Friday, December 22, 2006

Bay Area Musings

The sun is out on a beautiful afternoon in San Francisco. Contrary to popular belief that SF's weather mirrors that in Seattle, today is a warm, fogless day on which I can see the Golden Gate bridge in all its splendor. The vista from this apartment is gorgeous; I can see as far as downtown on the one side and the Golden Gate on the other. The local market is no more than a 5 minute walk and the most crooked street in the world, Lombard, is only a few blocks away. Aah, the good life...

I just read a feature in Details magazine on the 50 most influential men below the age of 42 and I am heavily inspired. Some discipline, some hardship, and a lot of chutzpah will get me to a position of influence. I have to start now though, can't be wasting time no more in idle pursuits. The end of one year and the beginning of another is the perfect time to start afresh, to wipe the slate clean. "Easier said than done", I hear being said in the sidelines. "Rome wasn't built in a day, so I'd better start now", right back at ya!!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

The Post To Celebrate Power Restoration

I spent the better part of today working in Outlook, doing laundry, folding clothes and hanging with Jyot. On the one hand, I really enjoy being outside my apartment with my new found family and on the other, I want to go back home, to my own home! I miss being in my own little slice of heaven, however good or bad it is. This might be the reason why I sometimes go quiet, because I miss the times when I am just by myself doing my own thing. I am not one to enjoy the limelight, be around people watching me at all times. My craziness manifests itself in many ways, and at moments when I least expect it to. Being around people who are constantly judging throws me off, makes me say or do something that might embarrass those around me.

I was called high-strung yesterday and uptight today. These are not adjectives I want to be associated with yet I get the feeling that I am slowly becoming an amalgam of both. I had to say this before I proceeded but I feel so special that I thought The Emperor and Chancellor Palpatine were played by the same actor - Ian McDiarmid. The end of the year is a time to take stock and these statements have kick-started this process. This past year has been anything but ordinary - I decided to take a break and headed to Bombay for a mere 2 weeks, I spent a lot more time with friends, got back on the squash court and have set myself on the path to attaining a semblance of equanimity and physical fitness. The old Manoj would think about what was said and via analysis become just the person I didn't want to be. This is the new Manoj so I am going to talk about Star Wars instead!

How stupid of Luke to throw his sword away after he is done taking care of Vader (my favorite character of all time). If he had his sword with him, he could have fought off the energy blasts from The Emperor but no, hes got to be the stupid noble kid that he is! There are more instances of him being totally stupid, like revealing that he has a sister to Vader. Ok, enough of this madness too. I can't wait to get back to my apartment, did I say that already? Ok, time to go to bed now.

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Old Blog, New Tagline

In this life, I've learnt that not only is the truth stranger than fiction, it's funnier too. As I was telling a friend, life is funny because when you least expect it, people poke fun at you! :) Now that I know this, I should spread the gospel and sign off with this quote from the erudite Van Wilder:
Don't take life so seriously, you're not gonna get out of it alive.

3G iPod Hold Switch Stuck - Fixed!!

Last evening, much to my dismay, the Hold Switch on my iPod seemed to have gotten stuck. After trying every software solution I could find posted on the Internet, I almost gave up hope on my iPod and even considered buying a new mp3 player. I wanted to do my due diligence though and not retire a fixable device so I resorted to my final Out - disassembling the iPod.

After scouring the Internet (googling disassemble ipod), I finally found a site that contains step by step instructions on how to perform this disassembly. I found the link I provided to be the most useful among the ones on the iNet. Trust me, don't clean out your pod, don't reset to the factory settings and lose all your music, settings and equalizer presets. Instead, just crack the iPod open and fix the Hold Switch problem. You'll fix the problem without cleaning out the closet, so to speak...

Blogging

I have lost interest in maintaining this blog. In fact, I have lost interest in a lot of things this past month. Maybe it's a phase that will result in a dire need to write out my thoughts. Maybe...

I've been reading the Life Hacker blog of late and have stumbled upon a realization. I need to think of a way to create a blog that helps people, that provides them with tips and information. So my blog on wordpress is going to get an overhaul and I'm going to start posting tips on Windows and random stuff I find on the Internet that people might find useful. Let's see how long this lasts :)

Work has been hectic but fun these past couple weeks. The reduced set of people at work means fewer meetings resulting in more throughput. This also requires me to be at work for a shorter duration of time; funny then that I stay on for longer now, because I actually want to be there and it isn't mandated. Aah, my problems with authority continue...

It's about 40 days till I go to India and what better time than now to embark on my final quest of 2006 to get in shape. The plan is to work out 5 days every week and to eat healthy. Regardless of whether I shed a few pounds, I want to feel fit and in shape again. This seems to be an elusive target of late but this hail mary effort might just be what I need. I'll keep this space updated with the results. Peace out for now, hopefully I'll write more often, especially at wordpress.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

The Indian Education System's Fallacies

The other day, I was told I was "Rude and Brash for an Indian". It's not something I'm ashamed of to be honest; I perceive being assertive and direct as an asset, one that I must thank my dad for. It's the desire to understand and the freedom to question that has brought me where I am - there is no turning back for me. Alas, the Indian education system fosters subservience and discourages the curious mind. How some of us deviated from the norm and became out-spoken then is anyone's guess.
And even if rigid teaching ways are changed, experts say the rigidity of Indian households will continue. “When we are raising our children,” said Sam Pitroda, a Chicago-based entrepreneur who is chairman of the Knowledge Commission and was an adviser to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s, “we constantly tell them: ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that. Stand here, stand there.’ It creates a feeling that if there is a boundary, you don’t cross it. You create boxes around people when we need people thinking outside the box.”
That was an excerpt from the article I read on NYTimes. The lesson for me is to not set boundaries for myself or for those under my tutelage (you have my sympathies already). Encouraging independent thought (like my father did) and letting individuals discover who they are can only be a positive thing for society.