2010 Update - what a year

So I've joined twitter. Not too sure what I'm going to do over there, but I reckon if I can get tweets on snowy days indicating that college is closed, I'll consider it worthwhile. Not too sure if 'campus alert' has me in their data base. So big shift to the US and a few months later I'm in sub zero temperatures for the first time in my life (living in sub zero temperatures). Finished the first semester of the MBA program with a GPA of 3.9 something... i think. All in all, fun and the weather isn't too bad. Getting myself a nexus one and have realised that Google is our overlord and master... Had an interesting discussion with my cousin about Google 'knowing' all my personal information. Identify theft is real, no doubt at all. However, that can occur anywhere you go on the web, potentially. Google selling my information to a third party is something I don't think will happen. Google 'knows' what I do so that they can 'place' adds on the pages that I visit. Of course there are script blockers that one can use, but to be honest it took me a while to realise that those miniature add looking paragraphs were actually adds. For the longest time after starting with gmail, they didn't even register in my perception... anyway, Google will earn more revenue keeping my information a 'secret' rather than a one time sale to a third party.
Why no blog throughout 2009 ? Wow a year has gone by ! I was tired of blogging... everything I have to say that isn't created out of thin air, requires I search the net for links and references etc.... too time consuming. And here I am a proud owner of a twitter account !
I think I'm going to use twitter as a medium for spreading totally imaginary events/stories about myself. A sort of creative outburst of sorts. Good idea.
Saw Avatar... in 3D... very good. I had seen a sort of T3 promo in Universal Studios (i think) some years ago, and after watching Cameron's interview on Charlie Rose (I'm twitching to attach some sort of video link here) I totally get the idea of 'not' throwing objects at the viewer (a type of 3D experience exemplified by the T3 promo); rather an immersive experience, where the viewer is drawn into the 'world', so to speak. Oddly enough, didn't get motion sick.
Have continued to watch Jon Stewart and the Colberius Report (must include that as a 'word' in their site). The Colbert Nation continues to astound. They have gone ahead an 'sponsored' the US Olympic speed skating team. Though not surprising in itself... the fact that groups of people are getting together like this is encouraging. (link - couldn't resist) Why you ask ? because individuals are getting together and using the power of Capitalism - yes you communists capitalism - for good stuff. Another example is Kiva; a portal that lets individuals donate/make micro loans to entrepreneurs in third world countries. Very Good Idea.
I have fastidiously ignored Glen Beck for the last year or so. I mean, he panders to an audience who obviously love what he does (otherwise Glen would have got into a different shtick), but seriously... who watches his show !?!. I mean the kind of crap that they pull off is retarded !!! What broke the camel's back you say ? why start the year off by mentioning Glen's name, when I could easily invoke the great Elephant God himself/itself.... ok the link won't be up until tomorrow so check out my next update below... more on Glen later...
Mmm watched the New Moon Movie and gained brownie points with the wife. Ditto for the Frog Princess. Couldn't recognise Dakota Fanning until a throne session with 'Entertainment Weekly' enlightened me.
Jackson died. Very Sad... in the sense what he had become. At the risk of sounding like Billy Joel - we didn't start the fire - there were so many things that stood out this year... but not going down that alley. The housing crisis still hasn't run its course in the US. There is still a moratorium on foreclosures. Joblessness is rising... corporations are tightening their belts, and as they talk about an economic recovery based on firing people, I wonder what is going to happen to the 'state of the consumer' ? I wonder... Oh Health Care. What a fiasco that is. oh and the underwear bomber. Yemen... really people didn't see that coming ?!? Can attach a link for this (link)... Mmm what else. I'm developing a penchant for cooking. Always good. Slowly getting addicted to reading user comments below internet articles. Must stop - most people commenting on the internet - as you can see from the quality of prose on example here - don't have anything intelligent to say.... which really makes me wonder about the 'quality' of the internet as a 'social media'. Oh another theme which I think will change is the 'age of misinformation' will now become the age of useful info by means of reliable apps/portals etc... Don't know why I feel this way... but I think technology and what is going on with the Wikiality of the internet will lead to a larger percentage of people leaning towards rational thought - simply because I think - despite/inspite of the various tea bagger movements - that we've reached a peak with the 'irrational' thoughts. I could be wrong. Won't bet a few beers on it.
Post getting to be a bit of a downer... let's escape with a bit of technology. It is getting cheaper and its easier to set up and HTPC (google it) - The various android based phones/tablets/e-book readers - all very exciting.
What am I looking forward to ? Wellness research - power of the internet/information to drive research and provide useful information - I'm going to immerse myself in Google apps - very useful tools - and ofcourse many home cooked meals with family and friends. Will post some snow boarding pics and promise to write more often.
Have a great year my imaginary readers !!

"May You Live in Interesting Times"

For those that haven't read any Terry Pratchett, this is meant to be a curse. However, I use this in its non-Pratchett sense. Today really has been an interesting day. As I start on another journey, into a land that is both known and un-known to me, I am filled with apprehension about what circumstances tomorrow will bring. Not in a bad way, simply in a human way. When I feel like this I watch documentaries. I have filled my head with so much information that I can talk about at least the happenings in about 25 % of the world. Let me tell you about today. Obama is the Democratic Nominee; I was 60 % sure this would happen. I have been blogging on various news sites and blogs. Salaam Cafe, Amitabh Bachchan, BBC, Washington Post, etc... If you were to spend a day watching SBS you would truly appreciate the world we live in. I have seen no other channel where such a global perspective is brought into my living room. Today I was exposed to the following topics. American Politics, Race issues, International travel, luggage issues, Muslim issues, International money transfer issues, cell phone issues, computer and html issues, comedy, nostalgia, school, college, medical degree issues... I actually wrote a poem once, which described my day from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep. It started off by dreaming, waking, yawning, stretching, brushing... and end up with reading, yawning, thinking, sleeping, dreaming. If everyone were to do this, you would realise we do so many activities in a single day. If we were to note each and every thought that went through our minds, it would be an astonishing list !

What is Race? Is it genetic, phenotypic or is it just an excuse to exclude a group of ppl who we don't identify with? We define ourselves by exclusion. We start of as 'over-inclusive' ; We want to be everything, but we settle on being just a few things. So the colour coding of American society warrants that Obama is Black, but the Blacks, who associate with slavery, say Obama is 'African'. Is Obama black enough/white enough ? His grass root support says he is! Does it matter? It depends on who you are. It depends upon how far your thought process, and that of those around you, carries you towards being 'inclusive' rather then 'exclusive'.

It is about perception and our inability to question our own state of thoughts and emotions. We hold onto our thoughts and emotions as if they are the most precious of commodities, not realising that they are fickle and inducible. If I were to say that Emotion defines as as Humans, everyone would agree (mostly). On the flip side of that same coin, I could say that Emotion is fleeting and inducible, and hence Humans would be defined by impermanence. Maybe these Budhists are onto something... But we are not impermanent, at least we 'think' we are not. Hence it is our thought process which is at fault. I heard on a 'talk show' (no not Oprah) episode on "Faith based' education, a representative from the Christian School Association or (something like that) responding to an Atheist, that 'God' is their answer to 'Why we have been created and why are we on earth'...

Irrespective of whether this is true or not, why would you ask this question in the first place? We replace one intangible unknown with another tangible unknown; one that causes exclusion rather than inclusion. It fools us into believing a few 'reasons' as to why we are here. I have no issues with ppl believing in God, as long as they don't try an make too many decisions which are detrimental to me, based on their belief of their God. I mean do ppl actually presume to know what God thinks? See this is the irony of religion.

It is clear to me why we have been put on this earth. We have been created to engage with our environment. There !! Dr Narayan's solution to man's existential crisis. No it isn't my solution, it is the Hindu-Bhudhist solution. The concept of Maya refines itself from Hinduism to Budhism. It reveals itself in any 'theory of mind'. I reckon it would be at the heart of every organised religion too. However, engaging with one's environment, involves a subjective interaction. Do we dominate of do we sublimate to our environment? This is the question my imaginary readers. This is the question. Our interaction with the environment is facilitated by our intent. Intent to do what though? Some intentions are bad even though they are good. The notion of 'civilising' the savages is such an example. Such a convoluted world we live in. How do I know if my intent is good or not ? The Kantian method of answering this question would be to think 'n' steps in the future, or to question 'what would happen if the step that I'm contemplated was performed by each and every member of society'. Another way of establishing the 'Golden Rule' would be to ask what would happen if 'this particular action was done onto me'? But aren't all ppl different? I may not appreciate help, but someone else may appreciate the help while we were struggling with the same thing. There isn't a simple answer. Perhaps it would be good to carry labels on our clothes. Cloud Tags of our thoughts, perhaps. Of course someone would invent an optical clothe reader and try and sell you something after you walked underneath an awning or something.

I could try and treat ppl the way they like to be treated if I knew, only if it didn't involve too much sublimation from my side. Should be really be interacting with our environment without censure or limit?

I have reached a stage where I now limit my interaction to where I think I hold a sense of Agency; agency doesn't mean control, agency also means being ok, not being in control. I treat others as I would like to be treated and I listen, listen to what ppl are saying both verbally and non-verbally. I seek genuine interaction. I make eye contact with each and every person I talk to, even if it's a stranger and I try to smile as much as possible. I shall call this the 'Unbeliever's method of Humanism' I'll try and think of something original soon :)

The 7 am post on blah blah blah

I have returned from my friend's wedding, and I must admit there must be some degenerative changes in my liver which has forced me to sleep for the last few days endlessly. Ok for a medical doctor to be saying such nonsensical things is tantamount to negligence but let's face it, I'm being funny and this isn't a legally established forum for medical advice.

What is going on these days ? There is Kevin 07 currently in Australia. For those of my imaginary readers that know where Aussie land is, I desperately want labour to win, to I regain some self respect in what used to be one of my favourite countries. No disrespect for the US, but a population of 20 million, coal or no coal, exports to 'Chindia' or not, cannot afford to go the US way as far as privatisation is concerned. Howard and the liberal shave systematically sold the country to the highest bidder, and the benefits of our booming economy are in the hands of non-Australians.

The conspiracy against Sub continental cricketers continues. Murali didn't make his record amidst and media blackout, that's right, media blackout. Shane Warne seems to forget that he owes his record to Murali who didn't come to Australia, in 2004, he would've overtaken Warne's tally then and could easily have beaten Walsh's record before Warne. However, his recent immortality post retirement affords him to forget his past and now that he is such a celebrity who can do no wrong, he doesn't see any problems in raking the mud against Murali, that too during a series which is named after both of them. Some one should tell him that it's poor form to make comments like that, during an inaugural series, but lets face it, Australians aren't one for tact, and the Australian cricket team as successful as it is, isn't the best at being gracious losers, or gracious for that matter. Gilchrist is an exception, maybe the bowler Clark(e ?).

Call Symonds a monkey and its racism, call Murali a monkey and it's friendly banter, I'm sure you get the idea. The problem is that no one can beat them right now. Anyway, call Symonds a monkey and he plays better, call Murali a 'chucker' and he avoids the country... Mental strength, the sub continental players need to develop a bit more of it, I think.

It's like the US, no one in the world can say or do anything against the US, or won't, for whatever reasons. The same way no one can beat the Australians, and as much as Australians love their cricket, 20 million Australians can't compete with 1 Billion third world Indians in revenue generation. I just wish the Indians didn't realise that and actually beat Australia for a change. However, pigs don't fly, at least not in India, not yet :)