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

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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!

A dear friend of mine is leaving for her studies at Tepper School,CMU…. One fine evening, I noticed that her GTalk status message read “I am tired of answering questions.” I enquired what that was all about. “A 100 people pinged me to ask me when I am leaving!!! I am tired of replying…”, she replied.

Well, my friend… Welcome to the Internet-enabled smaller world of the 21st century…

I remember the good old days… You had to read newspapers or magazine to know what was happening around the world… Else you did have to make it to your television for the 9 p.m. news… [Lazy people like moi used to just watch Pranoy Roy's 'The World this week' on Doordarshan 9 p.m. Fridays ]

You had an “analog” telephone which came in only one color - black. You either wrote down your friends’ numbers on a sheet stuck to the wall or in a nice leather bound directory. I used to remember a couple of my landline numbers (No mobiles yet) back then…

I used to visit a dingy ‘cyber cafe’ close to home to access the Internet… They had a 56.6 kbps connection. Later, to my elation, they upgraded to a 64 kbps line… That meant my only e-mail inbox opened up a minute earlier than before…

All this was before I hit college… Things have changed since then…Enough nostalgia already…

Now I use a 4 mbps line, which is just not enough for my second-life avatar… I never could become a ‘model’ in my real life, given my mirror-cracking looks… But then, hey, why not lead a virtual life??? This is straight out of the Sidney Sheldon novel “Tell me your dreams”… A manifestation of Multiple Personality Disorder?

From Copenhagen, I now make calls and chat with friends all over the world… Trivandrum, Mumbai, SF, NewCastle, Texas [Courtesy VOIP and Skype-Out]

4 different mail ids… An orkut account… A facebook account… LinkedIn… Google reader to address my RSS requirements… Twitter to keep the world updated about my boring life… A MyBlogLog account to collate all my various social networking accounts (which have become quite unmanageable, really!!!)… del.icio.us account to hold my bookmarks online… Last.fm subscription to listen to the latest music on demand… The list goes on… To top it all, a Second Life avatar to live a life different from the one I am enjoying right now…

Has information tech changed our lives? Hell, yeah!!! It has made the world I live in smaller… Do I like it? Now it’s all about time-management [Given the number of accounts I hold online] That’s the new challenge.

This is a forward I received from a dear friend of mine. She felt this mail strongly represented truth.

Men Are Just Happier People– What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.
One wallet and one pair of shoes — one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can ‘do’ your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.
No wonder men are happier.

Now the Golden question? Are Men really the happier lot? Lets dissect the mail and award points to the miserable/affected party in each area.

< Your last name stays put. > I pass this one. Score: Women

<The garage is all yours. > Who gets to sleep on the bed after a fight? Score: Men

<Wedding plans take care of themselves. > We just have to get it there… Wooing the woman of your dreams is not such an easy thing… Especially on your wallet. Score: Men

<You can be President.>

María Estela (’Isabel’) Martínez de Perón: President of Argentina from 1 Jul 1974 to 24 Mar 1976.

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir President of Iceland from 1 Aug 1980 to 1 Aug 1996

Agatha Barbara President of Malta from 15 Feb 1982 to 15 Feb 1987

The list goes on… Where’s your GK, MiLady? Score: No one

<You can never be pregnant.> There’s nothing to say here. Really!!! Score : Women

<You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park> No one is stopping you. Score:Women though.

<Car mechanics tell you the truth> Dunno… Guess guys are hard-wired for stuff that works on gasoline… Score: Women

<You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes> Some call it efficiency… others call insensitiveness… But it does get done… Score: Women

< You only have to shave your face and neck. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache. …..> No arguments here… Especially on facial hair… Score: Women

Alright,Alright!!! I give up…

Since women seems to racking up points already and I do not think (or want) to win this argument, I will agree that Men do seem to be the happier lot. My arguments just would not change anything.

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.

One of the comments on my post What we can learn from the vulcans was from pR@tz. It read “Renji John, you are tagged @ a world of my own….”

It got me curious. Was this similar to the chain mail phenomenon we are so accustomed to in the e-mail world?

A few seconds of googling and wiki-ing later, I found out that this phenomenon had a name. It was called Internet Meme.

At its most basic, an Internet meme is simply the propagation of a digital file or hyperlink from one person to others using methods available through the Internet (for example, email, blogs, social networking sites, instant messaging, etc.). The content often consists of a saying or joke, a rumor, an altered or original image, a complete website, a video clip or animation, or an offbeat news story, among many other possibilities. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, and parody versions, or even by collecting news accounts about itself. Internet memes have a tendency to evolve and spread extremely quickly, sometimes going in and out of popularity in a matter of days. They are spread organically, voluntarily, peer to peer, rather than by compulsion, predetermined path, or completely automated means.

                                                                                   - Wikipedia

So I have been ‘memed’. This particular thread involves

• Posting about 5 different (personality types) characters I hate.
• Passing on the tags to 5 different bloggers

However, since I am a religious man (Jesus asked us to ‘love thy neighbors’), I have changed the rules a bit. I have decided to post five Blogs I read religiously. (and don’t blame me, pR@tz. Wikipedia does mention that Internet memes have a tendency to evolve. )

So, there it is. The meme is now on posting 5 blogs you read on almost a daily basis.

1. Zen Habits:

Zen Habits covers: achieving goals, productivity, being organized, GTD, motivation, eliminating debt, saving, getting a flat stomach, eating healthy, simplifying, living in frugality, parenting, happiness, and successfully implementing good habits.

2. The art of Manliness

Generation X and Y is a generation of Lost Boys. We live in a Never-Never-Land where boys stay boys and never become men. More and more males today are putting off college, family, and adult responsibilities in order to play video games and do keg stands. Don’t believe me that today’s man is lost? How about some numbers?

• 2/3 of men in the U.S. are overweight or obese.
• Men only make up 42 percent of U.S. college students.
• The average male carries around $2,369 in credit-card debt.
• Three out of ten drink too much
• A majority of males between the ages of 30 and 18 receive greater financial support from their parents and has more debt than previous generations.
• The average adult man plays video games 7.6 hours per week.

The Art of Manliness is dedicated to helping men uncover what manliness means in the 21st century. What skills and knowledge should a 21st Century man acquire? What traits should they develop?

3. Creating Passionate Users

The Creating Passionate Users bloggers are all fascinated by brains, minds and what science can tell them about the practice of making users passionate about their lives and tools.

4. CNET News Blog

My source for techie news!!!

5. Paul Graham

A good read. Especially, if you are entrepreneur-ly inclined.

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There are posts I might disagree with, vehemently, in some of the above-mentioned blogs. But that doesn’t make them any inferior. If anything, that’s because they make me think. That is one reason I like them.

Now for the tags. Here’s the blog roll-call.

1. http://deepakleads.blogspot.com/ (A friend of mine I met at a PLM conference in Italy)

2. http://prabhagovind.wordpress.com/ (Friend and a former colleague)

3. http://4sometime.com/blog/ (I know this person only through her blogs)

4. http://eapenz.blogspot.com/ (a friend from college days)

5. http://emjay-online.blogspot.com/ (A cool guy to hang out with)

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.

For the uninitiated few, Vulcans are a humanoid species in the fictional Star Trek universe who hail from the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. On early Star Trek original series (TOS) episodes, they were sometimes referred to as “Vulcanians”. They were the first extraterrestrial species encountered by Humans, and later became one of the founding members of the United Federation of Planets.

Now the question… What can we learn from this purely fictitious race of aliens?

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Emotional Control

Vulcans, as a matter of custom and policy, suppress all emotional influence by living lives of rigid emotional self-control through meditative techniques and training of mental discipline. Vulcans are not depicted as having no emotions. Although they themselves make this claim, Vulcans are a very emotional people. They developed techniques to suppress their emotions precisely because of the damage they can cause if unchecked.

Human equivalent : Ditto

We do not have to go searching for reasons to get upset. They come to us. Aren’t we the lucky ones?

Controlling emotions can go a long way in making a person’s life better. Learning not to throw a tantrum when you did not get that promotion/raise you so deserved may help you come across as more professional. Instead of wreaking your computer and office furniture, a more diplomatic way of disagreeing with the appraisal board will definitely help you in the long run.

Being diplomatic and aware of your surroundings becomes more important at home. Just remember the golden rule “No swearing when children are around” and you will be just fine.

The video below is a pristine example of anger management and emotional control.

Note: I am not talking about bottling your emotions up air tight and in the process, turning yourself into a walking, talking volcano waiting to spew “emotional” ash on your near and dear. Just find a way to vent it in a safe manner (like taking rifling or Krav Maga lessons)

Mind meld

Spock famously performed a mind meld on a number of occasions to communicate with a creature that did not speak the universal language, or to delve more deeply into another’s subconscious so as to retrieve important information not otherwise accessible. This technique involved placing his fingers at key points on the face (or equivalent thereof) of the being in question. After a moment, his consciousness was merged with the consciousness of the being, thus leading to thoughts and emotions being shared by both. This was first depicted in the TOS episode Dagger of the Mind and then referred to as the Vulcan mind fusion.

Human equivalent : Body Language

Although the human race cannot perform mind melds, we can still pick up unsaid messages from people around us. Some researchers put the level of nonverbal communication as high as 80 percent of all communication. More reasonably it could be at around 50-65 percent. That’s exactly what Mehrabian discovered in his communication study. He found that only 7 percent of communication comes from spoken words, 38 percent is from the tone of the voice, and 55 percent comes from body language. However, Mehrabian was only referring to cases of expressing feelings or attitudes, such as when a person says “I do not have a problem with you!” when people commonly focus on the tone of voice, and body language of the person, rather than the actual words said. It is a common misconception that these percentages apply to all communication.

Learning common Body Language can go a long way in improving how you understand other people and understanding what signals you unintentionally send across.

Check out this (hilarious) instructional video on body language. Do let me know if it helps…

The Way of Truth

It was established in “The Enterprise Incident” that, like all Vulcans, Spock never lies. In “The Doomsday Machine” Spock states that “Vulcans never bluff”. It could be argued that this is typical from someone who is bluffing, but this appears credible, since Vulcans never lie. In “The Menagerie”, however, Spock actually does lie. He tells Captain Kirk about a message sent to them from Star Base 11, ordering them to visit the now-disabled Captain Pike who is living in a special hospital there. They received no such order, as Kirk later discovers when they arrive. He later discusses this with Dr. McCoy, who refuses to acknowledge the possibility of Spock having lied. “…It’s impossible, Jim; Spock is a Vulcan. He is utterly incapable of lying,” McCoy says. “Yes,” Kirk replies. “But he is also half-human. That human part of him is capable of lying.”

Human equivalent : Sincerity

The dictionary defines “sincerity” as “freedom from deceit, hypocrisy, or duplicity; honesty in intention or in communicating; earnestness.” At the heart of sincerity is honesty in all your conduct and communications. Seek sincerity in all your communications by becoming a man who keeps confidences, curbs his sarcasm, and avoids dishonesty.

“It is difficult but not impossible to conduct strictly honest business. What is true is that honesty is incompatible with the amassing of a large fortune.”

                                                                           Mahatma Gandhi

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Striving for these “Vulcan” qualities will help you become a better person. I wish you the best.

As any Vulcan would have put it,

Dup dor a’az Mubster… [Live long and prosper...]

I was out the last day with a friend of mine for dinner. We got ourselves a nice table, ordered wine and starters. And then we started talking…

And then, it happened!!! I ‘passed out’ for a sec. (READ: wasn’t listening to what she was saying… was thinking how beautiful she looked in candlelight… Oh!!! how her lips moved…  Oh God!!! She is saying something…)

When I recovered, I found myself with a weird smile fixed on my face, nodding my head. But wait…. she wasn’t talking anymore… And then it came…

She said, “Whatever….”

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God help those posed with this word unawares. These were the scenarios I had seen it used before:

1. Do not disturb me

I was visiting my friend. While he was busy completing his Ph.D. thesis, I popped this question.

Me: Can I take a couple of beers and chips home, dude?

Friend: Whatever

2. I am way out of your league/not interested

This was something I witnessed. John Doe does not translate to Renji John. I was just an innocent by-stander watching this disaster of a pick-up line bring him down.

John Doe: Hi… My name is John “Lover Boy” Doe… What’s your name, pumpkin?

The girl at the bar: Whatever.

3. What you are saying is plain stupid

Another John Doe scenario. A different one, of course.

John Doe2: Did you know fish can fall in love?

The girl at another bar: Whatever.

4. A genuine grammar-textbook bred question

I have never seen this used by the teenagers of this era.

Holmes: Whatever did she mean by that, Dr. Watson?

Watson: Beats me, Sherlock Holmes.

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Now which of these was it? Go with Number 3… Go with Number 3…

She muttered, “Renji, I thought you liked Oasis…”

So… It was an innocent video this time… Phewww….

My Bad!!!

Lessons learnt:

If you just happened to have been thrown the “whatever” flavored dog bone by a girl, then dear dog-head, try to jump at the least damaging conclusion of all.

If the girl was asking you to move on in life and you continue talking to her about a music video, it “MIGHT” (the caps and quote marks on purpose there!!!) help you come across as a persistent, good-humored positive thinker who just doesn’t get it.

A recap of (just the boring part of) our dinner conversation:

Her: This is a nice place for a good conversation. [She smiled...Oh... What a beautiful smile?]

Me: So let’s start one… What did you do today? [Oh God.. how cheesy could that be?]

This is where my mind wandered

Her: Well… I worked out in the morn… Got to office… U know what? It was just another normal day at office… ALTHOUGH… I did get to check out a video of Oasis.

back online…

Her: Whatever

[Awkward silence]

Her: Renji, I thought you liked Oasis…

Me: Yeah yeah… ‘Course I do… [Did I just wag my tail too? Take it easy, boy!!!]

1. You might look stupid

This goes on top of most beginners’ list of worst nightmares. This is a time when enthusiasm levels run high. You are pumped up to be the Brad Pitt in your local Fight Club.

In most cases, this is where things go wrong. You end up doing something stupid. Worse still, you end up doing something stupid in front of very fine specimens of female Homo-Sapiens. Hurting yourselves in the process is just an associated cost, given the way you would feel at that point in time.

Alternative:

Wear appropriate clothing, try not to push yourselves too hard to impress others, know your limits and most importantly, don’t let crazy friends, who want to make a funny video out of you, hang out anywhere near your work-out area.

2. You have a nagging/irritating lover

If your freedom as a human being is being curtailed by the stifling presence of a girl whom you still love dearly, then not exercising is a way to go. Mind you, it might not work at first. For all you know, the nagging might increase. But your pot belly will prevail. If you stay out of shape for a long enough time period, (s)he might actually decide to leave you for a healthier person.

Alternative:

A good conversation seems to work most of the time. You try telling her the way you feel. No, I am not talking about talking about your award-winning rib-tickling ‘throw-up’ act. Think more in the lines of ‘How much I love you..” and “There are some things you should know…” and “I need some ‘alone’ time in our relationship as well”. But be careful with the ‘alone’ thing… It should not sound like you are breaking up… Because if you do and you were not the stud you used to be, you will have to hit the gym again, get back in shape and then, join the pack of hungry wolves on the look-out for vulnerable women who are intelligent and pretty (not always in that particular order…)

If nothing works, then let the ad below be your hope and light.

3. The dreaded feel-good syndrome

Some people are just not happy if they actually are happy. If you really think feeling good about yourselves is not the way to go, then not exercising might do you a ton of good. Apart from low self-esteem that might creep in along the way, the health risks posed is sure to drain away any little joy that has been driving you nuts.

If the lyrics of this James Brown song drives you over the edge, then, my friend, do not even think of getting a pair of joggers.

Alternative:

Therapy.

4. You cannot compromise on sleeping time

Are you one of those countless others who do not get enough sleep? A new study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) finds that 70% of all adults in America aren’t getting enough sleep. This tendency is not restricted to the US of A.

How, then, will you be able to find time to exercise? Is it not enough that you spend most of your waking time at office trying to get tasks done and the rest of it doing household chores?

Alternative:

Integrate exercise into your daily life. Take stairs instead of the escalators at malls. Walk your dog. If you don’t have a dog, walk your neighbor’s dog. (It has the added benefit of getting into their good books.)

If you can think of more such ideas, do comment them on this blog.

5. An excuse to have more sex

Now, this is not such a bad thing.

According to http://www.healthcentral.com

Most people enjoy sex for its own sake, but a recent study suggests that men who have sex at least three times a week cut their risk of a heart attack in half.

Researchers started out studying the benefits of vigorous exercise, looking at an activity lasting 20 minutes or longer and making the exerciser sweaty or out of breath. Most of the men they questioned thought that sex fit this description just as well as soccer.

There is some bad news though. Promiscuity isn’t likely to have such health benefits. Japanese scientists recently announced that people engaging in adulterous relations were more susceptible to fatal strokes.

No videos here… Sorry, folks!!!  

Work-around:

None. You should be doing this. Go find the love of your life, if you have not already. And in case you need ammo in your “Sex is good for health” arsenal, then head on  here

Now that summer is on, every one is out to get their share of the sun. But not the typical Indian. It has nothing to do with Heliophobia. It has more to do with us being conditioned to stay away from the ‘harsh tropical’ celestial body. This training kicks in whenever we get out into the open. While you will find Europeans crowded out in the sunny outdoors, Indians would feel comfortable staying in the shade.

But what if it is not summer? What other rule of thumb would come to the rescue of the Indian-seekers?

Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you the Leather Jacket. Any Indian male would consider a good leather jacket a possession worth a passing down a couple of generations. All those biker movies never helped one bit. Me and my friends can swear to seeing many of these on my Indian fellow-men here in Europe. I also confess to owning one.

Disclaimer: What I have stated above is not hard and fast, and should not be held against me in a court of law.