Lessons from another world: 5 senses

Rudha speaks

A 'hiatus', as mentioned earlier is something like a break from a daily routine. There are actually various words that closely resemble its actual meaning. However, I must tell you that is not to be confused with the word 'sabbatical'; it is used more formally. You can imagine both these words resembling us- Ani and myself. As much as I hate it when he calls me a 'crazy troll', I should agree with him on one point- he is definitely less than half crazy as I am. So, sabbatical is a more polished, formal and an elite type of a hiatus, but enough of that for now. I don't want to wander off to distant lands where people speak the unknown literary tongue mastered by the masters of literature and poetry themselves- then I have to call Ani, and I don't want that to happen. 
(Oh and let's just keep this to ourselves, but I have helped him one too many times when it comes to creating sentences that stuns it's readers and make them seriously applaud his vocabulary and the command he has over the language, but try telling this to him and he downright refuses. The blush on his face speaks for itself, though. On a rather hopeful note, I do believe that I have managed to actually bring about the aforementioned feeling when you read my posts now, haven't I? Eh..? Alright, forget it and let's just move on.)

People on a long break are generally of two types. There is the group that always makes sure that most of the activities on their bucket-list are struck off and then there is the group that actually sits down to compile their list often drifting off to a utopian world where all of their dreams turn to reality and thus exhausting most of their break. I, belong to the second category, but with a twist to the tale. I happen to observe quite a lot of things with the time that I got. While surfing the internet, I happen to come across posts like the one above. Yes. Humans are extraordinary creatures. Posts like these actually make me think if God really created humans for a purpose or just to entertain themselves when they are bored, like the one below.

Well, God sure seems to have His priorities set straight...! If that isn't the case and if the real situation here is the fact that humans have actually learned to believe in God in a different way, mirroring the modern trends, then I call it 100% crazy- and I like it. 

I mean, even I dream of a perfect physique, so why should the laws be any different? (Just saying).

But again, I must stress upon the fact that we do tend to get bored rather easily. It's as easy as eating a cake. We, however have the intelligence to actually learn quite a lot of things from the animal world. Parenting for example, is done much better by creatures with 5 senses than the Homo-sapiens. Its the consistency that I am talking about over here. If a gorilla takes care of her young by constantly keeping the little one in close proximity, then I say that you can find the same pattern throughout the troop ( a troop is a group/family of Gorillas). 

We, on the other hand have started a few things like day-care centers which is nothing but an arbitrary, paid foster home for our kids. Sooner or later we are going to come across an article that tells the story of how a mother happened to finally find her kid hidden in the closet while playing hide 'n' seek after 7 whole years ( exaggeration, I know...!). Sure, I would award that kid the champion of stealth, hiding and the winner of the hide 'n' seek game, but imagine the conversation that would ensue :-

Mom: My son! Where have you been? Oh lord! Thank you! *tears in her eyes*

Son:  Stop it woman! Who are you? You do look familiar, yes. But do meet my imaginary friend who has been giving me company all these years..! 

Alright, I agree. The above scenario might not happen. Still, all I am saying is that we are losing that precious feature of communication that is bestowed only upon us and not to any other creature in this planet- at least, not through words. Communication is something that is unique to humans and by things like these, well, we are simply losing the grip on it. Then again, I would also argue that our priorities have changed dramatically since evolution from apes. I mean, where have you seen an ape slogging it's life in front of a computer screen typing in lines of code and debugging it, only to achieve an even more number of errors? That amazing job, my friends, can only be done by trained, evolved beings called humans. Apart from parenting, I did come across a few amazing posts that really made me think. One of them was this- 

That tortoise, is wiser than the wisest man on Earth! Though I came across more than two dozen posts like these, I am afraid I cannot share everything with you all- apologies for that. With that, I would like to say this to all of you- Look out and observe. In fact, quite a lot of technological and scientific inventions have been inspired from nature and animals. It's not like there is a law that bans us from imitating nature- that would be too tough on us. This imitation game is called by a special technical term- Bio Mimicry ( A common example would be an aircraft, inspired by the birds). As a concluding statement, I would like to say this. 

The more you debug a program, the more errors you are bound to meet. Quit the job already... !

Ha! You heard it first from rudha!

A hiatus with a mind of it's own

Do you know how difficult it is to start a post in my blog after an extremely long period of absence? Do you know how it feels when I have to think on how to start each post on a bright note in spite of a hiatus as long as Tamil soap operas?

Believe me, they are long! But putting that aside for the moment, since when did you start calling your "hobby" of  "blogging" a 'hiatus'? Because the last time I checked the dictionary, it refers to a long gap usually to someone's 'habitual activity'.
Hush! Stop saying things that are meant to be kept to ourselves out loud! You are ruining my... sorry, 'our' image!
Uh, hey chuckle-head..! You are blowing your own cover. You just did. The readers are still here!

Oh! Uh... Anyway, as I was saying, you really don't know how difficult it is to simply put my bottom to the chair and start typing stuff of no particular genre. No. I don't want to be the usual blogger who gives you traditional posts relating to their mundane lives. Humph..!That's too easy!

Really..? So, can you do that?
Ha! It's not a question of  'can'. I believe I have the ability to do so. Its just a question of  'would I do it', a probability. A probability that I definitely won't. You see, I want to give our readers something different. Something that cannot really be put into any particular genre, but is actually a mix of everything under the roof.
Sounds good! Count me in pal..!
Wow! You are dumber than I thought. You are already a part of it.
Awesome.

Well, till now, I have managed to skillfully avoid the reason for my unannounced absence. I mean, I did say that I would continue posting once I settle down at my new place. Well, things don't always go as planned, now do they? I managed to move into a house big enough to accommodate my things, but was unfortunately under the mercy of... well let's just say less flexible people and everything went downhill from there.
It was this small inevitable, yet unnecessary deviation that cost me the loss of all these days. Completely locked out of the world of internet, I wasn't able to post anything naturally. Now that I have settled down for what I hope is the last time for the next few years, I have managed to recollect the weird, yet strange topics that often go unnoticed in everyone's monotonous, robotic lives. I (we), want to simply say that an absence of this scale won't ever happen anytime in the known future. However, rather than ending this comeback post on a rather melancholy and apologetic note, I(we) would like to say that there is quite a lot in store that can be expected in my forthcoming posts. There may be slight modifications to my posts henceforth, but they will be clearly noticeable. So, on that note that I hope should have piqued and kindled your inner demon, I sign off for now....

 

Ani speaks- "that lingering taste..."

The title used above should have told you by now that something is different. I have been wanting to introduce a new feature in my blog for a long time, but, as they say, there's a time and place for everything. I suppose I have managed to land in that period of my life where I have finally decided to bring it to light. This is a new feature wherein, the two sides of my mind- the protagonists of this blog Ani and Rudha- will have their say over certain things. Yes, by now, you should have figured out that both these personified yet existing personalities have differing points of views (POV's). Well, I am simply going to end this fact by saying that "it's nature". In this post, "Ani" speaks and he was hell bent on saying it in a more literary way. I was powerless... It actually seemed like a very good idea. The underlying fact on which this post is based is this- I am moving out of my current place of residence to a different one. There comes a time in everyone's lives where some sacrifices have to be made to pave way for a better life. Yes, I agree that letting go of things dearest to us is tough, but again, in the end we are left with only one option. This is one of my favorite phrases :-

                                 Life is real. Attachment is a choice.

So, it was natural for me to find it difficult to let go of this beautiful duplex house, owing to the fact it was to be demolished completely, but it wasn't long before reality punched me hard in my gut. Well, new place equals new beginnings I suppose. So, let me spare you all the ordeal of my philosophy class and lets get on with it. I managed to photograph my house during the last two days of stay here. So, here you go...

 When things don't go right, they say, "go left". Dropping all the humor from it, distance would be the same if it was a square room, like mine. For the times spent here, good or bad, it all comes down to stacking things up on the queen sized bed. Well, to be honest, stacking things up wasn't new, what with piles of unused books and papers that judiciously rented its space for dust and insects. I realized that it was these small details that made my room, "mine".

 It wasn't long before the adjoining room was soon forgotten. It never relented when we used its space for dumping things unwanted. Once full of life and the home of my sister's study, this room is forever filled with the aura of learning, enough to be called the study room. However, before this room was lost into oblivion, I resurrected it by making it my second place of dwelling, not long before plans were made to move out of this house.

Men may come and men may go, but their paths remain, ever etched in our memories. Have you ever tried walking from one room to another with your eyes closed? Well, I have and it has been far too easy doing that in a passage as straight as this. True to the phrase above, the path is forever etched in my brain. As a concluding line to this paragraph, I tried walking with my eyes closed a few days back and I have a throbbing pain in my little toe ever since.

Remind me again, who put that window there..? That one came without instructions but has served its purpose ever since. The landing as seen from above the stairs might look steep, but that is simply because of the black flooring. I still remember the times when I played "spiderman" on top of the railings. They were strong, yes, but the bars below it, have seen much and are growing old with each passing day. This has me wondering as to when they might not survive to the see the light of the day again.  I should, however never forget to mention the fact that the width between the railings and the wall isn't big enough to allow bigger cupboards and wardrobes to be moved either up or down. We use the balcony instead.

 The wall protruding out effectively hiding most of the open-kitchen, is around 5 feet tall. We decided to stack the cardboard boxes full of things, till they just touched the border of the wall at the top. The stickers promptly stuck on the refrigerator's top door were foreign. They were a little something from those living abroad and to date, they manage to hold the status of the smallest, yet useful items one could buy when coming back to India. Seriously, how else would you beautify a place in the most easiest way? By photographing the usual 'city skylines' or 'landscapes' of that particular place and having them printed on items as small as these. As a bonus, the magnet glued to the back doesn't actually harm most of the electrical appliances and some of them come with facts printed on them! I love them..!

Once the place where delicious food used to come from (the kitchen), it soon became a room, owing to the fact that we did have a space large enough for a room. I still wonder why this room was always cooler than the rest of the house. Now that is enough to instantly make people so comfy, that for a deep sleep (slumber if you ask me), all you need is a soft pillow and a warm blanket. Not even air-conditioning or sweet music is required. The remnants of the kitchen still exists though. Like the loft that borders the ceiling.

 They say that the first impression is the best. Though not heavily furnished, this is the view of the hall as seen from the doorway. It does, however, manage to make an impression. With a modern clock having a vintage look and a life-sized idol of the goddess of learning that hangs in a sturdy wooden box, it is sure to make a titanic impression. The Tv stand was made for that place and it was much taller before. Now, hanging a part of that showcase on the wall seems like a much better idea.

Thus, in short, every room has a memory of its own and it was only wise to make up my mind to create new memories. I had been in this house right from my first grade. That was when I was around 10 years old or so ( It was in the year 2000). I am twenty years old now and that naturally explains the pot-full of memories.
So, with that, I conclude. We would be moving tomorrow most probably and further "blogging" will be after we have completely settled down. Signing off.

"A small stir of its wings and things change..."

Have you ever made a decision and repented for it later? Have you ever realized that at times, at some point in our lives we would come across situations where making one decision would lead to one result and choosing the other alternative would lead to an entirely different outcome?
Then there are other times when you just cannot make up your mind and well, that leads you nowhere. Let's not wander off to that.. not for now at least.

Decisions play a vital role in our lives. They are everywhere, like the air we breathe. Even animals make decisions. To fight or fly is the most important decision an animal makes and that would create a future of either life or doom. To say that decisions are a part and parcel of everyone's lives is a bit of an understatement. To say that life revolves in a heliocentric orbit, with decisions smack in the middle of this imaginary orbit is more of an appropriate statement. Now, I am not trying to be philosophical over here, but over my past few observations through my life (that even included times while doing mundane activities) have forced me to come to a conclusion that it isn't only the big decisions that occur in each phase of people's lives that matter, but even the smallest does.

Now, wait up.... You mean making up my mind over things as simple as choosing between a chewing gum that costs a rupee and one that is a rupee higher also matters?
Yep! It sure does. Now, imagine a scenario as follows. You go out to buy a few things and on your way back, you wish to buy a gum. Even though you have spent quite a lot on the shopping that day, you don't mind spending another rupee for a meager gum.
I am rich! You know in my account, I have...
No interruptions. Just listen. So, once you reach the place, you realize that all you have left is a rupee in your wallet. Now comes the part where you have to make up your mind whether to really buy the chewing gum whose flavour lasts for about 20 minutes, or use that rupee to say, make a phone call.
What about cell phones?
Since when have you(we) recharged your account to make a phone call?
Point taken. Please continue.

Now, the above example may sound silly (I know it does, but you cannot do much with just a rupee in today's market). But, in the actual sense, when you grind your gears in your brains, you would slowly start to realize that the phone call made might just turn out to be important, nay life saving. What if you had a toddler in the house alone with the care-taker (nanny) and you had forgotten to turn off the gas? A single phone call might just prevent an unthinkable disaster! So, such small decisions that we encounter in our lives ought to be taken a wee bit more serious. Now the basis with which I have compiled this post is on a phenomenon, commonly known as "The butterfly effect".
Interesting!
Yes, it gets so in a short while.
Alright people, if you all are not aware of the butterfly effect, then here it is.... *drum roll please*
Just tell already..!
Alright, alright! It states that- 
"A tiny butterfly flapping it's wings today, may lead to a devastating hurricane weeks from now". 
Yes, it does sound a bit too ominous, but its actually very interesting if you ask me.
Well, if you ask me, I would say with full confidence that this was theorized by a very paranoid and an obnoxious person.
Nevertheless, this theory (or effect, but I would like to call it "theory" and that's how I would be referring to it throughout this post) has inspired many to come out with creative ideas. This theory however, is completely metaphorical and doesn't actually refer to a tiny butterfly flapping it's wings that eventually results in a hurricane . If that were to happen, then I would probably have the next Hollywood script that is sure to become the next blockbuster. Our lives are shaped by the choices we make or fail to. When we were young, the most important and tough choice was to choose between two types of toys, maybe two brands.
"Should I buy a G.I.Joe action figure or a batman's? He has the GI Joe, so I should probably buy something cooler. Maybe a hotwheels car..?"
Then, as we age, for some, their minds also grow older, whereas for the others... well let's just say they get more "cooler".
The cool dude eh..? I am looking at the mirror now...Yup, got him. Well, hello there..!
Lets just leave him to monologue and move on.
So, there comes a time when we have to make a choice between two or more companies that have decided to appoint you. Yes, it is a well known fact that humans tend to mature usually in the mid 30's. So, there arises a question as to how to decide on the right choice when young. All I am saying is this- try making the choice where you might have a long term satisfaction, at least till the so called "maturity" comes along. You shouldn't however, regret making that choice till the"maturity" phase. We don't want a ripple to be caused that might lead to WW3 eventually..( *hints at the butterfly effect*).
Hmm... Now that is a very good concept for a blockbuster Hollywood movie! I am calling Speilberg right now. But wait, it still needs the following: unwanted explosions used too many times (like the Micheal Bay films- u know, transformers series..? eew!), an American flag fluttering in the wind that has absolutely no relation to the plot, a star studded cast with the top stars getting a very short role, the usual "CIA is the best force in the entire world" concept and finally, a president who usually is a dummy. There, the perfect recipe for a perfect Hollywood movie.

Good one! But to be honest,there have been many movies based on this theory. The film that comes to my mind the most easily is the Kollywood movie "Dasavatharam" that is loosely based on this theory, though not verbatim. Whether the film managed to put forth its main message (concept) to its viewers or not, it was a hit nevertheless.
So, as a concluding statement, I Would like to say even the smallest of choices usually matter. The butterfly effect is everywhere and has already started..... Choose wisely..!