Posts of the Past - A Tag

Its been a long while since I did a tag and when DI, of Destination Infinity tagged me to do an interestingly different one, I felt elated.

The tag is about listing my favourite posts so far falling in seven different categories. Apart from the good-feel of doing this, I naturally enjoyed revisiting some of my posts of and from a very different time, often reliving the time and frame of mind when I originally made them.

My Most Beautiful Post(s) - Normally there should be one listing under each head, but this one time, I chose to make an exception, for writing about childhood and those wonderful yester-years are easily the very best, evoking a great sense of nostalgia and cheer. The Flowing Brook and Idyll's Dream are a two-part series, I wrote about on the recollections of childhood, at the insistence of fellow blogger Vimmuuu of V-Lokam. They will remain my most beautiful posts for all time to come.

My Most Popular Post - Darfur, among places, torn in strife and war, has always been very close to me. Its longstanding pain enduring a sea of humanitarian crisis is difficult to be escaped by anyone. On Wednesday, April 08, 2009, I wrote a post titled Living Darfur, outlining some statistics of this ravaged nation. To date, this has been my most popular post, and also the most visited. I continue to receive visitors from many countries, landing up on this post and quietly assimilating some very disturbing facts outlined therein.

My Most Controversial Post - Sometime in September 2009, Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram reiterated a well-known fact about how rude people from Delhi were. Having lived there myself and experienced the trait first hand, I wrote Republic of Rudness, the message of which I still maintain today. Needless to say, some parts of the blog-world took offense and termed my post biased, while I was only repeating what the world already knew very well!

My Most Helpful Post - There's nothing like giving and being witness to another's growth. So, when I got a chance to do some very little of that on the blog, I jumped at the opportunity. And, "when on the morning of 30th June 2010, Elizabeth Sholtys, Co-founder and Chief Executive of an non-profit organization called the Ashraya Initiative for Children (AIC), wrote me an email introducing herself and her organization and what they do, along with a request to show support for their efforts, I decided to feature them on my blog, knowing fully well that such a noble cause requires marathon effort, courage, persistence and above all a sense of dedication that cannot for once be compromised."

A Post whose success surprised me - Everyone has a Superhero, a dream icon, who has been a source of deep inspiration. For me that icon came from Krypton as Superman. One can imagine therefore the collision of ideology with a fellow-blogger who happens to an ardent fan of the spider, er, Spiderman, I mean. The wrangling with Vimmuu, on a post about who reigns supreme, soon caught on like wildfire and quite surprised me for the children we became in the process and also for the way in which it was received.

A Post, I feel, didn't get the attention it deserved - Having written close to some 400 posts now, over a period of 7 years, I have been very fortunate that a good deal of them have been appreciated. I don't think I could single out any one post as being one that hasn't quite gotten the attention it deserved. That, much of my writing has been taking in good stride and earned some bit of recognition in the blog-world, I'm certainly very happy and humbled. No complaints!

A Post that I am most proud of - I'm deeply reverent of my family and the wonderful things they have done for me. I don't find an occasion not to remember them for all the good in me and I believe that my strength comes from them in innumerable proportions. I wrote Praying Hands as a tribute to my Father, whose "remarkable resilience and his patience which has furthered my upbringing in the most positive manner. But for his toil and unconditional dedication, the wonderful side of me would never have been possible!" This remains the post that I am most proud of, and will be for all time to come. 

The all time favourites - Movies

Fellow blogger Destination Infinity tagged me a few days ago, in his post titled "My top three movies of all time." Jumping at the chance, especially for the kind of a complete movie buff I am, I was delighted, primarily for being able to make a post of the many wonderful treats I've richly enjoyed so far! Nothing perhaps is more of a pleasure than to catch up on an epic over a quiet Sunday morning, in perfect solitude! So here goes my list, one that is more than the required three, a liberty I've taken owing to the pleasure accorded! :-)

Gandhi - This 1982 biopic, starring Ben Kingsley, picturing the life of a timeless icon is certainly a must watch for the manner in which the story is portrayed. Three words that can at best describe the after-watch feeling; powerful, lasting and evoking! Certainly a collector's item and a timeless classic!

Shawshank Redemption - It is one thing that Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption forms the basis of this epic, and yet quite another of how well the impressive star-cast brought about more than just life on the celluloid. Quite the description of how Tim Robbins and hope are synonymous now, if anything at all. And there is no doubt about the fact that hope drives a man insane!

Schindler's List - If Thomas Keneally's book Schindler's Ark made waves in the literary world, it's marvelous adaptation on screen by Steven Spielberg created nothing short of history! I'm sure many of us who watched the movie were transported into the somber and grizzly world of the Płaszów concentration camp. One man's marvelous tribute "in memory of the more than six million Jews murdered." Couldn't say more!

The Great Escape - Staying with Nazi Germany but viewing the unfolding of events from a very different vantage point, this 1963 epic starring Steve McQueen, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough, among others, is an on-screen adaptation of a book by Paul Brickhill which details the true account of a mass escape from Stalag Luft III prisoner of war camp, in Żagań, Poland. Vivid, picturesque in setting and thoroughly well coordinated in the effort of portraying the series of events that took place in exact detail, this creation is an absolutely must watch for any history enthusiast!

The Jungle Book - None but Rudyard Kipling could have told us the tale of the Indian jungle in the way it was done. So, if the names of Mowgli and Sher Khan have become household, it is surely because of the legacy of one man who envisioned the wonders of the Indian outbacks and made efforts to portray its wonders in vivid imagination and detail that would never have been possible by another!

Great Expectations - The story of one man and his love for a woman, and the sequence of events that unfold! All of this wants me so much to read the work of Dickens. I see a great deal of childhood in this and for some reason many a thing so vivid in the mind, yet those that I could never come to terms with. Expectations and them being great are just about two very different things I suppose!

Godfather - The iconic reference to an offer that could never be refused and the kick-thrill to envision a strong rebellious parallel, powerful and discrete, all permeating and inimitably marked in mannerism of a thought, this movie is more than just a tale of a few people and their doings. It perhaps is the mindset of a system that longs to establish a lasting presence in the very ecosystem that democracy has come to roost!

An Unfinished Life - Robert Redford and movie super stardom of supreme excellence are synonymous in more than just many ways of semblance. Iconic, impressive and lasting in the manner of portrayal, I could not settle for one or any, in particular, to be descriptive of that excellence I spoke about. Perhaps, the best way to convey my intent is to make a mention of this super drama that prevails like no other!

Legends of the Fall - Adapted from a novel by Jim Harrison, only Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn, among others could have fitted best into this super epic detailing the pre-world war I times set in western United States. There are all the elements of togetherness and otherwise detailed in there, of coming together and separation, life and death and a sense of reckoning that is richly unique in the manner portrayed. I guess there could be nothing more powerful and captivating, for the mind and the heart, than the feeling of glossing over bygones that seem so long long ago!

Braveheart - Little can I do in my efforts of trying to separate the identities of Mel Gibson and Sir William Wallace especially for the manner in which the portrayal was made in quest of a purpose that was insanely difficult at the face of mounting adversity. But energy, passion, persistence and perseverance add a great deal of zeal in winning over even the most toughened enemy as is seen, and 'freedom' comes at a rich price 'purified by pain' and often suffered at the hands of betrayal and treachery!

I could go on for miles on just the names, without any of my illustration or interpretation, especially for the fact that there are so many more of these that are iconic and truly characteristic of creative excellence. But I must conclude here, for now, with the understanding that there exists much more in everything than what can actually be told!

The Flowing Brook

Time, they say, is nature's way of making sure that events don't happen all at once! But, thinking retrospectively, now I feel that the years of growing up were one big episode of a multitude of related events. Maybe I'm right after all, and I know for certain that I miss those wonderful times of the past and will cherish them for all time to come, all the way up to the very end.

I have recounted to you stories of how I live in the present, but seldom about the way I did in the times before. Now that I feel I'm growing older, I feel a compelling urge to revisit those bygones in the attempt to rekindle a lost sense of warmth and time! Growing up was a journey much like a mission to discover and there was plenty to chance upon, both right and wrong! It was a time when the mind was asking questions about everything that was anew and fresh, that which was unseen and unfelt! Instances of new found love, emotion, desire and comfort were creeping into the mind like passengers on a journey into another world!

I had the world as an outback and it was strangely large and unexplored! There was a lot to do with possibilities being endless under the blue skies of freedom aided with a sense of undying quest. But there was also an urgency to grow up and get away from the routines of study and scores! It was a false belief that age would automatically yield the desired level of control over what one chose to do at one's whim and fancy without a conditional attribute!

Little was I to know that the best parts of life were being played out in the open, only never to be revisited in person once again, for learning soon dawned on me that time and tide waited for no man, or practically anything! Today, the memories last as if they were a movie that has left a lasting impression. But in essence, those times are gone into making me who I now am - with the ability to take full cognizance of the world around me, the people that live in it and the lives that are so distinct yet intricately woven together like well crafted tapestry!

We are all one in the sense of who we were! Maybe we've chosen different paths to fulfill the destiny that awaits us in the course of our journey! But to remember that we have behind us, a time as magnificent as childhood is perhaps among the most blissful of all occurrences one can chance upon in life!

Maybe thats why Pink Floyd sang High Hopes with the aptly famed verses of how "beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young, in a world of magnets and miracles, our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary."

Footnotes:

This post is part 2 of a series of those which remember and pay tribute to the wonderful times of childhood. It was called for by fellow blogger Vimmuuu's tag!

The first part of this series immediately precedes this post and is titled 'Idyll's dream.'

Idyll's Dream

For most of us, dreams come true only after they do not matter! Only in childhood do we ever have the chance of making dreams come true when they mean everything! 

-- Anonymous

Mum would readily agree that Bill Waterson's inspiration to create Calvin and Hobbes was as a result of me! I was so much of a technical nightmare to folks in my formative days as a child! And imaginably, life has been hard on them as a result of my famed antics that come to be recalled amidst laughter even to this day! Sigh!

Such was childhood! Among the best times, undoubtedly when my tender self with an overtly imaginative mind frolicked in the expansive plains of inquisitiveness with surprising thirst and hunger! I'd readily put the phrase curiosity kills the cat to absolute shame owing to the way my mind functioned, an in many respects, still does! I simply needed to know everything, even if were to be how Mum's necklaces would sink down the water in the well, to how later hapless chicken would too! Perhaps, there was some kind of excessive gene in me that ensured that the carrier stayed silent never! But that remains unexplained medically and parentally until now - something which I surely need to be thankful of!

Leading the gang, or rather a crude bunch of thug children, I'd wander to seize upon the next victim - that could be anything from Aunt's cow being horrendously multi-coloured to lighting up a fire enough to consume a house in its blaze! Childhood was surely unrestricted and largely unsupervised! Being subject to discipline was not a deterrent in any way, but only served to up the ante in vengeful multi folds!

But there absolutely was something magical of those bygone times. They were blissfully sweet, with promises of strong bonds and unbreakable companionships. Even the sunlight seemed kindly mild in its disposition. There weren't deadlines to meet or people to satisfy! There was just us, a bunch of wily hooligans who were almost always given a long rope! And we did tie up the world in it!

Prized possessions ranged from those pocketfuls of Poppins, peppermints, phantom sweet cigarette sticks and so on, often traded for another one's best kept trophy, which was shamelessly called for and made one's own! Might certainly was right! One could endlessly argue over a board of strewn marbles or a pack of footballer cards that were a child's lifeline!

Where have those wonderful days gone to? Why do I never feel the wind bring me those scents now?

Footnotes:

This is the first of a multi-part series inspired and called for by fellow blogger Vimmuuu's tag on the same subject - Childhood and the nostalgia associated with those heavenly times!

Innocent or Guilty

This, I'm sure is a welcome departure from my usual heavy and serious opines. Thanks to Shahid who tagged me, I decided to do this with some pun packed!

I've flouted all rules of engagement here, but don't blame me for your imagination! ;-)

Asked someone to marry you? Innocent
You think I ain't got better things to do than to ruin my peace?
Ever kissed someone of the same sex? Guilty
Maybe this question should have been directed to a certain someone in Chennai who sings and forgets his clothes in the washing machine
Danced on a table in a bar? Innocent
What makes you think I might act like Jim Carrey?
Ever told a lie? Guilty
Isn't life itself one big lie?
Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back? Guilty
Plenty - There seems to be a thin line of difference between love & lust!
Kissed a picture? Guilty
Desperation it seems, knows no limits
Slept in until 5 PM? Guilty
Ask me about it!
Fallen asleep at work/school? Guilty
U bet! If I don't dozed off on my desk, folks would be surprised, rather I'd be surprised myself!
Held a snake? Innocent
Been suspended from school? Innocent
Worked at a fast food restaurant? Innocent
I wish I did, actually own one!
Stolen from a store? Innocent
Been fired from a job? Innocent
Done something you regret? Guilty
Plenty - They say it's important to learn from others' mistakes, coz you may not live long enough to make them all! But, I'm trying!
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? Guilty
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Innocent
Is snowflake the name of a girl?
Kissed in the rain? Innocent
Sat on a roof top? Guilty
Yeah, stargazing!
Kissed someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Many times - haven't you heard that variety is the spice of life?
Sang in the shower? Guilty
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? Innocent
Shaved your head? Innocent
Had a boxing membership? Innocent
Sometimes I wish I had! Considering the people ...................................!
Made a girlfriend cry? Innocent
Been in a band? Innocent
Shot a gun? Guilty
Err..... what kind? ;-)
Donated Blood? Guilty
Yeah - and hoped the guy who got it survived!
Eaten alligator meat? Innocent
Eaten cheesecake? Innocent
How sick can that be?
Still love someone you shouldn’t? Guilty
Sigh!
Have/had a tattoo? Innocent
Somebody once told me that tattoos are a permanent mark of temporary insanity! I disgree!
Liked someone, but will never tell who? Guilty
Too many people, much less time and too much of an ego!
Been too honest? Guilty
How do I change? Any tips?
Ruined a surprise? Guilty
Plenty - think about that pleasure you get doing that! Remember Calvin & Hobbes?
Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards? Guilty
Erased someone in your friends list? Guilty
Even Bob Marley said "Good friends we lose along the way!"
Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)? Innocent
Joined a pageant? Innocent
Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said? Innocent
Had communication with your ex? Innocent
What a waste of time that can be!
Got totally drunk on the night before exam? Guilty
Thank God for that! Hic!
Got totally angry that you cried so hard? Guilty

The Helmet Campaign

Fellow blogger Shahid Mukadam and I had a conversation on facebook recently on some nuances of blogging when he ventured to tell me of a tag he was creating! Not a fan of tags, I told him of how minimal tags should be part of ones blogs as they often do not elicit a good response, besides deter the reader from taking good note of the content, or so I believe! But, minutes later, when he told me the subject of his tag, I gave it a serious thought, enough to create a post out of it!


With over 1.3 lakh road accidents India tops the world accidents list! Here are some ominous facts pertinent to two-wheeler accidents in India:

Head injury due to two-wheeler accidents is the sixth leading cause of death in India (one death every 4 minutes).

120,000 head injury deaths occur annually in India, from two-wheeler accidents alone.

5 to 10 million of the population have had head injuries.

70% of head injuries are preventable, and occur due to negligence and ignorance.

Statistics never reflect the agony and misery faced by the individual family when the breadwinner is critically injured or dies.

Studies have shown that when helmet use is voluntary, it is used by 40-50 %; when compulsory, it is almost 100 %. Only 8% really have objection to using helmets - others don't use it because it is "not compulsory."

Two-wheeler riders are five times more likely to be killed in an accident than car or bus passengers. This probability goes up by 100% if one is not wearing a helmet.

Rs. 2,500 crore (1% of Indian GDP) is the annual loss due to road accidents.

So, any of that is enough reason to wear a helmet, if you are riding a two-wheeler! Nothing precedes the importance and value of your life!

And to lighten the tension, me being a non-rider, will rather wear one to prevent the thundering blows of my wifey! So much for the poor, meek husband! :)

Footnotes:

Road Accidents in India - A database

Image Courtesy - Asia Injury Prevention Foundation

The Alphabets Tag

Of late, my posts, many of you may have noticed, have been intense, heavy and subject to a certain trajectory path and hence, when Vee (a.k.a. Vivek) tagged me, I thought it apt for a deviation and saw a welcome change from the profound themes that certainly needed a short break.

So here we go.........

A – Available/Single?
Unavailable, Available, Unavailable, Available, Single ........... Currently Available, Single and ready to mingle ;)

B – Best friend?
A handful to count, by the grace of God!

C – Cake or Pie?
Neither! Not the sweet guy, errr, I meant the sweets guy!

D – Drink of choice?
Single malt scotch, mild beer and sometimes (rarely) Stolichnaya.

E – Essential item you use every day?
My PC and net enabled phone! A lot of my day is spent with the PC and the phone helps me catch up with a few dozen RSS feeds, emails and news feeds, while on the move. Can't imagine a life without technology!

F – Favorite colour?
Blue

G – Gummy Bears or Worms?
How about worms cooked in black sauce and served with peppered mayo? ;)

H – Hometown(s)
Ooty, Tamil Nadu and Kannur, Kerala.

I – Indulgence?
Of what kind? ;)

J – Jealous or Benign?
Benign, most certainly!

K – Kids & their names?
No kids, yet! Am scared when Mum repeatedly says "May you have kids just like you." Not sure if that's a blessing or a curse, though its reasonable to assume the latter, given my doings!

L – Life is incomplete without?
Folks, books, buddies and blogs!

M – Marriage date?
Good question! I read a facebook status message that said "I remember when I got married. I remember where I got married. But for the life of me, I can't remember why I got married."

N – Name? Your real name!
Rakesh and their derivatives Raku, Rak, Rock, Rocky and Raks...... all of which are real too!

O – Oranges or Apples?
Oh, this is about eating! I thought........

P – Phobias/Fears?
None! But ask my friends and they'd be sure to tell you about Rakesh-phobia!

Q – Quote for today?
Never do something unless you are sure of yourself, but never relinquish doing something because somebody is not sure of you!

R – Reason to smile?
As elementary as a bright sunny day, a Friday, the weekend and a lot more! The same cannot be said about a monday morning though!

S – Season?
Winter

T – Tag 3 People?
I'll leave this open

U – Unknown fact about me?
My alter ego and its demented thought process!

V – Vegetable you don’t like?
Perhaps this question should have been "Vegetables you like," for it would have been easier to answer "none"

W – Worst habit?
Hmmmm.., Should I risk stating that here? ;)

X – X-rays?
On eye glasses? ;)

Y – Your favorite food?
Nothing beats Dal & Chawal!

Z – Zodiac sign?
Virgo

Awarded

Destiny Infinity has been very kind to give me the Addicting blog award, which I'm very thankful for! I'd like to pass this on to all of you, who are each, such wonderful sources of encouragement and support, and also sincerely thank you for being so! Without friends such as you, it would have been very easy for me to have lost steam and direction. Thank you!

V-Tagged

Mondays are usually the worst days ever! In truth, the same is the case with all weekdays (unless one is on vacation)

This Monday was different, for I stole sometime to post a response to Anjali's tag and also found out that Vimal (a.k.a Vimmuu) had tagged me! The feeling of being double-tagged is one of exclusivity, and true blog-bliss! I finally had something to fight Monday morning blues! That nasty gut-wrenching feeling that overcomes many of us headed to work, school, etc on a Monday morning after having thoroughly recharged oneself on the days before (in my case, after spending time and bucks watching Quantum of Solace, where neither quantum, nor solace meant what they were intended to by Barbara Broccoli and Marc Forster, with the exception of Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Aterton that is.., thankfully!).

The Tag

Requires me to post six things that are eccentric attributes of mine (not that I have any, perhaps!!)

Food

Being a foodie (infinitimes), it is not unnatural for me to thus talk about my extra-sensitive food pickings that have over time become certain eccentricities adding to my Mom's woes, when I head home! I guess my staying away from home is God's way of telling my Mother "My child, let me save you from the suffering." So then, part of it begins by blatantly refusing to eat any veggies, anything less than extra-spice, anything that is a few hours old or re-engineered! Somebody once asked me "R, Is there anything that you like?", to which I answered "My choices are very simple! I like the very best."

My Space

An absolute no-entry to anyone who I consider outside the inner circle! I guard my space with fierce obsession. It is the one thing that I cannot compromise. 'The space' also includes the space around my immediate physical self! I have a heightened awareness of my personal space while my friends and folks call that a mere exaggeration of a false self! To me that space is more important than Area 51!

The OCD Factor

I hate to confess this but I am a victim of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (relatively mild, perhaps). So then, apart from the X number of times of washing hands (with Dettol), infinite times of checking the dead-bolts, locks, keys and so on, the story seems far from over! I have a strange thing up my head that prompts me to arrange objects on my desk, workspace and at home in a straight line! That includes books, papers, writing material, clothes, shoes, toiletry and worse..... even the telephone!!!

Oh, and the refrigerator reminds me of my fixation for even numbers! Water bottles, eggs, cheese tins, milk cartons, beer bottles, fruits and vegetables..... all of them are stored in even numbers! An 'intelligent' self-improvement program alerts me of any 'oddity' which is promptly neutralized. My pet hate - The number 3 and it's multiples! [It is not half as weird as it sounds! Trust me ;)]

Halt! No photography!

I'd rather be dead but caught in front of the camera! For some reason, I prefer being the clicker than the clicked! Perhaps, the whole act makes me feel too conscious or perhaps my nature of being the behind-the-scenes guy has over time, taken a toll on me! Anyhow, I love photography, with the exception of being photographed! The result? A decade or more of not being snapped. And to those of you who have tried to coerce me into getting 'pictured', my apologies for having been a jerk! (I know I ain't one, but it pays to be diplomatic right?)

The Restless Mornings

I'm an early morning guy. My day normally begins at 5, with the exception of when I am in Ooty (thanks to the bone-chilling winters). Now, being up early in the morning isn't much of a problem until it affects night-owls! Once up, I cannot tolerate others snoozing and will not lose anytime to kick the dozer out of the sack! The modus operandi - often yelling my lungs out or using some weird pre-recorded gurgling noises 'stored' (for such occasions) on my micro-cassette recorder. No prizes for guessing the intensity of dog-fights that follow!

Darkness and Music

Music can be best enjoyed in the darkness, especially if one is listening to Metallica, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Cold Play, Nickelback, Pantera, Nirvana, Enigma, Eminem, Tupac, Black Sabbath, Pearl Jam, Deep Purple, Linkin Park and Staind (to name a few). While circumstances such as this are a welcome break, they are not always taken humanely by people around who consider this 'act' nothing short of irreverence as a result of insanity! Music is passion and any amount of eccentricity is less! The message is loud and clear ;)

Oh, I must make a mention of a certain friend (whose blog goes V-.......blogspot.com) who hates rock music or any other genre that sounds like rock! His favourite music is 'anything' except hard rock since he cannot "stand the sound, oops noise." I'd like to gift him a collection of Slayer, Iron Maiden, Marilyn Mason, Acid Death and Atrophia Red Sun!

Any clues on who this could be?

And now as part of the plan, I have to tag friends and let them know that they have been tagged.

I tag

Archana
Satheesh
Destination Infinity
The Trooper ;and
Salil Ravindran

Tagged in Silver

On the morning of 6th November, Anjali (a.k.a Silverine) left me a comment on my previous post saying that I have been tagged! I was pleasantly surprised but at the same time, being an old-dog (not quite versed with the ways of Blog Country yet), was thrown in a dilemma as to what this really was! My next pit stop was Anjali's blog, My Think Pad, which told me exactly what I needed to do.

The Tag

As part of this exercise, I am required to answer two questions from the past, present and future and conclude this post by tagging friends from Blog Country and subsequently let them know that they've been tagged! So here I go!

Yesterday

My oldest memories...

They date back to the year 1981, two years after I was born! Back then, in Ooty, we were a joint family and I was one among the five tots at home, the others being nephews and a niece, all but one, elder than me. Ooty was true paradise with lush green eucalyptus, oak, pine and fir trees lining the roads which were immaculate. There was a sense of order and cleanliness that cannot be seen today.

We kids were a well fed and well cared-for lot and that ensured that we were forever hyper-energetic much to the chagrin of our parents. Much of our play-area was the front courtyard of the large house we lived in. I vividly remember Dad bringing us scores of toys (even those failed to arrest our notoriety, particularly mine) which were soon dissected open and rendered useless even before their functionality was fully understood!

The following picture was taken sometime in 1981 at the entrance of the Ooty Lake and I still remember being called to look into the camera which I guess was too much of an effort (considering the lovely girls around). To date, this remains my most admired photograph and will continue to be so undoubtedly. Those indeed were the days! The best, the very best!



What was I doing ten years ago?

November 1998 was past of my last year in St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, where I had gone to study Business Management. Being my first stint out of home, I lived it up and did everything under the sun, but study! Already a music and a movie buff, I missed no opportunity to sample the latest movies in town at the many laser-disc theaters which were a hot favourite among the college crowd! Eat, sleep and make merry was all that I did, much to the contention of my parents. Only time would tell me how costly these mistakes proved, for I lost many a lucrative opportunity to shape up my career and steer it in the right stride and direction.
After the incident, even the fool is wise!

Today

The last few days have been rough and today will be no exception, considering it being the scary Monday! Mounting pressures as a result of creation of plans, white-papers, presentations and endless meetings have begun to take a toll on me but at the same time have been a learning experience like no other. I quite remember how smelting of Gold results in its purification. The ore-content of metal passes through a hell like furnace before it emerges in its final form that accentuates both its lustre and value. Our lives are no different!

Tomorrow

Just why don't Sundays repeat? Tomorrow will not be very different from the days that have come and gone! We are in the middle of many an 'engagement' and with the ongoing financial crisis, businesses are on the down-side! Consulting therefore is viewed as a luxury and a luxury it is!
I'm hoping for a quiet day, one that does not warrant the need for too many presentations, documents, road-maps and so on. I will be spending the day building documents on a line of business that has become my baby, and will see myself 'at-work' from day-break to well into the night!
On a lighter note, so much for the musing "Work is fine if it doesn't take too much of your time."

14 years from now

Speaking of 2022, my driving license is due to expire on 25-Feb-2021!
I'm not sure that at 43, the government will want me to drive!
Anyhow, I hope to end the charade [read: veil] of official life by 40 and dedicate whatever remains to savour life along with my family. I heard somewhere that life begins at 40!
I hope to visit many a place and indulge in an exchange of culture, thoughts and desires. Down the road, off in the country-side in Ooty, amidst the blue hills, after a tread down the beaten path, hopefully, I'll live to see the birds fly and the lone deer chew on fresh acacia shoots draped in the morning dew. With a loving family, a brilliant SLR Camera and this blog which is my virtual world, I will live a content man spending time watching his daughter take the first teen steps and thank God for her (I haven't yet told you about my Mom's wish, have I? Well, she wishes that I be blessed with a Son, just like me! A Son????? God... that gives me the jitters. I'm not too sure if Mom's wish is a blessing or a curse!)

If I build a time capsule what would it contain?

In the event of Stephen Hawking being proved wrong, which is highly unlikely, my time capsule will contain digital simulated holograms of all those people and blogs that I am (was) associated with. Needless to say, the capsule will hold terabytes of pictures and videos. An archival system to store the world's best ideas and processes will be incorporated along with a time manager than can display in motion, the significant events that shaped the world for the better!

Finally the Pièce de résistance, where I am to tag friends of mine!

I tag;

Devika Jyothi (A Certain Kind of Woman)
Swati (Escapades)
Keshi (Viva forever)
Man in Painting
Bharath (Musings)
Vibu (The Gemini Mind)