Tale of Two Nations

Recently, elections were held — within few months apart of each other — in two countries of which I am a proud citizen — Australia and India. After following both the elections closely, I couldn't help but compare the outcomes, the subsequent leaders & parties who have come to power, and what this change in guard means for both the countries. After reading the uncanny similarities and stark differences below you will know why I love one election result and, to put it mildly, dislike the other.

Similarities: 

• Both parties — LNP in Australia and BJP in India — were relegated to opposition for two terms before the recent elections. 

• Both parties won handsomely with a big majority and left the opposite parties — ALP in Aus and Congress in India — to lick their wound. 

• Both party leaders — Tony Abbott in Australia and Narendra Modi in India — are pro-business. 

• Major parties in both nations were worried about an entry of new dark horse in the contest — PUP in Australia and AAP in India. 

• People of both nation voted for change. Change for better. Change for hope. 

Differences: 

• One party campaigned for change for better and hope, other party was building their case on set of lies, deceit and scaring the bejesus out of people. 

• Even though pro-business, one party has put betterment of poor at the forefront and other party is thinking only about the rich and how to screw poorest of the society. 

• One party's motto is सबका साथ, सबका विकास (Collective Effort, Inclusive Growth) and other party is playing us vs. them — rich vs. poor, employers vs. employees — game. 

• One party thinks education is a basic right, other one thinks it's a business, students are consumers and should pay for their education whatever the cost may be. 

• Both parties are ignoring climate change issues but for different reasons. One for economic growth and other one thinks climate change is "crap". 

• Both believe in small government but have totally different ideas when it comes to what it means. Here is Abbott's views and here is Modi's views. 

• Indian cabinet has seven women as Australian cabinet has only one.

• The leader of one party is dynamic, articulate, optimist and has a proven record of working for betterment of people. Other one cannot front people without prepared script, is gaffe prone, negative and has near to no track record of any sort to be leading a nation. 

• One leader extends his hand of friendship to his neighbouring countries - even to the bitterest of the foes - other one pulls away and avoids meeting the friendliest of the neighbours and in turn inflames tensions between the nations.

• One is progressive other one is regressive. 

• One is against corruption of any sorts and other one looks like is ok with benefiting from soft corruption.

• One is inspirational and other one is a 'grub'.

• One is tech-head and other one is not.

There might be many more similarities and difference and will update the list as I think of them. Feel free to contribute to the list in the comment section below.

I'm afraid with Abbott government at the helm, Australia as a country will suffer and regress when it comes to fair go and equality.

Even though these are early days in Narendra Modi's government (only sworn in y'day) but based on the track record of Modi and the positive vibe around him, I hope and wish his government will work for betterment of everyone and not just the elite class.  सबका साथ, सबका विकास! 

Have two nations taken completely different and opposite path? Only time will tell.

Those were the days...

Food. It has this amazing ability to transport and take you back in time. One such situation related to food which played out today took me right back to my initial uni days in Australia. You know what they say, "the more things change, the more they stay the same". If you have come to Oz as a student and stayed with few others in shared accommodation then this situation might sound familiar.

THE SITUATION
I come home from not so hard day's work and realise I cannot relax yet. It's dinner time and my partner who cooks better than me won't be home due to work commitment. Other two who stay with us don't know anything about cooking. They don't mind helping around so it's up to me to step up. So I cook the dish I know the best which is quick and easy too. The result is below.

THE DISH 

A humble curry - Dhal Makkhani (Kidney Bean and Black Lenthil Dhal) - with Rice.

I have cooked this dish several times since uni and every time I do, it reminds me of those days of humble beginning. The days when simple pleasures of life were much treasured! 

Aaj Khane Me Kya Banao? [What should I cook for dinner today?]

Aaj Khane Me Kya Banao? [What should I cook for dinner today?]

The eternal question in one's married life! It's one question we as a couple used to spend unusual amount of time every day mulling (and sometimes arguing) over.  It used to go something like this (not exactly but you will get the drift).

Tring...Tring...

Dear Wife: So, aaj khane me kya banao?

Me: Aalo ke Parathe? [Stuff Potato Paratha?]
DW: Parso to Aalu ki sabji banayi thi! [We ate Potato curry just a day before!]

Me: How about Muli [Radish] ke Parathe then?
DW: Muli Nahin hai! [We do not have Radish]

Me: Roti aur Bhindi ki sabji [Okra Curry]?
DW: Kya boring si dish bolte ho..tumhe to bus jab dekho bhindi chahiye. [What a boring dish, you can eat Okra anytime.]

Me: Uff ho! To phir tum hi kuch soch ke bana lo. Mujhe meeting me jana hai!
       [Oh! Cook whatever you think...I need to go to meeting]
DW: Ok, soch thi hoon, kuch nahin soojha to baad me phone
 karungi!
        [Ok..will think about it, otherwise I'll give you call again.]

After couple of hours....tring tring!!

And soon, more often than not, the discussion ended with me saying in frustration, "Jo bana na hai banalo yaar please! [Cook whatever you want dear please!]". Frustration on both sides.

It reached a point where I could sense if we didn't do something about it, it would start effecting our married life, especially after my better half joined the workforce full time. Now, after a long day back from work, we didn't have luxury of time or any energy arguing over what to cook! So we sat down, talked about it and came up with a solution. A solution which initially she was sceptical about, but eventually warmed up to the whole idea.

So what's the solution you ask? It's very simple and I wondered why we never thought about it before. They don't say Necessity is mother of invention for nothing.

Solution:

To start with, we listed all the dishes we can cook at dinner in an excel document. Once we compiled the list we divided it into 5 day weekly menu. We made sure we grouped the dishes in the menu so we can have good variety in a given week. To our surprise, we came up with a list long enough that we didn't have to repeat the same dish for at least 2.5 months.

Another nice side effect of implementing this solution was that we knew exactly what veggies to buy when we went for our fortnightly shopping on the weekends. No more shopping uninformed.

Pretty soon we stopped arguing over what to cook due to the preset menu. Also excitement returned at the dinner table because we knew we are not going to repeat a dish for next 2.5 months. No more wasting time arguing or standing in front of the fridge mulling and no more inadvertent repeating of the just few of our most fav dishes every week.

We cooked (alright, she cooked ;-)) first dish off the menu on Sunday, 30th March 2008. And it's been exactly 6 years and funnily enough as I write this, it's Sunday, 30th March 2014.

And after 6 years, I can say the solution we have is a success! :-)

Happy days!

Oz Federal Election - Twitter Feed

Now that federal election has been announced, I have created a twitter roll to check out the latest news on the subject. I figure this is the best way to keep in touch with the latest hot topics in election campaign.
So below is the twitter roll of feed with #auspol hashtag.

Tweets about "#auspol"

Telegram - तार

I just read on the news roll that Telegram service in India was shut down on 14th July 2013 after 163 years of service. This got me thinking of all those scenes from Hindi movies where Telegram was used, almost always, as a bearer of bad news.

Below are some of the samples I could find on youtube. Feel free to share if you know or find any more of these.

Scene from movie Mahasangram:



Scene from Munnabhai MBBS:

लेकिन...(Lekin...)

बड़ी मुद्दत के बाद पोहचे है यहाँ...लेकिन तेरा साथ नहीं तो ये मंजिल क्या है। जहा भी देखू , ख़ुशी का आलम है...लेकिन जिस मे तू नहीं वो मेहफिल क्या है। पाया हमने बोहुत इस जहान में...लेकिन तुझे जो खोया तो किया हासिल क्या है। सांस तो लेते है लेने के लिए अब हम...लेकिन जिस मे तू नहीं, वो ज़िन्दगी क्या है।

Badi muddat ke baad pohache hai yaha...lekin Ab tera saath nahin, to yeh manzil kya hai. Jaha bhi dekhu, khushi ka aalam hai...lekin Jis me TU nahin, woh mehfil kya hai. Paya humne bohot is jahan mein...lekin Tujhe jo khoya, to kiya haasil kya hai. Saans to lete hai lene ke liye ab hum...lekin Jis me tu nahin, who zindagi kya hai.

New York --> Naya Ghad

It’s interesting to see let’s-change-the-name-of-an-Indian-city craze which is going on for years now. Be it Madras to Chennai, Bombay to Mumbai, Calcutta to Kolkotta, and recently Bangalore to Bengaluru. I also wonder why some politician hasn’t yet suggested changing Delhi to Indraprasth or go even further and changing India to Hindusthan [nah!! That will not get him so called minority votes then, will it? ;)].

Anyways, while thinking about this, I had this crazy thought. What if NRIs/OCIs living overseas had a similar urge to change the name of the suburb, city, state or country they live in to something more Indian? What they would be called? Let’s see some example:

New York = Naya Ghad (we already have Junaghad, don't we :-p)
Valley View = V V Puram
Washington = Dhobi Ghat [Courtesy: MBCA :)]
Sydney = Sitapore
Maribyrnong = Mylapur
Adelaide = Anand Nagar
Port Adelaide = Anand Bandar :) or Anandapatanam
Brisbane = Bana(na)ras
Gold Coast = Sonpuri
Kensington Garden = Kishan Bagh

Now let's see what can we change London, California etc into. Go ahead and go wild with your imagination.

Sewing Machine

I have always been fascinated by machines and technology। For me the main fascination is "How does that thing work?”, or even better “Can I contribute in creating one of them?". As a kid, I always wondered seeing a person riding a bicycle, "How does he stay upright and not fall?" or "How do they make that thing?”. So from very early I was thinking like an engineer. :) And even though I never consciously pursued to be an engineer, all stars aligned during my schooling years and helped me purse a career which I never knew I was made for. And today, even though I’m not the best engineer going around, I love what I do and that’s got be priceless.

Anyways, another machine which always caught my fancy was good old sewing machine. We used to have one of these (see below) in our house and as a kid, I used to watch - wide eyed - the ladies at home mending torn clothes or tailors on the ground floor shop stitching shirts and pants for their customers. Among lot of others things, I wanted to be that tailor and create that amazing shirt out of a piece of cloth. Even though I did get a chance to play with a sewing machine at home a bit here and there, like replacing the main spindle of thread or bobbin or operate the pedal under supervision, but never was allowed to operate it independently.

Now cut to recent past, i.e. last week, I saw and touched that sewing machine again. Even though this machine was not the same as one pictured above but it still very much behaved like one. These machines have gone through tremendous transformation from being all mechanical to one where now they use electricity and are so much easier to operate.

The place where I come from, one of the stereotypes is that man of the house never operates sewing machine. It’s women’s job, even though majority of tailors in India were/are men. So when we borrowed the machine from a friend of ours on Monday last week, my wife promptly assumed the responsibility of operating it. The other reasons behind it were that she had taken a quick “how to operate this beast” lesson before getting it and also she knew the nitty gritty of sewing from her mother during her teenage years. We both got to work immediately and sew caftan for Samyak and I on the same night. I hovered around helping her with the measurements, cutting etc. Seeing how natural she was with sewing and also machine being on loan, I did not want to take the reins and ruin it by not operating it properly.

After couple of days, I went to Spotlight to source a material for Aarnav’s caftan. Once done, we would all be set to present ourselves as Africans in a much anticipated dress-up birthday party. Next day was Saturday and Jyo was busy with Aarnav and some mundane household work. The cloth and sewing machine was on the table and I could not resist any further, I had to do it and yes, I did it. I sewed a cloth and created that shirt I always wanted to create and all my childhood memories associated with this machine came rushing back to me. Sure it was not perfect but hey, who cares, it’s the process of creation which I enjoyed.

Yes! It took me nearly 20yrs but I have lived one of my childhood dreams. What’s next?? Of course will buy a sewing machine very soon and create and pass some happy memories to my kids.

PS: Samyak was itching to get his hands on the sewing machine too.

Karmic Footprint

Yesterday, I was discussing a graphically disturbing email in an email group and I couldn't get that out of my head the whole day. And during one of those thinking phase, a phrase came to me. That phrase was 'Karmic Footprint' which is similar to 'Carbon Footprint' in concept. By reducing our carbon footprint, we can help our earth to cope up with this huge population/pollution explosion. Similarly we should concentrate on our Karmic footprint i.e., reducing our bad karma. Smaller your karmic footprint, closer you are to attaining "Moksha"...makes sense?

Anyways, then I went googling the newly coined phrase to see if anybody has already come up this concept of 'Karmic Footprint' and voila! No surprise there I guess. But what was more surprising was that I found an article (2nd link from the search) which echoed similar sentiments and thoughts as mine. It also takes it further and connects both carbon and karmic footprint and what it means to be a true JAIN.

The article is called "Karmic Footprints: The Ecological Consciousness of the Jains". It's a very nice article...some of the excerpts below:

Jainism means the religion (or way) of the conquerors and the true Jain is one who has conquered him- or her- self. This conquest is identical with realising the true self, which is free from attachment and so has true power, rather than delusional trappings. The starting point of Jainism is the individual. Each life is considered to be unique; this does not just mean human life, but every life form including the supposedly most elementary living systems –which we now know to be at least as complex and intricate as our own, and often indispensable to our survival.
.....
Jains also reject the idea of formal priesthood. Their ascetic men and women set an example of the ideal way of life, and dramatise Jain principles by taking them to their logical conclusion. But they cannot compel conformity and obedience. As Kanti Mardia, a Jain scientist, has suggested, each Jain is his or her own guru, and the spiritual quest is akin to the processes undertaken by the researcher in a laboratory.
.....
The basis of Mahavira’s teaching is ‘Parasparopagraho Jivanam’ : ‘All Life is Interconnected’. It follows that ‘Non-violence and kindness to all living beings is kindness to oneself’,and conversely that ‘You are that which you intend to hit, injure, insult, torment, persecute, torture, enslave or kill.
.....
The principle of interconnection informs the Five Vows (‘Vratas’) undertaken by Jains. These are adhered to by ascetics in a literal way, as the ‘Mahavratas’,or Greater Vows, whereas lay men and women observe them as ‘Anuvratas’(Lesser Vows) and use them as guidelines on which to base their lives. There are references to the Vows in many Jain texts, but are explored in particular detail in the Acaranga Sutra, or ‘Book of Good Conduct’ (3).The Acaranga is the oldest Jain document, probably composed in the 4th century BCE, and it sets out clearly the philosophy of non-violent living associated with the Jain dharma. The Vows are as follows:

• ‘Ahimsa’: Non-violence; abstention or minimisation of anything that causes injury to life, human or non-human;
• ‘Asteya’: Abstention from theft; avoidance of exploitative relationships of all kinds;
• ‘Satya’: Truth; the understanding of what is real, as opposed to illusory attachment;
• ‘Brahmacharya’: Chastity; avoidance of promiscuity, sexual exploitation and the ‘objectification’ of fellow-humans (male or female);
• ‘Aparigraha’: non-possessiveness; reduction of consumption; reduction of ‘carbon footprint’.

.....
Jain dharma extends the concept of society to include fellow creatures, plants and the various ecosystems of the planet that support life. What better starting point is there for those of us – of all faiths or none –who seek a more balanced relationship between the rest of nature and humankind?

eggless

A friend of mine sent a link to a blog and I cannot believe it has happened – at last.

Yeap, a first ever eggless dessert place has opened in Adelaide. The place is called, you guessed it right…eggless (simple but effectively targets it's market). Being a vegetarian*, I have always craved for eggless desserts and now I can find one closer to home. Friends and family have tried to take care of my cravings many a time but it's good to have a place I can go to for our birthday cake orders or just to fulfil those sudden after-dinner cravings.

I’m yet to try this place, but if the ambience is anything to go by, I’m sure it’s heart is at the right place and they have got it just right. *AMEN*. I wish them a very good luck and hope they are here for long haul.

More after I try it out…can‘t wait.

Website: http://eggless.com.au/

*No meat, seafood or egg.

Gandhi, Google & Me.

2nd Oct 2009 - The day started as any other normal working day apart from that it was a Friday. And not any TGIF. It was the day after when my bro-in-law had arrived in Adelaide. It was the day before the long weekend - a labour day long weekend - which meant 3 continuous days of celebration and seeing beautiful places in and around Adelaide.

With that anticipation, I got up at my usual time, got ready and just before heading off to work, I opened my macbook and fired off firefox to check the performance of one DOW Jones from last night. And BANG!! there in the middle of google page - my home page - appeared none other than our own Baapu or Gandhi ji or Mahatma. (and/or all of the above). Google had put this doodle on their front page.

And first thing came to my mind was WOW!! that's very creative, imaginative, thoughtful and lot more. Specially, I loved the face of Gandhi - the way it's suppose to represent letter G. Then it hit me, "oh! yeah today is 2nd Oct - Gandhi Jayanthi". I quickly posted the google page link on FB and left home to catch a bus to work.

Now, catching the bus has many benefits but I love the time it gives me to self-reflect. Today I had Gandhiji with me. While waiting for the bus, I quickly opened my mobile to check gmail and there he appeared again. One of my friends had emailed me the link to google page with subject - "Google Today" and I knew exactly what he was talking about. Bus came, I validated my ticket and took a cozy comfortable seat at the back. And then it started.

I started reminiscing about good old days of public holiday during school. I thought to myself what it would be like in India today. Mahatma's b'day will not go unnoticed if I were to be in India right now. There would be at least one channel - may be Doordarshan - showing THE movie or who knows the competition for the TRP means e'body is showing the same movie at the same time :-). One thought led to another and finally I asked myself, "If there was ever a song which explains Gandhi to my generation or today's generation for that matter, what would it be?". I started jogging my memory (I did miss my iPod then) but nothing came to forefront. I know many patriotic songs but none on Gandhi? May be there are not many/any. Obviously, there are songs like "Vaishnav Jana To.." and other usual fair but nothing which connects Gen-Y or Gen-X to him? C'mon there's got to be some song.

Then right before I got down from the bus (an easy half an hour journey) it came to me and I thought to myself - GENIUS. Nope, I'm not talking about me but the lyricist of the song - Swanand Kirkire. Obviously, the music by Shantanu Moitra is great and the rendition by Sonu is perfect but hats off to the one penned it all.

And the song I'm referring to is Bande Me Tha Dum from LRMB. What a movie but what a song I must say. I quickly logged into my computer and I had to google the song :). As I was at work, I didn't want to listen to the song online, so I thought let me check out the lyrics. And man, they are one hell of a lyrics. I was glad I did not hear but read the lyrics. After couple of repeates, there was too much of emotion building up in me - it's not funny. Now, I'm not sure if the emotion was patriotic type but who cares. I had to release this emotion otherwise I would be a mess at work. As there is no compatriot around at work to talk to, I quickly composed an email and sent the lyrics to almost e'body I know with subject line, "Mahatma - Bande Me Tha Dum". Having shared my thoughts with the people I know and I care made it lot easier and I could now concentrate on SSDD routine.

So here how I spent my 2nd Oct 2009 remembering one of the greatest man to have ever lived and thanks to Google for starting it all.

Side Note: I knew the lyrics made impact on at least one other person when I got a unexpected reply to my email from a family friend of ours. It was her first ever communication on email to me and it said, "Thanks Praveen, It is very nice. Sandhya". Thanks Sandhya ji for replying.

Hello Stranger

Yeap, "Hello Stranger" is what my blog is telling me. OK, so I get the message, hang my head in shame and accept this sarcastic but apt remark from my dear blog. I'll take it a like a hmmmmm...a true blogger. I'm sure lot of you would have heard this from your own blog so you know what I'm talking about.

It's been over 7 months since I wrote any thing here, Actually to tell you the truth it's been almost same time since my last visit here :(. I know i know...I am nasty. Heard that before a plenty, tell me something new. So, what happened? Follows here in this posting is an attempt to justify my absence here so that we - my bog and I - can make peace and start over. If this doesn't interest you any more, pls come back later for some juicy blog entries. And if you do want to read further, beware I did warn you :-D

So here I go....

My Dear Blog,

Initially it started with a writer's/blogger's block. You know what that is, right? Good. I thought, "ah! don't worry, it will come to you...chill pal" but a week turned into couple and then a month . Around this time I started taking Facebook bit seriously. Facebook gave me a new avenue to express myself by it's status update feature. So whenever I had something to say -but not more than a line - I started using that feature. Also, a google group I created to keep in touch with my near and dear ones in Adelaide was taking it's shape and gave me another avenue to share news which excited me or express myself. I also got a new job contract and became very busy at work. And then, I bought the best thing ever, Ok...Ok...2nd best thing..otherwise the laptop i'm typing this on will start to throw tantrum]. 2nd best thing I was talking about is my DSLR cam which gave me another avenue to express myself. And before I know it was August already and....

Oh, wait...got to go...Aarnav is crying, missus is calling.

[An hour later, I'm back after failing miserably at my fatherly duty and handing back the crying baby to his mother.]

ok so where was I?? ...hmmm...yeap and then August came and you know what happened in August, don't you? No, not 15th Aug - India's independence day celebration. I mean after that. What, you don't, how come? Oh!! crap...how will you...I didn't post any pic or didn't write anything about it here. Now I know why you are so upset.

Anyways, you must be thinking how come I'm back? Why now? What changed? None of the above things have changed much. I'm still short of time and yes, I still love posting on FB, my DSLR, my email groups but somehow I miss you. I have lot many things to say to the world through you. So without further adieu pls forgive me and I'm sure I'll keep in touch with you regularly [but just don't act like a pesky little jealous girl friend...I didn't say that, did I? But I'm sure the thought came to me so had to write.]

Cheers,
Your Creator

Whatever Happened Is Justice

Just found these set of videos on utube and thought you might like it too.
It's in Gujarati but if I understood (almost) then you will too :-)

And even though it's a story from Lord Mahaveer's life, don't worry it doesn't talk about Jainism ;-)

Best thing I loved was the visual - simple but effective.

Whatever Happened Is Justice - Part1 - 7:36 mins


Whatever Happened Is Justice - Part2 - 6:46 mins


Have a Great Easter Break. Be Safe.

Yeh G1 Hai

Google's first ever Android phone from HTC called "G1" is being released in Australia tomorrow and in one of those quirky moments, I came up with parody of the original Hindi song "Yeh Jeevan Hai" from movie 'Piya Ka Ghar'.

ORIGINAL Yeh Jeevan Hai, Is Jeevan Ka Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Roop Thode Ghum Hain, Thodi Khushiyan Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Chaon Dhoop Yeh Jeevan Hai... Yeh Na Socho Isme Apni Haar Hai Ke Jeet Hai Ise Apna Lo Jo Bhi Jeevan Ki Reet Hai Yeh Zid Chodo, Bandhan Jodo. Har Pal Ek Darpan Hai Yeh Jeevan Hai... Dhan Se Na Duniya Se Ghar Se Na Dwar Se Saason Ki Dor Bandhi Hai Preetam Ke Pyar Se Duniya Choote, Par Na Toote, Yeh Aisa Bandhan Hai Yeh Jeevan Hai... Yeh Jeevan Hai, Is Jeevan Ka Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Roop Thode Ghum Hain, Thodi Khushiyan Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Chaon Dhoop Yeh Jeevan Hai...

MODIFIED Yeh G1 Hai, Is G1 Ka Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Rooop Touch Screen Hain, Qwerty Keyboard Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Rooop Yeh G1 Hai... Yeh Na Socho Isme Apni Lack of Privacy Hai Ise Apna Lo Jo Bhi Andriod Ki Reet Hai Yeh Zid Chodo, Bandhan Jodo Har Pal Ek Google Hai Yeh G1 Hai... Apple Se Na Nokia Se Moto se Na Sam[Sung] Se Mobile Ki Dor Bandhi Hai Google Ke Dwar Se PhoneLine Choote, Net Na Toote, Yeh Aisa WebPhone Hai Yeh Jeevan Hai... Yeh G1 Hai, Is G1 Ka Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Rooop Touch Screen Hain, Qwerty Keyboard Yahi Hai, Yahi Hai Yahi Hai Rang Rooop Yeh G1 Hai...

Happy Morning

I'm in the process of learning to say "Happy Morning" instead of "Good Morning", especially when I really mean it. This has been passed on to me by my dad-in-law who has come over to visit us these days. So, does it work? Yes, I must agree.

Saying "Good Morning" has become so routine you deliver it without even giving a second thought and hence it's also received in a same way. And when you change the way you greet people, it comes out more genuinely, make the opposites person take notice and brings smile on their face.

So, next time when you really mean to say "Good Morning", try "Happy Morning". Spread the happiness.

Have a Happy Morning Every Morning, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

Small Change Big Impact

The Petition

There Will Be Blood

Over a year ago, I changed by job and had to work at a client's place which is right next to Red Cross office. Everyday in the morning, I walked across their office and thought to myself, I should donate blood. After about couple months, I got letter from Red Cross politely reminding me of blood donation - I was registered with them couple of years back when I went for my first ever donation. I thought to myself, now that their office is just next door I do not have any excuse of not to donate. Next day I went to my office was determined to visit them during lunch time. Unfortunately, work was hectic and I couldn't do it that day.

Couple of days went past, days became weeks, weeks became months and months turned into a whole year. In between this, I heard that it takes long time in there , ie., at least an hour, if you go to donate during office hours. Also, I thought of asking some colleagues, friends and ex-colleagues who work close by and see if they are interested to go and donate as a group but I never gotten around to do that either.

Now everyday when I walk past their office I think, bloody hell you haven't been in there yet. Also, seeing their adverts at bus stops or on the buses I take everyday didn't make my life any easier. And last weeks event in Mumbai has just compounded my guilt. I fooled myself all these days by saying, "will definitely do this today", but that today never came.

I'm not sure why I haven't done this yet. How can I not take some time off to go and talk to them and arrange some time to donate? Is it becoz I have turned into this unsympathetic monster who doesn't care? Is it becoz no one close to me has yet required blood and hence I'm unaware of the importance of donation or gravity of the blood shortage situation? Or Is it that I'm thinking what difference does it makes if one person doesn't donate? But then if everyone thinks in this way and I am sure most of them are, then who will donate?

So today, I'm gonna courageously call up Red Cross and will take an appointment to donate in a weeks time. Also, will email all my close friends and colleagues and see if anybody is interested in joining me. Yes, this time I promise myself that I'll donate blood and do it regularly and as usual I'm "sticking to my...".

Quote Hanger

Here is where I hang my original quotes. You can rent them for free, but an acknowledgment would be nice.

1. Babies are nature's clever marketing & packaging trick to get us to buy into.
2. Sometimes, ignoring is bliss.
3. Why does it take life-threatning-moment to change our life around?
4. Ask not if it is right time or wrong. Ask if it is your time or not.
   

You like them or hate them, I am "sticking.." of quotes.

Movember

but my wife would leave me :-(.
So I donated instead.

Defining Moment...

Let me start by saying, I wish I could vote in this election.



Barack Obama in the above video starts with, "At this defining moment in our history, the question is not that if you are better off than four years ago, we all know the answer to that, the real question is will our country be better off in four years from now.....".

And the video ends with subtitle, "Barack Obama - President". Cocky or Confident? We will know answer to that very soon.

Yes, definitely it is a defining moment in not just American history but world history and hopefully they - Americans - don't make a stupid mistake third time in a row by choosing McCain.

BTW, I believe, as most of you do as well, world would have been a better place without Mr. Bush as a president and I am "sticking...".