random ramblings

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2007-01-14T22:40:00.000+08:00

http://coffeeisme.wordpress.com/

"Grease" banned from high school because of indecency

2006-10-16T12:38:00.000+08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/11/national/11fulton.html?ei=5088&en=6ff3
93ff4112b535&ex=1297314000&adxnnl=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=all
&adxnnlx=1160972903-ApnNLhD8seWSgieaKLY9PA

When i read this article, i thought "You have got to be kidding me", but it turns out its true. People in the small bible belt town of Fulton, Missouri objected to the immorality and the indecency that the high school play displayed. This is because a girl was wearing just a pajama top rather than a more modest nightgown. There were also scenes of kissing and kids drinking alcohol apparently.

I seriously can't believe it. Whats happening to the world? This is a high school play! I can fathom that parents might not want their kids to take part in plays that show kissing, drinking etc. - even thats being pretty conservative. But to take offense at this is absolute BS. Its okay if its done by Hollywood but not by a high school play? Whats the link? Isn't it the same kind of offense irrespective of who does it?

And why is it offensive? Isn't it simply showing what teenagers and high school kids do? Or is the depiction in O.C and every other American teenage/ high school show wrong? Kids seem to be drinking, smoking, having sex, doing dope - the works. So the rest of society just doesn't want it to be in their face? Out of sight, out of mind eh? These people don't give a crap that kids in their society are genuinely picking up bad habits and screwing up but see that in a show and its offensive. And the show actually "softened" language to suit the audience.

Art ruffles feathers. You have shows like Bodyworlds, nude paintings and statues and a gazillion movies and plays that are offensive to different types of people. If you don't like it, don't watch it.

PS: I got the lead from the show "Studio 60". Its a must watch and they seem to use real data.

2006-09-13T17:39:00.000+08:00

2 indians, an indian singaporean, a filipino, a russian, an italian and a brazilian - thats diversity for you

2006-09-13T17:36:00.000+08:00

Paradise is a 2 minute walk from our apartment

2006-09-13T17:35:00.000+08:00

Stockholm sunset

2006-09-13T17:34:00.000+08:00

The water is a brilliant blue

Toby Ziegler rocks!

2006-08-04T21:48:00.000+08:00

I love Toby Ziegler from the West Wing!

Dialogue: "What will Egypt think, what will Pakistan?" (on a speech by the US president going against Islamic fanaticism)

Reply: "That freedom and democracy is coming to a theatre near them, so get dressed"

:D

Another cool dialogue: "I dont remember having to explain to the Italians that our problem was with Mussolini, not with them. Why does the US have to take out every Islamic country for an ice-cream cone?"

Go Toby!

A Tribute to the Nokia 6230

2006-07-23T14:58:00.000+08:00

No sappy lines. No sentimental dialogues. A tribute to the Nokia 6230.

Do you like your job?

2006-07-07T12:23:00.001+08:00

No, this isn't an ad for a career advice page. Its a carry forward of the questions that Deepak asked last night.

Most of our gripes currently is that we need a job to pay our bills. So, in the last year of college you look for a job, any job. Some people do an elimination - they decide that they do not want a technical engineering career. Some others want a something specific like integrated circuits design. The rest are okay with pretty much anything.

So, you are one of those people who has settled on their passion and said "Look, this is also my career." But does the mundaneness and trauma of work life make it less of a passion? Think about it. You love your job but your colleagues are really dumb. Or you make really less. Or you just got passed over for a promotion. It could be any number of things that you value in a career that can down it for you.

Especially the paycheck. This is a world in which people discuss salaries routinely. Google paychecks, trading bonuses and consulting firm salaries are discussed all the freaking time. So if your passion cum career pays you less, is it really possible to say "Yeah, I don't care how much I get paid so long as I eke out a decent living coz I love my job". It ain't that easy.

But I guess the question to ask (as Deepak pointed out) is this - What would you be doing if you solved the money problem? Would you still be working at your current job?

India Win!

2006-07-03T06:47:00.000+08:00

India win the test series 1-0 in the West Indies! Finally, I get to see us win an overseas test match and test series!

Rahul Dravid - Man of the match, man of the series, captain, batsman, slip fielder and The Wall. Kudos!

Anil Kumble - who never ceases to amaze me with his commitment, grit and determination. He is always a winner.

Brian Lara - sore loser, complainer, whiner. Biggest Disappointment of the Series.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2006-06-26T18:33:00.000+08:00

One of people I have admired greatly is Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somalian asylum-seeker turned Dutch politician. My respect for her has been developed after reading several of her comments and her staunch opposition to fundamental islam. She has been one of the leading critics of Islam's treatment of women, a problem that seems to be receiving less attention because of terrorism.

Recently, she was forced to leave the Netherlands (finding refuge in America) apparently because she exaggerated her asylum claim. Just before this, she was ordered to vacate her house because her neighbours feared for their safety. She travels with three bodyguards at all times after the death of her close friend (and numerous death threats to her), Theo Van Gogh who made a provocative movie about women in Islam.

It seems to me that this is a rather frivolous charge on which she is being asked to leave the country. The Dutch don't seem to value her as a politician or as someone who hits out against fundamentalism. Considering that there aren't enough moderates raising their voice in fear or being prosecuted or whatever, this would seem like an extremely important function. Furthermore, Rotterdam is actually turning into a majority Muslim city and the Netherlands is attracting Muslim immigrants in herds. There has been a rise of politicians like Geert Wilders who seem to be openly racist towards all Muslims. Wouldn't it make more sense to keep such a person in your country to promote some sort of debate about Islamic immigrants and their place?

Home or something like it

2006-06-11T19:27:00.000+08:00

Its been a while since I've come back to Hyderabad, my hometown for over 21 years. However, this time doesn't feel different. After spending several years in Singapore, there was an anticipation, an excitement every time I returned home. The fingers didn't tickle this time though. And neither did the heart beat any faster. The familiar sight of my mother at the airport was not there either.

The concept of a home has always been important to me. Singapore, for all its greatness could never rival home was the saying. How can it match the vibrancy, the wonderful hues and the bundle of contradictions that is India? Singapore is just the same old. I realised today that I miss the same old.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I drove to the theatres today. As I was avoiding the buffaloes on the road (a scene right out of hyderabad blues) it struck me that this is why I love India. Buffaloes don't move even after incessant horn blowing. I'm guessing they take their cues from the people. The road has been half repaired - I'm assuming the government decided that people didn't use the other half afterall. A Tata Indigo driver hit another Tata Indigo (while it was parked) and calmly drove away.

I do think a great thing though is that you can spend an entire half hour in this city (country possibly) without seeing someone wear a hot pink t-shirt.

In permanent debating withdrawal

2006-06-10T01:01:00.000+08:00

I need to debate! How stupid was I to pull out of Australs this time? Damn.

AUDC Debrief

2006-05-29T13:49:00.000+08:00

So, its finally over. The anticipation, the excitement and the nervousness. How would my last competitive debating tournament for NTU be? Apparently, there is no straight answer. I have to say that its the best trip I have ever been on though.

Lets start off with the good shall we?

- James’ house, yellow and purple walls
- Pastries in the car from Clark to Manila, they were awesome
- Roller blading with James’ brother (and not landing on my ass even once!)
- Yves and his pekpek shorts
- Pancake house, truly the best taco in town and they serve some mean waffles as well
- Dairy Queen’s Tropical mango fruit passion milkshake – to die for
- Lazy boy (remember joey and chandler’s arm chairs in Friends?) theatres, so wish I could have seen a movie in one!
- San Miguel beer – almost up there with Erdinger and Rugenbrau
- The city of Intramuros, beautiful and ancient
- UST, absolutely loved the view from the top of the sports podium
- Ginataang lang ka and veggie filipino dishes

Dont’s

- Don’t ever call iced-tea a “chick drink”. It’s the unofficial national drink of the Philippines and you will never hear the end of it.
- Don’t sing at a karaoke bar if you are a sucky singer. You could get killed. (not that it stops the filipinos)
- Don’t ever tell a bunch of girls that you will kick their ass at arcade games. Women play arcade games in the Philippines and you will end up embarassing yourself.

Debating stuff

- Breaking as NTU B. 10th place was not too bad for a team without Baldie, our inspirational captain and team mate last year
- Better ofcourse was meeting NTU A in the octos. Wishing I had broken anywhere except 10th so that I would not have met them
- Losing my last competitive debate for NTU to NTU A. Absolutely hated that.
- Apparently I was best speaker of the debate against NTU A. Consolation prize is a bitch
- Becoming CA for the next AUDC
- Debating with Aqilah – the most committed and sincere debater I have seen after NMK. I hope she achieves greatness one day
- Doing wonderful debates against UPM B and Ateneo B. Lost both rounds but they were the ones I enjoyed the most.
- Chrys a.k.a Bogit’s speech during the 4th round of AUDC (UPM B), truly great speech
- Reply speeches. I love ‘em.
- Getting an average of above 76 for the tournament.
- Watching PUT A, Bobby, Carl and Franco give some amazing speeches during the UST IV’s

Latest Song Addictions

2006-04-23T01:10:00.000+08:00

Now, I'm usually not the kind of person who likes to listen to songs on loop - over and over and over again. But lately (past 2 months), a lot of songs have got my attention and seem to occupy a permanent state on my playlist.

These are:

1) Aqualung - Brighter than sunshine (this comes first since I'm listening to it right now)

2) Joe strummer & the Mescaleros -mondo bongo (theme from mr and mrs smith,the latin song that jolie and pitt dance to in the very beginning)

3) Roobaroo - from Rang de Basanti - a brilliant song to get up to. especially when you need to get studying for an exam.

4) Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow (One of their most famous songs, I thinks)

5) Tegan and Sara - Fix you up (Chewie says it sounds a little lesbian; maybe it is but it makes for good listening)

6) Interpol - Antics (Evil)

7) Thirteen Senses - Into the Fire

8) Keane - Somewhere only we know

Thats it for now. Do check these out if you get the chance.

2006-04-08T19:55:00.000+08:00

The Interlaken Lake - from the Swiss Trip in Jan

My top 5 jobs

2006-03-23T18:36:00.001+08:00

The jobhunt's almost complete; There is just a month left to get through what will hopefully be my last set of exams for a while..So here are the top 5 places/positions I want to work.

5. Pilot, Indian air force
This is a boyhood special. Almost every guy I know wanted to be a pilot as a kid. This career was cut short when it was discovered that I needed glasses. No 6/6. I like the idea of working in the armed forces though. Its a life of honour where most people in Indian society respect you. Booze at subsidized rates from their canteens is the icing on the cake.

4. Business Analyst, Shell Gas and Power (LNG)
A job that was mine for about 5 minutes until it was cruelly taken away. The energy industry fascinates me, the LNG business is about to take off, I'm really impressed with Shell as a company.

3. Op-Ed Writer/ Cricket Columnist
I don't know how well this pays but I sure like it. It would be great to be writing a daily column commenting on daily news or events. It would probably be better to comment on cricketing news - who won, who lost, who capitulated, who sucked. (Sorry, still reeling from India's defeat to England).

2. Lawyer
I'm not sure what kind of lawyer since I'm more interested in social policy. This sort of stuff falls more into the domain of politician I think. It would be great to understand and evaluate a society's ideals and frame laws based on this. Is this really lawyering? I'd love to study for a law degree though.

1. Starbucks Store Manager/ Store planner
Love Coffee. Love the Starbucks service. Love the Starbucks brand. This job would be brilliant. Imagine working in a place that has the wonderful aroma of coffee all the time.

VVS doesn't make the cut

2006-03-10T13:59:00.000+08:00

For a while now, VVS Laxman has been one of the surety's of the Indian cricket team with his name in the batting line up coming only after Dravid and Sachin. Its pretty sad therefore to see him being axed in favour of an extra bowler for the second test match against England.

In reality though, Yuvraj was considered a better bet than him in the 5 man batting order bolstered by Dhoni and Pathan. But whatever Yuvraj, Sehwag or Jaffer are they just cannot match VVS Laxman. As recently as last December, he won India a test match against Sri Lanka. His average against Australia, the best team in recent memory is 53.02 as compared to his average against all teams which is at 43. Which Indian fan can forget his 281 in Eden Gardens or his 154 on a pacy wicket against the Australians as an opener? An attack boasting Mc Grath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillispie (in his prime) and Shane Warne conceded that they did not know where to bown to him and nicknamed him Very Very Special Laxman.

This isn't a debate about statistics though. Its pretty simple to take these selectively and say that in the last couple of years he has struggled. Or make the argument that he is better than Sehwag or Yuvraj. Dravid once countered a reporter criticising Sehwag's form that he was the kind of guy who went through a dry run and then hit a big one to compensate. I wonder why the same kind of logic doesn't apply to one of the true class acts in the Indian team after Tendulkar.

This might just be biased support for a fellow Hyderabadi. But one Laxman gone cannot be replaced with Sehwag, Jaffer and Yuvraj put together.

Cricket commentary

2006-02-13T19:10:00.000+08:00

I've been fortunate enough to watch most matches of the recent Indo-Pak cricket series and the quality of the commentary has been apalling. Commentators today not only resort to pathetic cliches to describe the proceedings but quite a few of them can't even construct an English sentence. People like Waqar Younis (no questioning his skill as a cricketer) need truckloads of help with simple English pronounciation. "Thats an excellent shot" becomes "Thats an aiixcellent shot" with excellent being repeated several times over. Rameez Raja and Arun Lal are better but still leave a lot to be desired. They specialise in stating the obvious and their commentary is spattered with oodles of cricketing cliches. "When Afridi hits it, it stays hit", "That went like a tracer buller to the boundary".

Whatever happened to the days of Harsha Bhogle and Geoff Boycott? Even Navjot Sidhu is better compared to these buffoons. You don't need keen cricketing acumen (it helps, though) to commentate. An ability to speak English well is good enough.

Rang de Basanti: "A generation awakens"

2006-02-02T01:02:00.000+08:00

The slogan of the movie sets high targets. It doesn't live up to it in any sense of the word.Don't get me wrong, it was a pretty interesting movie. And not a bad one to watch. It definitely isn't the awakening of a generation.

Why?

The message of the movie is that if you are disillusioned with the "system" in India then killing a politician is the solution. Please do not even try to change it by running for elections or trying any other measures (Ayitha Ezhuthu/Yuva is about winning a seat in parliament to combat politicians gone bad). Do get a gun and shoot the guy responsible. And ensure you get caught so that you can make a political statement of the kind that Bhagat Singh and the revolutionaries did (British rule is analogous, stupid!)

I hate the movie for this message. How is it supposed to be inspiring young people if murdering people is the only solution to end corruption? It doesn't ask the youth to emulate role models like Kiran Bedi or the scores of people using legitimate methods.
It legitimizes people taking the law into their own hands (Yeah, people do this sometimes eg: vigilante justice in America).

Are the stupid people going to take this movie's message and start murdering politicians?
Maybe...maybe not. (The kid jumping off a roof thinking he can fly like Shaktimaan is can't be a good sign though).

But the "colour of patriotism (Rang de Basanti)" is certainly not about murder.

This is unbelievable!

2006-01-08T12:08:00.000+08:00

I've been planning to take up a law degree and this is an interesting coincidence. I actually guarded against options in the test that point obviously to a certain degree so this is pretty phenomenal.

You Should Get a JD (Juris Doctor)

You're logical, driven, and ruthless.You'd make a mighty fine lawyer.

What Advanced Degree Should You Get?

Really, the death of all reason.

2005-12-03T01:54:00.000+08:00

I am really tired of all the abuse that Singapore is drawing over the execution of Van Nguyen. (see article)
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/the-death-of-reason/2005/12/02/1133422106383.html

Apparently, the death penalty for drug crimes is a return to medieval standards of justice and is not in line with Singapore's pretext as being a first world economy. Oh really? Lets talk about Guantanamo Bay in the US then. And Bush's blocking of the torture bill. Or about Britain's equivalent of G.Bay in Birmingham prison. Or about Australia condeming a bunch of Afghan refugees to certain death by not allowing them into Australia under the guise of national security.

Firstly, the dude was carrying half a kg of heroin (400gms for the pedantic). Im not a fan of the death penalty but you need to respect the laws of the country you are in irrespective of whether its the airport or the actual city.

Another article goes as far to suggest that Singapore is executing him because apparently we dont like the "Arrogant Aussie style". The arrogant Aussies need to re-learn a word they know well. Its called Sovereignty. The same word they used as an excuse to refuse the Tampa refugees.

Sex, tennis players and the Indian media

2005-11-19T13:45:00.000+08:00

Sania Mirza recently went on record in the media saying that premarital sex is an unforgiveable sin according to Islam. There are reports saying that Islamic clerics issued a "fatwa" objecting to her wearing a short skirt.

http://in.rediff.com/news/2005/nov/18sania.htm

Firstly, she's a tennis player. People should be watching her play tennis and not the length of her skirt.

Second, don't use religion to lend credulity to ridiculous opinions.

Third, stop hyping this up.

Its not enough that sex in India has such weird connotations (depending upon the place you come from) that its quite impossible to have a rational opinion about it. This kind of useless sensationalism only makes it harder to come to terms with.

New Blog!

2005-08-24T12:58:00.000+08:00

Yes, after a month of inactivity on my present blog I have made the decision to create another one. It will mainly contain good articles I come across or receive through email, though I do plan to put the odd analysis piece in.

http://thethoughtcrime.blogspot.com/

Brisbane Australs '05 - A Review

2005-07-23T01:46:00.000+08:00

After a lot of insinuations that I've been lazing around at home, here's a post reviewing that Australs. This was a tournament that I had been waiting for. And of course I fell extremely sick before it. But alls well that ends well and I was in Brisbane (apparently, colder climate in Australia cures pneumonia).

The Good
1) Well, turns out there wasnt much good in the tournament afterall, debating wise atleast. We did go to Australia on an all expenses paid trip.
2) Chewie and Shaun staying just 2 floors above. (interpret as: Amazing company and good food all the time)
3) Australian fresh strawberries, Yum!
4) Australian aboriginal art - didgeridoos, paintings, boomerangs et all.

The Bad
1) Food - I'm amazed by the amount of bread Australians eat. (People at the tournament will remember me going "I want rice!")

The Ugly
1) Pathetic Adjudication
2) Did i mention the pathetic Adjudication?
3) We didn't break (Result of numbers 1 & 2)

The Australs "experience" was overhyped to me. I got the impression that a break and a good showing there is something to be proud of both as a team and as a speaker. But it isn't I think (Ofcourse this can be dismissed as sour grapes, but I hope people don't do that). Its a bunch of quite mediocre teams with dodgy claims to fame. A handful of teams and adjudicators are definitely very good but the overall standard of this particular tournament atleast was apalling. I would take the Asians anytime.

This obviously means that I will try and come back to the Australs next year and make sure that I break and beat the mediocre teams even with the pathetic adjudication.

In Brisbane!

2005-07-02T08:31:00.000+08:00

Been here for a day already. Nice city, seems more like a town. You can call me on my mobile at 0061-415867459. Debates start on monday so we're having fun doing touristy things. Today we are off to the Sunshine Coast.

Sonia Faleiro, India's most stupid and Amit Verma

2005-06-25T14:53:00.000+08:00

Click here for a hilarious story http://soniafaleiro.blogspot.com/2005/06/indias-most-stupid.html. Now you know that grass is easily available in Bangalore.

Turns out Sonia Faleiro is a well known Indian journalist. She writes for the Indian Express and interviews quite a few of India's best and the worst. Check out her blog "Colour of Water".

Another addition to the blog list is "India Uncut" by Amit Verma. I vaguely recall the name (hmm, mebbe from his columns in Cricinfo) and his blog too has some excellent writing.

The Landmark Forum: it teaches you what you didnt know you didnt know

2005-06-23T10:22:00.001+08:00

This particular course seems to have generated a lot of discussion on Divya's blog (http://www.nimbupani.com/) and there is a huge post on it at Soldier's blog (http://chaoticthots.blogspot.com/, I dont know who this is btw!). After reading through the post and the comments I'm intrigued. In this post I am not going to look at every aspect of the forum which has generated the discussion but specifically what Divya says it does.

Disclaimer
Now, I have never spoken to Landmark employees about my problems with their course and my knowledge of the course only comes from the blog post and its comments. However, I have attended a course on self actualization (or self help or whatever it maybe, semantics not important here) by one Swami Sukhabodananda in India. I attended this course simply for the experience i.e. with no expectations or predispositions as to what it can do. And i thinki would attend the Landmark Forum (money permitting, i'm still a lowly undergrad!) simply for that reason - just a new experience which has the potential of being helpful.

My understanding of what the landmark forum teaches you
Mainly from Divya's comments, the forum tells you what you did not know you didnt know about life. (Yeah, that sounds slightly complicated). Let me instead paste the part of Divya's comment which is relevant.

"Landmark is precisely not a self help course. Self Help course starts from what you know you dont know (for e.g. you know you cant do Karate kicks). And from what you dont know, using those self help books you try to "know" them (by reading "Karate for dummies"). If only you could do that, all of those who read those self-help books (like Getting Things Done) would have stopped procastinating and would have gotten into action. But why do they not help? The first thing Landmark Forum Leader talks in an introduction is, NOBODY NEEDS LANDMARK FORUM. It is not a faith or a cult or a drug that is required for salvation. It is simply a disucssion to provide a new angle to your life that you have never seen before. And you wont understand it precisely because you dont think there can be any new angle to your life! "

My opinion
I have a few questions:

1) Can another person tell you what the new angle to your life is?

2) Can this new angle be the same or atleast thematically similar to the 900 odd people (or whatever the number, again semantics dont matter) sitting in the room?

3) Do people really want to know the new angle?

Each question merits some explanation.

Question 1
I am of the opinion that its quite difficult for a third party to really tell you whats wrong with your life or what you need to do to make it better. This sounds too much like what a shrink does and even he/she needs to spend time with you to know your life inside out to make suggestions, doesn't he? This ofcourse might be just me being a skeptic. But the question needs to be asked.

Question 2
Here comes my biggest problem with the "new angle" and teaching you "what you didnt know you know" idea. I dont think that a new angle to life can be common to a group of people. And i am assuming here that there is not much one on one interchange, that the lecture or philosophy is common to all the participants which seems to be the case with halls being rented out for the seminars etc. How can this new angle be common to so many people? Especially people from different backgrounds, different social status and particularly different goals in life. Even if this angle is a general philiosophy or approach to life i do not believe that it can be common. There are different obstacles that each individual either puts up himself or faces through the course of his life. The kind of disparity over here is just too immense to be dealt with by a general "technology".

Question 3
This is a particularly pertinent question because of the mixed reactions that participants of the forum seem to display. I believe that sometimes we refuse to acknowledge certain things simply because we dont want to deal with them. The reasons for these are manifold; it might be because we dont want to acknowledge their existence or because we are scared we might not be able to deal with them. But whatever the reason ultimately, its about a personal choice we make as to whether we want to face a certain problem or not. Ofcourse i submit that in the spirit of honesty, openness and maybe even a desire to improve we need to acknowledge certain obstacles that we ourselves might have created for our success. Its also probably the healthy thing to do.

But I would humbly submit that the reason a few people face such mental turmoil after the forum is because they didnt believe that they could deal with those problems in the first place. Its also arguable that that very fear is a more important thing to conquer which the forum doesnt seem to accomplish and doesnt claim to either. The thing is its very difficult for these people to realise where their real fear stems from and the forum by bringing out all the obstacles only makes it worse for these people. Therefore I believe that the forum is only for a certain set of people.

To round off, I still believe that the forum can be good. Not only because several participants swear by it but simply because i do not wish to dismiss it on personal prejudice or expectations. I also agree that most people dont NEED the forum so i would submit that to base it on need is not the best way to decide. But i do have problems with the expectations that the marketing of the forum generates. If you go in expecting to reach the moon and they only manage a tree top its still a big fall. I would submit that its best to go for these things with no expectations and an open mind. Which ofcourse is difficult when they charge 750$ for it.

The five people you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

2005-06-20T14:40:00.001+08:00

I bought this book on a whim. I usually never buy books unless I've read them and really like them or if they come highly recommended by a friend. Gotta live on a student's budget. But something about the story really drew me to the book and I ended up buying it.

I really liked the book. It doesnt attempt to lecture or preach, it merely tells a story. A story of Eddie, a 83 year old man who dies and then goes to heaven. He meets five people there from his life, who try and explain Eddie's life to him.
This is a very interesting idea. Heaven is not a mysterious place where there are lush meadows and where you have a rendezvous with God. Its just a place where your life is explained. This seems relatively straightforward but I think most people would love to know why a certain event in their life took place. Self pity bouts are always about "Why, me?" kinda questions.

Its a very unassuming book. It can get cliched at times but the writing style encourages you not to dismiss or ridicule these cliches. Definitely a book to treasure.

The End of IA

2005-06-19T12:16:00.000+08:00

And its over! Finally. The five and a half month internship. No need to wake up at 7am everyday. No need to make an hour and 15 minute journey to Novena. No need to stare at the green tiles of the Novena mrt station and wonder why on earth would someone put green tiles on an mrt station.
I'll miss the coffee and curry puff from Hans though. After a while i just had to walk in there and my breakfast would be handed to me with cries of Good morning and huge smiles. It pays to be a regular customer.
Anyway, heres to two weeks of freedom before the australs!

Batman Begins: A review

2005-06-17T02:38:00.000+08:00

Caught the sneak preview at JP yesterday. Its probably the best of the batman movies and by far the one thats true to the comic book (or so im told). The basic plot has issues though. It tries to make a fantasy seem real. I mean Batman is, for all practical purposes a fantasy. So when they talk about microwave whatevers which can vaporise all water and amazing fibre which can make batman fly, it seems far fetched. I would rather they just make it fantasy, dont try and explain the batmobile or any of the other things. The league of shadows was also another interesting aspect. A mysterious force of a few men that destroys cities once they are corrupt and full of crime is again slightly hard to take in.

The movie is entertaining though. Its got the basic elements and if youre a DC comics fan then the movie is a must watch. Christian Bale is a good actor and does justice to his role. Katie Holmes is a token love interest and doesnt do much in the film. Alfred, played by Michael Caine also turns in an impressive performance. So overall, not a bad movie to watch but if you dont have the cash you wouldnt be missing much.

Asian Universities Debating Championships

2005-06-10T16:48:00.000+08:00

As with every debating tournament, this shall be reviewed as well.

The Good

1) Breaking Second as NTU B with a win loss tally of 6-1

2) Living up to the break and reaching the Grand Finals

3) Receiving my first best speaker award for the Grand Finals, beating Jess Lopez - best speaker at this tournament and the previous Asians

4) Beating UPD A (undefeated filipino national champions, worlds 2005 quarter finalists) twice, in the 7th round and in the Octo Finals

5) Most amazing tab system with fairest adjudication received

The Bad

1) No rest days for the tournament which meant no sleep and minimum celebration

2) Nervous breakdowns after each break round

The Ugly

1) Losing the Grand Finals to Ateneo A on a split decision 5-2

2) Losing Round 3 by a narrow margin to IIU - B

3) Lugging 30-40kg suitcases up 7 floors in my job capacity as Hall representative for the tournament

Racially Aggravated Crimes: Call for Analysis

2005-05-16T12:25:00.000+08:00

I'm pretty sure I can find some analysis on the issue if i google enough but I'd like to pick the brains of the eminent(cough) personalities visiting this blog.

Okay, Racially aggravated crimes are crimes which are motivated partially or wholly due to race issues. They are treated as more serious than similar crimes which are not racially motivated and criminals are therefore given harsher punishments. This is case law in the UK.

Considering that this is a distinction and an exception to "equality under the law" rule, is there enough justification for the same? Furthermore, why is equality under the law such an important principle? Especially since we live in a society rife with distinctions?

Expanding from here, is it good to have such distinctions in law where the enormous public interest value is taken into account? Should celebrities, for example be given harsher punishments due to their role model status and the extensive media coverage such trials receive?

Companies and Impressions

2005-05-11T09:36:00.000+08:00

Being a third year undergraduate student on internship I come into contact with several corporate types everyday. Although this is usually on the lift to work (23rd floor) where I am making fun of their atrocious attire (pink is NOT a formal colour!), I sometimes google the companies to find out a little more about them. I'm surprised at the range of attitudes of different companies which reflects in their website (check the faq's, really gives you an idea).
Some of them actively solicit future employees. Others are brash. Others are extremely humble.

A study in contrast are PWC and AP Moller's (Maersk) websites. While PWC is good, although theyre huge they make a genuine effort to answer queries. (FAQ: Since PWC is so huge will I just be an insignificant player?) . AP Moller meanwhile says that after their two year training program its possible you might not even get managerial responsibility. They talk about long hours and a corporate culture of facing "brutal facts". PWC talks about an active social life and sports events.

Not so long ago I was looking for an internship for 6 weeks in the period of June-July. I called up several companies to find out if they can accomodate me since summer internships usually last 10-12 weeks. The responses of certain companies can only be characterised as "nice". I spoke to HR of Deutsche Bank (DB) and DBS in Singapore. DB was great, they said they realised that third year undergrads are on internship and they tried to accomodate them but due to rotation issues here they just couldnt. They were also straightforward and asked me not to apply. DBS went a step further and said they could accomodate me for 6 weeks so could I please submit my resume.

The others were not so great particularly Goldman Sachs and Lehmann Brothers. Goldman Sachs replied saying that they dont take calls unless I know who I want to talk to. I said I have a genuine query and am not a madman (who does that anyway?). I was asked to leave my query on voicemail and if someone picks it up and is not busy then theyll try to get back. They didn't.
Lehmann Brothers said their summer internships were closed although their website clearly stated that it was open. When I asked about this they said "Sorry, internships are closed". Not once but twice. Basic Tip: maybe you should update your website then.

Inconsistencies in Law

2005-04-29T16:28:00.000+08:00

“By recognizing variation in the law, we are accepting the idea that no one rule can be thought of as ‘natural’. The law is seen as an imposed order, a response to political and social tradition and not something sent from heaven. The law can change; the law can vary from place to place. And in those changes and variations, the law, like any social product, reflects the persistent conflicts and contradictions within society.

There is a tension between our common desire that the law be uniform and certain and our wish that it somehow meet the needs of justice in the individual case. There are conflicting roles of judges, the decision-making elite in a democratic society. Should judges conform to popular sentiment? Should judges somehow watch for the welfare of those who come before them? Should they assist the ignorant, or just apply disinterestedly the machinery of the law?

There are differing concepts of duties to the parties of a lawsuit. Should they be forced to aid each other in some kind of higher service to the truth, or were the plaintiff and defendant independent gladiators, going at each other with no holds barred? What is the community’s stake in the just resolution of disputes? How much does the idea of a right require an individual to enforce it on his own?”

-Excerpt from "One L" by Scott Turow

Google's take on FAQ's

2005-04-06T14:39:00.000+08:00

http://www.google.com/googlegulp/faq.html#1\

This is Google's FAQ page for their new drink - Googlegulp. Don't tell me you haven't heard of this!

New Technology

2005-04-06T14:09:00.000+08:00

Sitting here in Temasek Poly on a 5 year old Windows NT computer has made me realise how important it is to have a fast computer. And why people with faster computers can't be the only ones buying my company's software? Right opposite is a lab with 21inch plasma screens. While I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs on an excruciatingly slow computer. This, after working on an AMD Opteron(64 bit) dual processor system with 2gig ram. Bloody Hell.

Rwanda

2005-03-23T14:30:00.000+08:00

Hotel Rwanda got me started on the subject of the Rwandan genocide all over again. The movie is well made and is a personal story of a man who saved the lives of more than 1200 people (tutsis and moderate hutus) during the genocide. It is very easy to get carried away by the shock value that photos of mounds of dead bodies generate. Infact most news that comes out of Africa today refers to clashes and tells us of the number of people dead with more horrifying pictures. We arent usually exposed to the analysis - historical, ethnic and psychological as to why the clashes occurred. But Hotel Rwanda manages to tell a gripping story of the man(Paul Rusesabeguna) himself and how he managed to keep these people alive.

The book "Season of Blood" by Fergal Keane is another personal story of a journalist with the BBC who ventured into the country immediately after the genocide. The author tells us of a situation in the BBC radio station in Johannesburg where the subject of Central Africa comes up. He makes a statement about the increasing danger of a catastrophe in the region. Another correspondent wondered aloud why they should care about disputes in obscure countries. He answers with the following line.

"We should care because we belong to the same brotherhood of man as the citizens of seemingly remote African countries. It is not a political reason and some may call it naive. That is their prerogative. For me, however, the conclusion is unavoidable: genocidal killing in Africa diminishes all of us"

This is exactly the way I feel about genocide. Toothless international organizations like the UN and the rest of the world (France, US and the rest of the western world) are co-conspirators of this genocide. France, directly since they supported the hutu extremists and supplemented their machetes with guns and ammunition and supplies. If we are only going to wait and watch while these tragedies unfold before us then we are as guilty as the machete wielding Interahamwe (the Hutu extremist army). This is happening again in Sudan. All the UN report says is that it isnt genocide. Like that gives them the moral high ground to not do anything. Does it really matter whether thousands of people being killed amounts to genocide or not for the international community to act? Lets remember the 1million people of Rwanda. Yes, 1 million. They didnt give their lives for nothing.

Ash on Letterman

2005-03-18T15:02:00.000+08:00

Yes, the one and only Aishwarya Rai was on the late show with David Letterman. And man she looked as good as ever. I saw a small clip of the show (doing the rounds on the NTU network) and its quite enjoyable. Miss Rai tries her best to appeal to the American audience by acting like a dumb blonde but cant keep it up for long much like her films. There are a few fun bits

Letterman: So, you live with your parents?
Ash: Yeah
Letterman: Tell me, is it normal for older kids to live with their parents in India?
Ash: Yeah, its fine to live with your parents. Thats because we dont believe in taking appointments to meet our parents for dinner.

Letterman(modelling question): So were you picked up (as in spotted for modelling talent)as a young girl?
Ash: Ye(stops midway) gives The Look

Another bit(talking about Ash's career in films and how she got there)
Letterman:
Ash:
(Awkward pause)
Ash: So, how did you get to doing this?
Letterman: Well, the other guy was sick one day
Ash (cuts him off and says): and you were smooth and...

The Algebra of Infinite Justice

2005-03-14T13:39:00.000+08:00

by Arundhati Roy. This book came highly recommended which is the only reason I picked it up after the fiasco with The God of Small Things. I've held the opinion that Roy is quite opportunistic for her role in the Narmada Bachao Andholan (Save the Narmada campaign) but I cannot recall the source of this opinion nor the reasons.

This book makes me want to go "Ohh myyy Gaaawd" like Janice from Friends. The foreword (by John Berger) claims that the book is well argued. Right. Not unless he thinks empty rhetoric and an illogical rant constitutes an argument. Here's an excerpt from her first essay where she laments the fact that India has gone nuclear.

"Our cities and forests, our fields and villages will burn for days. Rivers will turn to poison. The air will become fire. The wind will spread the flames. When everything there is to burn has been burned and the fires die, the smoke will rise and shut out the sun. The earth will be enveloped in darkness. There will be no day. Only interminable night. Temperatures will drop to far below zero and nuclear winter will set in. Water will turn into toxic ice. Radioactive fallout will seep through the earth and contaminate ground water. Most living things, animal and vegetable, fish and fowl will die. Only rats and cockroaches will breed and multiply and compete with foraging, relict humans for what little food there is."

Jeez. All I ask for is a little logic.

To Endless Boredom

2005-03-14T13:31:00.000+08:00

Thankfully I have internet access at work. Not too much work. So i've decided to restart my blog. Keep watching this space.