~ Reflections ~

I wonder what an election is meant to prove... Is it proof of someone's popularity or is it just a measure of the money dispensed or power politics... If they are trying to be the public leader, I often wonder why they need all the bungling...  I can understand the slogans and trying to get people to believe what one is doing.. but the attempt to earn through corrupt means, inorder to finally bribe someone to get their votes beats me... It is actually a vicious circle.. the attempt to get votes through money... and earning money beyond their means from the public....  It is not about who blinks first, but who makes the first move.. who makes the first move of not taking the money... politicians from the public or public from the politicians.... Someone needs to make a move to break the entire cycle... Votes for Money & Money for Votes !

How does one differentiate between something that is being said just for the heck of it or as a formality, as against something that is heartfelt. I often deliberate and waiver too long in making this decision, wondering whether something should be taken on face value, and does it involve in dwelling deeper... sometimes resulting in the moment just passing by. I guess this is an important skill that needs to be acquired.. or maybe that's what one gains with wisdom and experience.

All of us have had to run to Doctors, either for ourselves or someone we know. And with each encounter, we realize more and more how much one needs to trust this human inorder to be cured. It doesn't take a Doctor holding a knife in their hand to make you realize that your life, literally depends on them. But in the current time and age, where no profession seems to have a moral compass or any kind of scruples in making the best possible money in each case, I wonder why all of us seem to come down so heavily on the medical fraternity, especially doctors.  Oh yes, they directly deal with a person's life and well being, but I am yet to come across any doctor who intentionally kills their patients by administering a more expensive test/medication. And I am not referring to negligence here, which is more an issue related to the Doctor's quality/reliability. More importantly, most other professions also affect life in similar ways. A drunk driver let off by the cop w...

Are you an aggressive person ?!? So what happens when you suddenly start behaving like a submissive person... Do you appear to be a stranger to yourself  (pun intended)...  Or do you just enjoy the indecisive follow the leader kind of approach. More importantly.. is it sustainable ?

In the Corporate world, I have learnt the hard way that the more you are conscious about your/your team's gender, the more people try and take you for a ride. There is no limit to all the nonsense... You try to be careful, and you are told you are distant... You avoid social gatherings, only to be reprimanded that you are anti social... I am often left wondering if the people would give the same responses if the person on the other side was a male. Conveniently, since a majority of most workplaces are filled with men and sprinkled with women, even a random poll would have unfavourable results. So I have finally concluded that I don't care.. Don't care about what others think.. or what they 'expect' from the girl next door, or rather at the next desk....  Of course I am not worried about intimidating men.  The type of man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the type of man I have no interest in.    ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

I understand a person's urge to do certain things.. to scratch and itch.. to click fingers.... to crack their knuckles... I get all that..  But I somehow can't seem to get over this urge hoards of people seem to have to grab a drink on Friday night to unwind....  Don't get me wrong, I am not against the idea of relaxing with friends over food and drinks.. but the primary objective always remains catching up... catching up isn't the excuse ! But now, Friday nights have been presenting a new nightmare... it is the jam close to our place thanks to a new 'state owned' liquor shop.... Every Friday, the place crowds up like there is no tomorrow... needless to say the joy in parking their vehicles inorder to successfully block all traffic.... I wonder what is the basis of these licenses the government doles out licenses for such liquor stores. There are already 3 such stores in a 2 km radius, and this is not including the 'sophisticated' wine selling ...

When your mind goes blank But your feet won't stop Churning words in your head which won't tumble out Angry thoughts lead on to frustrated actions The hurt in your head just suddenly hurls out Instantaneously frustration  becomes guilt The words lashed out were not meant to hit Yet no words will add up now As the demon in your head has taken a new form.

One verdict.. and your world turns upside down.. Suddenly, your plans seem to be a far away thought..  all focus shifts to the immediate obstacle.. But for someone who always believed and going with the flow... with a kind of preconceived notion that whatever happens, happens for the best... I am beginning to wonder if this attitude lacks the aggression and ferocity needed to face challenges..... Maybe one rethinks everything once in a while.. Call it catharsis... call it review & renewal... Source: https://www.cartoonstock.com/cartoonview.asp?catref=rhan543

What would you do if someone asked you to appraise yourself.... will you do what the word is trying to say i.e. ap'praise' yourself (considering your next years salary, and in some cases the job, is dependent on it !) or will you take a step back and actually do what it takes. It is very easy to say that what we write is genuinely what we believe has been our contribution... but more often than not (unless we are delusional), we know the truth about where we stand... This is not just true about our professional lives but also our personal lives... So how do we do an honest one, atleast in our personal spaces... because it doesn't seem easy to take a step back and look at the situation and how one is faring.... Mirror mirror on the wall... who is the fairest of us all !

Words are a very powerful tool, but how the words are used makes them even more powerful...  Poetry and Prose are the perfect example.. the shorter the better.... So when I recently read these lines in Colson Whitehead 's Underground Railroad , they struck a chord... ... a visitation of a magnificent presence, a seeker awaiting a message. A conservation between an acorn, a sapling, and a powerful oak.... Poems are too close to prayer, rousing regrettable passions. Waiting for God to rescue you when it was up to you. Poetry and prayer put ideas in people's heads that got them killed, distracting them from the ruthless mechanism of the world.... Though there is a wide body of work by many poets, including famous Bards and Barons, but this Lady is one of the best. Fame is a fickle food Upon a shifting plate Whose table once a Guest but not The second time is set Whose crumbs the crows inspect And with ironic caw Flap past it to the Farmer’s corn ...