Monday, April 20, 2009

Blue's good

Did you wake up from the wrong side of the bed? That's okay. In fact, sometimes it is more than okay to feel crappy. And no, I'm not talking about the Monday morning blues. They are so passé. I mean, come on, if your life is only stressed on one day in a week, I want to know how. We live in bad times, you are getting a better deal than me and it's unfair.

We all seem to want less stress, less pain and yet the way we run our lives, it is more than apparent that we like the life we get. Let's see. For instance, if I want to be successful, I take on more on my plate than I can handle. So, obviously, I'm trying to push the limits. I'm inviting stress. We are doing that all the time. There's nothing wrong in that, except for one thing. We expect everything to turn out the way we want it to be. We HATE failure.

Actually, it is best to make peace on that front. How? Simple — accept it. While failure is painful it is also our chance to learn. It is an experience, we can draw a lot from it. I like failure. Not always, mind you. Why? It keeps me grounded. It is a simple mechanism to control a bloated ego. I fall I pick myself up, look back and promise to not repeat the mistake. And no, it isn't as simple as it sounds. But, with practice it gets better.

I read a poem in class sixth by Emily Dickinson — Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed. You can google it if you want. For those who'd rather do something else, here's the jest, as I understand — if you haven't tasted failure, you'll never cherish your success. It is true, to an extent. So, are you feeling like a loser? Its okay, next time you get that pat on the back, you'll feel really good about it. Try it!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Election time - remember the rally

This time round when you vote, don't forget the nusiance some parties created. I still can't forget the JD(S) rally that left my sister stranded at school - she walked back home. 10kms that's the distance she covered, 4 hours spent waiting and then finally walking home. Even dad who left home to bring back my sister from school waited in a bus at Hebbal flyover. Thankfully he decided to take public transport. He had the option of walking to the school. I was happily sitting in an auto with a fickleminded driver taking me all over town - he claimed he knew a jam-proof route, sure why not!

Anyways, I wrote this then to vent out. Now seems a good time to post it ... so read on ...


Leading normal lives is not easy. And yet scores of us do just that, without complaining. Who’s listening, anyway. But that’s a different story all together.

Politicians on the other hand are a different species altogether. These ‘people’s representatives’ once in power suddenly fear the very people who they represent and need Z-security. When they are on the move, in the city, people like you and me endure long traffic jams just so our ministers have an easy clearance.

Then again there is only so much we can grin and bear. And seriously, we have ran out of patience. Did you see the madness that ensued on the day JD(S) big wigs decided to have a political meeting on a busy work day in Bangalore?

Silicon city turned stranded city. Five hours of chaos, helplessness and frustration. Not taking into account precious morning hours spent patiently at traffic jams that very morning.

So, in the evening the last thing we expected was to be sucked into a jam that stretched for hours. Our families were at large, this time, thanks to you even our children walked miles to be home as we ourselves were left twiddling our fingers waiting at the other end of the jam.

So, dear Mr Politician(s), please DON”T try to have any meetings at our expense. We — the tax paying citizens of this country, state, city — do not like it. We hate to see you de-face the city space flaunting your party flags. And may be you ought to take lessons in litter management. Learn to clear after yourselves! Don’t leave ugly hoarding hanging, they can kill innocent pedestrians and motorists. Leaving us stranded at the bus stands and at the mercy of autorikshaws isn’t funny either.

We may not be your target vote bank, but with the nasty memories of that day still etched on our mind, we just might surprise you next election season. And don’t forget, you need to use the money we pay as tax constructively — fix the pot-hole infested roads, plant trees to get back the green cover the city once so enjoyed. Don’t use it to fan your ego and for once do something useful, you just might get elected on sheer credit (work credit) and save lot of money as well as paper.

Time for a little reality check — for once lead a life of an ordinary citizen!