A setback is a setup for a comeback!

Always helps in motivating me! :)

Much use of the Indian Product League (IPL)

Mr. Modi finds himself in a DLF maximum mess, and he needs numerous citi moments of success to come out of this Karbon Kamaal catch of the BCCI. He sure must be wishing he could hide in that much publicized MRF Blimp or Fly Kingfisher out of the country, while also cursing himself for tweeting on his Maxx Mobile!

Modern Humpty!

"Humpty dumpty sat on the wall,

humpty dumpty had a great fall..."

This is as far as most of us get. So we decided , lets do a humpty of our own! And this is where our own element comes in!

"Upon the fall she heard a call,

come over one come over all,

Its neither a banquet, nor is it a mall,

yet be assured that you'll have a ball,

For it is that rostrum which stands tall!"

Lauching 21st April 2010, 7.30pm (Singapore Time)

at a laptop near you!

www.hodgepodge-rostrum.blogspot.com

New Venture..

Nothing is as exciting as a new venture, because its in the beginning that the enthusiasm is highest. The anxiety mixed with the eager anticipation makes it an experience you have to live through to understand. The potential of something new seems huge, and its the work that goes into it which determines the magnitude of success it reaches!

A new creation for the people, by your people (us)! Its five different time zones coming together! Its HODGEPODGE!

I was "Expecting" you...

Expectation is a funny old thing. Inwardly, we all desire great things to be expected of us, to be a part of high expectations of people. What we fail to realize is that expectation is a coin with two sides. When tossed up too high, it flips to its ugly side, and showing its two-faced nature, transitions from motivation to burden...

Its the one factor which has the capacity to push you on to greater things, yet also bring you crashing down, because horrifyingly (or not) it manages to make you your own competitor. Invariably, expectation originates from one's own work in the past, thereby setting a bar which he/she is expected to reach everytime.

And this is the cue for negativity to start creeping in. The fear of failure, people's unfulfilled hopes, the reactions of people; such thoughts clutter the mind. Its much easier to create an (positive) expectation than to maintain it over a period of time.

Think about it, there must be something that even you are expected to do almost always. How would it feel when this burden is relieved? When no one reminds you that this is the end result expected? When you are assured no one would resent you being unable to live up to the expected lines? Think about it...

"Expectation should occur with your own belief in yourself, rather than that of others"

Repenting...

(This is something I had written sometime back. Hence the reference to time here may not be relevant anymore)

Its funny how being in a group affects you. When you want to do something that you would not do otherwise, there is this mysterious vigour and courage to pursue it when like-minded people come together. Maybe this is what they call synergy, which can be positive or otherwise. Whatever it was, I think I experienced it today, and for some reason am not feeling too good about it now.

There are certain principles in life that every individual has, and many a times opportunities present themselves, which beckon one to forego those principles that bind him. One such principle which I follow and have always followed, and that too ardently (until the last few days), is that of diplomacy. Yes, there is a section of people with whom I can afford to forget diplomacy, but in general I have believed in conducting myself with dignity in public.

Then what caused me to lose this poise and stoop so low? I have no idea, but when I was an accomplice in the deed, the longer I stayed accomplice, stronger this guilt presence seemed to get. By the end of it, I was averse to the idea of even performing the deed, but that tiny little inner part, which we often call "the devil's advocate," probably allowed me to think otherwise.

I admit I may have been wrong in being a part of it in the first place, but then admitting the mistake and recognizing it as a mistake is the first step in correcting it. I am sure all of us at some point of time or another, have made a mistake which we have gone on to repent in time. Maybe its a ritual every human is subjected to, that helps him strengthen his core principles in the first place. At least I know that now onwards I will not be losing the diplomacy which I had so tactfully betrayed over the last few days. Ultimately, the saying below is true, and experience is probably its best teacher:

"The true value of something hits us when we lose it..."

MRT - Mission 'Run Time'

"Aye bhai zara dekh ke chalo

Aage hi nahi peeche bhi

Daayein hi nahi bayein bhi

Upar hi nahi...neeche bhi"

Mission: Singapore MRT

Desired aim: get a seat for a comfortable journey

Practical aim: get to the centre of the coach, thereby increasing the probability of getting a seat during the course of the journey

More practical aim: get your arse into the coach!

Alliances: those in the 'Shaktimaan'-ish red superhero costume. 

Alliances' Superpowers- loud voice and a love for the center of the coach.

Enemies: fellow commuters in the MRT, most wearing formals when they enter the train, which end up needing ironing by the time their they emerge out upon the completion of their journey. 

Enemies' Superpower- ability of three to squeeze into a place meant for one in the coach.

(Disclaimer: The above information holds true Monday to Friday 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm. Public holidays are an exception)

Main chahe yeh karoon main chahe woh karoon meri Murphy!

We've all heard that rules are meant to be broken, but what we are talking about here is a universal law which has acquired a status that is above all such petty statements. Basically, this law can never be "broken", because it is given (negative) credit for practically every situation one faces. I am quite intrigued with its originator, and if asked to hazard a guess, am sure he would have been a great lawyer (wait, was he a lawyer in the first place? -googles Murphy's Law, and is shocked to discover he was an Aerospace ENGINEER!- Since when did engineers start making laws? Was that the first and the last time an engineer made a law?).

Those who still havent figured out towards whom my obvious reference is, well you probably need a Murphy Law of your own! Welcome to the world of Murphy.

Defining Murphy's Law would be a pain, simply because it is a general term used for any situation whatsoever! Come to think of it, in which scenario is Murphy's law actually applicable? It definitely wasn't intended to be used as a filler for any problem we face, was it? -- Stuck in traffic when you are already late for your flight? Murphy's law. Missed your bus by half a minute when you need to attend a scheduled meeting in office? Murphy's law. The exam you knew you would ace gets postponed? Murphy's law. A bunch of empty cabs go by when you don't need one, and none when you are looking to hire one urgently? Yep, you guessed it right; Murphy's Law yet again!

I have come to pity poor old Murphy. Not only has his law been turned into a joke, what he probably did write in the first place has very conveniently been modified and altered to suit the people. So is Murphy's law the scapegoat, or is it the logic behind a pathetic situation we happen to find ourselves in? Laws generally form the reasoning behind certain occurences, but the common person these days uses this particular law in a tone which borders more on irritation than admiration.

Noticing that Murphy has become an integral part of our daily life, why do we not award him with a post-humous Nobel Prize or something? I reckon he too deserves accolades which the more celebrated names of his time, such as Newton and Einstein did. And you know why? Because although there is absolutely no formula to memorize, no complexity involved in understanding it, no trick questions asked on it, and no exams based on it, YET when it strikes, it still manages to screw us!