A Bend in the Lane

The other day, while I was driving past IKEA, a billboard caught my eye. A billboard announcing the sale of childrens' furniture. The hoarding read - "For the most important people in the world" - obviously referring to children. What struck me was what a load of marketing balderdash the statement was. At least in my opinion. When did the world gang up and decide that children are the most important people in the world? They ARE important. But surely they are not the MOST important? Look, it is a given that I would do just about anything to protect a baby.   But what about the old and the aged? Dont they figure as the most important? They have lived decades and have attained, hopefully, wisdom. We have many lessons to learn from their experiences, from their mistakes. We have wisdom to partake. If there were no old, there would no wisdom to teach the young. And what is a generation sans wisdom worth?   And what about women? Dont you think they are much more importan...

In a meeting, if someone is not arguing with you, dont join the argument. Not even to defend your boss, Or boss's boss. Bosses can take care of themselves. That is why they are bosses. Its not a fisty-cuffs in the school yard. Its Machiavellian maneuvers in the board room. The Lessig style of presentation is all nice and jazzy and gets you lots of attention usually . But not always. Sometimes, it looks shallow and like you haven't put in enough effort. Especially if you do not know the difference between Scheme and Fare.  Which brings me to - there IS a difference between Scheme, Fare . Dont argue. Especially with policy makers. Especially with big honcho-policy-maker. It's foolish. And my best learning - shut up. If you cant shut up, sleep. If you cant sleep, doodle. They will survive fine without your two cents worth. They have till date. 

"I come to embrace it, to heartily concur, to affirm that one's title -- even a title like president -- says very little about how well one's life has been led," he said. "That no matter how much you've done, or how successful you've been, there's always more to do, more to learn, more to achieve." ~ Barack Hussein Obama

... is a taxing one. And it is an unfair one. Tomorrow, I shall rant. Today, I shall just be plain old sad. 

You have to be a Jack of all trades. Being a Master is overrated. You need to be able to sing a ditty, dance the lindy hop, discuss the Palestinian situation in Middle East, solve a cryptic crossword, be content with your own company,be comfortable going to parties alone, steer a sparkling conversation over lunch, climb a peak - kilimanjaro or kinabalu - once in a while, run a marathon, swim a kilometer, backpack across continents, be kind to the dog or the kid, know all about wines and yet remain a teetotaler, know all there is to know of cigars, and yet remain a non-smoker, learn a language, give a dime to the old man selling tissues, canter and gallop with your horse. To all this, you need to have a sense of humor nothing can diminish, a goodness nothing can tarnish, a soul that is free and that transcends all this and everything.  Are you here, yet? 

God has a great sense of humor. Almost the fiendish kind. I have known it more and more recently. But today, was just. Well, He just took it to another level, today. Eastertide, remember. Remember today. March 5th. You felt all these feelings within 10 minutes. One disbelief.  Two Curiosity  Three disbelief, the excited kind.  Four Realisation  Five Sinking   Six Panic  Seven Desperation  Eight Panic  Nine Desperation  Ten Dread 

Whattay an eloquent speech. No tears, no thanking the whole world and its aunt. Just plain dignity.   "... and i am honoured. The magic of movies enraptured me when I was a child. As i totter into antiquity movie magic enraptures me still. Having already bagged this baby, spared uncertainities prior to the opening of an envelope, I am able to think. I think of our colleagues our old friends, now gone, who played their parts in this earn I think of the sumptuous talents alive well I think of the astonishing young, the gifted and able young men and women, of whom i grab energy in handful." They gave him the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. He is probably one of the 5 actors who deserved an Oscar for acting, but, alas, never did get it. The other 4 are  Barbara Stanwyck  (she made it all seem far too easy),  Edward G Robinson  (a phenomenol powerhouse of acting),  Cary Grant  (probably because comedy isn't so terribly appreciated by the Academy), Charles Boyer ( it's an...

I just don't get it. Why would people start bushfires? Why? No, this is not a tirade. Put aside my complete outrage. This is me completely baffled by the psyche of the arsonists.  To relieve boredom, to bring chaos and excitement, to crave attention and recognition, I am told. Still, that's just too simple to explain away the psychology of someone who would deliberately cause such damage. Plus it's puzzling that Australia has so many skulking pyromaniacs. 

Gregory Peck was the best Atticus Finch there ever was and there ever will be. For me. And for Harper Lee, at the very least. 'Cos she said, her Atticus Finch was a role that allowed Peck to play himself. Peck. A quiet man. A quiet, decent man. He had to " put everything I had into it – all my feelings and everything I'd learned in 46 years of living, about family life and fathers and children. And my feelings about racial justice and inequality and opportunity". Peck was a decent man. The quietly decent kind. Decency is special. It is such an underrated virtue. Decency is heroic in these trying times. Hollywood, please, no remakes.

Sitting down to quote oneself is the heights of pomposity. But right now, I cant help recalling what I once said, "  A bit o' sun, a gust of wind, a patch of blue skies, a twinkle in the eye and an insouciant soul are good things for the lethargic soul."  Aye, I said it right. Today I need all of that.  Today is one of those days I am tired in the bones. 

My life's motto was compactly summarised in 4 beautiful lines at the base of the Jaipur Column decades ago- In thought, Faith In word, Wisdom In deed, Courage In life, Service It is easier to carry them around as words engraved on a medallion everyday than to live them everyday. Especially the line that speaks of deeds of courage. And to find comfort I turn to Auden and he mocks at me from his grave - Pick up a fight, go to war. Leave the hero in the bar. climb a peak, fight a lion, let no one guess you are weak. 

I have been accepted into the Kellogg School of Management (1 year program) as well as the Harvard Business School for my MBA. I dont know which one to go to. It's an agonizing decision. Which one, dear reader? Which one?  Some very mature ways of decision making I have resorted to - - if I see two mynahs , it;s a sign I have to go to Kellogg. If I see three, I have to go to Harvard. - if the bus arrives in the next one minute, i have to go to Harvard. - if the leaf falls off the branch and touches my right shoulder, I go to Kellogg. ad infinitum, ad infinitum,and so on.

There was a store in our colony where we did most of our grocery shopping. I often ran the chore of getting a dozen eggs from the store for Mother.  I liked that chore. I liked to feel eggy cool smoothness. Hunt for cracks. Jiggle 'em a bit. Pick the largest. I took my time. The owner didn't mind. He knew me since my toddler years and he let me select my own dozen eggs.  On one particular trip when I was 9, I laid them carefully in a paper bag and walked over to pay up. While walking, I counted them all over again. I counted 11. So I grabbed one more egg and added it to the paper bag. At the counter, the owner-uncle took my money. Before stapling it, he took a quick peek and counted. He counted 13. He looked up and looked at me. Or rather, he gave me a look. A very quiet look. A very very quiet look. A look that held me guilty. Without saying a word, he took one egg out and stapled the bag.  I, very puzzled, opened my mouth to protest. I grabbed the bag and co...

There are days when you feel utterly empty. You will yourself to feel something. Anything, and yet you dont. Not a tingle. Not a whisper. What is the cure for those days? A change? A walk in the park at eventide? Getting a dog? Or a goldfish? Reading a book? Cuddling up to mom? What is the cure? Tell me right now!

My parent's wedding anniversary was around the corner. In preparation of a surprise, i decided to go to ABC Travel Agents to get them a nice weekend holiday. The ABC happens to be the Walmart of travel agents in Singapore. Except that they are not as cheap as Walmart. (Which actually means that they cant be the Walmart of travel agents, but thats beside the point.).  I had a bit of a nasty experience. One chirpy day was spent being put on hold by their really advanced telephone system for 50 minutes, being directed to the wrong branch (they have all these silly branches which serve you depending on the region of travel, the mode of travel, your race, ethnicity, mother's name, last name, time of birth. No seriously!), spending 1 hour in the queue system (again supah advanced) and talking to the officer and then being directed to the correct branch, only to find it closed.  The second day was a lot less painful. But, the prices quoted were..lets say, not Walmart...

Suddenly i have a guzillion books that I have to read and are staring at me from my bedside table. The Known World, Cloud Atlas, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Prozac Nation ...just to name a few. And, i am so terribly excited that I could jump up and down on my mattress had I been 5 years younger. I want to read 'em all at once. A new year and a new resolution to be more disciplined. That has saddled me with the burden of bearing the agony of many options and only one choice.

In vs vt da xz bi sw! PS: The cipher key is ' A Beginning'

There is a sad statistic out there on the net that 90% of women will have at least one new year resolution that states "get in shape" or "lose weight". Thought this might be a tiny reminder to appreciate and accept your body. 

Bibliophiles must know the agony of the assault of to-read books on book shelves. The books that one buys in an ambitious impulse but somehow never got around to finishing for whatever reasons - the print is too small, the writing sucks, i dont feel for the characters, there is a typo on pg156 - ad infinitum.  Last I checked, here's my wicked list - 1. Andew O'Hagan's Our Fathers 2. Mahabharata 3. Freakanomics 4. Art and physics 5. Plato's The Republic (never got beyond Book IV) 6. Chomsky for Beginners 7. The Hill Station by J G Farrell

Why does it matter what Oprah Winfrey weighs now? Why is it headlines on CNN? Why?