Design Philosophy

A Psychological Tip
Whenever you’re called on to make up your mind,
and you’re hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma you’ll find,
is simply by spinning a penny.

No—not so that chance shall decide the affair
while you’re passively standing there moping,
but the moment the penny is up in the air,
you suddenly know what you’re hoping.
-Piet Hein (Danish designer, inventor, philosopher & poet)

The Book

I am agnostic; very confused about my religious inheritance and belonging. I go through these phases when I get all religious and pray twice a day and read the Bible. But lately these phases have been getting rarer and rarer. What I dont get is, what drives the religious? Is it an act of self preservation(Almost all religions preach salvation through adherence)? Is it their way of fitting in? Or is it just blind-faith? What is blind-faith then? Why do some have it while some dont? I wish I could get ready-made answers for these without having to think about it.

The past three days, I have had to attend sermons by a Bishop who is a childhood friend of my dad's. My dad has told me stories of how the Bishop knew where his inclination lay since childhood. He was apparently a man of ardent faith. He is a great man the Bishop. I had the opportunity to interact with him and found him to be a man who automatically commands respect. During one of the sermons, he talked about the Bible being one of the most influential books of his life. That made me think. And, the more I thought, I realised that the Bible has been a very influential book in my life too. When I was a kid, my mom used to make me internalise verses. Even now, in times of trouble and confusion, I tend to fall back on those verses. I wonder if that makes me non-agnostic. I dont know. To find out, I guess, I will just have to keep thinking.

If

.......
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
.......
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!
-Rudyard Kipling

My fav eight lines from the poem. This was recommended to me by someone who was once a very close friend. We parted quite bitterly and abruptly. These lines helped me through that episode. The written word can be so powerful. They can take you from the heights of happiness to the depths of depression through a single phrase.

I have just got back from church and its raining outside, making the internet my refuge. Its been an interesting weekend and I am sad to see it go.

Ozzie sojourn

My Oz experience was marked by an Amy Tannic discovery. Started off with the Joy Luck Club. I found it so good that I found it appropriate to give away as a wedding gift to my best friend. I still have to get myself a new copy though. I gave her my copy of Bread and Chocolate as well. It is again a very delightful book; a set of short stories by Phillipa Gregory. I have been unable to find a second copy for myself since. (Hmm... Note to self.. Must check for it in NJ..)

The next Amy Tan I bought was the Hundred Secret Senses. However in true bibliophilic spirit of gluttony I started it along with Rushdie's Midnight's Children and postponed completing either (Been two years now). I managed to finish her Saving Fish from Drowning on time, although I bought it much later. It was prolly because I was in GOC with nothing to do except squat mosquitoes!! I love Tan's simple prose and real people in almost real situations. Next on my list is The Kitchen God's Wife (100 Secret Senses pushed way down the list). But that will be only when I get back to dear old delhi. Till then its Bryson and Umberto Eco for me.

Globe trotting

Its been a while since I gave voice to my meandering mind, and here goes!!! I am currently travelling in the US, but reading a travelogue on Australia (Down Under by Bill Bryson). Recommended by mah friend R, I bought it along with a handful of other books during a recent sale in Delhi. Now in this distant land I sit and yearn for Oz. Oh those Ozzie days of my carefree youth!! How I wish to be young again. Sighh... Its like what Adam Sandler said in Big Daddy 'I drink a milkshake now and my ass shakes for a week!!' Bryson's managed to capture the minute eccentricities of Oz life so well... A must read for anyone even remotely interested in Australia...

My last trip to the US was marked by Amartya Sen (dont remember the book's name.. i gave it away eventually without completing it.. the man cant keep a reader!!... ) and Richard Branson (Losing My Virginity.. One helluva book.. you have to hand it to him.. the guy has guts and panache..) It was also marked by a lot of shopping (I had to buy a new bag altogether!!).. this time since i am opting to move into a better accommodation, I might end up being an impoverished trotter... saddd... so much for all those gadget dreams of mine.. oh noiee!!... I can see all those external hard drives take flight in my head.. Sighh... As Ned Kelly (famous Ozzie bushranger) said 'Such is life'!!!..

Retail Therapy

I have finally divested my cupboard of all those clothes I haven't bothered to wear for the past one year. My maid is sure going to be one smiling customer tomorrow!! Shopping definitely is a stress buster. The one time I could not shop was this winter in London. I had descended there overloaded and could not chuck most of the stuff because they were new!! True, I did manage to buy a winter coat and few other winter things (thermals dont count!!) but it still does not qualify as shopping.

It was at this point that 'The Devil Wears Prada' came to my rescue. Take this from me, if not actually shopping, reading about clothes helps satisfy the craving. The description of all the clothes was delicious. The book also made me realise this one thing that, even though we may criticise the fashion industry and laugh derisively at them, they do finally decide what we wear. All of it trickles down the fashion food chain!! Make no mistake about it!!

Retail therapy through a book about clothes is good but once in college (Ranchi) I tried to satisfy my food cravings with 'Chocolat'. Horrible, terrible idea it was!! Never never will I do that to myself ever again. Aack.

Fashionably thin!!

Man!! I had thought of such interesting stuff to write when I thought of that title. Its all evaporated now. Vanished into the land of lost memories. This is frustrating. Actually the title popped into my head after seeing this lady clad completely in white. She wasnt too thin or too fat. Not even just right. She was fashionably thin. It would be a strange compliment to give though. 'Hey... Your looking fashionably thin today!!'. Arghh.. Bah.. Stomp... All this obsession is only because I have piled on the kilos at home. With every bite, I used to be like 'I will stop at the next'. But there was no stopping. Just like a juggernaut, I kept plodding on, proudly consuming the calories. The battle of the bulge continues and I have brought the stink with me online.

So, the first thing I did today after feeding my car was to upgrade my gym membership to an annual one. I just hope I do justice to the money spent though. Maybe I should keep repeating the numbers in my sleep. It would help me wake up on time for it. Haha. Like money spent has ever been a motivator.

I finished the 'Nanny Diaries' today. It had started off as one of those cliched syrupy tales but ended up pretty good. As my friend Raven would call it, it actually has a tiny bit of heart in it. I also bought myself the Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith. I love his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Reading his books is like taking a leisurely walk through the park with a pleasant breeze blowing at you. This book has started promisingly. Hope it continues to be so. I finished 'Going Postal' while at home. I loved the book. I love the way Pratchett gets you so involved with his characters. They are all so quirky and animated. I for one, am always upset when a book of his gets over.

There are books however that I am glad to have finished reading. One such book was the 'Kite Runner'. And, I still have to decide whether I like the book or not. I have never taken so long to decide about a book.

On another note, its interesting how one can figure out subtle qualities about an author from his/her works of fiction. A case in point is Orhan Pamuk's 'My Name is Red'. This quality or attitude rather that I had noticed earlier was reflected again in his part memoir part travelogue 'Istanbul'. I think it will be a while before I pick up another Pamuk again.

A time to leave

Two weeks of lazy goodfornothingness coming to an end tomorrow. Sighh.. Home has always meant light fiction (read that as Archies, Tintins and the like). Here I tend to re-read things I read while I was at school. It goes with the whole 'home' theme. A favourite of mine is 'Captain's Island'. It is about a kid who gets to travel in the map he has made. I always end up day dreaming after reading it.

Tintin on the other hand is my inspiration to sketch. The first time I made an animation, I remember how the main character almost looked like Prof Calculus. And, I hadn't even used a reference. Nancy Drews, Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes are firm favourites too. Though they never led to much fascination for John Grisham and the like. Maybe also because most bestsellers these days read mostly like a screenplay than a book. Simple whodunnits are the best to enjoy a lazy afternoon with. Add a glass of cold lemon juice and a slice of chocolate cake, you have vacation heaven. What really endears these books to me are their sheer predictability.

Then there are the classics. The Austens and the Brontes and the Thomas Hardys. They are like old friends who kept you yearning for the great Victorian era. Tis a pity that I can't travel with all my books. My friend R did suggest an eBook tablet. Wonder how that would be. I wish they could make it smell like a book and make it possible to dog ear it. The possibility of having all my books with me all the time is certainly alluring. Hmm.. Should seriously look into this