tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52871176359660737232024-02-07T09:22:50.370+05:30Thoughtful MoodA blog about thoughts, philosophy in life.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-42060593576647487662010-01-10T10:59:00.000+05:302010-01-17T13:43:29.302+05:30What you feel when you feel lonely Found a nice post by blogger Heena about Loneliness. It is the similarity of our thoughts that makes me post this link from her blog.<br />
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<a href="http://unboundspirit-heena.blogspot.com/2010/01/feeling-lonely.html">http://unboundspirit-heena.blogspot.com/2010/01/feeling-lonely.html</a>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-77258449440324428502010-01-04T22:44:00.001+05:302010-01-17T13:45:05.357+05:30Do something that adds value, not takes up space<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tS8snIMXQX4ABB7Gf2TpacyoYRg-5k29_Sa6HbP-8NqMhjEzXN6POZkTjkvnxCJZc7LUilOKH8v0zsrUuKYPGkmX3M_nOCUFyhAo70j-C1T9o89hX3ostBycbkayudChY9_WTiS6F7PP/s1600-h/broken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2tS8snIMXQX4ABB7Gf2TpacyoYRg-5k29_Sa6HbP-8NqMhjEzXN6POZkTjkvnxCJZc7LUilOKH8v0zsrUuKYPGkmX3M_nOCUFyhAo70j-C1T9o89hX3ostBycbkayudChY9_WTiS6F7PP/s320/broken.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>I read the post <a href="http://startupblog.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/the-white-collar-underclass/">The white collar underclass</a> by Steve Sammartino. A lot of the points made there are valid with regards to white collar workers.<br />
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Working for 12 hours or more and on weekends without overtime is quite common with us. No representation to protect employment conditions is quite true. Thou I wonder if this is a global tendency or not as some countries do have representation even for white collar workers.<br />
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If you are workers, you tend to panic in an economic downturn because the most impact is felt by workers rather than innovators.<br />
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Do something that adds value, not takes up space is the best advice to start this new year 2010 with. As Steve mentions, if you want to do something that adds value, just do it whether on nights or on weekends and even if there is no income.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-1523752704700451622010-01-03T22:07:00.000+05:302010-01-17T13:43:10.084+05:30Sometimes it takes an idiot to change things<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGn-S6e6vEWaI1iHyvmCP_sB93Ks__3ICArduUaTtTW_N_A0q8rnQOWNJaqAfQcZABcdxFcRkOEwAwjWNZJGW_gQ8YYSBl0h8jAf2nNGQpvcol6D6Y0Yq2lxQl_C9eJuC1nhaRdba45cz/s1600-h/3idiots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGn-S6e6vEWaI1iHyvmCP_sB93Ks__3ICArduUaTtTW_N_A0q8rnQOWNJaqAfQcZABcdxFcRkOEwAwjWNZJGW_gQ8YYSBl0h8jAf2nNGQpvcol6D6Y0Yq2lxQl_C9eJuC1nhaRdba45cz/s320/3idiots.jpg" /></a><br />
Sometimes it takes an idiot to make people realize that things have to be changed. Watched the movie 3 idiots today. It's a great movie and what was best that many of the things I could relate to due to my engineering background.<br />
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The movie shows well the pressures faced by children especially from a country like India where to be an engineer or a doctor is supposed to be the only options to a successful and high earning career. <br />
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The movie highlights what we engineers have known all along. And I suppose even the movie will not change much of what happens in an engineering institution.<br />
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Engineering for us students begins with subjects which hardly have relevance to what we want to learn. All students are supposed to learn physics, chemistry, mechanics and drawing inspite of opting for a specialization like computers, it, electronics.<br />
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The assignments given to students are just a way of earning money by selling papers with the stamps of their respective institutions. Students end up copying the assignments written by a few "Chatur" like students. Sometimes even if some words are not clear or understood, students just copy the design patterns :)<br />
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The practicals are just adhering to a set of do's and dont's already set by the pre written and age old journals from the old batches.<br />
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The exams are just tailor made for students who can mug up a lot of information. It hardly matters say for example if you know how to develop good software if you can just rote the program and write it on the paper.<br />
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While helping a woman deliver a baby with a vacuum machine is atrocious, it just tries to prove a point that it is using your understanding to create things that is more important than just reading from textbooks.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-78208880550976867592009-03-08T01:15:00.002+05:302010-01-17T13:44:29.907+05:30A little love<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A little love - Kevin Rodrigues</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j105/kinbaku/Love/a_little_love.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 331px;" src="http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j105/kinbaku/Love/a_little_love.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Don't want fortune,<br />Don't need fame<br />All I want is a little love<br />Is it too much to ask for?<br /><br />Have I asked for too much?<br />Can't I have a dream?<br />I don't want to reach the stars<br />I only want to reach your heart<br />All I want is a little love<br />Is it too much to ask for?<br /><br />For a moment, I thought it was real<br />I should have known the boundaries<br />But I love the way you make me feel<br />I want you to feel the same<br />All I want is a little love<br />Is it too much to ask for?<br /><br />Try to break this wall between us<br />Till I lose consiousness<br />If only I have your strength,<br />I will fight the world<br />All I want is a little love<br />Is it too much to ask for?<br /><br />Everyday I reach out my hand<br />Hoping you will grasp it<br />But hope is a lover's privilege<br />I cannot hope to have<br />All I want is a little love<br />Is it too much to ask for?<br />Don't you feel the same?<br /></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-62657887923314298942009-01-25T04:43:00.003+05:302010-01-17T13:44:29.909+05:30Chimana aani ChimaniPoem forwarded by a friend. Found it beautiful.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Ek hota Chimana aani ek hoti chimani<br />Chimana motha rubabadar aani chimani agadich sumar<br />Tarihi ekmekanche jivalag yaar.<br /><br />Velat vel kadhun ekmekanshi bolayache,<br />Ekmekana chidavayache aani khup khup hasayache.<br /><br />Chimanichya manat ek khulat hote gupit,<br />Chimanya baddal che prem tichya manachya kupit<br /><br />Roj roj kare devakade prarthana,<br />tyachyahi manat asu det ashach kahisha bhavana<br /><br />Ek divas dheer karun tine sagale sangitale<br />Pan tila tyane agadi sahaj nakarale<br /><br />Tyala mhane ase kahich vatat navate,<br />Tyachya dolyat prem aahe he agadi zooth hote<br /><br />Ka “Nahi” hyachi barich karane sangitali<br />Pan chimanichya manala ti ajibat nahi patali<br /><br />Chimani tashich ghari geli, tikade jaun khup radali<br />Kay karave kalena, radu tichyane aavarena<br /><br />Chimanila ek upay suchala, tine chimanyashi abola dharala<br />Chimnyala matra hyacha sudha kahich farak nahi padala<br /><br />Chimana agadich khushit hota, navin swapne pahat hota<br />Kadachit to thoda jastach practical hota<br /><br />Chimanine sudha aata hasat jagayache tharavale<br />Pan ekantatale ashru tila kadhich nahi avarale </span></em><br /><br /></span><em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;" >Ektarfi asale tari chimaniche chimanyavar agadi khare prem hote<br />Pan kadachit khare prem Chimanyachya nashibi navate</span></em><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;color:red;" ><i><br />Ek prashna matra tila aayushyabhar satavat rahila</i></span><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;color:red;" ><i><br />Chimanyachya dolyat tila disalele prem ha nusata "AABHAS" kasa tharala ? </i></span><span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-58251474014589631932008-12-14T02:43:00.002+05:302010-01-17T13:44:29.911+05:30Eyes<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eyes - Kevin Rodrigues</span><br /><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWuNgRor4bAC__t40JEX95CWJ3kLFri9PB6H7swGx-od1_uVvtkRqs5_TDIeR-q4fRSEzEQ0zTMkJ_-jdMxQn2QYUyVipN3tLqNI8kDJF_muqrJgw4Ff9K9tl_xpjlgLHr_7eiuAySH76/s1600-h/12TrueTearsNoeEnd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiWuNgRor4bAC__t40JEX95CWJ3kLFri9PB6H7swGx-od1_uVvtkRqs5_TDIeR-q4fRSEzEQ0zTMkJ_-jdMxQn2QYUyVipN3tLqNI8kDJF_muqrJgw4Ff9K9tl_xpjlgLHr_7eiuAySH76/s320/12TrueTearsNoeEnd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279386137340147602" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><div style="text-align: center;">I watch you looking as bright as the sun<br />I try to get closer<br />Smitten that I am by you<br />Your presence is like the warmth of fire<br />It draws me close to you<br /><br />No words or actions are necessary<br />Just being close to you sets me free<br />Then begins to dawn reality<br />What could be and what is there to see<br /><br />The heart has hope but the mind doesn't<br />A constant battle between the two<br />Leaves both in a state unpleasant<br />Indecision causes the mood to go blue<br /><br />Wishing my eyes filled with hope<br />Would express what words could not say<br />Imagine how my heart would cope<br />If the moment of love was here to stay<br /><br />Abruptly ends my illusion<br />As I watch in your beautiful eyes<br />There seems to be some confusion<br />As they seek someone's presence<br /><br />They move away from my direction<br />To a place away from my stand<br />There seems to be some distraction<br />What seems like an entrance grand<br /><br />My eyes have lost this fight<br />Now they are filled with tears<br />Tried with all their might<br />How true now are their fears.</div></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-83230164871537396772008-12-13T22:02:00.002+05:302010-01-17T13:44:18.539+05:30Oh My God!Watched the movie Oh, My God! It starts off pretty ok but the ending was average and could have been better. I'm actually beginning to kind of enjoy bollywood movies considering the amount of variety in story and concept that is available these days (I kind of dislike the typical run around the bush emotional types. They are OK once in a while but get on my nerves when every movie seems that way). I feel movies should have a message which a common person can relate to. So that when people watch a movie they have an aha (this happened to me moment). That's what makes it fun to watch.<br /><br />Coming back to Oh, My God!, it is a movie which is based on the thought that earning money is not everything in this world. There are things (family, friends, life) which is much, much more important. How we should be giving a more priority to the small things in life which make life worth living. Many people spend most of their time running after trying to make more money. And most do so at the cost of spending less time on the things that really matter. Money is really important, considering that in our present world, many things can be bought by money. But then the question is how much is enough. Somehow, people are never satisfied by the amount of money that they have. Even millionaires and billionaires are always finding themselves in the race to earn more money.<br /><br />Actually it's a people's choice. If you want to set your goal in life to earn more money, kindly do so. Personally, I consider money as a means of buying things. But it's love, values and respect that are far more important .<br /><br />So when the stock markets crumble or the interest rates fall, some guys have to say "Oh, My God!, we have lost so much in life" while the wise ones just shrug their shoulders and say "Thank you God" for what we have in life.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-28781112391578086792008-12-01T00:14:00.003+05:302010-01-17T13:44:07.274+05:30Terrorist attacks in MumbaiI am sure we all are aware of the terrorist attacks that happened in Mumbai.<br /><a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/mumbai_under_attack.html">http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/mumbai_under_attack.html</a><br /><br />Salute to all the heroes who sacrified their lives so that the city is once again safe for us. May their souls rest in peace.<br /><br />Also I along with others hope that this will not be forgotten in a couple of months.<br /><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Major_attacks_in_India_since_2003/articleshow/3772437.cms">http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Major_attacks_in_India_since_2003/articleshow/3772437.cms</a><br /><br />We need to start a movement as mentioned by people which will start a change in the way our country is being handled.<br /><br />I am not going to perform a postmortem of this attack because I am incapable of doing so. Though I would be proud to be a part of any movement which can bring about the change that India badly needs.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-12342478484934048722008-11-10T01:00:00.004+05:302010-01-17T13:43:48.878+05:30EMI<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnAWHHdfNnEK7mwH1oCp5HvDaME2OIkIBe3iDa7xEpxRvWsLnN6Fvohzv4WfDaU0zX3a5Sygj-OjaJJhXGo5WIkQEDhVckZgugH4xuuLQ18fCgi-RVs5voMShRP0KwUYR81MHIOENxLbc/s1600-h/credit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjnAWHHdfNnEK7mwH1oCp5HvDaME2OIkIBe3iDa7xEpxRvWsLnN6Fvohzv4WfDaU0zX3a5Sygj-OjaJJhXGo5WIkQEDhVckZgugH4xuuLQ18fCgi-RVs5voMShRP0KwUYR81MHIOENxLbc/s320/credit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266746524760209314" border="0" /></a><br />Watched the movie EMI yesterday. It's about loans and credit in India. The movie shows a story of four people who use credit and loans and cannot repay them back. And how they end up being pressurized by the bank.<br /><br />Some points were really worth thinking about. It's really scary how people borrow loans with repayment period of 15-20 years. We cannot even predict our lives tomorrow and we assume about such a long time. So much can change in those years. It's no fault of people as well. Consider the case of the housing loans. Middle class people cannot be expected to buy a house without a loan considering the current rates in real estate which seem incredibly high.<br /><br />Then there are people who survive on credit cards. It's easy to get a free credit card. So just use it and when you need to pay up, just pay it from another credit card. And the cycle continues.<br /><br />The moral of the movie (if it had any) was to use loans responsibly. What I feel is that people should not be greedy for the luxuries of life. Sure we should always aim for a good life. But do we really need that car when we have public transportation? Or do we really need that Rs. 2 lakh plasma TV? And that too on loans?<br /><br />I guess it's just a question of how much is enough. Sadly for us it never is.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-87513072198978162652008-09-28T20:20:00.003+05:302010-01-17T13:44:47.865+05:30ThinkThere have been a spate of bomb blasts in India recently, especially in Delhi. I had a few heated conversations with a friend (since this is one of the subjects that I consider my emotional triggers). My point of view was simple. What is the reason to live in a country where you have a constant fear of getting yourself or your family killed by some idiots for no apparent reason. My friend told me the usual stuff that India is our country, we should not run away, etc, etc. And that I would be selfish if I would not stay there. I guess most of my friends will voice this same opinion. I asked why and it was mentioned that all of our family and friends are in India and so we cannot run away. Well, isn't that an even more selfish answer. <div><br /></div><div>The question I carried further was if you knew that your loved one was about to die tomorrow in a bomb explosion and you had a chance to save him by moving him to a more peaceful place, would you do it or not? Would you, just for harping a few words of patriotism allow your family to be killed? As expected I got no answer. I still think about this and can't still understand why people fail to realize the truth. The truth that we in India have placed our security in a very compromising position.<div><div><br /></div><div>The movie "A Wednesday" express beautifully what I am trying to explain. Ah, but who cares and what will I achieve by mentioning this. Nothing will change, nothing ever seems to change in our country for good (no they are not pessimistic thoughts just reality). I just hope I can do something about it for my loved ones.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is your opinion? What is your answer?</div></div></div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-86161710231132221482008-09-15T23:08:00.002+05:302010-01-17T13:44:29.913+05:30The girl by the window<div style="text-align: center;">The girl by the window - Kevin Rodrigues<br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcZX8CILZk4lM_vt5Fvy_SRJqTi9ahtIajNGBrl7PxB69U-TIA02mjPMksu5CfyxQbNjmtLR7OzpfD6C3yKb4dG9G_k5LJNxPEJP1m3Jv_dIIZoiVQusQT8nW_DixDONZSeZNwTbswosB/s1600-h/girl+by+the+window.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcZX8CILZk4lM_vt5Fvy_SRJqTi9ahtIajNGBrl7PxB69U-TIA02mjPMksu5CfyxQbNjmtLR7OzpfD6C3yKb4dG9G_k5LJNxPEJP1m3Jv_dIIZoiVQusQT8nW_DixDONZSeZNwTbswosB/s320/girl+by+the+window.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246304131967101618" /></a><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I woke up as usual today</div><div style="text-align: center;">It's a cold, windy morning in Norway</div><div style="text-align: center;">Walking alone on my way to the station</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hands in my pocket, and in my mind, imagination</div><div style="text-align: center;">A handful of people walking along their path</div><div style="text-align: center;">I wonder what story each has in his heart</div><div style="text-align: center;">Passing by the Palace with its beautiful ground</div><div style="text-align: center;">Watching the birds as they scamper around</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I reach the station in about fifteen</div><div style="text-align: center;">A few trains pass with their seats empty</div><div style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the train that is seven twenty</div><div style="text-align: center;">Looking around, observing as much as I can see</div><div style="text-align: center;">In the other direction, a train comes by</div><div style="text-align: center;">MY eyes wander, trying something to find</div><div style="text-align: center;">They finally see what they have been searching then</div><div style="text-align: center;">The girl by the window have I seen once again</div>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-41827392577914307862008-08-16T22:52:00.003+05:302010-01-17T13:45:11.589+05:30It's a wonderful life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsPs-SRnK3Ns1NmDkauDSXbU2f8olJm3uP_zri2JxbcfKkh8ChnFFMO7WHEXkFQ1CDCK_-y-bEyRCfYnVJaHR7F7zKyxeivMBR2_ow4G5CyLB8rqrdK3-qi_LPBJFjt9Fc0_FWXu9XSCj/s1600-h/its+a+wonderful+life.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUsPs-SRnK3Ns1NmDkauDSXbU2f8olJm3uP_zri2JxbcfKkh8ChnFFMO7WHEXkFQ1CDCK_-y-bEyRCfYnVJaHR7F7zKyxeivMBR2_ow4G5CyLB8rqrdK3-qi_LPBJFjt9Fc0_FWXu9XSCj/s320/its+a+wonderful+life.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235167696569386834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I</span></span> watched a black and white english movie called "It's a wonderful life" today. I really enjoyed the movie. It seemed a lot like one of those old Hindi black and white movies. And yet it did have a good story. Infact, a very inspirational story.<br /><br />The story begins with the Gods deciding to send an angel to help someone because there are a lot of people who are praying for that someone. Who is that someone? That some one is George Bailey. Whos is George Bailey? The movie continues from George's childhood where he saves his brother from drowning but in the process loses the hearing in one of his ears. As a kid he works in a chemist shop. One day his owner accidentally mixes poision in someones medicine and asks him to deliver it. He knows that its poison and does not do so. So he gets thrashed by his employer (of course, after knowing the truth, the employer apologises). George keeps on doing good acts for people. Thinking about other people before himself. He wants to travel the world and has many dreams. But as he is about to leave his hometown to go study in New York, his father passes away. His father had owned a Loan Bank which he does not want to work for. But after his father passes away to settle things up he works in it for four months. Later as he decides to go to college he comes to know that his loan bank will be closed down. And if that happens many poor people will not get loans as the only other money lender is a very greedy man. So once again he sacrifices his life and works for the bank for four years. He sends his brother to college hoping that after four years he will come back to work for some time and he can pursue his dreams. After four years when his brother does come back, he has already married a girl from New York and has a job at her father's factory. George is very disappointed that his dreams are crushed once again. But still he decides to sacrifice and is happy for his brother. After some time George gets married as well. As he is leaving for his honeymoon, he noticies a crowd near the loan bank. All the other banks have been shut down and so people have flocked to his bank for their money. But there is not much in the bank. So his wife who is a lovely woman as well sacrifices all their honeymoon money for the people. George has to overcome many difficulties in his life but he also gets a good wife in Mary and has lovely children who make his life worth living.<br /><br />One day his uncle who goes to deposit all the money in the bank misplaces the money. So there is a deficit of 8000 dollars in the bank which they can't pay. This amounts to fraud and could land George in jail. George is very depressed and expresses his anger with many people he meets. He shouts at his wife and kids. And goes to the greedy money lender for money. But all he has is his life insurance. So he decides to end his life. As he is about to jump from the bridge, another man jumps into it and screams for help. George saves this man's life. The man tells him that he is an angel and he jumped in because he knew that George was about to jump and so he saved George's life instead of the other way around. George doesn't believe it. The angel tells him that his life is too beautiful to be wasted on such matters. But George doesn't agree. He feels his life is a waste and wishes he was never born. The angel grants him his wish. And then he does not exist in the world. None of his family and friends recognize him. Since he was not there, his brother whom he had saved drowned. His employer who had accidentally mixed poison in the medicine is in jail. His wife and mother don't recognize him either.<br /><br />Finally George realizes what a wonderful life he has. He remembers his wife, kids and all the friends he had. He prays to God to return his life back to him. And so in the end everything is a happy ending.<br /><br />P.S: Hope some one who thinks their life is not special read this and understood my pathetic way of conveying a message. That your life is very, very special. And don't you ever forget that.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-86706127024290399302008-08-09T21:43:00.003+05:302010-01-17T13:44:02.047+05:30Kismat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOEpwBxX5D8A7rxv9JkTXZP146asDri7ZU749iqhhl_c9A2aYmnnR-PYTGUYJnfW8xiGAVeOAFagl3VpV1_P6TxROSFQsIQYg0jDjl8zaMCZXkSTWOCmc9QhUkezaohEbXydq1y2iOhCV/s1600-h/good_luck_glitter_graphic_04.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOEpwBxX5D8A7rxv9JkTXZP146asDri7ZU749iqhhl_c9A2aYmnnR-PYTGUYJnfW8xiGAVeOAFagl3VpV1_P6TxROSFQsIQYg0jDjl8zaMCZXkSTWOCmc9QhUkezaohEbXydq1y2iOhCV/s320/good_luck_glitter_graphic_04.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232557469780656178" border="0" /></a><br />Hmm. Just watched Kismat Konnection. So some thoughts on Kismat are expected I guess :)<br /><br />Kismat stands for Luck in Hindi. So what is luck? Is there really luck? As shown in the movie, do things such as lucky charms work? Why do so many people believe in luck? Does it exist or is it a figment of our imagination put by humans so that they can place their fortunes or misfortunes on something other than themselves when they don't understand some things happening in their lives?<br /><br />My thoughts are that there might be something as luck. We might be calling it a wrong term maybe. Maybe it is a part of something more. But we can just feel whenever luck seems to play a part. Sometimes we get good luck and sometimes bad. Sure that doesn't mean we just sit and let things just happen based on luck. Scientifically, luck may be related to probability. If you can increase your chances to do something in a particular situation then you are bound to have more success and obviously can be supposed to have good luck. And the opposite is also true. So if you want to be more lucky, I guess you just have to increase your chances in whatever you want to do. And your success rate will increase. So I guess luck in humans may be related to intelligence. If you can face any situation intelligently, you have less chances of having bad luck and more chances of having good luck.<br /><br />And yes, you should consider yourself lucky to read this post :)Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-49720858504040958052008-07-31T09:35:00.005+05:302010-01-17T13:42:57.299+05:30Contemplation about life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH03qzsOKinVH1Jt3qCuIRML7xefxtkwRfN9Jk25fEb1tD-G5U873oKrsYxE6PKND3RQveiF5AVr7k97qsIpY_LNVfiU9z6IY8i-nDESlRY4VkcZaM7Hjf_UwXO5D6E6o7rS3CXJarkP3/s1600-h/contemplation.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH03qzsOKinVH1Jt3qCuIRML7xefxtkwRfN9Jk25fEb1tD-G5U873oKrsYxE6PKND3RQveiF5AVr7k97qsIpY_LNVfiU9z6IY8i-nDESlRY4VkcZaM7Hjf_UwXO5D6E6o7rS3CXJarkP3/s320/contemplation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229032099062026210" border="0" /></a><br />Have been thinking about life? What is it for us? Is it supposed to be having goals and trying to achieve them? Or is it just enjoying the moment for the time we have on the earth? Or maybe it is a combination of both.<br /><br />Life with goals:<br />It seems that we always tend to fail at most of the things we do. Some people more, some people less. Every time I have some small goals in life. And every time I work towards them. Enthusiastic in the beginning but as time passes, it starts to decrease. Like I am trying to learn Norwegian, but since the last week I haven't read much of it. Maybe it is because the goals are not clear. Or maybe because I do not have enough discipline. Same case goes for my blogging. I started blogging because I wanted to write stuff that comes in my mind. But sometimes the mind just goes blank. So maybe it is human nature to fail. Maybe life is not about achieving success. Maybe life is to fail and struggle to get back on the road to success. This may be even more important than success. So that when success is achieved, the journey counts more than it.<br /><br />All the people I have met, some time or the other have said that their life sucks because they fail. Even I say that my life sucks because I have failed in more things than I may have succeeded in. But maybe it is supposed to suck. Life is supposed to be good when it sucks and we try to make it better. Not only our life but that of our loved ones. When they feel their life is dull, maybe it is our duty to brighten it. So that indirectly, our life gets brightened too.<br /><br />Hmm, so what to do when things don't turn out the way we want them to. I guess just realize that it is going to be that way. Life sucks and we got to live with it. Guess the answer is somewhat related to a positive attitude. Whatever happens in life, there is always something to learn. So that we don't make the same mistakes again. So that possibly the next time life doesn't suck because of that. And that learning from our failures we can succeed. That we have the discipline to get up if we fall in life instead of lying on the ground and sulking.<br /><br />Enjoying life's moments:<br />I feel this is one of the most important things which we humans have been gifted with. We can savor a lot of moments in our lives. Everything is so beautiful. Nature, animals, family, friends, work. But then again we start taking everything for granted. We assume everything is just for us and start worrying about things we want. One day just have a walk in the park and look at the trees, the birds, the people. We need to see the beauty in it. Every moment of our life is a gift. I know we all have our worries and problems. But how much of that worry is necessary. I have seen people worry about success, money, happiness, etc. Yeah, to an extent we should be thinking about these things but never worry about them. As I said we have goals and we might fail but it just means that we have to try again and not stop. So why not enjoy the journey to our goals. Maybe some of us might find that the journey is our goal. That enjoying life's moments brings us more joy than what we supposed we wanted. So just realise that everything has beauty. We just don't notice how many wonderful things happen in our life. Taking everything for granted.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-77322463581185916462008-07-20T18:05:00.001+05:302010-01-17T13:44:35.646+05:30Love, rejection and acceptance<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/kevin.rodrigues/SIMxFMJHNmI/AAAAAAAACyk/ZTIZTZjyGt0/s1600-h/love_acceptance%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="244" alt="love_acceptance" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/kevin.rodrigues/SIMxFm59TjI/AAAAAAAACyo/R-0uDxgCILY/love_acceptance_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="164" align="left" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>No I'm not a love guru or anything. But I intend to give my 2 cents about this topic. Because it has always been at the back of my mind and maybe it will do good to you as well.</p> <p>We think of love as this wonderful magic that suddenly happens. We meet a guy/girl who seems to match our required characteristics. This is the so called "Love at first sight". For others, it is just a process of gradually falling in love.</p> <p>OK, then everything is wonderful and we are in love. So that is great until something we forgot about. We do not know if that other person shares the same feelings as we do. So what do we do? We try to indirectly convince the other person to fall in love with us. By several ways such as trying to impress the other person. If the other person falls in love with us, everything is fine, everything is beautiful.</p> <p>But what if it doesn't happen? What if the other person doesn't share the same feelings as we do? What if the other person doesn't love us in return? It becomes difficult to accept it, right? Somehow, somewhere there is always hope that maybe, just maybe, there is a way of convincing the other person that we are the perfect match for him/her. We as humans are emotional and the heart has been given too much hope in such situations. Now it is good to have hope especially in case of love. But what if it is not working out. What if the other person is least interested in you? Then it starts to get dangerous, doesn't it? Everyday, every time we remember the moments, we get distracted from whatever we set out to do. The hope within us tries to find a way. We react like a drowning man who will try to grab everything, even a straw if he get's one.</p> <p>Well, my friend, that is where comes the part of acceptance. Now I don't know how to draw the line between trying to convince the other person and acceptance of his/her disinterest, I really don't. Perhaps, somehow it just comes in our mind and we will know when we have to accept things as they are. But once we know that we have to accept the situation, it is better to accept it rather than causing pain to ourselves. Maybe we have trouble accepting it. But we can take help from our friends who will always be there for support.</p> <p>Falling in love is a wonderful thing. I have fallen in love too. And there seems no greater suffering than rejection. That too I have undergone. So here is advice from one who has suffered a broken heart to another, some advice from experience of my own and other wise people before me. Falling in love is beautiful, being loved is even more beautiful, but letting a loved one have his own free will is spiritual. Time, my friend, will heal everything. It always does. Maybe, such things leave a scar or two on the heart. But maybe there is some lessons we learn from such events. Perhaps, it is to make us wiser so that in the future, our love gets what it deserves. Maybe, it happened so that we can appreciate true love when we will get it.</p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-41630383682581722492008-07-19T12:46:00.001+05:302010-01-17T13:45:00.210+05:30Where there is a will, there is a way<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/kevin.rodrigues/SIGUuRiv5HI/AAAAAAAACyc/oo7X2i8GkGA/s1600-h/rock-climbing%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-top-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" height="244" alt="rock-climbing" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/kevin.rodrigues/SIGUvV4DwxI/AAAAAAAACyg/PjBgPwpqObw/rock-climbing_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="221" align="left" border="0" /></a> </p> <p>We always here the words "Will power".</p> <p>What do we mean by will power? Will power is the inner strength to try to reach your goal even if the road to that goal is full of difficulties.</p> <p>We hear a lot of stories about how people achieve success by sheer will power. All of the people who have been successful in any field, whether business or sports or education are people who have tremendous will power. Actually we haven't to look that far our in the world. Everyone including us as humans have great potential of using our will power.</p> <p>Will power can and should be used by us for achieving what we want to. We all have goals in our lives. Some of us want success, some want fame, some want money, some love, etc. Whatever be our goal, we can and should use will power to achieve it. When we set out to achieve goals, there are going to be obstacles. It's like a football match. The goal post is right in front of us. But there is no direct way to get there. There are obstacles at many places. The path to the goal is not straight forward and every time we have to change our way. If we keep on worrying that we cannot achieve that goal, then it is not possible. Without will power, we fail even before we begin. But when we use will power, if we believe that whatever the difficulties, we will succeed then success becomes possible.</p> <p>Can non practical things be achieved with will power? Well, things are unachievable unless they are achieved. If we look through history, a lot many things would not exist if it were not for sheer will power. The electricity that we get, the cars that we travel in, the technology that we use, nothing would exist if it were not the will power of the people to create them. Before these things existed, they were supposed to be unachievable. But it was because people believed that they could do those things and even though there were failures and many difficulties, they had tremendous will power and managed to reach their goals. Maybe, we might not want to achieve such things and change the world's history. But each of us has our goals to achieve which are big for us. So we need to keep using our will power to reach them whatever be the distractions.</p> <p>My friend asks if will power can get you a promotion. Well, yes, if that is what you want to achieve. I can tell my views if that would be my goal. I would try and find out what it takes to get a promotion. This I would do by asking the people who provide promotions as to what they expect of people to give them a promotion. I would tell them that I will be working to achieve that. I would also look at people who have been successful at work. If possible try and talk to them, analyse how they learn, how they work. Learn from their life. And use my will power to try and reach that position.</p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-85053978323568791382008-07-17T10:01:00.002+05:302010-01-17T13:43:41.880+05:30Life can be boring sometimes, but...One of my friends tells me that she is bored from life. Now I am not going to give some advice saying that life is not boring or anything because I can't preach even to save my own life. But it is true when it is said that life is what we make of it. Yes life can get boring because of the monotony in it. Doing the same things day after day can cause boredom. So what to do when such days come biting at you.<br /><br />Now these are not solutions I suggest but those that have been given by wise people over the generations. One suggestion is to do something new and different everyday. Now by new I don't mean going on top of a mountain and doing a bungee jump. Anything simple is good enough. Trying a new way to reach home. Reading something different you were never interested in. Doing something you would rather dislike are some of the things that might be suggested.<br /><br />At times we also feel that life sucks. Well, maybe it does. But it only does because we see it that way. We want a lot of things from life. Some want money, some want happiness, some want love, etc, etc. Believe me if we really want something, humans have a great capacity to achieve it. But there is a catch. Most of the times, we will not get it at the first try. And it's not that we f.ail. Every failure is a milestone to teach us somethings. It's like trying to find a destination. And we reach a dead end. We don't just sit and cry at that end. We go back some distance and then try a different way which may lead us to our destination.<br /><br />Seems like I preached a lot of stuff and you may consider me an optimist guru. But on the contrary, I am more of a realist. Whenever I try doing anything in life, I expect that failures can be a part of it rather than always expecting that I will succeed. But then when I fail at something, it doesn't seem so bad because I knew the possibility was always there. So I accept it and try to rectify the situation as much as I can and get back to try and reach ny goal.<br /><br />So the bottom line my friend is that life can be boring sometimes, but you have a beautiful mind to come out of that boredom.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-75860866024096553142008-05-08T22:13:00.001+05:302008-05-08T22:13:38.970+05:30Lazy Programmer<p>They say a lazy programmer is a good programmer. Because such programmers use their minds to minimize their work that to just do rigorous hard work. Most of the software problems can be solved by either of two methods. One is to try a lot of permutations and combinations. The other is to first sit down and analyse the different possible solutions and then go for the most optimal one. Each has it's own positive and negative traits. The good and lazy programmers know exactly what to choose or rather what combinations to choose depending on the time and technical constraints.</p> <p>Lazy programmers really hate to do repetitive stuff. So here's what they will do. Whenever there is a problem, try to find already existing solutions to that problem and solve it. If the solutions do not exist, they break the problem into many smaller problems and try to find if solutions exist for the smaller ones. Lazy programming does not mean not doing work but it means doing smart work and concentrating on stuff which will enable them to learn something new rather than repeat the same work which they already know. This helps them to concentrate on finding solutions to newer problems than going into a monotonous loop of doing that which is already done.</p> <p>One example can be provided with STL in C++. Suppose we have a task of maintaining a dynamic list of entries of the employees in an organization and processing that list. A programmer who does not know about STL will start writing his own logic, probably linked list implementation. After he spends time in that, he will have to test and debug the errors from that. Still it might contain bugs. A lazy smart programmer will use STL, probably vectors or linked lists. He saves his time of implementation of linked lists by using existing code. And there will be no major bugs in it since it is provided by the ANSI standard and already tested. So he saves additional time. Now he can concentrate on processing that list and complete his work in a fraction of a time than the first programmer. This helps him to finish his work on time with good quality and provides him time to perform the tasks he enjoys.</p> <p>So be a programmer but be lazy and be smart.</p> Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-52490040814983860782008-05-05T21:54:00.004+05:302010-01-17T13:43:41.882+05:30Best friends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T-9D2Uav6uv2e1DLeV8ybSrqZMtGW60aSsHpksgtwRRmoahWEgveTlQr2cVQLumsjsEMukm-i6LT_bakx2_5VW8HqKrMwIHuLqI1edfUNI3OmZ7YzUu_Sbp_zNHxyAv5a9motsFaNX8u/s1600-h/Best_Friends_480.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6T-9D2Uav6uv2e1DLeV8ybSrqZMtGW60aSsHpksgtwRRmoahWEgveTlQr2cVQLumsjsEMukm-i6LT_bakx2_5VW8HqKrMwIHuLqI1edfUNI3OmZ7YzUu_Sbp_zNHxyAv5a9motsFaNX8u/s400/Best_Friends_480.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196936791611864626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Last weekend as some of my friends will have known I had spent time introspecting upon the concept of best friends. The only way to get more information was to ask some friends what best friends means to them. Now you may ask why best friends when we have friends. Well, seems like one best friend is more precious than a 100 friends put together.<br /><br />Now I will just put a gist of the points that seem to validate this statement.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />1)Being there:<br /></span>Most important thing I found was that best friends are there for each other. By being there I mean physically, mentally, emotionally or all put together. If one wants to share his life whether good or bad, best friends are always available. There is no wait for some time or wait till tomorrow. Best friends seem to have an instinct not to encroach on each other's time but at the same time they seem to know to be there for each other whenever the need for it arises. And that is what makes best friends, always ready to provide a shoulder to lean on to, always ready to listen.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />2)In touch:<br /></span>Best friends are always in touch with each other. Many a times best friends communicate with each other on a daily basis. As I mentioned sharing life seems a priority for them. But then I also found out that best friends might not be constantly in touch whenever boundaries like long physical distances are present. But they seem to make up for it through other means of communication and really make it count whenever they communicate.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />3)Have fun:<br /></span>Best friends have a lot of fun together. There is no disappointment most of the time. As I mentioned best friends seem to have an instinct on what time is favorable for them. Imagine wanting to go to a movie or a picnic and being sure that you best friend will always be ready to go with you anywhere. A best friend sees no better way to spend time than with his friend. That is so very cool :)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />4)No boundaries:<br /></span>This is something I think about. I heard best friends have no boundaries. By boundaries I mean age, gender, religion, etc. While many best friends share a lot of their characteristics and interests, it is also that such things are not necessary and a lot many people are best friends because they be there for each other. Even when their ideas and views differ their hearts do not.<br /><br />I'm sorry if I left out some points but right now I can recall the above ones. Thanks to friend Heena for kind of encouraging me to write this post about best friends.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-71923258873103617432008-04-28T20:00:00.002+05:302010-01-17T13:44:41.184+05:30I love tea breaks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbfp1Hdvrt3xhbe6du7CqmmtV-vrL_3jmSgwMlLUbnAsWhMHzoVXvf73Gexjp_CvubzUwZKNypuwVk23RU956GkHyDfUuHPHpn7QKY_oKb90kX6Y08vvTzVywD5UFq7iN3IJoW9TA7sst/s1600-h/lnt+tea+break.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbfp1Hdvrt3xhbe6du7CqmmtV-vrL_3jmSgwMlLUbnAsWhMHzoVXvf73Gexjp_CvubzUwZKNypuwVk23RU956GkHyDfUuHPHpn7QKY_oKb90kX6Y08vvTzVywD5UFq7iN3IJoW9TA7sst/s320/lnt+tea+break.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194305582977185314" border="0" /></a><br />By tea break, I mean the break that we generally have in offices. It's been almost four and a half years (and three companies) since I started working as a professional. And of the things that I remember about those companies, the first thing that comes to my mind are the tea breaks.<br /><br />The first company had a hectic schedule of 12 hours per day for 6 days a week, so tea breaks were inevitable. What made it special was that we had to make our own tea using the tea bags and the tea would turn out pathetic thanks to our culinary skills :P So we would end up going to the roadside tapri (roadside tea stall in Mumbai style slang) :) Several times we even managed to take our Japanese bosses to that tapri to have adrak wali chai, at their expense of course :D<br /><br />The second company was a little different. Tea would be brought twice a day on to our desks :)<br />But even here we would go and enjoy tea breaks in the canteen in the adjacent building.<br /><br />The third company (which I am currently working in) has an excellent shelter for tea breaks in an open space which I really enjoy (even though the tea sucks) :) Sharing time with some of my closest friends surely makes going to office a less heavy burden.<br /><br />Best thing about tea breaks is the bonding that it creates among the co-workers. I have met some of the most wonderful people during my work and I have known a lot about them especially during tea breaks. Whether there is some bug irritating the hell out of you or a cracking joke that cheers your heart, everything has been experienced in tea breaks.<br /><br />So here's to all you tea break lovers, CHEERS to a cup of tea :)Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-90735469246410142272008-04-23T22:07:00.004+05:302008-12-09T16:31:35.255+05:30Fair and Lovely: Once More + Height Craziness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwQ6-4ulkljMrvSBjyMiZStZX56YTkl042eHK8dIYiaKtLqqfBo4jtW7ZxFOo_r5N-5g5sHjgYF8OFMjSIAcLLq3ARzliAE6ntiqbSXjUonoiLFhgv3lxhr_jqXCVsKew9z8QroRSbxrT/s1600-h/FairAndHandsomeCream.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwQ6-4ulkljMrvSBjyMiZStZX56YTkl042eHK8dIYiaKtLqqfBo4jtW7ZxFOo_r5N-5g5sHjgYF8OFMjSIAcLLq3ARzliAE6ntiqbSXjUonoiLFhgv3lxhr_jqXCVsKew9z8QroRSbxrT/s320/FairAndHandsomeCream.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192487055169353234" border="0" /></a><br />Man, this topic has become a emo-trigger for me :P Recently, there was the Pantaloons Femina Miss India. The next day on the front page of the newspaper two stores were printed. On the left was the news about the Pantaloons Femina Miss India winners and on the right side was the news about how Dark taunts to wife puts man in jail.<br /><br />In the story, the man would taunt his wife repeatedly about her dark complexion which depressed her so much that she contemplated suicide. This once again showed how biased we tend to be with regards to skin color. And it is ourselves we have to blame. Always it is the affection towards the fair skin. The positive point was that the court ruled the case in favor of the woman and came down heavily on our disgusting views on fair skin.<br /><br />Seems like we always like things in people which are just gifts given by God. Already mentioned fairness. Another thing I am sick and tired of hearing is the height factor. Every time there is talk about how a person should have good height. I mean what the hell :( , if a person could choose his color or height do you think he would want to be dark or short. No, but that is how the world sees a person, and it is downright irritating. Rather than taking the pain of understanding what a person has become by his own abilities, we choose the easier path of judging a person by the talents that have been handed over naturally to the person. Either it is fairness or height or something else. Where's the justice in that?<br /><br />I guess things won't change and people will continue to be eggheads. Can't change that. I tend to have hope that there are at least some people who think differently. Who know what it truly means to get discriminated against and who do not discriminate. Sadly, I haven't found anyone who has this superior sense of being a thoughtful human being.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-3771267689828620422008-04-14T21:46:00.002+05:302008-04-14T21:50:57.235+05:30HUMSAFAR AUR TANHAI by C R DC R D has written a beautiful poem about loneliness.<br /><a href="http://crissdude.blogspot.com/2008/03/humsafar-aur-tanhai.html">http://crissdude.blogspot.com/2008/03/humsafar-aur-tanhai.html</a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />HUMSAFAR AUR TANHAI by C R D<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">हमसफ़र हमें अपनी राह पर हाथों मे हाथ लेकर चलता है,</span><br /><span class=""></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">तन्हाई हमें अपनी राह खुद बनाना सिखाती है।<br /><br />हमसफ़र सोच से सोच मिल लेता है,</span><br /><span class=""></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">तन्हाई हमें खुद सोचने को मजबूर करती है।<br /><br />हमसफ़र की बाहों में सपने सच होते नज़र आते हैं,</span><br /><span class=""></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">तन्हाई के घेरे में हम सपने देखते ज़रूर हैं,<br />लेकिन हम यह भी जान लेते हैं कि वो शायद कभी सच नहीं होंगे।<br /><br />हमसफ़र ज़िंदगी के हर कदम पर साथ देने की कसमें खाता हैं,</span><br /><span class=""></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">लेकिन कसमें तोडी भी जा सकती हैं।<br />तन्हाई कोई वादा नहीं करती,</span><br /><span class=""></span><span style="font-size: 130%;">लेकिन सबके छोड़ देने पर वही साथ देती है।<br /><br />हमसफ़र साथ छोड़ता है तो हम सब कुछ खो देते हैं,<br />पर तन्हाई हमें छोड़ देते वक्त वह सब कुछ दे देती है,<br />जिनकी हम तमन्ना करते थे।<br /><br />तो क्या तन्हाई ही हमारा सच्चा हमसफ़र है?<br /><br /></span>Humsafar Humein Apni Raah Par Haathon Mein Haath Lekar Chalta Hai<br />Tanhai Humein Apni Raah Khud Banaana Sikhati Hai<br /><br />Humsafar Soch Se Soch Mila Leta Hai<br />Tanhai Humein Khud Sochne Ko Majboor Karti Hai<br /><br />Humsafar Ke Baahon Mein Sapne Sach Hote Nazar Aate Hain<br />Tanhai Ke Ghere Mein Hum Sapne Dekhte Zaroor Hain,<br />Lekin Hum Yeh Bhi Jaan Lete Hain Ki Woh Shayad Kabhi Sach Nahin Honge<br /><br />Humsafar Zindagi Ke Har Kadam Par Saath Dene Ki Kasmein Khaata Hai<br />Lekin Kasmein Todi Bhi Jaa Sakti Hain<br />Tanhai Koi Vaada Nahin Karti<br />Lekin Sabke Chhod Dene Par Wahi Saath Deti Hai<br /><br />Humsafar Saath Chhodta Hai Toh Hum Sab Kuch Kho Dete Hain<br />Par Tanhai Humein Chhod Dete Waqt Woh Sab Kuch De Deti Hai<br />Jinki Hum Tamanna Karte The<br /><br />Toh Kya Tanhai Hi Hamara Sacha Humsafar Hai?Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-37840975113636689532008-04-05T20:50:00.006+05:302010-01-17T13:48:46.458+05:30The Temptation to drink<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3s-zFUi-htw_7ZFh4fXDuU6V4aUYj-1rLNFgBdTYfOFT82rNdXAr4wbzUz28Yq88btWYn8Wrbk1Ji_Jp3He1VUx_IlHy2H3Ku_UgUC5PJoUvSz0rZ5BcnGJDBTpyavbPtwDj7gB8RRGK/s1600-h/alcohol-free.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185789880586872194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3s-zFUi-htw_7ZFh4fXDuU6V4aUYj-1rLNFgBdTYfOFT82rNdXAr4wbzUz28Yq88btWYn8Wrbk1Ji_Jp3He1VUx_IlHy2H3Ku_UgUC5PJoUvSz0rZ5BcnGJDBTpyavbPtwDj7gB8RRGK/s320/alcohol-free.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Warning: This post might be thought of as a way of self-promotion and I guess it is.</span><br />
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Well, I made a trip to Goa last week and as we know drinks are freely available in this part of the country. As surprising as many people may find, I have not drunk even a glass of beer. Why, some people may ask, when I do not have any restrictions to hold back. Some reasons are:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Addiction</li>
<li>Loosing senses (misbehaving, drunken driving, etc)</li>
<li>Health problems (liver can get seriously damaged. Also other body parts if you fall somewhere)</li>
<li>Lack of strength (emotional, mental, physical)</li>
</ul><br />
Well, the reasons to why I avoid drinking are manifold but the most influencing reason for me to avoid them is the perception that drinks are for weak people. People who cannot fight their emotional, mental or physical battles turn to some form of intoxication to escape, if only for a moment, from the realities of life. Rather we should face the moments of truth in life because they are the things that make us stronger.<br />
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I try to introspect what is the reason we get tempted. The major reason I think people use alcohol is to try to find solutions to their emotional problems. Something keeps on bothering us in our mind, there is pain in the heart. There seems to be no solution on the horizon. So people drink expecting the drinks to pour over their heart and make things clearer for them. It's a destructive practice as drinking only amplified the emotional state to an extent it makes the mind numb. Any form of intoxication seems to free the mind from stress for a brief period of time. It's like handing control of your mind to a small kid as the drinking gradually increases peg by peg.<br />
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I'm not preaching for other people to stop drinking (People never listen to me anyway). It's their choice and they are free to do so. In fact, I too have tasted alcohol a few times, never liked it though. For me drinking goes against my values and if at anytime I go against my values, I guess I will start drinking.<br />
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I have just touched on one of the reasons that make me feel strongly against drinking. As I mentioned there are several more reasons I dislike about drinking. Hope to introspect on them in the future.<br />
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Till then Cheers!!! (the non-alcoholic type).Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-67178537238573840152008-03-24T20:50:00.006+05:302008-12-09T16:31:35.738+05:30Feeling down? Don't bring others down<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkhIfU36jgE3sdm1Ez_wF_qWxqAwmoC0qJLlF9TuKtzrvNBfyCksbyntrzzgc-ZzbjxVIilECqO51msDswCmpCdxF76l2ZYo7tB2D3c4qBVe9z8j340HDwgCPnncTgymb4Q5Mzys7kIrJ/s1600-h/42-15969694.jpg+depression+woman+looking+out+window.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXkhIfU36jgE3sdm1Ez_wF_qWxqAwmoC0qJLlF9TuKtzrvNBfyCksbyntrzzgc-ZzbjxVIilECqO51msDswCmpCdxF76l2ZYo7tB2D3c4qBVe9z8j340HDwgCPnncTgymb4Q5Mzys7kIrJ/s320/42-15969694.jpg+depression+woman+looking+out+window.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181344997457403314" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">I</span>t happens to all of us, doesn't it. Some days we are happily walking down life's road, watching to the roses bloom on both sides of the road. And then there are days, we are dragging ourselves on the same road, rocky this time and thorns to avoid on both sides. Well, it's the same road, the same flowers but our view of it had changed this time. Because we stumbled over a few rocks, we now see the road as rocky and because a few thorns pricked us, we forget the flowers.<br /><br />The worst part is that when most of us feel low, we tend to (whether knowingly or unknowingly), try to bring people, especially our friends and close ones down as well. Just imagine having a bad day at office, then coming home. Getting a nice greeting from family and friends and just exploding in their faces. I've been guilty of doing that and believe me, that's not a nice way of meeting some one close to you. Because it ends up passing your bad mood onto that person especially if he/she is close to you. Most of the times, family and really cool friends will understand that you are having a really bad day and will be most comfortable listening as you blast about how you day was bad. But then it takes one nasty word, a few hasty sentences that can really put strains on a person's mood.<br /><br />The best thing is to keep a control when we feel down. Sure, it is not easy to not get upset when you just missed your 7:48 local and you are jammed up in the train. But then again it is easy. When we feel low, we continuously think about it. We should realize that if we can do anything to change our situation we should. But if not, then there is no use of thinking about it and worse passing it on to our loved ones.<br /><br />So the next time you come home and feel like banging a cricket bat on your boss's head, remember to postpone that till you reach office the next day and the friend in front of you is willing to take it but does not deserve it.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5287117635966073723.post-76790899507548798392008-03-18T20:14:00.004+05:302008-12-09T16:31:35.833+05:30Indian education kills<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VpF5Qj91f5xkPrnca9H-DkZhTXMKcEALFUvDcPNy4BjtIeuQbUgvgXz4bKS-tlgt2ohE8moA-ymuOEE4ObfY8QBP_zzjm4DkxVtQ0gzucfLa6GRGuae1hzYP1xpjFbUcSsq0Up1nyQLL/s1600-h/girlsstudents.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VpF5Qj91f5xkPrnca9H-DkZhTXMKcEALFUvDcPNy4BjtIeuQbUgvgXz4bKS-tlgt2ohE8moA-ymuOEE4ObfY8QBP_zzjm4DkxVtQ0gzucfLa6GRGuae1hzYP1xpjFbUcSsq0Up1nyQLL/s320/girlsstudents.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179099567543658418" border="0" /></a>Everyone knows the Indian education system sucks when it comes to exams and the grading of students by their marks. The recent spate of suicides by students all over the country is an indication of what happens when marks are giving so much importance than the education of a student.<br /><br />Parents should be blamed for putting much pressure on their children. In trying to keep up with the ever increasing competition (in scoring good marks), children lose their childhood and peace of mind. Stress is a killer disease for all ages and it has a very significant impact on the minds of children. Kids are made to run for tutions and classes the entire day. The tension just keeps on increasing from school, the 10th, 12th, so on and so forth.<br /><br />We are always obsessed with marks and percentages. Parents who want their children to do well in life get stuck to making their children into doctors or engineers. They pressurize their kids to do well in school. Every child cannot score 90+ percentages. The schools also should be blamed. The kids who score well are placed on pedestals. The kids who are unsuccessful in scoring marks are made to feel inferior with red marks on their reports, disrespect, etc.<br /><br />One of the ways to be adopted it to do away with the marking system. Instead of teaching them to mug, children should be educated with knowledge. Knowledge not just about physics, maths, chemistry, english or marathi. But also knowledge they can use to cope with their life when they venture out into the world. More emphasis should be placed on the development of the child in all aspects like education, sports, arts, etc.<br /><br />Some level of understanding is growing among parents who have realized that education is something that can be put to use and not just mugging. Schools have started realizing the importance of the all round development of children. But that is occurring among the affluent, autonomous schools. The education provided by the government aided schools and colleges still continue to sit in the comfort of deciding student's fate by how much they can memorize and put on paper. Hopefully, the media which is helping people realize this folly, should be able to bring about at least some changes in our education system.Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03246725717404711241noreply@blogger.com1