Rohit’s Weblog

OK. Another post after a really long time. Not that I did not have anything to post about but off late have been wondering whether I write for myself or for the world. Because there is so much to write to/for myself but nothing for the world. Reasons aplenty-articulation, confusion and some amount of secrecy.

A lot is happening. In me and around me. Simple things first..

We moved into a new house. A huge room to myself …. actually the whole floor to myself. Sounds like a reason to celebrate?? Not really.. I miss my old room which was more like what I needed. But change is supposed to feel good. And it will.

Career planning going on. I know it is scary. Never wanted any other influence to determine what I should do. But  there is lesson I am still learning – I am what I am because of all those influences. Some mild some really strong.

Friends at work are back. They were majorly travelling (business +personal trips) all of last quarter and it feels good to see everyone back in the office.

So many long weekends. Just one trip. Went to Ooty first and then to Coimbatore to the Isha Yoga Centre. It was a different world. One of my best trips( maybe I say it everytime but this one was one heck of a trip!). But just realised I carried my mind even there. So it actually could have been better.

Aditya is back and Anil is coming. Two of my closest friends who were distanced because of a dream. The American Dream. The nightmare of recession and ‘Hindustani mitthi ki Khushboo’ is drawing them back. I am not complaining.

The domain of my head. Things have changed. I have changed. I am not able to recognise myself sometimes. What was then and what is now . Things are not the same anymore. Feels good sometimes and also feels bitter sometimes.

There is a deep sense of loss. Something inexplicable.

But I will be strong. Strong like never before. Feels good to think about what I am going to be. It is all about getting there …sooner or later. But the idea of it is exciting…Really.

And there is a last minute entry- There is MAGIC at home and it is something I just needed.

Funny how things are changing. Funny how people are changing. Funny how I am being forced to change.  Change which I am not in any mood to welcome atleast.

Funny how amount of happiness someone can give you is directly proportional to how much they can hurt you. Funny how you are trying to figure out what I am reffering to here. Funny how I am getting to know about things which I am supposed to know from someone I really don’t know. Funny how I am being given tags that define my character. Funny how ‘cool’ness is defined. Funny what hopes can do to you. Funny when you ‘just know’ no matter whether you are filled with pessimism or optimism. Funny how some nightmares are recurring and people around are making me believe that they are true. Funny when I think about people I ‘like’.

Funny when I look at myself when I am restless. Funny how restlessness comes from helplessness.

Funny that this is the only place I feel like venting something out. Funny.

Well, maybe not so funny.

A lot has been said. Nothing has been done.

Two words

GO VOTE.

Vote against the main two forces- Dynasty And Communal Politics ( For People’s sake,it is democracy)

Vote against instability.

Vote for a change not for a alternative.

Whatever the reason is,Just Vote. Find a good candidate(ask around or google) and then vote. Even if you are sure he/she is not going to win,JUST VOTE.

This is bigger than an opinion poll. This is bigger than reality TV. This is bigger than any award or recognition. It is as big as it should be.

Vote is an ‘action verb’. Give it its right place. Understand what you really need and be selfish. Vote for yourself.

Reason for the post -

Shuunya for once means more than zero and he wants it to be 10 this time. And just to re-assure I would have had to (not sure about the grammar) think about this one(or ten??)

1. Is the number I would want to have on my jersey.
2. Is the number of years it has been since I passed out of college.
3. Is the number of times I have given CAT. ( less than half the times Sasidhar has given)
4. Is the number of days I was in the best place in the world- Rome
5. Is the number of years I played Tennis.
6. Is the number of  pets I have had (or we as a family have had)
7. Is the number of movies in the IMDB top ten list that I have seen.
8. Is the class in school when I had my first major crush.
9. Is the class when I was on internet for the first time (on it??..:P)
10. Is the number of sports I have tried a hand at.(Tennis,Cricket,Baddy,Squash,TT,Football,VolleyBall,Swimming (sport?), DodgeBall(we played that in school ) and Seven Stones (it is an awesome village sport) )

Now that I just managed to get through the first things that came into my mind for these numbers. Time to put some more to these thoughts. Pass on

Macha – The Senti Man

RSS – The shady guy

Ramya – Maybe this will Clarify it.:)

Psycho – He is the Stats guy

Kommu – Just adding to her tasks.

Stylu – Comeback time.

Genuine – Incomplete without tagging him

On a random weekday called today, after a long day in a random place called office with someone not very random called Stylu was a conversation on the phone. Given the banality of the situation, it was pretty interesting to hink about the ‘topics’ we touched upon.  

Resoluteness of the mind>> the different perceptions of the ‘mind’ and the ’self’>> random work stuff >> psychology of nothing>> routines and rituals>> Actions in front of expectation >> things people do and things people say>>  learningit out of books and learning it from life>> Right and left( i mean the wrong)>> Things we believe and things we are forced to believe>> Influences on the mind >> society and individual >> logic and intuition>> things we like to do as opposed to things we are ‘expected’ to like to do>> Happiness as a choice>> setting standards>> being ‘typecasted’

These are just a few of the keywords of the conversation that I stuffed here. I have learnt at my end of the spectrum. But when I look back at such a call, I really start thinking( duh!) is it even worth thinking about the time we spend in thinking about thinking in general?

Takes me back to one quote of Rene Descartes which I might have interpreted the way I wanted to and actually is not making much sense to me now-

I think therefore I am.( Such a poor sentence gramatically)

A new day, a new lease of life, everyday. Everything passes on and somethings strangely keep coming back. Constancy is something boring and ‘boring’ is a word that has been introduced by someone really bored. 

So I jotted down a few things that I really need to do this year( Don’t ask me relations). Not  ’resolutions ‘ as it is a word that has been abused way too much. So here goes my ‘things to do‘

• A fresh look at everything not so fresh.
• Learn a new sport.
• Drive. In the true sense regularly.
• Do something wild.( something a lot of people can acknowledge as ‘wild’)
• An agenda for every month.
• Teach anyone anywhere and anything. Share.
• Atleeeeeeeeeeeast 4 trips in India.( Travel )
• Meet interesting new people. Socialise.
• Focus and unfocus.
• Slog and Relax.( enjoy the both)
• Give up something once in a while to see how it feels.
• Stop judging people. Stop being assertive. Stop poking my nose into ‘other’ things. Just start stopping.
• Watch ‘good’ movies. Read ‘good’ books. Blog more often. 
• Buy a personal domain. Write on irani chai.
• Update this list once in a while.

You probably might be thinking( if you know me) that I wrote all this because I am ‘bored’. But I am planning to take them a little more seriously. So whenever I am off track you know you have a responsibilty as a responsible reader of my blog.

Just when you thought my blog has become boring, repetitive and monotonous. Just when you thought you had enough of me preaching. Just when you thought why you needed to listen all my cynicism and sarcasm- I have something ELSE to write about!!!! Though it would not change my writing style which is soooo INGRAINED in me, it would definitely change the things I would be writing about. The reason- I am going to Ireland and that too for an official reason.

This is the first time I would be travelling abroad. I am finally putting my passport to some use. I always said to myself that I had so much to see in India that I would only go abroad when I finish exploring the whole of India which in itself contains every diversity present in this world(and also turns out cheaper). But I just got blinded by this offer. I am going to explore the west and hopefully write about it too. It should be interesting to meet the Irish about whom a lot has been said( like seriously!!!)

This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever.
         Sigmund Freud (about the Irish)

In Ireland the inevitable never happens and the unexpected constantly occurs.
         Sir John Pentland Mahaffy

The problem with Ireland is that it’s a country full of genius, but with absolutely no talent.
         Hugh Leonard

Isn’t this enough for me to raise my expectations. Don’t know about meeting expectations but I will surely be meeting a lot of interesting people. To add to this, the team I am going to work with has already given me the warmest of welcomes. I am sure I would be making a lot of friends and surely there will be stories to tell.

I hate the Gym. There is nothing fun about it. Huge mirrors to make me self conscious of my so called flab(:P), treadmills which literally don’t take you anywhere, music which I can’t dance to, the stink of the indoors, weights which for a reason are called heavy and to top it all it is not a SPORT.

But I still VISIT it.:). Surely not an obsession for a six-pack or a size-zero but for the one basic reason-Health. Surely an irony when I say health as in quest for size-zeroes and chiseled bodies people are bothered about anything but their health. Lost count of the number of anorexic death cases reported in newspapers and that too at a time when hunger deaths of the farmers who feed us were larger in number and getting a smaller headline. Calories have become poison and Subs are the new sumptuous meals. Wonder where it all started???