FRIENDS : After Life # 1 : Blog # 216

FRIENDS : After Life # 1

*We, all diehard F.R.I.E.N.D.S fanatics have been waiting forever for the best sitcom ever made on Television, to resume. Here is an attempt to look at what our favorite characters are up to these days. 

         Monica woke up to a bright sunny morning. The twins were sleeping blissfully in the next room. Chandler looked like he is imitating an athlete while sleeping in the bed. Monica went to the living room and sat on the couch. The magazines on the table were not arranged as per their thickness! “Why can’t Chandler follow the manual!!! It has not been even a week since I took the orientation for him.”

            The twins started crying. Monica went in and saw Chandler standing near the twins with a puzzled expression. “What did you do!!!?” I did not do anything. I just wished them a very good morning. Monica started pacifying one of the kids. “Pick up the child Chandler! You are the father!”

            Chandler left for office. Rachel was going to have lunch and thought of calling Monica. She called Monica on skype. “Hey Mon, Comment allez-vous”. Wow! Someone is frenching up Rach. “Yes Mon, if you are referring to the men here, indeed I am frenching up;). Where are the kids?” I have just fed them and they are in the room. Chandler has left for office. “So playing the suburban housewife to hilt is it?” Yes Rach. But I am beginning to get bored of this. The chef in me is dying to wreak a kitchen. “How is Chandler? Has he got used to the house yet?” He likes the house. Just that he is a tad bit skeptical about the neighborhood. He says there is something spooky about the old lady living next door and the couple living opposite to us is acting weird! You know how he is! “Ok Mon. Going to have lunch with my boss. He should have been a priest! Even if I wear a cheer leader’s costume, he will tell me “Oh child, blessed be you!” Rach , I got to rush. Looks like Jack is up. “ How do you know Jack from Erica?” Jack has gone after his uncle Ross. He screams like a girl. When Erica screams, it is like a war cry!. Bye Bye Rach. “Bye Mon!”

            Phoebe and Joey were at the café. “Joe, how’s life?”. You tell me. How’s being Mrs. Mike coming along? “Who is Mrs. Mike?” Oh Me!!! I should start getting used to it. Marriage is fun Joe as long as you don’t see each other. Mike is enjoying his free spirited pianist days. I would have enjoyed it more if he were a fat-pay-cheque-earning-attorney-who wants to please his wife by showering her with expensive gifts and extensive holidays. “I thought you always wanted a simple life, Phoebs”. Yea, that and a castle is what I want out of Life J. How is your new soap coming along Joe? “ I am thinking I am on the verge of super stardom. My director says with this, I will become a huge star in at least 11 continents!”. But Joe, there are only 7 continents! “Really? You are sure, Facebook isn’t one?” Oh that way, yes! So who will you take along with you to your globetrotting trips? Monica or Rachel? “Hmm…I am thinking..Rachel?”. That was a trick question!!! You should take Me! Phoebe! Me, Joe, Me! “Okay, Okay, I will take you”

            Ross was taking a class on the emerging trends in creating awareness about Paleolithic age. As usual, half the class was asleep. “How many of you have dreamt of becoming Paleontologists? How many of you want to get in to the list of honorary curators in the MET?I would appreciate a show of hands. No hands? Hmmm? Yes, the gentleman in red shirt. Please tell me”. “When will the class get over? I have a movie to catch!” Ok then, yet another disillusioned millennial, aren’t you? This is professor Geller signing off.

Continued at : http://praisesnbrickbats.blogspot.in/2015/05/friends-after-life-2-blog-217.html

Arun Babu

Designed in to thinking… : Blog # 215

Designed in to thinking…

It was a day like any other. Ayush went for breakfast and saw his colleague, Harsh sitting alone at a table. He has been a bit aloof these days. Even for the previous team lunch, Harsh was not very participative; a drastic change from the spirited fresher that he was when he joined Ayush’s team.

There were some calls to be made and some mails to be responded to. Once that was done, Ayush asked Harsh to join him for tea. He declined saying he had some deliverables. Ayush asked him if he will be available by afternoon and Harsh said yes. Ayush went back to his desk and went through Harsh’s performance. It started showing a decline from March, about 3 months from now. There were a couple of mails to which he responded late, he started coming late to office and there were some heated exchange of words with some team members which was very unlike him.

At the tea table, Ayush asked Harsh how his weekend was. Harsh replied :“Usual”. Harsh, do you know what I remember of you when you joined as a fresher? As someone who always asked questions. To be frank ,too many at times  J. But, it always made the team think of the alternatives and the possibilities. These days, you are awfully silent! “Ayush, you are right. There was a time when I used to ask questions. Then I realized as to what is the need? Why should I do this? More importantly, who is listening?” That is not true. We are all listening. “May be, but no one responds Ayush.”

Harsh, you remember that meeting where the VP called you ‘Auto reply’? J. He was praising the swiftness with which you reply to mails. I was surprised that my team’s Auto reply is having a delay of about 2 hours these days! "Ayush, you also know what happened when I sent that mail to AVP. My manager came and told me it should go through him! So now, I am routing everything through him. He is the one causing that extra hour’s delay”. Oh, that must be really frustrating. Let me see what can be done.

 The article that you shared the other day about emerging trends was really good. So it looks like changes are going to happen sooner than we all think, isn’t it? “Yes, Ayush. Apparently, analytics is emerging as a large opportunity. I had presented a paper on emerging trends in analytics when I was in college. Back then, 'Data scientists' sounded like a fancy designation. But today, it is almost common place.” Harsh got a call and both of them went back to desk.

Ayush decided to do something about the Harsh's situation which in a way wasa  reflection of the team itself. He recollected the conversation they had and tried to put them down in to action items. He opened a notepad and it is then that he noticed the white board next to him on his desk. He hadn’t used it for quite a long time. He started drawing whatever came to his mind. He drew pictures of question marks, coffee table, a team, laptop, mail box, letters, newspaper and a person chasing a milestone. Then, he sent out a mailer to his peers and told them that there are certain aspects w.r.t the team which needs their immediate attention. He took pictures of the doodling he had done and made it in to a crisp power point presentation. They huddled in to a conference room and started discussing about what can be done regarding these concerns. Ayush mentioned that these are insights from discussions he has had from some of the junior members of the team. All of them brainstormed and came up with things to do.

The next day, he sent out a mailer called “Game changer series#1”. It read thus:

Dear Friends,

            You all are a great team to work with. We all have grown and evolved through each other’s support. Having said that, there is always room for improvement. This is an endeavor to achieve a better camaraderie between our team members and to further each of ours growth.

            We have come up with some suggestions as below. Please reflect on them and we would love to hear from you.

1.      A weekly meeting for us to talk, get to know each other more, ask questions and if possible, come up with some ideas.

2.      If you have something to share with the team, share on the “wall of ideas” which will be put up in our workplace. You can share a picture of it over mail with the larger team.

3.      Share with us an area of interest you would want to work on and improve. Seniors in the team will help you through mentoring or suggesting courses.

About our team, please write :
I like---- (what you like about the team) &
I wish---- (what if included will make you happier)

This is a starting point. Let’s get the ball rolling.

Warm Regards,

Ayush

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have tried to weave the concept of ‘Design thinking’ around this story. Please let me know your thoughts.

                                                                                                Arun Babu

An Open Letter to Pamela Anderson : Blog # 214

An Open Letter to Pamela Anderson

I have always fancied writing an open letter to someone the world knows. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be addressed to the lady mentioned above J. More strange is the topic which I am going to write to her about.

Recently, there was a controversy about Thrissur Pooram and Pamela Anderson. Thrissur Pooram is a 200 year old temple festival which attracts viewers from around the world. It is celebrated during summer (April – May) in the small city of Thrissur in Kerala. The controversy is about the usage of Elephants in this festival. Elephants are an integral part of pooram like many other festivals in Kerala. There was a petition that was filed though a society that prevents cruelty against animals requesting the elephants to be replaced with imitations (cardboard cut-outs or such) for the festival. I found this petition to be a tad bit misguided. The representation of facts is also questionable. The picture below is the one which featured on that society’s India page on Facebook. 

An elephant which is made to participate in the festival need to be certified by a veterinary doctor that it is in the pink of health. It is also reviewed by a committee comprising of high level officials of the state administration including the District collector who is an IAS officer. When the elephants stand on the roads during day time, thick sacks are laid on the road on which water is poured continually so that their feet doesn’t get hurt by the heat. Elephants are periodically fed water melons so that they are not thirsty. Also, elephants are transported using trucks so that they don’t have to walk long distances. There is an elephant owners association who are well aware of the repercussions if they do not follow the above guidelines. Also, most of them are genuinely interested in the animal’s welfare.

Now, there is this issue of chaining up the elephants. Their legs are chained so that they don’t run and hurt people. This is only during the peak hours of the festival and this is not done for all the elephants. I have a dog at home. Do I love him? Absolutely! Do I go out and play with him during my morning tea? Yes I do. Do I pet him before I go to sleep? I do. But if a guest comes home, do I chain him up till they leave? I do that too. It is only this precaution which the organizers of the festival are also taking.

Why can’t they use cardboard cut outs of elephants for the festival? Why do you have to cook Turkey for thanksgiving? Won’t mashed potato do? It is tradition! In this case, it is a 200 year old tradition! I consider people who treat animals well to be more intelligent and sensible than a layman. In my opinion, what a society pursuing as noble a cause as animal welfare should do is to suggest alternatives which results in the comfort of the animals and not take simplistic approaches like attempting to do away with a practice altogether.

This picture shown here is an elephant which participated in this year’s festival. This is the true picture of the state of elephants used in the pooram.

It also raises questions about the credibility of information that is being circulated in social media. For a person who sees only the first picture, it is very easy to be mislead and get worried about these poor animals. Am I saying there is nothing to be changed about the way elephants are treated? Absolutely not. There is always room for improvement. But it needs to be done through thorough understanding of the context and ensuring that there is no misrepresentation of facts.

I am from Thrissur. But I have taken care to not get carried away. The above mentioned guidelines are factual.

p.s. Including this disclaimer - I wrote a blog on Jallikattu opposing it. If that is the case, why do I support usage of elephants in festival then? I don't .Not any more. When I wrote the above blog, I felt it was justified. Now I feel it is wrong. We should stop using elephants for festivals. Why am I not deleting the above blog post? It is to show that when it comes to things close to our heart, most of us lose objectivity. 

Link to the Jallikattu blog: Jallikattu must stop!

Sheldon & Gutthi : Blog # 213

Sheldon & Gutthi

        I was watching an episode of the series, ‘The Big Bang Theory’. The episode was one where the character, ‘Sheldon’ is doing a show on flags. It suddenly struck me as to how similar the mannerisms and expressions of Sheldon Cooper is to ‘Gutthi’, a character in the much loved Indian show, ‘Comedy nights with Kapil’. Both the shows are immensely popular for their comic appeal and the characters are much loved by the audience.

            As I thought further, there were other similarities too. Both of them have quirks which make us fall in love with them. Sheldon knocks on a door thrice, calling out the person’s name, ALWAYS. Gutthi introduces herself in a peculiar way where she calls out every one’s name who are around in a kind of a forever loop. How much ever times they repeat this, it is equally funny every single time.

            Both of them mostly believe only one person or confide in only with a single character. For Sheldon, it is Leonard and for Gutthi, it is her sister, Palak. Both the characters have a punching bag each. Sheldon is always dismissive about Penni and  for Gutthi, it is Palak who is always a butt of her jokes. Both the characters are narcissistic in their own ways and have a bit of an inflated self image about themself.

            If you stretch your imagination a bit, Bazingaa and Babaji ka thullu are also similar, isn’t it? ;) These are similarities in words. If you want to look at gestures, Gutthi shows Babaji ka thullu time and again and Sheldon’s favourite is Live Long & Prosper J

To my eyes, somewhere, both of them kind of look a bit similar too, the actors who play the characters I mean. Sunil Grover plays Gutthi and Sheldon Copper is played by Jim Parsons. In more ways than one, both of them have similar facial features. Both of them have awkward smiles and quirky expressions too.

Keywords : The big bang theory, Sheldon Cooper, Gutthi, Comedy nights with Kapil, Sunil Grover, Jim Parsons

Blog on Dulquer Salman’s Filmography #3 : Blog # 212

Blog on Dulquer Salman’s Filmography #3

April 18^th will be a day Dulquer will remember for a life time for it is on this day, that his movie, OK Kanmani, directed by Mani Ratnam released. You know this movie has created waves when much loved Tamil actors like Surya appreciates the film and more importantly, the actors involved on a public platform like twitter. The icing on the cake is that the Telugu version, OK Bangaram has also been widely appreciated. How do we know? All you need to do is ask the Telugu super star, Rana Daggubaati J. That Mani Ratnam will carve out a classic was an expected outcome, given the artistic brilliance that the veteran director has showcased in his illustrious career. But that DQ will be as much appreciated for his acting prowess is testimony to his growth as an actor and the sincerity with which he is approaching his craft.

In the last blog, we were looking forward to the release of two movies, ‘Njan’ and ‘100 days of Love’. ‘Njan’ was a critically acclaimed movie directed by the much revered Malayalam movie director, Ranjith. It was one of those movies you watch for the love of cinema. It was not a typical popcorn popping, masala entertainer. Predictably, this movie did not set the cash bells ringing. But it did do decent business and DQ was noted for his craft. This one, like ‘Theevram’ is the kind of movie an actor does for posterity. Undeniably, commercial success is always a pleasant outcome.

'100 days of love’ is familiar territory for Dulquer. He plays a character by name, ‘Balan K Nair’. That is the name of a villain of the stature of Amarish Puri in the Malayalam film industry. To make the audience fall in love with a character by that name is no easy task J. It is like naming elixir as poison and still expecting people to take it in for immortality! In the movie, there were scenes where he reminded the audience of his immensely talented, national award winning, Malayalam actor and star, Mammooty especially when it comes to the baritone. This movie was a grand success or should I say ‘IS’? It is still running to packed theaters. He played the character of a journalist who falls for a girl he meets by serendipity with much ease. Notable was the fact that his comic timing is like a Swiss watch now J

Did I mention that the Tamil audience has already celebrated him with a best debut award for ‘Vayaimoodi pesavum’? That he is one of the sharpest dressed actors around is no secret. Apparently, ‘Ritz style awards’ is also in agreement J. Many more awards came his way including ‘Asia vision’.

From sources inside and on the periphery of the film industry, one hears about DQ being a good person. Is that a big deal? When one is born with a silver spoon and has much to be proud about and still manages to be level headed, I think it is a big deal. 

Not belittling OK Kanmani in anyway, but here is hoping it to be just the tip of an iceberg of accomplishments that is to come DQ’s way J.

See you at the movies!

Latest Movie's Trailer : Charlie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYxtLNJJ54Y

Earlier blogs on Dulquer’s Filmography :

Blog 1 : The rise of a new star

Blog 2: Bangalore days and more

Blog 4 : Charlie all the way

Blog 5 : Comrade in America

Blog 6: Spoilt for Choice  

I am off Facebook ! : Blog # 211

I am off facebook !

A while back, one of my friends put up a post on Facebook saying he is leaving fb. Another friend of mine commented on that post saying “A huge loss for facebook!” In my mind, that comment was the best reply that post could have got. Many a time, we tend to misread our own importance in the scheme of existence of the whole Universe.

Before you jump at me saying it is a personal choice, I agree with you on this aspect. It is indeed personal discretion. But the only person who has anything to lose is him/her. Whenever a new technology sweeps mankind, there is a group which step aside from that wave. They attach an almost evil dimension to it. Would you believe me if I said there were people who said they were against computers? It worked for them for a small time. In today’s world, if one doesn’t know to operate a computer, it is as good as saying that person has stopped living or is frozen in time. Add to that, life could become immensely easy for them if they had kept an open mind.

Social media exists to connect people and to share information. Of course, it has its frivolous sides where we use it to boost our self esteem albeit momentarily and to sustain relationships even if it’s through exchange of fake pleasantries. But many a time, we do that even in a social gathering too. Does that mean we stop meeting people or that is all we do in a social gathering? At times, to get along in a society, one has to hold back a few words and utter a few generous words even if one doesn’t subscribe to a fellow being’s school of thought completely.

Now there is this angle of addiction to this debate. Whatever we start doing in Life, it goes through phases. Initially, there is a lot of enthusiasm about it. Then comes a stage where the enthusiasm slows down gradually and then it plateaus. Social media is also no different. We learn to deal with these phases at various points in life. One should learn to rein in ones addictions and exercise control over ones urges. Stepping out completely from something for fear of addiction only hinders this learning. It is like saying “I am not taking an electricity connection for fear of getting a shock!”

There is a concept called ‘Network Externality’ in the study of business. An application of this concept is that a good or service gets used by almost everyone that it becomes extremely popular and furthers its own demand. So what happens is when you choose to not use that good or service, you kind of get left out. In our case, social media essentially facilitates communication. So it becomes difficult for people around you to know about you and stay in touch with you if you choose to not use this service. And if you really think those who care about you will make an effort to reach out to you inspite of your absence in one of the popular channels of communication of the day, it is like waiting for a telegram. And by the way, telegrams are dead J.

Keywords : facebook,socialmedia,deactivatefacebook,quit facebook,quit twitter,twitter,leave facebook, delete facebook,leave socialmedia

Happiness in Pixels : Blog # 210

Happiness in Pixels

A photograph is one of the most beautiful expressions of art. What makes it so likeable is that it is pleasant on the eyes or it ought to be when some of us click that is ;). I think what makes it so mystic is the frozen time about that frame. In spite of all the advancements mankind has made, time has always been elusive. It has always slipped away from our hands. A picture gives us the illusion of having conquered time although for a moment.

It is indeed true that a picture speaks a thousand words. Is that why many a time pictures tell the most beautiful stories? What I like about the story woven through a picture is that it is open to the interpretation of  audience unlike a story woven through words. A handful of words can tell only one story. A picture on the other hand, can tell a hundred stories depending on who sees it and how they see it.

The best thing about photography is that you can choose what you want to see and what you want to show. You might be looking at a pond with weeds spread all over. You spot a Kingfisher who has chosen to sit on a twig parched on a rock with water so clear around it that you can see the bottom of the pond. You can now click only that small periphery and make the whole pond look good. That is the magic of photography!

How can we not think of memories when it comes to photos. There are moments in life which one would want to revisit. I would say photographs are the best way to time travel. One look at an old picture is all it takes to bring the fond memories of the seemingly forgotten past to come rushing by. When you find time, sit down with your friends or family and go through old family albums. Believe me, it is like walking in to an old home where you spent your childhood in. If you are lucky enough, you will have someone to reminisce the story behind those photos with.

Photography used to be a selfless act until the selfie came along that is J. At every function, there used to be one family member or a friend who goes on clicking a moment of togetherness, happiness or celebration without them being a part of the frame. But on the brighter side, selfie has made photography more inclusive. The artist do not have to stand away from the art. He/she is also a part of the creation. It is like acknowledging the presence of the paintbrush on a beautiful canvas J.

Like any other art, photography too is an expression of the artist who clicks. I wonder how beauty is so obvious to them in the vastness of nature. I am amazed as to how they contain a story in an 8X10 frame. I wish if I will ever understand how they make a seemingly passing moment turn in to the memory of a life time!

Keywords: Photography,Camera,Pixels,DSLR camera,Photos,Photgraphs,Photographer, Shutterbug 

748 Million : Jal Shakti Abhiyan : Blog # 209

748 Million ~ Jal Shakti Abhiyan

The title of the blog is not the number of wells in the world. Neither is it the count of springs which emerge from the bosom of earth. Sadly, it is an indication of the lack of these fountain heads of Life. That is the magnitude of our water woes! It is the number of people around the world who do not have access to drinking water.

Whenever you get an opportunity, talk to a person who takes care of the administration of an organization which has more than a few 100 people. Concern about providing water will top his/her priority. This is true for an academic institution, a business organization and even for a health care centre. The mayor of a city and a head of state will be equally worried about our fast disappearing water bodies.

Imagine coming home from a long tiring day and not having a handful of water to bring your face back from the dead. On a hot summer afternoon, how will you feel when you open the tap and all you get is an erratic symphony of the left behind wind? Can you fathom how much of a frustration it will be when we will need to ration and account for the last drop of water we use on a daily basis? What should make all of us scared is that all these things can happen in more near a future than when we expect it to happen.

If you look at this issue from a broader perspective, it has the potential to disrupt whatever little peace is left in the world. I am sure all of us are at a loss of words when states fight among themselves for want of water – which side to take, who is right and more importantly, what the solution is. Now imagine these conflicts on a world scale. Nations being at war and unleashing destruction over each other, all for a mouthful of water for its people.

I have always wondered since when did we start being so insensitive towards our own kind. We come across a number like this, feel sad till the next ping on our phone and we move on. I think Darwin is partially to blame for this. His ‘Survival of the fittest’ is the best branding ‘Selfishness’ could have ever asked for. A person, exhausted and worn out sitting underneath a tap waiting for a drop of water should prick our conscience. A picture of a child sitting under blazing sun with not even a blade of grass in the vicinity for whom tears are the only drops of water available should grow a lump in our throat.

We shouldn’t stop at just that. Each time we let a tap run, a tank over flow, a bottle spill those pictures should come haunting back to our minds. We all should in our small ways try and fill up earth’s eyes. A rain water harvesting plan for each household can be a good beginning. Of the umpteen things being banned around us, a house construction plan without a water harvesting provision can be a welcome one.

Signs of severe water shortage is all around us. Many cities in India are realing under water scarcity. Globally, it is Capetown that went down first. In our own country, the  latest being Chennai. Next will be Bangalore and then the others. We must take the Jal Shakti Abhiyan seriously and give it all that we have got.

Keywords : 748 Million,water scarcity, water, water woes. water issues , charity water, Jal Shakti Abhiyan 

Arun Babu