Back to Basics!

Continuing with the poetry theme, I'm going to keep this very simple. The blog's name is borne out of this poem by Robert Frost. An eternal piece, which might have had some bearing on who I am today. Thanks Bob!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Live Strong. And Stronger!

Ok, poetry today!

Wake up and run
Time for the Sun
Take him at hour one
Stronger body. Stronger bone.

Run like a gazelle
Like a dog after a whistle
Like a kid solving a puzzle
Stronger body. Stronger muscle

Meditate for a second
Breathe deep and profound
With belief and hope ever present
Stronger body. Stronger mind.

BPs to control BP

To keep your BP (Blood Pressure) in check:

Be Passionate

Be Positive

Be Patient

 

Half Boiled Imports

Ok. We Indians, got the motorcycle from the West, like so many other things (in return for our invention of ZERO (0), of course!). But why did we not import the habit of wearing the helmet? When was the last time a Hollywood movie depicted someone riding a two wheeler without helmet?

Also, we got cars. And even 6 laned highways. But not the habit of wearing seat belts, which according to many, are "inconvenient"?

When we imported electricity, we were "habitualized" to not mess with it, right? Did such an education not go into automobile safety?

Why do we need special laws now, to enforce helmet and seat-belt usage? Instead, why did we not make it a habit right from the beginning and avoid having to educate people with expensive laws, after so much damage has been done?

Even now, can we make automobile dealers to not deliver a vehicle without a high quality helmet? If the Government can enforce that a vehicle cannot ply without a number plate, why cannot the same Government enforce that a vehicle cannot be taken delivery without a helmet?

When our habits are at fault, it may not be right to blame the Government, but it can also be seen that these are huge oversights by whoever was in a position of power when the laws were made or not made (when they should have). And this, despite the advantage that India enjoys, of letting the West try things, make mistakes and tune it to perfection, before importing and enjoying them (aka being far behind in technological advancement :-)).

As an extension of this thought, what are some other "products" that one country has imported from another, but not necessarily the associated "habits", leading to a half boiled experience? List them in the comments. Lets discuss!

The filtering post!

Ok today's post is really a tricky one. Not for me, but for those who (claim to) follow me. Are you guys really reading all my posts? Let me find out. Solve the below problem and email me the answer. Simple. Ok?

I'll know who is on and who is not. Ready?

You think you can fool around my blog without really giving it much attention? No boss. You can't. Today we'll figure it out in black and white.

1+1=?

Happiness and Character!

People who are taking their time to understand if marriage is suitable for them, believe that it is about their happiness and the fit. Same is the case with a lot of those couples who are going through an irreparable rough patch.

But is it really about either's happiness alone? IMHO, no, it's not. It's mostly about their character. 

Who I am as a person. Who I am as a spouse!

Any relationship is hard work. You reap what you sow. It's a huge commitment. But it was never really about the selfish desire to have everything you want and be in a constant state of ecstasy. It was about the slow transition from "wanting to have things to enjoy" to "enjoying and wanting what you already have". It's about contentment.

Only from contentment can you be the spouse you were meant to be. It doesn't "take two" to make you who you want to be. It takes just you. Imagine that your spouse became sick for a week. Does it take two? Or do you still love and carry on the same way you would do?

So the fundamental question is, who you want to be? A dependable, loving and caring person or a flight risk at the first sight of turbulence (sounds ironic, isnt it?)? If you have the confidence in you about who you want to be, then it answers for itself whether it is right for you, and if yes, it will be light work, as well!

Generals, Genders and Genes: A Specialist Discussion!

Am I a specialist? Or am I a generalist? This topic came up over a hot cup of tea, when discussing with a group of friends - all with similar backgrounds, but branched into different walks of life.

The concerns were that, someone doing an MBA becomes too general and hence any domain he goes into, he does not have the special knowledge needed to command the authority. I know I'm stretching this a little bit, but you get the gist.
 vs 
On the other hand, someone who has done a specialization, becomes the master of the domain, but then lacks general skills - team management, leadership, vision, business acumen, etc  - and hence might hit a roadblock sooner than later in his career.

Successful people, more often than not, have been a mix of both. Knowing when to specialize and when to generalize is an art in itself and one who masters it, grows up the chain fast. No rocket science there!

Interestingly, looking back at history, I realize that this whole concept of general management at a mass level might be very new to mankind. Please note, I said mankind, NOT womankind.

Men have never worked in a large gathering except in armies and war related activities, where a few Generals do the actual management (is that why they got the name "General"?) and everyone else is a foot soldier. Other men were peacefully minding their own business - farmer, trader, barber, tailor, blacksmith and the like. All specialists. No generals.

Women were running the show at home - managing the men and their egos and their wants and needs - managing the children and their whims - pretty much the general management scenario now. While a few were specialists in things like nursing, dancing or other fine arts, most women throughout history did not specialize in anything other than generally managing the household.

So, come the 21st century, things have taken a huge turn and more and more men are getting into general management, even though genetically (or generationally), they are not used to it. And equally, more women are trying to be specialists. All this should affect the dynamics of the entire system, right?

Seeing how things are turning out for the economy, society, culture and the environment, it might be a good time to look at the gender allocation of general management and specialization in the society. Is this reversing of the gene memory good for us? Is it being done with the awareness and caution needed for such a huge change? Is there data to support/oppose my "random thoughts"? Is it worth discussing? If yes, kindly leave your notes. Or better yet, lets catch up on this over a hot cup of tea. Let me know!

[LYRICS] தேவதாருவே காமதேனுவே தேவ தூதனே கண்ணா

One of my favorite songs of all time. finally discovered the audio version and before I lose it again, penned (blogged?) down the lyrics. pardon mistakes, if any!
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தேவதாருவே காமதேனுவே தேவ தூதனே கண்ணா
உயர் காவல் தெய்வமே காதல் தீபமே கங்கை ஆண்டிடும் மன்னா
ஆதியும் இல்லை அந்தமும் இல்லை நீதி உன் நிலை கண்ணா
ஒரு ஜாதியும் இல்லை தனிமையும் இல்லை தர்ம தேசத்தின் மன்னா

ராதை நாதனே நான்கு வேதனே கீதை நாயகா கண்ணா
உன் பாதை எவ்வழி நாங்கள் அவ்வழி பாடி ஆடுவோம் மன்னா
எங்கு நோக்கினும் என்ன கேட்பினும் என்னை காணலாம் என்றாய்
நாங்கள் ஒன்று நோக்கினோம் ஒன்று கேட்கிறோம் உன்னை மட்டுமே கண்ணா

காட்டு மேட்டிலும் காட்டு வீட்டிலும் காவல் கொண்டவன் அன்றோ
உன் பாட்டும் கீதையும் பாண்டவர் தமை வாழ வைத்தன அன்றோ

காலம் யாவிலும் வசந்தமானவன் மாதம் யாவிலும் மார்கழி
உன் கீதம் யாவையும் புவனம் காக்கவே சேர்ப்பதொன்று தான் என் வழி
பால கிருஷ்ணனே நீல மாதவா என்றும் உன்னடி போற்றினோம்
எங்கள் பாவம் தீரவும் நன்மை சேரவும் கோவில் தீபத்தை ஏற்றினோம்

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font looks great in Firefox 11, Ubuntu 11.10, but gets cluttered in Chrome. So attaching an image version herewith.

Barca and the Ballon Dor

[Ballon Dor = Golden Ball for the best footballer of the year]

Barca's Ex-President Joan Laporta once said, (with reference to eternal rivals, Real Madrid, buying the previous Ballon Dor's Kaka and C.Ronaldo for astronomical sums of money), "We dont buy Ballon Dor's, we create them".

To make sure that his quote was not, yet another political babble, Messi did win it last year beating C.Ronaldo by a historic margin of votes.

And this year, it has only gotten better, with the top three finalists all belonging to Barca - Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi - and all of them products of Barca's youth system.

For a fan, this is as good as it gets and probably is once in a life time opportunity to see the team perform, like it does week in and week out.

For starters, I would recommend watching atleast one good Barca game to appreciate the style and beauty of the game. Anyone who has ever kicked a football, could understand how difficult it is to achieve constant precision and power, and how simple Barca makes it appear on the field mixing their skill and creativity to leave the opponents flummoxed and the audience overwhelmed!