Saturday morning equivalent this part of the world as I write this. Mind so happy cld
come up with this..
Sane day, Mourn day, Twist day, (M)adness day, Toast day, Fry day,
Sorted day.
Love the Sorted day morning and laziness that comes with it.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Attachments to narrow views
One of the 4 traps the One asks us to be wary of. Or should I stop being attached to what he said and evaluate this objectively. Let me try.
Stumbled into this through a good friend of mine. And then I saw this and then this where a young girl starts the video abusing people as she 'stands' for PETA' where she cant get the 'long form' right. In turn a whole bunch abuse her returning her favors. Let me pause and make it clear, I am not starting for or against PETA argument. I don't even want to get into it. Good sense and judgment should prevail.
I can see only one thing common in both groups. Their obsession to their views. It blinds the bigger picture, the bigger problem. This is just 1 example. So much energy and effort is wasted as people want to be directed, shown the way and always stand for a cause or an organization and in size and sheer volume. Then there are groups that gather valid arguments against, and build in size n volume. The groups might grow but they are getting smaller and smaller due to their hard n fast ideologies, views and rules they create and stick to.
Its a shame we need associations these days to teach us humans, compassion. In the same line its a shame we are forced to castrate animals to solve what we assume is a problem, for a noble cause. Who are we to decide if the animals want to live after getting castrated? Who are we to decide what's best for them?
Should people be fighting for compassion (against slaughter houses) and for righteous living (against corruption) in silos? Let me try and make a list of general 'anti' groups for every letter in English -anti abortion, anti bullying, anti corruption, anti death penalty, anti dowry, anti establishment, anti feminism, anti globalization, anti harassment ..ok if I try hard I am sure I can complete. Do we have the time and resource to afford the luxury of working /fighting for change in isolation? The rate at which the damage has been done is so huge and drastic, shouldn't the anti dote too be drastic? Shouldn't the change be complete?Can it not be pro human, pro animals pro plants pro dependent coexistence?
The change should come from within which cascades into all human actions. This change will make them responsible with their actions towards their fellow human, animals, plants and Mother Earth. This is the only need of the hour. Then we will need no associations to be the moral police and the hate groups to keep each other engaged with arguments and counter arguments.
The One said 'Know that the world is woven of interconnected threads. This is because that is. This is not, because that is not. This is born, because that is born. This dies because that dies.' He continues 'The birth and death of any Dharma are connected to the birth and death of all other Dharmas. The one contains the many and the many contains the one. Without the one, there cannot be many. Without the many , there cannot be the one.This is the marvelous truth of dependent co-arising.'
Few words by JK on conversion, you can treat one joining a 'cause' or an association as conversion too.
'Conversion is change from one belief or dogma to another, from one ceremony to a more gratifying one, and it does not open the door to reality. On the contrary, gratification is a hindrance to reality. And yet that is what organized religions and religious groups are attempting to do: to convert you to a more reasonable or a less reasonable dogma, superstition or hope. They offer you a better cage. It may or may not be comfortable, depending on your temperament, but in any case it is a prison.'
Stumbled into this through a good friend of mine. And then I saw this and then this where a young girl starts the video abusing people as she 'stands' for PETA' where she cant get the 'long form' right. In turn a whole bunch abuse her returning her favors. Let me pause and make it clear, I am not starting for or against PETA argument. I don't even want to get into it. Good sense and judgment should prevail.
I can see only one thing common in both groups. Their obsession to their views. It blinds the bigger picture, the bigger problem. This is just 1 example. So much energy and effort is wasted as people want to be directed, shown the way and always stand for a cause or an organization and in size and sheer volume. Then there are groups that gather valid arguments against, and build in size n volume. The groups might grow but they are getting smaller and smaller due to their hard n fast ideologies, views and rules they create and stick to.
Its a shame we need associations these days to teach us humans, compassion. In the same line its a shame we are forced to castrate animals to solve what we assume is a problem, for a noble cause. Who are we to decide if the animals want to live after getting castrated? Who are we to decide what's best for them?
Should people be fighting for compassion (against slaughter houses) and for righteous living (against corruption) in silos? Let me try and make a list of general 'anti' groups for every letter in English -anti abortion, anti bullying, anti corruption, anti death penalty, anti dowry, anti establishment, anti feminism, anti globalization, anti harassment ..ok if I try hard I am sure I can complete. Do we have the time and resource to afford the luxury of working /fighting for change in isolation? The rate at which the damage has been done is so huge and drastic, shouldn't the anti dote too be drastic? Shouldn't the change be complete?Can it not be pro human, pro animals pro plants pro dependent coexistence?
The change should come from within which cascades into all human actions. This change will make them responsible with their actions towards their fellow human, animals, plants and Mother Earth. This is the only need of the hour. Then we will need no associations to be the moral police and the hate groups to keep each other engaged with arguments and counter arguments.
The One said 'Know that the world is woven of interconnected threads. This is because that is. This is not, because that is not. This is born, because that is born. This dies because that dies.' He continues 'The birth and death of any Dharma are connected to the birth and death of all other Dharmas. The one contains the many and the many contains the one. Without the one, there cannot be many. Without the many , there cannot be the one.This is the marvelous truth of dependent co-arising.'
Few words by JK on conversion, you can treat one joining a 'cause' or an association as conversion too.
'Conversion is change from one belief or dogma to another, from one ceremony to a more gratifying one, and it does not open the door to reality. On the contrary, gratification is a hindrance to reality. And yet that is what organized religions and religious groups are attempting to do: to convert you to a more reasonable or a less reasonable dogma, superstition or hope. They offer you a better cage. It may or may not be comfortable, depending on your temperament, but in any case it is a prison.'
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Saudi hospitality love etc
Been a while since I stopped blogging on events in every day life. Today has to be an exception. Last night my mom traveled from Chennai to Jeddah via Riyadh. There was a transit and there was a situation- a flight delay by 2 hours. While she was looking for help to communicate with me a kind hearted middle aged gentleman helped her with making a phone call. He directed her to the right place for transit and even woke her up while she dozed off waiting for the delayed flight.. just in time to make it! Generally made her feel welcome and safe talking to her. From what I understand from my mother he was a local, traveling with his little kids and his mother in a wheelchair to meet his sister. Even with his loved ones around- 2 kids and mother in wheelchair to take care of, he still had time to help someone in need.
The man's heart had just love, love that's not blinded by the needy 's race, religion or color or sex. Through his eyes he just could see an elderly lady that needed help, it was not his relation, and he had nothing to gain.I messaged him today thanking him and he replied 'You welcome anytime sir'!
Just reiterates my observation in my earlier post, there can only be love in our heart or no love not love that's bound by 'factors' and the 'I' where it becomes matter of convenience, and 'interest' on our objects of possession, glorified and 'treasured'. My beloved, my love, my sweetheart... right.
My mom had a first great first impression in this land, hopefully it continues..Amen to that.
The man's heart had just love, love that's not blinded by the needy 's race, religion or color or sex. Through his eyes he just could see an elderly lady that needed help, it was not his relation, and he had nothing to gain.I messaged him today thanking him and he replied 'You welcome anytime sir'!
Just reiterates my observation in my earlier post, there can only be love in our heart or no love not love that's bound by 'factors' and the 'I' where it becomes matter of convenience, and 'interest' on our objects of possession, glorified and 'treasured'. My beloved, my love, my sweetheart... right.
My mom had a first great first impression in this land, hopefully it continues..Amen to that.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Rich and the Poor...
The greater the outward show, the greater the inward poverty. To renounce the world of wealth, comfort and position is a comparatively simple matter; but to put aside the craving to be, to become, demands great intelligence and understanding - Jiddu Krishnamurthy.
The four traps- as told by the One
- Attachment to sensual desires
- Attachments to narrow views
- Doubt and suspicion
- False view of self
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I love you
Isn't it the most sought after, abused set of words? Can there be 'I love you soo much' and 'I love you not as much'. The love we have for animate and inanimate objects, are they true love? I love my wife, my mom, sis, brother, my country, my religion, my culture..the list goes on..Isn't this normal. It is, so is there a problem?
Can love and hate ever coexist. Can I hate Pakistan and love India. Do I really love India? To start with do I know to love? The audience or objects we have as the 'beneficiary' of our love follows a pattern here. It revolves around 'I' and 'my'. It creates too many 'isms'. Love for my country creates 'nationalism', and it creates army, navy and air force to 'protect' it. The soldiers are actually taught and strongly believe that its ok to kill. For the love of God one is taught to kill the non believer and attain martyrdom and it is ok too. What is going wrong here? If in both examples if the love was not abused with a certain belief or an 'ism' and the love was for mankind could there be conflict?
The truth of the matter is I dont know how to love. Love is a matter of convenience, security and objects of indulgence. How far your love goes is just reflective of how far you have shed your narcissism. We all are narcissists of various degree. Some are 'pure' cant see beyond their nose tip, for some its 'I and my family', for some its 'I, my family, my community' so on and so forth...
With the word love there is one more word used in tandem, most times - unconditional. When one can actually love unconditionally , it dissolves the 'I' then love is true love and then there is clarity and no contradiction in action. There is no way I can hate people of Pakistan to express my love for people of my country. I either have love in my heart or i don't. Everything else is only 'I' convincing 'I' that I can love. Its a shield I use to nurture my 'I' and 'I's short sighted interests and protect it.
The obsessions of 'I' is the root cause of all conflicts in this world. I loves I*, nothing else. Period.
* I loves I is a leaf out if is S.N Goenka's discourse. Most blogs will have huge influence of my interpretation of Dhamma and Jiddu's thinking.
Can love and hate ever coexist. Can I hate Pakistan and love India. Do I really love India? To start with do I know to love? The audience or objects we have as the 'beneficiary' of our love follows a pattern here. It revolves around 'I' and 'my'. It creates too many 'isms'. Love for my country creates 'nationalism', and it creates army, navy and air force to 'protect' it. The soldiers are actually taught and strongly believe that its ok to kill. For the love of God one is taught to kill the non believer and attain martyrdom and it is ok too. What is going wrong here? If in both examples if the love was not abused with a certain belief or an 'ism' and the love was for mankind could there be conflict?
The truth of the matter is I dont know how to love. Love is a matter of convenience, security and objects of indulgence. How far your love goes is just reflective of how far you have shed your narcissism. We all are narcissists of various degree. Some are 'pure' cant see beyond their nose tip, for some its 'I and my family', for some its 'I, my family, my community' so on and so forth...
With the word love there is one more word used in tandem, most times - unconditional. When one can actually love unconditionally , it dissolves the 'I' then love is true love and then there is clarity and no contradiction in action. There is no way I can hate people of Pakistan to express my love for people of my country. I either have love in my heart or i don't. Everything else is only 'I' convincing 'I' that I can love. Its a shield I use to nurture my 'I' and 'I's short sighted interests and protect it.
The obsessions of 'I' is the root cause of all conflicts in this world. I loves I*, nothing else. Period.
* I loves I is a leaf out if is S.N Goenka's discourse. Most blogs will have huge influence of my interpretation of Dhamma and Jiddu's thinking.
Monday, May 10, 2010
"Kalavum Katru Mara"
Meaning 'Learn the Art of Thievery and forget'. Its a saying in Tamil..from the old days..
The world took it too serious and we have b schools. Schools that churn our suave, articulate, well groomed, well dressed 'beings' that knows only one way of operation.. in line with famed 'Have breakfast or be breakfast'.
Be innovative to 'crush competition' , we are told. Innovation is the famed jargon used to shield progress made to meet man's needs and wants alike, more so to feed on man's boredom, vice and sloth.
Right livelihood, ethics etc are studied and looked upon as obsolete and topics for summer casual reading. We might have our future generations reading them as topics of history.
The world took it too serious and we have b schools. Schools that churn our suave, articulate, well groomed, well dressed 'beings' that knows only one way of operation.. in line with famed 'Have breakfast or be breakfast'.
Be innovative to 'crush competition' , we are told. Innovation is the famed jargon used to shield progress made to meet man's needs and wants alike, more so to feed on man's boredom, vice and sloth.
Right livelihood, ethics etc are studied and looked upon as obsolete and topics for summer casual reading. We might have our future generations reading them as topics of history.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Belief
Pity, we believe in what we believe based on what makes us feel secure. Secure from fear of known knowns and known unknowns and not by merit of the inherent value that belief holds.
Whats more, we fight to protect those beliefs, the essence of which is fear, then where is the freedom?
Whats more, we fight to protect those beliefs, the essence of which is fear, then where is the freedom?
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
If only...
Money could find its level, like the liquid does, fill in all the voids, the small 'gallis', before raising into sky scrapers...
Could we design a system for this?
Could we design a system for this?
Here is whats on my mind
Here is an excerpt from a very popular book on Economics and its definition on 'Efficiency' - Efficiency denotes the most effective use of society's resources in satisfying peoples wants and needs. Wants and Needs?
We consume because we can. We set the rules for all the other animate and inanimate 'things' around the globe cos we can? In this world of information overload we are just a few clicks away from being 'knowledgeable' in any topic. No big deal! The challenge comes in getting insight from that knowledge and applying it to your life, there lies the wisdom. The mankind lacks the application of insight or rather the insight all together in many 'efficient' things done around the world.
Can we not sit back, take a snapshot of what we do in a day's time and segregate our activities that meets our:
Needs vs Wants
Sustenance vs Indulgence
Can we continue with our habits and let others take control of our lives due to our conflicting thoughts and actions?
We need to go back to our roots, go back to our religion, go back to our chosen spiritual path and see if we can align our life- thought and action to whats told.
If one is neither religious nor spiritual, its ok, cos one can still think.
We consume because we can. We set the rules for all the other animate and inanimate 'things' around the globe cos we can? In this world of information overload we are just a few clicks away from being 'knowledgeable' in any topic. No big deal! The challenge comes in getting insight from that knowledge and applying it to your life, there lies the wisdom. The mankind lacks the application of insight or rather the insight all together in many 'efficient' things done around the world.
Can we not sit back, take a snapshot of what we do in a day's time and segregate our activities that meets our:
Needs vs Wants
Sustenance vs Indulgence
Can we continue with our habits and let others take control of our lives due to our conflicting thoughts and actions?
We need to go back to our roots, go back to our religion, go back to our chosen spiritual path and see if we can align our life- thought and action to whats told.
If one is neither religious nor spiritual, its ok, cos one can still think.
"The universe is sacred, You can't change it.
If you try to improve it, you will ruin it.
If you try to hold it, you will lose it."
Lao Tsu
Expressing oneself!
Well since the last blog, lots have changed. I am married, waiting for a new arrival and the lady of my life has greatly simplified my thinking and is showing me life is much more simple than what I thought it to be.
I am back to simply express myself, not necessarily to tell the world 'whats on my mind' by the passing minute and hour..
As I grow old I realize this -Silence is golden. Not a discovery. Also being knowledgeable doesn't make one a person of wisdom. Again being old (as I grow old) don't mean one is full of wisdom. I say this cos we exactly know what we need to do and what we cannot afford to continue doing, still we do what we do.
I only realize there is too much mental rattle, mind loves it! All these twitter, facebook and this new found ways of 'staying connected' are manifestation of this mental rattle. Really, do we really need to stay connected? How connected are we? Aren't we still oblivious to the people who are trying to reach us? The ones that really need us. I think.
I am back to simply express myself, not necessarily to tell the world 'whats on my mind' by the passing minute and hour..
As I grow old I realize this -Silence is golden. Not a discovery. Also being knowledgeable doesn't make one a person of wisdom. Again being old (as I grow old) don't mean one is full of wisdom. I say this cos we exactly know what we need to do and what we cannot afford to continue doing, still we do what we do.
I only realize there is too much mental rattle, mind loves it! All these twitter, facebook and this new found ways of 'staying connected' are manifestation of this mental rattle. Really, do we really need to stay connected? How connected are we? Aren't we still oblivious to the people who are trying to reach us? The ones that really need us. I think.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
World Cup fever anyone?
Random thoughts, views and comments...
Saurav Ganguly : This guy didnt do anything extraordinary during his time off...no heavy tons scored in the domestic circuit but the lack of sheen frm young blood and the chance call back has been a boon to both Ganguly and Indian cricket. Hes back leaner, meaner and focus in his eyes Ive never seen before...hats off Dada!
Wait I heared someone cry foul! After the 3-0 a**rape by Black caps Gilchrist says 'We did not want the tour' I see. And some 'highly competitive' Aussies said they didnt have their star batsmen..well do u need star batsmen to defend 345?? Not sure.
I saw a leader not a cricketer : CB series award ceremony..well I havent seen much of 'Freddie' Flintoff..He walked in , received the trophy n he spoke and he spoke his heart out. He genuinely backed all his teammates and had a word of appreciation for his battered n bruised coach who received a lot of brickbats. Now I know why a lot of people look upto him. I sure am not a big fan on Brits but cricket is well over all these..
Genius yes but a match winner? Sachin Tendulkar. WC 2003 Man of the series 650+ runs off 11 innings avg 50+ and his finals score read 4 there is no number missing before or after 4. Lets look at another guy who ended up in the winning side of finals. Ricky Ponting. In the 10 matches that led to the finals never scored 40 or over..and his finals score read 140 off 121 balls. Are we missing something or someone or is there one? Time will tell.. I am still a big fan of Tendlia, he is the best and if Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Zaheer Pathan and Dhone shine and the rest do 'just' ok..am sure the cup will head to India.
And the couch beckons me...Well the good thing bout being in this part of the world...all matchs start as we get done with work..cld it get better than that. May the best team win n ofcourse the best team IS India.
Saurav Ganguly : This guy didnt do anything extraordinary during his time off...no heavy tons scored in the domestic circuit but the lack of sheen frm young blood and the chance call back has been a boon to both Ganguly and Indian cricket. Hes back leaner, meaner and focus in his eyes Ive never seen before...hats off Dada!
Wait I heared someone cry foul! After the 3-0 a**rape by Black caps Gilchrist says 'We did not want the tour' I see. And some 'highly competitive' Aussies said they didnt have their star batsmen..well do u need star batsmen to defend 345?? Not sure.
I saw a leader not a cricketer : CB series award ceremony..well I havent seen much of 'Freddie' Flintoff..He walked in , received the trophy n he spoke and he spoke his heart out. He genuinely backed all his teammates and had a word of appreciation for his battered n bruised coach who received a lot of brickbats. Now I know why a lot of people look upto him. I sure am not a big fan on Brits but cricket is well over all these..
Genius yes but a match winner? Sachin Tendulkar. WC 2003 Man of the series 650+ runs off 11 innings avg 50+ and his finals score read 4 there is no number missing before or after 4. Lets look at another guy who ended up in the winning side of finals. Ricky Ponting. In the 10 matches that led to the finals never scored 40 or over..and his finals score read 140 off 121 balls. Are we missing something or someone or is there one? Time will tell.. I am still a big fan of Tendlia, he is the best and if Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Zaheer Pathan and Dhone shine and the rest do 'just' ok..am sure the cup will head to India.
And the couch beckons me...Well the good thing bout being in this part of the world...all matchs start as we get done with work..cld it get better than that. May the best team win n ofcourse the best team IS India.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Meet the cabbie, the Brits and the rest...
N lotsa thoughts to pen down...... For starters..all the hue n cry on racist comments on Big Bro..whatever..are the Brits ok English racist..are they?
A lil bit of coincidence while this Shilpa episode was gettin blown out by media n Big Bro getting free marketing..I was on a 1 week trip to london n think the Brits are indeed ...well will save it for later..
First early morning pickup from the airport was nice..I always love talking to the cabbies...they reflect what the media doesnt, anywhere across the globe this holds true...so I started off with my ususal ice breaker..'Hows your day so far..' The guy opened up was very nice n friendly n in the 45 min ride was soo enthusiastic bout where to go, what to do in my too short a trip of 1 week. He took pride in what he knew and it really peps em up when you are all ears to what hez gotto say.But I wanted to know more...always I try to get to know what they 'the working class' think of the expats...
This guy was a half Irish and half English, had traveled across globe for 17 years in water and air working for cruise ships and airlines n now driving a cab. He was all excited when he described his visit to Mumbai..then Bombay n the dinner hosted by his Indian colleague. He said he has never seen such a huge spread of exotic food which he in his own words was 'celebration of food'. Thank you very much yes we do take our food very seriously..Then he did hit upon the more delicate issue..the immigrants from Poland, Romania, Czec..taking up all jobs(not the white collar) working for a pittance, sneaking into the system such that it affects the pensions (clndt understand clearly..) He didnt have any complaints against us 'brown' or the IT workers (professional?) nor nething bout BPO....well he wasnt kicked out of his desk job..so he wldnt complain. Overall I cld draw similies bet this and the complaints by Americans who complain in all grades/work groups...the blue collar jobs taken by Mexicans and White collar by Indians(ahem coin a word 'professional workers'). Same in Singapore. I remember a Mandarin cabbie(outspoken nice n friendly not exactly racist) saying 'you people(Indians) make five times our salary but carry lunch boxes to save money' hehe there was humor n the context of discussion is entirely different so i wont dig deep into it now.
So yes my first serious encounter/talk with a Brit was absorbing if at all he had anything against anyone it was the government n nt based on colors. Fine. The whole day I spent walking up n down Oxford street supposed/alleged fashion capital of London...I thought Orchard street in Singapore was more fashionable...neways never mind.
The next day I was down in the lobby of the hotel and requested for a cab. The tall guy clad in bright red uniform n long hat ( there is a word for the guy who does this @ hotel door I forgot)went to fetch one from the street!!!!(very primitive approach I wld say ,even Bahrain hotels just call for a cab.. are the Brits preserving their cultural heritage??? I dunno). Ok well a 'Black cab' did arrive I stepped out of the hotel and walked towards the cab...the cab driver looked at me drove forward by a few feet...said something with animated gesture..(didnt hear a word) and drove away.....I just stood there stranded looked around n went back to the lobby. Another hotel staff standing in the lobby ( a black guy!!!) came to my rescue n said those cabbies are crazy may be he wanted to catchup on some Chelsea game...a football game early morning???? again I dunno....
Chill, relax..its all cool just 1 cabbie and I cant make any judgements on Brits. Twice I got cold shoulder response from a waitress and a bartender..not exactly rude but not too friendly either...hey Ive been there done that but the bar(it was a nice underground pub) was totally empty when i stepped in and I wont give it(her attitude) to her stress or the lack of it. The waitress at Angus steakhouse(was not even a Brit) was worse..She literally saw me like a convict, gave me the least possible service, I didnt really mind, left her a 10% tip of my 45 pound bill and still she gave me a sceptic look...wonder what that look meant...rehne de...she will grow up.
Late on friday night me n my friend were walking down the Subway...a bunch of drunk Brits walked right across one of em turned and said an exaggerated 'hellloooooooow' , I smiled n said hi.My friend whoz been there(London) for a while laughed and said I shldnt respond to those 'cat calls' cos he wld say that hello(with that funny tone) to only us brown skins...oh ok, I didnt know that..
Overall was a mixed experience...wasnt all too pleasant...I wld for sure call them stiff necks. Stark contrast to where I am now...just after I came back from U.K Id gone to get my car I had left for body work to fix a few bruises...I was so glad to see an exceptional job done on my car so I went up to the manager and said I am glad , its as good as new...Instead of getting flattered this Arab guy says dont open yourselves talking like that and get vulnerable...n got me grounded..He meant dont invite evil('nazar') by such talk and said touchwood(he wld have said Alhamdulilla had I been an Arab or a muslim) His response and genuine look in his face made my day and relieved that I wanst in the land of mechanical, automated 'hi how are you's....Alhamdulilla.
A lil bit of coincidence while this Shilpa episode was gettin blown out by media n Big Bro getting free marketing..I was on a 1 week trip to london n think the Brits are indeed ...well will save it for later..
First early morning pickup from the airport was nice..I always love talking to the cabbies...they reflect what the media doesnt, anywhere across the globe this holds true...so I started off with my ususal ice breaker..'Hows your day so far..' The guy opened up was very nice n friendly n in the 45 min ride was soo enthusiastic bout where to go, what to do in my too short a trip of 1 week. He took pride in what he knew and it really peps em up when you are all ears to what hez gotto say.But I wanted to know more...always I try to get to know what they 'the working class' think of the expats...
This guy was a half Irish and half English, had traveled across globe for 17 years in water and air working for cruise ships and airlines n now driving a cab. He was all excited when he described his visit to Mumbai..then Bombay n the dinner hosted by his Indian colleague. He said he has never seen such a huge spread of exotic food which he in his own words was 'celebration of food'. Thank you very much yes we do take our food very seriously..Then he did hit upon the more delicate issue..the immigrants from Poland, Romania, Czec..taking up all jobs(not the white collar) working for a pittance, sneaking into the system such that it affects the pensions (clndt understand clearly..) He didnt have any complaints against us 'brown' or the IT workers (professional?) nor nething bout BPO....well he wasnt kicked out of his desk job..so he wldnt complain. Overall I cld draw similies bet this and the complaints by Americans who complain in all grades/work groups...the blue collar jobs taken by Mexicans and White collar by Indians(ahem coin a word 'professional workers'). Same in Singapore. I remember a Mandarin cabbie(outspoken nice n friendly not exactly racist) saying 'you people(Indians) make five times our salary but carry lunch boxes to save money' hehe there was humor n the context of discussion is entirely different so i wont dig deep into it now.
So yes my first serious encounter/talk with a Brit was absorbing if at all he had anything against anyone it was the government n nt based on colors. Fine. The whole day I spent walking up n down Oxford street supposed/alleged fashion capital of London...I thought Orchard street in Singapore was more fashionable...neways never mind.
The next day I was down in the lobby of the hotel and requested for a cab. The tall guy clad in bright red uniform n long hat ( there is a word for the guy who does this @ hotel door I forgot)went to fetch one from the street!!!!(very primitive approach I wld say ,even Bahrain hotels just call for a cab.. are the Brits preserving their cultural heritage??? I dunno). Ok well a 'Black cab' did arrive I stepped out of the hotel and walked towards the cab...the cab driver looked at me drove forward by a few feet...said something with animated gesture..(didnt hear a word) and drove away.....I just stood there stranded looked around n went back to the lobby. Another hotel staff standing in the lobby ( a black guy!!!) came to my rescue n said those cabbies are crazy may be he wanted to catchup on some Chelsea game...a football game early morning???? again I dunno....
Chill, relax..its all cool just 1 cabbie and I cant make any judgements on Brits. Twice I got cold shoulder response from a waitress and a bartender..not exactly rude but not too friendly either...hey Ive been there done that but the bar(it was a nice underground pub) was totally empty when i stepped in and I wont give it(her attitude) to her stress or the lack of it. The waitress at Angus steakhouse(was not even a Brit) was worse..She literally saw me like a convict, gave me the least possible service, I didnt really mind, left her a 10% tip of my 45 pound bill and still she gave me a sceptic look...wonder what that look meant...rehne de...she will grow up.
Late on friday night me n my friend were walking down the Subway...a bunch of drunk Brits walked right across one of em turned and said an exaggerated 'hellloooooooow' , I smiled n said hi.My friend whoz been there(London) for a while laughed and said I shldnt respond to those 'cat calls' cos he wld say that hello(with that funny tone) to only us brown skins...oh ok, I didnt know that..
Overall was a mixed experience...wasnt all too pleasant...I wld for sure call them stiff necks. Stark contrast to where I am now...just after I came back from U.K Id gone to get my car I had left for body work to fix a few bruises...I was so glad to see an exceptional job done on my car so I went up to the manager and said I am glad , its as good as new...Instead of getting flattered this Arab guy says dont open yourselves talking like that and get vulnerable...n got me grounded..He meant dont invite evil('nazar') by such talk and said touchwood(he wld have said Alhamdulilla had I been an Arab or a muslim) His response and genuine look in his face made my day and relieved that I wanst in the land of mechanical, automated 'hi how are you's....Alhamdulilla.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Racism, Casteism, is there a word Stateism???
Its high time we shld coin one if not and patent it by India. Been observing this for a long long while, never felt people actually think in these lines until I stepped out of the country 7 odd years ago..Though first glimpses of how people tend to think hang around with their own folks obviously was in college hostel (though I didn’t stay in one..) The mallu gang, the Andhra gang....even subsets inside of TN like 'Nagerkoil'etc etc...Well it’s perfectly within reasoning , ppl new to a place (new college) want to share something in common( like studies and chasing girls aren’t common 'fields' of interest) and form their comfort zones amongst their won 'folks' from the 'native'....fine.
Well then there I was , stepped out of college to nother country, the much talked bout U.S of A (duh!). Hmm ok am in Michigan now, n so there are forums to meet, share and 'help each other' site and a message board. Nice! But I haven’t seen the amount of North -South (India) bashing anywhere else. On an average in a week's time this forum will have at least 10 posts with direct and indirect lewd remarks on Gultis(A.P), Lungis(Mallus), Madrasis, Gujjus, Punjabi, Bihari etc etc...major subsets being -North South. Initially I used to judiciously reply (read affected) to those posts. Then after all these years it’s more like a comic strip to me to read the mindset of a bunch of jokers. To tend to hang out with ppl of common interest/lang/state is one and to totally hate the rest is nother. Am I generalizing the whole Indian community based on opinions formed from one message board? May be not.
Well the Gujjus and Punjabis from my observation most N.I community have moved there thro their business acumen n run the show of most gas stations, dunkin donuts, 7 11..n most convenience stores...How they got there at the first place is always a point of discussion for the Southies. Yes a gen ago most sneaked thro the Mexican border, and got their Green cards thro al loop holes available. Their crop - the kids -the 'hep' ABCDs- American Born Confused Desis look down at the FOBs n H1s ( ok thats not a 'Stateist' divide there is a whole new dimension to it..later). and what do the Northies crib about? Well The Southies are mostly( again from what ive observed in North East corridor of u.s) white collar professionals( read workers) who went there a gen ago..Engineers( did u read IT), Docs etc. Gotto give it to them the 'Southies' thrive there with their educational background than their business skills( debatable..but an observation). Reddys are mostly familiar in hospitals than seen running a Dunkin while the 'motels' and 'patels' rhyme together... So the Northies mocking @ Southies pot bellies..hehe like all of em are like the khans in bollywood. come on at least the SI filmdom don’t portray heroes as a 6 pack flaunting macho man who always lands in India in his private jet. Tollywood n kollywood at least don’t run out of ideas n remake old movies...n the reality is nortie average aunty doesn’t look like rani mukharjee with grey hair but is just nother plump couch potato(made of paneer n ghee) fit for the Southies hero...hehe am not starting another bashing here...just on lighter vein..n I still haven’t figured out whts the prob with rice eaters....we are what we are be it cant ppl just let go...hmm. As a whole unit we aint topping the charts alongside China in Asian games so why mock at 6 chapattis or mound of rice..
My humble 2 cents is everyone has his own skills be it tech, non tech or business..based on his background n environment back home and is moving to a different country to make a better life(better life ? am not too sure again debatable). Can we just not acknowledge that? In Singapore it was Tamilians(ok they are natives and Tamil is 1 of official language) and rest of India. Here in the ME it’s even more hilarious. A few weeks ago, was done with work and was waiting for the lift to go down. 2 guys in suits stepped out of the lift..and since I look like an 'Indian' he goes akadam takadam in malyalam..since I understand a lil bit of Malayalam n not speak, I gave him a disapproving look n answered in English. Here this is how it is..you are a Malabari or an Indian...It’s very normal to hear 'Are you from Kerala or India’. This just reminds me of nother incident...well the educated n the uneducated are pretty much same in this perspective...this is with the 'elite' waiters in MI...most of em are from Goa, n if a gora asks where he is from u can hear 'I am from Goa' For some reason they associate themselves with Portuguese n Portugal n not India...Well here is something that irked me today and made me blog. One Mr. Anil Nair (Anil Nair is managing editor (India) of cricinfo.com so it says..I mean the footer in the article) has wasted no time to highlight the lone star from Kerala who’s already a prodigy..hmm what a sorry state Indian cricket is in..they had nothing to write on and when one brat got a 5 wicket haul this Nair saab wastes no time in saying 'Clues to Sreesanth's aggression lie in the history of his home state, Kerala'
Like the author is diggin deep into a legend called Sreeshanth whoz 1 wicket away from 700 wickets in test cricket and probin on his resilience n resolve...people it was just a 5 wicket haul for this kid...though I do wish him well the lauds n tracing his history back to Kerala hahahahaha hilarious Mr. Nair.
I had discussed prejudice in my previous post, all of us are, so am I , the opinionated, the degree of prejudice vary I might justify my opinions as being 'guarded' instead of giving the benefit of doubt to the stranger...its abad world out there, I swear a coupla days ago AGAIN this cold store guy(in Middle East its not a patel its ALWAYS a mallu) ripped 50 fills extra on a drink n a pack of chips I bought, didn’t care to ask him...am embarrassed on him bein so blatantly shameless...
I am neither goin to preach , nor goin to curse, lemme sit back relax n enjoy the humour in the attitude of ppl....no one is right or wrong.....n I have 2 chapattis n then a mini mound of rice, I cant curse neither nor am I 'roshan'ing India's name in Asian games. Baseline lemme shut the eff up n do wht I can do..purposeful things I mean...peace.
Well then there I was , stepped out of college to nother country, the much talked bout U.S of A (duh!). Hmm ok am in Michigan now, n so there are forums to meet, share and 'help each other' site and a message board. Nice! But I haven’t seen the amount of North -South (India) bashing anywhere else. On an average in a week's time this forum will have at least 10 posts with direct and indirect lewd remarks on Gultis(A.P), Lungis(Mallus), Madrasis, Gujjus, Punjabi, Bihari etc etc...major subsets being -North South. Initially I used to judiciously reply (read affected) to those posts. Then after all these years it’s more like a comic strip to me to read the mindset of a bunch of jokers. To tend to hang out with ppl of common interest/lang/state is one and to totally hate the rest is nother. Am I generalizing the whole Indian community based on opinions formed from one message board? May be not.
Well the Gujjus and Punjabis from my observation most N.I community have moved there thro their business acumen n run the show of most gas stations, dunkin donuts, 7 11..n most convenience stores...How they got there at the first place is always a point of discussion for the Southies. Yes a gen ago most sneaked thro the Mexican border, and got their Green cards thro al loop holes available. Their crop - the kids -the 'hep' ABCDs- American Born Confused Desis look down at the FOBs n H1s ( ok thats not a 'Stateist' divide there is a whole new dimension to it..later). and what do the Northies crib about? Well The Southies are mostly( again from what ive observed in North East corridor of u.s) white collar professionals( read workers) who went there a gen ago..Engineers( did u read IT), Docs etc. Gotto give it to them the 'Southies' thrive there with their educational background than their business skills( debatable..but an observation). Reddys are mostly familiar in hospitals than seen running a Dunkin while the 'motels' and 'patels' rhyme together... So the Northies mocking @ Southies pot bellies..hehe like all of em are like the khans in bollywood. come on at least the SI filmdom don’t portray heroes as a 6 pack flaunting macho man who always lands in India in his private jet. Tollywood n kollywood at least don’t run out of ideas n remake old movies...n the reality is nortie average aunty doesn’t look like rani mukharjee with grey hair but is just nother plump couch potato(made of paneer n ghee) fit for the Southies hero...hehe am not starting another bashing here...just on lighter vein..n I still haven’t figured out whts the prob with rice eaters....we are what we are be it cant ppl just let go...hmm. As a whole unit we aint topping the charts alongside China in Asian games so why mock at 6 chapattis or mound of rice..
My humble 2 cents is everyone has his own skills be it tech, non tech or business..based on his background n environment back home and is moving to a different country to make a better life(better life ? am not too sure again debatable). Can we just not acknowledge that? In Singapore it was Tamilians(ok they are natives and Tamil is 1 of official language) and rest of India. Here in the ME it’s even more hilarious. A few weeks ago, was done with work and was waiting for the lift to go down. 2 guys in suits stepped out of the lift..and since I look like an 'Indian' he goes akadam takadam in malyalam..since I understand a lil bit of Malayalam n not speak, I gave him a disapproving look n answered in English. Here this is how it is..you are a Malabari or an Indian...It’s very normal to hear 'Are you from Kerala or India’. This just reminds me of nother incident...well the educated n the uneducated are pretty much same in this perspective...this is with the 'elite' waiters in MI...most of em are from Goa, n if a gora asks where he is from u can hear 'I am from Goa' For some reason they associate themselves with Portuguese n Portugal n not India...Well here is something that irked me today and made me blog. One Mr. Anil Nair (Anil Nair is managing editor (India) of cricinfo.com so it says..I mean the footer in the article) has wasted no time to highlight the lone star from Kerala who’s already a prodigy..hmm what a sorry state Indian cricket is in..they had nothing to write on and when one brat got a 5 wicket haul this Nair saab wastes no time in saying 'Clues to Sreesanth's aggression lie in the history of his home state, Kerala'
Like the author is diggin deep into a legend called Sreeshanth whoz 1 wicket away from 700 wickets in test cricket and probin on his resilience n resolve...people it was just a 5 wicket haul for this kid...though I do wish him well the lauds n tracing his history back to Kerala hahahahaha hilarious Mr. Nair.
I had discussed prejudice in my previous post, all of us are, so am I , the opinionated, the degree of prejudice vary I might justify my opinions as being 'guarded' instead of giving the benefit of doubt to the stranger...its abad world out there, I swear a coupla days ago AGAIN this cold store guy(in Middle East its not a patel its ALWAYS a mallu) ripped 50 fills extra on a drink n a pack of chips I bought, didn’t care to ask him...am embarrassed on him bein so blatantly shameless...
I am neither goin to preach , nor goin to curse, lemme sit back relax n enjoy the humour in the attitude of ppl....no one is right or wrong.....n I have 2 chapattis n then a mini mound of rice, I cant curse neither nor am I 'roshan'ing India's name in Asian games. Baseline lemme shut the eff up n do wht I can do..purposeful things I mean...peace.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Haves and have not...
It was raining outside this morning...its Sunday morning blues, back to work after weekend..stepped out of home n stepped into slush n dirtied my shoes..ya for the rare bouts of rain Bahrain has...was mad already and got pissed at the traffic..
Was bumper to bumper traffic, I switched cd to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, S&G and Aerosmith assorted collection my fav cd..n then four guys sitting under a tattered polythene sheet for a roof in a pickup truck in front of me caught my attention. They were laughing n smiling and looking at the flooded roads..quite a rare sight in Bahrain you see..one stretched out his hand n felt the rain just enjoying the journey to what could be a grueling day's work. They looked like manual laborers, but they obviously werent worried bout what was ahead of them n here they were enjoying the moment talking and giggling like school kids.., hmm I thanked the Supernatural for bringing my attention to these people..no cursing traffic no soiled shoes to let me bothered, I rolled down the window n felt the rain myself smiled @ the guys in front. These laborers Ive noticed have those big 'naan' bread for lunch n dinner all days thats all they can afford, and work for as low as 30- 40 BD/month and still blessed are their souls to be soo carefree and happy. State of life boils down to 'state' of mind. Wonder who are the haves and the have nots....Abundance has different meaning to diff people but am sure its meaningless if we cant cherish the moment 'one day at a time' n the elusive happiness will ever remain elusive...
This is one of my fav song I love to listen to on my way to work..its Aerosmith Dream on..
Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isnt that the way
Everybodys got their dues in life to pay
I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know its everybodys sin
You got to lose to know how to win
Half my life is in books written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know its true
All the things come back to you
Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away
Dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true......
I am gonna have a blessed week ahead and make the days of atleast a few people around me better... Smile.
Was bumper to bumper traffic, I switched cd to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd, S&G and Aerosmith assorted collection my fav cd..n then four guys sitting under a tattered polythene sheet for a roof in a pickup truck in front of me caught my attention. They were laughing n smiling and looking at the flooded roads..quite a rare sight in Bahrain you see..one stretched out his hand n felt the rain just enjoying the journey to what could be a grueling day's work. They looked like manual laborers, but they obviously werent worried bout what was ahead of them n here they were enjoying the moment talking and giggling like school kids.., hmm I thanked the Supernatural for bringing my attention to these people..no cursing traffic no soiled shoes to let me bothered, I rolled down the window n felt the rain myself smiled @ the guys in front. These laborers Ive noticed have those big 'naan' bread for lunch n dinner all days thats all they can afford, and work for as low as 30- 40 BD/month and still blessed are their souls to be soo carefree and happy. State of life boils down to 'state' of mind. Wonder who are the haves and the have nots....Abundance has different meaning to diff people but am sure its meaningless if we cant cherish the moment 'one day at a time' n the elusive happiness will ever remain elusive...
This is one of my fav song I love to listen to on my way to work..its Aerosmith Dream on..
Everytime that I look in the mirror
All these lines on my face gettin clearer
The past is gone
It went by like dust to dawn
Isnt that the way
Everybodys got their dues in life to pay
I know what nobody knows
Where it comes and where it goes
I know its everybodys sin
You got to lose to know how to win
Half my life is in books written pages
Live and learn from fools and from sages
You know its true
All the things come back to you
Sing with me, sing for the years
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears
Sing with me, if its just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away
Dream on, dream on
Dream yourself a dream come true......
I am gonna have a blessed week ahead and make the days of atleast a few people around me better... Smile.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Update to last post....
Hmm I sound like a sexist. No one complained but I thought so... That definitely wasnt what I wanted to convey. Point is whole lotta women too spend their entire life 'sacrificing' for their family, couples live with relations for fear of insecurities due to a broken marriage, future of kids etc....Is it all that important to drain yourself in getting into a relation and make it work. Is it a must that when you are in late twenties/early thirties to get married? What drives us to do that? I mean is it social acceptance? All required to follow the pattern? Stalemate creeps in very soon in this dog eat dog fast paced world, and in the end its a breakup or wld be one of em making major readjustments in their attitude, likes and dislikes to make it 'work'. Rather if you are clear of your priorities its much better to stay aloof of the most complex relations of all....
Be Unorthodox
The way I look at things...
1. Make a really close circle in your personal relations- parents n good friends and never waste your energy thinking of the rest. I mean unless you have anything constructive to do dont bitch about it atleast.
e.g - Early morning traffic. - These days I keep a check on the number of swears on my way to work. Wait a sec not all the ppl I am swearing at can be wrong n me right...why drain my energy getting tensed, not a good start afterall. Can all drivers be bad drivers all are mean n I am nice, driving to work wearing a smile needs a tweak in the attiude.
- Bitching about the bad 'state' of anything...people, the roads back home ...social problems etc. If I cant really do something purposeful, Id rather not complain or worry bout it. Rather spend my energy on doing something useful for some1.
2. Time on girls. Very much debatable... Lets face it is all these relations worth it? Day in n day out making calls to check on her, listening to her frm morn till night stories, that never ending yap yap yap....ya ive been there done that.. for what ? Is it investing in a relation? Am tired of this companionship, 'getting settled' bullshit. Its such a drain on my eneregy n time.
A coincidence here is an excerpt on 'Bitchology' and Russian Women on Times of India ...'After the initial lectures, the women then attend the "school of seduction" in which they learn to use their sexuality to attract the most discerning of men. by flaunting their sexuality. In the final lesson, the women learn the art of the striptease.
And it seems that the classes do indeed work, for the Rakovskys' students swear by the technique which, according to one, gives every Russian woman what she wants, namely "Great sex, money and a man who looks after you." '
What a waste. Agreed there are a few good ones,may be a lot of good ones and I am shortsighted n picking the wrong ones..there are 'true' relations n stuff, but personally the time and energy to make a relation work is just way too much , and I d rather save em for a 1000 good stuff to do goin around this world. Feel like father? Adopt some kids there are thousands orphaned back home make some of their lives.. If fear of loneliness 'on my grey days' shld push me to gettin into a relation that wld be soo not right.. 'Do mingle but stay single' is my mantra.
3. Dont listen to a friend's problem. If it is a relation issue. She said that, he said that,so I said this....relax, 3 views of 1 thing, n ppl love to be sad, please be but dont try to make me sad. Also I feel each person has to grow from within there is no point in pampering them while they are down, unless I got anything constructive to say or do I cant do a 'I know how it feels, its soo hard on u ' n number of times day in n day out.. I mean if you really care for the person u d rather want him/her to get up n move on..
4.Prejudice - The case with rude waiters..rude any customer service person..May be they had a bad customer earlier, may be they are doing a double shift...give them the benefit of doubt, n you be nice instead. You might make his n the next customer's day by the generous act of kindness. Kindness and compassion to who when and where are highly debatable and has individual perspectives...A simple gesture and deliberate help to the struggling can boost your energy and trigger a +ve chain. RS says' Soul of all things in this universe is the same' so lets nurture the soul. Spend less time on your already pampered girl friend and drive your office boy w/o a car to a shopping centre n spend a measly amt to make his day. Try it..trust me.
1. Make a really close circle in your personal relations- parents n good friends and never waste your energy thinking of the rest. I mean unless you have anything constructive to do dont bitch about it atleast.
e.g - Early morning traffic. - These days I keep a check on the number of swears on my way to work. Wait a sec not all the ppl I am swearing at can be wrong n me right...why drain my energy getting tensed, not a good start afterall. Can all drivers be bad drivers all are mean n I am nice, driving to work wearing a smile needs a tweak in the attiude.
- Bitching about the bad 'state' of anything...people, the roads back home ...social problems etc. If I cant really do something purposeful, Id rather not complain or worry bout it. Rather spend my energy on doing something useful for some1.
2. Time on girls. Very much debatable... Lets face it is all these relations worth it? Day in n day out making calls to check on her, listening to her frm morn till night stories, that never ending yap yap yap....ya ive been there done that.. for what ? Is it investing in a relation? Am tired of this companionship, 'getting settled' bullshit. Its such a drain on my eneregy n time.
A coincidence here is an excerpt on 'Bitchology' and Russian Women on Times of India ...'After the initial lectures, the women then attend the "school of seduction" in which they learn to use their sexuality to attract the most discerning of men. by flaunting their sexuality. In the final lesson, the women learn the art of the striptease.
And it seems that the classes do indeed work, for the Rakovskys' students swear by the technique which, according to one, gives every Russian woman what she wants, namely "Great sex, money and a man who looks after you." '
What a waste. Agreed there are a few good ones,may be a lot of good ones and I am shortsighted n picking the wrong ones..there are 'true' relations n stuff, but personally the time and energy to make a relation work is just way too much , and I d rather save em for a 1000 good stuff to do goin around this world. Feel like father? Adopt some kids there are thousands orphaned back home make some of their lives.. If fear of loneliness 'on my grey days' shld push me to gettin into a relation that wld be soo not right.. 'Do mingle but stay single' is my mantra.
3. Dont listen to a friend's problem. If it is a relation issue. She said that, he said that,so I said this....relax, 3 views of 1 thing, n ppl love to be sad, please be but dont try to make me sad. Also I feel each person has to grow from within there is no point in pampering them while they are down, unless I got anything constructive to say or do I cant do a 'I know how it feels, its soo hard on u ' n number of times day in n day out.. I mean if you really care for the person u d rather want him/her to get up n move on..
4.Prejudice - The case with rude waiters..rude any customer service person..May be they had a bad customer earlier, may be they are doing a double shift...give them the benefit of doubt, n you be nice instead. You might make his n the next customer's day by the generous act of kindness. Kindness and compassion to who when and where are highly debatable and has individual perspectives...A simple gesture and deliberate help to the struggling can boost your energy and trigger a +ve chain. RS says' Soul of all things in this universe is the same' so lets nurture the soul. Spend less time on your already pampered girl friend and drive your office boy w/o a car to a shopping centre n spend a measly amt to make his day. Try it..trust me.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Beautiful Bahrain....
Whoa didnt know this place can get soo much better. Well when I landed up here it was right onto summer, no car, no frenz n sick weather....
Cant miss this precious 4-5 months of pleasant weather, n wht more its been raining for da past 2 days!!!!!! Just the whiff of fresh air when u walk out of the house can do so much to our spirits..it does to mine.
Done reading 'The monk who sold his ferrari'. Quite a nice book, Ill have to save a seperate post for that..for now lemme sneak out of office n go 4 a walk.
N that reminds me of hot bajjis, samosas n chai in the evening....hmm.
Cant miss this precious 4-5 months of pleasant weather, n wht more its been raining for da past 2 days!!!!!! Just the whiff of fresh air when u walk out of the house can do so much to our spirits..it does to mine.
Done reading 'The monk who sold his ferrari'. Quite a nice book, Ill have to save a seperate post for that..for now lemme sneak out of office n go 4 a walk.
N that reminds me of hot bajjis, samosas n chai in the evening....hmm.
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