ZZZZZ.....

I have been getting up every morning with neck and back ache,hardly feeling refreshed from my sleep.I feel my spine has curled up into french knots,the muscles and ligaments have teamed in and are in toto pretending to be an embroidery. I cleverly attributed it to my sleep position.Obviously,if I sleep in postures that would put a swiss acrobat to shame,then beyond doubt,my spine will be on strike.I did some research on this and I chanced upon this site which links personality to the sleep position.I had heard of this before,but read the detail today for the first time.Here goes:

The 6 different positions:

The Foetus: Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax.
This is the most common sleeping position, adopted by 41% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.
Log (15%): Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.
The yearner (13%): People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.
Soldier (8%): Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.
Freefall (7%): Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.
Starfish (5%): Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.



People reading this,do tell me which one is yours?

Sometime back a friend of mine wrote a blog titled "Will the following people kindly get off this planet".It was a huge list starting with people who inflicted cruelty on animals and going on to those who destroyed nature,had no civic sense,etc etc.I want to add these:
1.People who are thoroughly insensitive to other people's feelings.
2.People who take emotions for granted.
3.People who are wimps and won't stand up and fight for what they believe.
4.People who wallow in self pity and use that as an excuse to weasel out of situations.
5.People who don't take their commitments seriously.
6.People who act like a matyr.
7.People who lie.
8.People who would do anything they want to and then justify it saying- life goes on.
9.People who contradict and twist situations to their benefit.

And then sometimes instead of aspiring to be like someone,it's more important to learn who not to be like.That by itself could make us a better person...

Jinny-2

We lived in chennai when we brought our Jinny boy home.Our house was a road away from the Eliots beach,with an enormous garden.The first night we brought him home,all of us sat around him in a circle and stared at him like a specimen in a formalin jar.The thing was, he gave us tough competition by staring right back at us.Now when I think back,it was almost like one of those Matrix scenes,everyone frozen in their places.Thus,the naming ceremony began.

Amma suggested names like Vittal,Ramanujam,Ananthagopalan,Muralikrishna and the likes.Appa kept fervently nodding at whatever she said in the hope that if he encouraged her,she might actually come up with short,real doggy names.My brother and I were plainly disgusted.When Shaarangapani came along,we couldn't take it anymore.We protested animatedly and told her she would soon be out of the naming game if this continued.Every single standard dog name got thrown in like Pluto,Snowy,Browny,whitey,Brutus,Fluffy and what not.All were eventually discarded because none of these names remotely justified his unique profile.Jinny meanwhile got bored and started chasing his little tail.Finally my brother came up with the brilliant suggestion 'genie'.I was at a stage where anything my brother said was impressive and gospel.I raised my voice,both my hands,cried genie to the skies and registered him in. The purity of the name lasted all of 24 hrs.We South Indians have a huge penchant for stressing syllables.My grandmother couldn't pronounce genie.She tried cheenee,chinny and other phonetically similar words.And so finally we umm...radicals had to succumb to genie's degradation to Jinny.

Jinny was such a loving pup.He would wake us up every morning and we played with him till we had to get ready for school.In the evening we would run back from our bus stops and he would be waiting eagerly at the gates.He was new,intersting and exciting.We felt responsible for him and in those responsibilites our love grew. Since he was our first pet,we had to learn how to hold him,what to feed him and how to bathe him.He was full of energy and life.We would all run to the beach and spend hours there playing.In those silent,sultry,summer nights my parents sat outside on the porch after dinner while we 3 played in the garden.Ran around one another,Jinny weaving between our legs and tripping all of us.He established a hierarchy very soon.My mother held alpha position,followed by my dad.My brother,he considered serious competition and a threat to his position and I....well,I really didn't figure. :-) He dismissed me as a harmless insect on the very first night.

Those days,when Jinny was growing up,appa never wore socks or banyans I think.Because Jinny would hunt specifically for them in the laundry pile,pick them up and run into the garden to bury it in some remote corner.No matter where we hid those socks they would end up buried in the garden looking very dead and useless.We tried giving him cheweys and biscuits to bury but none of them held the attraction like a pair of socks.Why he did this,we could never fathom. Some canine quirk I guess!!

One day when we took him for a walk along the beach road,Jinny met Spotty.Spotty was a huge black and white, over friendly, fluffy fellow.They met like long lost brothers.There was a lot of shrill barking,wagging of tails,jumping and fur flying everywhere.It was a reunion of sorts.Some days later we saw Jinny sitting near the gate in serious conversation with Spotty who was sitting across him on the other side of the gate.I have never ever seen dogs holding such serious,weighty conference like they did.No one would believe us but it did happen.

What the parley was,we soon got to know.Jinny got up from his place with a purposeful glint in his eyes.He marched right into the house and traipsed out with a tennis ball in his mouth.He placed the ball by the gate and nudged it with his nose so that it rolled outside and was caught promptly by Spotty.Then Jinny did something I have seldom seen any untrained dog do.He took a couple of paces back,tautened his muscles,lowered his neck and front legs and charged at the gate.When he almost reached the gate,he took a phenominal leap and landed on the other side effortlessly on his paws.It was like something out of the movie -speed,where that bus accelerates to tremendous speeds,reaches the edge ,brakes and flies over the unbuilt part. Both buddies gave us a victorious look and then galloped with the ball towards the beach.This was their plan,their little scheme.They looked so handsome,like heroes riding into the sunset as winners.

Even years later when we mentioned Spotty,Jinny's ear would perk up and he would look expectantly for his best friend.We drove down from Chennai to Bangalore when we shifted.Five of us plus Jinny in our aging Fiat car.It was a very sad cinematic scene for us to part these two great friends.Spotty ran behind the car for a long time and Jinny hung his head out of the window looking at his friend for as long as he could.I wish we had taken Spotty along with us.Today I dream of having a house full of dogs,full of frienship and love.Today I know there will always be space in my heart and my home for one more animal,for one more friend.I wish I could take that stand then.Jinny and Spotty would have enriched our lives so much more.

Some love quotes I like

"Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love." Albert Einstein

"How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love?" Albert Einstein

"Do you love me because I am beautiful,or am I beautiful because you love me?"Cinderella

"Men always want to be a woman's first love,women like to be a man's last romance." Oscar Wilde

"LOVE: The irresistable desire to be irresistibly desired."Mark Twain

"Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires,and a touch that never hurts."Charles Dickens

All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand. Ella Wheeler Wilcox

There is no remedy for love but to love more. Henry David Thoreau

When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken that light on the faces surrounding him. In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. Albert Camus (1913-1960)

"I judge how much a man cares for a woman by the space he allots her under a jointly shared umbrella."Jimmy Cannon

Large animal camp.

The animal welfare organisation I volunteer for conducted a large animal camp last week.We have adopted a village which is remote in terms of veterinary help as well as the distance from the highway.When we reached there,we were welcomed by a huge crowd of cows,bulls,sheeps,assorted Indian dogs and many hens which were scampering about,trying not to get under any hooves.It was lovely and fresh in the morning,the sheeps were highly quizzical wrinkling their pink noses at the ambulance and us.The cattle ofcourse were the epitome of nonchanlance,chewing their cud.They couldn't be too bothered by a couple of outsiders and a large white ambulance.In the cow community,ruminating is serious business considering they have 4 stomachs to fill and they can't possible let themselves be distracted.

I love villages.I've spent many summers with my grandparents in our village learning to ride a bullock cart,taking care of all the farm animals and lazing about on the huge pile of hay.It doesn't matter which state it is, all the villages are similar in many aspects.The same smell of cows and cowdung,old hay,hot milk,and ofcourse all the flowers that bloom ,the smell of authentic, organic cooking.Everyone is busy in the morning.The men leave early for the fields and the women clean the houses.In south Indian villages the rangoli forms an important and mandatory decoration in front of the house.The front yard is first swept,cleaned with water and then smeared with fresh cowdung.Then before it dries,the rangoli is drawn.The color combination is very beautiful of pristine white rangoli powder on a background of greeshish brown.

This village was a little dirty but nothing that I hadn't seen before.We started treating all the animals one by one.I spoke to a vet from the government hospital who had come to help us out and the various facts he told me was highly disheartening.This village was primarily a dairy community because of lack of irrigation and dependence on monsoon for agriculture.So their cows were the means to their income.These animals were highly malnourished and full of problems.The breed used for milk production was the HF.When a cow calved,if the calf was male ,then it was immediately sent to the slaughter house for the bulls of the HF breed served no use in agriculture.The poor little thing would be sold to butchers before it even got its first meal.If the cow didn't produce sufficient milk then it would be slaughtered.So for this animal life is a very vicious cycle.It gets very little food,so it's malnourished,therefore it has problems in conceiving or combatting contagious diseases.If it's ill or doesn't calve then it becomes a liability to the breeder,who stops feeding it.The cow gets weaker and weaker until it is sold to slaughter houses.

The life of these animals is gauranteed only if it produces the required amount of milk!!!Their lives are dependant on that one fluid!!

Most of the times the villagers are helpless because of the economic constraints.It's not that they care any less for their animals but they are unable to give it the quality of life it deserves.The problem is huge, going beyond the boundries of animal welfare and merging with realm of human difficulties and issues.

The day was long and tiring.We achieved a lot yet realized we had barely touched the tip of the iceberg.There was so much to be done.I enjoyed every minute of that day.The air was clean,the only sounds were of birds chirping and cows mooing.An occasional dog would register it's presence with a bark.The people were hospitable and friendly.Over 100 animals were treated that day.It was a lot of hard work but personally...I couldn't have toiled for a better cause.

Hehehe.......

I love this weather.Just before it rains,it gets dark and cloudy,a cool breeze blowing.I love to stand around and look at others hurrying for various reasons.From my balcony,I see so many scurrying souls below.Children rushing out of the swimming pool,mothers removing all the clothes hung out on the balconies,walkers turning back home.Our apartment has loads of pigeons and I see them being buffeted by the wind,while they bravely fight it head on to get to their shelter.The eagles on the other hand are in total control.They glide better,faster and they cut the wind with efficient ease.

I love the smell of earth before it rains.For those of you,who might be remotely interested - The smell is called Geosmin caused by a group of bacteria and algae.It's so refreshing and stimulating.When the earth gets very hot and the first drop of rain falls on it,I can almost hear it let out a sizzle of heat,closing it's eyes and sighing,waiting to be quenched.I love the sound the heavier drops make when they hit the earth.How they spread out into a blob with many arms ending in tiny pear shaped drops.They form a huge bulge before they are soaked up wantonly by the parched earth and in few seconds they are gone.

I stood for so long getting soaked in the rain,so many thoughts running in my head.It was just me,the winds and the water it sprayed towards me.So cold and yet so comforting.

I've been reading...

Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,

pray that the road is long,

full of adventure,full of knowledge.

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,

the angry poseidon - do not fear them:

You will never find such as these on your path

if your thoughts remain lofty,if a fine

emotion touches your spirit and your body.

The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,

the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,

if you do not carry them within your soul,

if your heart does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.

That the summer mornings are many,when,

with such pleasure,with such joy,

you will enter ports seen for the first time;

stop at Phoenician markets,

and purchase fine merchandise,

mother-of-pearl and coral,amber and ebony,

and sensual perfumes of all kinds,

as many sensual perfumes as you can;

visit many Egyptian cities,

to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.

To arrive there is your ultimate goal.

But do not hurry the voyage at all.

It is better to let it last for many years;

and to anchor at the island when you are old,

rich with all you have gained on the way,

not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.

Without her you would never have set out on the road.

She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor,Ithaca has not decieved you.

Wise as you have become,with so much experience,

You must already have understood what Ithaca means.

-Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933)

**********************************************

According to the writer Jorge Luis Borges,the idea of the Zahir comes from the Islamic tradition and is thought to have arisen at some point in the 18th century.Zahir,in Arabic,means visible,present,incapable of going unnoticed.It is someone or something which,once we have come into contact with them or it,gradually occupies our every thought,until we can think of nothing else.This can be considered either a state of holiness or madness

-Faubourg Saint-Peres

Decisions decisions decisions......

I got an interview call few weeks ago.The job profile was very interesting.I loved the office.My interview went excellent.Everything was fine until the HR guys told me I would have to submit all my original marks card from 10th std onwards.They would hold onto it for a period of 2 years.2 years????Thats the way these companies retain their employees??Not by providing challenging jobs or an attractive pay packet but by confining them by these underhanded ways.Is it even legal?

Their point is that...They feel once the freshers get trained, they leap to another job so fast that they would put a leopard to shame.In the end, the company becomes a mere training centre.They lose a lot in terms of resource and time.The first year,the fresher is on probation,gets trained and in the second,he or she is expected to give back unto the company,what the company has trained them for.At the end of 2 years they would return the certificates.They claim that in case of "genuine" reasons like relocation or marriage where the spouse is leaving India,they would ..ummm...release us so to speak.

My argument is this....
1.Genuine is a broad and relative term.I say,if at the end of 1 year into a job,I get an offer from some other place which has a better profile and an even better growth potential for me,then wouldn't that be a genuine reason for me to shift?Loyalty is a wonderful trait,but should be at the cost of my career advancement,that too right at the beginning of it?
2.There is always the safety issue.Ofcourse,I know they won't use my certificates as tissue paper but a commercial organisation withholding academic certificates still unsettles me.Ok,here is a hypothetical scenario of an extreme case.What if the company gets sold to someone else during that 2 year period and the new chappies lose my certs.Then what??
3.Won't it be a psychological disadvantage to the employee at any point?There is no guarantee to anything.If I like the job,my boss,my colleagues then 2 years would seem negligible time but in the reverse case,I would suffer every second of it.More because I know I could'nt get out for 2 years which would prolong and drag till eternity.My enthusiasm would plummet and the quality of work would flag.Is it worth retaining any employee even then?

I spoke to N number of people.I got shuttled between the for and against of the arguement.
"2 years is hardly anytime to dedicate to something thats worth it,so don't worry,it'll fly by."
"Don't take it up,when freedom is denied,nothing makes up for it"
"You must prioritize."
"This industry has great potential"
"No,don't bother.Other better opportunities will come your way"
"Where and how do you see yourself 5 years from now?"

Everyone confused me till the point I couldn't hear their voices anymore.I felt I was sitting watching some tennis match,my thoughts moving left and right,wondering which side played the better game.This couldn't continue for too long.I was given 2 days to decide and I decided.I refused the job offer they made.My logic was that I would never be convinced of their method of retaining employees no matter how great the industry was.To me my sense of freedom is more important than any incentive a company can give.

I felt a little sad for a couple of days.I had to give up on a job that seemed interesting all because of one policy.I thought of the person who took the job instead of me.Then I forgot all about it till I got a call today from them.They were willing to hike my pay if I would join them.Hehehe...the conversation was lovely.I was excited to work for them all over again until they crowned it again with the policy.Well they couldn't bend it or waive it just for me but they were willing to do anything else that would help me take the job.

Wow!I guess thats what it feels like to be in demand,sought after but as this isn't a suspense or mystery story you all know what my answer was......