Friday, October 8, 2010

The big 'Y'


Why do good days fly by and bad days drag on?

Why do birds aim right on target so often?

Why do people point out that you are so thin/skinny/lean etc as if you didn't know and there was no such thing as a mirror to see yourself in?

Why is it that you can think of several interesting things to do when you're employed and don't have the time but you can't think of a thing to do when you're unemployed and you've got the time?

Why do two great opportunities knock on your door at the same time and you can only pick one?

Why is it that a movie you've looked all over for is on TV all the time only after you've already watched it?

Why are all movie birth scenes shown as normal deliveries?

Why do kids pick up on bad words faster than they do on good ones?

Why is it that sometimes two pairs of shoes go perfectly well with an outfit and it's hard to decide which one to wear and sometimes none of the pairs of shoes you own suit the outfit you want to wear?

Why doesn't anyone notice everytime I've been right about something and everyone notices that one time I'm wrong about something?

Why don't all 'why's' have answers?

Why can't you think of more 'why's' to add in your comments?

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Book bound


A dog is a man's best friend. Diamonds are a girl's best friend. I'm sure you've heard of all that stuff. But did you also know that a book can be a great friend? If you didn't, this is for you.
I got into the habit of reading right since I was a little kid. It started off with those fairytales every little girl begins with. After that came the Enid Blyton phase of adventure followed by Nancy Drew and then Jeffrey Archer, Sydney Sheldon, Robin Cook, Arundhati Roy, Paulo Coehlo, Khaled Hosseini, Chetan Bhagat... the list goes on as the number of books I read increases. I love how a book can capture me into its world and present before me its scenes and characters that my imagination gives life to. It's a great way to escape the daily grind of reality. A book that holds my attention captivates me to the extent that I can feel the joy and the pain, the tension, the fear and the relief of the characters and their circumstances.
Reading also develops your vocabulary and sentence structure. It increases your knowledge of words and their usage. Of course there's more to reading than all of that. Andre Maurois said, 'The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one's encounter with it in a book.'
With film directors adapting novels, more and more people would rather watch an adaptation than take the time to read a book. But why limit yourself to the director's perspective of the book when you've got an imaginative mind of your own? If you must watch the movie, read the book first so that you enjoy the book from your perspective, free from pre conceived notions about the appearance of the characters, the scenarios and the manner in which the story unfolds.
Modern technology with its gadgets like the kindle, the iphone, the ipod etc enable an individual to download ebooks. It's pretty convenient that way. Although I have to say that I prefer a book anyday. There's something about the rustle of the pages, the smell and the feel of a book that makes reading such a cherished experience for me.

'You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend' ~ Paul Sweeney

Things I wish people would realize

Firstly,
While the world of fashion is opening its doors to the plus size woman, it has not yet progressed in terms of variety.
First the size zero obsession, now a gradual acceptance of curves, but why this slow progress? Is a designer's horizon so limited that he/she can only focus on creating outfits for a certain body type? What about clothes for those women who are under 5ft 6 inches tall or those heavy on the hips alone? Or those with slightly more broad shoulders than the average woman? For the petite frame or the woman who's just had a baby and is looking for some great clothes to camouflage the extra weight? For the woman in the wheelchair? What about clothes for the rest of the world?

Secondly,
The thing about that first interview with a company is first impressions. Many of us take the trouble to put together a smart outfit, to be there a little earlier than required, to brush up on all the info about the company and the role etc, in short, we're on our best behaviour. After all, first impressions do matter. However, you dont always find the same approach on the other end.
How often have you waited at least three quarters of an hour (maybe much more) before they begin with the recruitment process? Has the interviewer ever interrupted you because of an 'important' call and have you waited five minutes wondering which direction to look in so that you don't appear to be eavesdropping while he/she answers the call right there? Have you ever waited a long time only to be told that they cannot accommodate so many people for the written test and that everyone waiting will surely be scheduled for interviews the following week? And that following week never happened till date? Yes we've all faced some of that if not all of it and I'm sure that if not you, then someone you know has had a similar experience.
First impressions work both ways. I wonder if they know that.

Thirdly,
In a country where matrimonials demand fair complexion of brides, States demand a separate entity, people of the west attack people of the north in a certain popular capital, a region of a southern state demands to be identified as a separate state, various types of institutions still have categories like caste and religion in their enrolment forms, regional bias exists when voting for talent shows, when renting out flats etc etc, where is the unity?
Before we talk of the difficulties we face abroad as non natives, let us examine ourselves and the regionalism, communalism, color bias, separatism and other such hurdles we all face right here as natives.

These are the things I wish people would realize, for now. I might just have a part two on it's way.