Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Travel Blood

It sounds a bit odd. But, I have been noticing that in almost all of the pleasure trips I have made in recent past, I have received some injuries, albeit minor ones.

As far as I can recall, this has happened. For example the Thattekadu trip from Hornbill Wildlife Club, while I was college; leech wounds, scratches and bruises were found all over my body.
The Srirangapatna trip with a trek to Kali Ghati, returned with itch marks, bruises and hurt toe finger.
Kodachadri,Apsarakonda trip - Lots of bruises, sprained ankle...
Gopalswamy Betta - Bruises and cuts from long grass blades
Venugopalswamy Temple - Bruise over shin bone

And similarly for some more trips, I recall the small injuries because by that time I had started noticing their continuous occurrences. Even one of my friends used to find similar stuff on his body after the trips. Hence, we are aware of it now.
That was the explanation of the phenomenon.

Coming down to what I think of it.

It is mostly occurring due to
a) Me exerting too much on myself during trips
b) Improper and spontaneous movements over tricky terrain
c) I am usually too excited/careless to watch where I am going

But definitely, it has become a sort of practice for me to close the account of any trip by seeing a drop of blood somewhere on my body. It gives supreme satisfaction about the entire journey.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Being at ease with Self


Certain things turn out the way we expect, and wish, while some turn out to be what we didn't expect,but wished. It can also turn out to be something we expected, but didn't wish.That is bad. But worse is when things turn out as unexpected, and in an undesirable fashion.

Leaving the combinations out, it is always good when good things happen when we don't expect and bad things happen when are ready for it.

I tend to curse and fume when bad things happen out of the blue. I also do it sometimes when it occurs expectedly, but I just wasn't prepared enough.

But being able to cope up to bad things, and get the positive thoughts flowing asap is absolutely paramount in clearing hurdles. I believe I have been learning that lesson from past 2-3 years now. So far so good.

Also, the ability of a person to be humble and benevolent even at good times solidifies his/her position as a level-headed person.

Too much emotional fluctuation is bad for the mind and the body as well. It takes a toll on the nerves, and infuses weakness.Having said that, I don't prefer to be stoic in nature or being insensitive. Each person has their own peculiar behavioural traits and character. Accordingly, some levels of enthusiasm, emotional fluctuation, poise etc match very well. Most part of a youth's life is spent in finding that matching set of characteristics.

If you settled for the wrong ones, you will find yourself in doubt and concern , even very late into the 30s, which can be troublesome or fun( depending on perception ). I have seen some 40+ people who are not so sure about certain basic things about themselves.

Being at ease with the world is one thing, but being at ease with oneself is a bigger matter.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Pandaaram

Should have been finished today and come out in humane hours. But as our misfortune is having a better hold over us, it all boiled down to the same old wretched process.

This time everyone got frustrated and left it as it is. Lets start over fresh,decided everyone unanimously.

blah. life is amusingly frustrating at times, ain't it!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Quit Notice

That's it. I need to do justice to my merit and hard working nature. I am quitting. There is no point in toiling on sub standard stuff, for peanuts and shit like treatment.

Just counting down to the perfect timing.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Bugs

As a developer I am not generous to bugs and I try my best to clear or hide bugs.

But there are a few bugs which are different and have various meanings in life.

Shutterbug - "a photography enthusiast"
I am one. I love clicking the random faces, scenes, animals and stuff that have no nouns in many languages. Though I am not so good at the art of creative photography, I am on my way. My new Canon Powershot SX130IS is meant to help in that.

Travelbug - "The urge to travel"
Once in a while I get bitten by this. Then there is no stopping me. I get restless and claustrophobic. Be it a long planned journey, or a short unplanned one, I will move out. Sometimes a stroll around the locality can cure this condition. Also, the shutterbug syndrome get amplified when bitten by this bug.

Humbug - "A hoax, prank or jest"
One of my favourite usages, taken from Mr.Scrooge of 'A Christmas Carol' fame. I use it against people who pester me with silly trivia and tasks.

Bedbug - "bug of temperate regions that infests especially beds and feeds on human blood"
Hadn't seen or experienced the impact of one until I came to Mysore. The very first night, I received the payment in full. Thanks to the shanty-like room we got.

Then there are 'Bugger','Bugs Bunny' and so on, which are less significant.

Oh and by the way, the reason why errors in software or codes are called Bugs has a history. Check out this.

That's all folks.

Differences that should Unite

Ever felt how different your view of things can be with
1) An alien creature
2) a foreigner
3) a person from different geographical location
4) a person who speaks a different language
5) a person of different culture
6) a person of different gender
7) or just another person

I can assure you that in any of the above cases( or in any I might have missed ), you will find lots of differences, which might make you hate or just not make it comfortable in communicating with that being.

Yes, be it the foreigner who breaks all our cultural rules or the person from another place/culture who doesn't understand your ways and tries to explain/defend/impose his/hers. I am sure this happens a lot, especially in India , which has a plethora of cultures,languages, geographical variations and religions.

Leaving the alien creature out, as I personally haven't met one and can't comment on it, we human beings, who are supposed to be of the same species have more differences than similarities to consider when two people meet.

But are we really so different from each other that, at a time of emergency, we find ourselves helping only those whom we recognize as being from our own 'neighbourhood'( range of which depends upon the individual's generosity) ? Hell, I don't think so. Deep within, we are all similar in many ways which remain unknown to around 80% of us. OK, I am not talking about the physical similarities here. Only the thoughts, fears, reactions and general attitude is considered.

Ahem..I think I am drifting from the point.Lets zoom in to India.

We have lots of cultures, languages, festivals, Gods and Goddesses , and what not. For a person from outside, we are India. But for someone within, it is just a collective name taught in school , and used to address either the central government or something in which all of India is represented( sports, world politics, war,business etc ).

Leaving all those hi-fi things out, and considering only the normal things you or me would be doing on day to day basis, how different can you be from your neighbour, or your colleague, even some of your friends? I am sure you will find differences, sometime subtle, sometimes not.
But, we also find lots of common things between us to share and enjoy. After prolonged exposure, you also will start appreciating and understanding the other person's way of life, and maybe take part in making a difference in it too. Now, that is where the feeling of unit will bloom in the hearts of people. But if these differences make you hate the Indian next to you, and you have doubts, and any kind of negative perception owing to their varied culture, the concept of India as a unified nation will cease to exist from that point of time.

Having said that, some things are too diverse to which one is not easily adjusted, like food,religious views,blahblah. But being ignorant and creating unnecessary divisions between regions is strictly against the concept of a unified India. Having done such an act, any thing one speaks of India's solidarity or unity would be nothing but hypocrisy. And, I am sure, if one does not try to wipe out this hypocrisy from within the heart, he/she is truly a traitor to the cherished concept of brotherhood in this nation, unified,yet glowing under the diversity of a hundred nations.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sticking to the corner

It is very difficult to carry on with other things, when something is sticking to your mind in a corner. It might be a pain, a pending task or a doubt. Without solving or burying it there is no peace.

I buried one such just now. Hopefully it won't return, but I enjoyed the challenge. Overall, this week had been quite boring because I had being doing lots of tasks without applying much mind to it. Now I got to sit down and hit few of the mind boggling stuff really hard. It gives lots of pleasure in being on top of the problem compared to being trodden over by it.

ciao

Monday, January 10, 2011

Someone Killed Jessica


Just finished watching the movie 'No One Killed Jessica'. I didn't go to the theatre to watch it. I just downloaded a pirated copy and finished watching it in 2 days.

After seeing lots of praises and high ratings by my friends in various social networking tools, and directly been informed so by some of them, I decided that this will be the first Hindi movie I will watch this year.

And so, moving on to the verdict.

I, as a person was quite unaware about the details of the Jessica Lal murder case,until I watched this movie. So, it was informative in a way.

But what entertained me the most in the movie was Vidya Balan's role. She was not acting, but living the role of Sabrina, the sister of Jessica. My respect for this actress has gone up several rungs.

Another contributing factor to the movie's astounding effect, is of course the brutally true story behind it. I don't know how much of the real story has been shown in the movie and how much in the movie is made up.

On the negative side, some parts were dragging and uncalled for. For example, Rani's role which defines a modern successful woman as someone who uses expletives excessively and takes pride in being called a bitch, was utterly boring. I don't know if this was based on someone in real life, or just something cooked up for the entertainment.

The editing too was quite patchy and disturbing at certain points. That was the main reason why I quit watching the movie half way through it on the first day. But I came back because I had lots of trust in Vidya's character. But she didn't do much in the latter half, and it was Rani all the way, except at the last.

Overall , it is a wonderful movie worth watching for various reasons. Leave out some of the oddities and enjoy the performance of Vidya and lament with the crowd about the sad state of our establishments. If you have conscience, it will make you think and if you have a soft heart, it might even make u shed a few tears.

Becoming a bibliophobe?


It has been a really long time since I read any book, or for that matter any printed material.

No. I don't read newspapers. Yes, it is the same person who up to about 2 years back, was a voracious reader of materials, printed or electronic.

I can easily blame this shift in attitude and habits to my profession which involves continuous staring at the computer monitor. But then, that would only be partially true.

So, I am a bibliophobe(no other latin word stuck me) or book hater now? I definitely feel not, but can't disagree my drift towards that direction either.

Without forcing myself to read, if I just think out the cause for my general lethargy in trying to find reading materials, I can't think of anything else other than plain old laziness.

Compared to my home, with my family or with my friends, Mysore and the people I hang out with are far less into books and associated materials. Knowledge gathering and sharing, as a hobby has taken a back seat hence.

But it is a not case where I don't get any books in spite of my efforts. There were too many books with me at one time, wherein I had to read them in a Round Robin fashion. Now, I have finished reading all and sent them back home.

For time pass, I have got my extra elongated work timings and my trusty camera + laptop with me. So, it is bye bye books for some more time.

Stupid Spam

I just noticed the bullshit spam messages posted in my chatbox(to the right side)of this article. It is interesting because it has a human touch to it, though probably posted by a bot.

Most of them don't have proper grammar or meaning, and are just meant to lure someone to click on the link which will lead to ad sites probably.

Though I find it very amusing, I wonder whether someone will actually seriously click on those links to read more about the person(:P) who posted it.

The reason why rushed to my blog was a quick increase in site visit via direct link from a particular locality(name to be withheld), as seen in Google Analytics. But this new development was not expected, and I am really happy that someone stepped on my turf with malicious intent.

Building honeypots was once my hobby. I don't do it nowadays. But this unexpected catch caught my attention.

OK. ciao

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Just a blog

Just wanted to revisit my blog and write a few words. I, sometimes don't feel very enthusiastic about maintaining the blog here with its articles. Now, is such a moment.

But I am holding back the feeling to not touch it at all, and posting something. This blog is not first priority for me amongst my hobbies. I have many other hobbies that keep me alive and juicy.

Perhaps, the biggest and latest one in it, Photography is now at hand due to my latest procurement. So, I tend to forget all else and concentrate on that. I have even stopped putting efforts into some of my other hobbies. So it is all a natural stride. But, don't worry..I do love writing (some times) and I will be back when I feel like doing so.

Till then..bubye..sayanora kameraderie..