2011 in Bullets
Like 2009, my brain’s audit department has forced me to conduct an elaborate year end audit. But laziness got the better of me and I could only manage a few bullet points –
- Like 2009 (when I traveled around 28,000 Kilometers), 2011 saw me traveling for around 25,900 kilometers (Yes. I keep a kilometer by kilometer account of my travels). I traveled to around 13 cities which included a few never-before-visited ones like Amritsar,Bikaner, Ranthambore, Barmer & Wagah (Attari).
Wagah & Amritsar
- In June, I once again became unemployed & unbalanced as I decided to pursue higher studies.
- After spending close to 3 years in dry deserts of Thar, a move to Mumbai with its random downpours was quite an experience.
- After many years I experienced 0 degrees Celsius (in Amritsar). I also experienced temperatures above 50 degrees! (Read about the experience here).
- Started another strangely named blog for my financial rants – Essential Associate Aktiengesellschaft….. And closed it for some personal reasons
- Received a prize from talented travel blogger, Shivya of Shooting Star fame in celebration of her 200th post.
- I struggled throughout 2011 to revive my reading habit. Currently I have around 5-6 books which are waiting for me to lay my hands on them.
- For me, Rockstar’s Nadaan Parindey is song of the year.
As far as 2012 is concerned, I have decided not to keep any specific resolutions. I just hope that Mayan prophecy (of doomsday on 21-12) is proven wrong and we get to see another 22-12.
Happy New Year.
What a lizard taught me about letting it go
I hate lizards (called liz henceforth). No questions about that.
A lizard in my house got hold of a huge insect. Looking at size of the insect, it was difficult to understand how the liz would swallow it. But it seems liz’s body is governed by unearthly elasticity parameters.
Stationed near a window, liz was enjoying the insect. This window had glass blinds tilted at an angle which did not allow anything to pass through them. But there existed a crevice near top right corner of the window, which allowed objects no broader than a liz to pass through it.
Out of nowhere, liz got this divine enlightenment that I was a threat to her life and decided to run away from me. She decided to take the small-crevice-highway to get out of my view. But problem was that it was still holding the monstrous insect in her mouth and was not able to enter the crack. Either she would have to give up the insect (pleasures of life) and stay alive or stay with the insect and face my wrath!
Assuming I was a threat to her life, liz had to decide whether to stay in the party [have insect(ful) delicacy] or run for her life without any tasty baggages.
What liz did further is irrelevant. But it did teach me a lesson.
Sometimes, you might be having the time of your life. But external uncontrollable elements may force you to give up everything and be decisive about your actions.
It is like saying that you should be ready to leave a party when you don’t want to.
What are your views?
7 Lessons from Justin Timberlake
Being forced into watching In Time, a sci-fi starring Justin Timberlake & Amanda Seyfried, I got more than what I paid to multiplex guys [Details later]. In Time is set in middle of 22nd century where humans are genetically modified to stop ageing beyond 25 years. From the 25th birthday onwards, everyone has one year to live, which slowly ticks away on a neon-green LED embedded in their left arm. Also, time is equivalent of currency – you can buy a cup of coffee for Four minutes and a night’s stay in a hotel suite for Three months. So more time you have, richer you are. But, if time on your arm runs out, you get a kick (different from the one in Inception) and you are ‘timed out’ forever.
Time is everything.
After Inception, it is the first sci-fi that has managed to give me some philosophical kicks. Movie is full of acid dripping painful truths. I share a few –
Lesson #1: Time is the real currency.
Lesson #2: If you waste time, time will waste you.
Lesson #3: Since we are not immortals, everyday is a gift for you. Treat and live it like it is the last day of your life.
Lesson #4: Everyone is after your time. After all it is what they all survive/feed on. You just need to love yourself and protect your loved ones from those who are out there trying to steal time.
Lesson #5: You can find allies and comrades in strangest of places. So be on the lookout.
Lesson #6: Most people live their lives without knowing what they want. Don’t be one of them.
Lesson #7: You should be ready to take the jump (risk). And as they say, ships are safest at harbors but that is not what they were built for.
After showering you all with life lessons from someone like Justin Timberlake , here is what I got as a bonus of watching the movie.
Watched the movie from a seat next to the gorgeous lady who drove a F1 car – Gul Panag!
Lucky Me :-)
Weakness of Strength
Dark Side of Strength : Weakness
If you like what you see, click here and Like the pic.
Where are we heading?
While reading today’s newspaper, I read my horoscope after a gap of many months. Thankfully, it had all things worth reading and it seemed that life this week would be ‘worth living’. But just below the horoscope, I came across a news item titled “In UP husband elopes and woman is paraded naked” (Read the entire story here). I read the story and was shell shocked!
Are we bloody barbarians?
How can you treat a woman like that?
Why should a woman be punished for her husband’s mistakes? And that too in a manner like that!
Where exactly are we heading?
Anna! What have you done!!
On 27th August 2011, Baba Ramdev & BJP realised something. That calm of White is more powerful than aggression of Saffron. All it took to bring a mighty government to its knees was will of one man. And mind you, this mighty government had been elected by 1.2 billion people.
Interestingly, a World Cup triumph could not inspire Miss Pandey to live upto her promise. But Mr. Hazare’s fast made Yogitta Dandekar and Jenny to embrace tricolours in unimaginable ways. Even our very beloved Angry birds got a competition from ‘Angry Anna’.
I read it somewhere that “Anna has lit a fire. It’s for us to keep the flame of hope alive.” All the online & offline forums are busy appreciating Anna’s efforts. Anna has indeed done a repeat of RDB. Everyone is ready to light candles and sit on dharnas.
But I don’t feel that what happened, happened for the good…
Will Lokpal Bill serve its purpose of eradicating corruption? I am not sure. But what I am pretty sure of is that corruption is in our blood and it is here to stay. It’s in the very fabric of what represents our Indian society today. And just a Bill might not be sufficient.
Indian government is already facing problems of high inflation and slowing growth. But instead of focusing its effort on these issues, it is forced to deal with Anna(s). The focus is more on fire fighting and less on working towards sustainable growth and development. And this does not auger well for country. If one person can derail a duly & constitutionally elected government and make a complete mockery of the Constitutional process, then what kind of growth can we expect in such a country? Who will have faith to invest in a country which has such unstable political environment? An imperfect democracy is far better than a perfect dictatorship. The claim of Mr Hazare and his gang that they are actual representatives of Indians is not democratic but dictatorial. Indian public is much more concerned about earning its daily bread than it is about corruption. And the worst part is that even the Middle Class is finding time to get involved in these ‘disastrous’ events! And I swear that if this trend continues, all bets on India would be off. But if people, somehow do regain sense and go back to work instead of taking part in agitations, only then will the good times be ahead and not behind us.
I read it in an article that a lot of important economic issues like formation of an Indian Sovereign Wealth Fund, FDI in multi-brand retail are pending for final decision. But our government does not have the time. It has to deal with ‘our savior’ Anna.
The image in this post says it all – Anna Arrests Government.
PS –After March 2010, this is the first month when I have written more than 2 posts!
