Realisation(s)

Recent happenings have suddenly made me grateful for the smaller blessings in life. No, I didn’t have a near-death experience, nor did my boy-friend cheat on me, for me to discover the blessing of friendship: small fry like me never ever have these Bridget Jones-like experiences. I, on the other hand, woke up on a weekend with a bad eye infection. Now, when you are as myopic as I, anything in the eye makes you panic, and here I was, with a red, watering eye, unable to put on my lenses, and without a spare pair of spectacles.
The doctor in the hospital came as a blessing. It is only when you are in need of people that you realise their worth: sad, but very true, as I realised. Had it not been for the Gentleman-Doctor who not only tended to me, but also dropped in a word with the opticians to supply me with a new pair of glasses ASAP, poor me would have been stuck with a watering, red eye, and partially blind ( I did spend a day with one lens on, so you can imagine!!)
On another note, I also learnt of the virtue of patience, being proactive, and the thin line between being proactive and ‘bugging’ (thankfully, this I learnt at someone else’s expense!). Hah! Sorry, can’t divulge too much ;) But yes, trust me: excitement is in active participation and NOT in passive observation. Who said that? Well, my regards to him (ok, or her). A very keen observation of the multitude that we comprise of, and some degree of hurt (or hopelessness?) must have made that come.
Why? Come on….just look around. We have non-playing cricket experts in almost every home in this country, people who have NEVER even tried the first steps of any dancing course judge people on TV with an élan that would beat Saroj Khan or Thankamani Kutti’s, and do I even need to get started on the numerous daily affairs that people will just 'advise'/question you on?
‘Why are you asleep at 12.30 in the noon?’ (Because I work till 4 in the morning!!) Have you ever faced anything like it? Chances are you haven’t, and hence the question in the first place.
Why this, why that, even why do you watch FRIENDS so many times over and over again!!! Because I LIKE TO, that’s why!! (And because its one of the best things ever to come on TV: this opinion of mine is shared by hundreds of people all over the world, across countries, age groups AND levels of intelligence, so it has to hold some weight, no?)
Well well, let’s not end in that grouchy note: here’s something for all of us to laugh at:-
"I heard somebody say, 'Where's (Nelson) Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead. Because Saddam killed all the Mandelas" , said George Bush, on the former South African president, (who is still very much alive), Washington, D.C., Sept. 20, 2007.
Sigh!! :) :) :)
At this rate, we can all be presidents one day…….
Take care you all!!

Prodigal Blogger ;)

I'm growing incorrigibly infrequent. Not that it matters to anyone, but for all those who have taken the time to go through this chronicle of my musings, its because of a sad mix of lethargy, weird office timings, and a comparitively restricted access to the net. Also, the usual impediments of shifting to a new city, adjusting to a new way of life.

Speaking of which, I should say, my present flatmate has done me a great favour in placing that amazing invention of science and technology, a TV, in the flat. And just in case you you're already thinking, no, I'm not a parasite...we share the cable bill! :) Almost 5 years without the continual presence of the dumbing-down machine had almost turned me into an out-of-touch weirdo who only knew new songs from the radio or the net, and only knew news from the papers...ok, also from the websites. Or so I thought. Now I'm happy for the 5 saved years of my life. :)

The world of the small-screen today amazes me. Everybody is in a rush to bring on another 'me too' programme on the floor, and in the process, scaling newer peaks of inanity. 20 young girls are competing to win 2 (unknown, average-looking, one of them being an epitome of uncouthness) guys in an attempt to find what they think is true love. How? Well, by dancing on tables, baring their bodies and god oh god, going to the extremeties of uncivic behaviour...its a pain to even discuss any more. But what's more, the show has an amazing TRP, is extremely popular and has had me glued to the TV sometimes (though for different reasons: i like to follow how and to what levels of uncouthness people of my age can go to, to win that chance to be a VJ).

Like I have said earlier, WE ARE A VOYEURISTIC PEOPLE, and its not just us in India. The formats for most of these shows are less bolder copies of what's been tried and tested in that mecca of television/film entertainment, the US.

(I did manage to catch up on a great documentary on the Roman Emperors in The History Channel-one of the few saving graces that still lends TV some respect. But they are few and very badly advertised, so you see...)

And yes, there's a new rendition of the Mahabharata on air, courtesy the Ekta Kapur family. The new stylised look really has my curiosity piqued, hope the actual drama is as sleek as the trailers are. However, a Ganga in semi- mordern turquoise blue jewellery may be a bit too much for the aam junta to stomach. But then, its (K)ekta, so lets just see.

Oh, education seems to be the latest parameter of status amongst the town-based upper-middle class. A fresh add-on to the boost in consumerism, is it? Pay some money and ship your child off to some school/college in a fancy hill station, so what if its the mid term? Oh and yes, the kewl factor comes from saying "my kid's studying in la-la-land". You see, the school/college's name is too bleak to be remembered. My honest doubts if the parents remember them!! Yeah yeah, I know, its not a new thing, this buying seats in fancy places: what IS new is the growing urgency among town-based uppermiddle/ midle class people to fall in line. Sheez, takes away the right to snigger at those "bade baap ke aulaads", yaar!!

Speaking of education, just took a new course, in the form of Amitav Ghosh's "The Glass Palace". Unlike most other contemporary writers, the man holds magic in all his works...and I'm talking of the 'meets-your-expectation' level that happens when a reader, fascinated with one work, goes on to another. Hosseini failed to meet it, Coelho seems, in his own way, erratic, but Ghosh, now that's a man who knows his mind, and exactly how to execute what's on it! Can't wait to start on his latest "The sea of popppies". And before anyone even thinks of doing it, a word of warning: DO NOT, PLEASE DO NOT say, "why, sheldon and dan brown do it always". For one, they do not, and more importantly, it's sacrilege to compare the two kinds of writing.

My life recently has been revolving a lot around numbers. For all the days of business journalism classes that I spent in bed, someone somewhere was making a note. And He, in his great sense of humour, has thrown me right in the center of business and journalism, in that order. As a correspondent(equities) in a global news agency. Huh, who would have thought?

Well, will wrap up now... just a parting thought: how is it that most girls and guys today, i.e, ones in the age group of 19-25, all somehow look, talk, think, and carry themselves in exactly the same way? The number of clones that surround one makes it almost impossible to remember names, identities. Someone should find a generic term for all of them!!