Bye for now

I think I shall confine myself to the blog for the time being. Limit contact with the world following the embarrassment of not even being able to replicate my performance from last year in one certain entrance exam . Fuck! That feels a little better as I sort of actually shouted it out when I typed it down. I actually googled looking for a quote about how one should know when the are beaten but what i found were quotes eliciting a sentiment completely opposed to it. Fuck! And no stupid cliches from me anymore. I am sick of dramatising every single episode taking a little over 2 decades to realise what a hack it makes me sounds like. But I guess I will survive disappointment notwithstanding. I will also give you numpties something better to read in my subsequent rants. Tata for now

Why so serious?

I know what you are thinking, and no, this has nothing to do with Batman or Dark Knight or The Joker. The title is just my way of giving a taste of what lies ahead in this entry. I've never really touched upon serious topics that affect us for real. My posts are generally general but this post will be a aberration from the norm. And it is a topic beaten to death in the media with the extensive coverage it has received in print and audio-visual media alike. I was and still am all for the movement to curb the rampant corruption in the country. I am well-informed of most clauses proposed by the Anna Hazare Camp with respect to formation of the Jan Lokpal. I lack the expertise to ascertain how effective the bill will be in tackling corruption but with the likes of Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Santosh Hegde championing the cause, I assume it will be an effective mechanism to ensure corruption in the country is brought under control. Similar institutions exist in many countries and have done a lot to improve conditions in this regard.

The government's actions in the lead up to the original protest( the arrest of that Anna fellow) was a political blunder which lead to the transformation of a march by a handful of dissidents into a large-scale movement encompassing all social cadres and resulting in the acceptance of most of the dissident's demands for the formulation of the Lokpal. I'm happy progress has been made and I have no qualms in the formation of a parallel bureaucracy and an all powerful Lokpal as long as the rot in the Indian system doesn't make its way into this body. There are doubts over its efficacy in tackling corruption but the fact that people have made a stand against corruption in itself is heart-warming.

We are no saints, and by we I am talking about every single one of us. The Indian system has always nurtured corruption and allowed the malice to grow and become an integral part of our lives. I fault every single one of us for not taking the stand when it matters. How many times have we paid off the traffic policeman for a fraction of the actual penalty for an infraction committed by us! How many of us can honestly claim to never have paid a bribe, or if I were to use the euphemism so conveniently used by most of us,paid commission, in order to ensure small financial reprieve or to save time in getting our work done. It doesn't seem so bad right? What is a hundred bucks or even one thousand bucks got to do with anything when you have those corrupt officials at the top of the bureaucracy eating crores and crores of the taxpayers hard earned money? Well, it's the same attitude that is reproduced at all levels and eventually translates to the rampant corruption we see in the system.

I do agree, at times, we simply haven't had the choice. I, for one, had to wait 9 months to get my passport. In a system this inefficient, to get things done, there appears little else one can actually do than employ underhand means which includes payment where it isn't actually due or accounted for. Let's hope the emancipation of the Indian masses and the resulting Lokpal is the start of a new chapter in our history characterised by the divestiture of corruption in our country.

Is there a Doctor in the House?

2 posts in a day. I'm really on a roll. And all this while on the payroll of my wonderful employers. I love this job. Now, for those of you who have been living under a rock, I am working now. I have come out of my cocoon and the erstwhile larva is now a full grown butterfly spreading its wings without boundaries. Got placed in Philips details of which could easily be the feature of another blog entry. And since I have little else to actually blog about, I won't go about wasting all my fantastic experiences as filler in an absolutely unrelated entry.

Now, listen up all you douches(unless of course you aren't a douche, in which case I'd still like you to listen to me). I started this post a few months back when I was really into the TV series House M.D. I still rate the show highly but I simply haven't had the time to watch the remainder of the episodes. Once again, I'm digressing. Coming back to this entry, now that I've resumed my activity on the blogsphere, I intend to complete the post whose inception can be attributed to hours spent in front of my desktop watching TV series during the summer when I couldn't get off my lazy bottom to proceed and complete the entry.

Now, Dr House is freaking fantastic. He, in many ways reminds me of me. Well, he doesn't really remind me of me per se. But he does make me reflect upon myself. Hence in a way, he does actually remind me of me. (read Causality). The world isn't a beautiful place if you think about it. Then again, if you do think about it, it is in fact beautiful. It's all subjective really. Now, considering I have a facebook degree that establishes my Emotional Quotient at 160, seeing a person who hates everything around him sends me into cerebration. I've had mild misanthropic phases as have most people I'd imagine and even if you can't personally place yourself in the man's boots, you have little but admiration for a man with such a penchant for solving mysteries.

The title-character draws inspiration from a character most of us grown up reading and have loved through the ages, Sherlock Holmes.There are also many parallels which most of us would find fairly obvious.

There are a few people out there who I do idolise and numerous others whose accomplishments I wish I could replicate. Dr House, for all his problems, is somebody I'd happily trade places with (Yes, I do realise he is a work of fiction). And let us not forget the deep insight our favourite doctor provides with his memorable quotes. My personal favourite is " Almost dying changes nothing ". We all do realise death is inevitable. We tend to overstate near-death experiences. But again, that is a subject which I could write another entry about. The point I was trying to make is Dr House provides us with a new perspective to viewing life and is a different sort of an idol. Recently, I'd hurt my right knee and developed a limp for about 2 weeks. Putting aside the excruciating pain I was in, I actually took solace in the fact my walk resembled Dr House's. I do realise it sounds silly, but meh, I hardly care about what you lot think anyway. So bugger off!

No Shit, Sherlock

A question to all bloggers out there, do you have a fair idea of the content of your blog entries before you actually scribble some text and complete the formalities? I honestly don't. That's probably what makes a terrible blogger. I just let my thoughts wander and this produces a finished article which isn't merely rough around the edges, it actually ends up being an insult to anyone who appreciates intelligent content and expects thought provoking ideas. But, none of you visiting my blog actually expect all that, so I guess I am safe from the wisemen who would otherwise subject my posts to ridicule.

Now coming to this entry, I've titled it "No Shit, Sherlock". I don't expect too many people to read this, so I don't really expect too many people to wonder why this entry was so called. For the few who did turn up the reasoning shall be made obvious as we proceed. But what gave me this idea? Well, that can be attributed to my movie collection. As I was browsing through my pathetic collection, I stumbled across this movie which I absolutely adore. And then, the expression expressed in the title made a featured appearance. I know for a fact I can be austere and be more efficient in conveying my ideas. But I need to show you all how accomplished I am at mixing and matching words and hence I choose to be the gasconading prick you all adore.

Ah yes, now finally coming to the REAL content of this post, I would like to keep it short. People who've read my other entries would know by now, my works incorporate mainly filler material and actually subject content is generally kept to a minimum. I was just reading this article which was basically an article about other articles which basically had content that was painfully obvious.( I guess the reasoning behind christening of the post has now become clear). I gave it some thought and I realised such writings are a necessity. In fact, for people like me who read less and write even lesser, it just vindicates our abstinence from indulgence in literary works.

Social Studies

I was always told the difference between humans and animals was the ability of humans to socialise. Humans, like me and you, tend to naturally socialise with people around. So it is little wonder that when a person suddenly goes all quiet, you tend to conclude somethings wrong, even if person is just constipated.

But why does the need to socialise arise? You need people around you, I can live with that. But do you really need people to talk to? I have long maintained the view that everyone around is an acquaintance and the only people who really matter are the people in your family. So basically the only real need for a person to socialise arrives from the fact that it can potentially benefit the people involved in the process. If a person were to not talk to people around him/her, it would strain his relations with the person. Strained relations could potentially harm him/her. So it is always better to create an amicable environment and maintain bon-homie relations .Humans have the ability to rationalise and put things into perspective. People would like to be involved in relations which can be profitable. And when you or your classmate suck up to the prof, this tendency among humans comes to the fore.

Wait a second, all this isn't really true now though! I think its good to have people around who you can confide in. I am divided when it comes to philosophy. Actually, I'm confused on most matters, and philosophy just takes the cake.

All this is beside the point, I was trying to say something completely unrelated altogether. But now that I've encroached upon the topic, it would make little sense to diverge from the original topic. I guess this means I'll have to change the title of this post as well. Bullocks!

Coming back to what I was saying, I find it excruciating to be part of dull gatherings which is ironic and totally unjustified considering I'm not generally the life of the party at social assemblies myself. I try to make conversations, I try to not sound lifeless/boring, but to little avail. There's usually a facade I carry which is usually designed to conceal disinterest on my part. Unfortunately, when your head isn't really into it, there's little you can do to not sound like a mumbling idiot as your intention in such a scenario is not to sound intelligent but rather the sole purpose is to look sociable.

I don't know how to conclude such obscure randomness, but I can say so much, I'm in desperate need of counseling. And no, I am not serious! So bugger off!

Random Bits

Here's something to chew on. Most of us believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution which supposes a concept known as"Survival of the fittest". So what we infer from this is any living creature's basic purpose on this planet is survival. Hence jealousy which is commonly regarded as a sin is actually nature's way of giving man the edge to try and achieve what someone else already has. How man channels this jealousy varies from individual to individual.

Empathy on the other hand has absolutely no role to play in progression of life. So where does this empathy come from? Is it a divine gift handed over to humans by a greater power? Doubt it! People suffering from autism cannot empathise the way we can. Aspergers syndrome popularised by SRK in My Name is Khan shows a man who cannot empathise with individuals around him. Don't think an intelligent creator would refrain from giving this special gift to a certain group of individuals. So this begets the question , why in rotten carnations does it prick us when we see someone else get hurt. Something I read somewhere suggested, this is primarily because of the misfiring of the jealousy gene. Now isn't that a surprise. Jealousy which is a supposed negative trait is natural,Empathy not so much. Science really does complicate matters

Back Baby

Time to start blogging again. Can't really put it in words why I've decided to return to this chore but for some strange reason, I get a really good feeling about this stint. Now all of you readers better get your arses back in here and turn up on a more frequent basis.