tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31031739723401811372024-03-05T12:36:06.547+05:30I did it MY WAY<b>See what I want you to see</b>Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-19427621878974707612015-12-08T14:33:00.002+05:302015-12-08T15:18:58.445+05:30Passion will make you crazy but is there any other way to live?I love this quote from Howard Hughes. Somehow it strikes a chord in me, in an unromantic non-cutesy way.<br />
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But to remind that passion isn't nice.<br />
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Passion isn't anything feisty that can be tamed for you to like or enjoy. It might not bring any enjoyment after all, nevertheless, making it any less compelling.<br />
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Truth is, passion is not your bliss. (Neither your bitch.)<br />
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It is the willingness to suffer for something (or someone), to risk stability, peace of mind and enjoyment.<br />
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Passion is subversive.<br />
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It is stepping out of culture, jumping classes, and breaking traditions. It burns you on inside.<br />
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It strips you in winter. It picks on your scars and wakes you up at 4am every morning, shivering.<br />
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Passion is hellbent. It won't reason or stop. It transforms you.<br />
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It alienates you from those who can no longer accept your transformation or understand where the hell you are going.<br />
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(Do you know where you are going?)<br />
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It knocks you off the path. (It was never your path anyways.)<br />
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It makes you start all over again : no job, no friends, uncharted horizons.<br />
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It requires you to change when you are so far from ready.<br />
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To be passionate is scary, then why bother it at all?<br />
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Because passion points you to what you want so much that you're afraid to want it. The ambiguity of hope. The fear of getting. The fear of not getting.<br />
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It is the moments that you dreamt your whole life, scares you the most. But then you go out there. You do it..and you are okay.<br />
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Passion stands behind you with a mirror. It wants to show who you truly are - good, bad and ugly.<br />
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All you need is to turn around and embrace.Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-87151808557180604822015-05-26T01:31:00.001+05:302015-05-29T20:14:42.137+05:30Why I love Hackathons, when I am not even a hacker<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Last weekend I took part in my second <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683872705051785.1073741847.402062989899426&type=3" target="_blank">Geekettes hackathon</a> in Hamburg. The moment you read the word "hackathon" you instantly imagine a room full of ruby ninjas coding away 24 hours while guzzling on Redbulls and caffine. And that's a fact. Except, you can't imagine me in there. For I don't know how to code and also hate Redbulls. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unlike Startup Weekends with lot more non-techies, hackathons are purely hackers' haven with non-stop coding </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">on some cool ideas</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">. So what was I doing there? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">Truth is, hackathons are great fun and they’re kind of addicting even for a non-hackers like me. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOu_Xd_RrOAClx5FXNAVzJRA9ckHPKODk7B97bMFEGLbW9Vw8kS3seqddaf3l6zu-_fgretXZg4Z-9iWcA-v3LLXC24CYWjYMDqEtrfHygU_q-7ie20B3G6BY3zP62uuOR2Ekqp1YGJ5Jk/s1600/IMG_20150525_095143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOu_Xd_RrOAClx5FXNAVzJRA9ckHPKODk7B97bMFEGLbW9Vw8kS3seqddaf3l6zu-_fgretXZg4Z-9iWcA-v3LLXC24CYWjYMDqEtrfHygU_q-7ie20B3G6BY3zP62uuOR2Ekqp1YGJ5Jk/s400/IMG_20150525_095143.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Survival kit for Hackathon.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Creating without limitation is addicting.</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"> Unlike themed hackathons, Geekettes' version was not just limited to building software. Hardware hacks were equally encouraged. So the possibilities we had were endless. Nothing is more addicting than the k</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">nowledge of the unknown, and what we could achieve in 24 hours. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajAqP_yAfzEkwtaHslObvzv4NKUjTAkCXdw0oefT9CpZTpKhHJvWkpbRmtrlK2edYRa17QKrvca47OoejhyphenhyphenWLiAzjPtK1bemyz82yYSmvNT0FLgFOt8kSDgWBOG15wQehmwHuv6NbOCZL/s1600/pitch.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajAqP_yAfzEkwtaHslObvzv4NKUjTAkCXdw0oefT9CpZTpKhHJvWkpbRmtrlK2edYRa17QKrvca47OoejhyphenhyphenWLiAzjPtK1bemyz82yYSmvNT0FLgFOt8kSDgWBOG15wQehmwHuv6NbOCZL/s400/pitch.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Solving a world problem. Or, scratching your own itch.</span> </b><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px; text-align: justify;">Whether you are coder or not, you can pitch your ideas, which could vary from finding solutions to existing challenges to "just for fun"/crazy ideas. While I pitched something of the former category last year to build one of the winning prototypes, this year I had no such plans. But sitting there listening to various company APIs and the participants' pitches, I realized that I too have a problem that requires solving. Here I will share my friend, Deb's, funnier version of the problem - "E has no time to socialize because she is busy doing sports in the evening." Oh well, I pitched it in the end.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBSwahmBjA_bSYssfv3r3xecIcAWErHSNslFTn9pCpRiu__02GodtLGCezeTJ7cSr9Uc7L9dbWrzD3bkd3e3L5703jPrIQZsdw8dtZO1DQVqsHLtQd4NQueS-XWCxmYbfFJQL5yDxTxij/s1600/team.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBBSwahmBjA_bSYssfv3r3xecIcAWErHSNslFTn9pCpRiu__02GodtLGCezeTJ7cSr9Uc7L9dbWrzD3bkd3e3L5703jPrIQZsdw8dtZO1DQVqsHLtQd4NQueS-XWCxmYbfFJQL5yDxTxij/s400/team.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Runanas. Photo credits: Nelli</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">Teaming up with the three Hs. </b><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"> Pitching over, now is exciting part where we have to find teams based on our interests and skill-sets. From my past experience, I found that a</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"> hackathon team is just like any other successful team. All roles must be accounted for. So besides the Hackers (coding ninjas), you will need the Hipsters (designers) to build a great user experience for your project, and the Hustlers (business developers) for final presentation and also for helping the coders to realize the real-world applications of the product they are developing. We were lucky to have 8 such highly creative and energetic team members to develop the cool idea. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpy_WDvvVYWOa0MDU9VG4x1qvTWcdAXvOtq7e9V6bOWaJl5Jc8MNLxmvWI7exLJwCVJD7ljra7sEYW2VoEo66PCGgSbBBdFuQTxGRjRUUf_hOT268rj0pKRWXGuI3uyLnrqcLZY1oQb5Y/s1600/IMG_20150523_222254-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpy_WDvvVYWOa0MDU9VG4x1qvTWcdAXvOtq7e9V6bOWaJl5Jc8MNLxmvWI7exLJwCVJD7ljra7sEYW2VoEo66PCGgSbBBdFuQTxGRjRUUf_hOT268rj0pKRWXGuI3uyLnrqcLZY1oQb5Y/s400/IMG_20150523_222254-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get smart people in the team, and then get the hell out of their way.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px; text-align: justify;"><b style="font-size: x-large;">Getting uncomfortable. Learning new things. </b>Hackathons are great events to learn new things and if you consider yourself to be a lifelong learner, you will love the vibes of such situations. For me it was important to learn about building user-stories, and explaining the idea in the simplest version possible. With the help of my teammates, I created my first user-story board. In the same way, everyone else in the team also had to get out of their comfort zones to learn new things, whether it was developing the back-end of the App, the front-end or establishing the communication between the android App and the smart watch. Building a real app with this team completely changed the way I initially thought about coding. And w</span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px; text-align: justify;">e had intense 24 hours of learning new stuff with new people and thus creating new experiences. Kudos to the ones who survived the whole event without a wink of sleep!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwQ_ujiNLrSIBAN_cgYAN30yjziN1VkYRyCzvLfXh3C5sFEU8o0tcwipS_1L0YnI9myhsamG6c1DVZ7vO7jF88yTQI8n6a4TAJMTcdWBbRlMigq_QRpIL-WyE72sM4G53CaMHIOuCJ6HF/s1600/FB_IMG_1432579648883-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwQ_ujiNLrSIBAN_cgYAN30yjziN1VkYRyCzvLfXh3C5sFEU8o0tcwipS_1L0YnI9myhsamG6c1DVZ7vO7jF88yTQI8n6a4TAJMTcdWBbRlMigq_QRpIL-WyE72sM4G53CaMHIOuCJ6HF/s400/FB_IMG_1432579648883-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From idea to prototype.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-size: x-large; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">Presentation.Presentation.Presentation. </b><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;">The most important part of the hackathons is the presentation time. If you can control the audience, make them remember you, present the APIs you used effectively ( if you’re shooting for a prize ), and do a short demo, you’ve got a good chance of success. But all in 2.5 minutes! Yes, we had to be really lean on what we presented on Sunday evening. But a lot depends on the crowd, the judges, and the vibe as well when it comes to winning prizes. What can you do? Use your common sense and know your audience. For starters, don't show up in your own startup t-shirts, or in a business suit and then sound like you are recruiting people over the weekend. Some crowds love just fun/ crazy ideas and any real-world money making ideas might be frowned upon (unless those hacks are crazy or results of a hacker's awesomeness). So you'll have to bet your luck on this, and do your best.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwm4FrBwtJX5hl9t1aNvEAzct_RRQQ8GJhvxOGSaZItauWKSk4oIw8_UMvotDcJX2WGuUx6zfuySrIMtBpUzOhi5PfAuRBmkTG1O4yTt6Dl6L6UELA07o3ZOJPp2PMJV1VDEgK966Dg5J/s1600/IMG_20150524_172256-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwm4FrBwtJX5hl9t1aNvEAzct_RRQQ8GJhvxOGSaZItauWKSk4oIw8_UMvotDcJX2WGuUx6zfuySrIMtBpUzOhi5PfAuRBmkTG1O4yTt6Dl6L6UELA07o3ZOJPp2PMJV1VDEgK966Dg5J/s400/IMG_20150524_172256-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hackathon aftermath.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><b>Most importantly, having fun.</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> You may win one of the prizes or you may just get stuck to a weekend project - whatever is the outcome, you should be able to enjoy it. Sometimes you will get lucky in finding potential people for a new startup, some fresh ideas that get you thinking outside the box, or some good friends that can plug you into a new side of the tech industry. At the very least, as a non-hacker you’ll get the inside scoop on what goes on at hackathons, and get to watch some cool demos. Oh, and you’ll be surely aching for a good 12+ hour sleep. Personally we had so much fun building the idea, that towards the end of the event we realized how none of us ever formally introduced each other - we met, liked the idea and started working on it. Of course, winning the Sony smart watches as prize definitely helped because we can now tinker around the app further with our individual devices as we develop it to next stage. And the fact that random people were actually asking when they could use the beta-version of the app showed this idea has true market potential. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); letter-spacing: 0.159999996423721px; line-height: 33px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having said that, I have to admit about the magic of hackathons - it's the great synergy of minds and energies that can make anything possible. And if you happen to love such vibes and energetic experiences, why not join the next one in your community?</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EHaaQJK6ptrOz1W_P39khQ8WRHzmV_wJetfBaGHNNmXlBu7G1RTRgnsUVKPySYIO9SgcEx-DkYmxDv3yuWE0exro51GTc15ChBnjIIQGAx5zLm6Hx2vQOj3pm-H1YFq4UYk4RizBsL8p/s1600/IMG_20150524_165356-ANIMATION.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EHaaQJK6ptrOz1W_P39khQ8WRHzmV_wJetfBaGHNNmXlBu7G1RTRgnsUVKPySYIO9SgcEx-DkYmxDv3yuWE0exro51GTc15ChBnjIIQGAx5zLm6Hx2vQOj3pm-H1YFq4UYk4RizBsL8p/s400/IMG_20150524_165356-ANIMATION.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were slightly disoriented in the sun, thanks to lack of sleep and enough beer.</td></tr>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com0Hamburg, Germany53.5510846 9.9936817999999952.9475631 8.702788299999991 54.1546061 11.28457529999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-47412427557997966052014-12-31T04:08:00.003+05:302015-01-01T17:53:55.982+05:30To the self-rescuing princesses<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I watch the snowfall outside the window of my cozy hostel in Istanbul and drink my Çay (Turkish Tea), the fairytales of my childhood runs through my mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;">Have you ever wondered why all fairy tales ended in happily-ever-afters? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">Think of the Walt Disney versions. Beautiful, innocent girls suffered at the hands of wicked witches/step mothers and pined for the day their prince charming would arrive, with his dragon-slaying skills and magical kiss. These stories were oh-so-cute with fluff and romance. The more I think about it, the more they seem scary . They taught a girl to be deluded, trusting and passive, rewarded for her looks alone (and maybe a bent for emotional masochism).</span><span style="line-height: 25.1428470611572px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 25.1428470611572px;">What if these tales didn't start this way? What if they were female tales where the heroines were not just pretty victims killing time and waiting to be rescued? Sisters rescued brothers, daughters rescued fathers or lovers.</span><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">And when the princess would fall into a deep, enchanted sleep, she would close her eyes and withdraw into some serious Me time. Like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, in her sleep she will discover her newfound sexuality as she blossoms from girl to woman. The moment she matured (insert, the process of ripening had come to its natural end), she would awake to her prince who was both her reward and symbol of adulthood. </span><span style="line-height: 21.9999923706055px;">(Note: he didn’t actually wake her up himself. He was in the right place at the right time, with a tendency to take all the credit.)</span><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">Now, lets take the spotlight off hero's heroics, and put it, instead, on heroine's initiation into higher consciousness Then fairy tales will not be about true love anymore. But instead would be about transformations. They will be about growth in female consciousness that makes love possible. </span><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">No growth, no story.</span><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">T</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;">ransformation is truly a painful process, and not just an endless slumber. It involves struggle, suffering, sacrifice and pain : skills must be acquired, lessons learned, experience earned the hard way. And yes, a whole period of wandering in the wilderness - through unknown lands and difficult situations - alone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You must lose the old life - or get forced out of it - if only you want to come to the life that is awaiting for you.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">But then Walt Disney wasn't interested in any of this. His hero battled the dragon and fought the witch for possession of the beautiful virgin. Suddenly a girl could be transformed into a woman with a single kiss. All she had to do is to wait for The One who would bestow it, so that her real life may begin.<br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And so many of us kept waiting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;">But what if the prince is just a metaphor? The moment you fight through painful experience (that's slaying the dragons), when you descend into your personal hell and come back up into light, when you retreat from the world into your </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 25.1428470611572px;">cocoon</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;">, only to assimilate your truth and grow strong enough to carry it - what if, the prize for all of this, for making it to the other side is not a man on a white horse, with shining armour and a feathered hat on his oversized head, but a more integrated sense of self, and a vision for your future that makes you passionate and come alive? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You learn that you are stronger for the broken places. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.571428em;">But this doesn't happen just once. Such initiation to </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 25.1428470611572px;">consciousness comes again and again through a lifetime. Things fall apart, you eat the poisoned apple, you descend once more into dark. You wander alone through some bleak internal landscape until finally you see a crack in the dark clouds - and you turn your face to the sun. You rise to claim your reborn self, spiralling up a little more with every new transformation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">You the look into your prince's face, and discover its your own.</span><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.571428em;">You have opened your eyes. </span></span><br />
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-50277702867127469302014-02-06T18:58:00.001+05:302014-02-06T23:37:24.695+05:3052 weeks to experiment<span style="font-family: inherit;">When 2014 rolled in and the world went busy making a list of resolutions they will eventually discard in a month or two, I decided to experiment the next 52 weeks ahead. No lists, no maps, no rules. Just saying yes to experiential experiments, and see how life molds itself around me. So yes to rock concerts, building startups, impromptu trips, double chocolate cheesecakes, and great ..... *<i>she leaves that to well-intended interpretations*</i></span><br />
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The truth of life is - nothing matters. All our lives we are imprisoned in worry, self-doubt, fear and disbelief, while crossing off the checkboxes of society's life plan for us. And before we realize it, we are heading towards the nearest psychiatrist's office and popping anti-depressants. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if we ditch these checkboxes altogether?</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if we make our own rules?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What if we turn our work and perhaps, our lives into piece of art? </i> Rich and colorful with stories, interesting characters and scenic backdrops, and music that makes you wanna sing with delight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">What would happen if we are truly honest to ourselves and say what we are actually thinking - raw, imperfect, unedited and unfiltered?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes its scary to think about, maybe inherently selfish to some. But to be the no-bullshit version of yourself is a challenge to take on. To be the one who is not afraid to take risks, not afraid to tell the truth, giving a damn about others' validation, and most importantly to create for the joy of creating, nothing more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I am creating something - whether writing a blog post, or working on my pet project, I have this need to create it like a bad girl. It becomes my right to authentic self-expression, especially when it cuts against the grain of a society that would have me be someone, something else. <i>We are what we make</i>. Our creations show the truth of who we truly
are. And this is a scared dance. This
demands nothing less than everything I’ve got to give it.</span><br />
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When you come into intention, you say : <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I want. </i>You embody a goal and start believing in it so fiercely that you will piss off some people. Actually
scratch the last part. Most people will hate you. Maybe because you no longer
start<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>living according to the
perceptions they have for you. Or maybe because you start becoming your own rebellion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is not just a challenge to conventional wisdom, the status quo, the established Establishment, etc. etc....but this is a challenge to self. The day I started to listen to the voice of my inner misfit, all of my 'why's turned to 'why not's. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I started to wonder, <i>what would happen if I gave piece of my heart everytime I create anything?</i> It’s a bust your ass to shine, honest to a fault, no bullshit, zero apology performance. Something that makes heart and soul bleed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What would happen if we pursued being unmistakable instead of wildly successful by external measures?</i></span><br />
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52 weeks to find answers. 52 weeks to ask more. I do not know what lays ahead for I do not own a map, but have a compass.<br />
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<i>And this compass do not point North,</i><br />
<i>It points to the thing I want the most in the world. </i><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-7026837827179070602014-01-03T20:11:00.002+05:302014-01-03T21:45:40.047+05:30Girls are beautiful, boys are smart<div style="text-align: justify;">
.... says my 5 year old niece whilst discussing her peers. What followed next was a good 5-10 mins <i>serious</i> debate on why girls are pretty and boys are smart according to this 5 year old (Mind you, women in my family, irrespective of age or generation, comes with a strong opinions of their own.) Let me tell you about this kiddo. My niece is fluent in three languages (English, French, Assamese), does ballet, has a knack for painting and will probably master the guitar someday too soon and yet, she feels the boys in her class are smarter than her. Reason being, her girl friends (all 4-5 year olds) convinced that girls should only look pretty and do stuff to stay pretty. So when I pointed out that girls can be both smart and pretty, her counter reply was - "But you can't call boys pretty, can you??" <i>Clearly, she has not heard the likes of Justin Bieber. </i></div>
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But jokes apart, it got me to thinking - if this how baby girls are brought up, how can we expect overcome gender inequality in technology?</div>
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I have been recently following Y combinator co-founder Paul Graham's <a href="https://www.theinformation.com/yc-s-paul-graham-the-complete-interview" target="_blank">interview</a> and the brouhaha it created about his statement on why 13 year old girls should get engaged to coding. And this is where this guy gets it wrong. To get 13 year old girls interested in computers one needs to check the eco-system the girl was raised in. Secondly, don't set the bar of learning at 13 - its horribly demotivating for girls and women of other ages!</div>
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Lets start with the eco-system. What I have seen, especially in the West, is that from the moment a girl child is born she is associated with the color pink holistically to the point that its nauseating. With Indian girl babies (atleast in my generation), I have observed that this pink mayhem was much less. Of course we all played "house" and other girly games at some point, but equal stress was also given to learn math and science. Maybe its a family thing, or maybe something cultural that society expects you to be- whatever it is, India definitely has a good amount of women in technology. However, its not discrimination free zone, and I shall talk about it a bit later. </div>
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Now, there is nothing wrong with the idea of "pretty in pink", and I bet social scientists can confirm that color pink has nothing to do with general intelligence level of a woman. However, the idea of playing with a doll and then the societal pressure of being just a doll, is definitely questionable in the mental growth of a girl child. Why playing with the plastic, anorexic "Barbie" more popular among little girls than solving puzzle games, or building toys like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMLYdoyFfmc&feature=youtube_gdata_player" target="_blank">GoldieBlox</a>? Why doesn't the popular pop-culture make teenage boys think that brainy teenage girls who take math/computer science are hot and dateable? Speaking of tech majors in college, I have witnessed how engineering women students, especially from hard engineering like mechanical or chemical, are often demeaned to be unsexy. Derogatory terms like "she-males" have also been used in such situations. Eventually these women who undergo such humiliations will end up discouraging their daughters to take up technology related education. And that is so wrong! Smart is the new sexy! I mean look at the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/25-powerful-women-engineers-2013-3?op=1" target="_blank">list</a> of amazing role model women engineers. My personal favorite is <a href="http://www.scu.edu/profiles/?p=3045" target="_blank">Radha Basu</a>, maybe because I have met her, spoken with her and definitely believe in her cause. I think having someone to look up to or can relate to in the field of technology, definitely helps.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAWUDn1hc7f2V7xabKfB3ygyhs4piTf-_0S70QGtUqPy4QjUVQrVVnhXq5Ze_E030kyX_iZC39WOqQla0J-xONQ_8d_bRemfRzv_SuUubAVDIlwiYzrwigPk_rcXKBKOzY8y6s76MW8rn/s1600/girlcartoonengineering.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiAWUDn1hc7f2V7xabKfB3ygyhs4piTf-_0S70QGtUqPy4QjUVQrVVnhXq5Ze_E030kyX_iZC39WOqQla0J-xONQ_8d_bRemfRzv_SuUubAVDIlwiYzrwigPk_rcXKBKOzY8y6s76MW8rn/s400/girlcartoonengineering.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
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Another way is, to encourage participation in technology-related events to showcase one's intelligence in the field of technology. During my first Startup Weekend last November, what I witnessed was the low intake of women participants - couple of them with business expertise but very less women developers. This year I am organizing <a href="http://leuven.startupweekend.org/" target="_blank">Startup Weekend in Leuven</a> with fellow startup enthusiasts, and I am looking forward to more women participants, and even higher number of women developers!</div>
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I think its important that women, <b>all</b> women, irrespective of age and culture, should be encouraged to learn about technology, start startups, etc. But most importantly, she should be encouraged to accept and acknowledge her intelligence and her capability. Most of the times, women feel that they don't deserve success and are apologetic about it. Don't be sorry for being smart! You are your biggest cheerleader, whether in business or in life, so you must be confident and proud of your capabilities. And not chock up your success to luck. I believe women of ALL ages can master their technical skills, do bad ass things developing the technology, and show the whole world that women and girls can rock the tech world, and still look <strike>pretty</strike> hot in pink!</div>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-19040398964129296432013-12-31T22:23:00.000+05:302013-12-31T22:35:44.529+05:30Thank y'all!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only <a href="http://wellmylifemyway.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/2012-happy-endings.html" target="_blank">wish</a> I had for 2013 was to have an adventurous 365 days ahead. Damn this universe loves granting my wishes! I have been <span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">blessed with absurd, exhilarating, and fantastic things I would have never dreamed up on my own. </span>*pinches herself to check if this is for real*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I am lucky because of the people I met/have in my life this year. What an influx of interesting minds that crossed my path! Its amazing to reflect how each stranger added a new flavor to life with knowledge, character and sheer brilliance. <b>I have now come to believe that the world is full of people who spikes my interests in ways, I otherwise thought, would not have existed. </b>Whether its was talking about spirituality with the guy from the piercing studio, or discussing the importance of celebrating failures with a Silicon Valley trailblazer - I am humbled by what I have learnt, seen and experienced! It feels great to be surrounded by creative and highly passionate people who wants to make a difference in the world. Animated conversations with such individuals always translated into infectious enthusiasm that ultimately fed my energy and drive for past one year. And the more I seek, the more I meet such minds! So thank you, thank you all for the amazing moments we shared!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But 2013 will be incomplete without acknowledging my inner circle (you know who you all are!) You guys have been my worst critics and the most enthusiastic cheerleaders this year. You pushed me when I slacked, and helped me slow down when I moved too fast. Thank you all for always being by my side and silently sharing that much talked about but little understood thing called love. However, I am sorry for being that absentee friend/cousin/sister/daughter on your birthdays, graduation ceremonies, weddings, childbirths and other important events of your lives (I promise I will definitely make it to your retirement parties!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last but not the least, thank you dear readers for bearing with my very irregular writing this year. Trust me I have loads to share, but I have been like this child in the candy store of life - trying out the new and getting excited at the sight of the colourful offerings, so documenting each phase took a back seat. However, one of my resolutions for 2014 is to write a little bit more than today. Maybe make an effort for deeper communication levels as people have complained about my monosyllable replies before.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So whoever you are, and however our paths crossed, I am glad we met, even if for few minutes. Because sometime a few minutes can make an impact for a lifetime. Thank you all for such impacts. I would have hugged you all till you turned blue, but I guess it would inappropriate and life threatening. And so I end this year's final note the traditional Indian way by saying "Namaste", which means I bow to the Almighty (the creative energy) in you.</span></div>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-55075315566653868832013-12-06T19:20:00.001+05:302013-12-06T21:10:11.761+05:30Project John Galt<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><i>"What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere." - </i>Inception, 2010.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">For someone who makes her living out of training people how to find the next BIG idea, I personally am infected with this one idea past few months. Actually it started as incoherent jumble of thoughts, something I brushed off for a long time because it didn't make sense. The more I ran away from them, the more intensely I got chased. I didn't realize how bad this cat-and-mouse chase became, until one dawn I woke up, called my dad and asked to put mom on speaker. I needed an intervention. I spoke non-stop for the next few moments, and they listened - about this crazy trail of thoughts chasing me and how restless I got to the point of thinking if I am losing my mind. After a long pause (which seemed like forever), my dad said - "No, you are not going mad. Being restless is a good sign. It means you are ready to take the risk." And to which my mom added -" Embrace your thoughts. Don't fight them, see where they lead you. You have nothing to lose." Thank God for having entrepreneur parents, nothing ever seems crazy!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">But for me, it was still an unsettling thought. I had to remove myself from that situation and think from a different perspective. So I booked the next flight to Paris, spent the whole weekend with friends eating cheese and drinking wine, and basically trying not to think about the conversation I had with my parents the week before. However in one of those long walks along Seine, finally the thoughts started morphing into shapes in my mind's canvas. Talk about woman being obsessed with an idea. Hah! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Days changed to weeks, weeks changed to months and I was not perturbed by those thoughts again. Until that fateful Startup Weekend Hamburg event. While sound boarding few ideas with another "start-upper" over one breakfast, my fuzzy thoughts started clearing up. One thing led to another, and by the end of that event, this whole 'craziness' seemed like a rational doable entity with few like-minded crazy thinkers. I don't know what comes next, but last night during a Skype meeting, Project John Galt was officially <i>conceived</i>. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Why John Galt? If you know what the character stands for, you have basically figured out by now what is the underlying philosophy behind this idea. I haven't had a wink of sleep since last night. I am excited about finding where this new journey is leading me to. Endless possibilities. And I think I am ready this time - Ready to face John Galt.</span></span></span></div>
Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-38077251778411318862013-11-21T02:03:00.004+05:302013-11-21T02:24:07.855+05:30It happened last night<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;">
Ever wondered how much a situation can go worse on an otherwise wonderful day? Well, <i>everything</i>. When dear <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy's_law" target="_blank">Murphy</a> is in town, you better enjoy the ride 'coz shit is going down anyways. For me it was last night. Came back from a day-long symposium on Frugal innovation, only to realize at the doorstep of my flat that I left my keys inside. But this is only the beginning of the eventful night. Flatmate is out town till Sunday, and I have no idea who my landlord is. Took my phone out to call her, only to realize my S2 is out of charge and is dead. So there I was, in the middle of Hamburg city yet completely disconnected from everything else. And you think at this point some miracle will happen in this reality show. Definitely not in mine. Rummaging through my bag, all I found were few sticks of gum, chocolate wrappers, business cards, one book, a 10 euros note and my bus ticket (O' the joy of over-sleeping and rushing out in the morning!) <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">Apparently with my keys, my bank cards were also inside, guess what... my FLAT! Checking into a hotel for the night was no longer an option. Considering Hamburg has more bridges than Amsterdam, my night shelter option was literally flashing in my head at that moment. Another first to my ever-growing list of weird experiences. However, I was not ready to freeze overnight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;">So with pocketful of delusion and whatever left of my ego, I walked-in to the nearest shadiest </span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">sports bar</span><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;"> (another first!) At that point my survival instinct outweighed my dislike for whiskey and dirty bars. I ordered the strongest they have and incidentally got the bartender to help my phone-situation with a makeshift charger</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">(an iPod plug charger connected to a usb connector that fitted my S2 perfectly), </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;">which he had to get from his home two blocks away. So grateful by his gesture that I had to get the next round of whiskey shots for us( I m no Lannister, but I always pay my debts). Meanwhile, it turns out that</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em;"> my flatmate was on the road, without any cell reception. Which implied that I can still continue with my one-night-under-bridge plan, or gamble a bit on my luck, and look for a spare key to my flat (if that existed!). And since I didn't have any contact details of her friends, I sent S.O.S message to her top six friends on her Facebook profile (A little bit of stalking, no harm intended). Now it was all about waiting for response, keeping all my fingers and toes crossed.</span></div>
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You might be thinking why the hell I didn't call any of my friends in the city to crash at their place for the night. Well if I did that, I would have cut-short the excitement of my misadventure that was unfolding quite interestingly so far. Taking the easy way out is always there, but enjoying the struggle is something else. And in the middle of these chaos, I found myself to be unnaturally calm and I am still laughing about it. I know I screwed it up by forgetting the keys in the first place, but worrying much wouldn't have helped me either. And while at it I might as well have a kickass time out of the experience. So I ended up watching the Germany vs. England match in the bar with a bunch of strange, drunk men. Friendly matches are no fun but last night, in that smoky, shady place cheering for Germany with total strangers added the 'zing' factor to my already interesting evening.</div>
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The game ended 1-0 (Germany kicking England's ass just like in 2010), and my first SOS response blinked on the phone screen. So there is a spare key in the city! A bit buzzed and a bit elated, I jumped onto the next bus to continue my quest for the key. While I was busy giving the imaginary-fives to myself, I managed to take the wrong bus and reach the other side of the town. By now Murphy was banging his head on the table. However with my newfound sense of purpose to complete this "game-level" successfully before dawn, I dragged me back to the right route only to find myself walking in circles to locate the correct house address. Oh well, the last leg of any race is always the toughest and also the most ecstatic. And to be able to enter my flat last night was against all odds. I am glad that I gambled on me instead of accepting the situation. As always loving the risk, loving the uncertainty and the insanity of life-situations, but most importantly enjoy sustaining it, is where my passions lie. So until the next <strike>misadventure</strike> Murphy-venture, I take a bow now and humbly pass-out in my bed (still exhausted from last night!)</div>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-59159160338546915102013-10-04T16:24:00.000+05:302013-10-04T16:29:13.576+05:30Of goddesses and of sluts<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today is Mahalaya which means homecoming of Goddess Durga down to earth and this marks as the auspicious beginning of Durga Puja. <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">L</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">istening to the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Mahishasuramardini</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> every year by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">Birendra Krishna Bhadra</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;"> in the All India Radio on Mahalaya was a tradition I grew up in. This is oratorio of chants to invoke and welcome the Goddess by praying </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 19px;">"Jago, tumi jago" – "Arise, O thou arise!" (For those who don't understand Bengali, click <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/2084875/Mahishasuramardini-Stotra-With-Meaning" target="_blank">here</a> for the meaning.) Apparently, the invoking of Goddess is so powerful and intense that it overwhelms the one who chants it with emotion and reverence. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Such is the land of India, where men worships goddesses. Ironically, this is also the land where men violates the being of a woman, <i>openly</i>. Now you may refute that laws are changing and the offenders are punished severely. But does it matter? Call me cynical, but even if rapists are given death penalty, this is just a temporary outlier considering the gravity of this hideous crime. We are only fooling ourselves into thinking that one critical judiciary move will change the entire scenario of the nation. Death sentence will not solve the underlying problem - the serious issue of pervasive gender discrimination and violence in India. The truth is, we have failed as a nation. Whats the point of invoking the Goddess Durga every year when you can't protect the living goddesses in your own surroundings? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">This extends from birth to death, starting with female feticide (the male-to-female population ratio is 0.93, worse than it was in 1970) and continuing with very high levels of child marriage (47 percent), teen pregnancy (62 per 1,000), maternal mortality (200 per 100,000 live births), domestic violence (50 percent), and sexual assault (over 24,000 cases reported last year). The numbers are crazy and these are only the reported cases. There are millions of unreported rapes and domestic violences which involves repeated offenders. Most women keep mum either fearing death or bringing "bad name" to the family. They would rather live a life of </span><i style="line-height: 24px;">lajja </i><span style="line-height: 24px;">or shame in silence then nail the bastards that harmed them. Why? It is the society that imposes shame on them. There is this really sick idea that is doing rounds in some circles of Indian society - any form of sexual violence is always provoked by the woman. It is entirely her fault because of her "bad" character or the way she dresses. And make no mistake, these circles I talk about are not the uneducated men from poor sections of the society, but highly educated ones with fancy profession - people who wear suits to work everyday and stir their coffee clockwise. They are no different from rural men who thinks a woman's place is in kitchen and behind a veil, being forever pregnant and obeying the master of the house. If a young woman wears clothes of her choice, loves partying with her friends, consumes alcohol or flirts with men, then she is called a slut and it is entirely her fault if she gets molested or raped. Its her loose character that should be questioned because she sexually provokes the men in her vicinity. If thats the case, then what about girl children who gets raped and then killed? Were they too sexually provoking their offenders? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Rape is not sex, its violence. It is a sense of entitlement and power. The rapists mentality reeks with the idea that their victims deserved it and should be shown who is more dominating. Will strict laws ever scare a mindset that refuses to see "weaker sex" as nothing but a mere property that should be "controlled" and be </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.59375px;">receptacle to male sperms? I think not. Do these men fear of being exposed someday? Nope. Infact, they are super-confident that what they did was right and it was only to bring back some order in </span><span style="line-height: 19.59375px;">society. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.59375px;">Rape is not about women sexually provoking men, its about women being more empowered these days. Slowly but gradually, the women -literate or illiterate- knows in their own way what they truly want. They have come to realise who they are and what they can do, despite what male religion and politics say. What men - rapists or otherwise- should start accepting is, even if you try to physically possess our bodies, you have no power over our minds and souls. And someday when this thought is deeply rooted in every men of this country, will these </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.59375px;">vicious</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.59375px;"> acts of crime finally stop. This is what I hope and pray for the Maa Durgas of the country.</span></div>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-25476043190510178272013-09-29T19:44:00.000+05:302013-09-29T23:32:54.542+05:30The Cheesecake test initiation (Beta) <div style="text-align: justify;">
If there is one thing I truly miss from my Philadelphia days is a super creamy cheesecake (ok, I miss the super greasy Philly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheesesteak" target="_blank">Cheesesteak </a>too!). And somehow the German <i style="font-family: inherit;">Käsekuchen </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">wasn't working for me.</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is too healthy and the taste of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quark_(dairy_product)" target="_blank">quark</a> still feels alien for me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIN7URxpC9YEHFviInhH6D-PxOP2MIKi8cOO9YDfy2JzbJ9YhURziCr0guX9A7bDmdv7vGNpxMQZ542JWzfOGJt91MaiBAzLz1AOM66JhC8Al2S9DMwT9NsOYscF45ZHesjLwveqVvECQ/s1600/Cheesecake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIN7URxpC9YEHFviInhH6D-PxOP2MIKi8cOO9YDfy2JzbJ9YhURziCr0guX9A7bDmdv7vGNpxMQZ542JWzfOGJt91MaiBAzLz1AOM66JhC8Al2S9DMwT9NsOYscF45ZHesjLwveqVvECQ/s400/Cheesecake.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The batter - always the delicious start to baking. Too bad I didn't find Graham crackers in Hamburg!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So this time I decided to take matters into my hands and launched the NewYork cheesecake test initiation. The conditions for carrying out the experiment were perfect - (a) Accidentally I am home for once on a Friday night (b) lots of reading to be done before my next literature meet-up (c) I am in mood for food lab experiments. Mixing the three was possible that evening.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfbajDtSXaiUpJ9ZV279h7zQkv5DhPzQ8KrLL1Q0lpjUA5CVm7bQiYszw-b-Ba4pYfffNPu56eXSmGK_XzwW7ewvLxOf8gJejJsQSZnh7ZzBLl4NxWrK99Rimhygj78zwFz95qOG6bJ4v/s1600/20130927_213216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMfbajDtSXaiUpJ9ZV279h7zQkv5DhPzQ8KrLL1Q0lpjUA5CVm7bQiYszw-b-Ba4pYfffNPu56eXSmGK_XzwW7ewvLxOf8gJejJsQSZnh7ZzBLl4NxWrK99Rimhygj78zwFz95qOG6bJ4v/s400/20130927_213216.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philadelphia Cream cheese however saves my day!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="line-height: normal;">The book in discussion is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I think it will be interesting to discuss a book I read a decade ago, keeping in mind the crux of discussion always being "Who is John Galt?" and Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism. John Galt is the fictional hero in Atlas Shrugged who quoted the famous line - "</span><i>I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine". </i>It was his <a href="http://amberandchaos.com/?page_id=106" target="_blank">speech</a> towards the end of the book that impacts me, even ten years later. He epitomises capitalism at its purest form - innovation, self-reliance, </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">and free from government interference. </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;">Speculating on his views is nothing more than my own conflicted and ambivalent views on governmental regulations. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 24px;">The idea of rational self-interest fits to the T when I think about why India needs budding entrepreneurs and not just "IIT-IIM" smart employees. We have some of the world's best minds, but our entrepreneurial innovators are terrified and infuriated with lack of support from government and most financial institutions. </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">The government is definitely anti-growth and derives sadistic pleasure on creating more (unnecessary) regulations to kill entrepreneurial ventures.</span><span style="line-height: 24px;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaLuPMFlr-Ee1dkD_d3nRcMHaz5jEZg6E2RHWu1KCY0IaHMM3o0jmM5jGMNFuUq6BvCP5bKs2UWIP-jgg-lz42M2LEKvrf3qXwUz_88xw2NqY4K-_0mnaOj1oHxpGXyHcCayC7SeRuwSI/s1600/20130927_232747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaLuPMFlr-Ee1dkD_d3nRcMHaz5jEZg6E2RHWu1KCY0IaHMM3o0jmM5jGMNFuUq6BvCP5bKs2UWIP-jgg-lz42M2LEKvrf3qXwUz_88xw2NqY4K-_0mnaOj1oHxpGXyHcCayC7SeRuwSI/s400/20130927_232747.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sight and the smell of fresh baking that engulfs my house - pure joy!</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">I come from a family of entrepreneurs, and I am well aware of the all sorts problems raised by Indian government when you want to start a project. Looking at all the potential of this country, it saddens me that most of them remains untapped. So I wonder, would John Galt be more disturbed by the plethora of governmental regulations, or the government's failure to support entrepreneurial ventures in the country? Two separate situations, but both intertwined with highly complex political and financial challenges. Instead of encouraging to create more jobs to boost the economy, the trend is to get a "safe" job. But is safety worth at the cost of a staggering economy? The <i>funda </i>is simple : no new jobs, less competition in the market, less innovation. Hence rate of progress infinitesimally small. I hate the fact that India is still a developing country. But what disturbs me the most is that most Indians are happy with that status quo. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iAiGF6SAwMYpmRMCC4lkWDeARUeghBhSL1F8w7KCH_MPLpob_yZ7pJl391TNjBNJo1-DOSvBG68nv4xd0WdlshanK7O24SjRTsR1ti2t5qVL2uGCXYFT5k_qcQHGmxt49S0W19K5ttBu/s1600/20130927_233729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2iAiGF6SAwMYpmRMCC4lkWDeARUeghBhSL1F8w7KCH_MPLpob_yZ7pJl391TNjBNJo1-DOSvBG68nv4xd0WdlshanK7O24SjRTsR1ti2t5qVL2uGCXYFT5k_qcQHGmxt49S0W19K5ttBu/s400/20130927_233729.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sour cream topping - simple but so delicious!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">The truth is Indian entrepreneurs operate in "fight or flight" mode. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Many will attempt to fight their way through by consciously limiting growth (and thus government scrutiny), keeping their employed population a small as reasonably possible. Others have and more will merely exit the field. Others will stay, with regret, in more secure positions rather than enter a rigged game. They will manifest the numbness that grips many a normally stout-heart today. This brings me to another big question : Will "going John Galt" bring a change in the entrepreneurial scenario in India? </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fed up with the socialistic world he’s living in, Galt decides to leave and encourages numerous other entrepreneurs to follow him. As a result, the economy more or less grinds to a halt.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgi_u7P7QXTuGHS2NXGF4NaSwfpbpwcGFbA5K7Ep85dWYmV1OrkiN_p6K6PT9gSAy7xyjypCVT4fGTv7ri6rTddf810QiHq05IBAE_8iAVmjGP6xhgBNl5umCfW8HvyfYmJtDI325zCd_/s1600/20130928_003301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgi_u7P7QXTuGHS2NXGF4NaSwfpbpwcGFbA5K7Ep85dWYmV1OrkiN_p6K6PT9gSAy7xyjypCVT4fGTv7ri6rTddf810QiHq05IBAE_8iAVmjGP6xhgBNl5umCfW8HvyfYmJtDI325zCd_/s400/20130928_003301.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midnight cheesecake party - always the best sharing with friends!</td></tr>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not long ago, the Father of the Nation did tell us, </span></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">"If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do." </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The implications would be dire if our business leaders and entrepreneurs actually decides "going John Galt" . Possible decay in the economic dynamism and lack of employment growth is just the tip of the iceberg. But there will be a revolution - one that protests against government's unconstitutional regulations and taxes. For that, e</span><span style="text-align: justify;">ntrepreneurs must take action. Now.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> Of course, it will be challenging to emulate our larger-than-life fictional hero, John Galt. However we do have exemplary heroes like Dhirubhai Ambani or Steve Jobs, who were infact true-to-life John Galt.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4uIKSP-Khrf6LJn0QGO_amP_ArTkXBCChEqD-zsSkCzBJnUEncd6ImMwmicuE89krVjq5GP9H2vm8JHmVKp-ZA6cNbpmVlnkarx-2fM4teIKrAcMNmmc72mjS2crcuz86d__v-VMGhcH/s1600/20130928_112122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4uIKSP-Khrf6LJn0QGO_amP_ArTkXBCChEqD-zsSkCzBJnUEncd6ImMwmicuE89krVjq5GP9H2vm8JHmVKp-ZA6cNbpmVlnkarx-2fM4teIKrAcMNmmc72mjS2crcuz86d__v-VMGhcH/s400/20130928_112122.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the morning-after with a cup of coffee.</td></tr>
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So if you are an entrepreneur, I challenge you to pick the role model you most identify with, and take actions before you lose your profits, freedom and ability to innovate. Repeat this loudly - "Get the hell out of my way!" everytime the bureaucratic puppets try to control you. The impeding question is no longer "Who is John Galt?" but its more of now "going John Galt". I want more owners and investors in this country to manage the economy. And if this sounds like capitalism outcry , so be it. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><i>‘The guilt is ours… If we who were the movers, the providers, the benefactors of mankind, were willing to let the brand of evil be stamped upon us and silently to bear the punishment for our virtues—what sort of “good” did we expect to triumph in the world?’ -</i> </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">Atlas Shrugged</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;">.</span></span></div>
Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-83957122604834818252013-06-01T15:55:00.002+05:302013-06-01T17:01:22.420+05:30The man who loves his birthdays<div style="text-align: justify;">
My friends often tell me that when it comes to birthdays (either mine or theirs), I get super excited. Sometimes even more than them to celebrate their day. Par kya karoon ? Aaj pata chala hain ki yeh toh genetic locha hain (This is genetic disorder).</div>
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I woke up today with a SMS saying, "Happy Birthday to me." And who else could that be other than my old man. So when I teased him he is getting too old to make a big deal out of his birthday, prompt came the reply, "Don't forget my age determines yours as well'. It will be wrong to call this jokestar my dad, 'coz he has been more like a friend to us. Always the life of any party with his humor and impromptu dance moves, I bet today he has quite few aces up his sleeve.</div>
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Honestly, I never felt any generation gap between us. He made our childhood Peter-Pan's like, taking us from the Never- Never land of pirates and magical creatures during the bedtime stories to the world of Harry Potter where we did mock spell duels(btw, the only spell he knows is "Lumos").There has never been a dull moment with him even when I was sick 'coz he sang me lullabies till I was old enough to remember the lyrics. Everything always seemed so right because he was always there to tie my hair ribbons, and shoe strings tight. They say Gemini dads are the best, and I got very lucky on that! </div>
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Growing up with him was like being a treated as a young adult ever since I can remember. He never built me a doll house, but instead made me a whole hydro-electric power project model for my science fair. We worked the whole night building the model out of plaster of paris, with him adding the minute details like where the worker camps should be during the construction of such project. He taught me not only to dream, but to dream big. And when I decided to leave home at 16, he was the only one who understood my need to be out there to find myself. I am glad he had always let me walk my own path, without burdening me with a list of do's and don'ts like most fathers. No wonder I hum “My heart belongs to daddy!” when I fix that bulb, pay my bills, negotiate with the boss, and say it how it
is to the bank manager. Because in between fun and games, he taught me how to tackle life, be self-sufficient, emanate confidence, and build good relationships with men. </div>
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So on this day when you turned a year "younger", let me thank you for every single thing you've done for me in life, every
single smile you've given me, every single tear that you've gulped on my
behalf. And even though I am a bit far away, I promise when I am back home I will bake your favorite cake, and we shall toast to the new year of your life with your favorite whiskey (I will get that as well!). Love you Papa, you are the best!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ncSJxfJImK9E_HPREYLcjbKnRb-RrcTaAmEapf3eTvzGinq0itRfPLFXOTLt1w7phWyCWCT9LHBL-m1KdkkPRST5fCm2Oqy9FA50nmWsFYUyj72F3Bg9VuVkdbTemIj2kVcTgGpVEGY-/s1600/21187_655493677799172_1942438428_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ncSJxfJImK9E_HPREYLcjbKnRb-RrcTaAmEapf3eTvzGinq0itRfPLFXOTLt1w7phWyCWCT9LHBL-m1KdkkPRST5fCm2Oqy9FA50nmWsFYUyj72F3Bg9VuVkdbTemIj2kVcTgGpVEGY-/s1600/21187_655493677799172_1942438428_n.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birthday boy doing what he does best - living larger than life!</td></tr>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-78124437958001103812013-05-12T22:16:00.000+05:302013-05-12T22:20:12.963+05:30Trip to the Dark Side of the Moon... and backI write this as I am coming down from my Dark Side of the Moon trip. Last night I experienced what I can best describe as feeling - infinite. The Pink Flyod audio-visual tribute at Hamburg Planetarium was a total treat to all the senses. The cosmic stage set with choreography of 3D images, laser beams and occasional smoke released in the air was blockbuster stuff. Of course, the music from the entire album, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon" target="_blank">Dark side of the Moon</a> was intense as always, and with the great acoustics you could feel it in your skin. The show is actually a collaboration with the Salt Lake City Planetarium (USA) and proved to be a whole new platform to experience Pink Floyd on the 40th anniversary of the album.<br />
<br />
There is something about this psychedelic music that I had always enjoyed listening to sitting upside down among other things. The rush of blood to the head with the music reverberating in the ear drums makes you float higher with the musical crescendo, and then dropping into a dark abyss. The songs remind us of our place in the cosmos, and the fact that how infinitesimally relevant our individual hopes and fears are actually in this vastness. Irony is, these two factors govern our whole lives. Many say the prism in the album cover represents ambition and madness. I think its pretty neat. (For those interested about this artwork, can follow this <a href="http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/stop-the-presses/pink-floyd-dark-side-40-years-later-40-205227757.html" target="_blank">link</a> further.)<br />
<br />
Anyways coming back to the show, the visuals are designed to make you feel like you are on an acid trip. The theoretical smoke released occasionally during the show further confirms my above statement. I love the effect of laser beams cutting through this haze. All in all, the show is a total <i>mindfuck</i>. Excuse the last word, as I find no better way to explain that feeling. As you immerse yourself in that moment, there is love, joy, peace, elation, sadness - all hitting you at the same time. You can either close your eyes and savor the moment, or dare to keep them open and bask in it. Either way, you feel infinite.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">There's someone in my head but it's not me.</span><br style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear</span><br style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">You shout and no one seems to hear</span><br style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes</span><br style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;" /><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: left;">I'll see you on the dark side of the moon....</span></span></i></div>
Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-76039119054933229862013-05-12T15:09:00.001+05:302013-05-12T22:40:06.928+05:30Insurance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_935795599"></span><span id="goog_935795600"></span><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJvEI0vBAq2Z7zETqkwb6q7SRSiJQNeyo1mbBr-pBZSuFhoE49RKVNGuHGrvflmwWVFnpZFLqtHdWPsq_5hngL80IEDIkjdbZ7zLjbUTQDNty0oaB9OUrtzGlBXp6u1Vmc_z-SR6Be59W/s1600/DSCN2426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaJvEI0vBAq2Z7zETqkwb6q7SRSiJQNeyo1mbBr-pBZSuFhoE49RKVNGuHGrvflmwWVFnpZFLqtHdWPsq_5hngL80IEDIkjdbZ7zLjbUTQDNty0oaB9OUrtzGlBXp6u1Vmc_z-SR6Be59W/s1600/DSCN2426.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Mothers are like our old-age insurance</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Not only they teach you to get old gracefully</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>But also show you what you will be like when old,</i><br />
<i>Like a mirror to the future.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Thank God, mine is an entrepreneur, doctor, an amazing singer - my supermom</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>But most importantly,</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Someone with a Big and Beautiful heart.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Now, I can't wait to get old.</i></div>
Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-12182414790499342362013-05-02T03:25:00.000+05:302013-05-02T03:40:39.625+05:30Something borrowed<strong style="font-family: Arial;">~Dance Like No One's Watching~</strong><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><strong><i><br /></i></strong></span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"></span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">We convince ourselves that life</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">will be better after we get married,</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">have a baby, then another.</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
and we'll be more content when they are.</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">After that we're frustrated that we</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">have teenagers to deal with,</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">we will certainly be happy</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
when they are out of that stage.</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">We tell ourselves that our life will be complete</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">when our spouse gets his or her act together,</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">when we get a nicer car,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">are able to go on a nice vacation,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">when we retire.</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The truth is there's no better time</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">to be happy than right now.</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
If not now, when?</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">Your life will always be filled with challenges.</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">It's best to admit this to yourself</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">and decide to be happy anyway.</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of my favorite quotes comes</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
from Alfred D Souza.</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">He said, "For a long time it had seemed</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">to me that life was about to begin -real life.</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But there was always some obstacle in the way,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">something to be gotten through first,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">some unfinished business,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">time still to be served,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">a debt to be paid. Then life would begin.</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">At last it dawned on me that these</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
obstacles were my life."</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">This perspective has helped me to see</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">that there is no way to happiness.</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happiness is the way,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">so, treasure every moment that you have.</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">And treasure it more because you shared it</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">with someone special,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">special enough to spend your time...</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
and remember that time waits for no one.</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">So stop waiting until you finish school,</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">until you go back to school,</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you lose ten pounds,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you gain ten pounds,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you have kids,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until your kids leave the house,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you start work,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you retire,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you get married,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you get divorced,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until Friday night,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until Sunday morning,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you get a new car or home,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until your car or home is paid off,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until spring, until summer,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until fall, until winter,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you are off welfare,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until the first or fifteenth,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until your song comes on,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you've had a drink,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you've sobered up,</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">until you die, until you are born again</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">to decide that there is no better time</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">than right now to be happy...</span> </div>
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.</div>
</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">So, Work like you don't need money.</span> </i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Love like you've never been hurt and</span> </span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Dance Like no one's watching.</div>
</span></i><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Author Unknown</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Came across this poem while ago, and it got stuck in my head since then. It is a stark reminder of how much we lose while waiting for things to fall in place, for the pieces to fit in the jigsaw of our life, that we often lose sight of all the happiness that has always been around us, and most importantly within us. Ironically, the day all these things fall into place will be the last day of our lives. We are our obstacles, the pain, the gore and everything that is wrong in our lives. We are also the good moments, and the little joys in our lives. Its up to us how we define our lives. A little bit of this, and a little that. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">Sugar and spice, a</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px;">nd everything nice, eh? </span>Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-53540369919131970922013-04-29T00:29:00.001+05:302013-04-29T02:07:47.434+05:30Holmead and "Crude Expressionism"<span style="font-family: inherit;">Art and music needs no language. Once you delve into them, they speak to you in their own way. Personally, I feel every artist has a story to tell. I don't know much about art, but I admire the story behind every piece of art.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: start;">So when I found myself today at a </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Clifford Holmead Philips art show at Ahrensburg, I was </span></span><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">mesmerized</span></span><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> by this expressionist's strokes of brush. </span></span></span>The young Phillips was born in
1889 and apprenticed in his father's furniture factory in his late teens. His
life took a sudden turn when he accidentally ran over a chicken in 1912. German
art collector Alfred Moeke, who helped organize the exhibition of Phillips' paintings at
Shippensburg University's Kauffman Gallery,
says Phillips vowed never again to eat meat or own an automobile. He sold his
auto and bought an ocean-liner ticket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: DE;">During a six-month journey
around Europe, he spent much of his time in art museums and determined to
become a painter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYaM0F21Jfqh1jhcnELiqZuE7TZ-ozL0cNe3w7ojFRQ6-UNWMGhcl2CwLOfFgL9Sxd_AupMKZU7UjHOTwhek4VDi228xndHAUFyqWvWrZRjm6cuQQlZYjPlbnQxXsYr4uOPQAvgPIznVZ/s1600/20130428_122050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYaM0F21Jfqh1jhcnELiqZuE7TZ-ozL0cNe3w7ojFRQ6-UNWMGhcl2CwLOfFgL9Sxd_AupMKZU7UjHOTwhek4VDi228xndHAUFyqWvWrZRjm6cuQQlZYjPlbnQxXsYr4uOPQAvgPIznVZ/s1600/20130428_122050.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Even though his earlier work was influenced by European expressionism and mostly related to Bibilical myths, it was his later work on capturing human facial expressions that fascinated me the most.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04QRwBsF0Wjk40twlRdRomyNBnYePOAtl_61VAUQeOagJxJvWknXXqwjJYDuOftCRBVCqgcZz-LirDXKsvCx6JJofrsL-YzaCvJVY77wOvV2dluwu1PAFL01swXjfMkH0h-oFUSDPRYY-/s1600/20130428_125144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi04QRwBsF0Wjk40twlRdRomyNBnYePOAtl_61VAUQeOagJxJvWknXXqwjJYDuOftCRBVCqgcZz-LirDXKsvCx6JJofrsL-YzaCvJVY77wOvV2dluwu1PAFL01swXjfMkH0h-oFUSDPRYY-/s1600/20130428_125144.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #37404e;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">They were dark, cynical and rough. Also </span></span></span>I learned for the first time what shorthand painting was all about.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsecUFNVbKZMpf-saEEGFtpewOi3hxriblwUwOurnB0EH7aY84-oW-CWik_KpKkdVL8m5WlVfH8ZDb4PHVjuiGQ7a1EF5MKLYYLjG48PO1eDJPitEymTHaWiC2mOHUQq20fe19oCmsw6H/s1600/20130428_125813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSsecUFNVbKZMpf-saEEGFtpewOi3hxriblwUwOurnB0EH7aY84-oW-CWik_KpKkdVL8m5WlVfH8ZDb4PHVjuiGQ7a1EF5MKLYYLjG48PO1eDJPitEymTHaWiC2mOHUQq20fe19oCmsw6H/s1600/20130428_125813.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The strokes are harsh, raw, and stark with emotions. The way he consumes the canvas with color and palette knife is simply savage, and very primal. The untamed, and unconventional style reminds me that life force should never be controlled. When the painter paints or the poet composes or the musician plays or the dancer dances, these are all expressions of your life force. Not only are children born out of your sexual energy, but everything that man has created on the earth has come out of sexual energy. And Holmead's works are full of life energy. He said, 'No I am not
satisfied with painting a photographic image. <span lang="DE">Art is
more than that.'"</span></span><br />
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<br />Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-61309727093569988972013-03-29T20:12:00.002+05:302013-03-29T20:21:16.396+05:30Death.Death inspires me - not that I am downward spiralling, but because it inspires me to live more - making every moment count. We're all dying, little by little, with the cells weakening, the fibres stretching and the heart getting closer to its last beat. Personally, I like that fact. There is nothing more exhilarating than waking up every morning and going 'WOW! THIS IS IT! THIS IS REALLY IT! LETS HAVE A KICK-ASS DAY!' It helps me focus my mind wonderfully, makes me love vividly, work intensely, and realize that, in this amazing scheme of things, I really don't have time to sit around in my pyjamas, eating cereals at noon and watching re-runs of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.<br />
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If you feel I am sounding morbid here, lets think of death not as a release but as an incentive. The more focussed you are on your death, the more wholly you live your life. I don't believe in an afterlife. I guess that makes me a bad Hindu, and might be re-born as a dung-fly (only if I believed in that!). Not trying to hurt the believers' religious sentiments, but I genuinely think afterlife is one of the biggest philosophical problem the earth faces. Everyone thinks they are getting a harp after death. </div>
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Believing in an afterlife totally ruins up your living life. How? Underneath every day action and word, you think it doesn't really matter if you screw things up this time because you can all sort it out in some metaphysical plane. You will make it up with people you no longer talk to and become a better person, and lose that stomach flab in heaven. Oh, and learn to speak Japanese. After all, you will have time! It's eternity! So who cares what you do now? This is just some lacklustre waiting room you're going to be in for 20 minutes, with no wings at all, and are forced to walk around, on your feet, like pigs do. Heaven, the biggest waste of our time we ever invented, besides <i>Buttersticks. </i></div>
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So. Yes. We're all crumbling into the void, one cell at a time. We are disintegrating like sugar cubes in champagne. Then why do most men and women pretend it isn't happening? Why do we often sit around and contemplate a future that doesn't even exists, instead of getting some stuff done and making it happen? I am a huge apostle for NOW. And I totally love Robert De Niro's take on it - <i>"Time goes on. So whatever you're going to do, do it. Do it now. Don't wait." </i>This make me restless, but I am constantly curious about whats out there. I like picking life by its neck and shaking it, just to see what falls out of its pockets. There is a strange kind of joy in discovering something new - whether its accidentally finding a hidden street with amazing street art, or just striking up random conversations with absolute strangers. Or taking up Swing Dancing lessons next month.</div>
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I don't try new things just because I am scared that one day I might drop dead and my bucket-list would be incomplete. Rumor has it that your life flashes by just before you die. If thats actually true, I would rather have mine worth an Oscar - she died doing what she likes the most. And that is something no harp or golden wings can ever replace. <br />
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What do you think your flash-by movie will be like?</div>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-31159372804809912952013-03-23T21:35:00.000+05:302013-03-24T01:42:36.037+05:30The dangerous mind of a woman<div style="text-align: justify;">
Its a sunny Saturday and I am sitting at my favorite cafe soaking up in whatever vitaminD I could get for the next few days. I could go out for a walk but all I want to do is write. The mind is on fire! And I couldn't think of writing anything else than the complex mind of a woman.</div>
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As a teaser, last week I wrote few lines on my Facebook status to see the reaction on - <i><span style="font-family: inherit;">"If there was some kind of Psychic Helmet that you could put on, in order to read the women's thoughts, any men donning it would be instantly terrified by the previously concealed levels of female insanity it will reveal."</span></i> Of course the men folk were interested to know whats in the mind of a woman so that they can understand us. The women however kept silent, and I know exactly why. We are terrified of our own thoughts. </div>
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Pick any situation in a woman's life and she has done so many 'test runs' in her head over it before it even existed, to see if it actually worked out or not. Like a computer running through algorithms. For example, we love to think that we are in love. Women are obsessed about the idea of love and relationships. They think about it all the time. Sometimes, when I tell men about the way women think about potential relationships, they start to look very, very alarmed. However, discuss the same thing with women, and they will give a shamed bark of recognition. No wonder it makes me laugh when I come across anecdotes like - women thinks from heart, and men thinks from head. I don't know who is fooling whom. The truth is men
falls in love, women loves to think they are in love, at least in the beginning. The only exception to this rule will be if you are sharing the umbilical cord with us. But then our fertile imagination is not entirely our fault.</div>
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Language tells us exactly what we think of unattached woman - it's all there, in the difference between 'bachelors' and 'spinsters'. Bachelors have it all to play for. Spinsters must play for it all, and fast. The market demand tells you a woman's value: if she is single, she is unwanted, and therefore - should this state of affairs go on for any length of time - less desirable. Even though this is very prevalent in patriarchal societies in Asia and Africa, it is not entirely excluded from Westen societies. So given the importance women know is attached to them being attached, it is a little wonder why most women are obsessed with the idea of love, and relationships. Sadly most women gets so consumed by this fear of being unwanted, that they panic and get in all the wrong relationships to 'think they are in love'. The rest of us who loves to run free until we meet our equal in every aspect, are often shunned by our committed friends to be the 'spinster aunt' to their kids who they will visit on holidays. </div>
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You can tell when a woman is with the wrong man, because she has so much to say about the fact that nothing is actually happening. We all have that friend. Before you have met him for the first time, she talked him up like he was a cross between Indiana Jones, Barack Obama and The Doctor. But when you finally meet him, he is actually the 'Bony King of Nowhere.com.' On the other hand when women find the right person, they just....disappear for months, and then resurface, eyes shiny, and usually few pounds heavier. And they are oddly quiet other than the "Its just good... I'm really happy." And that will usually be the end of the discussion. Usually forever. You stop talking about things when you've worked them out. You are no longer an observer, but a participant. You're too busy for this bullshit.</div>
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I used to talk a lot about my ex boyfriend to my friends. I became a total bore - I bet people ran away from me in parties, and friends went offline when I came online. At that time it felt like our relationship was a gigantic puzzle - a huge existential and emotional quiz that, if I apply myself enough to it, I will solve and gain the result of True Love. Of course now its easier to see that having common grounds over movie, music, food choices are not the main ingredients to be in a relationship when your core values are polar opposite. The whole thing looked good only in my head. Maybe thats why not many women die heart-broken because of failed
relationships. Maybe because when its over in their head, its over forever. Just like
that – flipping the switch off. And then something new catches our imagination. </div>
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<o:p>Being a woman is not easy, and there is no manual for it. We are not only judged on how we dress or conduct ourselves, but we are also judged about the way we think. I have been often told that most of my thoughts are NOT FEMININE. I guess its because I wear my mind on my sleeves rather than my heart. There is so much stuff to talk about and discuss, sadly very few people gets it or will ever understand the intensity of a good conversation. The worst part is I can't discuss a woman's mind with other women, they will vehemently disagree to half the things I will say. As for men, they need to evolve into women to even talk about women's psyche. So taking refuge in books was my only option - I devoured works of Dorothy Parker, Sylvia Plath, Germaine Greer, Gloria Steinem, but it was pretty unidimensional. They were all angry women who contemplated suicide at some point in their lives. I now, rather prefer Nancy Friday or Lady Gaga's views - no matter how shocking their revelations are, they threw more light on female mind, sexuality and liberation. Yes, a woman's mind is a deep, dark and twisted land, where very few dares to tread on it. And we change it very often only because we are afraid that someone might get burnt by our thoughts. </o:p></div>
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<o:p>Sigmund Freud once said, <i>"The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul is - What does a woman want?"</i></o:p></div>
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<o:p>When he couldn't answer that question, dear reader, how will you?</o:p></div>
<br />Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-13499554750958539012013-02-12T21:42:00.001+05:302013-02-12T21:43:22.502+05:30Lessons from top ropingOne of my resolutions for 2013 was to do one thing every month that scares me. It was time to fight the inner demons, and so I spent last three weeks tackling fear of heights - got enrolled in a top roping class. For someone who freaks out after climbing three meters, this was a bit extreme. But you gotta do what u gotta do. I did panic and felt that my heart will leap out of my chest, but I learnt - more than I expected.<br />
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Lesson #1. <b>Life begins at the end of your comfort zone</b><br />
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Thats the first thing our instructor, Ralf told us - the three important zones of our life.<br />
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Operating in the comfort zone is easy, but we hardly learn anything new. Panic zone completely shuts off our minds, and our basic survival instincts kicks in. I like fear, it challenges me to try what I feel I can't do. Not gonna lie, but I did my adrenaline shot once I started climbing beyond my comfort zone. I guess thats where I entered the learning zone. Fear of falling mixed with willingness to climb one step higher was the perfect cocktail at this stage. But if we don't challenge to broaden our learning zone, its very easy to fall back in the rut and being comfortable.</div>
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Lesson #2. <b>Getting to the top is not important, its how you get there</b></div>
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Climbing that 10 meters wall (with my condition) as a first timer seemed utterly impossible three weeks back. Panicking along the tricky routes did not help either. So what worked for my friends didn't actually work for me. It took me two weeks to figure out my style of climbing. I think the same goes for life as well. Often we get frustrated with our slow pace of what we define as "progress", especially when we see our contemporaries climbing up the "steps" much faster than us. We have made our lives a mere rat race competing with friends, family and neighbors, focussing only on the end goals with the inability to enjoy the journey to reach them. Whats the point of working towards something if we can't relish the moments spent in it? I have learnt my way to the top of the wall definitely with fear and scratches, but also with lots of laughter and camaraderie.<br />
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Lesson #3. <b>Trust your partner </b><br />
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In climbing, your life literally depends on your partner. More than the climber, its the belayer that plays the most important role of this sport. Not only your partner will help in your ascent, but can also break your fall and prevent you from hitting the ground, incase you miss a step and slip. This means having ton of trust and patience in your partner. When the climb is rough its very easy to lose cool, so great communication with ton of encouragement is a must. Just like real relationships, no? Whoever said the journey to the top is a lonely one, was definitely myopic. We all need 'belayers' in our lives who not only helps us in our personal growth, but will also watch our backs incase we happen to fall. Its all about having the best interests for each other at heart.<br />
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Lesson #4. <b>Whatever happens,</b> <b>never let go</b><br />
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If you have made up your mind to climb the height, no matter how frightful it looks, don't let go. Tricky path means more challenge, not an excuse to give up. Feel the fear, make it real but trust your arms and legs to keep you hanging up there. Because the joy of overcoming that threshold is ecstatic.<br />
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As for me, I will end the rant here with this pic, 'coz my arms are still sore from yesterday's climb. So whatever new you want to do with your life, climbing or otherwise, just do it, no excuses. But most importantly, enjoy it!<br />
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P.S. Hug a climber today, they are very friendly people. ;) </div>
Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com7Harburg, Hamburg, Germany53.4607681 9.9835844000000453.3095731 9.66086090000004 53.611963100000004 10.306307900000041tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-75429075913239360552012-12-31T01:15:00.002+05:302013-02-21T19:46:09.303+05:302012 : Happy Endings<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">"If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." </span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>- </i>Orson Welles</span></span><br />
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Crack open the champagne! The world didn't end as predicted and a new year has arrived! Time to start a new cycle of your ongoing awesomeness. For me it came with these four attributes - </div>
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a) be insanely happy, even when you are sad</div>
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b) never be scared of the challenges life throws your way</div>
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c) be brave, and take risks.</div>
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d) stop looking for validation, it makes us weak</div>
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The rest comes easy. </div>
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So in my last blog post for 2012, I am going to talk about them and all that jazz. Shit happens, sabki life mein... but does that mean we should stop being happy? Nahin na. If this year did not go as you expected, and now that you are sad and possibly feeling lonely, just pause a moment. Rewind. Go back to your happiest memory, whenever wherever or whoever it was with. How happy you look! If life gave you such a moment in the past, life will definitely bring you more such moments in the future. Happiness is relative state of mind, just because we don't feel it now, doesn't mean we will never feel it again. The trick is very simple : Ask and you shall receive. When, where and how will that happen? Don't ask me or anyone else (not even your family astrologer), just let life come to you and unfold the joy it has in store for you.</div>
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After all, life has many ways of testing a person's will - either by nothing happen at all, or by having everything happen all at once. I bet we all have have faced such situations. One moment you are at the top of the world, and the next moment your entire world starts crumbling down. But this is the test of life. When you least expect it, life gives us a new challenge to test our courage and willingness to change. I have asked myself many times as to why we need to go through such test/challenge is given. The only answer I ever got was to prove that we are worthy enough for the good times that soon follow. As ironical as it could get, without the bad times we are incapable of truly appreciating the good times in our lives. </div>
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And what we usually perceive to be "bad things happening to us" could be actually good stuff, only momentarily hidden. Often, its the fear of the unknown makes us fudge-brained to clearly see the truth. Whatever it is kid, if its still in your mind, its worth taking a risk! (Not talking about life threatening red-bull event stunts here.) Rather fall 7 times and get up 8 times, than do nothing at all. Because one day you will wake up and there won't be any time left to do things you always wanted. The choice is always ours. Obstacles will always be there. We can either knock them down and go for what our crazy heart wants, or we give up at the sight of trouble. There is no right way to this. Its purely your free will to choose what is right for you. But to believe that our life is controlled by fate, is the world's biggest lie.</div>
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Now you may ask what gives me the authority to razzle-dazzle you with all the above fundas. I am neither a writer nor am I a life-coach. What I am, is another human who felt what most of you have gone through. Often my friends think I lead a life that makes me pleased as the Sunday punch. But its not true. There were times when I have hold myself tight and cried till I could cry no more. But there were also times when I laughed so hard that I couldn't stand anymore. Both at the extremes, but both makes me a human and I am not ashamed to admit them. When I look back at 2012, I don't think I have any regrets. Yes, I made mistakes and had disappointments along the way, but I would not have done it any other way. What I did at that time, for that place, I did the best with what my instincts provided me. Regret comes only when we look around for validation from the other people. Might sound foolish to many, I have often given into the Woody Allen “the-heart-wants-what-the-heart-wants”. Of course that take me endless hours of "interfrention", self debate and oodles of bad mood, to actually learn from these experiences. But I would rather crash-and-burn in the process of feeding my soul, than live my whole life in denial. Honestly, I want to approach life like a fine meal -- with relish, great anticipation, and a discriminating palate to make it a perfect experience overall.</div>
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So come 2013, I am more hopeful than ever before for the exciting future that lies ahead. Infact I feel like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilbo_Baggins" target="_blank">Bilbo Baggins</a> running through the fields of the Shire, shouting - "I'm going on an adventure!"</div>
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So peopleee--push the envelope this year, raise your bar and go for the biggest stakes that your loyal heart can fathom. Have an adventurous 2013!</div>
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-67188204697930721312012-10-21T19:09:00.002+05:302012-12-19T16:04:43.744+05:30Maa, I bow to thee<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The festivities of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durga_Puja" target="_blank">Durga Puja</a> has officially started. For the Shaktas like myself, this is the time of the year when we bow to the Divine Feminine power, Shakti - <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">the source of all creation, and the energy that animates and governs it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">But today its more than that for me. Today, I celebrate the birth of my first pillar of strength, the source of my creation - my mother. Happy Birthday, Ma! You are my embodiment of strength and dynamism. You not only gave your flesh and blood, but also passed on the strong life force to each one of your kids. Your presence in our lives has helped us face all the good and bad times, with equal vigor and zest for life. Your compassion for the needy and those in trouble, amazes me on how much you have sacrificed for the sake of others happiness. I doubt if I can ever be that selfless!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Your positive attitude towards life, I think, has always helped me believe in the best, even when everything around me is falling apart. My friends think I am a strong person to move past any bad situation in life, but this is what they don't know - I have a mother who tells me 'no matter what happens, I am always there for you'. Honestly, thats all anyone needs to get through the bad times.</span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">But the most important thing you taught me is to love - love with an open heart, with no expectations or any motives. Now this may look as a sign of weakness for many, but as I am going through different life experiences, I feel this is more of a unique strength. Not many can do it, many even don't find it in their lifetime. But you have taught me otherwise. You have shown me that loving someone is not enough - you need to fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even walk the extra mile. For this life lesson, I am forever grateful to you. </span></span><br />
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And even though Papa is doing a great job today in making your birthday a special one (fyi, he always does.), I miss being there and celebrating your fabulous 54th. You look beautiful with each passing year, surprising everyone around you with your beauty, love and wisdom. I wish you many more such years ahead, and I am glad to have such a role model in my life. I love you Ma! On behalf of the whole family, I wish you a happy and beautiful year ahead, Mommy or resident Lataji, as everyone in the family calls you lovingly for your amazing voice!.</span><br />
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<br />Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-70798477494727295802012-09-16T22:09:00.000+05:302012-09-16T22:14:04.976+05:30A moment too perfect<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I scribble this post down, I am soaking in the late afternoon sun while enjoying a glass of Schorle and listening to "Spiem in Alium" in the background. If this wasn't perfect enough, let me add that my desk faces this amazing Hamburg forest view. I must say, living in the 9th floor has its own perks!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Life has been good lately and I am so grateful with the recent turn of events. I have come to believe that these small incidents of my life will eventually transform into larger-than-life events. Small joys of life, I say. Like the little 2 hour hike I did today morning. The forest near Triftstraße attracted me from the moment I saw it yesterday. Its deep, dark and so inviting. And I surrendered myself to nature finally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I grew up in a city surrounded my lush forests and hills. Thanks to my dad, me and my brother grew up hiking through these forest trails. Wonderful hiking memories about my dad making stories about the forest as we walked around exploring the place. Robbers, pirates, dinosaurs and sometimes even aliens walked the same paths as we did. Oh what a wonderful way to ignite a child's vivid imagination! As I was hiking today through this forest, all these old memories came rushing to me all at once. A moment too perfect, and it was all mine to savour. Of course I didn't have my two favorite men beside me today, but the company of Beethoven and Mozart wasn't bad either. And before I knew it, I was walking for around 2 hours and not even half of the forest was covered. But then I have a year ahead of me in this place - to explore, enjoy and get pampered by nature.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And to my surprise and delight there is a horse riding club at the edge of the forest - guess its time I finally explore another long lost interest of mine! I now officially open myself to all possibilities life has to offer. I have come to believe that letting life come to you, and then surrendering to it can make our lives a collection of perfect memories - even if its bad at times, transition will always happen. <span style="background-color: white;">This is something I learnt from the current transitional phase which has moved me from a negative problematic phase to a positive serene phase. I am not qualified enough to speak about Heaven and Hell, but there are times I feel that somewhere and somehow I do have some kind of guardian angel, always watching over me and helping me through difficult life situations. And at this point of my life I feel lucky and blessed to be able to experience the small joys of life. I am not sure, dear reader, if you can truly get what I want to say but maybe the following few lines of Rumi might help - </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">"In every moment, in every event of your life, the Beloved is whispering to you exactly what you need to hear and know. Who can ever explain this miracle? It simply is. Listen and you will discover it every passing moment. Listen, and your whole life will become a conversation in thought and act between you and Him, directly, wordlessly, now and always." </span></span><br />
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So I raise my glass now and drink to a wonderful year ahead with nature, exploring and more interesting activities, but most importantly to a moment too perfect.</span><br />
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Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com421075 Hamburg, Germany53.4599405 9.928830853.4410325 9.8893488 53.478848500000005 9.9683128tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-13222343873342594602012-08-04T21:45:00.001+05:302012-08-05T06:02:25.773+05:30Dependable deutschland<div><p>My next post in this blog was suppose be on my 10 month experience of Scotland. Unfortunately i got robbed of my laptop, jewellery and whatever cash i had on me, just three days after i landed in Germany. My draft with a good collection of pictures enriched in my memories were lost. Now i m stuck to blog from my mobile . Hence bear with my terse blogposts for next few days, which i believe should be frequent but  short ones.</p>
<p>Now back to my first week experience here. If i could define one word for Germany it would be dependable. Everything here runs on schedule...even nature. After spending considerable time in moody Scottish weather its a relief to be in a place where the weather predictions actually work..and honestly its nice to see the sun after so long. </p>
<p>But dependable deutschland is only because of the people here. I have been here only for a week and you may think its too early to be sure of their dependability,but so far i have  not been let down. Lets start with where i m working. My boss and my colleagues have been really nice and supportive . I wasn't expecting so much of support and concern from their part after the robbery . But I am honestly surprised and happy that I am amidst people who takes care of their employees. The work culture is amazing as well. We all sit in this one big  space with separate desks and not cubicles. The whole openness brings in positive vibes   and it makes you want to spend time there longer. But the fact that everyone makes a round in the morning greeting 'Guten morgen' to each other amazes me the most. Now that brings in a sense of belongingness in the workplace, and that is something I have always sought after. </p>
<p>But its not just people at my job who extended me a helping hand. My professor from my German university even expressed his concerns and if he could help me in any way. My German language teacher whom i met just 3 days ago even offered to find me a computer that I can use. Now that is something I never expected because I hardly know her. If that was not enough my landlady offered her daughter's laptop to me so that I can use it until I can buy 1 on my own. to be honest I'm truly overwhelmed by the german hospitality, and I am glad that I met these people, despite the small unfortunate incident. </p>
<p>Tomorrow I explore the city, but more on that later.  Tchuss!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8iJ6q86_yhI/UB20Hm-m_YI/AAAAAAAAAdk/S6FXgvbYl78/IMG_20120804_185421.png' /></div>Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com6Hotel und Restaurant Vaterland, Hamburger Straße 15, Bad Oldesloe53.8079 10.369066tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-49248480901108348402012-07-07T05:06:00.001+05:302012-07-07T05:14:47.855+05:30Cupid or OkCupid?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Everyone everywhere is waiting to fall in love, desperately. Most of us hate to admit it, but we all are dreaming and running after our "happily ever after"s. However, the modern singletons are an impatient bunch, and the good news is, finding true love no longer involves scouring bars/nightclubs, meeting friends of friends, or just asking your mom to find someone for you. All you need is a computer and high-speed internet, for this is the age of <a href="http://www.okcupid.com/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">OkCupid</a><span style="background-color: white;">, and the avalanche of similar online dating sites. I never knew such</span><i style="background-color: white;"> reliable</i><span style="background-color: white;"> services existed until few months ago when a friend mentioned how convenient it was to meet "interesting" people that way. </span><span style="background-color: white;">But how reliable is online dating? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Maybe I have trust issues. Or maybe, its just my old-fashioned heart that still believes in meeting by chance, and not by algorithm. But I do understand that many people have reaped the benefits of such services. Of course with demanding jobs and fast paced lives, hardly anyone has the time and patience to meet someone without the help of technology. After all these websites promise to match them with a calculated and acceptable percentage of compatibility. Only when thats done, will these singletons put some time and effort in speaking to the "suitable" strangers via email for a period of time, which might eventually exhilarate and heighten intimacy and trust between them. So even before they meet in real world, they already feel a bond and connection. And if there is no connection when they meet, well, at least its one meal they don't have to eat alone.</span></div>
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What intrigues me is that these websites offer every sexual whim and steamy internet rendezvous that follows, all based on questionnaires, profile pictures and personal info. Of course despite the obvious pitfalls (people faking their identity, cheaters, liars and losers to name a few), I am sure its a sure-shot confident boosters for those with dwindling social lives and appalling insecurities. And definitely short term fun time for the rest. But mostly I feel this is nothing short of one mass orgy. Some people like it and some don't, but I shall reserve my opinions on orgies for now. </div>
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A friend of mine who indulges in online dating occasionally often laments how the women he meets in bars are either aggressive in making sure they 'get a man' or are plain stand-offish, which for him are complete turn-offs. Hence he wonders if meeting a "nice girl" online is his only alternative left. After all one's social life gets narrowed down when all the girl friends are taken, and the male friends are either married or doomed to a life of lone wolves. <span style="background-color: white;">Singledom can be hard, not only because it can get lonely at times, but one can also get one envious by seeing others in love. I am no relationship expert, but I find myself in this juxtaposition that maybe nowadays the only way people can actually build a rapport is via their fingers. When online, its easy to come up with seemingly witty responses as you have time to think, pick few anecdotes from Google, and even bring up any ubiquitous yet titillating subject matter without any apprehensions or fearing any rejection. </span></div>
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Still not convinced? Then maybe you can Google up thousands of saccharine sweet testimonials regarding online speed dating. If you think you define someone based on a set of questions, followed by a bevy of emails/chats, I say go for it! Of course I still don't believe that one can fall in love online, maybe its just lust. I think the conversation should be the hook, not the sinker. What do you guys think?</div>
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<br /></div>Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com4Glasgow, Glasgow City G1 1PU, UK55.8581553 -4.241890455.8559273 -4.2468259 55.8603833 -4.2369549tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-55950668814969679892012-06-29T18:08:00.000+05:302012-06-29T18:19:37.077+05:30Miles to go before I sleep<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Waiting makes me reflect - especially waiting for a visa to arrive, 'coz that generally means travelling to a new place and starting all over again. And strangely enough, I enjoy relocating myself every now and then. The familiarity of unfamiliar surroundings comforts me. It has become part of me and I couldn't agree more with Alan Alda's words -</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">wilderness</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"> of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself." </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">I left my city of comfort so long ago that I don't know if I will ever be comfortable there again. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Travelling has changed me. I can't be any less dramatic, but the day I stepped out of my house to travel on my own I knew that this was a one-way road. I can only move ahead, and see the world to my heart's content. And there is no stopping to that. And that definitely scares my mom, if not anyone else. Like every other parents, my folks did want me to settle down at some point. But now they have given up on the nomad of their daughter. And I am glad they finally understood that I am a free-spirit that belonged not to one region but to the world. I choose to defy conventions and live life as I feel should be lived. Call me impulsive if u want, but we live only once. How many chances will we ever get?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I must have popped the travel pill long back when I spent hours staring at the Atlas my dad gave me. And I happily admit to have succumbed to that addiction, and become a total junkie. I have found myself in the delirious world of self-discovery, thriving friendships and an unquenchable craving to have some more. Life has become one big rave party, with no need to end in rehab. The realization that my dreams are limitless and that life can be more than a planned box of rules, is very liberating. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Maybe thats what happens when you live in William Wallace's land for more than 9 months - 'Freedom' is what you perceive!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I consider myself very lucky. Not because I have drop-dead gorgeous looks, nor was I born with silver spoon in my mouth. I am lucky for the people I have met in my life. Many came and went, few stayed..and in whatever way they touched my life, they showed me something new. Earlier I used to </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">assume that everyone thinks and feels like me, and that made me quite judgmental. But when I met people who saw the world a little differently, caused an immediate shift. It made me realize that the world is a big place, and everyone's different. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Every place I went taught me something new - history, culture, human relations, but mostly importantly about me. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">Travelling has helped me get rid of my inhibitions too. Now I can happily talk to random people, and what I realized is that no matter where you go people love to be heard. You hear their stories and then you share some of yours. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">And the writer in me loves picking up on little stories here and there - the old couple I met in Dusseldorf airport told me how he (A Brit) fell in love with his Spanish wife without speaking a common language, or the retired marine at Paris CDG sharing his travel plans with his son in Australia.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">My experience so far has been like a book of world short stories, and its one heck of a page turner!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">The road is life. I have been living a nomad's life for last 10 years covering 12 cities, 2 countries and now preparing for my 3rd. I am excited about it, and plan to fill-up my current passport in the next 4-5 years. Whats next? Naturally to keep travelling, making friends and sharing more stories. Travelling, for me, is not running away from reality. But its my quest of finding what I believe in, and the path I wish to follow.</span><br />
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</div>Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com103 Parsonage Row, Glasgow, Glasgow City G1 1PU, UK55.8581553 -4.241890455.8559273 -4.2468259 55.8603833 -4.2369549tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3103173972340181137.post-16354715834874634742012-02-24T17:28:00.002+05:302012-02-24T17:28:47.067+05:30Everything or nothing<br />
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These two words joined together gives my most powerful <i>mantra</i> for life. You either go for everything or nothing at all. But then why is it so difficult for people to admit what they want in their lives? Why should we be shy about our own dreams and desires? Is it the fear of failure or the fear of being laughed at by others that hinders us from being what we can become? I often wonder.</div>
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I meet people everyday, who can do wonders in their lives only if they realize their potential. I think they are mostly scared to admit their extreme potential. 'coz when u know who you are and what you can do, you are immediately alienated from the rest of the crowd. The fact that you are different from others makes you their eye sores. Ironically, these haters can be different too and live up to their potential. But they don't. Instead, they huddle together and gossip about what an effing pain in the ass you have become. </div>
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I have come to believe and now, can openly admit that I can achieve whatever I set my heart to. You may call it a pompous-self-glorified declaration, but for me this is the power of my intention. Of course I have had my share of failures, but I have tuned myself over the years to find opportunities out of these setbacks. Yes, sometimes it takes time and frustrates me, but I get my heart's desire in the end. I strongly believe in the power of attraction. <i>We get what we attract</i>. Its a very scary truth. I have personally come in contact with people who always claim how unlucky they are and how unfair life is to them. And surprisingly, shit happens to them, all the time.</div>
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<span class="s1">Now getting back to achieving your heart's desire, you <strike>have </strike>need to be positive - sometimes terminally positive even when the whole world is against you. There is no middle-path of believing in yourself - Its you, and only you who can do the magic! </span>Whether you believe it or not, everything up to this point in your life that has or has not happened to you is because of the choices you have made. Of course, we can always blame the fate for it. But the truth is,<span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"> </span> fate too is a part of your choice. Because you believe that luck always favors you, you have directed every single molecule of your body, sub-consciously, to act or behave like a winner in life. And without your knowledge you become that charismatic person, who not only attracts other people but also attracts good things in life.</div>
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So go ahead, and grab onto your happiness. Go for everything you dream of getting in this life. If you don't go to the extreme, you'd only be doing an universal injustice to yourself. So, pour your heart completely into your cause and make it effect you and everything you believe your world should be about. </div>
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If others can, why can't you??</div>
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<br /></div>Tongue-fu Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966312586926935072noreply@blogger.com15