What determines Attitude?

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about how my reactions to certain situations have been. The past year hasn’t necessarily been the most peachy, nor can I claim it to be a total wash-out. But what really struck me is the change in my behavior or reactions to certain issues. It intrigued me to try to decipher if this is due to a change in my attitude or if it was just a phase?

I remember myself, during my years through school and college, up until my first post-grad degree, as a quiet introvert character, although also very impatient for results. I also used to get angry over things, especially when the results weren’t forthcoming or they weren’t exactly as expected. During that time, I used to feel deflated, crabby, and rude to the extent of making me probably a little too annoying to my audience. In essence, I had this whole negativity visibly emanating from my being. (Maybe taking things to a little of an extreme here, but people who’ve seen me at the time, know what I’m trying to say here.)

But lately, I have become more prone to be cynical or even satirical and try to laugh off some situations/issues when they seem to be going awry, in spite of not seeing a visible change in my impatient streak. Does this mean I’m thinking in a positive light, and accepting that things really can’t almost always happen like I expect them to? If that is so, then it means that I’ve learnt some patience on the way, which is a good thing. But what if I’m using this method to veil my negativity or the anger of not achieving the result? Is that a good thing?

Which brings me my next question, If attitude is broadly classified as positive and negative, what attributes define attitude – the ability to shrug off an undesired issue, by using whatever means, or the ability to convert the undesired into a desired result?

Also, in case anyone has the time to read this post, how do you deal with dips in your attitude?

Memories, the Brain method et al....(a geeky title i know!!!)

Usually, on the way to work and back, the radio serves as the primary source of entertainment during our 45 minute ride. However, last week, one of the brothers of the Sheikh in Abu Dhabi passed on and as part of the mourning and a mark of respect, there was no music being played on the radio. However, our resourceful driver had an FM transmitter that could play songs loaded on an SD card. What a sigh of relief, right!! But there was just one catch… the songs that he had on were the old pop songs like Aqua, Vengaboys etc… It was hilarious to listen to these songs after about a decade, since after high school to be a little more exact, although these songs used to be kind of a rage then. But along with the guffaws came a little bit of nostalgia tugging in, with all those rushes of school and college life flashing through the mind’ s eye.

What aroused my interest as I sat basking in all those wonderful memories was that, predominantly the really great times, the fun and frolic were the memories that kept fleeting through continuously. I would be lying if I said that I had only fun and no heartaches or negatives during those “growing up” years, but it took me twice the amount of energy and more brain cells than that to actually pull out any negative memories I had, and even then I could only pick out probably a couple. Phew, what a waste of energy, I say!!!

Later on, I sat wondering how only certain specific memories remain truly everlasting, and more times than ever, they are the happy moments, rather than the hurtful ones…I know some people may argue against this, choosing to say, that the negative memories can be the more predominant in the mind. I choose to believe it depends on the current state of mind of the individual. If the mind is positive or looking forward, the memories would reflect the same as one tends to draw positive energy from those, whereas, when the mind is looking back or in a slightly negative mode, every memory seems to reflect the same.

From a different way of looking at it, does Time also play a prominent role in this exercise? The Great Healer, maybe it tends to sift, polish and clean out the brain over the years, allowing us to actually look at the negatives in a more holistic view, then choose to either discard the negative memories as total idiocy and either discards it totally or throws it into the remote corners of the brain, where these memories lie dormant. Logically this seems possible…

All these are just fleeting thoughts tried to incorporate into a blog post, but the underlying takeaway for me is the awesome ability of the human brain to so wonderfully condition us human beings’ way of life using Time as the catalyst to ensure that our memories remain truly treasured. ’Nuff said??

We all grow up...Huh We do??? :-o

As always, while sifting through the loads of forwarded emails that I receive on a regular basis, I came across an article, which immediately struck a chord with my so-called business intellect. The article by itself was written pretty well, and the premise was highly noteworthy, although some of the illustrations weren’t really attuned to it. But this is not what I wanted to talk about.

I forwarded the article to some of my friends, and one of them pinged me and we got started talking about this article. As we started discussing this, I realized that it had been ages since we had actually spoken something different from the run-of-the-mill fun stuff. This friend is one of my “chuddy” buddies and we, although have shared several discussions, over the past few years haven’t really talked shop. Although by no means intentional, I believe that subconsciously, I liked getting away from the rigmarole of work and stuff and just hanging out and doing fun stuff with my close buddies, whenever I got the chance.

But today, when we did talk, it felt like I found that we both had reached a whole new plane. Both of us professionals in our own rights, we were sharing viewpoints, which made it a lot of fun (at least for me)!!! I then realized that we had actually grown up, although I hope we haven’t grown out of our child-like fun times.

But I then pose the question, “Was it just my own subconscious choice of not having such healthy discussion with my friends, or did I take it for granted that we’d never grow up and always be kids because we have grown up together? Oh, and is it just me, or do all of us go through this phase where realization dawns that as we actually mature each day our friends do too? ”

(I know the question is a bit muddled and far-fetched, but I am still figuring a way out to describe this state of mind :-P )

The written word (literally)

Back after a long hiatus from blogging!!

I was just ruminating a few days back- how many of us still continue to write letters? And by write, I mean hand-written, signed, sealed and mailed to the recipient. And how many of us still like to write, maintain and cherish our own personal diary?

In this digital era, most of us choose the email system, online messaging, or social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, leaving a quick comment or scrap. But does that really cover the essence, if you will, of the communication, I wonder. From a more mundane standpoint, has the online communication system enriched our ability to communicate across boundaries, or has it slowly but surely eroded our ability to actually meaningfully communicate, along with the decay of our basic writing skills?

I still remember the first letter I wrote after I left home, in 2003. The content wasn’t great, the grammar still remains to be validated, but the recipient (in this case, my mom) felt like a million bucks when she received it. I am a firm believer in the power of the hand written word, simply because I feel there is a heady mix of emotions, thought and grammar blended in to provide that perfect communication package.

But I feel the strong urge to ask this question. Our nxt gen gonna write and tlk ths way n we k wt it or aren’t we obliged to bequeath the utility, value and power of writing a meaningful letter, note or essay to posterity?

Hey Mediaperson, Let them RIP!!!

Something that's been gnawing at my mind for a while, but got me ruminating real hard ever since MJ's recent tragic demise. Why don't we let people RIP?

Michael Jackson is to music, what Sachin Tendulkar is to Cricket. He came and revolutionized Western music which seemed a little mundane(maybe?) after Elvis's death. This is arguably the best way to summarize Michael's contribution to his art. His personal life was marred by controversies, and while he was alive, Ok, a public figure, always in the media's eye, he got as much flak for it, as he got accolades for his music. But as soon as he passes on, the media picks up on all his personal life and starts producing and airing re-runs and re-runs of his personal issues, more than his musical genius. You get 30 mins of information on his drug habits, his court cases, what his worth is, his debt.... And then you get 10 min clips of his music, with the one summary quote from the reporter "no matter what his personal life, to us, hius music lives on". ell it does, if you keep airing more and more of his personal life, he'll be remembered as the guy who got hours of footage for having the worst personal life, rather than the man who made some of the greatest music ever!!! His personal life is exactly what it is, PERSONAL!!! Let go of that and concentrate on the better things...

And it's not just with celebrities that this happens. Even the common man isn't spared. The 26/11 Mumbai siege last 4 days for the people who were trapped in it and the people who were tragically killed in the mayhem. But the grief stricken family and friends were treated to a harsher fate, where they were not just forced to relive the catastrophe, but also had to view that on all the channels like it was this nightmare that wouldn't go away!!!! And all this while the media person makes a point of it saying, this would be the most traumatic period for the survivors, the family blah blah...!!! What is the media trying to do??

These are just a couple of recent activities that are snippets of how news media is being bound by the need to make whatever they dish out to the average viewer more cinematic and pot-boilerish!!! Commercialism zindabad!!! It's like News media is run by a clone of Elliot Carver from "Tomorrow never Dies" and being reported by the clone of Dick Thornburg of the "Die Hard Series". (people who've watched these movies know what I'm talking abt!!!)

A final plea to News Media, we trust you with giving us the News that's relevant, not the News that gives you TRP ratings. Give us the truth, but we trust you to make the choice of what we should remain ignorant about, so all of us always Live and Rest in Peace!!!!

Womanhood - An Enigma!!

On this day, I just felt the urge to write about one of the most wonderfully complicated beings on the face of this planet – Woman. One blog about Her would probably only serve as a snapshot of Her true value.

One of the greatest multi-taskers known to the human race, we tend to overlook the different roles she plays with seemingly consummate ease. She’s a little girl, a passionate lover, a devoted wife, a caring mother, a cook, a career woman, and many more, all at the same time if need be. How in the world does she manage to find the energy!!!

She can look as cool as an iceberg in the Arctic, while she’s trembling with fear or anxiety in her mind and heart. She prefers to carry herself like a feather in the wind (sometimes literally…ladies pursuing size zero…), while masking those nerves of steel that define her inner strength and beauty. She can talk for hours on most anything, and then suddenly clam up as if she’s got no idea what to talk about. She is smart, highly capable, and generally heavily misused or under-utilized. A being that truly commands respect, which we seldom are willing to grant!!

While waxing eloquent about this beautiful being, I cannot but help feel overwhelmed by the gross injustice doled out to her every day, especially in a country where we worship this being inside a temple. The same country which deifies Prosperity, Education and Righteousness in female form also commits atrocities on their own womenfolk. How ironic can life get!! I prefer not to replay what we end up talking about, hearing about and doing precious little about regarding the issue of injustice against women. I only plead this: “I don’t expect you to place Woman on a pedestal, glorify her nor do I expect you to bow your head before every Woman. I only hope that we will allow Woman to live with her head held high”.  We need more Indira Nooyi’s, Kiran Bedi’s, Medha Patkar’s, Sarojini Naidu’s, M.S Subbulakshmi’s, etc.( too many to list here so if someone’s missing, sorry!!!) to be able to not only lead by example but also provide us menfolk with the balance needed in our own lives!!!

But I have a small favor to ask of all womenfolk out there. Please, please help us understand you. I, for one, need some guidance. Enlighten us!!!

On this day, International Women’s Day, to all those Womenfolk who have illuminated my life and serve as a beacon for Womanhood – I SALUTE YOU!!

 

P.S: I know there should not be a day or occasion to talk about this beautiful creature, but hey I need an excuse to write a blog too!!!

Nostalgic Ads!!

I was just goofing off on youtube and yahoo videos, and ended up watching some of the old ads that were aired on TV. Some of them were so endearing, while some of them were just downright funny!! All of them had one quality though! They were highly attractive. These ads, I think, probably define the golden age of Indian Advertising!!  

I am taking the liberty of listing some of them down here, so anyone who shares the same feeling can enjoy remembering these times.

1.       Lifebuoy – The music was the big hit!! It was like probably the first hit song of Indian Advertising along with #2 below

2.       Nirma – Washing Powder Nirma……again, the most annoying of ads, but today, brings a smile to your face whenever you hear the music play.

3.       Cadbury’s – All of them, whether it was the original medley of people, girl dancing on the cricket field, to the Mehndi, blame it partly on these ads that converted me into this chocolate gorging machine…

4.       Nescafe – Pa Pa Da Pa Pa Da Dap…The taste that get’s you started up!!!... Coffee lover’s greatest hit!!!

5.       Titan Watches – Not a really great video, but the music was the anthem for a while (thanks to the Music director, Mr. A.R. Rehman)

6.       Bajaj Motors – Hamara Bajaj!!! Don’t know how many people chose Bajaj scooters over this, but the ad had a beautiful Indian touch to it!!

7.       Ericsson Mobile phone – the Ad which had the lady and the old guy, “join me for dinner?” scene!! Hilarious!!

8.       Fevicol – Another video masterpiece…

9.       Fevikwik – the fishing ad… pity the actor (older guy)… same guy who acted in the Ericsson ad, but always ends up with egg on his face!!!!

Chalo India Chalo- Times of India: The first ad that tugged at reality and responsibility!!!

A more recent one that really could become a masterpiece:

The Surf Excel ad with the Kids.. the one wherethe lil girl falls in a puddle and the boy teaches the puddle a lesson…OMG!! One of the cutest ads I’ve seen yet!!

In case I’ve missed any other masterpieces, lemme in on it….

Until next time….