No Lack of Stupidity in this World

I have often said that there is no shortage of stupid people in this world but very rarely does one meet someone who touts their own stupidity to the world. I have the pleasure of working with one such person. This person recently made an investment in a property against the better judgment of her family and friends. Since this property has been purchased, there have been nothing but problems. Granted some of these problems couldn’t have been avoided but one should do some preliminary research on their own prior to making any investment. For example if one were to buy a car, one would get it from a reputed dealer so it can only be reasoned that one would do the same for any builder who is selling homes. Did my co-worker do this? No, no why would she do that? Isn’t it enough that the builder hit on her even though he is married? As ridiculous as it sounds, it is true that she bought this property because she had the ‘hots’ for her builder. This has got to be the most asinine reason ever but this is the only logical explanation for this purchase.

Now, if the above wasn’t enough, we all get to hear about her plethora of problems on a daily basis. Initially I sympathized but the more I hear about them, the more I am convinced it’s all her fault. She didn’t research her builder, she didn’t get an inspection done for her property and on top of it all she didn’t trust the advice of family and friends when they told her not to invest in this place. Now what is she doing? She is calling everyone under the sun and telling them of the conundrum she has placed herself in. Furthermore, she is now treating this as her personal quest to teach the builder a lesson. Give me a BREAK!!! We all know none of this would’ve happened had she not been stupid and now she is only in this to rake in as much money as she can.

I cannot tolerate much of this nonsense any more. I am at a point where I want to sit her down and tell her that this is all her damn fault for being stupid and I have no interest in hearing this crap everyday. If she wants to discuss her problems on the phone with people, then she should have the common courtesy to leave the work area so the peace is not disrupted for the rest of us!!!!!!!!! But alas no, I am trying my best to rein in my impatience and not give her a piece of my mind to maintain the tranquility of the work place.

Jodhaa Akbar

Jodhaa Akbar stars Hrititk Roshan as Akbar and Aishwariya Rai as his wife Jodha. The story focuses on how Jodha and Akbar married for a political alliance but were fortunate enough to find LOVE within their union. While the whole getting married for a political alliance seems rather far-fetched these days, many people can associate with entering a marriage and learning to trust that person. One of the key points that they focus on in this movie is that a relationship needs the foundation of TRUST to become stronger. One person should trust the other person and there should be open communication between them to prevent misunderstandings. This key point should be taken home by all the viewers of this movie.

I had mixed feelings about watching this movie in the theatre. From the promos that I had seen, the set design looked very elaborate, the costumes and jewelry: breath taking, the scale of the production: grand and the actors who starred in this historic drama: beautiful. As for the story, I knew it was a historical subject matter and a ‘love-story’…now this was a hit or miss in my opinion. Not to mention the little fact that the movie was almost 4 hours long and watching it in a regular theatre meant no intermission breaks!!! Anyhow, I bit the bullet so to speak and went to see the movie in the theatre. It was a smart move on my part as I consider it time well spent.

WEDDINGS

Weddings are a time of celebration for the joining of 2 individuals. Regardless of what some people may say, this is not a union of 2 individuals but rather of 2 families as when you marry another you also get their family with them. It’s a packaged deal where one cannot pick and choose. It is also important to have family and friends present at the wedding so one can have their blessings and emotional support while entering this union. While all weddings are fun, Indian weddings are fun due to the customs/rituals associated with them. The pragmatist may call these rituals old fashioned but they are a part of our culture and I truly believe they somehow strengthen the bonds.

I personally just love weddings because they are the perfect time to dress up, party and generally have a good time. I just attended a wedding recently and it was the best time ever. Not only was I excited for the bride and groom to begin their lives together, I was also very happy to meet all the relatives who came to the wedding. This made the celebration even more enjoyable.

In my opinion, the wedding reception has got to be the best part of the wedding though as it provides an excuse for everyone to let loose. For the parties involved in the wedding, this is a time to sit back and enjoy as all their hard work for planning the wedding has paid off. For the attendees, it’s the time to eat, drink, mingle with others, and dance. The best part for me is the dancing. There is so much fun to be had on the dance floor. Not only does one get to dance with their family and friends but one also has the opportunity to observe the ‘uninhibited dancers’ if you will. Now, these people are the best to watch as they completely shed their inhibitions (thanks to alcohol) and completely set themselves loose on the dance floor. Sometimes I think the bride and groom should send special thank-you cards to these individuals for entertaining their guests.

Feb 14th – A ‘Hallmark’ holiday or a day that causes us to reflect????

I simply cannot believe that I am about to write another post on romance, love, etc. but this topic just cannot be avoided at this time of the year as one is just surrounded by signs of it. As there is an upcoming wedding in my family, it just seems that this topic is discussed a lot and is therefore on my mind.
What I am wondering/debating these days is why do we give such significance to a day that is a ‘hallmark’ holiday created by them to sell their cards? What makes this day more special than any other day? Why do people buy flowers, presents, etc for their loved ones on this day and not on any other day? Furthermore, who is to say that you need to give presents to someone or go on a romantic date on this day to show that you love someone?
Another part of me believes that this day just give people an excuse to show their appreciation and love for someone. Often times, we get so engrossed in our daily lives that we don’t take time to spend with our loved ones or to tell them how much they mean to us. I know some people may argue as to how giving someone flowers proves how much you love them? I say one should remember that the old adage ‘Actions speak louder than words’ also has some merit. If this day can make everyone take the time out to reflect on the important things in our life (the people we love and care about), then I say what’s the harm in it?

Foolishness and Love – Is there a correlation?

I was at the Salt Lake City airport the other day and while waiting to board my plane I noticed that I was sitting directly behind a young Indian couple who seemed to be in their 20s. While this normally may have been insignificant event, it wasn’t in this case due to what happened. From all appearances they seemed like a couple in love. Within 5 minutes of sitting there, I had already concluded that the girl loved to talk and the guy was extremely quiet as I don‘t believe I heard him mention more than 2 words the entire time we were sitting there. Initially she was talking normal to him in Hindi and English and then she decided he must hear the song she had written for him. Here I was sitting there minding my own business while eating my parfait, when this girl started to sing to him. I had to control myself with great difficulty as I was afraid I was going to start laughing out loud. I mean come on, you happen to be at the airport. Granted that she was singing in Hindi and probably thought that no one could understand her or maybe she just didn’t care, the fact still remains that there were other people there who could understand her. Just imagine if I had started laughing out loud after hearing her song, how she would have felt then.

This incident made me wonder if people who are in ‘love’ are really oblivious to the world around them and simply just do not care what people think. I mean it didn’t seem to matter to the girl one whit that the guy to whom she was serenading to didn’t even react to the song. I concluded the guy’s behavior to as being embarrassed of her actions; my guess would be that he was just dumbfounded and thinking what the hell is wrong with her…LOL. I for one just had to get up and walk away so I won’t be rude and start laughing right there.

When I described this incident to someone this morning, they thought it was rather romantic of the girl to sing to the guy. Now, don’t get me wrong as I’m as romantic as the next person….some people would argue this claim but that is neither here nor there at the moment…..I thought she was being plain silly to behave like this in public. So this difference of opinion is making me question if all people who are in love behave like fools? I mean is there really a correlation between behaving foolishly and being in love? Is acting in a rather foolish manner a requirement for people in love? All in all, I want someone to tell me what the hell is wrong with the people in this world???? Oh well, screw it all I say because the girl did make this trip rather interesting and provided entertainment for me what otherwise would have been a rather tedious wait.

Allergic to Work?

Is it possible to be actually allergic to work? This question has been on my mind quite a lot recently as I have been sick for what seems like the longest time. It has been pointed out to me that I was never sick this often prior to starting work at my current job. I am of the opinion that this is a good observation and considering we have absolutely no ventilation in our corner of the floor we are situated at, this very well may be true. You may ask, how do you know there is no ventilation there? Well, good thing that you ask. I know this because I recall last summer when there was remodeling going on our floor and they had to paint near our wing of the floor, the entire wing had to be evacuated. We all literally worked from home for 2 days as the odor was simply unbearable.

So, for the sake of the argument, let’s assume that I truly am allergic to the workplace as the particles in the workplace’s environment are truly causing me sickness. Having a corner cube doesn’t help much either. Now, the question becomes: how does one fix this problem and more importantly how do I go about getting compensation for the emotional, mental and physical torture I have had to endure due to the toll being sick has taken on me???? Maybe I should try to take advantage of this situation and ask my boss for a corner office with windows or better yet a satellite office where I can work from wherever I please. These perks won’t make up for what I have gone through but definitely increase the joy I could possible obtain during the upcoming spring and summer when I won’t have to slave in the office.

ESCAPE

It’s only the 3rd day of the New Year and already I am wishing that I could escape for a little while. Since this morning, I have been thinking that I would really like to go on a vacation to a nice island and have no connection/interaction with the world. Yes, this does mean no phones and no internet. Normally, the concept of having no phone or internet sounds archaic; today, however, it holds a strange appeal. I envision myself sitting on a beach, in the shade of course, reading a book and just relaxing. No one is there to bother me or distract me. One only sees water for as far as the eye can see. The waves are calm and soothing thereby providing the peace and tranquility that is so often lost in the daily hustle and bustle of life. I can sleep in the sun for as long as I want and just laze around doing nothing.

Alas, this is not to be as there is no such thing as escaping life but there is no harm in daydreaming about it and deciding how it would be if it could be.

Welcome 2008

I often times think that January 2nd is truly the day when the New Year begins. For most part, the first of January is spent wishing everyone a happy new year and recovering from too much partying on December 31st. It is on the 2nd of January when most of us resume our normal lives and we head back to work. So far, nothing seems different from last year other than a subtle change in the mindset even though I have the exact same lack of motivation for work today as I did last year.

It is quite funny how a single number change can alter our attitudes towards life. Many of us take the approach that the proverbial slate is wiped clean when the New Year begins thus we can start fresh. While this is a good approach to take and gives us motivation, it still is an illusion of the mind and only lasts a few days (if we are lucky) or few moments before reality sinks in and wipes away the rosy glow with it the realization that nothing really has changed since December 31st.

Aaja Nachle - Comeback of the dancing diva of Bollywood

Madhuri Dixit is BACK and what an interesting mode has she chosen to come back with. Let me first just say that she looks absolutely GORGEOUS!!! No one ever doubted her dancing or acting skills so I won’t even discuss them.

The concept of the movie Aaja Nachle is very unique. It focuses on the world of theatre and how Madhuri’s character brings together a group of misfits and pulls of a successful production of ‘Laila Majnu – the Musical’. Infact, the best part of the movie is Madhuri’s performance on the title song ‘Aaja Nachle’ and the play that is shown in the climax of the movie. Focusing the story of the play on Laila Majnu was a very nice touch as it most likely introduced this pair to today’s generation.

When discussing Aaja Nachle, one must simply discuss the surprise package of the film – Konkona Sen. She is an absolute treat to watch and suited the role of ‘Anokhi’ perfectly. Kunal Kapoor was thoroughly wasted in the movie in my opinion but he did fit the role of ‘Majnu’ quite nicely so maybe that’s why he was chosen for this role. Akshaye Khanna does justice to his small role in the movie; I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of a romantic angle between him and Madhuri.

By no means is this movie a masterpiece; very few rarily are. This movie has more than its share of flaws but in my excitement to watch Madhuri's movie, I managed to overlook them. As with all Indian movies, I encourage the viewers to give their brains a break by simply sitting back and enjoying.

2007 - Year in Retrospect

As 2007 is winding down, I thought to reflect upon all that has taken place this year. Some things have been inconsequential while others have had a profound impact on my life. This year has been quite significant for me both personally and professionally. On a professional level, I made a career change earlier in the year which for the most part has been a good move on my part and I have also obtained certifications that have made me recall what I didn’t like about my college days (Hint: STUDYING).

On a personal level, I believe I have grown quite a lot over this last year. Partially, this is due to the people I have met this year whom in turn have variably altered the equation of my life forever. It has been quite enlightening to experience this shift in the equation and watching my own emotional growth almost as an outsider. It’s quite amazing how we can separate ourselves from the things that are going on in our lives and simply observe them as a third person. Too bad we don’t take this approach more often therefore not losing subjectivity in our lives but that’s neither here nor there at the moment and we will save that topic for another post.

I have also reconnected with friends that I had lost contact with over time. This has made me realize that some friendships do not change with time.

Overall, I would say that this has been a GREAT year for me. While it’s true that it could have been even better, one must take into account the little fact that it could have been a lot worse. All I can say now is that lets hope 2008 brings with it more joy and strengthening of the bonds that we have formed/maintained thus far in our lives.