Somethings I hate in Social Networking

Social Networking. The buzzword of today. Even this post is hypocritical in itself as Probably you will be redirected here through Twitter, Facebook, Orkut or whatever.

Trust me. I am not against social networking. Rather I spend much* time commenting on pics, lol-ing, sometimes even rofl-ing, liking, disliking, tagging, re-tagging, scrapping, poking, superpoking and watching popular videos.

(*much here means 65% of my online time.)

But there are some things which irritate me about social media networking. My friend Shrey already has said something related to twitter followers in one of his posts, but my rabble is not site specific.

Things that irritate me.

1. People who want us to join societies on facebook : Yeps. Join societies. Thats the best way to save lame puppies. Or Hate Jews.

2. People who play games via Twitter: Yes, that has started recently. Twitter-games. AAggh the Humanity!

3. People who put faces of kittens and puppies with misspelt language : I don't hate puppies/kittens. I just don't think they are worth a click.

4. Win 10000$ if you forward it to 50 people: I mean what do you do when someone sends you one of those? Also in this category send-to-50-people-or-you-will-die-last-friday and send-to-20-people-get-kissed-by-the-love-of-your-life. I mean I knew Google was a big and rich company. But how can they find the love of my life. (or kill me by some obscure cancer)

5. Sign it for a reason: Online Petitions. What does one get by appending your name to the long list of arseh***s . I mean... what happens? does this list go to the President afterwards?

I can't imagine the scene.

6. People who ping me after I have written DND : Sometimes I have even written DO NOT DISTURB and/or DISTURB AND DIE but the same thing happens in Gtalk.

X: Hi!

Samar: DO NOT DISTURB PLEASE.

Me: hi

X: wassup?

Me: busy.

X: k. just wanted to say hi.

Me: k

Sent at 7:50 pm

X: so when are your holidays?

Me:

7. StumbleUpon Shit and Fall in It : Why do people add free download lists to SU? Average day looks somewhat like this.

• 60 GREAT addons for Firefox.
• Why is Firefox better than IE
• Why is Chrome better than Firefox
• Why is Safari Better than Chrome
• Why should you shift to Linux
• Why Microsoft Sucks
• Open Office Downloads
• 15 Open Source Apps you will love

NO. STOP.

8. When someone forwards a mail to 100 people and does not remove the irrelevant email ids: So then you can see the whole chain of people all around the globe who have been duped into reading the obviously useless thing that that guy/gal sent in the first place.

So yo have to scroll down for like... forever to get to the useless part. Sigh.

9. Old Hoax News: Do you remember the time that mails used to come to not go to dingy movie theaters for fear of being infected by the HIV virus. Sometimes those ancient emails find a way back to your inbox.

Tell me if you have other pet peeves of your own.

Emotional {what the .... }

There is nothing more I like than to relax listening to some saxophone on my music player and falling asleep listening to it.

For beginner's I recommend Greensleeves by Kenny G. Really. Awesome.

Entertainment is perhaps a must-have for the stressed out lifestyles people follow these days. Explains why there is such a cut-throat competition between channels with respect to the so-called TRP ratings. I never knew what TRP meant to be honest with you; it means Target Rating Point (read more here).

There are many examples of newer and (?)innovative programs now airing on the hundreds of channels we have. There are about 45 news channels, all showing the same shit 24/365; same terror attacks, rapes, molestation, wars, crime, corruption, disease, famine, hunger, death and other kind of which is just summed up earlier as 'shit'.

Don't take it the wrong way... I don't mean to undermine the suffering of people here. I am just saying that does it take SO MANY channels to say the same stuff over and over and over. The money wasted can go to SO MANY relief works. Can't we have a few channels ( I respect free press) only?














News is perhaps a bad example of ENTERTAINMENT. Has anyone seen Bindass Channels Emotional Atyachaar? For those who haven't see here. It's basically a program in which a boyfriend/girlfriend of a person want a 'loyalty test'.

So basically the channel bombards the other person with hot chicks and handsome hunks to test if they don't go astray. And when they do (of course) they show the intimate moments to the person who ordered the test. That person cries, curses, slaps the other person, basically showcases an obscene show of emotions. Which you would expect if the love of YOUR lie betrayed you with some gal/guy.

It's EMOTIONAL PORNOGRAPHY. Yeah you heard me correctly the first time.

Take a person, rip them apart, and lay their emotions bare for all the people to see for entertainment. Can anyone give me a better term for this obscenity?

Are we so done for that for our "entertainment" these days we need to see someones life being crushed, humiliated, hurt and abused?

Are we so untouched by someone's misery? Their tears, cries and screams are the fodder for our emotional deprivation?

Are we demons, tormentors or plain animals who thrive on the pain and suffering of others?

Is this the modern lifestyle? Work all day and unwind by watching someone's life getting screwed.

WOW.

I mean what are we trying to watch here?

Did you ever pause to think?

Or perhaps its too late for you.

Is something wrong?

Reading a status message by Shrey told me that there was yet another suicide by a fresher in MMM hall of IIT Kharagpur. [newslink]

Apparently the guy wanted IIT Delhi or some other branch which he did not get. He was All India Rank 400.

wait... what?


the question comes : What is wrong with this system that forces a person in the top 0.1% of the whole country to commit suicide in his room one fine afternoon.

Is it the system?

Is it just the system?


Look if something WAS wrong with the system I'd probably be dead by now.

Everyone of us faces so many ups and downs. They are a part of daily life. If we just all sit down and say "I'm done now... There is no hope" can you expect this life to come around in a full circle.
For a competitive environment like today there is a need of students with not only High IQ but a high EQ also. How much can you take it. How much does it take you to bring you down.


I am not talking about this guy only... I have no right to.


I am saying this to all students like me and even aspiring ones in any field ... your life is not worth a failed exam. your life is not worth a low CGPA... your life is not worth a snub from a girl... your life is not worth a father's wishes.... a mother's scolding.... friends' admonishments... or even your own varied expectations from yourself... your life is not worth a company rejecting you.... it's not worth poverty or hunger.... it's not worth any physical disability or disease.

Your life is worth more than that.Because that's the way it has always been.

Please do not throw away your life so carelessly.... it's just not worth it.

Try Try Try and Try some more. And even if you do manage to fail.... grin and bear it, because no one fails forever.

What's in a name?

My name is Samar Rehman Patel.

...

...

...

well... that's my problem.

To be honest I LIKE my name. Its such a simple and well structured name. And with a good meaning too ( Samar means Fruit, Rehman is a name of God and Patel literally means village Leader. So basically I am the God leader of the fruity business...) also if you shorten it it becomes Sam or better yet SRP ( I hate you...) but then again my name is confusing.

Take for example the police station

Policewallah: What's your name?
Me: Samar Rehman Patel... sir.
Policewallah: WHATTTT????
Me: Samar Rehman Patel.
Policewallah: What sort of a name is this?

basically any sane person wudve given up by this time....but this is my name so I persisted.

Me: Sir Mata-Pitaji ne yehi rakha...
Policewallah: But yaar... ye kaisa naam hai?
Me: Sorry sir...
Policewallah: Are you Hindu or Muslim?
Me: Sir does that matter?
Policewallah: (bit aback) Yeah it does.
Me: (gives a grimace)
Policewallah: Gujju hai?
Me: No Sir.
Policewallah: Maharashtrian ho?
Me: No Sir.... not really...
Policewallah: Kya matlab?
(then I recount into the speech that basically says that my fathers family is basically from Maharashtra and Mom's family from UP....but I am a pure 100% Bhopali)

Policewallah: To Bhopali hai??? Madhya Pradeshi hai???
Me: (feeling a bit relieved) Yes.....
Policewallah: To aisa naam kaahe rakha????
Me: (faints)

So basically I have a confusing name....and the disturbing thing is people love to make an issue out of it. I had a guy in my 10th class Hindi board exam that asked me fifteen times whether my name was written right?

And to add insult on this injury the religious tangle added to it gives it a fine aftertaste....sort of like the suds inside an overused espresso machine.
For example my Coaching Physics teacher...

Teacher: Whats your name?
Me: blah blah blah.
Teacher: oh....(smiling).....India Pakistan border situation?
Me: (confused like hell) What sir?
Teacher: Your mom dad ran away and married... right???? ...(grinning)
Me: (fed up with life already) No Sir.
Teacher: Oh C'mon I love a good love story...tell me what happened...their parents were against this marriage right? right? right?
Me: (faints)


Latest in this line of insult coming my way was the passport office...

Official: Samar Rehman Patel......(then stares again at my passport)
Me: (raising my hand) here ...sir.
Official: Samar Rehman Patel...(still staring at my passport)
Me: (waving my hand) here sir.
Official: Samar..... Rehman .... Patel.... (still looking in amazement at my passport)
Me: (practically dancing) here sir....look at me....
Official: (finally looks up) Oh...there you are...come inside and collect your passport.
Me: (relieved) Thank you
Official: (smiling) Have you come to change your name on the passport?
Me: (revolted) NO!!!
Official: (still smiling at my name) So is there some spelling mistake?
Me: NO Sir .... I...
Official: So this is your REAL name????
Me: (faints ..yet again)

I grow tired of people clarifying my religion or my state of origin or any other thing they think validates them to ask as soon as they read my name.
Even during my OP as soon as I would say ... I am from Bhopal.... "TU GUJJU NAHIN HAI????"

no.... I am just an Indian... Isn't that enough... I even have a passport now.

The Boatman

Slither slither the water slaps the boat,

the edges blurring,

moving towards the other end,
the Boatman rows.
Nobody knows why he rows,
ever in this looming melancholy,
rowing silently with vigour,
with a silent symphany.
The darkness of the water ,
is attractive,seductive,
why doesn't he plunge beneath,
into the cool retreat.
But he rows on relentlessly,
untired limbs working away,
sweat breaking on his brow,
his passengers restless,
Because the River is threatening,
calm and cold,
it flows with a vigour,
powerful yet dominating.
Remarkable though it is,
daunting it seems,
darkness overflows and meets the light,
half elation and sorrow.

I often ask the Boatman,
why does he do it,
so on and so forth,
isn't it better to leave?
He smiles inimitably,
and moves his hand over his face saying,
when you have crossed the river,
as many times as I
Nothing seems to matter,
after a while,
everything's just,
coming and going.

I realize
that is what life is,
some come in,
some go out,
we are the boatman of our life,
And the comers mere passengers,
the goers mere passers,
The Boatman doesn't befriend them,
and he tells me to do the same,
"one day they all leave..."
I try to follow,
I ask him about the lure of the river
he says only the fear of the unknown
keeps him from abandoning his boat,
it's tempting to give up the boat of life,
and plunge into the unknown,
But then,
who knows what it has in store?
the Boatman doesn't know
and so I don't.

An excellent composition

I was watching V for Vendetta this veekend and had the luck to come acoss one of the most brilliantly written pieces of dialogue I have ever come across..

Given here is the Introduction of V(the main protagonist) to Evey (the main heroine):-

V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V!


Evey: Are you like a crazy person?

Vell vhat to say.... VOW!!!

Psychology of Decision....

What is a decision?

It is the logical answer to an query put by your active mind to your passive mind...
We all experience and know that our executive and the logical parts are two almost tangibly separate parts of our nervous system. Also these two parts take input from another parts of our psych. That is Physical Input(Conditions), Mental Input(Feeling), Psychological Input(Instinct), A Random Input(Luck), and a Heuristic Input (Experience). (At this point it is wondrous indeed to see.... so many inputs all condenses to give a right decision...The brain is indeed a wondrous piece of machinery)

So... Whenever we are confronted with a situation , a very complex neurochemical process initiates.
Our body tenses up.Even if we don't know.The brain searches for previous occurrences of the incident.We try to see some sense and act on intuition and of course ....luck .... is also a random function of the brain.
The Order of Preference of this working is:- Physical,Mental,Heuristic,then Psychological and Random.

How to make the right decision?

There is no Golden rule for making good decision rather it is the very opposite of making good decision that will help you being a better decision maker. If you make bad decision the full extent of your actions are beared by you. You alone bear the full brunt of the force. So that is why we see the children who are spoon fed all there life , rarely turn out to be good decision makers in their adult life. Remember...Experiences have the 3rd most priority in your decision making...

Don't shy away from making decisions. You are merely incapabling yourself to be a better decision maker.......experiences good or bad teach you.....Rather I'd say bad experiences teach you more.....

4 months without a break in KGP......

Dear Diary,

I have been living here for 4 months now.

It's ok at first , but nearing the dying moments it really starts to get very frustating....or frussst as we'd call it. Never before had i enjoyed so much in a single place, never before had I such good friends, never before was my life so eventful, but never before had I gotten to hate a place so much.

This place can grow on you..and suddenly when you think you are a part of the system.....Ka-boom
.... and all that you were thinking is suddenly ...gone.

I think it is more because of the maggu culture that sort of permeates out through the walls of the institute.... If you are not a maggu .....thou shalt not survive tha onslaught of tests and practicals and labs and what not. I am of course proud to NOT be a maggu ...... isliye I suffer.

I know I know.... I'll miss this place like hell in the summer hols..... But, human are very unsatisfied organisms.... In summers they say there is too much heat.....In winters too much cold....

There is no spring good enough for humans.

The weather here is unbearable sometimes though it gets nicer in the evenings...

Right now, I am sweating head to toe.

Yours perspiringly.
Sam