Night outs… Midnight teas… B’day bumps… Old torn jeans… Late night walks… Long chats… Pinches and slaps… Crushes on pals… Those fights on ego… Getting kicked out of class… Struggle for marks… Writing on desks… Fight with teachers… Tears for love…
Heaven…
This is an SMS I got from an old buddy of mine, about our school / college life. Sweet, eh? Yeah, I know. Just reading it got me nostalgic. Isn’t it funny that as kids we were in a hurry to grow up and when we are grown up, we wish we were still kids, wishing the school days had never ended?
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Thursday, October 27, 2005
Sunday, October 23, 2005
The Colors (Of Our Skin)
Last weekend I watched “American History X” on DVD. Don’t be mislead by the name. It’s not a documentary by The History Channel. It’s a Hollywood movie by Tony Kaye starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong in the main roles. And it’is about racism.
Racism. The prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races.
The bloodshed between the colored and the non-colored has a long running history. White Rage, as we know it, has many forms - from the hoods of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan - A secret society of white Southerners in the United States; was formed in the 19th century to resist the emancipation of slaves; used terrorist tactics to suppress Black people) to the shaved heads and swastikas of today's apostles of Hitler - but only one terrible voice. Racism is not limited to the United States alone, but it’s a worldwide phenomenon, with a history in every "civilized" country.
A lot of movies have been made on the subject and “American History X” (1998) is just another one. But this movie, the directorial debut of Tony Kaye has the capacity to disturb the viewer. It recognizes that when it comes to racial and ethnic hatred, no one has the answers and there are no safe harbors. This post is a li’l review on the movie.
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Racism. The prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races.
The bloodshed between the colored and the non-colored has a long running history. White Rage, as we know it, has many forms - from the hoods of the KKK (Ku Klux Klan - A secret society of white Southerners in the United States; was formed in the 19th century to resist the emancipation of slaves; used terrorist tactics to suppress Black people) to the shaved heads and swastikas of today's apostles of Hitler - but only one terrible voice. Racism is not limited to the United States alone, but it’s a worldwide phenomenon, with a history in every "civilized" country.
A lot of movies have been made on the subject and “American History X” (1998) is just another one. But this movie, the directorial debut of Tony Kaye has the capacity to disturb the viewer. It recognizes that when it comes to racial and ethnic hatred, no one has the answers and there are no safe harbors. This post is a li’l review on the movie.
Show/Hide Full Post...
Edward Norton displays a stunning performance as Derek Vinyard, one of the most impassioned members of the Venice Beach White Supremacist movement. The movie is done as a narration by Derek’s younger brother Danny, played by Edward Furlong. It’s a write-up he does as an assignment to school, on how his brother has affected his life and what he learned from it. 
A hater of everyone who is not a white Protestant (black, brown, yellow, whatever... is what he says); Derek rises to the top of a ragged group of hate-mongers. He is the disciple of Cameron, a hatred columnist, who is also the mastermind but stays behind the scenes to keep his record clean. Derek's followers include his younger brother who literally worships him; his girlfriend Stacey who thoughtlessly parrots his words; and a fat man named Seth, who finds strength in a group that he lacks on his own. Derek's mother, Doris, and sister, Davin, are worried about him. His dad was a fire fighter who was killed when on duty in a “black neighborhood”, shot by a black.
One fateful night, Derek uses deadly force to stop a pair of black youths from stealing his car. He kills them. The brutal, hate-driven murder scene was so intense, it really shocked me.
Anyways, Derek ends up in prison for some three and odd years, and, while on the inside, learns some hard truths about life from a fellow inmate, (you guessed it. A black guy!) and from the principal of his old high school, Dr. Sweeny who is the only black Derek ever listened to. Derek is put to work with the talkative black guy in prison and gradually they become friends. The prison is filled with blacks and just a handful of whites, which makes him expect an attack by the blacks anytime. But to his surprise, they never do, which he believes is coz of his friendship with the one black guy. On the other hand, the whites don’t like his attitude and more so his growing attachment to the blacks. And they attack him…in a bad way. Well, it’s torture. Ashamed of his past and pledging to reform, Derek emerges with a desire to change attitudes but he finds that words are just not enough.
“American History X” examines the various ways the hatred and racism affects a family. The film emphasizes that actions will have consequences, and that attaining salvation isn't as easy as saying "I'm sorry". The price for a change of heart can be, and often is, brutal. The final sequence in the film where Danny gets killed by a black is shocking, but not because it's unexpected, but because it illustrates this truth.
The movie ends with Danny’s words in the background, when Derek holds his blood soaked body in his arms.
“So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned.
My conclusion, right?
Well, my conclusion is, hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time.
It’s just not worth it.
Derek says it’s always good to end a paper with a quote. He say’s someone else has already said it best... So if you can’t top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you would like.
“We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, we must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.”
Making such a movie is difficult too in this world of discrimination. The director Tony Kaye, had made no secret of his displeasure with the way New Line Cinema chose to edit the film. He threatened to have his name removed from the credits. Some have speculated that Kaye's actions were a publicity stunt. Maybe, ‘coz he is still listed as both the director and the cinematographer.
Why do people slaughter each other in the name of color, or even religion and God and nationality for that matter? India may not have racism as the world knows it, but we are not behind either in the issue. We have traditionally fought over religion. Thousands have lost their lives in the name of Gods and some place of worship. For what? Who gains from all these? Certainly not God and not the foolish people who go around killing either. Guess it’s the “leaders” who motivate such idiots to do the slaughter that gain. They become powerful somehow. And they end up ruling our nation, forming the bloody government.
I wonder when people would realize that no matter what the color of our skin, or what God we worship, we all bleed when cut and the blood that flows is always red.
PS: The movie is worth a watch, if you don’t mind tragic ending. I recommend it.
A hater of everyone who is not a white Protestant (black, brown, yellow, whatever... is what he says); Derek rises to the top of a ragged group of hate-mongers. He is the disciple of Cameron, a hatred columnist, who is also the mastermind but stays behind the scenes to keep his record clean. Derek's followers include his younger brother who literally worships him; his girlfriend Stacey who thoughtlessly parrots his words; and a fat man named Seth, who finds strength in a group that he lacks on his own. Derek's mother, Doris, and sister, Davin, are worried about him. His dad was a fire fighter who was killed when on duty in a “black neighborhood”, shot by a black.
One fateful night, Derek uses deadly force to stop a pair of black youths from stealing his car. He kills them. The brutal, hate-driven murder scene was so intense, it really shocked me.
Anyways, Derek ends up in prison for some three and odd years, and, while on the inside, learns some hard truths about life from a fellow inmate, (you guessed it. A black guy!) and from the principal of his old high school, Dr. Sweeny who is the only black Derek ever listened to. Derek is put to work with the talkative black guy in prison and gradually they become friends. The prison is filled with blacks and just a handful of whites, which makes him expect an attack by the blacks anytime. But to his surprise, they never do, which he believes is coz of his friendship with the one black guy. On the other hand, the whites don’t like his attitude and more so his growing attachment to the blacks. And they attack him…in a bad way. Well, it’s torture. Ashamed of his past and pledging to reform, Derek emerges with a desire to change attitudes but he finds that words are just not enough.
“American History X” examines the various ways the hatred and racism affects a family. The film emphasizes that actions will have consequences, and that attaining salvation isn't as easy as saying "I'm sorry". The price for a change of heart can be, and often is, brutal. The final sequence in the film where Danny gets killed by a black is shocking, but not because it's unexpected, but because it illustrates this truth.
The movie ends with Danny’s words in the background, when Derek holds his blood soaked body in his arms.
“So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned.
My conclusion, right?
Well, my conclusion is, hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time.
It’s just not worth it.
Derek says it’s always good to end a paper with a quote. He say’s someone else has already said it best... So if you can’t top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you would like.
“We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, we must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.”
Making such a movie is difficult too in this world of discrimination. The director Tony Kaye, had made no secret of his displeasure with the way New Line Cinema chose to edit the film. He threatened to have his name removed from the credits. Some have speculated that Kaye's actions were a publicity stunt. Maybe, ‘coz he is still listed as both the director and the cinematographer.
Why do people slaughter each other in the name of color, or even religion and God and nationality for that matter? India may not have racism as the world knows it, but we are not behind either in the issue. We have traditionally fought over religion. Thousands have lost their lives in the name of Gods and some place of worship. For what? Who gains from all these? Certainly not God and not the foolish people who go around killing either. Guess it’s the “leaders” who motivate such idiots to do the slaughter that gain. They become powerful somehow. And they end up ruling our nation, forming the bloody government.
I wonder when people would realize that no matter what the color of our skin, or what God we worship, we all bleed when cut and the blood that flows is always red.
PS: The movie is worth a watch, if you don’t mind tragic ending. I recommend it.
I Love The Jungle!
One question: Which one would you prefer? The city or the country?
That’s a tough question, though it sounds simple, eh? I mean, I don’t think you can answer it that easy. No matter how bad the traffic, and how hectic the life, and how expensive the place, you still love the city. The country? Well, maybe for a break. A vacation. Right?
So how about the jungle?
Imagine… trees, shrubs, vines and grasses covering the land for miles around, the sunlight struggling to break open the foliage and grace the ground. No roads or even proper paths to take, but just follow your instincts. And you never know what’s hiding behind that bush over to your right. Scary? Or exciting?
I don’t know about you, but I love the jungles. I love Mougli. I love Tarzan. I envy them, even if fiction. O’course I love the city. I love the movies, the pub, the malls, my music, my books, and my computer, my TV, the Internet. Yes, I do love those. But I still wish I could go spend some quality time in the wilderness once in a while. Once, I did go spend a few days too. That was over 3 to 4 years back, and that was wonderful. Thinking about it brings a smile to me, and makes me want to go back there again. That wasn’t the first time I’d been to a place like that, but that was the first time I spent more than a day in there and that too not in a group or with any elders to control me.
It’s a place called BR Hills, and I went with my cousin who worked with an NGO that had a field station out there. It was one of the most wonderful times I had. Let me share my experience here.
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That’s a tough question, though it sounds simple, eh? I mean, I don’t think you can answer it that easy. No matter how bad the traffic, and how hectic the life, and how expensive the place, you still love the city. The country? Well, maybe for a break. A vacation. Right?
So how about the jungle?
Imagine… trees, shrubs, vines and grasses covering the land for miles around, the sunlight struggling to break open the foliage and grace the ground. No roads or even proper paths to take, but just follow your instincts. And you never know what’s hiding behind that bush over to your right. Scary? Or exciting?
I don’t know about you, but I love the jungles. I love Mougli. I love Tarzan. I envy them, even if fiction. O’course I love the city. I love the movies, the pub, the malls, my music, my books, and my computer, my TV, the Internet. Yes, I do love those. But I still wish I could go spend some quality time in the wilderness once in a while. Once, I did go spend a few days too. That was over 3 to 4 years back, and that was wonderful. Thinking about it brings a smile to me, and makes me want to go back there again. That wasn’t the first time I’d been to a place like that, but that was the first time I spent more than a day in there and that too not in a group or with any elders to control me.
It’s a place called BR Hills, and I went with my cousin who worked with an NGO that had a field station out there. It was one of the most wonderful times I had. Let me share my experience here.
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I went on a Monday. It was a 5hr journey by bus. Most of the road was in a very bad condition but once the bus entered the forest area, the feel was so extraordinary. It was so fresh and intoxicating. My cousin was already there and waiting for me there. She had to go out after lunch for her research, and I freshened up and waited for her to get back. She had rescued a baby squirrel from some predators and she left it with me for company. I spent almost the whole afternoon watching it play and trying to feed it. It got so close to us that the next day, even after letting it off, it just wouldn't go away. It came back to me when I called and it even brought another one like him along :)
In the evening the two of us went to a near by temple which was on top of a cliff. In fact, the road that ran through the forest area ended below the cliff. The bus service was to that temple. My cousin took me there not to pray, but for the great view from there... It was breathtaking. We watched a beautiful sunset from a cliff top, with nothing but endless green forest below us. And every evening we went up there and sat on the rocks...talking and taking snaps. There was a big lake near the field station, on the way to the cliff, and we sat on a rock on the lakeside till late evening and went back to the room.
It was what I would call “heaven”. I was so refreshed inside and I couldn’t imagine anything else that could make me feel so lively. However, I couldn't go on a trek as I had thought... because it was dangerous to go into the forest without a person who knows when a wild animal was close by... preferably a local guy. And that was something I really wanted to do. Well, some other time, I thought. So all I could do mainly was accompanying my cousin in the jeep as she went out to conduct surveys among the tribes there...traveling 30 to 40 kms into the deep jungle, having breakfast (packed and taken with us) somewhere, stopping by some stream etc.
The most common animals usually seen there are elephants and bison, I was told, but I never saw any of them. I was actually getting a li’l disappointed at that, but then for my luck, I saw some rare animals... which were usually not seen around. Lots of wild dogs, sambar (a deer of southern Asia with antlers that have three tines), spotted deer, barking deer, four-horned antelope (an endangered species...very rare), peacocks (the majestic looking males and many females), many varieties of birds...so beautiful I swear, wild boars and 3 huge 300 pound bears, which were the highlights! If really lucky we could have even come across a tiger they said, but it didn't happen. I wasn’t that lucky. I loved it though and when leaving the place on the fourth day, I was already planning for yet another trip... into the woods on foot rather than a jeep.
Well, that was quite a long time ago, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to do it so far. But I've decided. In my life I'll spend a few days every year in the wilderness like that... right in the woods. That's my idea of the perfect holiday, when I need a break from the hectic city life. Going to some foreign countries and staying in all comfortable hotels/resorts... that's ok once in a while, but I think this is what you should be doing if you need to recharge yourselves. Just the feel of fresh air in your nostrils is enough to charge you up. Believe me. Am so grateful to my cousin for giving me the opportunity, to experience the glory of Nature.
I missed a good camera when I was there. I could have taken some great snaps if I had one. And interestingly, though I was always hooked to my computer and music collection at home those days (I still am so), a good camera is all that I missed out there in the jungle. Not the TV, not computer, not the music. I guess the fresh air, the greenery all around, the placid waters of the lake, the chirping of the birds, watching the sun set from the cliff, the excitement of exploring and the suspense of not knowing what lies around the corner, the beauty of the whole place… it kept my mind so happy and excited, it didn’t give me a chance to miss anything else.
The jungles. You should try it sometime. It’s one hell of a place to be, I say.
In the evening the two of us went to a near by temple which was on top of a cliff. In fact, the road that ran through the forest area ended below the cliff. The bus service was to that temple. My cousin took me there not to pray, but for the great view from there... It was breathtaking. We watched a beautiful sunset from a cliff top, with nothing but endless green forest below us. And every evening we went up there and sat on the rocks...talking and taking snaps. There was a big lake near the field station, on the way to the cliff, and we sat on a rock on the lakeside till late evening and went back to the room.
It was what I would call “heaven”. I was so refreshed inside and I couldn’t imagine anything else that could make me feel so lively. However, I couldn't go on a trek as I had thought... because it was dangerous to go into the forest without a person who knows when a wild animal was close by... preferably a local guy. And that was something I really wanted to do. Well, some other time, I thought. So all I could do mainly was accompanying my cousin in the jeep as she went out to conduct surveys among the tribes there...traveling 30 to 40 kms into the deep jungle, having breakfast (packed and taken with us) somewhere, stopping by some stream etc.
The most common animals usually seen there are elephants and bison, I was told, but I never saw any of them. I was actually getting a li’l disappointed at that, but then for my luck, I saw some rare animals... which were usually not seen around. Lots of wild dogs, sambar (a deer of southern Asia with antlers that have three tines), spotted deer, barking deer, four-horned antelope (an endangered species...very rare), peacocks (the majestic looking males and many females), many varieties of birds...so beautiful I swear, wild boars and 3 huge 300 pound bears, which were the highlights! If really lucky we could have even come across a tiger they said, but it didn't happen. I wasn’t that lucky. I loved it though and when leaving the place on the fourth day, I was already planning for yet another trip... into the woods on foot rather than a jeep.
Well, that was quite a long time ago, and unfortunately I haven’t been able to do it so far. But I've decided. In my life I'll spend a few days every year in the wilderness like that... right in the woods. That's my idea of the perfect holiday, when I need a break from the hectic city life. Going to some foreign countries and staying in all comfortable hotels/resorts... that's ok once in a while, but I think this is what you should be doing if you need to recharge yourselves. Just the feel of fresh air in your nostrils is enough to charge you up. Believe me. Am so grateful to my cousin for giving me the opportunity, to experience the glory of Nature.
I missed a good camera when I was there. I could have taken some great snaps if I had one. And interestingly, though I was always hooked to my computer and music collection at home those days (I still am so), a good camera is all that I missed out there in the jungle. Not the TV, not computer, not the music. I guess the fresh air, the greenery all around, the placid waters of the lake, the chirping of the birds, watching the sun set from the cliff, the excitement of exploring and the suspense of not knowing what lies around the corner, the beauty of the whole place… it kept my mind so happy and excited, it didn’t give me a chance to miss anything else.
The jungles. You should try it sometime. It’s one hell of a place to be, I say.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
The Blue and The Green
In my last post I was talking about what my ultimate work place would be like. My two favorite places in the whole world are the beaches and the jungles. The Blue and the Green. The two colors of Mother Nature that I love. But in a beach, there are limitations. Like, it’s no fun sitting on the beach under the noon Sun, is it? Beaches are fun from dusk till dawn. The best place to be that time.
All my life I’d been to beaches with my parents or relatives to play in the water and see the Sun set, and as soon as it does it’s time to go home as if the show is over. When we friends go, we used to temporarily turn into frogs and take to the waters as if no world existed beyond the walls of the well.
As a kid I was told the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but I always thought “east” is where the mountains are and “west” is where the oceans are. In other words, for me, the Sun rises from amongst the mountains and sets into the ocean! Isn’t that how we used to draw “sunset” and “sunrise” in our drawing class? Well, o’course that’s ‘coz I come from a beautiful li’l coastal town in the western shores of the Indian peninsula.
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All my life I’d been to beaches with my parents or relatives to play in the water and see the Sun set, and as soon as it does it’s time to go home as if the show is over. When we friends go, we used to temporarily turn into frogs and take to the waters as if no world existed beyond the walls of the well.
As a kid I was told the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but I always thought “east” is where the mountains are and “west” is where the oceans are. In other words, for me, the Sun rises from amongst the mountains and sets into the ocean! Isn’t that how we used to draw “sunset” and “sunrise” in our drawing class? Well, o’course that’s ‘coz I come from a beautiful li’l coastal town in the western shores of the Indian peninsula.
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When I grew up and had more grey matter up there, I knew it’s different if I go to the eastern shores. There the Sun would rise from the ocean and set amidst the mountains.
Really?? Hey, cool! I wanna to see that.
Sure enough, I got to, when I went to a city on the eastern coast and spent over a year and a half there for my studies. The beach, as usual, was a wonderful place. But the one thing I missed on those beaches is obviously the beautiful reddish - orange circle, the Sun, on the horizon coming down and disappearing into the water. Basically, it was a li’l boring for me.
Then one evening, in fact a li’l late in the evening, around 20:30hrs, I was bugged and so decided to go to the beach with my cousin. We did, and we were sitting and enjoying the cool wind in our hair, when far away, at the end of the black sheet of ocean I saw a faint glow. It got brighter and brighter and soon I saw a glimpse of…the Moon!
Man, I tell you…I was awestruck! I’ve seen the “Full Moon”, rising up and glowing out there…looking so amazingly beautiful. And I’ve seen the “New Moon”, a crescent, looking like a bright polished hook, way up in the sky. But this…it completely blew my mind. It was a near complete Moon, really huge, bigger than I’d ever seen it, and it was rising up slowly, throwing a reflection on the dark water, making it sparkle. It looked like a thousand diamonds spread across a plain. The scene was so beautiful; I wished it would just stay on for ever. I missed my camera that moment. If only I had it with me, I could have captured perhaps the most beautiful sight of my life.
Now I stay far away from the beaches. Geographically, am on the Deccan Plateau, and this place is over 3000ft above Mean Sea Level. Sure, no chances of a tsunami hitting us, but that also mean this place lacks one of the most beautiful places to be. But then, this place is quite green, in fact, one of the greenest cities I’d ever been to. But of late the greenery seems to be vanishing. It’s a poorly planned hi-tech city and the ever growing traffic is too much for the existing infrastructure. So the authorities are busy cutting down trees and widening the roads and building flyovers.
Who cares about the trees and the green beauty anyways?
I do. I wish this city was like it used to be, less crowded, and greener. I think my idea of “be connected, work while you live your own life wherever you want to be”, my ultimate work place, would help a lot in that. Hmmm…. What do you think?
Really?? Hey, cool! I wanna to see that.
Sure enough, I got to, when I went to a city on the eastern coast and spent over a year and a half there for my studies. The beach, as usual, was a wonderful place. But the one thing I missed on those beaches is obviously the beautiful reddish - orange circle, the Sun, on the horizon coming down and disappearing into the water. Basically, it was a li’l boring for me.
Then one evening, in fact a li’l late in the evening, around 20:30hrs, I was bugged and so decided to go to the beach with my cousin. We did, and we were sitting and enjoying the cool wind in our hair, when far away, at the end of the black sheet of ocean I saw a faint glow. It got brighter and brighter and soon I saw a glimpse of…the Moon!
Man, I tell you…I was awestruck! I’ve seen the “Full Moon”, rising up and glowing out there…looking so amazingly beautiful. And I’ve seen the “New Moon”, a crescent, looking like a bright polished hook, way up in the sky. But this…it completely blew my mind. It was a near complete Moon, really huge, bigger than I’d ever seen it, and it was rising up slowly, throwing a reflection on the dark water, making it sparkle. It looked like a thousand diamonds spread across a plain. The scene was so beautiful; I wished it would just stay on for ever. I missed my camera that moment. If only I had it with me, I could have captured perhaps the most beautiful sight of my life.
Now I stay far away from the beaches. Geographically, am on the Deccan Plateau, and this place is over 3000ft above Mean Sea Level. Sure, no chances of a tsunami hitting us, but that also mean this place lacks one of the most beautiful places to be. But then, this place is quite green, in fact, one of the greenest cities I’d ever been to. But of late the greenery seems to be vanishing. It’s a poorly planned hi-tech city and the ever growing traffic is too much for the existing infrastructure. So the authorities are busy cutting down trees and widening the roads and building flyovers.
Who cares about the trees and the green beauty anyways?
I do. I wish this city was like it used to be, less crowded, and greener. I think my idea of “be connected, work while you live your own life wherever you want to be”, my ultimate work place, would help a lot in that. Hmmm…. What do you think?
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Modern-day Slavery!
A fairly big room with a diamond shaped ceiling, supported by a single tapering pillar in the center. The whole floor, covered with carpet and every door and window of designer glass panes, keeps the outside sound where it belongs… Outside! Orange and Blue boards divide the room into smaller cubicles with Gray desks and Black pull out trays. On each desk stand a black monitor with a matching black keyboard is in the pull-out tray and a black metal cabinet, the intelligent CPU, stacked away in a corner under the desk. The only wire visible outside is the “tail” of the mouse with a glowing red eye that lies next to the monitor. The rest of the room is divided into small cabins furnished with designer tables and chairs. A total of 12 split air-conditioners keep this not-so-huge-nor-so-crowded place at a constant 16 degrees Celsius. The concealed lighting adds a pleasant ambience to the room.
9:30AM. One by one they start coming in. A small team of young software professionals, dressed in formals. The boss follows half an hour later. Everyone’s with their computer, designing, coding, testing, debugging. They can’t see anything beyond their monitor because the boards block the view. Except for the occasional hushed discussions between some members of the team and the tap-tapping on the keyboard, it’s largely silent inside the room. Once in a while the intercom buzzes and somebody talks. Soon, the tea guy comes in and leaves a cup of tea on every desk. The work continues. The silence in broken when the intercom buzzes at 1PM. It’s lunch time. And there’s a rush. Half the team goes for lunch, while the other half stays and continues with the works. It’s their turn when the 1st half returns.
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9:30AM. One by one they start coming in. A small team of young software professionals, dressed in formals. The boss follows half an hour later. Everyone’s with their computer, designing, coding, testing, debugging. They can’t see anything beyond their monitor because the boards block the view. Except for the occasional hushed discussions between some members of the team and the tap-tapping on the keyboard, it’s largely silent inside the room. Once in a while the intercom buzzes and somebody talks. Soon, the tea guy comes in and leaves a cup of tea on every desk. The work continues. The silence in broken when the intercom buzzes at 1PM. It’s lunch time. And there’s a rush. Half the team goes for lunch, while the other half stays and continues with the works. It’s their turn when the 1st half returns.
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At the lunch table, it’s just the opposite. Some eat in a hurry and leave. They go out for a short walk and maybe a puff. Others chat and laugh and take a while to finish their food. And then it’s back to what they were doing before.
Tap-tap-tapp…!
A second tea comes right when they start feeling drowsy and find it hard to stare at the blinking cursor on the huge glowing screen before them. Rejuvenated, they get back to... tap-tap-tapp…!!
6PM. One by one they start leaving, only to go home, freshen up, eat and sleep and return the next morning.
This is a typical day in my office.
How boring!!!
Ha! So imagine living that life!!! Well, the story is almost the same at any software firm. We do the same thing day after day. A weekend comes, and we spend it at home doing the pending works or sleeping (which, by the way, also seems to be a pending thing these days), or go watch a movie, eat out and get back home. And some, they have to work on weekends too, ‘cause of the “project deadline”!
Work was considered necessary for living, but in today’s world, it seems we live just to work. Everybody is busy making more money so that they can go to expensive restaurants, watch movies in the expensive multiplexes, buy expensive watches and gadgets…
Slave to routine!
Am sitting in front of my computer in office right now and wondering why things are the way they are! I always wish that the place I work would be something really different from all these. A place where the routines are banned and slavery (to routine) is abolished! With the advent of wireless and other technologies today like instant messengers, VoIP (Voice over Internet) and video conferencing, it’s a breeze to stay connected to the rest of the world, no matter where you are. So then, why do we have to still go sit in the cubicles and suffocate ourselves in the name of money? Why can’t people just be given the freedom of being wherever they want to be, but just remain connected and do the work along with living their personal life?
I mean, wouldn’t it be just wonderful if we could sit at the beach and enjoy the salty breeze while we worked with an ever refreshing mind? Wouldn’t it be great if we could sit under a huge tree filled with exotic, chirping birds, with colorful butterflies fluttering by, and do the work on a laptop, listening to the stream flowing near by?
Obviously, questions arise.
Where do you get the power? (There is no power in the cities, where will you get it in the forest? Good question!)
How do you remain connected? (Net connections suck even in the metros, how will you get connected sitting under a tree, thousands of miles away from a city?? Good question again!)
How do you co-ordinate the works? (Working under the boss, you tend to ignore your work the minute boss goes out. What work will you do when you don’t have the boss anywhere around you? Hmmmm…)
Yup! True. But over a decade and a half back did we think we would be so much of a slave to technology? So, can’t there be some way to answer the simple questions? Well, am sure there are many solutions for the first two problems. But the third one? The answer could be just Robots!
I think the only reason why such relaxed “work places” would never work is, the human tendency to run away from responsibilities. Or to be too “relaxed” (read lazy) that work immediately takes a back seat. Yeah! If you were at the beach, would you be actually working or would you be sitting and looking at the horizon, wishing that someone special of yours was there next to you? And if that someone special is there with you, would you be working or…ahem… you know, be all over the beach?
I don’t think I’ll ever get to work in a place like that. Sad! But if it does, that would be my ultimate work place and (prospective employers, please note this) I’ll never quit that job.
Tap-tap-tapp…!
A second tea comes right when they start feeling drowsy and find it hard to stare at the blinking cursor on the huge glowing screen before them. Rejuvenated, they get back to... tap-tap-tapp…!!
6PM. One by one they start leaving, only to go home, freshen up, eat and sleep and return the next morning.
This is a typical day in my office.
How boring!!!
Ha! So imagine living that life!!! Well, the story is almost the same at any software firm. We do the same thing day after day. A weekend comes, and we spend it at home doing the pending works or sleeping (which, by the way, also seems to be a pending thing these days), or go watch a movie, eat out and get back home. And some, they have to work on weekends too, ‘cause of the “project deadline”!
Work was considered necessary for living, but in today’s world, it seems we live just to work. Everybody is busy making more money so that they can go to expensive restaurants, watch movies in the expensive multiplexes, buy expensive watches and gadgets…
Slave to routine!
Am sitting in front of my computer in office right now and wondering why things are the way they are! I always wish that the place I work would be something really different from all these. A place where the routines are banned and slavery (to routine) is abolished! With the advent of wireless and other technologies today like instant messengers, VoIP (Voice over Internet) and video conferencing, it’s a breeze to stay connected to the rest of the world, no matter where you are. So then, why do we have to still go sit in the cubicles and suffocate ourselves in the name of money? Why can’t people just be given the freedom of being wherever they want to be, but just remain connected and do the work along with living their personal life?
I mean, wouldn’t it be just wonderful if we could sit at the beach and enjoy the salty breeze while we worked with an ever refreshing mind? Wouldn’t it be great if we could sit under a huge tree filled with exotic, chirping birds, with colorful butterflies fluttering by, and do the work on a laptop, listening to the stream flowing near by?
Obviously, questions arise.
Where do you get the power? (There is no power in the cities, where will you get it in the forest? Good question!)
How do you remain connected? (Net connections suck even in the metros, how will you get connected sitting under a tree, thousands of miles away from a city?? Good question again!)
How do you co-ordinate the works? (Working under the boss, you tend to ignore your work the minute boss goes out. What work will you do when you don’t have the boss anywhere around you? Hmmmm…)
Yup! True. But over a decade and a half back did we think we would be so much of a slave to technology? So, can’t there be some way to answer the simple questions? Well, am sure there are many solutions for the first two problems. But the third one? The answer could be just Robots!
I think the only reason why such relaxed “work places” would never work is, the human tendency to run away from responsibilities. Or to be too “relaxed” (read lazy) that work immediately takes a back seat. Yeah! If you were at the beach, would you be actually working or would you be sitting and looking at the horizon, wishing that someone special of yours was there next to you? And if that someone special is there with you, would you be working or…ahem… you know, be all over the beach?
I don’t think I’ll ever get to work in a place like that. Sad! But if it does, that would be my ultimate work place and (prospective employers, please note this) I’ll never quit that job.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Tech-in-Kind!
Hey people!
This post wouldn’t actually come under the WANDeRiNG MiND category, but then I thought it was something worth writing about.
After the “renovation” of my page and the troubleshooting session, I was just browsing through the millions of blogs and write-ups online, at random. And here is something interesting I noticed while doing it.
There are hundreds of people out there who are trying to help the needy and many more doing it for the victims of the hurricane Katrina! Every other site I came across had a Red Cross banner requesting surfers to help them help the victims. I was curious. So I started browsing more specifically and was really surprised to see how the online community and even some software giants have come forward to help.
Show/Hide Full Post...
This post wouldn’t actually come under the WANDeRiNG MiND category, but then I thought it was something worth writing about.
After the “renovation” of my page and the troubleshooting session, I was just browsing through the millions of blogs and write-ups online, at random. And here is something interesting I noticed while doing it.
There are hundreds of people out there who are trying to help the needy and many more doing it for the victims of the hurricane Katrina! Every other site I came across had a Red Cross banner requesting surfers to help them help the victims. I was curious. So I started browsing more specifically and was really surprised to see how the online community and even some software giants have come forward to help.
Show/Hide Full Post...
America has been associated with many catastrophes in the past many years, some caused by them, some unto them. Hurricane Katrina was the latest which has left the city of New Orleans almost unrecognizable. Another hurricane (Rita) followed, but didn’t do much damage, but it still affected many. However, Katrina still rules the web. Last year, when the tsunami struck, thousands of lives were lost and thousands more were left homeless. They are still suffering and still living in the shock, while most of the world has already forgotten about it. Many of us had helped by donating a day’s salary and sending food and clothes and medicines to the victims. Many others from around the world helped in a different way. They networked the world through their blogs and websites and helped bring in the aid. Now, the online community has once again come to the forefront, to help the victims of the hurricane.
Check out the few examples of “Tech-in-Kind”
(Courtesy: the many websites and articles online)
Thanks to the many blogs and websites, right from Michael Barnett (The Interdictor) and his LiveJournal to the Times-Picayune Breaking News Blog, dedicating their time and effort to this, web surfers around the globe have access to unfiltered information coming out of New Orleans. Many sites and news stations used Google Earth to provide status updates of specific locations affected by the hurricane. With many netizens coming forward to offer assistance, the volume of information about and for the Katrina victims increased so much that someone had to come up with a way to manage them and put them to good use. And guess who led the way??? Microsoft, with its .NET framework! It developed a system to help locate people displaced or missing since the hurricane through KatrinaSafe.
In between all this, there was a villain too. And it happens to be one of the most trusted names in online payments. PayPal. They had to block some relief funds raised by the humor site Something Awful. The site had raised a whooping $28,000 in less than 9hr, until PayPal froze the funds. The reason? PayPal’s customer support was closed for the night!!!
Maybe they should consider outsourcing it, eh???
Anyways, Rich Kyanka, the founder of the site Something Awful, couldn’t figure out why the nearly $28,000 in Red Cross relief was locked. PayPal’s automated system reportedly explained that it had received more than one report of suspicious behaviour from his buyers. Mr.Kyanka was then asked by PayPal executives to fax in his driver’s license, bank records, credit card record and a written request to unlock the account. He was also told that it would take 3-5 business days to process the documents.
Now, that…I know is really painful. When I had to call my bank to find out about a missing 300 bucks (from my account), they asked me for a secret code which they never gave me in the first place. On that, they made me tell them my complete life history ending with the last 3 transactions I made from my account!!! All that, to get my money back.
Back to the villain: In the end, due to some arrangements PayPal had with another NGO, the money could not be donated to Red Cross and all of it had to be refunded.
The media says, “It’s really sad that the facilitating medium itself acted up and proved to be a villain. PayPal probably chose the worst time to play truant”. The ever-attacked, ever-so-evil Microsoft and the new am-everywhere Google (who also happens to be the new rival for Microsoft, even for its “evil” status) on the other hand actually are doing something wonderful. On the whole, the online community, especially the bloggers, has something to be proud of. And perhaps, like they rightly say, this is one of the more reliable mediums we could all turn to in the future.
A silent prayer goes out for the victims of the fury of Mother Nature.
NB: Have you tried Google’s Earth yet?? If not, you are missing out something really interesting. Recently Google thrilled me by showing a satellite image of…MG Road, and with that, my office too; in such detail that one could see the vehicles on the road! Man, I could have been out there and that could have made me famous..
the man on the moon-itor ;)
Ok, dumb joke, but seriously, you should try it. You can get it for free at http://earth.google.com/. NASA has a similar one too…but a much MUCH bigger download. It’s called World Wind.
Oh, and that’s free too.
Cool Tools!!
Check out the few examples of “Tech-in-Kind”
(Courtesy: the many websites and articles online)
Thanks to the many blogs and websites, right from Michael Barnett (The Interdictor) and his LiveJournal to the Times-Picayune Breaking News Blog, dedicating their time and effort to this, web surfers around the globe have access to unfiltered information coming out of New Orleans. Many sites and news stations used Google Earth to provide status updates of specific locations affected by the hurricane. With many netizens coming forward to offer assistance, the volume of information about and for the Katrina victims increased so much that someone had to come up with a way to manage them and put them to good use. And guess who led the way??? Microsoft, with its .NET framework! It developed a system to help locate people displaced or missing since the hurricane through KatrinaSafe.
In between all this, there was a villain too. And it happens to be one of the most trusted names in online payments. PayPal. They had to block some relief funds raised by the humor site Something Awful. The site had raised a whooping $28,000 in less than 9hr, until PayPal froze the funds. The reason? PayPal’s customer support was closed for the night!!!
Maybe they should consider outsourcing it, eh???
Anyways, Rich Kyanka, the founder of the site Something Awful, couldn’t figure out why the nearly $28,000 in Red Cross relief was locked. PayPal’s automated system reportedly explained that it had received more than one report of suspicious behaviour from his buyers. Mr.Kyanka was then asked by PayPal executives to fax in his driver’s license, bank records, credit card record and a written request to unlock the account. He was also told that it would take 3-5 business days to process the documents.
Now, that…I know is really painful. When I had to call my bank to find out about a missing 300 bucks (from my account), they asked me for a secret code which they never gave me in the first place. On that, they made me tell them my complete life history ending with the last 3 transactions I made from my account!!! All that, to get my money back.
Back to the villain: In the end, due to some arrangements PayPal had with another NGO, the money could not be donated to Red Cross and all of it had to be refunded.
The media says, “It’s really sad that the facilitating medium itself acted up and proved to be a villain. PayPal probably chose the worst time to play truant”. The ever-attacked, ever-so-evil Microsoft and the new am-everywhere Google (who also happens to be the new rival for Microsoft, even for its “evil” status) on the other hand actually are doing something wonderful. On the whole, the online community, especially the bloggers, has something to be proud of. And perhaps, like they rightly say, this is one of the more reliable mediums we could all turn to in the future.
A silent prayer goes out for the victims of the fury of Mother Nature.
NB: Have you tried Google’s Earth yet?? If not, you are missing out something really interesting. Recently Google thrilled me by showing a satellite image of…MG Road, and with that, my office too; in such detail that one could see the vehicles on the road! Man, I could have been out there and that could have made me famous..
the man on the moon-itor ;)
Ok, dumb joke, but seriously, you should try it. You can get it for free at http://earth.google.com/. NASA has a similar one too…but a much MUCH bigger download. It’s called World Wind.
Oh, and that’s free too.
Cool Tools!!
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Yeah, Chemistry.
I could never understand those beehive shaped sketches they used to draw on the board. Molecular structure or something. Anyways, I used to top in class amongst the boys, was a bit artistic, which means I could draw pretty well in the science records. The school used to send me for the competitions in the earlier days but I never won a prize so I guess they got fed up and left me alone later. I used to enjoy quizzing and did win quite a few prizes in-house. But again, they sent another two guys and me for an inter-school competition and we returned with the consolation prize. We came out fourth. Oh, and there were only four teams in all. My teachers also thought I had a very good handwriting, which I think I successfully discarded somewhere on the way.
Blame it on the keyboard.
Whatever or however it was, we all still had loads of fun those days. After the early morning blues, it was always fun…
It was fun waiting for the bell to ring for recess so that we could go run and play in the courtyard, the teachers and even the Principal coming after us trying to catch us ‘cause recess is, supposedly, not to play and it’s a “crime” to do it;
It was fun waiting for the teacher once the recess is over, and hoping that she is absent so we could resort to “crimes” of a different order;
It was fun praying to every God we could think of, that the teacher doesn’t ask for the assignment as we totally forgot about it… ‘cause that teacher used to carry a cane;
It was fun breaking the rules by wearing sneakers to school when it’s banned; or removing the tie and stuffing it in the pockets as soon as the teacher leaves the room;
It was fun talking of a peek we got at the movie last night that had a very “steamy scene”, which o’coz wasn’t more than just a brief kissing;
It was fun sitting in a corner of the library and giggling over some “funny” questions asked by some “troubled” lady in the “Ask your Doc” column of the women’s magazine; yeah! We did that too!
It was fun helping a friend realize he’s in love with that girl who blushes on seeing him; and then wondering how mature they are when they get together and start talking about their future life, together…when o’coz the guy hasn’t even got his moustache growing;
It was fun having a crush on someone and our good friends immediately taking control of the situation and returning our favor by making us a “pair” and gossiping…
It was fun laughing our guts out at pranks played successfully on the easy targets;
It was fun irritating our teachers between the classes;
It was fun getting kicked out of the class for not doing the home-work;
It was fun going on picnics or tours in a group, a time when teachers turned friends;
It was fun when the teachers became our friends;
It was fun going to the school on our cycles and showing off as if we were riding Harleys;
It was fun breaking our heads for the exams and discussing the question paper with friends after it to estimate the percentage, which o’coz later became estimating the chances of passing the exam;
It was fun scribbling our favorite quotes on the desk; I even had a sketch of Michael Jackson on it. (Yeah! He used to be my idol once upon a time.)
It was fun fighting with friends for stupid reasons and then getting back together, with a dumb smile on our faces;
It was fun... ... ... ...
This could go on and on...
‘cause every small thing used to be so much fun back then.
Our worries were of a much lesser magnitude.
Sigh!