It is again that time of the year when you get together with your family, break out the decorations and deck up that artificial tree.

Since it has been almost a year since I posted something up here, I would have loved to rant on about my life here at INSEAD and how great the people and life here is. But, let me not dampen the spirit with a monologue on the awesome time I am having here. I am no Scrooge.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

In biology and ecology, extinction is the death of every member of a species or group of taxa. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species

                                                             – Wikipedia

Dear friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I bring to your attention that one interesting human habit is dying out fast – making Pen-pals.

A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships. As with any friendships in life, some people remain penpals for only a short time, while others continue to exchange letters and presents life-long. Some penpals eventually arrange to meet face to face. Some pen pals even get married.

I used to have pen-pals as a child. I used to write to them, imagine what it would be like to be them, from their letters and hoped that one day I would get to meet them. (Note:I was pretty much normal at that point in time. )

But with the advent of Facebook, orkut and a multitude of chat clients, it all slowly faded away. There is no longer a need to get to the post office, find the right postage amount and write something in your best hand.

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

                                                         – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The time of pen-pals is almost up. e-pals anyone?

Most of the people I know are not happy with what they have. (Not talking about sizes here, my dear innocent fellow!) They inherently have a craving for better things. (which is a good thing)Not getting what you want when you want it evokes a standard set of emotions as a child. Tantrums! Wailing! Heart wrenching rebellion! But as we ‘mature’, we learn to bottle up these modes of expressing disappointment, or let it out in a very controlled manner.

Take the scenario of a couple breaking up. People react differently to this ‘frustrating’ of all situations. While some turn to self help books to maintain sanity, others take to drastic measures like alcoholism. There are some who cry their heart out, but in the privacy of their rooms, not letting the world know… There are others who are able to move on after just a couple of hours of good sleep… Different people… different reactions…

How about when you are passed over for promotion, AGAIN? Would you still keep that smile on your face and work as if nothing has happened? Would you threaten to quit if you are not recognized for ‘valuable contributions’ to the company? Would you have a straight talk with your manager? I have seen all three scenarios play out… to different effect…

The question is … How do you handle frustration?

 

I have been tagged yet again… I am a guy who tries not to post on matters of a personal nature on this blog… But, this time, I will not complain… I turned the last page on a quarter century of good living last week and doing an eight things post would serve just the right portion of reality check I need at the moment.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, I open up to you on a few topics.

Eight things I do everyday (Read: things I am passionate about):

1. Read blogs and/or books

2. Listen to music

3. Hit the gym

4. Practice guitar

5. Criticize my friends’ culinary skills

6. Read comic strips

7. Talk to my family in India

8. Read the bible

P.S.: Not a very exhaustive list. In case you are wondering, I do shower after the gym sessions.

Eight things I am glad I did:

1. Decide to work for two more years before furthering my formal education

2. Join Uni-Y while in college (made some great friends there…)

3. Move to Chennai after the 10th grade

4. Be responsible for my finances and start investing seriously

5. Learn to laugh at myself even more…

6. Try out Squash (Yes!!! the racquet game….)

7. Start blogging seriously

8.  Decide against buying a digital SLR camera. I put that money to better use.

Eight things I would like to do:

1. Start a not-for-profit cafe

2. Cut my own music album

3. Sky-dive

4. Learn to juggle at least  3 items at a time…. (I am not talking about career, family and friends here… )

5. Drive at 300 kmph … On road of course… I do not want to settle for a train driving lesson….

6. Attend a professional bar-tending course

7. Scuba-dive in The Great Coral Reefs of Australia

8. Do my MBA from a top college (Still trying to shortlist colleges that would find me as good a fit as I would them… )

N.B..: I am not going to wait till I retire to do these things

Eight time periods I wish I could relive:

1. The relaxed vacation at Thodupuzha (my hometown) I had so long ago

2. My days at Loyola School among great guys who had a sense of themselves

3. The TCS ILP days at Pune with awesome people from all over the country to keep you company

4. The last couple of years at the Trust hostel at college… Vaalis rock!!!

5. The pre-college days I spent at Qwiky’s Coffee, Chennai

6. Consummacy ’04 – for all its drawbacks, I learnt a lot from this inter-collegiate fest I helped organize.

7. My trip to Milan and Venice. All thanks to Jincy and Deepak.

8. Every dinner I have ever had with my family -  Dollops of advice and humor, with some great food to accompany

Eight songs that struck a chord with my heart:

1. Oasis – Wonderwall

2. Metallica – Nothing else matters

3. CCR – Brown eyed Girl

4. Pink Floyd – Comfortably numb

5. Snow Patrol – Signal Fire

6. U2 – With or Without you 

7. James Blunt – You are beautiful

8. Coldplay – Fix you

Eight English movies I could watch over and over and over again:

1. You ve got mail

2. Braveheart

3. Gladiator

4. Fight Club

5. Notting Hill

6. Love actually

7. Swordfish

8. Pulp Fiction

———————————————————————————

There you have it folks!!! If there are any specific questions you would like me to answer, leave a comment. I promise to attend to them…

P..S: I will not pass on the tag to anyone specific this time around… But if you do feel like it, do this up… Quite an interesting activity this is.. Took me a while to compile this list!

 

If you want to make it to the moon but your glands do not pump enough adrenaline to help you become an astronaut, the deadline is approaching to at least send your name around Earth’s lonely God/Big-Bang – made satellite.

June 27 marks the last day to enter your information on the Web to send your name to the moon with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Your name will be incorporated in a database and loaded onto a microchip built into the LRO spacecraft. The service is free and comes with a printable certificate assuring you that you are indeed a part of the LRO experience.

LRO is the first step in sending humans back to the moon, according to Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for LRO at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. The orbiter will scope out landing sites and resources, and also study the effects of lunar radiation on humans. The orbiter is slated to launch no earlier than November and will orbit for at least a year.

And if all the people in the promo video for NASA are to be believed, this will be a popular trip. 

Send your name to the moon now.

On internet memes and blogs I read religiously

David did win, just like in Biblical times. Only this time, the surname was ‘Cook’.

The former bartender knocked off David Archuleta by 12 million votes to capture the seventh season title on American Idol. Check out the winning announcement and Cook’s subsequent performance of “Time of My Life”. Emotionally charged, I did say.

A few come to realize that they can make the cut… But many who audition do not realize they can’t sing…. A few dreams come true, but many others are shattered… This is what the American Idol embodies. It’s entertainment for the world and an opening for many into the star-studded world of Hollywood…

Check out this Simpsons video on an American Idol audition. I need not say more about the judges record producer Randy Jackson; pop singer and choreographer Paula Abdul; and music executive Simon Cowell…. It’s all here…

I simply love the American Idol concept… It is the height of democracy… Millions of people expressing their opinions on an event they feel strongly about… What’s more, they even go against the opinions of the ‘friendly’ judges, if needed.

Why can’t we run our country this way? Direct democracy is not something new to the world of Politics. Switzerland’s taxes and spending are lower than otherwise, and its labor productivity higher, because the Swiss can vote on fiscal issues. Bavaria’s ruling party, the Christian Social Union, credits direct democracy with giving citizens a way to disagree with the government on single issues without voting for the opposition.

Defenders of direct democracy insist that it improves decision-making. However, not eager to share power, politicians argue that ordinary citizens cannot be trusted with too much. What do YOU think?

If this post has piqued your interest on Direct Democracy, then head on to an article on Direct Democracy in Germany published in the Economist.

This post elaborates on what we, the human race, can learn from the vulcans’ way of life.

What does “whatever” mean?