Climate Changers

The whole debate on climate change and who needs to take responsibility and do what continues to rage with no end in sight. The so called developed countries - mostly in the West - while promising a cut in emissions, have in the past demanded that the developing countries also do the same across the board. This is of course not exactly to the liking of the developing world.

For one, the rapid industrialization of the developing nations is an essential ingredient to their growth and to ensuring that hundreds of millions of people are able to climb out of the poverty hole. Cutting down on emissions would in essence mean fewer conventional industries, etc. - which would mean fewer jobs as well as much less wealth generated by the local consumption and the export of the products generated by these industries.

The second reason is of course, how did our climate get to this point? It would be safe to argue that until very recently the biggest polluters in this world were indeed the most industrialized and developed countries of the world, whose per capita contribution to climate change and global warming is staggering to say the least. It would only be fair that they take the burden of the major changes on themselves, since it was their rapid growth that brought us all here. To now deny the developing world their industrialization and growth, especially without adequate compensation of any sort, is/ would be hypocritical at best. Combined with the crimes of their ancestors during their colonial pasts (forcible occupation, subjugation, colonization and massive exploitation of the people and resources of several developing countries), it alarmingly creates the impression of a new form of repression.

It also hints at immaturity in trying to somehow maintain an extreme consumption based lifestyle that has brought us to this point while requiring the more populated developing world to bear the brunt of the problem. More alarmingly though, it points to a protectionism agenda in trying to maintain their industrialized economies as is and perhaps keep the rapidly gaining competition in particular from Asian nations from achieving parity and overtaking the developed world.

But, while there is some truth to all of the three perspectives outlined in the previous paragraph, the issue is not simply apportioning blame. The fact of the matter is that we are all in this together. Some more than others. But eventually, it will affect most, if not all people on this planet. More populous developing nations with several big cities surviving right by our ever rising seas are in the most danger. Expecting the West to help out before it becomes too late would be rather reactive and wishful thinking too I might add.

While I do believe that global initiatives for climate change action are extremely welcome, the fact that everyone has differing opinions on how to go about doing it and the fact that there are clearly two opposing viewpoints in the whole discussion means that very little is going to be done going forward multilaterally.

Instead of course, we must recognize that rapid industrialization, while improving the economies of many nations and bringing more of their population into prosperity, also brings with it a degradation in the quality of life in terms of health and well being, especially if the western model is to be followed. Smog is a daily feature in many big cities in the developing world (just as the megacities in the developed world). Health problems arising out of carbon emissions, as well as chemical affluents are not desirable on any level as it would add significantly to health costs in the long run and a significant degradation of life as we enjoy it.

Populations in the developing world are not ignorant of these issues, in fact they are probably far more concerned about it than developed countries are. After all, it is the air they breathe on a daily basis. They are also willing to pursue (and in many cases already acting on it them) several options going forward be it wind farming, massive solar energy generation initiatives, implementing high standards for emissions from vehicles and industries, adopting environmentally friendly planning and construction practices among others. In the future, you can expect them to continue to adopt these green options in greater numbers and with ever-increasing pace.

Furthermore, the economies of these countries will probably be boosted by the development and mass production of green technologies including manufacturing of next gen solar power cells, wind technology and the adoption of safer nuclear power production practices and safeguards.

As these populations start becoming more and more affluent, their focus will shift from livelihood to quality of life. Clean air and water, direct results of cleaner energy production, will be up next in their list of wants and demands.

Overall, I remain bullish about the ability of the developing world to make fundamental shifts in tackling climate change.

Down but not out

...At least not yet.

Finally decided to get my bum right knee fixed. Turned out I had a complete ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear. I had suspected that something was seriously wrong with it. Underwent ACL reconstruction surgery. Surgery was always going to be the last resort. Still. Wasn't left with too much of a choice.

It will be two weeks since surgery tomorrow. I am getting better. Movement is restricted. Crutches help me around for now. I'm in the process of eliminating their need one by one. I'm also undergoing physio-therapy sessions. Pain has eased up a lot. Still, I do require painkillers now and then.

Hopefully in about 6-9 months I can return to some level of atheletic activity. Something to look forward to I guess. Thats why I underwent the sort-of-ordeal in the first place.

More on flat worlds

Tom Friedman continues to churn out books about what the world is going to look like. I suppose he should be commended for being prolific. Can't comment too much on the quality of the content he produces in his books though. I haven't actually read any of his books. But, I do read his columns on NYTimes sometimes. I used to read back before the whole Iraq war marching drums started rolling . And then for some reason, he jumped on the Iraq war bandwagon and the fact that it was the right thing to do and it was absolutely necessary (discussed here earlier).

What does that say aboutFriedman's ability (or lack thereof) to make sense from nonsense - is really up to whoever cares a sh*t to judge.

But he's out now with another book. This one apparently drubs on about how the green revolution will be the next big industrial revolution of-sorts, the next technology driver, the next culmination of all known/hoped/wished-for messianic movements and events all wrapped into one (including the love children of Gandhi and Mandela, marrying those of MLK, and JFK before finally being crowned kings and/or queens of Mother Earth).

Slate's got a review of this one. Clearly, the man loves jumping onto the latest bandwagon - no matter what it be. Whether it's for the war when it was popular, before going against it when it was unpopular. Gotta love a weathervane.

$4 - Part II

And it's not $4 anymore for a gallon of gas. Where I'm at - its down to $3.69 or lower.

Which means, the f***ing SUV drivers have been handed a reprieve. Slowly but surely, if I may say so, speeding is back in vogue on the interstate. It's not so bad though I'm personally saving about $3.50 each time I get a refill. That comes to about $14 a month that I'm actually "getting back" from the pump! (As opposed to what I was getting back a couple of months ago - nothing really but hope that consumption habits would finally change!)

Woohoo!

And if I'm getting back enough to buy a quarter cup of coffee at Starbucks (not that they'd sell coffee for/at that size), imagine what the SUV drivers are getting back from the pump?!

You know what folks?! It's your reward for sticking by your gas guzzler through the bad times (even if you felt the need real bad to dump that fat, hi-maintenance, bitch recently!). You did the right thing. Here - go have yourself a BigMac Value Meal. Make sure you drink Diet soda though. I hear the regular stuff can make you fat and sick and stuff.

And all that money that people have been "getting back" these last couple of weeks must be great for the economy too. I mean, instead of having to spend it all on gas and then trying to save elsewhere by not splurging on expensive food, clothes, home improvement, a fresh new set of underwear - I can actually use some of that new money on the very things I've been staying away from - and on gas as well. And here's the best part - the more I spend on gas, the more I'm going to get back. F***ing beautiful!

$4

Ok... Ok... I won't talk about it.

What I really mean though is that I'll talk about it by pretending that I'm not talking about it. I'll also probably end up gloating about it by not gloating about it.

I should just stop now.

P.S. Remember this?

What's a meltdown?

... You ask?

According to dictionary.com it is:
"...the melting of a significant portion of a nuclear-reactor core due to inadequate cooling of the fuel elements, a condition that could lead to the escape of radiation."

Well. Now that that query has been answered have you got any more for me?

Why is your blog called "The Meltdown Chronicles"? (It's also a bit too pompous for me if I might add!)

Thats a very good question. So I guess pompous names for blogs are out, coz they're aren't all that cool anymore. It's also not very original - I searched and found several blogs that have the same title. I guess I really couldn't really think up a better one for now.

There were the usual names that I wrote on the back of paper napkins at CupAJoe - things I thought could work as sweet blog titles/names. But, I don't know where those napkins are at this moment. Probably in a landfill in Raleigh somewhere. The point being - I guess I could have thought of something better.

Then again, there just might be something of a meltdown in relation to me that would make this title somehow seem appropriate. Originally, I thought I'd be documenting some kind of downward spiral into further depravity, dementia, and stuff like that. Somehow, I've always found those conditions to be glamorous - that my life can be explained away by the spectacular nature of its failure and the depths to which it falls using those aforementioned conditions.

But the way things are going, I don't think that fate awaits me just yet. Instead, the more likely outcome is just an eventual realization that there will be no meltdown. There will be just this slow and steady slide to mediocrity in my hopes, my dreams, and my expectations - especially those of myself. Sort of like being stuck on a ledge on the vertical face of a mountain, just big enough so I can park myself here for a long while without falling off the edge anytime soon, but far enough from the top that I won't be attempting to make my way up for fear of slipping and sliding down all the way.

I'm not making any sense am I?!

Did I tell you I'm into alcohol these days?

Not Spanish is he?!

It's been a while since I've blogged. I've even forgotten how to do it. Not that I wrote anything of significance before anyways.

I guess its customary to apologize for absences. And I'll pretend I've had an audience that cared to visit my blog on the by and by and look it over for any new spiel, and who may have been affected (mostly positively I fear) by my hiatus. To them I apologize from the bottom of my heart. You chose to waste your precious free time by visiting my site - and then to your disappointment, ended up wasting a portion of your precious free time in looking for and not finding anything to waste it on. And that's criminal.

Conan O Brien's "Late Night with Conan O Brien" has a recurring segment called "Frankenstein wastes a minute of your time". Yeah well - "The Meltdown Chronicles" tries and wastes your time too. Except its not quite in the class as "Late Night with Conan O' Brien". But then - you've got to aim high - and you've also got to start somewhere - even if its a rather low place to start from.

Unlike me though, Raoul not only aims high(er), but sits on a higher plane to most us anyways. Already, he stands much taller than 95 99% of humanity (not neessarily a substantiated claim), as those of us who know him, or at least have seen him, will attest to. He's also just as taller , figuratively speaking, on account of his writing.

But if I have to nitpick (and since I can't help myself from doing so - I will do so) - there are two things going against him sadly.

The first is that, although he blogs a lot more frequently than say - someone like me - he's still not as prolific as he could/should be. Which means, not all your visits to his site are equally well-wasted. Not unless you don't mind re-reading his older material. I'm a fan of re-visitations myself actually - books, movies, music albums, googling for pictures of ex-flames, etc.. So - well - this one thing is not really half as bad as it could be.

The second (and far more graver) charge against Raoul is that his blog wastes your time almost too well. It's the quality of his writing. The whole wasting your time experience borders on not being wasted at all. And to me thats very sneaky.

I mean - here I am, not really minding my own business, trying to waste my time. But then, after visiting his blog and reading his latest material - I end up with this feeling somewhere deep inside that somehow I didn't actually waste my time on his blog. Because, I actually enjoyed my time reading through it.

Anyways - my point is - thats sneaky, Raoul. Very sneaky.

Give me back my precious free time so I can actually waste it - you bastard.

Monster Truck Damn

Rising gas prices don't really bring smiles to anyone's faces. Here in the Younited states, cheap gas, for decades, has been a fundamental right of all Americans - rich and poor alike. Higher gas prices don't just mean that the wings of ordinary Americans are being clipped, but also means that their money stretches even lesser than it already does. Basically, there really isn't any good news on that front for us ordinary folks, not just in the US but all over the world. (In fact the rest of the world woke up to the bad news a long, long time ago.)

That being said most of us have been aware since childhood that the supply of fossil fuels was limited and would one day be exhausted unless we found other means to produce energy. What I don't get is that, despite this knowledge people continued/continue to buy gas-guzzling vehicles without any thought about the future, only to now complain about how the price at the pump is killing them. Cleaner, efficient vehicles have always been sold side-by-side with the gas guzzlers for about the same price. OK - they've been smaller and aren't best suited to "extreme", off-roading enthusiast types, or people anticipating a whole bunch of kids (that's another topic altogether). But they've been around.

Instead, people - especially those with no real functional need for them - continued to buy large SUVs, and now, for the most part, these SUV's hurtle around with single occupancies. Sure, driving pleasure is important. If they're happy with these vehicles - fantastic. But if these people (especially those in lower income groups) bought these vehicles thinking that pump prices would stay the same, or even drop - and now complain about how gas prices are hurting them ... well....

In some way, it makes me happy that the sales of gas guzzlers are down. Now, whenever a huge-ass SUV whizzes dangerously by me on the highway, I resist the urge to curse the driver (using my choicest Indian Maa... and Behen... gaalis) and instead laugh to myself (with an almost but not quite the Skeletor-like laugh, or the Thriller-like laugh... you know the kind I'm talking about!) thinking about how much it's going to cost the f*&^er at the pump the next time (read - an hour later) he/she's in for a refill. What can I say - I can be a vindictive mother.. sometimes.

Or maybe I'm just bitter. Oh yes - besides being occasionally vindictive, I can also be bitter about things once in a while. Usually, with my kind it's the memory of some rejection of some sort by a female somewhere that triggers the bitterness, which usually prejudices me against all things related to that person and the rejection (places, people, beds - just kidding about the beds, etc.). But, when it comes to large SUV's, I just don't know what it is about them that makes me not too happy. I mean there are several possible reasons but I'm still not sure which one of them is the prime cause.

I'm all for people getting those big machines though. It neatly categorizes humanity for me. People who drive/buy them, if not involved in landscaping, or transportation, or some commercial activity that actually requires those large vehicles, are either a.) stupid, or b.) not very visionary or imaginative, or c.) the sort that just don't give a f*&k about the rest of us, or d.) all of the above.

Not to be left behind too far behind (not) choking on my (car's) cleaner, low on carbon emissions exhaust, they too probably have categories for people like me. For them, people like me are either a.) whiny sissies, or b.) bitter f&*ks, or c.) people who care too much about everything to do anything meaningful about one particular thing, or d.) all of the above.

Hmmm...

I still don't know why I so dislike large SUV's.

Help me.

Upgrades

No.. No.. no upgrades to my desktop, laptop (I don't have one), MP3 player or appendages (I won't comment on whether I need one or don't anyways!). Just some upgrades to the blog as seems to be permitted - even facilitated - by Blogger. I guess competition from Wordpress has made all of this possible, although I'd like to see a lot more enhancements before I am satisfied. Nothing like an unpaying customer or client like me asking for the world, and then some. For free! Heh! Heh!

Actually, I have been meaning to switch to Wordpress for a while now, but inertia and the just-in-time new Blogger features have prevented me from doing what I should have done already. Never mind. It's on my agenda anyways. For now, I am partially satiated with the ability to list (and cross-list) posts by labels - a feature common to other sites and providers. Hopefully it will be a lot more easier to navigate through the worthless posts on this blogsite anyways.

Then again, there are more labels on my blog than posts. That's to show you how multidisciplinary my writing can be. Or - to put it plainly - how all over the place the whole f**king blog is!

Now what?

3 drinks
empty stomach - well ok - some fries in between
a wicked buzz
a lot of cussing and swearing
lots of laughing with good ol' friends in on a celebration
help me walk me up the stairs later in the evening
up to my apartment-for-a-couple-'more-weeks-now
it's the middle of the night - nay early in the morning
And I suddenly find myself awake, wide awake
Buzz gone away
And hungry as hell

BrijWhiz grows older!

Many happy returns of the day (August 25th) to BrijWhiz, my personal pioneer and more importantly, one of the very best of buddies a guy ( and/or a woman) can have.

Brij, may your hopes and aspirations for the next year of your life be fulfilled. May your wealth and stock options continue to grow. And may you finally be able to stay away from the hookers and the booze. Oh right! Sorry! You're way past that phase of your life, and your wife wouldn't want to hear of your past exploits. Or rather, I mean the lack thereof (for Megz's sake!).

Continuing on then; may your wife have something sexy and naughty planned for you - and may you help her out a little more by taking a shower finally. (I did that on my birthday and it was received with the most heartfelt expressions of gratitude. One needs to do good deeds as mentioned above annually. Too often though, and you risk diluting the enormity of that particular expression of love.) Shaving your facial hair may be a little too much of a shock for the poor thing though. So go easy on her. One thing at a time.

Ok. Ok. All that roasting aside, a toast to all the good times and bad we've all shared over the last several years, and to all the good people we've met, and the bad ones we dissed, and the pretty ones we ogled. And to your continued presence online and offline (whatever offline and online means). Don't need a share of the stock options though to say life is immeasurably richer with you around (but would definitely help)!

P.S. Just found out that BrijWhiz shares his birthday with ... Sean Connery - whoosh 76 yearsh old today! Now I know why you've had the luck with the ladies, and a penchant for Scotch! Cheers buddy!

Hah! v/s Duh! (Hi-tek v/s Lo-Tek)

Venky initiated this discussion on "Would our kids label us as technology illiterate?" Sorta like how we label our parents and their "unsavviness" with regards to modern technology and its use.

Venky's point of view (in his own words) is: "I strongly believe that we (our generation) would bridge the gap between generations as far as using technology is concerned. I’m sure we will NEVER be as up-to-date as our teenage kids (whenever that happens) but we will at least be in the same ballpark – and that is to say that we will be a few steps ahead of our parents’ generation.".

You can read more about his views and his justifications/ reasoning on that earlier link. And as per Brij's request to help further the discussion, I am "copy-pasting" the comment I made earlier to that discussion as a regular post here:

---------
(July 17, 2006):


Nice discussion there Venky. And although you made some good arguments there, I'd have to say as far as tech-savviness is concerned - the NextGen will be superior.

However, I guess it's important that you separete medium from content in your argument. My firm feeling is (just as Pranav and Soumya) that the average person only picks up so much tech kno-how (essentially knowledge) as much as is of use to that person. Anything more is purely incidental.

In other words, soon you may be using the latest phones and gadgets (as you are so inclined ;) ) but there will be menu items, tabs and mechanisms for which you will have no use for - but the next gen might. For instance rating bars, hangouts, bands, even popular classmates, etc. instantly, or as some of my PhD friends suggested, obtaining a GPS location of the nearest cool joint where the highest number of hip and popular are currently hanging out. Or consider next generation VR games for which there will be better tactile tools for social interaction in virtual communities. How much of use would we have for it once we sink further into our settled mode of social interaction? But would that prevent the next gen from adapting to it? I don't think so. We'd never know how to use next gen virtual interaction equipment by and large, simply because we'd have no use for it.

Not compelling examples those, but just to demonstrate that there'll be tons of stuff around for which we when we grow older - will have no use for. But these things will be developed keeping the NextGen in mind.

Again, as I said medium and content need separation in any discussion on future tech. The reason is that as long as the media which is available to us is supplying us with all the content that we need, there will be very little impetus to move on to something else. Unless and until, we are convinced that the an alternative exists thats atleast as good if not better than our current options, and/or else is being used widely by others.

Those who stay ahead of the curve will have a better chance of adapting to the new tech world. And being tech-savvy could be a powerful tool for the coming future. But, those persons would be more of the few exceptions than the significant majority obeying the rule.

To sum up the sentiment, here's a quote from more than 100 years ago:

"Everything that can be invented has been invented."

-Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.

---------

Recluse

Old habits die hard. Phone's ringing. It's the middle of the afternoon. The blinds reluctantly filter the sunlight into my room. They're on my side - the blinds I mean. I don't really want the sun in. I am still lying on my bed. And the phone's ringing. And then it stops.

It's back to the silence that probably preceded the phone call. Except, now I am awake once again. Since drifting off to sleep the last time the ringer went off. Then and now, just rode out the ringing without really doing anything. Several moments later, I finally turn to my side and pick up the mobile phone. Check caller ID.

F*&k! Should've taken this call. But, now's not the time to return the call and chat.

No. Not now. Now's not that time. Now's the time to wallow in listlessness; in the feeling that the sh*t's coming down hard all around me, but I am loath to respond to the situation.

Not that it's raining down that hard 'round me - the sh*t I mean. A little too opera-like that description - it's probably a good deal measure off the mark anyways. Whatever. (These are dark times indeed!) I stumble out of bed and a few necessary tasks later during which time quietly transpires itself by - walk the 10 minutes it takes me to get to the place I work at. Since I didn't specify if I walk those 10 minutes that it usually takes me to get to work - to actually walk to work or walk to somewhere else - I should tell you that thats what I do. That is - I walk those 10 minutes it takes me to get to work - to actually walk and get to work.

Once in the building, I try and avoid contact with people for the most part.

Under the Weather

For those who care (or even those who don't), I have been under the weather off late. Started with flu-like symptoms: cold, cough, slight fever. Then got better for a few days (no fever, but had the cold and cough). And then fell ill again; high fever, still had the damn cold and cough. Turns out that I may have bronchitis. It's not as bad as it sounds. Anyways, so the reason I wasn't writing much was because I was sick for about 2 weeks, and am still not completely out of the woods yet.

It's nice that I can write anything I want (mostly crap) and I know some people will read it. A small few of those some will care. Most of them won't. But you'll still read it! Heh! Heh! That's the power I have over my readers.

Get a life, Sarat!

Promises and Lies (2)

As I promised I would try to do so earlier, I tried to hold myself back this evening, and go easy on my buddies while we sipped the usual cuppa last evening. I am glad to report that I was moderately successful in my attempt. Also, I did apologize for those few instances when I couldn't restrain myself. I am trying to get better at this. So help a friend out here!

On another note, was it just me, or was there some uneasy silence at the table this evening? Heh! Heh!

Get me the barf bag

“No really. I understand what you’re saying. But it’s just that – by forcing it down my throat, you’re making me gag and vomit my guts out on your clean, pressed clothes.”

New age therapies, old-age religions, and pyramid business schemes, all sound the same when they’re portrayed as the next best thing to chocolate (itself a debatable topic). For instance, in the computer science world, it’s the new “open-source is best” movement that has me gagging (apart from “iPods are the best”). Again, I have no problems with open-source (or iPods). Being a PhD student myself, and slightly liberal in my beliefs, I tend to believe that knowledge should be freely shared and used by people. But then there are little factors such as; compensation, incentive to innovate more and, of course, accountability, that are businees realities and define individuality in commercial terms. On all these counts open-source doesn’t quite deliver (at least, not just yet). And thats why people still develop and buy proprietary solutions.

Fred Brooks (UNC-Chapel Hill), a great computer science and software engineering pioneer, once said (and wrote a whole damn book about it) regarding software engineering, that there’s “No Silver Bullet”, i.e. there really isn’t a single methodology or paradigm out there that can be considered the end-all solution for everything. Different solutions work in different situations. It doesn’t mean we stop trying to find that “Silver Bullet”. I can see several situations that open source would be perfect. But I can also see several others where they won't, and instead could be potentially disastrous. It’s a nice concept, but its not The Silver Bullet. Not even close.

It’s all fine and dandy to use pseudo-imaginative PowerPoint presentations to present visions of the future. But true visionaries concerned about transforming the world for the global “good” aren’t selling books, software, or feel-good philosophy to you. If they’re pimping something, surely they must have a vested interest in it themselves. At least the smart ones probably do. It makes perfect business sense to convince people (customers and foot soldiers alike) of the need to buy their product. The newly converted foot soldiers and die-hard customers (sometimes they’re the same people) probably realize much later on in life that they were used by the smart, manipulative people up at the top to forward their personal agendas, who then cut and ran when the going got rough.

My limited understanding of marketing and sales is that before you sell something, you need to first find out if there really is a market out there, and if there isn’t, then you’ve got to invest in creating a need for your product. You just have to be skeptical when you’re about to pay a price (whatever it may be) for something new.

Besides, who decides what’s good for you and what’s not? You? Your ancestors? The government? Private business? Priests, temples, religious zealots, new age gurus? Who? Take your pick. Meanwhile, bring that barf-bag along with you when you’re coming round my door to convert me to something new.

Promises and lies

It was sometime in November last year ('05) I think. Venue: Cup-A-Joe, Time: 6.30 p.m. (or thereabouts). I was seated along with the usual suspects; DC, Sibin, Salil, SK, and others who kept joining in and leaving, while we stayed put discussing the events of the day/week/month/year/decade/century... you get the picture (that's right - slackers of the world unite!!). Topics usually range from anything to anything. There's not too much thats sacred. And more often than not, we focus the it's-your-turn-to-be-made-fun-of spotlight on one another.

I admit I was one of those reveling in giving the others a hard time. Not that I am necessarily too incisive, witty, sarcastic, or any of those things that make people interesting. But then, hey, you've got to give me points for trying. Trouble is (besides not being good at it), I don't really know when to stop. And of course, the gutter-bred language thats part of my normal vocalbulary usually doesn't help tone my attempted satire down too much.

Well, the long and short of that evening in November from my perspective, was that I publicly announced that I would go easy on people, especially my friends, not just including those who I met up for coffee with. And I say this with pride, that I did go easy on people for the most part.

Trouble with going easy though was that, as Sibin pointed out, nothing had changed too much after this new-found compassion that I exhibited. The one thing that did change was that I ended up apologizing a lot more after every sarcastic comment that I made. But in my defense, I couldn't really have gone cold turkey all of a sudden. I tried my best to phase it out. And I think for that one month or so, I did my karma a world of good. I started to feel that I was getting in to the pages of the good books of the Big Guy up in the Sky. Ah! The sweet smell of goodness. Sniff! Sniff! Man, I was starting to smell real good! (Yeah! Who need's Axe?!)

And then I went on this trip to Mumbai, come December. The trip that would be very eventful for me (got married and all that you see!). After my return, it was business as usual. All vows of going easy were forgotten. I guess the lease ended last year. Time to renew the terms. I don't really know for how long though. Perhaps, I could start with one complete day. And if that gets too stressful, then one little evening at Cup-A-Joe.

I apologize in advance guys.

If I could...?

Ever notice how that craving for a semblance of normalcy in one's life is usually just a sense of attachment to the mundane? I wonder why that is.

Sorry. I wasn't really thinking about providing you with any answers. But I do sympathize with you. I sometimes wish the norm was an eventful life. Sadly, I know I wouldn't really be able to handle such a life for very long really.

I mean, think about it. Let's say I wanted to lead the normal life of someone like, for example, James Bond. That's right, thats agent 007 of Her Majesty's secret service. A normal day in his life involves; visiting the offices of the secret service, flirting with the secretary, meeting with his boss and being briefed on a new task for which the only possible start is pumping information out of an attractive, delectable, but almost sad and forlorn beauty with deep, dark secrets. Then it would probably involve being chased by hired killers, before turning the tables on them and chasing them down for more information about where this is all going to, before realizing that the plan of the enemy is world domination after complete destruction of life as we know it. Time for some tea in the afternoon, before picking out the best gadgets devised by the cloak and dagger people, and getting into some nice suits for an evening reception, and then a night caper involving sex, violence, death, explosions, stopping the bad guy, and then kissing his speed boat driver lady as the rescue helicopters converge on the scene.

I forgot to mention the chain smoking that would be a requisite for me to look cool as the Bond.

See? It's all in a day's work for El Bond. But if I was 007, hell I'd be dead from exhaustion. And that would be just one day. One day in the life of this fictional man, a very eventful day notwithstanding, would be too much for ordinary souls like me. All that smoking, drinking, banging, pumping, and looking good doing it all, would crush my ticker in no time. I'd much rather dream of getting my clustering algorithm to work just right. And stop dreaming up schemes for my wife of few months to leave me out of reason of insanity - my insanity that is.

Of course, there's a good reason why an eventful day for me usually means something equally mundane and "Yeah, whatever" like! That's coz I don't have the stomach for the eventful really. I do have the stomach to realize this: that while it's the mundane that mostly helps me make it from one day to the next, its the anticipation of the eventful that helps me stay alive.