Game, Set and Match :)

So eventually, it has come to this....a close friend of mine is expected to get married sometime in February....can't spill the beans because I have been asked not to...but I can't help myself from writing this post....for I know the couple and feel extremely happy for them....

I still am not the marriage and commitment types...still very much happily single and no plans to change either, but to some extent I realize what a good partner means for people. Maybe, because in past few days I have seen people suffering because they are not able to be with their loved ones, for one reason or the other, some because of their family pressures, some because the other person does not feel the same and a few because of the ego hassles...

I wonder, sometimes, how great it must be to find someone with whom you can spend your life, with whom you can share a good talk, with whom you'd like to have your food, someone who would care for you and your feelings, someone who would stand by you....and very importantly, someone who would respect your family as well....can love be more than that??? I don't know what love is, but for me that suffices..

and thus I feel happy for my friend, who will be married to someone he loves...who fulfills the criteria mentioned above, and probably some more...

So dear friend, I know you will read this...and I pity the girl who fell for you...girls are dumb after all, this marriage reaffirms my beliefs :D ...don't let her go because you are the lucky one, and even though I haven't been in one, I have seen relationships fall because of stupid reasons... you are wise enough to know that :)

My best wishes for both of you :D

A walk to remember...and some more..

Sachin Tendulkar walked...finally....and as expected people hailed the great man for the gentleman gesture of his...But did they forget that he never "walked" earlier, even when he knew he was out and always waited for umpire's decision. The only reason I believe is the presence of UDRS. He probably knew that West Indies will challenge the decision and instead of embarrassing himself the way Ricky Ponting did the other day, decided not to waste time on the field. But we Indians have to eulogize anything and everything associated with the "GOD". Can we please let him be human and, for a change, give other players their due credit...

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Saw "The Bridge on the River Kwai". I am on a "IMDB Top 250 movies" watching spree, you see...:)..It's an excellent movie, though it appears absurd at times. I got confused by the actions of the protagonist a number of times but understood the concept by the time movie ended (have to admit that the reviews helped a great deal as well :)). The highlight of the movie is the cinematography and the acting of Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) who deservedly won an oscar for his performance. The pace of the movie is excellent, even though it was made around 50 years back (I can definitely vouch for that, especially after watching "Seven Samurai"). Though based on World War II, it is not a usual war film. The movie revolves around the conflict between Colonel Saito and Colonel Nicholson. The greatness of the movie lies in the fact that the director makes the viewer understand the predicament of Colonel Saito who, though on the wrong side is not the devil as portrayed by Ralph Fiennes(playing the character of Amon Goeth) in Schindler's List.
I wonder why such movies are not made in Bollywood. I don't even need fingers to count good Hindi movies released in the past two years.

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I was recently reading a blog, a post on which criticized men for everything that is wrong with women in the world. It smelled both of hatred and a "female" chauvinism...And I wondered, isn't this the way of life?? That the powerful will always dominate and the weak will always suffer. We see this everywhere...don't we ?? Politicians make the common man suffer, big bully always has his way in school and BCCI twists the arm of every cricket playing nation to have its way...Instead of generalizing and hating them, can we try to make ourselves stronger, to face the difficulties in a better manner??? Too idealistic and too theoretical, I agree, but won't the world be a better place if such were to happen...

Ambitious

Why are people Ambitious???

After a lot of thinking, applying my super duper analytical and observation skills and wisdom acquired through experiences of life, I could think of four possible reasons...

1. They love what they do. The ambition is not to get anywhere but to remain immersed in the work they do. They work not for themselves but for something they love doing, kind of selfless service. In the process, they move ahead and inspire others. The most suitable examples I can find are those in the field of art.

2.Because they are ambitious. There don't need or seek motivation from external sources. They don't care where others are and just want to move ahead for their own selves. Great businessmen belong to this category.

3. They have to survive. If they don't move ahead, they will cease to exist. Most common of them all. They can be found everywhere around us.

4. They don't want to be left behind. It is not a survival problem but a fear that their contemporaries will move ahead of them. If asked, they'll cite above three reasons for being ambitious.Given a choice and an ideal scenario(for them, that is), they will continue to lead their life in present condition.

I believe most of the people belong to the last two categories and I, specifically fall in the last one..:) . It's those in the first two categories who actually create something beautiful and leave a mark. The rest....well they are just a part of the rat race.

PS. I had nothing to do and this is just an example of one of the stupid things I do to kill time....

HUMILITY

People sometimes call me humble...I know I am not...People confuse 'not bragging' with humility and probably that's where I think people make a major mistake. I know my limitations and many a time I get irritated when people think I am better than what I actually am. But does 'not bragging' make one humble..I don't think so...

I have failed many times in many things that I have tried. Biggest among them have been not getting through JEE and CAT as of now. There can be many reasons why I failed and probably the most important one is not preparing well enough. Putting in long hours is way different from hard work.

Some time back I met a friend of mine who had scored better than me in CAT. I know that he was not as passionate and enthusiastic about CAT as I had been, neither had he put in as much effort. But the end result for both of us was pretty much same. 'Not Selected'. We laughed about it when me met. I remember his exact words....'Dekh yaar! prepare tune bhi nahi kiya aur maine bhi nahi!!! ye to hona hi tha...agli baar prepare karke denge to badhiya hoga aur call bhi aa jayegi".

To him it did not make much of a difference since it was not something he had seriously tried. But to me it did. And that was precisely the time when my ego took a hit. Had he said the same thing again or had repeated it in some other way, I would have definitely told him..."Mujhe tera nahi pata...maine to bahut mehnat ki thi". I did not say that but I would have for sure. That would have satisfied my ego even if it was for a very short moment. But probably he had said a bitter truth I had refused to accept. Had I been well prepared, I would have got through at least one entrance exam among many that I wrote. It was not him that I was trying to convince. It was me all the way.

I know people who would not utter a word about their achievements. Humility reflects in their attitude and behaviour. They don't need the world to know who/what they are. Humility is about being brave and accepting the truth. More importantly it is definitely not about self deprecation. To me, Shahrukh Khan is more humble than Amitabh Bachchan. It may appear otherwise, but that is what I feel.

Random Bakwaas

Sometimes in life, when we try to get too close to some people, we push them far away...

Confusion Confusion

In a few days from now, I will be embarking upon a new journey. The long awaited 'joining date' as arrived. It had been postponed from July 14 to January 4 and now it has been preponed. When I got the news I was not sure if I should be happy. I am still not sure. If there is one thing that I have dreaded in my engineering, it has been coding and this is precisely the thing that I am going to do as job. Unlike my some other friends, I was not highly affected by the delay in joining because somewhere deep in my heart I never wanted to be a software engineer.

Being the lazy person I am, how am I going to survive in the competitive environment, remains to be seen. I am not sure if I am going to last long in this job, even if they increase my salary significantly. 23 years have passed and I still don't know what I want from my life. Money is important but so is the time needed to enjoy it. Money is important but so is ego. Money is important but so is peace of mind. I wanted to do MBA from a good college as soon as I graduated from my college. But it was more of peer pressure I guess and more importantly a long cherished dream of studying in an elite institution. Why MBA, and why me??? I am still searching for answers. I don't think many people know the answers either but they 'Just Do It'. Because this is what we're supposed to do. This is what leads to high paying jobs, isn't it?? And in our present society money means both success and security. kya karte ho ye chhodo, kitna kama rahe ho????

A friend of mine did only what she wanted to do. Undeterred by everybody(including me) who told her otherwise. Amongst all my friends, she is the only one who always seems to be enjoying, always with a smile on her face. She was the topper of her college, won gold medal for the best allrounder, but chose to go in a field which is full of struggle, in which money and recognition comes very late(If it comes, that is) until and unless you are very lucky or have loads of money or have great contacts. It's not money that she's after, nor recognition either. It is the satisfaction that she gets from her work that always leads to a smile on her face. Lot of times, I read and heard that it is the fear of failure that is the biggest hindrance in a man's success. I realise now what that means. We are too afraid to break away from the well trodden path, too afraid to come out of our comfort zones. I wish I had my friend's guts.....

Lessons of Life

Here is something I found on 'about me' of a person's orkut profile. All of it is so true.

As I grow old I learn lessons.

• I have learned that when you love someone, love unconditionally.
• I have learned that you may consider someone special but other person need not.
• I have learned that if you do not get goodness in return of yours it is your problem.
• I have learned that when people say they do not have time, they mean they do not have time for you.
• I have learned that not always people speak what they think of you.
• I have learned that people often do not think correct about you.
• I have learned that it is comfortable though not intelligent to neglect what people think of you.
• I have learned that image is not an insignificant thing to be neglected.
• I have learned that if you think you know a person who understands you, then either you are foolish or very lucky.
• I have learned that danger of being nice is that you will be taken for granted.
• I have learned that when you want to cry pillow is the best mate.
• I have learned that time once past has past, being sad, happy, proud, arrogant about it does not help.
• I have learned that circumstances, or luck, or whatever you want to call it, has more role to play in life than you would wish it to play.
• I have learned that small things can throw you off the track, what you call small is your intellect.
• I have learned that food and sleep are more basic necessities than what I considered them to be.
• I have learned that life teaches many more lessons than what can be penned down.
• I have learned that even if I know all this for quite some time I find it hard to implement them.
• I have learned that I find it hard to implement them because I am a human being.