So friends, what did we learn today?

Applaud the deserving.

2012-03-10T00:36:00.000+05:30

Very few things are more uplifting than the witnessing of honest effort.

Prayer for tomorrow.

2012-02-29T19:27:00.003+05:30

Lord, give me health, good luck and wisdom. I will steal the rest.

Whatever Works.

2012-02-28T21:46:00.000+05:30

Bigger part of our existence is due to luck than we would like to admit.

Ekla Cholo Re

2012-02-18T16:07:00.001+05:30

Some fruits don't fall close to the tree.

Joint Ventures

2012-02-15T19:21:00.002+05:30

The way the success of your partner offsets one's own disappointments is perhaps the most reassuring aspects of a partnership.

Swadeshi Movement

2012-02-09T20:31:00.001+05:30

Sometimes setbacks provide that much-needed breathing space which you never knew you needed.

Irony

2012-01-17T08:34:00.001+05:30

You have to surrender in the small battles to get a chance to join the big war.

Perpetual Haze

2012-01-17T08:29:00.003+05:30

I am convinced that if I am to spend the rest of my life around other people,I need to start stocking up on the booze.

Titan

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000+05:30

I don't know where I am going but I think I like the direction.

Someone had to say it.

2012-01-01T20:54:00.001+05:30

Long-distance relationship is a contradiction in terms.

Musings

2012-01-01T20:12:00.002+05:30

The only thing more effective than a beautiful muse is a beautiful muse who threatens the artist with abandonment.

Nothing Much

2011-12-09T02:34:00.001+05:30

What did we learn today? Nothing much apart from the fact that taking sedatives in the morning is a very bad idea.

Home Truths

2011-11-30T19:46:00.000+05:30

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them - Thoreau

One of those milestones

2011-11-30T10:26:00.001+05:30

Tinariwen. Colbert Report. Long Island Ice Tea. Houston night. An acute sense of abandonment and solitude.

Fatal Flaws

2011-11-30T09:49:00.001+05:30

It doesn't matter how sane you are. The flaws in your loved ones will drive you insane.

Hamlet!

2011-11-29T21:39:00.002+05:30

The upside to being the main protagonist in a tragedy is that you always feel a bit heroic.

Iridescent 2

2011-10-01T18:40:00.001+05:30

I have come so far that I no longer remember how the starting post looked like.

Iridescent

2011-10-01T18:05:00.001+05:30

There are a billion paths to happiness. The fool in us believes that one of those paths has more meaning.

Fatigue

2011-08-02T20:45:00.002+05:30

What is worse than the sheer feeling of helpessness?

Guggenheim, are you listening?

2011-08-01T19:37:00.001+05:30

Women with a great sense of humor are so rare that there should be a museum solely dedicated to them.

Here's why.

2011-04-05T13:09:00.001+05:30

"I played with a kangaroo. It was very cute. Then I ate it."- the sentence which swept me off my feet.

Reality lurks menacingly.

2011-03-03T17:11:00.002+05:30

Always have a Plan B. The number of distractions may be huge but in the end exhaustive.

Bedroom Talk.

2011-02-28T10:55:00.001+05:30

Old polish proverb. Wannabe dangerous men don't squirm when touched.

Complaint.

2011-02-08T20:40:00.001+05:30

If I have one singular complaint today, its that discussions which I should have had five years ago, are happening today.

Master Shifu would be proud.

2011-01-29T22:59:00.002+05:30

A moment for self-praise. I truly am the Anakin Skywalker of this century.

18 months too late.

2011-01-26T21:59:00.002+05:30

"Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your alibis
But it’s just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up my eager eyes
‘Cause I’m Mr Brightside"

- lyrics of Mr Brightside, The Killers.

This song could have saved me along with so many else. Too late.

A very morose Tuesday afternoon.

2011-01-25T13:17:00.001+05:30

I finally realize why I enjoy my job. Its because I don't take it seriously.

Note to self: What did I learn in 2010?

2011-01-02T15:43:00.002+05:30

2010 was a year of a million insights. Perceptions got over-turned and beliefs invalidated. I admitted to having a misplaced arrogance, the ego was systemically decimated and quiet stoicism was adopted as the way to go. Also for the first time in many years I felt great joy in learning again while struggling to understand what I want.

The lessons learnt are being documented here so that in 5-10 years, if still alive, when I read this I will smugly feel how wise I had been or perhaps nod my head at my naivety. Or perhaps even shame myself on how I sold out.

1. Decide which is easier for you. Accepting failure or mouthing regrets. Let this decision guide every action.

2. Even a tiny bit of money in the bank will breed a sense of self-importance. However that sense is completely illusory and best kept at bay.

3. Best way to stay modest is to keep seeking people smarter than oneself and engaging them. Also quietly hope they don’t do the same.

4. The line between procrastination and being patient is thin but sharp.

5. Envy is the ultimate distraction.

6. Self-praise is highly motivational but should be done in an empty room with thick walls.

7. Being dismissive is just being very very stupid.

8. Doubt is perhaps good. Doubt provides flexibility.

9. Think of the product, not how much you will charge for it.

10. Narrow the definition of humiliation or else one may not end up learning much.

11. Reminiscence as much as possible so that it’s easier to notice one’s good fortune.

12. Run and swim and if you find that difficult, stand in front of the mirror naked.

13. Claiming intellectual superiority is just a last ditch defense in face of accusations of being boring and stuck up.

14. Don’t pontificate too much. One may actually start believing what one’s preaching.

15. Pity is an interesting weapon.

16. Youth is better misspent than spent.

17. Women love men who their mothers warned them about.

18. Fight tooth and nail to prevent selling out to convention, expectations, society and over-rated temptations. And the only thing easy about that is typing it.

19. The hunger to keep learning should be the only constant theme in life. It will never fail to provide joy at the most uncertain of times.

20. There are very few things which are actually important in life. However they are different for everyone. The trick is to find out as quickly as possible what they are for one self. If you are too quick you will confuse someone else’s for your own. If you are too slow, I am sure there is a downside too.

Take that, Freud!

2010-12-30T21:31:00.000+05:30

Loneliness does not come from having no people around one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible - Carl Jung

Yay!

2010-12-26T21:40:00.000+05:30

Happy Boxing Day!

Planning for 2011 - 1

2010-12-22T23:19:00.003+05:30

Comfort zones suck. I need to get back to playing Rambo. Figuratively.

The happiest man in the world.

2010-12-21T22:47:00.002+05:30

The day I hoped would one day come. It did. In the most emphatic, extraordinary and stunning manner possible.

Thursday Morning Sulking.

2010-12-16T06:33:00.002+05:30

Our greatest curse is that we have all been comdemned to freedom. Imagine the convenience of having all your decisions taken by someone else.

What do you choose?

2010-12-14T22:45:00.000+05:30

Friendships are tough business. On the other hand solitude is pleasantly delusional and comforting.

Fight Club!

2010-12-14T08:04:00.002+05:30

The only redeeming part of having to fight too many battles at the same time is that statistically I am bound to win at least a few.

Wait & Watch

2010-12-12T20:48:00.000+05:30

Oneday we shall recount the stories instead of listening to them.

Who says only Oscar Wilde is quotable?

2010-12-08T19:32:00.002+05:30

"All the things I know right now, if I only knew back then, there's no gettin' over, there's no gettin' over, there's just no getting over you. Wish I could spin my world into reverse just to have you back again, there's no gettin' over, there's no gettin over, there's just no getting over you" - the immortal words of David Guetta and Fergie.

Adrenaline Magic

2010-12-05T20:56:00.001+05:30

Some evenings you are convinced anything is possible. Then comes the dreaded Monday morning when you begin to see the flaws in the reasoning.

What I learnt from Social Network.

2010-12-05T09:38:00.001+05:30

Virtually all actions and events are triggered by the most basic and universal of motivations.

Nightmares.

2010-12-03T21:07:00.002+05:30

My biggest fear is that I will have a good well paying job, a nice family life, climb to a pretigious position and have a comfortable retirement.

Goodbye Siddhartha.

2010-12-02T22:17:00.004+05:30

Mr Ray, you always reminded me of the Bengalis I had only read about but never seen or met. Thnak you for teaching me how to stand tall.

Memorable flights.

2010-11-30T23:43:00.000+05:30

I will remember the cigarrete breaks and the IITK stories.

Thank you Mr Hitchens.

2010-11-29T19:40:00.002+05:30

Learning new ways of life doesn't mean I stop doing what I am already good at.

Lone Ranger.

2010-11-28T15:59:00.001+05:30

Solitude: The sexiest and the scariest feeling.

Fuck you Jimmy W!

2010-11-25T19:25:00.001+05:30

If I hadn't spent the better part of my youth reading wikipedia, I would perhaps have been a contender.

The new mantra

2010-11-24T16:52:00.003+05:30

Every year achieve at least four things on which you can't put a price tag. That joy will be enough to outweight the other four hundred disappointments.

Solitude or Strife?

2010-11-22T21:07:00.001+05:30

The former. Definitely the former.

je ne sais quoi

2010-11-21T22:52:00.001+05:30

I am beginning to realize the immense potential of peppering conversations with foreign phrases.

A little less conversation, a little more action please.

2010-11-18T19:12:00.002+05:30

A philosopher is one who justifies his procrastinating ways in a profound manner and manages to con himself with his own words.

Finishing School 2

2010-11-17T00:56:00.002+05:30

It's pretty similar to fighting that election. But this time, I hardly have a support team and have no idea what to put in the manifesto either.

Finishing School.

2010-11-12T14:59:00.002+05:30

The joy of doing things way outside your comfort zone is underrated. Provided you don't get killed, jailed or ostracized.

What next?

2010-11-05T16:39:00.001+05:30

The problem with trying to understand things is that one may spend the rest of their lives doing it.

Take me to your leader.

2010-11-03T23:06:00.001+05:30

Have you ever felt like an alien visiting this planet for the first time? Its a fascinating experience.

Irony

2010-10-18T21:03:00.002+05:30

Life will prevent you from achieving your potential by giving you what you desire.

The Solitary Reaper.

2010-10-12T23:17:00.001+05:30

Sometimes all it takes is a walk on the beach to know what is right with life.

Slow Learner

2010-10-08T19:33:00.002+05:30

Inspite of my huge ego, I still keep realizing there still a long way to reach where I want to be.

Sesame Street

2010-10-07T22:17:00.001+05:30

Experiencing happiness with an expiry date is proving to be overtly poignant.

Redundant Realizations before crashing.

2010-10-04T21:41:00.002+05:30

In some ways I am an extremely lucky fellow. In a few ways very unlucky.

Brunei Diaries.

2010-10-04T21:30:00.001+05:30

Recently I have been having conversations with people who love what they do and meeting people who are happy. Its scary.

Don't daydream.

2010-09-19T11:21:00.003+05:30

Music sometimes creates an unnecessary sense of grandeur and feeling that one can do anything as long as one manages to get up from the couch.

Good Bye.

2010-09-17T23:25:00.001+05:30

A brilliant man died this week. If I don't learn from what I saw, it will be truly sad.

Winds of Change.

2010-09-16T21:39:00.001+05:30

The best way to survive times of tremendous change is to consistently plan on what one should have for dinner.

Music!

2010-09-11T20:14:00.001+05:30

If only we had background score in real life, then everything we do would seem so much more important and cool.

Advice from Smirnoff.

2010-09-08T20:06:00.000+05:30

Life's calling. Where am I?

Anomaly

2010-09-05T10:00:00.002+05:30

It is absolutely essential to ensure that some particularly painful memories be kept as alive as possible.

Quote

2010-09-03T23:03:00.000+05:30

Never over-dramatise things, everything can be fixed; keep a certain detachment from everything; the important things in life are very few - Il Divo

Death

2010-08-29T22:33:00.002+05:30

I think yet I again I will witness the world move on. Too quickly for comfort.

Wishful Thinking.

2010-08-23T19:51:00.000+05:30

Quelqu'un m'a dit que je suis toujours en mémoire.

Painful Monday Evenings

2010-08-16T17:21:00.002+05:30

Sometimes, our last resort turns out to be a quiet hope that the Mayans are correct.

A close shave.

2010-08-11T18:32:00.001+05:30

Its funny how things which look catastrophic and devastating today will begin to resemble a highly fortunate event with time.

Crib

2010-08-10T12:12:00.001+05:30

Don't. Just Don't. Its not cool.

Self congratulations.

2010-08-09T19:23:00.002+05:30

Wishlists should be preserved. They help in realizing that the wishes did come true and its a moment to sit back and savour it.

Recent Chinese Curse

2010-08-09T00:08:00.002+05:30

May you have choices when you need to take decisions.

The Zuckerberg Test.

2010-07-29T22:28:00.003+05:30

In the present age how do you find your true calling? Well, its anything which you manage to accomplish or engage in without getting distracted by Facebook in between.

Exorcism

2010-07-28T20:59:00.002+05:30

Exorcism takes much longer than the movie suggested. And one never seems to be sure whether it has worked.

Me 2.0

2010-07-20T21:27:00.001+05:30

I no longer look for reasons to make me feel happy tomorrow. I just look for reasons to make me happy today. It is kind of working.

Despicable Me.

2010-07-16T08:59:00.002+05:30

Never judge yourself by your own standards. You will disappoint yourself.

Perspective.

2010-07-10T23:38:00.002+05:30

Cut out the bull-shit and the fluff and weigh the issue at hand just on basis of facts. Once you have done it, tell me how.

Conundrum Solved.

2010-07-03T21:14:00.000+05:30

Self esteem is knowing when not be a nice guy.

25.

2010-06-13T21:18:00.000+05:30

So far so good. I think. Well, things could have been much much worse.

Smile.

2010-06-01T21:52:00.000+05:30

I often do that when alone.

How to save a life?

2010-05-30T21:47:00.002+05:30

I wish I knew.

Stand By Me

2010-05-27T17:18:00.001+05:30

Somebody. Anybody.

I envy Ian Wright.

2010-05-24T15:40:00.002+05:30

Travelling alone is highly under-rated.

Canine Sense

2010-05-21T15:22:00.003+05:30

Maybe he had a point.

Confession.

2010-05-17T15:51:00.002+05:30

I am a liar. I am a victim of desire - Bryan Adams ( & me)

Yet another Terres moment.

2010-05-10T21:53:00.001+05:30

Naah.They were right.It happens just once. Now I am sad!

A Query.

2010-05-10T11:19:00.001+05:30

Is it cool that my area of expertise is slowly turning out to be working in fields I have no clue about.

Is this all a facade?

2010-04-30T13:34:00.001+05:30

And then the answer just hits you out of nowhere. All this is nothing but a seredipitious way of you getting prepared to cross the Rubicon.Life!

Realism.

2010-04-28T10:13:00.000+05:30

Abilities are not permanent. Neither should the ego be.

Friday Evening Melancholy

2010-04-23T18:50:00.001+05:30

There's only that much reality one can shut out. There's only that many memories one can ignore. There's only that much hope one can try building on.

Initiatives

2010-04-21T18:41:00.002+05:30

Don't take initiatives. They tend to destroy rather than make careers. A solid and seamless career is usually based on a complete inability to think outside the box.

The Trigger.

2010-04-19T16:38:00.001+05:30

Its so fascinating how different things look once you are beyond the tipping point of tolerance. That perpetual sense of weakness has vanished.

In the end.

2010-04-19T13:24:00.001+05:30

In the end the most frightful thing is the realization that memories, no matter how strong, will eventually fade.

Say your Sorrys

2010-04-11T20:38:00.002+05:30

One of the best things one can do to make one's day is to go back to people who one may have treated unfairly and make amends. Especially to the people who were too nice to protest.

Last Night.

2010-04-08T11:33:00.000+05:30

Ecstacy is inducive. Staggeringly inducive.

Resurrection.

2010-04-06T14:52:00.001+05:30

I forgot the joys of being calm, collected, selfish and heartless. It feels good to have come full circle.

The Proverbial Line

2010-04-06T11:10:00.000+05:30

A wonderful quality I would love to have is to know what to let go, when to let go and how to let go.

Terres d'Ausine vin de pays de l'aude 2008.

2010-03-24T21:24:00.000+05:30

Happiness is usually fleeting and before you know it, its gone.

Rotiboi!

2010-03-24T14:52:00.000+05:30

Why do the best things in life somehow have butter in them?