tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76943576523921903732024-02-07T13:15:01.824+05:30Life in general...Knowing - Finding an explanation for an event is one of the most satisfying of human experiences.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-69993536832680128372019-01-03T07:58:00.000+05:302019-01-03T08:01:16.499+05:30How not to be a test opener - K L Rahul <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
KL Rahul is doing all the right things, watching the ball till the last second, playing it as late as possible, trying hard not to push too hard, and yet he nicked a ball that didn't come in as much he thought it would.<br />
<br />
On another day, he might have left the very ball without prodding at it, he might have pushed it just hard enough to drive through the vacant cover region, or he might have even gotten lucky that the ball came in to meet a meatier part of his bat. But not today ,on a day when he really needed to stay around long enough, long enough to pull the tired fast bowlers, long enough to sweep the spinners, long enough to stay in the test team.<br />
<br />
He has one more chance to redeem himself, one more chance to stay in the test team. The spicy red ball would zip past his ears like a bee swarm, snaking in from Starc, straightening out from Josh, deceiving all around from Cummins. He must be prepared to hear them out, play himself in, and play them out.<br />
<br />
So how should he go about doing that? Should he defend with soft hands, play close to his body and get out to an excellent ball? Should he hoick the balls to all the corners of the field like he does in the shorter format? He got out playing such a shot in his only respectable innings of the series. He did play the best shot of the series along the way, that unflinching cover drive to fly Cummins into the stands.<br />
<br />
Some people are just not meant to be test openers, it is for him to decide what he wants, does he want to win matches as a batsman in all the formats? Then accept his weakness, the worst that a test opener can have, and beg not to be sent in to play the new ball. It won't matter to Pujara, for he will be playing the new ball anyway if Rahul is allowed to open in the slightest of the seaming conditions. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-18418255182615607102018-12-06T18:38:00.001+05:302019-01-01T03:11:59.894+05:30India in Adelaide, Australia <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
'Chasing outside off stump , a nothing shot' is the first thing I heard when I switched on the TV. Gavaskar was commenting on Vijay's dismissal off Starc, cliched as his words were, it wasn't a bad shot, only that Starc did better this time around. More so in the context of the shots played by other the captain and vice-captain. Thirty minutes into the game India were already on their way to their usual dismal beginning to another overseas tour. <br />
<br />
India's last overseas tour began with India having the chance of their lifetime to win in England, so did the one before that in South Africa, so did the one even before that, somewhere, at this point it doesn't matter anymore, just another country they never did well. <br />
<br />
Australian grounds are so enormous that fielders are never out of the game. The fielders chasing balls forever, the batsmen running between the wickets forever, while the ball keeps rolling on looking like a red island on a lush green ocean. I wouldn't be surprised if the broadcasters habitually slowed down the frame rate a wee bit to keep us in the chase a bit longer every time the ball went past the inner circle.<br />
<br />
Having listened to cricket commentary for years now, I confess there is only so many ways you can say certain things. 'He is a good player of spin, he uses his feet well against spin.' must be one of the underwear hanging by the thread if there ever was a question of overuse. <br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-28833440737613360782015-12-21T07:34:00.001+05:302015-12-21T07:43:33.929+05:30Why so many questions?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Do you like trivia? The kind of useless facts that has no real practical value? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: blue;"> Tell me one</span>.<br /><br /> Here is one for you about colors: Red and yellow increases your appetite, that's the reason KFC and McDonalds are painted predominantly reddish and yellowish, the same reason why you should never paint your bedroom with yellow or red.<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"> That's the last trivia I want to hear today. Why do you ask so many questions all the time?</span><br /><br /> Because I wish I knew all about you.<br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"> Wouldn't it be unbearably boring if you knew my reply to every question you ask? Imagine, you ask me about my favorite movie , and before I reply , somehow , miraculously, you knew the answer. <br /> What a boring life would that be - like a trailer full of spoilers. </span><br /><br /> I ask so many questions to you that I feel like a three year old pestering his grandpa on a bus trip. <br /><br /><span style="color: blue;"> Grandpa just wants peace of mind, but the grand kid prefers a piece of grandpa's aging mind.</span><br /><br /> Yes, Grandpa's all knowing mind. If I was that little kid, you are that sweet and endearing Grandpa.</span><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-3932882428942668732015-10-19T07:27:00.002+05:302015-10-19T07:31:11.521+05:30The Second kind of writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Like most people, my love for writing grew from my love for
reading. As a kid, I read everything I could; newspapers, flyers, ingredients
on tin food wrappers to tattered comics from street vendors. I kept reading,
and my appetite for the written word grew leaps and bounds with every passing
year, but it never occurred to me that I could write, I did not write anything
of significance until I reached college, until I stumbled upon online blogs,
and thriving online forums. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I created a blog, and began writing about my life in general, about
things I read, things I cared about, and things I felt deeply connected to,
mostly with the objective of doling out a fresh perspective on old things, but
I mostly ended up sharing agreeable thoughts.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Keeping up the blog, although as regular as
rain in a desert, taught me some tough lessons: Reading is easy, thinking about
writing is easy, but writing is a real thick hide. If you ever want to learn
about procrastination, take up an exercise regimen or even better, take up
writing. Writing requires deliberate effort to focus, keep still, and keep at
it for hours together to come up with something devoid of clichés. There is one
cliché for you. Of course, mastering the syntax, semantics, and tricks of the
language, and holding it all in the head can be daunting, even for Hercules of
a writer. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The notion of being a writer for is a highly romanticized one. My
vision of the writer was a person, who would sit in his pajamas and write in
long hand from morning till afternoon, and then read whatever he liked until
late in the day, of course he was still in his pajamas. There were no
difficulties, obstacles or whatsoever - a perfect way to spend your life. A few
months after starting the blog, I realized, my vision was blurred, my notion
far removed from reality, and that I needed an appointment with an ophthalmologist. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> While writing a personal letter can bring about a sense of
freedom and liberation by letting out all the scattered thoughts playing hide
and seek in your head, writing to a larger group is like stripping yourself in
public, and if you haven't exercised regularly, the potbelly, the love handles,
and the flabby flesh will only make you a laughing stock. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> For me, there are two kinds of
writers; the first who dread the process of writing, but write it anyway, and
the second kind, who dread the process of writing, and wait for the best day.
I'm not proud, but I belong the second kind. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-14521141221755945422015-07-29T08:01:00.000+05:302015-07-29T08:01:31.180+05:30Mexican cravings <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
The Mexican cravings is not located at the usual place where you find highly rated restaurants. You don't expect a highly rated restaurant at the end of a two lane road, so narrow that you had to wait to let a cyclist go, so empty that you could slow down to watch a plane in landing motion to the nearby cargo airport. But then you expect a quaint location like this if the restaurant is not a restaurant , but a food joint set up in the living room of a pink house.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
A six car parking lot, a five table dining room, and a modest kitchen with young kitchen staff doubled up as cashiers is all you see when you open into the small food joint. Once you sit down at one of the corner table, you notice ; the walls are light pink, tv is playing Spanish soap operas full of beautiful women crying and handsome men drinking, an unusual, small, indescribable painting on the wall, a larger , almost life size painting off an early nineteenth century cafe; all in an effort to accentuate the artsy uniqueness of the restaurant. I really didn't care about the decor, it was all about food, good food wins ambience hands down. The menu - posted above the cashier counter- was not in Spanish, but deciding what to order is as hard as it gets if you are unfamiliar with Mexican food, which I'm guilty of.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
All sorts of questions popped in my head; what is the difference between sopes and tacos? Will it end up like the colorful, tasteless fried rice from the chinese-japanese take away? </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
I ordered a chicken sope, and waited at the two person table with my roommate. Faded rain-coat like sheet for table cloth created a peculiar ambience to the dining space, so did the motley crowd assembled in the dining room on that evening. Their reactions gave no indication of what was to come, they were deeply engrossed in either the food or the conversation. I wished it was the former, and I still didn't know anything about sope? </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="color: #222222;">Here is a link to the wiki page: </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sope"><span style="color: blue;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sope</span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
For those lazy people, here is a brief:</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;">
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9200000762939px;"><i>A sope is a traditional Mexican dish.The base is made from a circle of fried masa of ground maize soaked in lime with pinched sides. This is then topped with refried black beans and crumbled cheese, lettuce, onions, red or green sauce (salsa, made with chiles or tomatillos respectively), and acidified cream. Sometimes other ingredients (mostly meat) are also added to create different tastes and styles of sopes. Sopes are roughly the size of a fist.</i></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
Thankfully, my apprehensions were proven wrong with the first bite; the chicken couldn't be any better, the avocado and lettuce made up for the healthy greenery, and a dash of habanero made my tongue sweat like a dog on a summer day, and I liked it. I thought about the times I had to eat bland chicken, so utterly tasteless that I could have chewed on a used chewing gum instead. So why did you buy that bland chicken, you might ask, what if I say the other options were dried up bread and stale saltless french fries? </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
As they say, it is the worst in everyday life that allows us to appreciate the good things that come our way once in a while. How liberating is knowing that your next bite would be as good as the last one? It is like eating a good Sope. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-19705407514039722212015-07-10T08:40:00.001+05:302015-07-10T08:49:58.625+05:30A special dinner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 23.2960014343262px;">
<br />
I'm at a Thai restaurant on Hillsborough road. I have been here several times, and every time I had had crispy duck with white rice. It is no different this time, it has become my usual. But tonight is different, and special.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 23.2960014343262px;">
The restaurant wall is adorned with paintings, they remind me of Hindu mythological figures - slender, and longish faces with layers of gold ornaments, unlike the more muscular, and rounded Greek and Roman mythological figures. From the high ceiling, a thin yellow light fall on the white table clothes in front of me, ice is melting in a large bottomed wine glass on the round table.I'm waiting for the crispy duck to arrive.<br />
<br />
An east Asian lady wearing a wide smile in a silk dress placed the crispy duck with a bowl of rice on my table. A slow melodic Thai tune is playing in the background, and for the special part of the day - I'm alone. I'm eating alone; there is no one at my table, there is no one else in the entire restaurant. I ate for a long time, nibbling and enjoying every morsel of my dinner. My mind was blank, in the moment, so much like the definition of 'Flow' by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I was alone with the ducks, rice and broccoli in front of me, moments away from becoming one. </div>
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<br />
The old lady came back with the check and a fortune cookie - an expensive dinner. I opened the cookie to see my fortune, " Your winsome smile will be your sure protection" I didn't have a good week, but I realized I like myself, I like to be with myself for a change. I should do this more often. </div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-4521882608213818482015-06-08T04:34:00.000+05:302015-06-08T04:39:18.292+05:30Turkish coffee in a tiny white cup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeEhWOSvGhvb_XgGdwwkeM68FmR5GGDQp4nFP61VwjCzMsmFIjr_jpNPE_a37olf07gy4t1_-NmG6hPQvx_arMlhd4VdLXvCZHVFU46WfricxNq0QeFWyTvrINARLLXAQHH_zFYBGNv_9/s1600/coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSeEhWOSvGhvb_XgGdwwkeM68FmR5GGDQp4nFP61VwjCzMsmFIjr_jpNPE_a37olf07gy4t1_-NmG6hPQvx_arMlhd4VdLXvCZHVFU46WfricxNq0QeFWyTvrINARLLXAQHH_zFYBGNv_9/s320/coffee.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> I love coffee, from South Indian filter
coffee to American espresso. They say, coffee is the second-biggest traded
commodity after oil, but getting a satisfying cup of coffee is no less an act
than finding inspiration to write a poem. In search of the best coffee , or
coffee that suits my palette best, I'd tried bitterest of coffee powders, only
to realize that the dark roast, or the soft roast was not for me, I like
something in between - the medium roast, although not completely satisfied,
that was what I settled for, until today afternoon.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> At a vegetarian Bistro at St.Pete, after a sumptuous lunch, the
waiter placed tiny white cups with a picture of cute floppy puppy on the
table. And minutes later, he came down with a large steel vessel
filled with piping hot coffee, the aroma of the vapors filled the entire room
in a flash, it was as if I were dreaming in coffee, I was insanely intoxicated.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> One sip, I had finally found the perfect blend, strong but not
bitter, sweet but not syrupy, flavorful but not overpowering; a coffee that
your soul will yearn forever - the Turkish coffee. If you love coffee, you
will die for a cup of well-made Turkish coffee. I felt so intoxicated
that I didn't drink or eat anything after that cup of coffee, just so that I
could retain the taste and the flavor as long as possible. Four hours since
that cup of coffee, I still feel the remnants of the flavor in the corners my
tongue, and I'm ready to even skip my dinner if I can have it for longer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> I didn’t ask the host how the coffee was made, but had I inquired, the
chirpy host that he was, he would have said: 'We are not Starbucks, we don't sell
coffee in a Styrofoam box; we make coffee for the soul and serve it in
puppy printed ceramic cups.' He did dispense the secret of tiny bits of
cardamom in the Turkish coffee, which was unrecognizable even after his grand
revelation. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The recipe is out there on the
internet, making such highly specialized coffee requires special equipment and a much
harder commodity – the experience to blend it the right way. All I
could do is to drive down 25 kilometers once in a while to St.Pete to have that
wondrous coffee. Would you care to join me? </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-25393292602808689912014-07-28T08:11:00.000+05:302014-07-28T08:11:28.552+05:30I forget<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="post-p" name="ab18" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
I forget. I forget to switch off the headlights of my car. I've had this car for less than six months. I have also dried up the battery three times in those six months. That’s about once every two months, in spite of being cautious and completely aware of my problems with lights. I know I forget, but I also forget that I forget.</div>
<div class="post-p" name="95a6" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="95a6" style="background: transparent; color: inherit;"></a>The first time it occurred, it was ten in the night. Who in the right mind would forget to switch off lights in such utter darkness? I did, probably it was a full moon day. I called up the insurance company to fix the dead battery. The battery was not dead that it cannot come alive, the battery was just in a coma state, like those heroes in the tragic movies who wake up to say the final lines after the heroine shed drops of tears in despair. I waited for my car’s heroine to bring it out from coma. She arrived — the car doctor, in a funky car that shouted ‘I LOVE PINK and I'm blind to all the other colors’ and pulled out a red box much like a doctor’s defibrillator.</div>
<div class="post-p" name="aed9" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="aed9" style="background: transparent; color: inherit;"></a>The car came alive, puffing, panting and ready to run around. Like any other car doctor, she advised me to keep the car running for at least twenty minutes before asking me to sign a bunch of papers. Then you tip her, attend automated phone calls to provide feedback hoping that the insurance company is tracking all your wonderful feedbacks that will eventually turn into a sizable discount the next time you renew. Or you’ll probably find them expensive and switch to a new insurance provider, who' will charge you for the crow-shit on the passenger side door-handle.</div>
<div class="post-p" name="1b14" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="1b14" style="background: transparent; color: inherit;"></a>If I can forget to switch off the light at night, I can do it in the broad daylight too. To be really honest, there was n’t much daylight on that foggy, rainy morning. I parked my car under the usual tree that gave reasonable shade in the insanely hot parking lot. The office parking lot is humongous, and with all the cars humming all the time, it is no place for humming birds or human beings. It is so hot that you might wonder if the Sun is somehow closer to the parking lot than the rest of the places in the world. It is hot enough to turn an egg into an omelet if you don't mind your dashboard getting a little sticky and smelly.</div>
<div class="post-p" name="b567" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="b567" style="background: transparent; color: inherit;"></a>On that rainy day, when my battery went into a coma state for the second time, I had borrowed a colorful umbrella from a colleague at office. That is also the day I understood the logic of why people buy kaleidoscopic umbrellas. I just had to say, “Look for a rainbow in the parking lot” to the car-doctor who had no trouble in finding me in that parking lot. He came in a flashy car, and he promptly finished his defibrillation even before I closed my flashy umbrella. Now I had to tip him. I wondered why I should tip a guy who came in a maroon Challenger when I rode a marooned so called car. Oh- what the heck, I paid him. You don't get to tip to people who are richer than you every day.</div>
<div class="post-p" name="e800" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="e800" style="background: transparent; color: inherit;"></a>The third time hasn't occurred yet. But it has occurred many times within my subconscious. I wake up in the middle of the night, I ponder about the time I parked my car at the community where I live. I probably won't remember much apart from dinner. Anyway,I grab the keys from the porcelain bowl at the door and run to the parking lot only to breathe a sigh of relief. The car would be perfectly okay. I had switched it off when I parked it.</div>
<div class="post-p paragraph--last" name="db2c" style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); font-family: freight-text-pro, Georgia, Cambria, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 22px; letter-spacing: 0.1599999964237213px; line-height: 33px; margin-bottom: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="db2c" style="background: transparent; color: inherit;"></a>I know that it serves no purpose to get excited in the middle of the night, the battery would be either in a coma-state or in perfect condition, and it wouldn't matter much if I continued to sleep, but I forget. I forget that there is only a thin line between what you are aware and what you think you are aware.</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-18737434493347514272013-12-28T22:05:00.003+05:302014-01-01T22:12:31.294+05:30David vs Goliath - Who was the real underdog?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Giant stood at the valley, dressed in full armor and
carrying weapons for close combat. The short sharp spear, a javelin and a shiny
sword made of bronze. An attendant stood in front of him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">“<span style="color: blue;">Choose a man and let him come down to me. If he prevails in
battle and strike me down, we shall be slaves to you. But If I prevail and
strike him down, you shall be our slaves,</span>" shouted the Giant, standing almost 7
foot tall and as thick as the bark of the thickest tree in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Nobody moves, the Giant was intimidating; they had no chance
in front of him. That is when the underdog shows up, an unassuming shepherd boy
with a sling for weapon –David. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> The king is not willing to send David to his death, but
David’s words are very persuasive “<span style="color: blue;">I've slayed wild animals to protect my
sheep, the Giant can’t be worse than that</span>." </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It doesn't matter to David that the wild
animals were unarmed. David prepares to face the ultimate favorite – as the
world will know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Goliath bellows, “<span style="color: blue;">Come to me, Come to me.</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">David runs down the valley, with a stick in his hand, and
sling in the other hand. As he runs forward, he whips his sling several times
around his shoulder, Goliath moves slowly, his movements are particularly slow
for a warrior. His attendant warns him of the impending danger, the Giant doesn't heed to his attendant’s words - after all he is the ultimate favorite
against a puny shepherd.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Goliath is amused, “<span style="color: blue;">Am I a dog that you should come with
sticks?</span>”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> In few minutes Goliath
will realize what a sling can do. The speed of a rock from an
expert sling projector is almost equal to a modern short gun, the closer he is to the
Giant, the harder the impact. David is running in as fast as he could, he is
taking his aim at the only vulnerable spot of the armored suit – Goliath’s
forehead, for he had a prominent forehead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">The rest is his history. That’s
the story, but what if we are missing some crucial links? What if David was the
favorite to begin with? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">
Modern medical science says that abnormal size of human beings can be
connected to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acromegaly" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Acromegaly</span></a> –
a disease caused by uncontrolled pituitary gland secretion. The side effects
include - vision problems such as blurring and double vision apart from
abnormal body size and clumsy movement control. Goliath was probably a gentle
Giant with partial vision, the attendant was his visual aid – the opponent’s
strategy was not to fight the battle, but to win by intimidation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Acromegaly explains Goliath’s words at the
battle field – both his strengths and his weakness. What we perceived as his
strength - his enormous size, and what we didn't know about him -his weakness - the poor vision. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">He said, ‘<span style="color: blue;">Come to me, come to me</span>,’
because his vision is blurred and he couldn't see objects far away from him. He doesn't see David, he just sees a blur.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">He said, "<span style="color: blue;">Am I a dog that you
should come with sticks?</span>” But David had only one stick, unless he had another
hand to hold the sling. Could it be double vision? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>What’s in it for me?</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> This is a profound story of perspective change
- a complete shift in basic understanding of a well- known scenario in new
light. Imagine you are trying to convince a very stubborn person to look at
alternatives. What if he is completely closed to options outside his own? Now,
I’m assuming that you are able to tell this story to the stubborn person with
enough flamboyance to eke out some reaction. It doesn’t matter if the reaction
is overly aggressive or defensive; a reaction is all that matters. He may not even
fully accept the shift of David’s character from an underdog to the favorite. He
might even question the validity of the modern extrapolations on a biblical
story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Nonetheless, this story will definitely open a small possibility for an
alternative to your original problem. Subconsciously,
this story will prepare him for the other alternatives. He will begin to question his
options; can there be another way to look at his options? That moment of doubt
is the perfect place to present your alternatives. Such is the power of a good
story, the fastest way to get in touch with the subconscious of the audience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Conclusion:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It is true that history is written
by the winners. The more dramatic the story is, the better the longevity of the
characters. The story of the underdog David against the Giant Goliath is much
more appealing and inspiring than a gentle giant slayed by a clever trick on a
battlefield. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">We often forget to compare the
strength and weakness in terms of known factors. The sling made David the real
favorite. Goliath had as much chance as a knight with a knife against the
revolver of a rebel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">At times, what we perceive as
strength is the source of the very vulnerability that is hidden at first sight.
Complacency and confidence are just hair-strand apart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">Reference: “David and Goliath by
Malcom Gladwell”</span><o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Disclaimer: </b> What’s in it section is based my own
assumptions and understanding. If you have time and money, you are welcome to
conduct experiments to disapprove that. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-22182149110016947702013-12-04T18:36:00.000+05:302013-12-04T18:36:21.485+05:30Troublesome tables <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">There was this girl who worked with DBA team in my company. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUdm8vU0vs4OJaFEW3HWRK3w-EScz4xny87uoTYec8FZipZSrY8uFWyVeFhmUzMvnUZZp2NXvm5Ro2gZG9Aaz9vyTFqllHroRgNyZnvcAFmx3r-ZI-J6NZB_6wIfDL_SeWr_NCuuvnCpz/s1600/dba.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUdm8vU0vs4OJaFEW3HWRK3w-EScz4xny87uoTYec8FZipZSrY8uFWyVeFhmUzMvnUZZp2NXvm5Ro2gZG9Aaz9vyTFqllHroRgNyZnvcAFmx3r-ZI-J6NZB_6wIfDL_SeWr_NCuuvnCpz/s1600/dba.png" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">She
was so bad at her work that she replied, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">‘<span style="color: blue;">I’m not good with carpentry</span>,’ to a
request for creating a simple table with five columns. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Her next question to the requester proved
to be much more insightful about her capacity to surprise the most calmest, </span><span style="font-size: large;">‘</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Why do
you need five columns in the first place? The tables usually come with four legs.</span><span style="font-size: large;">’ The requester is still rolling on the floor and has never been able to come out of the terrible trauma. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> She was not joking; she also didn't realize that
the joke was on her. Poor soul, within a week, she was so fed up with troublesome
table related queries that she stopped eating on dining tables and decided to
take her life standing on a large table. Regrettably, she couldn't even do that, for she forgot to commit the suicide.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Disclaimer:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">It is just a joke. Please don't sue me. I have no tables at home.</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-83657231342242632013-09-25T08:58:00.000+05:302013-09-26T02:31:10.986+05:30 Look up ! Into the clouds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoE7t8mp5FqtxP6UG-a20YKyVZ7-bHYLNmB_i7rrcb5poRhsZqIGcZTvb5CyP7pqC60Iffi1PqyOCJGZHFlLIDsHInShNCGiWloOqpZQ0OEHP77eQAVAp3FD1S-qP-or-GgyZHBcYT0B5/s1600/IMG_20130923_082943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBoE7t8mp5FqtxP6UG-a20YKyVZ7-bHYLNmB_i7rrcb5poRhsZqIGcZTvb5CyP7pqC60Iffi1PqyOCJGZHFlLIDsHInShNCGiWloOqpZQ0OEHP77eQAVAp3FD1S-qP-or-GgyZHBcYT0B5/s1600/IMG_20130923_082943.JPG" height="191" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiInkvGnx1Ou_7YV0B02EDpvzv0-6K_lurE4Z2h7PCGR_GhKO2dB9HSnh2m9sEd4IfZjxmO7ATWFdA9lWRAF4T0UmKv4x7CZJH2hT_tXaX-IGueuEq6_WhvYWiGER4RKzZOaSDNDOKfnSH7/s1600/IMG_20130922_115221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGUHsvydhcaGp5DttIwIsPvBZRpB9JMAhTcq1cgBeOsL74M7HgbWWRXv3uGwjhvVOHYAaMNcXuIB1JjzkLxHdtO24xAUo4fg3NTOwqGG8QUR-wQ0awfMq72gLFE7HUvDE-2T9XCLIkqiP/s1600/IMG_20130914_194027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGUHsvydhcaGp5DttIwIsPvBZRpB9JMAhTcq1cgBeOsL74M7HgbWWRXv3uGwjhvVOHYAaMNcXuIB1JjzkLxHdtO24xAUo4fg3NTOwqGG8QUR-wQ0awfMq72gLFE7HUvDE-2T9XCLIkqiP/s1600/IMG_20130914_194027.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">On the very first day, I realized what I’m going to love about Florida, it is not the people, it is not the weather, of course it is not the work. It is the clouds of Florida.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> The clouds in Florida
are like fluffy white cotton candy balls held from an enormous blue hanger of
sky. Shape shifting polar bears roaming so close to the ground, so close that
you can almost touch it with your bare hands. At times they are scary, the times when they feel like monstrous white cloth waiting to engulf your tiny being. See the first photo, don't they look like a monster?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Some of the clouds are
angry, and they cry aloud with tantrums–
it rains with thunderstorms and lightening. Once they stop crying, they become as white as
dove in a blue field. Some of them turn </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">red </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> and pink with the mood of the sun at dawn and dusk. The cloud in the second photo might have been in a romantic mood, blushing in baby pink.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of course not everyone enjoys cloud watching or appreciate it,I did n’t enjoy gazing at the clouds for more than a quarter of a century, I did n’t even know that it could be a serious hobby. Is there something called a serious hobby in the first place? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are no two kinds
of manipulators, only one kind – the kind who plays the victim. It is incredibly
hard to spot them, because they appear so much like real victims.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> At times even
they are unaware about their poisonous skills, but they take pride in achieving
their goals. They always work with the end in mind - one of Stephen Covey’s seven effective habits.
Every little action, often done slowly and steadily takes them closer to their ultimate
goal– to extract something from someone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> "Playing the victim" type of
manipulation involves the manipulator telling the actual victim that he feels
guilty about the bad things he did, although he will continue to do the
bad thing, and constantly crib and repeat how guilty he feels for doing
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: red;">For eg:</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> He will tell you that he had a poor
upbringing, bad relatives and a difficult life all along- the reason why he is taking drugs or the reason why he did that terrible thing to a friend.You get hooked
because his troubles are much worse than yours. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> You feel bad for him, nothing
wrong, it is only human nature to feel bad and sympathize when you hear a sad
story. But often their stories are not true, or they are embellished versions of a small incident, or a stroy borrowed from a real sufferer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> In reality the
manipulator feels very little to zero guilt, but the actual victim feels sorry
for the manipulator, thinking that the manipulator is the victim. The actual victim slowly falls for the whims of the manipulator, the web of the manipulator grows slowly and steadily. He will take things slowly, never
rush you into things, and probably behave in an admirable way at unexpected situations. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> That way he builds a sense of awe and in turn develop the most important trait of a manipulator - credibility. Rarely do we associate credibility with a manipulator, as a converse
anyone with credibility has even fewer association with manipulator. That's the strength of a master manipulator, and that makes him very difficult to spot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> Once the credibility is
achieved, he will begin his manipulation with a renewed vigor, by this time the victim has reached a level of hypnosis - the inertia moves the victim forward. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> As with Newton's First law, without an external force - a third person or an awareness about such manipulators, the victim continues to remain in the grips of the manipulator. The only exception is the completion of the goals of the manipulator. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> At that instant, the victim is unceremoniously dropped out , and often ostracized by the manipulator. The victim continues to be in dark about what had happened. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>This is from one of
the case studies</b></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is about a man
who had actively participated with two others in the vicious bludgeoning of his
victim. When questioned about the motivation for his act, he complained
that he had no idea how the vivid memories of the event had haunted him and
that he would probably have to live with them for the rest of his life. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"> All of a sudden, don't you feel tempted to feel somewhat sorry for him. Here
he was, a vicious killer with a long history of cruelty to others, and he was
beginning to appear as a victim of post-traumatic stress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">That's playing victim.
Only a very experienced manipulator can pull it off. And some of us might have even played it at a very innocent level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> When the manipulator casts themselves as a victim, they don’t really see themselves as victimized, they just really want the other person to s</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">ee them as wounded, injured, or suffering in some way in order to elicit sympathy, cloud the picture about just who is the victimizer and who is the victim.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you met anyone
like that? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Case study reference:</span></div>
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<a href="http://counsellingresource.com/features/2009/03/16/playing-the-victim/"><span style="font-size: large;">http://counsellingresource.com/features/2009/03/16/playing-the-victim/</span></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-17923625246393829512013-07-26T07:32:00.000+05:302013-07-26T07:32:08.380+05:30The sound of color<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"> When Neil Harbisson
failed to note the difference between the national flag of Italy and France, he
knew he was different, he had color blindness. I’d have quietly quit living
life for real and backpacked to the North Pole where it is black and white
anyway. I would have missed many beautiful things, like the setting sun over
Marina beach, the lush green forests of Malappuram, and the flaming deserts of
Rajasthan. What a waste of life if all you can see is a black and white all
around you. A black and white TV?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Unlike me, Neil
Harbisson was no muck to give up on life for a thing as difficult as color
blindness. He made up his mind to perceive color with his other senses, what
about hearing the sound of a flag or the sound of an indecipherable Picasso
painting. Doesn’t that sound nice? Or does that sound like an idea from science
fiction story?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Now, close your eyes.
Take a deep breath. Imagine your most favorite person. Take another breath. Imagine
listening to the music of the beautiful brown eyes of your favorite person. You
can do that at any place, especially if you are ever caught up in a never
ending tunnel while travelling in a train with no power supply. With practice,
you will gain expertise to hum the song of the eyes of your favorite person
with your eyes wide open. This is an after lunch office trick that can come in
handy in conference rooms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What about
composing music by looking at a face? What if you can feel the face of your
mother through the sound of her face? That serene sound can peel away the
loneliness that is all too common in our ever demanding life. That alone can
weed out every inch of stress from your mind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Have you ever been chased by a dog? Never?
But then you never threw stone at an unchained canine, did you? Did you know
that a dog can chase you down an alley with his eyes closed? True story. Like
dogs, most animals survive in this tough world with the help of pronounced
sense of something. It may be sound, sight, touch or even a sense that is yet
to be uncovered by sloths like us. I don’t mind becoming a Tommy, that dog who
chased me like only a dog can do, if I had that super power of smell. I’d
probably smell the chicken soup in the cafeteria while I compiled programs sitting
on the broken chair in my cubicle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Why am I writing
about weird things? Because all the ideas are weird until they catch on. <a href="http://www.franklintempletonindia.com/"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue;">Franklin
Templeton Investments</span></span></a> partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December
2012, and one of the most fascinating ideas came from Neil Harbisson. If music
becomes color, hearing radio will become a colorful experience, we can hear
paintings, and then begin dress in a way that sounds good rather than dress
that looks good. Harbisson explains about using technology to achieve all these
-the idea of Cyborgism- integration of technology and human body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The Cyborg
foundation provides free Cybernetic extensions to make all these things happen.
They explain how to build it at home –and read this carefully- the software is
open, and there is no sales pitch to buy a heap of trash. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What I liked best about being a cyborg is the
idea of getting old. The cybernetic extensions become easy to use with time,
like any technology, it takes time to become accustomed to it. As Neil
Harbisson said, ‘<i>If I had only human
senses, my senses would deteriorate as I grow older, but if you are a cyborg,
the older you get the better your senses become</i>.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Possibilities are
endless, and the idea of Cybernetic extension is the first step in bringing
equality among the human race. Nobody will miss that setting sun over Marina
beach, the lush green forests of Malappuram, or the flaming deserts of
Rajasthan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to be a Cyborg. What about you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-12456160785681632472013-06-23T19:47:00.000+05:302013-06-23T19:47:54.745+05:30Come aboard, If your destination is oblivion<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> ‘</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Come aboard, if your destination is oblivion
- it should be our next stop</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">’<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4FM_TBEeWcaLe0ytE1wSAx5zXmglGcSn1XtYT3FQkjpjVjFwo3xUXCJO7el7FCP2ifIyl11VGenfooWfoaSj-IrJb6yBIhTUttVVz8vgGSG3dmEbMWM6zifKEY7xc3QK9sQO4AoH84dP/s1600/Life+of+Pi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK4FM_TBEeWcaLe0ytE1wSAx5zXmglGcSn1XtYT3FQkjpjVjFwo3xUXCJO7el7FCP2ifIyl11VGenfooWfoaSj-IrJb6yBIhTUttVVz8vgGSG3dmEbMWM6zifKEY7xc3QK9sQO4AoH84dP/s1600/Life+of+Pi.jpg" height="187" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">That's a fine sentence from the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel. This is how Pi Patel invites Orange Juice, the
orangutan to his boat.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> I thought hard about this - Why did I like this line so
much? As usual I have come up with a theory - as always a bizarre one,
something even the hyena in Life of Pi would find hard to digest. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> First of all, it has a
lot to do with my mood, for I didn't notice such a beautiful sentence when I
read Life of Pi for the first time. And for that reason no one else can derive
as much happiness as I did on reading that sentence, never. May be there
is someone out there who can extract much more happiness out of that sentence
than me, but not the exact amount of happiness if happiness could be
measured with two decimal places.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Don’t go away; the
bizarre part of theory is not yet over, because the sentence works at another
level- with word association and context of the story. For the context, the
situation is bleak with Pi losing hope over being lost in the Pacific Ocean. He
has a tiger, a heinous hyena and a crippled Zebra for company. He has almost
lost all his hope, that' when Orange juice, the orangutan floats up on a pile
of banana.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> Do you see the connection between oblivion, horizon and
hope? You wouldn't, because I made that up.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large;">Horizon rhymes with
oblivion, and it also rhymes with hope.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> To Yann Martel's credit,
he has used one word to evoke three different images; hope, horizon and </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large;">mental blankness. Was it his true intention? Or a piece of genius, we will never know, nevertheless he chose the perfect word. For Pi, the statement is an absolute truth; there is no hope of a horizon, only blankness and fear of being forgotten by the world.</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The result is a sublime multi-layered sentence, the context of
the story makes it all the more better.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span><i style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">‘</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: blue;">Come aboard, if your destination is oblivion - it should be our next stop</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: large;">’</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> Sounds weird and unbelievable?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Try giving me a better story, I will gladly
accept. After all we believe in miracles not because it is true, but because that
is the better story. At desperate times, even despair is romanticized. Aren't we always a foot away from imaginary despairs?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-41236639755569232512013-06-19T10:57:00.000+05:302013-06-20T23:06:37.569+05:30What happened to your new year resolution?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbmpsTkQx-7DldBjqWsOCM0KsPbd2ksHUK6Rbvbowb8ur4RvIJFyKESETVB6kqijgwvgEstrMwe72RLXexKs9v-mSTM3mqZgplO6kteHEcMzlRQnQVdz_eybXGYp75GbWXs3MjpdjC5DO/s1600/NewYearResolution.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbmpsTkQx-7DldBjqWsOCM0KsPbd2ksHUK6Rbvbowb8ur4RvIJFyKESETVB6kqijgwvgEstrMwe72RLXexKs9v-mSTM3mqZgplO6kteHEcMzlRQnQVdz_eybXGYp75GbWXs3MjpdjC5DO/s320/NewYearResolution.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">In an <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://hy-days.blogspot.in/2013/05/why-eat-curd-and-sugar-before-exams-and.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">earlier post</span></a>,</span> I had proposed to write more about why
we fail to follow up on our New year resolutions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> There are three
kinds of people when it comes to resolutions: The first kind who still believe
in resolutions, the second kind who stopped believing in resolutions because it didn't work out for them, and the third lucky group who probably wouldn't read
this blog - those disciplined kind with enough self-control to achieve their
resolutions. I’m definitely not in the third group.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: blue;">Now what has
self-control got to do with resolutions? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> When resolutions are made, they are often in
different realms, like doing more exercise and following a new diet plan. You
might think there is a connection between exercise and a diet plan. Yes there
is, but a <i>Big No</i> when it comes to
resolutions. Often two or more resolutions are packaged as if it is a combo
meal at McDonalds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: purple;">You say, ‘A veg burger please’ <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"> The vendor says, ‘
Do you want Pepsi?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"> You reply, ‘Ya, a Pepsi too.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"> ‘Sir, shall I make it into a combo? ’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"> Without thinking much, you say, ‘Okay, Combo then.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There you go, you went there to take a Burger, and finally
ended up raking a lot more calories. That’s
how resolutions are made, one sticking on to the other. You are better served
if you had struck to just the Veg Burger, so is with resolution, it is better
to stick with just one resolution at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">What happens when you have more than one objective?</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Let’s say you start
your day with some exercise early in the morning. As long as exercise is not a
habit, you are exercising considerable amount of self-control to get up early
in the morning and go for that jog. It is a different matter when it becomes
second nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Let’s say you have 100 self –control points in
your kitty, and as you exercise, it comes down to 50 in one hour. Then you've to follow the diet, the diet is new for you, and there are some bland items on
the menu. There you need some self–control again to stick to the tough new
regimen. But you are not fresh, and your self-control score is on the wane. The
waning self-control is a big bane, and that tempts you to drop your diet plan
altogether. And that creates a ripple effect, your confidence on the other resolutions
are affected, and eventually affect the attempts of developing the exercise
routine. In the end, all the resolutions come down flat on your face, and you
wait till the end of December to make your next plan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: blue;">So what’s the way to tackle this? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> The best way to
handle the problem of waning self-control is to take just one resolution at a
time. By having just one resolution or one objective at a time, you are
allowing optimal consumption of self-control. When I say one objective, I mean
one clear objective across different facets of your life, personal and
professional. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Even a tough
deadline at office is going to impact the process of building a new habit,
because even that takes up a lot of energy – in turn self-control and that means
a lower self-control score. This is because, we have only a <a href="http://hy-days.blogspot.in/2013/05/what-you-didnt-know-about-self-control.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">certain amount of self-control</span></a> (Say 100) and the self-control score changes based on the activity
you perform. (When does your self-control score reset to the highest value?
That’s for another day.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Agreed we cannot control every external factor,
especially when it is a professional commitment. Knowing that the external factors interrupt our good effort, it is only prudent
to decide the execution time of your resolution; the new resolution need not be
a New year resolution. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> For a successful resolution,
we need to choose the most comfortable time, and assign the highest priority to
it, no matter what. Awareness on how mundane chores impact your important
habit-building activities will go a long way in overcoming the obstacles on the
way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Go try this at home!
Come back with success your story, Good luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-27396343447129544822013-06-16T11:38:00.003+05:302013-06-16T11:47:24.436+05:30Ordinary people; extraordinary obedience<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority" (Milgram, 1974) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Milgram's experiment attempts to explain why reasonable people do unreasonable, irrational things when instructed by an authority. Would we, ordinary people, doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on our part, kill thousands of people in a war situation? Especially if prodded by a charismatic leader? Milgram says yes, there is a good chance that we'll end up doing things beyond our imagination if ordered by someone in authority. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Although obedience to authority is a watered down answer to how leaders managed to persuade followers to perform heinous crimes without an iota of guilt, the hard question remains why would someone consider such leaders as an authority? How did such leaders manage to prevent an internal uprising among educated individuals?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> A German movie, <span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(2008_film)" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">The</span> wave</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(2008_film)" target="_blank"> </a></span>has some interesting answers to questions on authority and autocratic leadership. Although the leader is the initiator of a movement, the followers are the ones who keeps it alive, they are the ones who make the thought of a leader into a full fledged movement. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Just like the greed of the leader, the followers become addicted to the movement, they believe that the movement is bigger than them, and they begin to identify themselves as a part of an elite group focused on a unique goal. In the process, they lose their own identity - they are thinking for the group - they are more worried about the so-called greater good than themselves. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> In fact, we don't have to travel back to the past. There is no dearth of charismatic leaders’ closer home, occupying the front pages of national newspapers and primetime hours of the TRP hungry TV channels. How did they achieve such strong followers even while their leadership style is far from the ideals of democracy? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> Will we do it again if there is another audacious authority? You mock me; you think such audacious authorities are a thing of the past. Wait for a moment, think about this. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> History is full of repetitions, full of charismatic leaders, who thought they were entitled to everything, who thought greed was natural, but none of them lived forever, they fell for their own charm. They may be long dead but their crimes still lives in the pages of history books; some printed, some never printed. Some proven, some unproven. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> The obedience to authority, unswerving obedience to authority has stood the test of time, and nothing has happened in the recent past to indicate a different future. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-22446883324716500422013-06-12T11:14:00.000+05:302013-06-12T11:14:18.498+05:30The Pendulum clock - Part 2/2<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> Read Part 1 <a href="http://hy-days.blogspot.in/2013/06/the-pendulum-clock-part-12.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> It soothes me to believe that a neighbour wakes up hearing the twelve second sweet drum roll at somewhere after midnight - remember our antique clock has no sense of time and purpose, although it did not forget its purpose on purpose - it saddens me that its chimes are as useless as an index-less encyclopedia.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> On a tangential note, my mom says that as the dawn approach, at about six in the morning, the chimes are so unbearable that even the dumb donkey of the nearby dhobi runs around flapping its long ears - it doesn't bother me at all, I mean the ding-dong of clock, not the donkey. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> That's when my dad's dear friend told us the secret of the antique clock. Dramatically, as if in a Shakespeare play, he said, </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> "<span style="color: blue;"> It's far from a mere machine, and so close to a living being, </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> It seeks attention, like the children at dawn bed-peeing, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> A stopped clock is correct twice a day,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><span style="color: blue;"> An unwound clock is never correct a day.</span>"</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> Ha!...The antique clock needs rewinding - an act of kindness and attention to keep up the top performance. I can only exclaim at the coincidence - it is just what we want in our life. Unwind and reflect - a small act every day to keep us on our toe, and at our peak performance level. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> After all, rewinding is the act of telling yourself the story of the person you want to be, and if you can't remind yourself of that ideal person every day, no one else will do it for you. And you will soon forget the person you wanted to be - just like the purposeless antique pendulum clock.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> You see, all the adults are like antique pendulum clocks, we need to unwind, rewind and let go of things at times, although it is often more cumbersome and tiresome than allowing chance to take its course. Why take a chance? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"><br /></span></span>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-17291249671103658922013-06-09T21:54:00.000+05:302013-06-09T22:16:51.631+05:30The Pendulum clock - Part 1/2<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtYGxba_ROiHc58S3vXasJl0Op0xuK7W7zUyLiCI-UT_LJVvSP7vGX8R9PTmZ3PaWeeRIqdEaS3JfkrkEVIJIOOvxW96ry6yFBIFWLv14QIMbWHSOg75wFrGFtgf_7bE1zUVWy9gnyMZ3/s1600/pendulum_clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtYGxba_ROiHc58S3vXasJl0Op0xuK7W7zUyLiCI-UT_LJVvSP7vGX8R9PTmZ3PaWeeRIqdEaS3JfkrkEVIJIOOvxW96ry6yFBIFWLv14QIMbWHSOg75wFrGFtgf_7bE1zUVWy9gnyMZ3/s1600/pendulum_clock.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> We have a new member at our house, an antique Pendulum clock-- if you can bracket fifty years under the term 'antique'. The clock is sturdy, and the clock led me to the history of pendulum clocks, and on how even moving a pendulum clock to a higher floor is bound to influence its accuracy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Gifted by a very dear friend of my father, it is absolutely useless in terms of meeting the purpose of a clock, keeping accurate time; it goes slow by five minutes every eight and half hour. The lag-factor is accurate; calculated after intricate notes and calculation during the long sleepless hours I spent in my bed in the last two flu-struck days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Despite its flaws and the lack of purpose like most of us, what it does best is that it keeps chiming regularly, very much like us. We do the same thing over and over without knowing why we are doing it or what we are supposed to accomplish from whatever we are doing without knowing why we are doing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> There is a whole lot of difference between gaining three years of experience and having three years of one year experience - the latter is the type of experience we gain when we do the thing that we did in the first year for three years, and often is the type of experience most of us manage to gain - Just like the purposeless pendulum that chimes without proper rhythm.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> But the dear friend of my father came home to tell us the secret - The secret of the pendulum clock.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> --To be continued</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A bit of history : If someone sells you a four hundred year old pendulum clock, beware, he surely thinks you are a fool. There is no four hundred year old pendulum clock; the oldest one would only be around 350 years old. </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-56440157959042209962013-05-26T10:53:00.003+05:302013-06-01T13:10:22.543+05:30Why eat curd and sugar before exams and why you should take your food on time?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlZJ9rViKdEPsNbv5AN34K7aC23LeCHij5iJtVebpzCkFBcQ7McjmcBWIxxNHTIjNfDJyWHTAz3j9BFkIBdaO60L8UZ2ip_I3mFgtnnzMQY8Sh7WLIlIotmRI0if3wTnJT3pY5HOU0o1f/s1600/Sugar+and+self-control.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlZJ9rViKdEPsNbv5AN34K7aC23LeCHij5iJtVebpzCkFBcQ7McjmcBWIxxNHTIjNfDJyWHTAz3j9BFkIBdaO60L8UZ2ip_I3mFgtnnzMQY8Sh7WLIlIotmRI0if3wTnJT3pY5HOU0o1f/s1600/Sugar+and+self-control.png" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> Exams are perhaps the most stressful periods
in the life of a student. And many of us get nightmares or that jittery
feeling of blank mind far too often as the exam date approach. In one of my
earlier posts, I had mentioned that </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://hy-days.blogspot.in/2013/05/what-you-didnt-know-about-self-control.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; text-decoration: none;">self-control is an exhaustible resource</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">, </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">and therefore we can assume that there is
scope for replenishing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;">As the exam nears, we
tend to use up immense amount of self-control mainly by doing things that we
don’t like: avoid watching TV, restrain from going out, and sit through hoards
of unending text book pages. By doing things that we really don't want, we deplete
our self-control, and as the self-control depletes, three things happen:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="color: blue;"> <i>We become
irritable, prone to quick peripheral decisions, and begin to act with reduced
perseverance.</i> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
In short, we tend to give up far too easily, something we don’t want
when attempting a tough math exam. Imagine how unfortunate it is to give up
just one step before the correct answer, like the proverbial gold digger who
gave up digging one foot away from fortune.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> A way to
replenish our self-control is the need of the hour, and how wonderful it must
be to have a quick burst of self-control? What if I say a glass of sweetened
water or sweetened curd does just that? Hard to believe? What if it is backed
up by scientific evidence?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> To
find a way to replenish self-control, the researchers(1) had to find out a way
to determine the chemical substance that depleted with decrease in
self-control. They found out that the substance, and it turned to be glucose. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> How did they
arrive at this conclusion?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The difference
in levels of glucose before and after various self-control experiments pointed
in the same direction, a definite depletion in the level of glucose.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> A simple experiment of forcing someone to
make a chain of tough decisions resulted in high glucose depletion compared to
relatively lower glucose depletion from someone making a chain of simple
decisions.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Making tough decisions, decisions that has clear
consequences, can deplete self-control considerably; for we use up a lot of
self-control when we take tough decisions. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
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No wonder we become irritable and unsympathetic after a long day of small
and big decisions at office, we have used too much of self-control, and our
glucose levels are so low that we bark at the first person on our way home, and
that partly explains why we find it difficult to divide work and home.There is
not enough energy to remain polite and civil, a mark of self-control. What we
need to avoid altercation at home is a just bite of glucose. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What does sweetened
drink do to your brain and body?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> It
turns out that a quick increase in sugar levels in a human body not only
increases the energy levels, but increases the willpower as well - the ability
of conscious control. With increased sugar levels, we become less irritable,
and persevere more – an ideal mindset in an exam hall. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /><span style="color: purple;">
What happens when you take decisions on empty stomach? </span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> At
empty stomach, the glucose levels are low and any intent of self-control is
already out of the bloodstream, it makes sense to defer a big decision till a
glass of sweetened water pushes up the glucose levels.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> We can’t
possibly take sugar every hour of the day, in fact that can become a health hazard.
Sugar intake can pump up energy levels quickly, but consistent protein intake
can do the same job in a healthier way. A regular protein diet helps to curb
the urge to take that quick bite of chocolate.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Enough of research, What
do all these mean to me?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><i><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It simply means that you should take your food on
time, four meals a day no matter what. (which I’m trying hard to follow)
This will ensure that your self-control is at peak, and you don’t splurge
your money or time on things that you will regret.</span></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">More to follow on
self-control and why you didn't stick with your new year resolution (If at all
you haven't given up on taking new year resolutions)</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-size: large;">Researchers(1): Roy.F. Baumeister and fellow researchers </span></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-66151663109084021232013-05-15T01:18:00.000+05:302013-05-15T01:36:00.564+05:30 What you didn’t know about self-control…<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> Have you ever felt that impulse to indulge in
an ice cream when you are on diet? How long did you go without that ice cream?
And I bet you had that coveted ice cream in the end. The self-control didn’t
work for long, did it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> People
who are asked to make tough choices - such as choosing among many job offers,
often find it difficult to focus on puzzles immediately after making that tough
decision. Quite obvious, you would say, what’s so new about that? We are aware
that our sense of equilibrium is at its lowest point just after a stressful
event. But that’s not the reason why people fail to solve puzzles after a
stressful event - they gave up too quickly, they did not try enough, they just lost
their self-control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> In an
experiment<sup>*</sup> conducted by researchers, two similar groups were picked
as volunteers. Without revealing anything about the experiment, they were starved
for five straight hours. The researchers then placed radish and freshly baked chocolate-chip
in front of them. One group was asked to eat the radish, and only the radish, let’s
call them the Radish group. The other group was not given any specific instructions;
they were free to eat the radishes and the chocolate-chips, the Chocolate-chip
group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> A few hours later, all the volunteers were individually
asked to solve an unsolvable puzzle, just that they did not know that it was
unsolvable at that time. What do you expect to happen? The members of the Radish
group lost their cool too quickly, they gave up immediately, and they were clearly
agitated and displayed aggressive emotions. On the other hand, the
Chocolate-chip group spent a little more time trying to solve the unsolvable
puzzle, more importantly, they were found in a much more relaxed mood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> What can we infer from this very interesting
experiment? That human beings lose their cool when deprived of freshly baked
chocolate chips? To some extent that is true, the Radish group had exhausted their
self-control by using up all the self-control to avoid eating the tempting
chocolate-chips. By the time the puzzles were given to them, they were mentally
exhausted, and they had no intention of exercising high chemical consuming
parts of their brain. The Chocolate-chip group,though starved for five hours,
were in a better frame of mind, for they didn’t have to endure the urge to pick
up the chocolate-chips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> Next
time you use up too much of self-control, remember that you are possibly
entering a stressful zone because Self-control is an exhaustible resource. That
doesn’t mean that you should never employ self-control, but do it as you would
with spices, in moderation. And remember awareness is the first step to a clear
and a calm mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 18.18181800842285px;"> Reference</span><span style="color: #222222; line-height: 115%;">: Chip Heath and Dan Heath: </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"> ISBN 978-0-385-52875-7</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-9661280476949274672013-02-12T11:01:00.001+05:302013-02-12T16:01:09.086+05:30Life goes on<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Noon. Twelve fifteen. The office bus is late. Nothing unusual. The driver smiled when he stopped at my bus stand, he knew the bus will not reach office on time. I sat on the aisle seat just behind the driver. A clear view of the road lay ahead of me. I adjusted the seat, relaxed and looked out to the crawling motorcycles and ant shaped auto rickshaws. Clever quotes on the autos made an interesting time pass during the long journey.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> A girl in a pink and white dress was sitting next to me. An expensive mobile in her hand, she spoke discreetly into her mouthpiece. She covered her sweet nothings with her dupatta, I could hardly hear her. I sat there gazing into the big windshield in front of me, occasionally trying to eavesdrop into what she spoke. Only hearing aids can help amplify her voice.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> The bus snailed through the thick traffic, everything moved at a slow pace. The driver turned onto Cenatoph road. A few bicycles raced past our bus. A motley crowd had gathered outside the Biometric center of the American Embassy. The driver whistled an old Tamil song and took the road below the flyover on a Centoph road. Red signal. A hundred more seconds to go. Why didn’t he take the flyover? I wouldn’t ask him. I’m just an observer.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> Forty seconds more. At that junction where eight lanes converged, a white Honda city turned to its right. Big noise, a man leaped into the sky, fell on the road, tumbled and went out of view. A crowd gathered, the man was out of sight immediately. The driver of the car, a white haired old man, came out of the car. Huge dent. A disfigured bonnet. A few feet away lay the scraps of a motorbike, turned upside down.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> The wreckage still stood in the middle of the road. Vehicles honked loudly. The signal went down. No more timers. Police arrived, drew outlines around the bike and the car with a white chalk piece. The old man, completely taken back by the turn of the events stood near his car. He looked anxious, but calm enough to stand there amidst all the clamor. He must have faced tougher things in his long life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> The crowd dispersed, the girl next to me shifted from her accident commentary to the low voice, an auto passed by with a message written in bold, “Thambi helmet a podu, illannae unna sutthi poduvanga kodu.*” Our bus moved forward slowly. Life goes on.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-78760515044387095402013-02-09T17:43:00.002+05:302013-02-09T17:56:53.911+05:30After dark and patient Dogs <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"> It is dark, the street light shedding just enough light to show me the bright bulb at the fast food center half a kilometer away. For a first timer, it may appear to be the end of the road, but the road curves ever so slightly to the right. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> As you walk forward, you can see an auto rickshaw stand. Autos of various types parked there meekly, probably brooding about their long day on the road. A few homeless people sleep on the pavement under stitched up sacks, so quiet and static that tomorrow is no bother to them. The mosquitoes are having a time of their life sucking the blood of the homeless people; they don’t seem to bother either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> As you walk further, you reach the fast food center with makeshift chairs placed around the small blue painted shop. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Some old Hindi song is blaring from a mobile on the table. </span><span style="font-size: large;">At this time, the chef is waiting for his last customers to finish the Seizwan fried rice and Chinese noodles served on paper plates. The chef, a young man probably from a north eastern state is restless; he wants to hit the sack. He looks at me with an accusing eye, shaking his head as if to say nothing is left on the stove, don’t come to my shop. His boss would come now. The vessels need to be cleared, the chairs have to be folded, and the accounts have to be settled. The day is not yet over for him. He must be feeling jealous about all those people walking home. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Dogs sit around the shop patiently, waiting for the left overs at the end of the day. They remain motionless, as if they are dead for the time being. Why are they so patient? Is it because they know what is inevitable? The leftovers has to be cleared, there is no other way, there is no competition, the food will be served cold. The way they like best.They just need to wait patiently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Isn’t it true even for us? The weak are not patient. It is a virtue of the strong. You are patient if you are confident; you are perturbed and irritable if you are not confident. Even the corollary is true; a perturbed man is often impatient. Most of our confidence comes from the vision we have, the farther we are able to see at that moment, the better we feel about handling the present. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The street dogs remain patient. They see themselves devouring the end of the day meal, the reward for their patience. I walk along the pavement, on the ever so</span><span style="font-size: large;"> slight curve after the Fast food center, leaving behind patient dogs and the impatient chef. A good night sleep is all that I want.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-74773106914268017722013-02-02T17:08:00.000+05:302013-02-02T17:10:19.712+05:30Entrepreuners at the bus stand<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4wSUFI7ARDtWpNx9h843u7MtGTNzLFQVtfInrs5FJGxJpXDm9_jRKpZ_x2J9irlYfQ5TRTYxuqzVu7A92hhIPyeBMsOQQVQrkWL7T1d-aF1wQXC-SiaNs2qliNjgMo0UOj0NYqFIsKRF/s1600/firengine.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF4wSUFI7ARDtWpNx9h843u7MtGTNzLFQVtfInrs5FJGxJpXDm9_jRKpZ_x2J9irlYfQ5TRTYxuqzVu7A92hhIPyeBMsOQQVQrkWL7T1d-aF1wQXC-SiaNs2qliNjgMo0UOj0NYqFIsKRF/s1600/firengine.png" height="320" width="171" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> Waiting for the office bus is what I do at twelve in the
Noon every day. A year ago, I waited for
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="the:0" grmarkguid="72d3dc59-3fb6-4789-a7ec-5adeaf723d58" gruiphraseguid="4a23d3d8-6827-46e2-b5a4-844f94f93839">the</span> bus near the Subway in DMS. Now that the Metro construction has submerged the subway, I have moved to the big tree near the Teynampet Fire station. The
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="big:0" grmarkguid="07b98061-91f1-40f6-a28e-261c9f571e52" gruiphraseguid="a49e0333-a379-4819-836c-c616c008c3fa">big</span> burly fire engine at the Fire station is always ready for action. Held at
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="its:0" grmarkguid="bf959c84-3100-45c5-9897-fdd2fef656d2" gruiphraseguid="01623f45-c2e6-43a8-a1bc-aa5214c6c86c">its</span> tires by two small stones on a sloping pathway, the fire engine can jump to
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="action:0" grmarkguid="b7bc68af-cc46-4428-a63c-15cb77fd7d54" gruiphraseguid="f319f73e-d0d1-4d1b-8bca-5e5d24019381">action</span> with the ease of dividing fractions. The old bus stop had
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="one:0" grmarkguid="fdce810a-89cc-4dcc-8252-7247bbd82fa1" gruiphraseguid="489ca6d1-9045-40f2-98d2-9032bbdd570f">one</span> thriving business. A fruit seller selling gooseberries and guavas. With the
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="new:0" grmarkguid="25651301-486e-42ec-8707-333062609079" gruiphraseguid="f108cce8-b684-48e3-a0ec-63ab1d5764e8">new</span> bus stop, came new business men.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;">1) <span style="color: blue;"><b>
</b></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: blue;"><b>A lime soda seller</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The
Lime soda seller has a blue three wheeler with the price of lime soda
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="advertised:0" grmarkguid="b97d014c-5145-449c-99c9-ad1f7f4f5173" gruiphraseguid="76904680-34f4-46b3-8e37-b5a438b2af66">advertised</span> all over it. Why are all the lime soda three wheelers
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="blue:0" grmarkguid="7b2c3a78-2f3f-48c8-bbf1-b7e1c1e1ee37" gruiphraseguid="960f6b1a-7a1e-4ec5-a626-20252a6a3d9b">blue</span> in color? Probably to tell us that lime soda is cool. I might get into trouble if I say blue is the coolest
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="of:0" grmarkguid="014217ab-950d-4061-a319-69ad32339fec" gruiphraseguid="e00d3e82-64c0-4c3f-9ace-d59c38c9c445">of</span> all colors, what if I hurt someone's sentiment. Or <span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="may be:0" grmarkguid="01934915-22af-4d45-80d5-4f5f97be4d76" gruiphraseguid="8ae838a0-90f0-4e28-bbf1-90b1ed1c6279">may be</span> all the lime soda
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="three:0" grmarkguid="e6054c5d-82db-4d9b-a008-08f95c0de6c5" gruiphraseguid="f133f813-2699-4b88-8a32-2e3f78e18b12">three</span> wheelers actually belong to the same person who had stocked a lot blue paint to paint his porch. Or to paint as Lord Krishna during a fancy dress competition that did not happen. It might even be a big brand without a name, a nameless brand marked only by blue color. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;">2) <b>
</b><!--[endif]--><span style="color: blue;"><b>A tender coconut seller</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The tender coconut seller is never tender
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="to:0" grmarkguid="c1fc92c0-b032-48ad-af8f-a95ab8a2387d" gruiphraseguid="f2fee559-cc76-4423-9596-b9bc7c750578">to</span> any of his customers. He has a head like a shaved coconut, and he behaves as
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="if:0" grmarkguid="58d6cb03-ec57-418a-96da-2f36ef8d0c29" gruiphraseguid="67e8bb07-b79f-425e-91e0-70131cfaa0e4">if</span> the entire place is his own. I once bought a tender coconut from him, and he
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="charged:0" grmarkguid="32c78576-e5a8-4b2f-a4ee-ed1b771f1fad" gruiphraseguid="9f379a76-0e3c-4ec9-94b1-87f925a3c949">charged</span> me an exorbitant 40 Rs for it. Probably because "Illichavayan" is written in italics across my forehead. In spite of the hot weather, I never
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="felt:0" grmarkguid="50bd2397-d132-4df7-9ec9-681fa4472596" gruiphraseguid="c4aac847-2f94-424c-827f-4c834112e2b0">felt</span> thirsty at the bus stand again. Come to think about it, it is far fairly priced than
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="the:0" grmarkguid="26feba31-5629-43e5-a73d-9266b1ebb8e7" gruiphraseguid="1480e0a6-aa6b-4af5-8893-8ec11fd9c1c9">the</span> coffee I stopped drinking so long ago at Saravana Bhavan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: large;">3) <span style="color: blue;">
</span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: blue;"><b>An underwear seller</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="most:0" grmarkguid="1a1eaf9e-0d9c-48bb-91bf-f91a8ce23c9f" gruiphraseguid="18a99966-9ce2-47d3-bb09-0f3cd272c690">most</span> interesting business enterprise in front of a Fire station should
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="definitely:0" grmarkguid="a7f608d6-6405-4758-8a06-36a19ac72547" gruiphraseguid="aa0b929d-1a3f-4361-8599-bda916353bcb">definitely</span> be awarded to this gentleman. This underwear seller has a great
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="affinity:0" grmarkguid="626e14be-e058-47b5-88e4-de9906ad4028" gruiphraseguid="cea2aad1-ad0a-49fa-8e09-ba802476f6ad">affinity</span> toward reading and applying daily newspaper in his everyday life. He
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="makes:0" grmarkguid="9288d840-22f4-45b5-83fe-734a77260ddd" gruiphraseguid="b1011704-4ec3-4b20-90bf-e190241709f2">makes</span> use of the newspaper for everything in his little roofless shop. Every day
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="morning:0" grmarkguid="3acb1de9-ff0b-40c6-8964-068454adfa70" gruiphraseguid="e772d343-e1e7-4f67-84c7-67e10432ed9c">morning</span>, he sweeps his working area, a ten foot square foot area just in front
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="of:0" grmarkguid="8c507f64-c4dc-4f64-9831-70d45494b1d4" gruiphraseguid="ac73eb16-120e-440a-861a-f1c1594940db">of</span> that huge Fire Engine, and rolls out two layers of newspaper on the floor.
Then he goes about displaying his goods, the macho underwear in unimaginable
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="colors:0" grmarkguid="58d21fd9-bf13-42b4-a7fa-8bcf15d216a7" gruiphraseguid="175aa8c3-fd61-434f-869d-15870d4463a2">colors</span> and patterns, the hankies with myriad flowers, and vests as colorful as
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="rainbow:0" grmarkguid="c928ca32-14b3-4596-a42d-24703b84452a" gruiphraseguid="8ac2d198-8fba-4f33-ba3b-6ae8e49e0eac">rainbow</span>. But what fascinates me most is
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="the:0" grmarkguid="054934b9-ef31-47b0-aece-591e8ca2bcae" gruiphraseguid="d08cabf8-b57f-4d2d-86b1-1fa9793abef1">the</span> value addition of the quotes on the underwear he sells? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Pearls of wisdom on
<span class="GRcorrect" grcontextid="your:0" grmarkguid="8c818b66-0284-4b2f-b167-d2ffcda6e788" gruiphraseguid="e6fdf44a-494a-4ae9-81ed-2c0eb30b8d16">your</span> ass.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-82434688186479057442012-12-23T00:30:00.001+05:302012-12-23T00:30:57.639+05:30Be on time to your meetings.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today, my uncle called me late in the evening to his desolate
Juice shop. Not many people bought juice on winter evenings. It is not a simple
juice shop though; they sold almost anything that people might buy, primarily
he called it a juice shop, but it is far more than that. It is as if my uncle
noted down what people asked him on a daily basis on a cigarette wrapper and stocked
them the very next day without any question. The juice shop now sold candles,
chocolates, and even tissue papers. Demand meets supply. He hates to say no to
any customer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> He also sold products that did not bring him
much profit, but sales anyway. I asked him why he should fill space with low
profit margin goods. He explained, “Selling a Cadbury’s Diary milk will hardly
give me a rupee per piece, but I get a customer, and I sell that meaningless product
hoping that next time he will buy the juice that has a ten rupee margin.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> Do we have a lesson
here? Yes you bet. You don’t make a sale by selling your biggest product that
your user has no use for. You make sales by selling the smaller things that the
user needs at that instant. Over a period of time, when he really wants that
big product, he will definitely choose you over your competitor. To be more
precise, business is more about building relationships than about selling fruit
juices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> What are the implications of this lesson in
our daily life? Small things build trust.
For example, being to a meeting on time builds trust. The meeting itself may
not be that important, but sticking to the clock even on a meaningless meeting would
turn out to be important in the long run. Once you have built that trust, you
will be trusted with higher responsibilities that demands more trust and of
course equivalent rewards. So better be on time to your meetings.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03580440753028033852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7694357652392190373.post-53519813878364544312012-12-22T08:44:00.002+05:302013-02-09T11:28:04.619+05:30Made to stick - Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;"> Not many books make you think, “Made to stick” made me think.
It is as if the ideas in the book were pre dipped in super glue. As I read,
they seamlessly attached themselves to my mind. The book is all about exploring
the super glue that can stick our ideas in the fast moving world.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;"> Chip Heath and Dan Heath have put together a series of ideas to
make your ideas stick. Of course this is not a get rich quickly, or success by thinking
positive kind of book.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;"> What are the reasons behind good recall value of urban
legends? Can the reasons be used in real time to solve communication
problems? According to the authors there are six things that constitute an idea
that will stick. For instance all the urban legends would have at least
satisfied four out of six components. Therefore the argument is, these
components if used well can improve our communication.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">For the authors, a
sticky idea is that has at least few of the components from their formula of
SUCCESS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNN981I-WQQ_hmRI3IIJcv0iRDBgTuuSNLIoyrxgSAcdQ-kUZJ2WQjfhBmWxX9Yn5yLpphtDOibEAwFXHCJWUtpHr2Wp3xtRYHtNWM7AMNtFOtoC5a1gJha8-JozQwcGuac2i6gqH2NSl/s1600/MadeToStick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNN981I-WQQ_hmRI3IIJcv0iRDBgTuuSNLIoyrxgSAcdQ-kUZJ2WQjfhBmWxX9Yn5yLpphtDOibEAwFXHCJWUtpHr2Wp3xtRYHtNWM7AMNtFOtoC5a1gJha8-JozQwcGuac2i6gqH2NSl/s320/MadeToStick.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> S- Simple</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> U-Unexpected</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> C- Concrete</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> C- Credible</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> E- Emotional</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> S-Stories</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">None of the components
of their formula are new, and yet it needs a well written reminder to wake us
out of abstract conversations. When a concept is abstract, it goes over our
head.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">A lot of parallel can
be drawn to the “Competent Communicator” manual of Toastmasters International.
Though they have never explicitly mentioned about the components to make ideas
stick, the references are undeniable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;"> For example,
every Toastmasters Project encourages Simple themes and sentence
constructions than roundabout and lengthy constructions. Surprise
(Unexpected) is a component used to catch the attention of the audience,
especially in the introduction of a speech. The term ‘vivid imagery’ is
frequently used which is equivalent to the Concrete word usage recommended by the book. Including Stories in your speech, especially
stories with strong Emotion is one of the frequent evaluation points
I received for my projects. I just did not know how to use them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">For me to use them, I
had to know some well executed examples. I had to understand the patterns of
ideas that are still making waves. I had to learn specific ways to include the
components of SUCCESS in my life. The ideas had to be reiterated without boring anyone. All that is what “Made to stick” does. The book drives home the importance
of each component of their SUCCESS formula by using the same formula to explain
each component. Filled with fascinating researches, and deep insights, it is
entertaining apart from the value add, just like a good Toastmasters speech.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">So why read “Made to
stick” if you already have the CC Manual from Toastmasters International?
Because, this book is about creating simple concrete credible emotional stories
with unexpected twist. Don’t you want to create such stories?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;">Here is the link to a mindmap of
this book if you aren't patient enough to read the entire book. But this mind map is just an ordinary glue, you ought to read the entire book to know what is super glue. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18pt;"> <a href="http://drbakker.nl/made-to-stick-summary-mindmap/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://drbakker.nl/made-to-stick-summary-mindmap/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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