better than them. The capitalist influence invades the economic, political and social structure of any nation that embraces it. Or even of those that don't - the erstwhile Soviet Union, for example. And it's all based on human nature. For all the talk of Nash equilibria and such jargon, capitalism is a pretty simple thing to understand and harness: figure out the best way to make money, and everybody wins.
In fact, I used to love the sweet ironies of the so-called capitalist conspiracies. Take for example, Mother's Day. It's such a blatantly fabricated excuse for some businesses to make more money. I mean, if you love your Mom and want to show your appreciation, you can do it at any time and in any way. Why does there have to be a Mother's Day? Every day ought to be Mother's Day. However, the arrangement works out much better than it has the right to. Mothers are happy with the gifts and the wishes and the appreciation... besides the fact that they don't have to cook that evening. Fathers and children and glad for the respite from nagging. The greeting card companies, department stores, florists and restauranteurs make money, as do all the related businesses. It's a chain reaction of happiness! And how did it start? With an eminently capitalistic idea, that nobody cares to challenge because everyone is happy with it, even if it doesn't make sense.
Which brings us to the reason for this topic. Valentine's Day. That, to me, is the granddaddy of all capitalist conspiracies. The guys get an excuse to ask out girls they normally wouldn't have the guts to. The girls get flowers, chocolates and superb food - all for free. If they're lucky, they even get some romantic poetry. A ton of businesses make money and everyone is happy. Except for people like me who have nobody to go out with and hence sit at home watching TV. I mean, it ought to be no different from any other day, because the things you do on Valentine's Day you can do on any other day. But the capitalists created it, and it makes some people feel miserable simply because everyone else isn't. Oh, that sort of thing, by the way, is the root of most evil and grief in the world, but thats a topic for another day.
Darned Capitalist Pigs. Grrrrr.
Cheers,
Prashanth.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Dream on...
People are often dismissive of poets, artists, philosophers etc. "Dreamers!" they scoff. Write your poems and draw your paintings and build your castles in the sky. When the real world exerts its weight, your world will come crashing down.
I beg to differ. I get most of my best ideas on the edge of consciousness, before falling asleep or while waking up. When I was working on some particularly tough problems related to my thesis, a whole evening of racking my brains tended to draw a blank but on falling into an exhausted stupor, I would wake up the next day with the solution in my head. How wonderful this human mind is! Half of my poems were "written" in my head in that same state of semi-consciousness, sometimes while daydreaming, instead of regular night dreaming. Very often, I wake up with the distinct feeling that I grasped an important concept or thought of an interesting and original story or poem while I was asleep, but on coming fully awake the thought slips away from my grasp. If only I could record my thoughts as I dream! I count Kekule as being very lucky that he remembered his dream of the serpent biting its tail. My dreams vanish into mist on waking.
Or perhaps it's not those kinds of dreams that people are dismissive of. Perhaps it is the tendency to think in terms of what could be, instead of what is. That too, tends to go hand in hand with creativity. And that too, in my opinion is a good thing. As our friend Kirthi put it,
Dreams are like small ripples of water,
That build on each other into a gigantic yet ephemeral wave.
The moment they hit the rock of reality,
They shatter into a thousand droplets and disappear into oblivion.
But some waves continue to relentlessly lash the rock of reality,
Shaping it into a future form.
Such is the power of dreams:
An untiring desire to cut into reality and make it your own.
Sorry to be quoting you like this Kirthi, but it really is a beautiful poem!
By grounding yourself too deeply in reality, you only close your eyes to the possibilities. It's like walking through life wearing blinkers like a horse. A million improbables may sum up to a probable. If there's one thing I've learned in life, it is to not stop building castles in the sky. Somebody might just come up with the jet thrusters you need.
Break the vicious circle. Be creative. Be optimistic. Dare to dream.
Dream on, dream on, dream your dream come true...
Dream on, dream on, dream until your dream comes true...
- Aerosmith
Cheers,
Prashanth.
I beg to differ. I get most of my best ideas on the edge of consciousness, before falling asleep or while waking up. When I was working on some particularly tough problems related to my thesis, a whole evening of racking my brains tended to draw a blank but on falling into an exhausted stupor, I would wake up the next day with the solution in my head. How wonderful this human mind is! Half of my poems were "written" in my head in that same state of semi-consciousness, sometimes while daydreaming, instead of regular night dreaming. Very often, I wake up with the distinct feeling that I grasped an important concept or thought of an interesting and original story or poem while I was asleep, but on coming fully awake the thought slips away from my grasp. If only I could record my thoughts as I dream! I count Kekule as being very lucky that he remembered his dream of the serpent biting its tail. My dreams vanish into mist on waking.
Or perhaps it's not those kinds of dreams that people are dismissive of. Perhaps it is the tendency to think in terms of what could be, instead of what is. That too, tends to go hand in hand with creativity. And that too, in my opinion is a good thing. As our friend Kirthi put it,
Dreams are like small ripples of water,
That build on each other into a gigantic yet ephemeral wave.
The moment they hit the rock of reality,
They shatter into a thousand droplets and disappear into oblivion.
But some waves continue to relentlessly lash the rock of reality,
Shaping it into a future form.
Such is the power of dreams:
An untiring desire to cut into reality and make it your own.
Sorry to be quoting you like this Kirthi, but it really is a beautiful poem!
By grounding yourself too deeply in reality, you only close your eyes to the possibilities. It's like walking through life wearing blinkers like a horse. A million improbables may sum up to a probable. If there's one thing I've learned in life, it is to not stop building castles in the sky. Somebody might just come up with the jet thrusters you need.
Break the vicious circle. Be creative. Be optimistic. Dare to dream.
Dream on, dream on, dream your dream come true...
Dream on, dream on, dream until your dream comes true...
- Aerosmith
Cheers,
Prashanth.
Friday, February 03, 2006
My unique nephew
Last month, my cousin gave birth to a son. Why on earth am I talking about such personal information that no one else would care about? Well, its because this kid is unique.
- His name is Sean Jagannath _____ (er... his last name is Belgian, I can't spell it)
- His mother (my cousin) is an Indian brought up in the US by parents who are Telugu and lived in Tamil Nadu until they shifted to the US
- His father is a Belgian who studied in the US. My cousin fell in love with him in grad school and they got married.
- That makes Shawn half Hindu, half Christian; half Indian, half Belgian
- He will be living the next few years of his life in the UK where both his parents are doing their postdoc. In all probability he will live a good percentage of his life in the US, though.
Call me unpatriotic, but I don't think this child could live a regular life anywhere in India. However, in the US or in England (where they are now), I think he will be accepted without fuss. But times are changing, and the world grows less narrow minded. The only thing I fight for is to break insularity wherever I see it. I'm not always successful, but I see a whole generation of aware youths taking up various causes, shattering biases everywhere. I believe Shawn will have a happy existence. And I pray that equality will be more than a myth in our own country... someday!
Cheers,
Prashanth.
- His name is Sean Jagannath _____ (er... his last name is Belgian, I can't spell it)
- His mother (my cousin) is an Indian brought up in the US by parents who are Telugu and lived in Tamil Nadu until they shifted to the US
- His father is a Belgian who studied in the US. My cousin fell in love with him in grad school and they got married.
- That makes Shawn half Hindu, half Christian; half Indian, half Belgian
- He will be living the next few years of his life in the UK where both his parents are doing their postdoc. In all probability he will live a good percentage of his life in the US, though.
Call me unpatriotic, but I don't think this child could live a regular life anywhere in India. However, in the US or in England (where they are now), I think he will be accepted without fuss. But times are changing, and the world grows less narrow minded. The only thing I fight for is to break insularity wherever I see it. I'm not always successful, but I see a whole generation of aware youths taking up various causes, shattering biases everywhere. I believe Shawn will have a happy existence. And I pray that equality will be more than a myth in our own country... someday!
Cheers,
Prashanth.
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