Garbage!

One of my hobbies is clearing trash. It's something that I really really love to do. Getting my hands dirty... that's a manly thing to do, isn't it? So even though we take turns to take the trash out, I'm eager to do it every time. Why wait for my turn!

I honestly believe that any average house is a trashification centre.

We get stuff into the house. It's gets processed in one form or the other and then converted to trash. That is the main function of a house - to create garbage. During discount season or clearance sale a lot of items are brought into the house which on hindsight are nothing more than some more additions to direct processed trash! So then starts the process of demotion of these objects. They're put in cupboards and store rooms. Then some day it falls and lands up on the floor, then it's used an elevation device to step on so as to keep a new piece of trash in the store room, which is just beginning it's journey to junk.

Think about it... All that you own, all that you buy, all that you wish to get into your house is actually exists just a part of parade of garbage to the trash can. Everything you own as you're reading this is nothing more than pre-garbage. I mean... Look around how much pre-garbage, garbage, nearly garbage, almost garbage, definitely garbage there exists!

The only thing in this world that can save these objects from landing up in trash is ebay. Ebay, ofcourse, is one of the most significant steps in our civilized society. It's strange how someone actually came up with the idea that lets start mailing garbage back and forth to each other. Isn't that innovative!

But in trying to accept these new forms of dealing with garbage, we're forgetting one of the oldest customs which I firmly stand for. Ancient Egyptians used to bury all the objects of the person with him when he dies. That is actually good according to me. The message there is loud and clear... You're not here any more... Just take your crap with you!

Cheers!

National Pride

Today I came met a Slovak cab driver who could speak Hindi...

He could say:

1. Namaashtey
2. Dhaaniyawaad
3. Aap khaishey ho?

Ironically my South Indian colleague didn't get a word of the courteous warmth the cab driver was trying to exude. But then again... that's 5 more words of Hindi than my colleague can understand!

So much for national pride...

The Tipping Point

It just wasn't possible to continue that way... The object of my obsession and me were meant to be together.

This attaraction has been going on for months actually but I upgraded the rating to "obsession" only a few days back. But then as expected there was that usual dilemma involved. Should I, Shouldn't I? It may not be as complex as a NP-complete problem. Though that was how it seemd to me and I'm pretty sure I was making a big deal out of it. That seems to me like the most likely explanation.

But after days of pondering over it and waiting for the hypothetical "right" moment, I decided to do something which would've given me much needed peace of mind days ago. But then better late than never.

It's actually just part of a cycle. Only when my obsession overcame my reason was I well and truly able to give in to what I really wanted to do. Once I had decided my path I was actually looking forward to it. I wouldn't have enjoyed it if I would've given in before this threshold limit.

That's precisely the tipping point!

And then it arrived yesterday, my very own Xbox 360...

Cheers!

Stumped!

1. I don't know what meat milk is.

2. I don't want to know what meat milk is.

3. Having "no hormones" really does not make it sound any more enticing.

4. I would have thought that anything containing a mixture of meat and milk would pretty much have to be organic, but apparently I know nothing. I guess up until now, people have been drinking inorganic meat milk with hormones added because they didn't know any better.

5. A well-placed ampersand would make this sign so much less disturbing.

Cheers!

The child in Tamil Nadu

I dont have a problem with what people eat and even lesser issues with the quantity as long as I'm not made to eat that food or my appetite isn't measured against that measure of food. I'm not a rice eater. It's not like a rule but generally I prefer skipping rice or having it in rationed quantity.

But inspite of that the other day my plate was full of rice way beyond my capacity! I was as excited with the prospects of having to eat that much rice as probably anyone looking down the wrong end of the barrel. But I did manage to eat it somehow...

However that wasn't enough. My rice loving flat mates got into the argument how I eat less for some reason. It was in fact commented that "a kid in Tamil Nadu ate more rice than you (me)!!"

Now... if at all the kids in Tamil Nadu are eating that much rice there's something really wrong here. No wonder there is food shortage in our country and the people in the North are probably forced to eat wheat and other grains. And no, I for one dont believe it was a hyperbole because I've seen adults in Tamil Nadu eat rice and it's well within the reach of a kid in Tamil Nadu to beat me in a rice eating competition!

Somehow I'm not sad to lose this one...

Cheers!

Time to get Smart!

I cant imagine to what lengths over-zealous marketers can go to sell their products. I was at the convenience store last weekend and I found myself in the deodorant, anti-perspirant, perfume section. I do understand the problem that these guys must be facing in trying to differentiate their product out of around 500-odd of the similar type. But some offences are inexcusable!

I saw this Adidas deo which had something rather blasphemous written on it which seriously seriously bemused me.

It said "Smart ™ Technology -- Developed with Athletes"

First of all, I'm not exactly sure the no-stink stick can be smart. From what I can tell, it really has very little in the way of intelligence. It can't even automatically roll itself up a little bit when one is scraping armpit skin off on its hard plastic sides. And to add to the misery they actually have trademarked the word "smart?" I don't think many companies would risk being so intelligent anyways!

The bigger problem, of course, is that if some scientists set off to develop "smart technology" I would think one of the last groups of people they would go to would be athletes. Granted, they're probably better off going to athletes instead of actors, umm.... musicians maybe. But still -- As a whole, athletes are not generally known for their scientific prowess.

How would that development actually happen? Isn't it too much to expect? I bet this smart™ thing must've not even been able to get a single school kid to try out their ground breaking technology without paying them. So you can imagine what must be the case with pro-footballers or basketball players!

Unless ofcourse they got chess players to test it out... But I cant imagine them having so much of a sweat trouble by sitting in air conditioned hotels and moving nothing more than their eyeballs and hands.

Anyways... I compared it to another, non-smart deodorant nearby, and there really doesn't seem to be much difference.

I think that one might be more crafty than smart. Just in case you find it unbelievable that Adidas may have done something as stupid as this then have a look here.

Cheers!

Calling Names

In the past few days I've been giving a lot of introductions. That's usually the case at the start of a new assignment. I'm so-n-so working on this-n-that... blah blah blah. It's now got to the point that I get dejavu of having a dejavu!

I can almost predict how it's gonna go. If it's someone from our part of the world the first name isn't so much of a problem. The last name... well... at times! I've got used to it but my problem is with people who have 10-14 alphabets in their own name making faces or trying to act like they've been given a tongue twister and breaking my last name into 3 distinct parts and making the worst possible pronounciation and looking rather coy about it all. I cannot even begin to break their name into parts. I would refrain in giving specific examples because I really dont know who would read this post and who wouldn't but I would like to get my point across!

I wanted someone to mail me something. I told him my mail id and as usual he screwed around with the pronounciation. I knew him by a rather short 6 lettered name which he was referred to by. I receive a mail which had two words, neither less than 14 alphabets. I for one second thought it was a spam! The callout name was no where in the first or last name. I didn't even know how the hell am I supposed to read it. And this was the idiot who was trying to act smart.

I decided to get even. I called up after an hour or so and told him that I hadn't received his mail yet and asked him to step on it! He said he had mailed me and said the name which I should look for... I put on a show of surprise at this revelation! Point made.

On the other hand, in the case of those who're unaware of names or pronounciations in our part of the world the entertainment starts from the first name itself. We never really reach the last name part of it. Some time during a meeting tasks were being assigned to some 'Gandalf'. On further clarification it was revealed that I was the famous LOTR magician now working on something even more mysterious!!

But I get a lot of sympathy from those wonderful people from Eastern european and ex-USSR countries. I mean you gotta give it to them. Their names are a group of 9 consonants and not more than 1 vowel. That's creditable! I seriously think someone should buy a couple of vowels and gift them. I cant imagine how tough things must be for them...

But now after the introductions this name calling has pretty much stopped and even I've switched to a callout name but atleast it's obvious where it came from!

Cheers!

Back to Blogging

Finally a post after a long time. It wasn't like I didn't have time to blog but more the case of I didn't feel like blogging. That's how the last month has been. It had everything from grief, shock to surprise and mad rush frenzy.

Without getting into the details since my privacy policy is quite clear... If you don't know... you don't need to ask! So really I just didn't feel like blogging in much the same vein as I usually do. I need a spcific state of mind to write! Ya... Too many hangups.

So this is just a post to declare... I would be blogging in much the same frequency as before & you can keep coming back to this blog with the hope of being entertained much as you were for the past 3 months or so...

Cheers!