I think I went crazy for few hours today... from tracking my passport to planning my NY trip, to booking my flight to London... it was crazy... not to mention the packing, the last minute goodbyes, the shopping, the scare of how I will get across so many things to London.... its far from over but I have decided to take it easy... I went and got myself another suitcase cos one of my suitcases looked really pregnant from both sides.... so now I have three suitcases which is something which I hope will not attract too much attention from the airlines....
In a business meeting today I met with a senior person ... he was of Indian origin and looked like a good ole grandfather ..... and like all grandfathers he loved talking.... I was quite benign throughout the conversation.... until he started talking about India... in his analysis of the CWG fiasco he rightly blamed the Indian politicians... he was absolutely right and I endorsed the feeling of shame that I had in seeing my country build the ground for insulting itself in such an international manner..... then he said something which was not at all warranted or in my opinion not true... he called the Indian electorate "Stupid"... and "uneducated" and "not as intelligent as the Americans".... that burned my ears... okkk you can criticise the wrongs in the country but you cant call the people of India stupid... nooooo way... at least not in front of me.... so much against my better judgment I muttered up courage to say "I do not agree with that Sir. I think Indian electorate is emotional but definately not stupid".... Luckily my voice was so low that he didnt hear it I think - cos he went on again and again...
I mean the Indians are not the ones that voted George Bush to power - and that too twice! And for all the criticism of family run Congress party I would like to point out that attachment to familhy is a human phenomenon not an Indian characterstic... so you have several cases of fathers and sons becoming Presidents in the US... and I can bet my bottom dollar that if you have a kennedy stand for election he will win too....
Anyways I think I know enough about American to state that they are way ahead in terms of democracy and taking care of its people... and I am grateful to have seen that ... and set that as a bar... but I am not going to criticise the people of India as being stupid... we have something like a white man hangover...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
It has been crazy so far... so after what seems like eternity I finally received word that my UK visa has come through... yipeee... I am off to London in the next couple of days (I hope)....
but before that I have to travel to New York to meet with some very important people.... something that happened only because my visa got delayed... so maybe I should start believing in everything happens for a reason...
but before that I have to travel to New York to meet with some very important people.... something that happened only because my visa got delayed... so maybe I should start believing in everything happens for a reason...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday musings
This weekend was an unexpected bonus in washington... so i decided to make the most of my time here.... and my mind immediately went to something that I do in Mumbai...Cycling! so I was up and ready to bike at 9 a.m only to discover that it was raining in good ole DC... it ultimately cleared up at around noon... and I rushed out immediately to take benefit of the sparse sunshine.....
and cycle I did!! It was truly invigorating to cycle down Penn Avenue towards the capitol... and it was even more suprising to see that you are allowed to cycle so close to the Capitol... what an imposing building...truly a remarkable edifice of American democracy.... and then I cycled to the Eastern Market.. one of the most charming markets I have ever been too... there are musicians playing, people selling interesting stuff on the street, flea markets and paintings... I walked around hoping to find some interesting curio that I could take back from DC.... and ended up a Georgian painters tent... his paintings were striking... it had a hynotic feel to it... so I started a conversation with him asking him where he was from.. He was from Georgia...and I used my limited knowledge about Georgia to continue the conversation... I asked him about Shevernandze Government thinking in my mind that he was one of those sterling examples of post Russia leaders.... only to hear a barage of criticism from this Georgian painter... he blamed Sheverdnaze for all the ills in the country... he plundered... his family got all the wealth... he was pro west and hence got the support of the Americans... he ruined the economy... he killed a whole generation of people the painter informed.... I was absolutely stunned to hear that... in my mind this guy was the guy who was able to lead Georgia away from Russia into a democratic set up... and to hear this showed that what we hear in India is really something that is concocted.... and then he asked me whether I am studying politics here in DC.... and I said, I am doing something worse - I am a lawyer... he laughed... "Lawyers very smart, eh?" he responded... and I said "yes. some of them can be over smart too".... after a delightful conversation during which I glanced through his paintings (including some of them from his hometown in Georgia) I finally bought one of his paintings.... a nice thing to remember him by I thought...
and then it was back to the Mall where all the monuments are.... and after nearly 6 years I went to the Vietnam memorial.... it was quite touching to see people place flowers still in rememberance.... I sat in silence observing people reacting to the names on the wall .... one of them even sat down and wrote a note... I could only imagine that it was to their father or an uncle that they were writing to ....
and then after 3 hours of cycling it was time to come back home.... energised by the tour, talks and travels.... Ahh nice...
and cycle I did!! It was truly invigorating to cycle down Penn Avenue towards the capitol... and it was even more suprising to see that you are allowed to cycle so close to the Capitol... what an imposing building...truly a remarkable edifice of American democracy.... and then I cycled to the Eastern Market.. one of the most charming markets I have ever been too... there are musicians playing, people selling interesting stuff on the street, flea markets and paintings... I walked around hoping to find some interesting curio that I could take back from DC.... and ended up a Georgian painters tent... his paintings were striking... it had a hynotic feel to it... so I started a conversation with him asking him where he was from.. He was from Georgia...and I used my limited knowledge about Georgia to continue the conversation... I asked him about Shevernandze Government thinking in my mind that he was one of those sterling examples of post Russia leaders.... only to hear a barage of criticism from this Georgian painter... he blamed Sheverdnaze for all the ills in the country... he plundered... his family got all the wealth... he was pro west and hence got the support of the Americans... he ruined the economy... he killed a whole generation of people the painter informed.... I was absolutely stunned to hear that... in my mind this guy was the guy who was able to lead Georgia away from Russia into a democratic set up... and to hear this showed that what we hear in India is really something that is concocted.... and then he asked me whether I am studying politics here in DC.... and I said, I am doing something worse - I am a lawyer... he laughed... "Lawyers very smart, eh?" he responded... and I said "yes. some of them can be over smart too".... after a delightful conversation during which I glanced through his paintings (including some of them from his hometown in Georgia) I finally bought one of his paintings.... a nice thing to remember him by I thought...
and then it was back to the Mall where all the monuments are.... and after nearly 6 years I went to the Vietnam memorial.... it was quite touching to see people place flowers still in rememberance.... I sat in silence observing people reacting to the names on the wall .... one of them even sat down and wrote a note... I could only imagine that it was to their father or an uncle that they were writing to ....
and then after 3 hours of cycling it was time to come back home.... energised by the tour, talks and travels.... Ahh nice...
Thinking London, Looking Tokyo
This post is about people saying something and doing exactly the opposite...
For instance the recent controversy in the US is the pastor from Atlanta who has been accused of sexually assaulting boys from his church.... now this pastor was one of those people who preached that homosexuality is a sin and he was on earth to eradicate it..... and just as he preached, he went and did the exact opposite of that.... and then there is the case of the US senator who again used public forum to denounced homosexuality and then was caught soliciting a male prostitute!
All of this makes me wonder.... why preach something you cannot follow... rather why preach about that specific topic? I mean there are so many issues in the world you can raise your voice against - why raise an issue where you know you are not being honest?
This reminds of two scenes from two movies made by two different directors in two different continents... the first was the movie Mr and Mrs. Iyer.... which is a movie about a muslim man who gets caught in the riots and is saved by a hindu woman.... so there is the scene in the beginning Konkana Sen recoils from Rahul Bose on hearing that he is a muslim.... and then there is a scene where a man and his friend have a discussion about muslims saying their prayers in public and how it is such a nuisance... and one man tells the other man that muslims should be left alone and they should not be persecuted cos of their religion.... and later on in the movie when the hindu religious fundamentalists come onto the bus, and start searching for the muslims, konkana sen immediately tells them that the muslim is her husband and they are mr. and mrs. iyer... and when the fundamentalists continue to search for muslims, the man who previously advocated to his friend that muslims should be left alone get up and point out to the muslim couple in front of the bus.... which couple eventually get killed...
The next movie is Crash which was a brilliantly made movie about LA and the underlying racism.... so there is the case of Ryan Phillipe who is an upright cop who advocates equality and believes in giving Blacks a fair chance..and then there is another cop (Matt Dhillon I think) who is openly vitriolic... and denounces any form of equality between blacks and whites... there is a scene where he even insults a black couple .... and finally Ryan Phillippe in an attempt to protect a black boy takes him into the car... and then gets so scared by the boy that he shoots him dead .... and Matt Dhillon is called to rescue people from an accident... and one of the people stuck is the same black woman whom he had insulted... and they show how he risks his life to save her....
In both cases, all of them did exactly opposite of what they preached... so what does this mean??? is it that people who pretend to be good are not always that good... or that people who pretend to be bad are not always that bad....
Personally I have seen some sort of hypocrisy in my life... for instance i have seen many ultra religious people who proclaim that they are following the word of God and that they live the Christian life... but they are the first ones to shut the doors on the needy, the first ones to stack up their money and the first ones to be cunning.... and I also have a lot of people who are human rights advocates who claim to be embracing differences... yet they are the first ones to denounce people and their lifestyles... they denounce or judge the choices people make and claim that their choices and lifestyles are not pure enough since they are not doing good for other human beings.... what happened to the basic human right of choice??? Apparently there is only one choice in their books....
For instance the recent controversy in the US is the pastor from Atlanta who has been accused of sexually assaulting boys from his church.... now this pastor was one of those people who preached that homosexuality is a sin and he was on earth to eradicate it..... and just as he preached, he went and did the exact opposite of that.... and then there is the case of the US senator who again used public forum to denounced homosexuality and then was caught soliciting a male prostitute!
All of this makes me wonder.... why preach something you cannot follow... rather why preach about that specific topic? I mean there are so many issues in the world you can raise your voice against - why raise an issue where you know you are not being honest?
This reminds of two scenes from two movies made by two different directors in two different continents... the first was the movie Mr and Mrs. Iyer.... which is a movie about a muslim man who gets caught in the riots and is saved by a hindu woman.... so there is the scene in the beginning Konkana Sen recoils from Rahul Bose on hearing that he is a muslim.... and then there is a scene where a man and his friend have a discussion about muslims saying their prayers in public and how it is such a nuisance... and one man tells the other man that muslims should be left alone and they should not be persecuted cos of their religion.... and later on in the movie when the hindu religious fundamentalists come onto the bus, and start searching for the muslims, konkana sen immediately tells them that the muslim is her husband and they are mr. and mrs. iyer... and when the fundamentalists continue to search for muslims, the man who previously advocated to his friend that muslims should be left alone get up and point out to the muslim couple in front of the bus.... which couple eventually get killed...
The next movie is Crash which was a brilliantly made movie about LA and the underlying racism.... so there is the case of Ryan Phillipe who is an upright cop who advocates equality and believes in giving Blacks a fair chance..and then there is another cop (Matt Dhillon I think) who is openly vitriolic... and denounces any form of equality between blacks and whites... there is a scene where he even insults a black couple .... and finally Ryan Phillippe in an attempt to protect a black boy takes him into the car... and then gets so scared by the boy that he shoots him dead .... and Matt Dhillon is called to rescue people from an accident... and one of the people stuck is the same black woman whom he had insulted... and they show how he risks his life to save her....
In both cases, all of them did exactly opposite of what they preached... so what does this mean??? is it that people who pretend to be good are not always that good... or that people who pretend to be bad are not always that bad....
Personally I have seen some sort of hypocrisy in my life... for instance i have seen many ultra religious people who proclaim that they are following the word of God and that they live the Christian life... but they are the first ones to shut the doors on the needy, the first ones to stack up their money and the first ones to be cunning.... and I also have a lot of people who are human rights advocates who claim to be embracing differences... yet they are the first ones to denounce people and their lifestyles... they denounce or judge the choices people make and claim that their choices and lifestyles are not pure enough since they are not doing good for other human beings.... what happened to the basic human right of choice??? Apparently there is only one choice in their books....
Friday, September 24, 2010
Cultural Musings
Anywhere you go there is going to be a cultural exchange which is not going to be pleasant always... so while I have been very interested in learning about American culture (particularly the functioning of the Government, polictics etc) I have had some bloopers here...
The first one was at an office party... where at the end of the party I mentioned that my girlfriend is coming to pick me up... and immediately the lady replied "oh i didnt know you were gay"... I literally screamed out my clarification... nono.. its my friend who is a girl... the way i went around explaining it I might have sounded a tad homo-phobic...
the other incident was with a jewish friend... where he was explaining to me that during the recession he went against all advice and continued investing... and I half in awe told him "see that is the jew in you!".... my friend burst out laughing immediately... and told me that that is the most offensive thing you can say to a jew but he is laughing because I said it in such innocent way... I was profusely apologetic and told him that I meant it as a compliment etc etc...
So what are my learnings from this cultural experiences? That you can be stupid in any country.
The first one was at an office party... where at the end of the party I mentioned that my girlfriend is coming to pick me up... and immediately the lady replied "oh i didnt know you were gay"... I literally screamed out my clarification... nono.. its my friend who is a girl... the way i went around explaining it I might have sounded a tad homo-phobic...
the other incident was with a jewish friend... where he was explaining to me that during the recession he went against all advice and continued investing... and I half in awe told him "see that is the jew in you!".... my friend burst out laughing immediately... and told me that that is the most offensive thing you can say to a jew but he is laughing because I said it in such innocent way... I was profusely apologetic and told him that I meant it as a compliment etc etc...
So what are my learnings from this cultural experiences? That you can be stupid in any country.
last few days have been crazy at work... its almost like I am back at AMSS.... late nights, lots of discussions, lots of analysis, lots of pressure, deadlines etc etc... Ahh... the good life... I miss that too...
In other news, Christy has started going to school in Dar Es Salaam.. He is apparently adjusting very well. Baby George on the other hand - not so much. Apparently on the first day of school he got scared by the school that he refused to leave my sister.... now he refuses to go anywhere near the school so he is having a cushy life with my sister lounging at the hotel... hmm... I wonder whether he is acting scared so that he can stay and have fun in the hotel... devious little child...
In other news, Christy has started going to school in Dar Es Salaam.. He is apparently adjusting very well. Baby George on the other hand - not so much. Apparently on the first day of school he got scared by the school that he refused to leave my sister.... now he refuses to go anywhere near the school so he is having a cushy life with my sister lounging at the hotel... hmm... I wonder whether he is acting scared so that he can stay and have fun in the hotel... devious little child...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
So today I visited the House of Representatives of the US Congres... I got a gallery pass to sit in and observe the proceedings of the House of Representatives...
After clearing one security check after another I entered the visitors gallery expectantly hoping to see a lot animated activity... however I saw sleepy chairman, a bored out of her brain typist and overall disinterested members... the main reason for the disinterest was the long speech a congresswoman was giving... and the central point of her speech was the passage of a new bill to help small businesses...
But then things got interesting once the debate started.... the house was completely divided along party lines... there was the democrats on the left and the republicans on the right.... and the republicans attacked the bill like no business.... they expounded economic theories which sough to cut government involvement in public life.... and argued vehemently for a leaner government... one of them came up and said that Truman had fired about 100000 workers and yet had led the country to the best post war economic boom (without ofcourse mentioning that the war was the reason for the American boom).... and another republican brought out a poster of Uncle Sam pointing his finger and saying "You cut"... implying that the Government should cut taxes and scale down the involvement.... and a republican argued about something that was wrong with the legislation and the democrat stood up and said "but I am surprised you are saying this since you yourself voted against removing that provision from the law last week!".... The democracts were not any less and put forth a spirited response.... and they were sure of passing the bill in the house owing to their present day majority... and the possibility of the democrats losing the house was brought home when a republican stood up and said "I hope the public will choose better soon"...
The economic crisis dominated the discussion.... it is such a big thing in America with lots of people having lost their savings and their jobs.....
All in all a very informative visit it was for me... Now I want to see the UK parliament in action if possible and then ultimately my Parliament if possible...
After clearing one security check after another I entered the visitors gallery expectantly hoping to see a lot animated activity... however I saw sleepy chairman, a bored out of her brain typist and overall disinterested members... the main reason for the disinterest was the long speech a congresswoman was giving... and the central point of her speech was the passage of a new bill to help small businesses...
But then things got interesting once the debate started.... the house was completely divided along party lines... there was the democrats on the left and the republicans on the right.... and the republicans attacked the bill like no business.... they expounded economic theories which sough to cut government involvement in public life.... and argued vehemently for a leaner government... one of them came up and said that Truman had fired about 100000 workers and yet had led the country to the best post war economic boom (without ofcourse mentioning that the war was the reason for the American boom).... and another republican brought out a poster of Uncle Sam pointing his finger and saying "You cut"... implying that the Government should cut taxes and scale down the involvement.... and a republican argued about something that was wrong with the legislation and the democrat stood up and said "but I am surprised you are saying this since you yourself voted against removing that provision from the law last week!".... The democracts were not any less and put forth a spirited response.... and they were sure of passing the bill in the house owing to their present day majority... and the possibility of the democrats losing the house was brought home when a republican stood up and said "I hope the public will choose better soon"...
The economic crisis dominated the discussion.... it is such a big thing in America with lots of people having lost their savings and their jobs.....
All in all a very informative visit it was for me... Now I want to see the UK parliament in action if possible and then ultimately my Parliament if possible...
Is a Baby the new Prada?
Disclaimer: Trust me this is not about the previous post of mine... I admire the woman for doing what she did and I would love to do that one day if I could... but this is about the not so serious ..
There are some things that are fashionable nowadays....
For instance along with Prada, Gucci, Valentino, another thing that is gaining currency as the fashion statement is the Baby ...... and mostly I see men using the baby thing as a way to get more brownie points about their personality.... so I knew of someone who had a picture of his baby on his desk as if it was an award...and a really really silly painting on his wall made by his child...now dont get me wrong... I am sure this guy loved his kid... but somehow seeing so much exhibitionism about his child I started to wonder why he needed to do that.... I mean it is one thing to feel elated about it but another to shove it down somebody else unwilling throat....... now this is also the person who would have picture of "Godfather" on his wall to just appear to be "with it"... you know, things that are popular and hence would increase your status? or maybe I am distrustful of men who appear toooo involved...
The other thing that is gaining currency slowly in India is the "I hate Mumbai (and hence India)" crowd.... now I am one of those vocal opponents of any form of beratement of this city... but I am catastrophic when it comes to criticism from a person who has just shifted into the city... I know foreigners find it tough to live in Mumbai but it is also tough for Indians to start living in the US .... there are cultural differences and it is not easy to adjust to that.... so one common friend asked another friend of mine about how I am doing and when my friend responded that she is looking forward to coming back to India this common friend blurted out "What? Is she crazy? Ask her to find some gora, get married and settle down there". This common friend had shifted into Mumbai 2 years back after living abroad for 5 years .... and ever since he has been lamenting his "misfortune" in coming to Mumbai..... through this trauma I have been quite understanding giving him space to feel good about Mumbai... cos I hated Mumbai too when I first interned there.... but this latest salvo from him offended me at so many levels... firstly assuming that my life abroad is wayyyyy better for me than the life I had and would have .... then assuming that I needed to marry someone to get admission into the States offended me as a woman... I have an education that can get me to some places and I sure as hell dont need a man to bring me better fortune.....and thirdly this common friend was actually judging me for not wanting the same life that he wanted for himself....I am different so does that mean that I am not good???
But this is my question - what prevents me from judging this friend of mine back... I mean should I not judge him because he has shown no respect for the education that India has given him? Should I not judge him for not loving his own country? should I not judge him for the lack of decency in critising somebody else's choices??
Or is it just more "cooler" to say that India sucks...
One thing is for sure - I am not that fashion concious to adopt these latest trends...
There are some things that are fashionable nowadays....
For instance along with Prada, Gucci, Valentino, another thing that is gaining currency as the fashion statement is the Baby ...... and mostly I see men using the baby thing as a way to get more brownie points about their personality.... so I knew of someone who had a picture of his baby on his desk as if it was an award...and a really really silly painting on his wall made by his child...now dont get me wrong... I am sure this guy loved his kid... but somehow seeing so much exhibitionism about his child I started to wonder why he needed to do that.... I mean it is one thing to feel elated about it but another to shove it down somebody else unwilling throat....... now this is also the person who would have picture of "Godfather" on his wall to just appear to be "with it"... you know, things that are popular and hence would increase your status? or maybe I am distrustful of men who appear toooo involved...
The other thing that is gaining currency slowly in India is the "I hate Mumbai (and hence India)" crowd.... now I am one of those vocal opponents of any form of beratement of this city... but I am catastrophic when it comes to criticism from a person who has just shifted into the city... I know foreigners find it tough to live in Mumbai but it is also tough for Indians to start living in the US .... there are cultural differences and it is not easy to adjust to that.... so one common friend asked another friend of mine about how I am doing and when my friend responded that she is looking forward to coming back to India this common friend blurted out "What? Is she crazy? Ask her to find some gora, get married and settle down there". This common friend had shifted into Mumbai 2 years back after living abroad for 5 years .... and ever since he has been lamenting his "misfortune" in coming to Mumbai..... through this trauma I have been quite understanding giving him space to feel good about Mumbai... cos I hated Mumbai too when I first interned there.... but this latest salvo from him offended me at so many levels... firstly assuming that my life abroad is wayyyyy better for me than the life I had and would have .... then assuming that I needed to marry someone to get admission into the States offended me as a woman... I have an education that can get me to some places and I sure as hell dont need a man to bring me better fortune.....and thirdly this common friend was actually judging me for not wanting the same life that he wanted for himself....I am different so does that mean that I am not good???
But this is my question - what prevents me from judging this friend of mine back... I mean should I not judge him because he has shown no respect for the education that India has given him? Should I not judge him for not loving his own country? should I not judge him for the lack of decency in critising somebody else's choices??
Or is it just more "cooler" to say that India sucks...
One thing is for sure - I am not that fashion concious to adopt these latest trends...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
I dont know what it is but I suddenly feel sad about leaving Washington... I guess now I have got used to the life here...
and another thing is that I am suddenly scared of going back to India... now given that I have been longing so much for Mumbai this might come as a surprise ... but having had this time in DC and having not been under the terrible pressure that one is used to in India, I am wondering whether I have sort of become "soft"... now I like to focus more on my creative ventures rather than getting my hands dirty for a transaction... I would like to have more time to travel... see new places, learn new things... so I am wondering whether I will lose this zest when I am back in India... getting back into the pressure that is the pressure of a really normal mundane life.... now dont get me wrong... It is not because it is India... but more so because I am slowly beginning to like the change in me and my life cos I have been away from the humdrum of life..... sometimes it takes a radical change (and most often unwelcome) for you to notice the better things in you.....
Or maybe it is because Mumbai wont be the same without my sister and the kids.... but then I have two new babiesto spoil and play with now in Mumbai...
Waiting to see what London has in store for me....hmm...
and another thing is that I am suddenly scared of going back to India... now given that I have been longing so much for Mumbai this might come as a surprise ... but having had this time in DC and having not been under the terrible pressure that one is used to in India, I am wondering whether I have sort of become "soft"... now I like to focus more on my creative ventures rather than getting my hands dirty for a transaction... I would like to have more time to travel... see new places, learn new things... so I am wondering whether I will lose this zest when I am back in India... getting back into the pressure that is the pressure of a really normal mundane life.... now dont get me wrong... It is not because it is India... but more so because I am slowly beginning to like the change in me and my life cos I have been away from the humdrum of life..... sometimes it takes a radical change (and most often unwelcome) for you to notice the better things in you.....
Or maybe it is because Mumbai wont be the same without my sister and the kids.... but then I have two new babiesto spoil and play with now in Mumbai...
Waiting to see what London has in store for me....hmm...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
2 of my closest friends in Mumbai just had their babies - on the same day!!!!!!! God bless
And another close friend declared that she is getting married in Feb ... and is waiting for me to attend the wedding...
Cant wait to see all this in January when I get back to India.... I cant believe I am missing so much action in my friends lives....
2010 - keep it up!
I am in "shift" mode.... packing stuff, feeling wistful about my soon to be past life in DC, the sights of DC, the shopping etc...
But what is my biggest regret? That I did not get to shake hands with Obama. But I did a "six degrees of separation" calculation and it turns out there is very little separating Obama and me (apart from the fact that he doesnt know I exist and that he would not care to know as well)... you see there is a colleague in my office who has a picture of her with Obama hanging in the office.... so that means I know her and she knows Obama and voila! I am just one degree seperate from Obama.... but physically speaking, the maximum I have come to is getting stuck in a traffic jam on account of a presidential motorcade.....
does that count? in my books yes!
But what is my biggest regret? That I did not get to shake hands with Obama. But I did a "six degrees of separation" calculation and it turns out there is very little separating Obama and me (apart from the fact that he doesnt know I exist and that he would not care to know as well)... you see there is a colleague in my office who has a picture of her with Obama hanging in the office.... so that means I know her and she knows Obama and voila! I am just one degree seperate from Obama.... but physically speaking, the maximum I have come to is getting stuck in a traffic jam on account of a presidential motorcade.....
does that count? in my books yes!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Someone mentioned to me that they believe that even without religion or rule of law, people would behave themselves and not commit crimes... he emphasised on the inherent goodness of people which will make them see right and wrong... and stop any crimes....
I disagree.... if morality was such a pull why is it that we see so many atrocities committed only during riots when there is general lawlessness... or why do we see war crimes? why is it that people are subject to utmost brutality by some people when they have the power to get away with impunity? I think it was the Nuremberg trials which stated that people should listen to their own values while deciding their actions (the argument put across by several Nazi solidiers was that they were just following orders)....
but I believe, given a chance people would be ready to exploit. and be totally SELFISH.
I disagree.... if morality was such a pull why is it that we see so many atrocities committed only during riots when there is general lawlessness... or why do we see war crimes? why is it that people are subject to utmost brutality by some people when they have the power to get away with impunity? I think it was the Nuremberg trials which stated that people should listen to their own values while deciding their actions (the argument put across by several Nazi solidiers was that they were just following orders)....
but I believe, given a chance people would be ready to exploit. and be totally SELFISH.
In one of the news programmes on CNN, one of the political strategist raised an issue which surprised me... he stated that the biggest mistake that Obama made when he took office was not to clarify which church he belonged to! I was stunned. I mean this is United States - there is no place for religion in a society made up of immigrants?? Turns out there is a strong Bible belt in the United States who are very serious about the candidates for presidency being of a particular religion... infact growing up I used to hear that Kennedy was the first catholic President ever... and I remember thinking to myself - but what is the difference? He is still a Christian right? Apparently the Bible belt does not like Catholics to be voted into power.
So we have Obama whose middle name is Hussein... and who had to clarify that he was not a muslim... and also confirm that he was a practicing christian.... to me that signified a clear discrimination... I mean isnt that what we face in Gujarat? the question of whether you are a hindu or a muslim? so in the worlds leading democracy religion still plays a card?
I was shocked and in a way distressed.... this just exhibited that no matter how much education, wealth, or even so called "progress" you make in society people are still petty and small about such things....
So we have Obama whose middle name is Hussein... and who had to clarify that he was not a muslim... and also confirm that he was a practicing christian.... to me that signified a clear discrimination... I mean isnt that what we face in Gujarat? the question of whether you are a hindu or a muslim? so in the worlds leading democracy religion still plays a card?
I was shocked and in a way distressed.... this just exhibited that no matter how much education, wealth, or even so called "progress" you make in society people are still petty and small about such things....
Thursday, September 16, 2010
so suddenly it looks like I am swamped... with many things too boring to explain.... and this is also the last 2 weeks of my stay in DC and I am making large scale plans to meet up with people and do a little more of sightseeing around DC.... so the next 3 days are jam packed with activities... and then I have to slowly start thinking about packing.... I hate packing... it always makes me tense...what if the bag is too small... what if the customs officer stops me and asks me to hand ovre half my life's savings for the overweight bag I am carrying... Ohh Gosh - my mind never stops imagining...
and today I have to attend a formal dinner... and when I mentioned this to my friend, along with the dollop of advice about the gift to take to the party, my friend casually mentioned "oh also, be mature".... whatt????? I scrambled my friend's brain for the next 20 mins to figure out what she meant.... what do you mean mature? Do I appear immature? Do I talk like an immature person?? blah blah blah...and I think my friend changed her story (she even called me "interesting to talk to" in a valiant attempt to get rid of me and my incessant barage of questions)..... now I am all tense for this formal meeting... maybe the solution would be if I pretend to be a robot. Stand still, follow the hand movement so as to exhibit life, follow the directions given by the host (eat, drink, talk) and then quietly exit the party without giving too much indication of my personality....
In other news my sister and the kids have finally left Mumbai.... they must be in Dar Es Salaam by now.... I wonder how Baby George is reacting to his new surroundings... maybe he will scare off a few lions.... actually his elder brother might.... Gosh, mumbai without them - inconceivable!
and today I have to attend a formal dinner... and when I mentioned this to my friend, along with the dollop of advice about the gift to take to the party, my friend casually mentioned "oh also, be mature".... whatt????? I scrambled my friend's brain for the next 20 mins to figure out what she meant.... what do you mean mature? Do I appear immature? Do I talk like an immature person?? blah blah blah...and I think my friend changed her story (she even called me "interesting to talk to" in a valiant attempt to get rid of me and my incessant barage of questions)..... now I am all tense for this formal meeting... maybe the solution would be if I pretend to be a robot. Stand still, follow the hand movement so as to exhibit life, follow the directions given by the host (eat, drink, talk) and then quietly exit the party without giving too much indication of my personality....
In other news my sister and the kids have finally left Mumbai.... they must be in Dar Es Salaam by now.... I wonder how Baby George is reacting to his new surroundings... maybe he will scare off a few lions.... actually his elder brother might.... Gosh, mumbai without them - inconceivable!
I completed 400 posts in this blog! I have been writing on this blog for 5 years now. Hmm... nice to know I dont get bored of at least blogging...
A newspaper article recently wrote that people who frequent facebook suffer from low self esteem.... I have always maintained that facebook is an outlet for many people... many of them are deprived of a means to show their friends and relatives their life - mostly to show their relatives the good things in their lives...... it is their way of announcing that they are upto something spectacular in life....
And I dont fault them either.....every single human being requires affirmation from other... be it about their life choices, life, lifestlye, their talents etc..... for instance this blog is my way of announcing to the world what I am upto... ofcourse the fact that only a handful of people find it interesting or even read it is no deterrent to me..... I remember when I had clicked a picture of me shaking hands with the President of India I sent it to my cousins in South Africa! In hindsight my cousins really didnt care and probably I need not have bothered but at that time sending them the picture was my way of seeking an affirmation from my relatives....
So I find facebook to be an extension of that... but there are some curious behaviours exhibited on facebook which amuses me sometimes...
There is the case of the fellow who went to a foreign country... now I know that the person went to the foreign country and didnt do anything but stay inside and work.... and the fellow had put up pictures of the city as shot from his hotel room! The fellow was that desperate to announce to the world that he was travelling abroad on work....
Then there is the case of the homemaker.... who constantly changes the status to keep saying that her life is blessed...or words to the effect that she cant believe how lucky she is... at first reading it warms you up.... but then when you see it again and again and again you wonder - is she sending out a message? Does she really want people to acknowledge her luck in public? And then the question that begs to be answered - if you feel so lucky indeed, then why do you need to tell people about it?
Then there is the case of the person who adds friends at the drop of a hat.... just so that they are considered to be really popular.... I know a couple where the husband was so jealous of the wife of the number of friends his wife had he would just go about adding anyone to his list... I am not sure whether he succeeded in matching up to her... but facebook is somewhat of an exhibit of your popularity....
I am probably equally at fault many times... and I am more at fault because I quietly observe rather than participate... which looks a bit sneaky at times...
But overall facebook is helpful... to keep in touch with people you dont want to lose touch with me but dont want to actively be in touch with either....
A newspaper article recently wrote that people who frequent facebook suffer from low self esteem.... I have always maintained that facebook is an outlet for many people... many of them are deprived of a means to show their friends and relatives their life - mostly to show their relatives the good things in their lives...... it is their way of announcing that they are upto something spectacular in life....
And I dont fault them either.....every single human being requires affirmation from other... be it about their life choices, life, lifestlye, their talents etc..... for instance this blog is my way of announcing to the world what I am upto... ofcourse the fact that only a handful of people find it interesting or even read it is no deterrent to me..... I remember when I had clicked a picture of me shaking hands with the President of India I sent it to my cousins in South Africa! In hindsight my cousins really didnt care and probably I need not have bothered but at that time sending them the picture was my way of seeking an affirmation from my relatives....
So I find facebook to be an extension of that... but there are some curious behaviours exhibited on facebook which amuses me sometimes...
There is the case of the fellow who went to a foreign country... now I know that the person went to the foreign country and didnt do anything but stay inside and work.... and the fellow had put up pictures of the city as shot from his hotel room! The fellow was that desperate to announce to the world that he was travelling abroad on work....
Then there is the case of the homemaker.... who constantly changes the status to keep saying that her life is blessed...or words to the effect that she cant believe how lucky she is... at first reading it warms you up.... but then when you see it again and again and again you wonder - is she sending out a message? Does she really want people to acknowledge her luck in public? And then the question that begs to be answered - if you feel so lucky indeed, then why do you need to tell people about it?
Then there is the case of the person who adds friends at the drop of a hat.... just so that they are considered to be really popular.... I know a couple where the husband was so jealous of the wife of the number of friends his wife had he would just go about adding anyone to his list... I am not sure whether he succeeded in matching up to her... but facebook is somewhat of an exhibit of your popularity....
I am probably equally at fault many times... and I am more at fault because I quietly observe rather than participate... which looks a bit sneaky at times...
But overall facebook is helpful... to keep in touch with people you dont want to lose touch with me but dont want to actively be in touch with either....
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Recently I had to request my friend for some financial help in that I needed some urgent money transferred into my account in India...
and as frantic as I asked her for help I frantically asked her for her account number and sought to wire the money from the US to her account in India... her response was livid - "please pay me when you get back - there is no hurry"... and just for a lark I decided to test her faith in me... "but what if I run away with the money and spend it all on male strippers who will do the full monty for me"...
My friend responded - "then I would consider my money well spent"...
That is the thing with good friends - they always know when and how to spend the money well ...
Now to find some male strippers in DC... hahha... just kidding...
and as frantic as I asked her for help I frantically asked her for her account number and sought to wire the money from the US to her account in India... her response was livid - "please pay me when you get back - there is no hurry"... and just for a lark I decided to test her faith in me... "but what if I run away with the money and spend it all on male strippers who will do the full monty for me"...
My friend responded - "then I would consider my money well spent"...
That is the thing with good friends - they always know when and how to spend the money well ...
Now to find some male strippers in DC... hahha... just kidding...
Overall US is a safe place... I dont feel the fear while walking outside... or while walking on the road or even taking the Metro.... I am confident that if I get into trouble I will always have some public service personnel to help me.... in fact quite often I find policemen on every corner and they are always ready to lend a helping hand....
But on the other hand I also feel scared quite often in the States... for instance the other day my friend and I had gone to the Lincoln Memorial at night .... and there was a plane above us flying really low.... I am not sure what happened but my friend (who is American) immediately clutched my hand and watched the plane intently..... and whispered to me "why is that plan flying so low?"... I didnt respond... after a while my friend turned tome and said "Lets get out of here fast"....
The plane was flying low only because it was trying to land at the Washington National Airport.... but the events of September 11th had so traumatised my friend that she was now scared of any plane that was flying low.... the fear would surface anytime there would be anything untoward in the sky.... The fear that America could be under attack anytime....
Compared to that, despite the Mumbai attacks I dont fear going to the Taj or any of those places where the terrorists attacked Mumbai... I almost adopt a fatalistic attitude - if I have to die I will die.... and walk on by as if nothing has happened.... Is it a belief that everything in India is saved by God and not by the administration? So if God chooses to save you, you will be saved....so if you happen to be caught in a terrorist attack then you are just plain unlucky... Is that how Indians view the terrorist attacks?
Personally speaking I get scared sometimes in Washington ... thinking an attack is imminent....Or maybe it is the effect of the Hollywood movies..... you know movies where everything happens first in the United States.... so if the aliens attack, they first attack Washington, DC like they showed in Independence Day.... or the end of the world begins in the United States like in the movie "2012".... and natives in each country are left praying for divine intervention in front of the "religious" structures such as the Taj Mahal....
I better be careful walking around... or I better stop watching doomsday movies
But on the other hand I also feel scared quite often in the States... for instance the other day my friend and I had gone to the Lincoln Memorial at night .... and there was a plane above us flying really low.... I am not sure what happened but my friend (who is American) immediately clutched my hand and watched the plane intently..... and whispered to me "why is that plan flying so low?"... I didnt respond... after a while my friend turned tome and said "Lets get out of here fast"....
The plane was flying low only because it was trying to land at the Washington National Airport.... but the events of September 11th had so traumatised my friend that she was now scared of any plane that was flying low.... the fear would surface anytime there would be anything untoward in the sky.... The fear that America could be under attack anytime....
Compared to that, despite the Mumbai attacks I dont fear going to the Taj or any of those places where the terrorists attacked Mumbai... I almost adopt a fatalistic attitude - if I have to die I will die.... and walk on by as if nothing has happened.... Is it a belief that everything in India is saved by God and not by the administration? So if God chooses to save you, you will be saved....so if you happen to be caught in a terrorist attack then you are just plain unlucky... Is that how Indians view the terrorist attacks?
Personally speaking I get scared sometimes in Washington ... thinking an attack is imminent....Or maybe it is the effect of the Hollywood movies..... you know movies where everything happens first in the United States.... so if the aliens attack, they first attack Washington, DC like they showed in Independence Day.... or the end of the world begins in the United States like in the movie "2012".... and natives in each country are left praying for divine intervention in front of the "religious" structures such as the Taj Mahal....
I better be careful walking around... or I better stop watching doomsday movies
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
How do you react to jealousy? One when someone is jealous of you and two when you are jealous of someone...
both questions are in some way related.... so take a hypothetical situation for instance ... say you have always craved for that exquisite dress in the window of a fancy boutique.... and you never did have enough money to buy it..... but you make do by looking at the dress everyday to and back from work... promising yourself everyday that one day you will save up enough money to buy that dress... and then you envisage yourself wearing that dress and making a splash in society....
Cut to reality... you never did manage to save enough for that dress... and worse, your friend/colleague actually bought that dress and is now making that splash in society instead of you.....
What do you do?
A. You chastise the friend (without revealing that you have lusted after that dress for the longest time) and tell her that she is financially irresponsible for having spent so much money on a dress.... :"Are you going to waste money ? If you buy so many things you will run out of money and then you will one day look back and wonder why you spent so much on clothes? You dont even have a house - so what would you rather have - a house or good clothes? Anyways that dress does not look good on you".
B. You congratulate the friend on the new possession - but slyly mention that the colour does not suit her (the dress looks fabulous on her in your honest opinion)
C. You criticise the dress and its value in front of the friend - Hmmm.. I wonder whether this dress will last ... look at the fabric... maybe you should not wear it so often....
Soon your friend looks sheepish in the dress - goal!
D. You say nothing to your friend, you ignore her and the dress and mingle with other people who have nothing to do with the dress...
E. You go upto the friend and confess that you have always wanted that dress but never could manage enough to buy it... and mention that it looks good on her !
Which of the options above would you honestly choose?
I have been on both sides of the fence.... and trust me when jealousy rears its head it always ends up hurting both parties........ you feel sad.... for the loss of the uncomplicated relationship that you had with your friend... for the realisation that from now on you are not looking out for your friends interest or that your friend is not looking out for your interest....
Its a loss of friendship in any event....
both questions are in some way related.... so take a hypothetical situation for instance ... say you have always craved for that exquisite dress in the window of a fancy boutique.... and you never did have enough money to buy it..... but you make do by looking at the dress everyday to and back from work... promising yourself everyday that one day you will save up enough money to buy that dress... and then you envisage yourself wearing that dress and making a splash in society....
Cut to reality... you never did manage to save enough for that dress... and worse, your friend/colleague actually bought that dress and is now making that splash in society instead of you.....
What do you do?
A. You chastise the friend (without revealing that you have lusted after that dress for the longest time) and tell her that she is financially irresponsible for having spent so much money on a dress.... :"Are you going to waste money ? If you buy so many things you will run out of money and then you will one day look back and wonder why you spent so much on clothes? You dont even have a house - so what would you rather have - a house or good clothes? Anyways that dress does not look good on you".
B. You congratulate the friend on the new possession - but slyly mention that the colour does not suit her (the dress looks fabulous on her in your honest opinion)
C. You criticise the dress and its value in front of the friend - Hmmm.. I wonder whether this dress will last ... look at the fabric... maybe you should not wear it so often....
Soon your friend looks sheepish in the dress - goal!
D. You say nothing to your friend, you ignore her and the dress and mingle with other people who have nothing to do with the dress...
E. You go upto the friend and confess that you have always wanted that dress but never could manage enough to buy it... and mention that it looks good on her !
Which of the options above would you honestly choose?
I have been on both sides of the fence.... and trust me when jealousy rears its head it always ends up hurting both parties........ you feel sad.... for the loss of the uncomplicated relationship that you had with your friend... for the realisation that from now on you are not looking out for your friends interest or that your friend is not looking out for your interest....
Its a loss of friendship in any event....
I had a glimse of the American way of life this weekend... I saw the womens US open final in NY this weekend ... followed by a game of American football between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys.... while the US Open was tame, the football game was all american... I have never seem such a boisterous crowd in my life... walking on the road my friend (who was a Dallas fan) was chided and told to go home.... there was screaming... and the crowd was so loud that I thot my ear drums would break..... and I topped it up by having authentic junk food - hot dog!
I also got a feel of what it is like to be an American citizen.... at these sporting events security remains a hugs concern ... and taking care of so many people who were converged in one place is no joke.... but I have to say that the police, NYPD , metro personnel did such a fantastic job of it.... in particular one incident stood out... a handicapped person had got onto the wrong platform.... the metro personnel went out of their way to help the handicapped person... they stopped the train a formed a bridge between the trains and then ensured that the handicapped person got out safe and sound... if this the attention that every citizen gets in this country, I would have to agree that America is truly the leader of the world in terms of democracy.... when will politics in India bring the citizen back into the equation? It is also perhaps telling that while corruption exists in the US, the corruption is limited to really big important deals... it does not affect the common man.... I think India should aim to graduate to that form of corruption .... rooting out corruption is not really an option....
There is one more thing I like about America - it is enshrined in their constitution.... it recognises the "pursuit of Happiness" as the right of every citizen.... Now that is refreshing....
I also got a feel of what it is like to be an American citizen.... at these sporting events security remains a hugs concern ... and taking care of so many people who were converged in one place is no joke.... but I have to say that the police, NYPD , metro personnel did such a fantastic job of it.... in particular one incident stood out... a handicapped person had got onto the wrong platform.... the metro personnel went out of their way to help the handicapped person... they stopped the train a formed a bridge between the trains and then ensured that the handicapped person got out safe and sound... if this the attention that every citizen gets in this country, I would have to agree that America is truly the leader of the world in terms of democracy.... when will politics in India bring the citizen back into the equation? It is also perhaps telling that while corruption exists in the US, the corruption is limited to really big important deals... it does not affect the common man.... I think India should aim to graduate to that form of corruption .... rooting out corruption is not really an option....
There is one more thing I like about America - it is enshrined in their constitution.... it recognises the "pursuit of Happiness" as the right of every citizen.... Now that is refreshing....
Generation Talk
I just spoke to my mom.... and in her opinion my life is completely wasted.... she was categorical in that she feels I have not done anything with my life....
I agreed with her. My life does seem completely wasted at times. But not for the same reason my mom thinks.
I agreed with her. My life does seem completely wasted at times. But not for the same reason my mom thinks.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Coasting Through Costa Rica
My Boss at Milbank was really surprised that I had chosen to go to Costa Rica... and asked me "but why Costa Rica?"... my answer could not have been more insane.... I told him that the real inspiration for my trip was ...Jurassic Park! I remember watching the movie and thinking that Dinos got to live in this beautiful magical place with mountains, forests and rivers ... and gues what it was shot in Costa Rica! As far as I was concerned Costa Rica was calling out to me... and I just responded....
Well what can you say about a place that has Volcanos, cloud forests, tropical forest and beaches adjoining those forests! Pura Vida ofcourse! which means Pure Life.... and Costa Ricans really mean it - everything in Costa Rica is natural - no artificial ingredients.... so one day I was watching the active Arenal Volcana, and the next day I was sipping water as the clouds invaded my room in Monteverde Cloud reserve forest and the day after that I walked through a tropical forest to reach a white sand beach! While all the way gazing at exotic species of animals! ofcourse I did nothing more than click pictures at the beach since I dont swim - like my friend commented - you are a total waste at the beach....
And for the first time in my life I did the Zip Lines - which is basically you zipping through the mountain ranges held up by nothing more than a pulley and belts... and it was exhilarating to zip through clouds at Monteverde... imagine only seeing white around and not seeing what is at the end of the zip line.... I really thought I was crusing through heaven... if that is heaven then I am going to be a better person on earth to earn a berth there....
As always I managed to meet different people from different backgrounds on this trip..... and it was an advantage that I was travelling alone... many were less reserved since I was so easy to approach... others were curious to know how I am able to travel alone and wanted to do it themselves... many others were just interested in knowing about India and I was only happy to oblige....
lots of interesting conversations, meals and zip rides later I am back in Washington... which has suddenly become colder than I last remembered.... that just means one thing - Fall is here! waiting to take pictures with the fall leaves....
So my friends - have a Pura Vida.... travel alone for once in your life... and see how much more lovelier life becomes.....
Well what can you say about a place that has Volcanos, cloud forests, tropical forest and beaches adjoining those forests! Pura Vida ofcourse! which means Pure Life.... and Costa Ricans really mean it - everything in Costa Rica is natural - no artificial ingredients.... so one day I was watching the active Arenal Volcana, and the next day I was sipping water as the clouds invaded my room in Monteverde Cloud reserve forest and the day after that I walked through a tropical forest to reach a white sand beach! While all the way gazing at exotic species of animals! ofcourse I did nothing more than click pictures at the beach since I dont swim - like my friend commented - you are a total waste at the beach....
And for the first time in my life I did the Zip Lines - which is basically you zipping through the mountain ranges held up by nothing more than a pulley and belts... and it was exhilarating to zip through clouds at Monteverde... imagine only seeing white around and not seeing what is at the end of the zip line.... I really thought I was crusing through heaven... if that is heaven then I am going to be a better person on earth to earn a berth there....
As always I managed to meet different people from different backgrounds on this trip..... and it was an advantage that I was travelling alone... many were less reserved since I was so easy to approach... others were curious to know how I am able to travel alone and wanted to do it themselves... many others were just interested in knowing about India and I was only happy to oblige....
lots of interesting conversations, meals and zip rides later I am back in Washington... which has suddenly become colder than I last remembered.... that just means one thing - Fall is here! waiting to take pictures with the fall leaves....
So my friends - have a Pura Vida.... travel alone for once in your life... and see how much more lovelier life becomes.....
Monday, September 06, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Couple of things have kept my life a bit exciting in Washington....
First off I did my first interview of a potential internship candidate at Milbank.... I was nervous since I had never before interviewed anyone... ofcourse I have been interviewed before and I hate some of the questions that are thrown at me.... "where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" or "What do you like to do in your free time?".... I mean if the answer to the first question were to be any different from "I see myself slogging my a*%$ off at your organisation" you can kiss your chances goodbye... and for the second question, if you do have a life outside of work, you can pretty much kiss that goodbye since work demands will come before your life demands... but the suprisingly thing was that I found myself asking the exact same questions!!! I pondered over what questions to ask but I could not really come up with anything better.... I have more respect for interviewers now...
I went for my first private art exhibition in Washington DC.... so there I was mingling with the "arterrati" of Washington in their pearls and high heels looking at art... ofcourse it took me a while to figure out where the art was ..... only to realise later that the "art work" being exhibited were a series of video clippings..it was video art work... so there was a scene where a woman was vaccuming the sand on a beach.... yes, you read right... so the video repeated scenes of her crisscrossing across the beach with the vaccum in hand .... and I tried to make sense of the whole video to see the "art" in her and I think a vaccum was forming in my head... so I moved on to the next video... which was a camera following a woman on a street... and that was all it did for 2 mins... art shmart, it was 2 mins of my life wasted!.... but the night also helped me realise that art cannot be defined...it is what you define as art....
I also received my first Hurricane warning from my building... in anticipation of Hurricane Earl hitting our shores soon.... well apparently DC remains pretty much untouched by hurricanes and I am hoping it is true this time round as well....
This morning I walked around the Mall (where all the monuments are).... walked past the WW II memorial, the Korean war memorial, Lincoln Memorial etc.... Washington is great that way... you can walk past history and feel invigorated sitting in the midst of historical places.... every place has a significance in the Mall... I loved it.....
And now it is time for the long weekend here...
First off I did my first interview of a potential internship candidate at Milbank.... I was nervous since I had never before interviewed anyone... ofcourse I have been interviewed before and I hate some of the questions that are thrown at me.... "where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" or "What do you like to do in your free time?".... I mean if the answer to the first question were to be any different from "I see myself slogging my a*%$ off at your organisation" you can kiss your chances goodbye... and for the second question, if you do have a life outside of work, you can pretty much kiss that goodbye since work demands will come before your life demands... but the suprisingly thing was that I found myself asking the exact same questions!!! I pondered over what questions to ask but I could not really come up with anything better.... I have more respect for interviewers now...
I went for my first private art exhibition in Washington DC.... so there I was mingling with the "arterrati" of Washington in their pearls and high heels looking at art... ofcourse it took me a while to figure out where the art was ..... only to realise later that the "art work" being exhibited were a series of video clippings..it was video art work... so there was a scene where a woman was vaccuming the sand on a beach.... yes, you read right... so the video repeated scenes of her crisscrossing across the beach with the vaccum in hand .... and I tried to make sense of the whole video to see the "art" in her and I think a vaccum was forming in my head... so I moved on to the next video... which was a camera following a woman on a street... and that was all it did for 2 mins... art shmart, it was 2 mins of my life wasted!.... but the night also helped me realise that art cannot be defined...it is what you define as art....
I also received my first Hurricane warning from my building... in anticipation of Hurricane Earl hitting our shores soon.... well apparently DC remains pretty much untouched by hurricanes and I am hoping it is true this time round as well....
This morning I walked around the Mall (where all the monuments are).... walked past the WW II memorial, the Korean war memorial, Lincoln Memorial etc.... Washington is great that way... you can walk past history and feel invigorated sitting in the midst of historical places.... every place has a significance in the Mall... I loved it.....
And now it is time for the long weekend here...
A friend of mine reacted to my blog on women and career... my friend asked me not to overplay the gender card.... so much so that critcism of a woman in her job is considered to be a sexist thing.... my friend pointed out that the performance of a woman should be evaluated in a gender neutral manner and if she has done badly in a job that should be acknowledged.... and her gender should not be used as an excuse for her to get out of bad work and claim success irrespective....
I agree with my friend.... but there is some point to the fact that women have a more uphill task both personally and professionally while trying to excel in their careers.... I mean what is the consequence if a person is constantly asked, reminded, or even challenged everytime the person does something? and not just by professional colleagues but by society in general? So imagine the mind of a 16 year old who is really good at studies but who is suddenly bombarded by relatives with questions about - how much will you study ? if you study too much it will be difficult to get married... or imagine the mind of a determined woman who achieves a certain goal and then has to listen to someone in her office call her "cranky" or "single and hence successful"? Both these situations, next time she decides to do something the woman is going to think a bit harder about her choices... she might still do what she wants to do but that there is a 3 second thought that is wasted on her fear of reaction from the society....
Am I incorrect? I would love to believe so.
I agree with my friend.... but there is some point to the fact that women have a more uphill task both personally and professionally while trying to excel in their careers.... I mean what is the consequence if a person is constantly asked, reminded, or even challenged everytime the person does something? and not just by professional colleagues but by society in general? So imagine the mind of a 16 year old who is really good at studies but who is suddenly bombarded by relatives with questions about - how much will you study ? if you study too much it will be difficult to get married... or imagine the mind of a determined woman who achieves a certain goal and then has to listen to someone in her office call her "cranky" or "single and hence successful"? Both these situations, next time she decides to do something the woman is going to think a bit harder about her choices... she might still do what she wants to do but that there is a 3 second thought that is wasted on her fear of reaction from the society....
Am I incorrect? I would love to believe so.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Joke of the century.
Nitin Gadkari (BJP President) saying Rahul Gandhi does not have charisma (or "Karishma" as he said it).... a case of the pot calling the magificient centre piece black?
Or did he really mean to say Rahul Gandhi did not have Karishma Kapoor ... then its fine I guess...
BJP should really step up their game instead of targeting somebody who is at least trying to do something for the poor of this country...
Nitin Gadkari (BJP President) saying Rahul Gandhi does not have charisma (or "Karishma" as he said it).... a case of the pot calling the magificient centre piece black?
Or did he really mean to say Rahul Gandhi did not have Karishma Kapoor ... then its fine I guess...
BJP should really step up their game instead of targeting somebody who is at least trying to do something for the poor of this country...
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
A Mumbai moment in the Metro
So yday I had a Mumbai moment in the Metro in DC... so after a pretty tiring day I packed up my bags and walked to the Metro station looking forward earnestly to reaching home which was just two stops away....
But lo and behold, the metro station was crowding with people... my first reaction was to flee thinking there had been some disaster and people are all trying to get out of harm's way... why else would there be so many people collected anywhere in DC? Turns out they were commuters just like me...
The train soon arrived and it was packed - just like the Mumbai locals - except there were no commuters sitting on top of the trains or hanging for dear lives from the windows of the trains... it was packed in an orderly fashion - like Sardines packed with lemon juice in a can...
and I started thinking like a mumbaikar trying to mentally devise the best strategy for getting into the train after outwitting my co-commuters... my thots were quick....so if I squeeze out this gentleman in front of me I could probably get my foot into the door and then I could hang on to the umbrella of the lady right next to the door and transport myself to my destination... only to discard such thoughts abruptly when I realised that I would probably be sent to jail for such disorderly behaviour.... and everyone around me were so dignified about it.... no one screamed, tugged or pulled at anyone.... and as quietly as the train arrived, the train left... and like everyone else I waited for the next train to arrive which arrived in the next 6 minutes and I reached my destination safe and sound .....
infact there was a lady with a broken foot in the train and all of us accomodated her to the extent possible - now I wonder what would have happened if she was in the "general" compartment of the 6:30 Virar local of Mumbai.... her foot would have probably been separated from her body by now and would have been passed around and then finally passed on to her by well wishers at Virar.... It all adds to the gaiety and gala of Mumbai locals.....
But lo and behold, the metro station was crowding with people... my first reaction was to flee thinking there had been some disaster and people are all trying to get out of harm's way... why else would there be so many people collected anywhere in DC? Turns out they were commuters just like me...
The train soon arrived and it was packed - just like the Mumbai locals - except there were no commuters sitting on top of the trains or hanging for dear lives from the windows of the trains... it was packed in an orderly fashion - like Sardines packed with lemon juice in a can...
and I started thinking like a mumbaikar trying to mentally devise the best strategy for getting into the train after outwitting my co-commuters... my thots were quick....so if I squeeze out this gentleman in front of me I could probably get my foot into the door and then I could hang on to the umbrella of the lady right next to the door and transport myself to my destination... only to discard such thoughts abruptly when I realised that I would probably be sent to jail for such disorderly behaviour.... and everyone around me were so dignified about it.... no one screamed, tugged or pulled at anyone.... and as quietly as the train arrived, the train left... and like everyone else I waited for the next train to arrive which arrived in the next 6 minutes and I reached my destination safe and sound .....
infact there was a lady with a broken foot in the train and all of us accomodated her to the extent possible - now I wonder what would have happened if she was in the "general" compartment of the 6:30 Virar local of Mumbai.... her foot would have probably been separated from her body by now and would have been passed around and then finally passed on to her by well wishers at Virar.... It all adds to the gaiety and gala of Mumbai locals.....
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