Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
... and your hands upon the wheel
It's the evening and I am driving back home. For a few seconds, I look away from the road across in the direction of the Agara lake near Koramangala, which has little or no water. I look back and the large head of a large cow is approximately 24 inches from my windshield. I must be travelling at 50 kilometers an hour. My heart stops and so does my breath.
What happens next is as synchronized as anything I've seen. I watch myself swerve the steering wheel left, aware that there was no traffic on my left or following close behind. I watch the cow swings its head right, just as the car swishes past its nostrils. I see the cow partly close its eyelids.
Everything happens literally in a blink or less.
Thankfully, no contact is made. I drive on homewards. Phew! The cow mouths obscenities. I apologise. I am a safe driver, and I do account for cows ... just not the ones that appear out of thin air when you are looking at something that isn't really there.
I had something on my mind for the length of my drive, and I wonder if what happened, or was about to happen was an answer to my question.
Even if it was, I cannot decipher it, or I choose not to, although at some level I know I have decided.
.................................
I am home and I put on my running shoes and plug in my earphones. The clouds have already gathered. This is going to be great run if the rain stays away. For one, in the terribly crowded place on this planet where I live, today, I will have a very large ground to myself. There is nothing better then running on soft earth, under thick black clouds and against stiff winds.
I reach the ground and the drizzle begins. I pause under a tree. This is not so bad after all. You must let the rain drench you at least three times a year, if not more.
The drizzle is light, almost pleasant. I start the run and the drops are now bigger. Before I know it I am soaking wet. I run to the nearest large tree and stand under it, Pink Floyd still streaming into my ears.
The tree cannot offer much protection, but one cannot care anymore. Across the ground, the rain is now screaming down at a fierce angle, creating waves of spray and dust which rush along the ground, lift off and fly into my face ... an angry Indian rain, no less.
I last time I saw something similar, although infinitely more dramatic was when I parked my car by the side of the road on Highway 1 in California, on the side of a cliff about about 200 feet high, and shot a video of the kilometer long waves of the Pacifc as they made their way from the bowels of their disturbance to the shore.
I wait under the tree and the ground is now soaking wet, a mirror of gray. I begin to run on the road skirting the ground and make my way home. My clothes are heavy and I run as quickly as I can on the pavement, scaring the umbrella carrying folks who look up in the twilight to see a rather large guy with a big head, hurtling towards them in a soaking black shirt and black tracks. For a few moments, I am the cow in their windshields.
It's the evening and I am driving back home. For a few seconds, I look away from the road across in the direction of the Agara lake near Koramangala, which has little or no water. I look back and the large head of a large cow is approximately 24 inches from my windshield. I must be travelling at 50 kilometers an hour. My heart stops and so does my breath.
What happens next is as synchronized as anything I've seen. I watch myself swerve the steering wheel left, aware that there was no traffic on my left or following close behind. I watch the cow swings its head right, just as the car swishes past its nostrils. I see the cow partly close its eyelids.
Everything happens literally in a blink or less.
Thankfully, no contact is made. I drive on homewards. Phew! The cow mouths obscenities. I apologise. I am a safe driver, and I do account for cows ... just not the ones that appear out of thin air when you are looking at something that isn't really there.
I had something on my mind for the length of my drive, and I wonder if what happened, or was about to happen was an answer to my question.
Even if it was, I cannot decipher it, or I choose not to, although at some level I know I have decided.
.................................
I am home and I put on my running shoes and plug in my earphones. The clouds have already gathered. This is going to be great run if the rain stays away. For one, in the terribly crowded place on this planet where I live, today, I will have a very large ground to myself. There is nothing better then running on soft earth, under thick black clouds and against stiff winds.
I reach the ground and the drizzle begins. I pause under a tree. This is not so bad after all. You must let the rain drench you at least three times a year, if not more.
The drizzle is light, almost pleasant. I start the run and the drops are now bigger. Before I know it I am soaking wet. I run to the nearest large tree and stand under it, Pink Floyd still streaming into my ears.
The tree cannot offer much protection, but one cannot care anymore. Across the ground, the rain is now screaming down at a fierce angle, creating waves of spray and dust which rush along the ground, lift off and fly into my face ... an angry Indian rain, no less.
I last time I saw something similar, although infinitely more dramatic was when I parked my car by the side of the road on Highway 1 in California, on the side of a cliff about about 200 feet high, and shot a video of the kilometer long waves of the Pacifc as they made their way from the bowels of their disturbance to the shore.
I wait under the tree and the ground is now soaking wet, a mirror of gray. I begin to run on the road skirting the ground and make my way home. My clothes are heavy and I run as quickly as I can on the pavement, scaring the umbrella carrying folks who look up in the twilight to see a rather large guy with a big head, hurtling towards them in a soaking black shirt and black tracks. For a few moments, I am the cow in their windshields.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Of Insomnia, Running & blah
I'm not sure if I have mild insomnia or not. I usually sleep very well and get at least 8h of sleep. It's just that if I go to bed a little earlier than I usually do (these days "usually" is 1 or 130AM) I end up waking up soon after and remain awake for hours and hours with perfect acuity.
I'm not sure why this is. Maybe its a vestige of my student days when I could study only at night.
Other interesting sleep notes ....
When necessary, I am almost always able to wake up at a time of my choosing without an alarm. On such occasions, I set an alarm just in case, but I will beat it for sure.
When I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm usually pretty accurate about what time it is. I will check the clock on such occasions out of curiosity, but I'm usually pretty good with knowing exactly what the time is.
Lastly, I almost always know how long I've spent doing something, as in time elapsed in an activity ... its wierd. This began when I was timing myself for entrance exams which were really stressful and I began becoming aware of how much time had passed on a question I was working on ... down to the minute. Strangely enough, this skill has remained... like riding a bike perhaps.
-------------------------------------
RUNNING
I guess I wanted to say something about running. I now do my 4.2KM in 27.5 minutes, an improvement of approx 25% since I began covering this distance. I try and make sure that the last lap is the fastest of the 7. Its a great feeling when you finish the distance... exhausted, panting and completely clear with space all around
I seem to evoke a lot of interest in the children who play in the grounds and their mothers ... occasionally kids will try to run along for a short distance, intrigued by what keeps me coming back and maybe to take a closer look at my earphones. Also, most of them want to be friends immediately. Refreshing.
If they have a question ... it is always "What is your name?". How very childlike... the attempt to associate everything they see with a name. I wonder if they realise how difficult it will become to ask that question out of curiosity when they grow up.
To this day, I don't recall ever having asked a girl that question from a standing start... just too shy.
-------------------------------------
Now for the blah .... well, enough of that. Good night.
I'm not sure if I have mild insomnia or not. I usually sleep very well and get at least 8h of sleep. It's just that if I go to bed a little earlier than I usually do (these days "usually" is 1 or 130AM) I end up waking up soon after and remain awake for hours and hours with perfect acuity.
I'm not sure why this is. Maybe its a vestige of my student days when I could study only at night.
Other interesting sleep notes ....
When necessary, I am almost always able to wake up at a time of my choosing without an alarm. On such occasions, I set an alarm just in case, but I will beat it for sure.
When I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm usually pretty accurate about what time it is. I will check the clock on such occasions out of curiosity, but I'm usually pretty good with knowing exactly what the time is.
Lastly, I almost always know how long I've spent doing something, as in time elapsed in an activity ... its wierd. This began when I was timing myself for entrance exams which were really stressful and I began becoming aware of how much time had passed on a question I was working on ... down to the minute. Strangely enough, this skill has remained... like riding a bike perhaps.
-------------------------------------
RUNNING
I guess I wanted to say something about running. I now do my 4.2KM in 27.5 minutes, an improvement of approx 25% since I began covering this distance. I try and make sure that the last lap is the fastest of the 7. Its a great feeling when you finish the distance... exhausted, panting and completely clear with space all around
I seem to evoke a lot of interest in the children who play in the grounds and their mothers ... occasionally kids will try to run along for a short distance, intrigued by what keeps me coming back and maybe to take a closer look at my earphones. Also, most of them want to be friends immediately. Refreshing.
If they have a question ... it is always "What is your name?". How very childlike... the attempt to associate everything they see with a name. I wonder if they realise how difficult it will become to ask that question out of curiosity when they grow up.
To this day, I don't recall ever having asked a girl that question from a standing start... just too shy.
-------------------------------------
Now for the blah .... well, enough of that. Good night.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Yogic exhalations ;)
Pattern Readers and Pattern Agnostics
When you come to think of it, we spend most of our adult lives making decisions, or planning for them. Its just that simple. From the stupid and mundane ones about daily challenges, to those which have a significant bearing on our lives and on the lives of others.
All thinking beings learn and act based on a common skill ... that of pattern recognition. From Pavlov's salivating dog to the stock trader to the physicist or economist, all at some point rely on what they can 'see' in data and what they have learnt to 'intuit' from it. Pattern recognition is applied innately and universally, but it is in the challenge of breaking new ground where obvious patterns have not been encountered is where simple pattern recognition is challenged. Let's call this is a 'pattern vacuum'.
How does one make a decision on a future course of action about a situation he or she encounters for the first time, and has no learning to fall back on? How does one know whether one shall be successful or not? Which factors carry heavier weights than others? What may matter and what may not?
If you believe in the theory of Intelligent Design, then you may have already juxtaposed your life's 'pattern vacuums' against the 'purpose' of Intelligent Design. If you do not believe in Intelligent Design, then read no further ;). (I have not interest in changing the course of your life)
But to veer back to the topic at hand, the question that appears is ... if there is intelligent design and if life should have a purpose ... and if a choice set is placed before one, what should one do in a 'pattern vacuum'? Clearly the logical answer is to find the objective, that of personal growth, meaning and direction, and look at the most efficient way of meeting that.
I guess here it may be possible to make an oversimplification, much along the lines of that in any book about people and behaviour ('Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance', etc).
Let me for a moment lead you to believe that there may be two groups of people.
1. those who are forever looking for a pattern in what is happening around them, and
2.those who are simply not.
I guess I could be right, because at an aggregate level, there will always be two groups of people, will there not? :)
The first group of 'pattern readers' attempt to associate and plot a curve through events, science, people, karma, faith, experiences, etc etc, seeking to make sense of their lives, and in the process attempting to read the blueprint of their life through the thick veil of tracing paper that is everyday reality. The holy grail of this lot is a working model of their future lives, and the most efficient paths to get there.
The 'pattern agnostics' choose not to plot the curve. They may ascribe to intelligent design, but they are happy to take these experiences for what they are, and are not concerned with reading the blueprint or extrapolating the same. In a pattern vacuum, this lot will ignore 'Intelligent Purpose' and decide purely materially, even with a willingness to repeat their past mistakes. Everyones knows a number of such people, regardless of demographics. A fair choice, given that it is impossible to know anything for sure behind the thick veil of daily existence.
For this one reason, 'pattern agnostics' will always outnumber the 'pattern readers'. I have also found this to be empirically true.
If you are with me so far, let me tell you that I think I am a pattern reader. Like most traits, introvert-extrovert, shy-outgoing, garrulous-reticent, courageous-timid, etc, the classification may be unpopulated at either end of the scale (I firmly believe no one is absolutely shy or timid or courageous and like everything else, it is about average time spent closer to any particular end) but is simply a way of stating which end of the spectrum you would prefer if it came to making a choice.
So where is all this going?
This is going to the territory of the application of pattern reading at the level of individual life.
I guess the only real application of 'pattern reading' today at an individual level is in the somewhat gray area of astrology. Astrology, at its core an empirical science, is inexact at best, and is unreliable give the levels of disagreement between astrologers (trust me, I know :))
Who's the best pattern reader for your life? Well, obviously YOU.
As someone who ascribes to the above, albeit moderately, given that this theory is simply mine :), and given I'd like one "ascriber" at least, I have some follow on thoughts on the same. If you base your choices on pattern reading, like any trained statistician, you are burdened with cleaning up data - what to consider and what not to consider. At some point, you shall arrive, albeit theoretically at a 'life model' based on what you perceive as the blueprint of your choice. Theoretically at this point, if you have been right, all the choices you make, will be exactly the choices that will align your free will with your perfect intelligent destiny, accelerating your own growth. Perfection.
Alas I am human. As much as I exhibit a preference for pattern recognition, I have still found it wiser and somehow easier to "let it be" and keep the faith.
More on this from time to time. If you actually read all of this, I hope it was time well spent. Here's a nice picture of the Pacific for your troubles ;)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Secret Garden
Hope you like it .... from one of my favourtie movies
Hope you like it .... from one of my favourtie movies
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Monday, March 10, 2008
Freakonomics
I must confess that I really like the subject of popular economics. Attended a talk last week as part of the Yahoo Big Thinker series in Bangalore by Preston McAfee, another economist/pricing expert. Very entertaining.
Having done some pricing in the past at the workplace, I must confess that economics, both macro and micro versions can be really interesting if you have the opportunity to dabble in them.
Freakonomics is interesting, and some arguments are natural("which is more dangerous a gun or a swimming pool"), while others seem forced("what do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common"). The second seems forced because it is an illustration of game theory but not necessarily interesting by itself ... the fact that sumo wrestlers and teachers are juxtaposed seems purely for effect .... the example would hold good for any multiplayer tournament where the payoffs are setup in a certain manner.
The bellwether line in the book has to be the one about moralists defining (deigning/wishing) societal behaviour and economists explaining it. Its something you'd remember.
I've pretty much read all the books that were recommended to me recently and do not have anything on the shelf. Any suggestions? Please ... nothing sad or depressing like the 'Kite Runner' or idiotic & pointless like 'Life of Pi' :)
I must confess that I really like the subject of popular economics. Attended a talk last week as part of the Yahoo Big Thinker series in Bangalore by Preston McAfee, another economist/pricing expert. Very entertaining.
Having done some pricing in the past at the workplace, I must confess that economics, both macro and micro versions can be really interesting if you have the opportunity to dabble in them.
Freakonomics is interesting, and some arguments are natural("which is more dangerous a gun or a swimming pool"), while others seem forced("what do school teachers and sumo wrestlers have in common"). The second seems forced because it is an illustration of game theory but not necessarily interesting by itself ... the fact that sumo wrestlers and teachers are juxtaposed seems purely for effect .... the example would hold good for any multiplayer tournament where the payoffs are setup in a certain manner.
The bellwether line in the book has to be the one about moralists defining (deigning/wishing) societal behaviour and economists explaining it. Its something you'd remember.
I've pretty much read all the books that were recommended to me recently and do not have anything on the shelf. Any suggestions? Please ... nothing sad or depressing like the 'Kite Runner' or idiotic & pointless like 'Life of Pi' :)
Monday, March 03, 2008
Betterman
Collaborated with friend and workplace-bandmate and superstar guitar player Abhishek Narayan on this one. Abhishek sent me the guitar track that he put together and I recorded over it.
Nowhere near as good as other covers of this song found everywhere, but I love the song anyway and it was a lot of fun singing without having to play along.
Collaborated with friend and workplace-bandmate and superstar guitar player Abhishek Narayan on this one. Abhishek sent me the guitar track that he put together and I recorded over it.
Nowhere near as good as other covers of this song found everywhere, but I love the song anyway and it was a lot of fun singing without having to play along.
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Drew Barrymore, another win and Delilah
Was hanging around the house all of Saturday trying to rest a back strain in time for our match on Sunday morning. Sunday turned out to be great as we beat Infosys comprehensively to get to be one win away from a semi-final berth at Bangalore's premier corporate cricket tournament, the Infy Cup.
On Saturday, I was lying down and browsing TV channels, when I stopped at a familiar image. It was a shot from the movie 50 first dates. I'd seen the movie long ago and had liked it for what it was, a simple romantic comedy.
This time, with nothing else to do I watched it again. The story itself is quite a risk for a movie maker simply because the plot is so unique. What really makes the movie work is brilliant screenplay and of course..... Drew Barrymore. What is it about Drew in this movie ... she is unbelievably radiant!
I was thinking to myself especially after my previous Bollywood post that Bollywood could never come up with a story like this, and even if they did, the movie would be so terribly unwatchable that I'm glad they stick to their girl meets boy/rebirth/police chasing goonda/assorted crap.
Before you send your missiles my way, I do think there are some decent movies, which are definitely watchable, ChakDeIndia was good, although I will never know what the hell it means to say "Chak De" and Taare Zameen Par had excellent direction and camera-work.
Lastly, I checked out George's rendition of "Hey There Delilah" and looked up the story behind the song ... not bad at all. Apparently the girl Delilah is now famous.... for being Delilah.
Was hanging around the house all of Saturday trying to rest a back strain in time for our match on Sunday morning. Sunday turned out to be great as we beat Infosys comprehensively to get to be one win away from a semi-final berth at Bangalore's premier corporate cricket tournament, the Infy Cup.
On Saturday, I was lying down and browsing TV channels, when I stopped at a familiar image. It was a shot from the movie 50 first dates. I'd seen the movie long ago and had liked it for what it was, a simple romantic comedy.
This time, with nothing else to do I watched it again. The story itself is quite a risk for a movie maker simply because the plot is so unique. What really makes the movie work is brilliant screenplay and of course..... Drew Barrymore. What is it about Drew in this movie ... she is unbelievably radiant!
I was thinking to myself especially after my previous Bollywood post that Bollywood could never come up with a story like this, and even if they did, the movie would be so terribly unwatchable that I'm glad they stick to their girl meets boy/rebirth/police chasing goonda/assorted crap.
Before you send your missiles my way, I do think there are some decent movies, which are definitely watchable, ChakDeIndia was good, although I will never know what the hell it means to say "Chak De" and Taare Zameen Par had excellent direction and camera-work.
Lastly, I checked out George's rendition of "Hey There Delilah" and looked up the story behind the song ... not bad at all. Apparently the girl Delilah is now famous.... for being Delilah.
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