Sunday, June 26, 2011

A pencil box ..

Ya. How old is too old? Quite a question. It applies to almost everything around me. Socks, wrist watch, beliefs, disappointment on watching favorite teams lose, and even a college flame. One of my friends keeps telling me its old news. Grow up. Well. Not just yet. How old is too old? And how would I know? One does not give up on such things. I guess they kind of grow old on you. Something in you hangs on to it. Or so I would like to believe. What drives this sentimental, and sometimes melodramatic sense of holding on to things and emotions? Why does it become difficult to accept it is just too old. May be because deep down, you want it to grow better? Like old wine ...

Looking at some old snaps, old letters, and old incidents, I think of how things could have been had I acted differently. Not saying something. Not doing something. Saying something that I should not have. Doing something that I should not have. I dont have many regrets. A couple, yes. And I can only hope that I get to correct atleast that one thing. You can guess what it could be. I am afraid I will not get another chance. So I hold on to these old things. Not because they remind me of my miseries, but because they mirror my joy. The most classic example being my pencil box which shared my trials and tribulations from first grade to the last day of my undergrad studies. It holds safely all my secrets and adventures over 16 years. In fact, my closest friends know about that pencil box too. I guess even they remember it simply because of its longevity.

I dont know why I chose to write about my pencil box today. May be because I needed some comfort. One which that pencil box gave me for all those years. Some one to simply say that I am by your side. Some one to simply say that I will be by your side no matter what. I really dont know. Closing thoughts. None better than what that pencil box had written on it beside a Dennis the Menace engraving. “Live For Today...Plan For Tomorrow...Party Tonight..!!!” Sigh.. I just have a work meeting.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

All animals are equal

Ok, So certain events last week made me read Orwell's words again. All animals are equal. Well, I kind of heard him earlier. But only last week did its meaning actually occur to me in a new way. I do not know if he really meant it in the same context as I put it now. Here it goes anyway. Some people at my workplace got an early Christmas present. Others have been waiting for quite some time now. Now, I do not grudge those who got the goodies. Just not my nature. But I really question the powers that be who scripted this.

Seriously. Sometimes I wonder if fairness is just a mystic being or probably an alien who comes visiting once every Fall. Nah. Ask anyone. Hard press anyone. All you will hear is this. Life is not fair. Let me put it this way. Life is not fair for some. Why those few? I really dont know. But I am willing to listen to anyone who has anything to say on it. Closing thoughts. Orwell just sums its up for me. All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. Question is who or what decides which ones.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

A little gossip ...

Gossip. I guess its the most favorite thing in the world to do. No effort. No gain. But full of excitement and unadulterated satisfaction. Ya. Everyone loves it. Most of them do it. I am sure gossiping would come mighty close in the list of the top contenders for the world's oldest profession. I dont know why it is so luring? What is it about gossip that draws so much interest among both men and women? Though the general notion is that women are more adept at it, men do well to keep up. In fact, gossip may be as potent as the temptation of lust. Probably more ...

Spare a thought for the folks who are the unwitting victims of gossip. It can take a toll on anyone's career, wealth, fame, reputation, and most certainly relationships. You can see its footprints all over your life. At home. At work. Especially at the local stores where a bunch of gossip friendly people may congregate. Something that captivates me is this: Is gossip an art? Or can it be even interpreted as a science? One step further: Can it be cultivated as a strategic skill? Think about it. It has been used so many times before to bring down political foes. It has been exercised to topple managements in boardrooms across the world. It has been used to mastermind great upheavals in the stock markets. So these questions do beg a consideration.

It is quite possible that gossip gains in strength when it is concomitant with restraint. I know thats quite an antithesis. I mean just the two concepts: gossip and restraint. The sole point of gossip is to relay the information to the next point as fast as possible. This axiomatic truth is the basis of almost every single social tool that we have today on the Internet. Think about it. Email, Instant messengers, Facebook, Twitter, and even Groupon exist and thrive due to this karmic rule. If its interesting, it must spread. If its gossip, then it cannot wait. Now, add a touch of restraint. In a world of perfect order (meaning gossip spreads rapidly), this brings some randomness. In regular terms, people "choose" which gossip to follow and when. How does this matter? I dont know. Just a thought. It probably makes it more strategic and allows the user to manipulate the level of influence. Now, this can be a remarkable ability if you are dealing with competitors in a tightly closed maze. A maze where the pace of information is as important as the information itself.

Anyways, I need to figure this out a little more. More specifically, I need to understand how gossip ends. What factors relate to a "news" from being stopped in its tracks? Who decides when it stops? Interesting questions. Signing off for now on a thoughtful quote from Oscar Wilde: There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

To see the race to its end ...

As Eric Liddell runs the last race in the movie Chariots of fire, he speaks these words: Where does the power come from... to see the race to its end? From within. The quote makes the whole scene rise a few notches.

Seeing a race to its end. Very interesting. Almost everything that a man begins has a purpose. Whether the purpose is revealed at the beginning or not is a separate matter. However, what is important to understand is the commitment to see it across the finish line. Many waver and never close it out. Jerry Macguire might claim this is what separates the best from the rest. I dont know if it can be so simple. Anyway, what I want to know is whether the commitment is towards the completion of the race or just to continue to be a part of the race. Now, lets juxtapose these two: race and life. The finest souls might interpret life as something beyond any race. But for argument's sake, let me keep this analogy. Now, think about Eric Liddell's quote. Where does the power come from? From within. It seems a logical follow up. But do we sometimes need an external motivation? May be to stoke the dormant fire inside? Hmmm.

Seeing a race to its end is a beautiful concept. Not because you want something to end. Not because you are eager to see what lies beyond. But mainly to look back and realize what you have learnt along the way.