Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Gene

Walked this afternoon. I love it when I get a chance to walk - I dodge the sprinklers with a spring to my step and raise my chin to the sunshine. I usually make it a point to atleast walk one round without my ipod on. But today the pop tech IT conversations podcast about falling fertility rates in developed countries and the cone and the pyramid model and the associated conflicts it would bring, was so interesting that I listened to it throughout. I am reading 'Posthuman future'. That in combination with this podcast gave me a lot to ponder.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Parineetha

Watched (and listened of course) to the song 'Kasto Mazza' from Parineetha in VH1. The shots were breathtakingly beautiful with lush scenery and handsome people. The composition has a joyful and longing quality to it. Or maybe its the voice.

I wouldn't have thought of Saif as a splendid actor. But in this song, he has this fantastic expression of tolerant amusement at his own love sickness. There is thisself indulgent smile. In one point, he sighs and shakes his head as though he utterly understands the burden of love, yet enjoys it.

Lured by the song, I rented the movie. Nothing to write home about.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Flu

Having cold and other flu symptoms. Everything becomes hazy, gets a dreamlike quality when I fall sick. And I wonder about useless things like what am I doing with my life etc.

Havent eaten badly cooked chicken or handled bird droppings recently, so cant be bird flu. So hopefully will get over it.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Email/Chat

Hilarious.

Unlike the writer of this article, I equate chatting and even email as more of a replacement for verbal communication than an equivalent of a written memo/article. And shortened words are because I cant type as fast as I could speak.

However, I do agree that blogging/email/chat has had a negative effect on my ability to write. Its easily accessible, so I should be spending my time on writing better, but instead, because its easy to reach my friend the moment I write, I don't take the pains to say something elaborate. I don't worry that it better be interesting. I write whatever comes to my mind, quite cryptically. After all, he or she will immediately ask me to clarify, if necessary. I don't argue my point. I make statements. I don't bother about my friend's point because I am too lazy to type, which I would have if we were talking.

I have lost the best of both worlds of talking and writing.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Privacy

Great news! If I live in a world where eventually everyone can get all the details about everyone else [Sort of like the street I grew up in] I dont have to stress about revealing personal information in my blog. What a relief. All those pictures I have to crop my face out before putting it up in the web - no more.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Temporary autism

I hate confrontations. Usually I am a model citizen [tongue in cheek], meekly taking the injustices/unfair treatments, shrugging it off as part of life. Yesteday I confronted. I yelled. And I was thinking how my mind was not registering the details it would usually do, how it was so inward.

I had an epiphany. This was the temporary autism in a charged situation that Gladwell talks about. Thankfully I didnt have a trigger to pull.

It also brought back my usual - 'I am so unobservant' lament. There must be some mental exercises. There is a beautiful story by Jeffrey Archer. He has dinner with a friend who talks about becoming a writer but fails to notice things happening around him. "What Japanese men?" or some such is the ending.