The more, the merrier..

The more, the merrier. Yeah, more money, more clothes, more friends - more is certainly welcome. But, it is ridiculous to find out someone having MORE friends (2,000 and more) on face book.

And, I understand that people are wanting to add more and more friends on the list. Is it a credential? I wonder.

Perplexed was I when I found out that, say,  A befriended D who is totally a stranger to A but a friend of B who is a friend of A. How could anyone possibly befriend someone who is no way familiar to him/her and what could possibly be the cause for adding strangers as friends on face book?

A UK based research says, that a human mind can possibly remember maximum of 150 friends, and it is totally impossible to remember 1000 friends. It also says that communication takes place within a small circle of friends and not with everyone. You can notice, when you post something on your wall, its always the same friends post their comments to you, and seldom you get a comment from a friend who is silent all this while. In other words, only few friends really are looking forward to know about us and they like to take part a certain kind of role in what we do. The rest? - they don't care. Well, my point is, when they don't care, what is the point of having them on the list? Of course, there are some exceptions who just entertain themselves by reading others' posts.

That's one's choice. Nothing much to say.

Last week, I removed few friends? from the list. Oh...no, I was not bad....I was just tiding up my place. A tip which I read few months back.  'Effective ways to keep your room clean - discard the things that you don't use it for more than six months'. Though it was meant to be for objects, I thought there was nothing wrong in applying this when comes to people(some).

Acquaintances are certainly different from friends. Not all friends are intimate enough to share your ideas, views, issues and to communicate with you. Strangers are not to be mentioned at all.

And, its time for me to tidy up the place again. Hope you won't get upset ;) !

Beyond Facebooking....

One of the few things that I was forced to do was facebooking. And of course, the credit goes to my debaters. In the beginning it was difficult and later on it became as handy as any other mode of communication, with some differences in features. 


In the beginning I too was a bit excited about this new phenomena which dominates the world in the way it connects people. And, Facebook was not an exception in evolving, and in the course of evolution, loosing its very essence, unfortunately, by giving too much room for face bookers to express themselves, sometimes too explicitly. 


I observed, rather, I am still observing quite a lot, as much as I can do a behavioural study about facebookers. With an exception of few, most of the facebookers miss one important thing: NETIQUETTE.


Right from the status (whats on your mind) until photos, boxes, almost everything is more of public announcement which eventually goes for public scrutiny. I cannot forget AQ's update almost every 2 seconds. Of course, he was sarcastic trying to prove a point. Sometime in the past, there was an update on everything someone (she) was doing and I was expecting her to say that she was going to the ladies and taking shower, etc,. Why on earth one would like the whole world know what she or he is doing, where he or she is going and so on?  The funniest part is friends of them give thumbs up and what not comments! 


We, the debaters, always being ourselves, even put few funny updates, and not to be surprised, we received comments we expected. 


Let us explore few things: 

• Addiction - Don't be surprised if face book makes you addicted. Somebody said, wake up face book - eat face book - wash face book -  class face book - play face book - sleep face book - and again, wake up with face book. In other words, there is no life in its real sense. All you do is on face book. To quote Zay, "it is sad". Why don't you get out and meet real people and make friends? I hope the society is not deprived, yet.
• Status - some are motivational - make you think,  some really make you smile, whereas some make you laugh, hysterically though, and some are religious preaching (no offence please!) and some are revengeful. While others are desperate to be heard.   No status -  I am sure they don't care about others and  they just watch the world and entertain themselves. Cool. 
• Photos - virtual album. Good. But wait.  A friend of mine told me that a friend of his friend posted a photo when she was taking bath. Later I happened to see the photo. My head was spinning for a while. God, Save this world. 
• Martial status: I came across three interesting cases; single, married and complicated. How could a person who is with few girls or boys be single? Of course yes - on face book. Also, a single announces that he/she is relationship? Another interesting case is: single man is married. Complicated relationship - you are either in a relationship or not. Aren't you the one making it complicated? 
• Language : A very serious issue on a public platform such as face book. All the available unparliamentary four letters. No public decorum or decency. Perhaps, they should consider consulting a therapist or psychiatrist.
• Not to forget that there are some personalities with identity crises. Confusion confounded?  

As someone was saying, let us hope technology is not breeding a violent, abnormal and deprived generation. Mark Zukerberg would not have imagined that Facebook will serve as a window to ventilate mixed emotions.

It's not what you think who you are, but it is what you are. Image, image and image.  Being too expressive may lead to lose your face on facebook.

And, if you say you don't care, go look at yourself in the mirror. You know you are pretending.

Bored, I am.

Today is probably one of the very few days I was bored. Literally I didn't do anything, or I couldn't do anything. I started my day with a bit of unusual irritation, made few phone calls and fixed few things.

Had something in the name of lunch around 3.30pm and tried to watch TV but closed my eyes trying to sleep. After few minutes of rolling, I just got out of bed planning to watch a movie. How long one can sit in front of TV and internet? and how long one can read? By the by, since I had difficulty in reading lately, I got specs which is giving me uncomfortable feeling. I heard it will take sometime to 'get used' with it. So reading for sometime is ruled out.

I haven't got any planner and a calender for this year (I wasn't used to this planner and calender thingy when I was in India and as the Head somehow they become unavoidable) so I decided to go to Spring and had a plan of watching a movie if possible.  I started to walk to take a bus. I took a different direction  from the one I usually take and I was waiting for a bus. I couldn't even find a taxi. I was no longer in the mood for Spring. I changed direction. Got some veggies at choice, walked back home.

Grace was surprised and started laughing at me when I was opening the gate. She wasn't done with her washing session. She asked if we could dine out. Later we cancelled. I ended up with soup. Oh..how sad...

We are yet to get the Debating spirit. And again, only God knows when my 'dear' debaters will be ready.(it seems they forgot the next month competition). No debate practice. No Toastmasters meetings. No temple.  The long break has given me a selective amnesia almost about everything that I used to do.

In between, I switched off the TV and laptop many times. Walked up and down many times.  Tried to read a book and managed two chapters. And now with this notes. I might take a walk again.

By the by, how on earth there are people who sit and do nothing making their life very meaningful?

Life still goes on...but how?

Last week, when I was waiting at LCCT  to fly back to Kuching, I met one of my students. She was also waiting for the same flight. I taught her 3 years back. I was surprised that she could still remember me and she gave me a smile as a reply.

We were catching up with old updates - her friends, family, study, future plan and also about her boyfriend. From her conversation I understood that she left her boy friend. (I don't know who left who and I don't want to know also).Shrugging her shoulders she said, "its OK miss...I am fine. Life still goes on". I was bit surprised, with few things.

Life goes on.

I am getting used with this statement very often nowadays. How possible it is to take every loss lightly?

When you miss someone or when you loose someone, (I don't mean just boy friend girl friend relationship alone) life will go on the same way it was when that someone does not mean anything to you. And, I don't think this is a sign of being confident or being courageous to face life.

Are we planting the seeds of non commitment towards one another? or are we trying to escape from conscience in the name of practicality?

Life may go on better if you are lucky..only if...

Whatever, Life still will go on, but may not be the way you wanted or it was meant to be....

Mhumm..life still goes on....I wonder-how?!

ICTL 2009

Conferences, Seminars provide an engaging platform for exchanging ideas in any field. Presenting papers, publishing articles are so much important in my field since they add credibility.

I presented a paper three years ago and I couldn't do anymore for few reasons.  Besides, I am more of a free writer.  Last year ICTL 2009 was organised by our group, I didn't want to miss this opportunity and so I presented a paper.

My paper was about my own experience that I wondered in few of my classes. (will be a detailed blog on that separately).

The conference took place for three days. And all the three days, I felt I was in a different world - a world full of knowledge seekers, scholars, and experts. At the end of the conference I took a resolution that I must attend once a year to keep me with the spirit.

Bits:

• The food was good (variety) and the break was too close to each session. 
• Some of the sessions were useful.
• I liked the workshop on critical thinking. (I am teaching the paper). The facilitator was very cheerful and didn't give up until the end.
• I liked the keynote speeches. (sad, I missed one :( )
• I met few fellow Presenters from India.
• One of the presenters argued that it was   difficult to teach literature in rural schools. My dear, its not the case. It's so simple to teach literature in rural schools or in any schools for that matter.
• Another presenter asked irrelevant question if we had lunch, etc. I still didn't the gist of his presentation.
• The organizers were helpful and the arrangement was almost perfect. 

With this, I am waiting to attend / present my next paper this year....

now leave you with few photos...

Impressions...

Life is all about people. Connections and consequences. The impact of one another on one another. I am an observer of life. I observe people around me not just because they take a part in the journey, but because they help me to understand me better.  Some come along with me for short period of time, and some quite long. Along the way, I read their behavior and I predicted many things. I predicted their next move, so it happened. I let few things influence me, it happened. I let few things affect me, so it happened. All without them knowing.

In my short lived life, I have encountered different people. Different at different times fulfilling their given roles and at times, some even volunteering roles, unminding of the suitability of the roles. We never know why and how we encounter them in our life. For some strange reasons, I sense.

Entertaining, serious, innocent, blissful, careless, self centered, utterly selflessness, and many more, finding meaning of their life through various means and ends. Those who mind the ends, don't mind the means and vice versa. Thirst for knowledge, thirst for wisdom, thirst for making some mark in history.  On the contrary,  thirst for short lived pleasure, thirst for materialistic life.  Well, I reserve my comments.

Its like reading books.Some are to be with us for ever, some are to be admired, some are to be followed, some are to be seen from afar, and some are not to befriended, at all. Few years ago, I encountered a person, and I prayed that I should never meet anyone anymore in my entire life.

But, you wouldn't know until you get to know the person in a closer proximity. And your expectation may go wrong, if otherwise happened.

I did learn some lessons along the way, never to be repeated. I believe some people come in our life as a instrument to tell us something- to teach or to remind or whatever.

Well, having said that, had it not been for the differences, don't you think, our life will be bored with similar characters? But still...I really don't know.

Birthday Celeberations.....A big deal?

I don't believe in celebrating birthdays, I mean mine. And I used to wonder what is a big deal in celebrating one's own birthday. But, this year I decided to make it different to compensate last year.(Last year perhaps was the  worst ever in my life!)  


The first birthday which I celebrated, in the sense with cakes and candles, was few hours ago, in the recent past. I was in Ipoh, my uncle(one of my lights) surprised me with a cake and a small gathering. Guess what? That was the first time I cut cake on my birthday! I remember I blew the candles before making a  wish. By the by, why do you have to make a wish on your birthday? Anyone please!.


Every year in Kuching, I am put in a place where not celebrating is almost next to impossible. Payal, Ayyapan Sir, (Sir, I am still waiting for my Almond bar!) Chris, Sudha and, of course, my dear debaters filled my birthdays and my memories which continues until today. 


This year, I really wanted to avoid and planned to be out of Kuching. But, things won 't happen as we plan! Someone wished me the previous day, first wish:), kutti started asking me like a week before(even instructed me to get sweets), Margaret insisted that I made sure I enjoyed the day and not to worry about making the world happy, and Fatimah had plans for my birthday. As a sign of respecting their feelings, I changed my mind.  For one good reason. I mean something to them. 


Yeah, pretty much. I mean a lot to few, I mean so much to some, I mean something to some, I mean nothing to some. I accept all. You can't mean everything to everyone, can you?

While attending calls and replying text messages, I was thinking that birthday celebrations do mean something, and I am lucky to be around with friends like this. I could only care less for the rest. Actually speaking, birthday celebrations are not so much about wishes, cakes, cards but it is pretty much about the thought, thought of someone, thought of making that someone happy. And the real happiness lies in making your loved ones happy, if not the whole world which you can't for that matter. 

Divine and Michael visited me not knowing it was my birthday - co incidence! Fatima came with her crew and with a big cake. Later, some of us went for a movie.

A birthday song over the phone from the far end of the world, and my cute nieces wishes,  students visit made my day.

I respect those respect me, the rest? I leave it you. No regrets!  I have miles to go before I sleep and promises to keep, so I can't afford.