Utopia vs Dystopia

The world we live in is the world we acquire through our five sensibilities. This shapes our world view. While keeping one foot firmly in 'our' world, we tend to stretch and see the worlds beyond. The worlds that exist in the media, Internet or even a tourist brochure. The other world is always tempting and alluring. It is clean and beautiful and it is replete with limitless possibilities. 

The advertisement /marketing industry has constantly exploited this yearning in human beings. A close examination of the images projected through the media bears an example to this. This kind of representation is stronger when it comes to the portrayal of real estate deals e.g A new township or a new apartment. It also resonates in ads related to detergents and dental products. 

There are pockets in our world where everything resembles an utopia. They are rare and mostly inaccessible to the ordinary. In the world of words ( Literature) the perfect world is named as Utopia after the title of the novel by the same name by Thomas More in 1516. The world utopia itself has undergone many transitions during the course of human evolution. From a literary concept it became a social phenomenon. 

For many centuries this 'fragment of imagination' drove the world in search of a panacea to the universal maladies. The direct off shoot of this is the branch of philosophy is titled Utopian socialism. The communist manifesto is an another attempt to define a perfect world. There were attempts to create a perfect world of fun and frolic in the form of theme parks and amusement centers. The french cultural studies critic Jean Baudrillard names this as simulacra or hyper real. He was also aware of the influence of the influence of the visual media on human minds. The Disney theme park serves a world of escapism. In a larger understanding of the word, it resembles the definition of art where the artist draws the audience into a world where they live for a momentary span of time. 

Off lately I watched a classic by Clint Eastwood titled - A perfect world. The movie is about the relationship between an outlaw and his 10 year old hostage. This where the heart of the movie lies. It is also a perfect example of the dystopia (outlaw) co existing with the so called utopia ( kid). Roger Ebert examines the movie and finds the perfect one-liner to describe this relationship - The child is the father of the man.  The two worlds spills over to the other and sometimes we feel that in the climax the roles are reversed. 

Just like the beauty and the beast syndrome sometimes it is essential to have the co existence of the dystopian and utopian world views in our lives.

The New World Order - The Rise of the Unrisen

This blog is based on the recent events that happened on our planet. The events put together can be said as the foundation for a new world order which is augmented by technology and youth power. As I prepare this blog London is burning. The killing of a teenager has triggered wide spread violence and looting in many parts of the UK. The BBC and CNN were busy blabbering about the Arab Spring and the tremors felt in the middle east are now preoccupied by the stories of decadence and ruin in their own land. The point that they missed is the changing mindset of the youth irrespective of their country of origin. The elderly generation knew the value of patience but the youth of today are more pressing when it comes to needs. They need instant gratification and quick answers. The Met police in UK is dealing with a mob who wants an on the spot verdict on the teenager's death. So on one side we have the socially sensitized young citizens who can see through the flimsy tricks of the politicians and emperors. They are net savvy and use technology as a medium to socially sensitize and mobilize others in their own country and even abroad. On the other side we see the rise of the voiceless. This group were living on the seams of a metropolis and now they are striking back. They are socially ostracized and they live in the lower rungs of the social ladder. They don’t want to live as ordinary anymore they aspire for an extraordinary life. 

The economy plays a large role in this new world order. The recession ghost is back and many are rendered jobless leading to more social instability. There is also the threat of money accumulating in certain individuals. The governments are rendered helpless. The myth that America will triumph forever has disintegrated. 

There are also threats posed by the indigenous people of Europe and in other parts of the world. What happened Oslo is based on this feeling. The same can be said about the middle east where the Arabs are demanding more representation - words like Omanization, Kuwaitisation, Saudisization are quite common in todays world. 

So I see lots of new conflicts rising everyday. It is between the young generation and elderly generation, between the rich and the poor, and between the indigenous and the settlers. 

Grammar and Me

This blog captures my tryst with English grammar for the past few months. It will take into account the topics that were explained to Vocational Trainees. The sad thing about this blog is that the first version of the same was in inadvertently deleted from my PC. The lesson is learned in the hard way and now i am better equipped when it comes to preparing a blog. I am using Evernote for creating the first draft of the blog. The app is available in both my iPhone and iPad. So it is easy to sync using the Internet. There is no hassle of copying into a flash or a HDD. It simply synchronizes with the server. The updated file can be accessed in my Iphone and Ipad and even my PC. I plan to write about some of my the most common topics that are taught here. There is no in-depth analysis of language sentences or structures. The basic building blocks of language is discussed in a practical way. The grammatical items are not studied in isolation but seen in the context of their daily usage. The methodology that I have adopted is based on the premise that language is used to describe the world. If that is the case then grammar helps in the correct way of describing the world. In other words grammar helps the user of any language to speak or write in an accepted way with the other users of the same language. The methodology also takes into account the users experience with the language. The learner should have minimal competence in the language especially grammar.

The first grammatical item he or she will be introduced to will be - verbs,nouns and adjectives. Using pictures and other audio visual aids learner will get to the know the types of actions and how the actions are described using adjectives.

Tom kicked the ball swiftly - Noun + Verb + Noun + Adjective

This combination is used especially to talk about people and to describe their actions. At this stage the details of these grammatical items are not divulged. There is no references to pronouns, regular/ irregular and comparatives. These topics will introduced at a later stage.

In the next stage, the concept of prepositions is introduced - of time, of place and of movement. This will enhance the linguistic descriptive power of the learner. If the need arises, there can also be training in Numbers,mathematical register, weather and even time expressions. As a follow up to the prepositions the idea of imperatives also can be introduced. Directions and verbal walk-throughs can be arranged in such a way that there is an integrated approach towards learning. As an addition interrogatives also can be taught here as they are required to ask for directions.

Once the learner has grappled with the above mentioned topics, the next level of grammar topics can be introduced starting with comparatives, modal auxiliaries, abilities and possibilities, some tense items like - present continuous and future ( using will and going to). These topics will reinforce what he or she has learned and will give a better understanding of English Grammar. Once these stage is achieved then new can slowly moved towards analysis of single sentences and then on to complex paragraphs. It will be more like a poetry appreciation class, where the learner is asked to jot down the grammatical items that he can identify in the text. These textual dissections calls for a large amount of discussions and debates and the use of a standard reference book for consultation.

Grammar teaching can be made quite interesting by using various audio visual aids. The first foremost aid is the dictionary either in the soft copy of hard copy format. Then the use of language softwares like Face to Face and Language in Use. There are also several podcasts available from the BBC like Grammar challenge. There is also a useful podcast by the name Grammar girl.

Thus Grammar learning is never a boring thing. It can be made interesting and result oriented. The methodology or the approach matters a lot.


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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Notes from Warren Buffets Management Secrets – Audio book version - Read by Mary Buffet.

There are some quick tests which can be applied to see whether the company that is going to employ you is in good shape. It is always good to check the yearly per share earnings. A company that shows consistency and exhibiting an upward trend will always excel in business. Erratic earnings are not a good sign. Absence of long term debts will also serve as an indicator to the health quotient of the company. By gauging the debt load of the company one will know the strength of the company. These companies will have a long term serving history. The company also should have high competitive interests and excess capital. The managerial opportunities of the company should also be good because that will prevent the company from going under. The most important that should be considered is the DCA – Durable competitive advantage. It is long term and helps the company to stay afloat maintaining the competitive edge.

The book also discusses the idea of delegation. Delegation becomes more important when one is involved in more diverse businesses. There is a philosophy behind the art of delegation. It is all about delegating the authority. Delegating to a certain extent can be equated with the idea of abdicating. Delegation is not a desirable idea in micro-managing. It is always good to delegate the job to better job and manager. Delegation involves a certain amount of decision power also. Once you are delegated a task you are wholly responsible for the decisions that you make.  There are three rules governing the application of rules in delegation.

1)      Every business culture is unique

2)      Competent managers should be left alone to run their own businesses.

3)      Managers should be hardworking, passionate and intelligent. They should also have great deal of integrity – This rule applies to the concept of making the right choice when selecting a manager to delegate your work

The manager chosen for the task should possess proven track record. He should be ready to take chances. He should possess the managerial talent to become the turnaround artist. A manager should increase the revenues and free up the capital for diverse investments. The most important thing is not to change the managers frequently.

The next chapter discusses the concepts of victor or victim. We should also be true to ourselves. There is always an inner and outer report card. Warren was deeply influenced by his father – Howard. The ‘internal locus of control’ is the catch phrase that shows how responsible you are for your actions and words. When you win you are the one who will win and when you lose you are the one lost it.  It is better not to dwell too long on failures and also take responsibility for the failures. Victors always make good managers. Victims meanwhile are busy blaming the world and finding lame excuses. To be a victor it is always good to work at a job you love – You will jump out of your bed early in the morning because the love for your job will beat even the best alarm clock available in the market.  What we love in the name of greed is a bad management. Victors likes doing what they love, money is not driving them. People who rise to the top are the ones who love what they do. People love to hire individuals who will take pride in their work.

The next chapter discusses how to put a winning sales team together. The team essentially should have a passion for the product that they are selling. The team should comprise of people who believes in the product. One question that any employer would like to ask to his prospective employee will be – How obsessed are you with the job?  The anecdote of a lady who lived till the age of 104 taking care of her store is the best example of a passionate being who loved what she did. In fact she didn’t go for any vacation because she felt miserable when she stayed away from the store. Her only hobby was to drive around the town checking the competition level from other stores. All the top managers in any firm are obsessed with their work. They are all love the business. If you are smart manager than that is the icing on the obsessively delicious cake.

The next chapter talks about how honest plays a major part in today’s business. The words candor and candid plays a big role in making your business establishment a success. This is one of the key character traits to aspire to. A CEO who misleads others in public will also mislead them in private. Managers who promise to make the numbers will also make up the numbers.  

There is a chapter devoted to the concept of managing costs. Profit is the life blood of the business. Managers should be cost conscious but should not be fanatical about the same. Benjamin Franklin has remarked that if you know how to spend less than what you get, and then you can have the philosopher’s stone. Cutting cost is the fastest and easiest way to increase the bottom line.

The Boy in the pumpkin field

He got up early in the morning. He is used to this routine especially when the pumpkins are ready to be harvested. He looked through the window and saw the pumpkins lying in the field. Today they will be taken out and will be sold in the market. He heard his father call out his name. He rushed outside to see his father and mother loading the pumpkins in the pick up truck. He too joined them. Once the loading was done he was asked to sit in the front seat of the truck. His father bade farewell to his mother and got beside him. The engine roared to life and soon they were on their way to the pumpkin market.The boy stared at the passing houses and thought about the people who are sleeping. He saw some children walk towards the school for early lessons.they arrived at the pumpkin market and he helped his father to unload.He was asked to sit amidst the pumpkins while his father went around the market. He was looking at other pumpkin traders who were sitting beside. He felt so insignificant among the big and rounded pumpkins. He took out a knife from his fathers satchel and started chopping the pumpkins. He wanted the pumpkins to disappear from his life forever.

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The Warm Monster

She was walking hurriedly through the corridor.She had a sheaf of papers in her hand. Her mind was racing faster than her body. In her mind there was just one magical word - copies, copies. She reached the room where the monster was kept. There was nobody in the room. She kept the papers on the monster and turned on the monster.The monster spoke to her in some unintelligible mechanical language. She ignored. She was immobile but her mind was still racing - this time to the learning place. She waited for the monster to warm up. Her impatience grew with the passing time. She started cursing and ultimately started kicking the monster. There was a metallic sound. The monster opened it's big mouth and swallowed her.There was short period of meaningful silence. After sometime the monster warmed up and started the copying work. When he came to the room, the room was empty except for the copies that were lying on the floor.


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Boy and his legs

Once upon a time there lived a boy. He was nameless and even today he is nameless. He was living with his father and mother. His mother used to send him to market to fetch grocery and much needful things. The boy always enjoyed these short excursions
He liked to walk and run. He never used any mechanical contraptions to cover the distances. He moved on his legs and he felt as if they were his "magic legs". He never used to travel through the straight path to the market. He took the path that was curvy because it offered the scope for more sightseeing and explorations.One of these paths had a special charm on him. He frequented that path to relive that charm and he felt that there were creatures in that path staring at him. He always had to muster courage to walk through that path. One day as he was walking through that he saw that the path was covered in snow and air around was misty. He treaded carefully and was soon lost in the thick fog. Nobody saw the boy after that day.

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Size Does Matter

This was the catch line for the movie Jurassic Park. The movie introduced or re-introduced the idea of giant creatures, which sort of expanded our cinematic imagination. In many ways, these giant creatures of Hollywood subdued the other tiny/small creatures of the screen. Earlier we had critters, ET's, Chuck the doll and human forms like Jason, terrorizing us. With Jurassic Park the screen, bullies just got bigger.

This blog explores the idea of size and discusses how the size and shape creates a power circle around it. The classic example for this is from our childhood when we used to get intimidated by big, fat bullies who were elder to us. They behaved like gang leaders or goons from another world. They were able to wield power just because of their size. The leaner, thinner ones were always at the receiving end. In popular culture, the weak ones are shown as the ones who possessed more brains than the stronger ones who always excelled because of their brawn power. The toon series Tom and Jerry kind of puts the whole issue in perspective.  The cat is bigger and wields more power than the mouse. In one way Tom and Jerry cartoon series appeals to the mind of the young ones, because they identify with the mouse and enjoys the punishments meted out to the so called bully figure - Tom

Even in our daily lives, size plays an important. Certain professions demand a certain amount of shape and size. A police officer should have a hefty body so that he is seen as a dominating figure. I remember reading article about a train ticket collector in Mumbai suburban train service who was meted out harsh treatment just because of his diminutive size. His colleagues who are better build than him was always revered and feared by the public. The article is quoted below for better clarity:

Manoj Paralkar, a passenger who witnessed the incident, said, "I was on the platform to board a train when I saw a TC examining passengers' tickets. All of a sudden, a ticketless passenger violently pushed the TC onto the tracks and fled." S M Karyakarte, senior inspector (GRP), Borivli, said, "We have registered a case of accidental injury." Might is right On the other hand, some TCs never face anything like what Dabre did, because of their intimidating physique that comes across as formidable.

Amol Buchade, bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious 2010 Rustam-e-Hind title, and Keshav Singh, another bodybuilder are two TCs who say that they have never faced such incidents in their careers.

As a teacher, I have experienced both the sides of this 'size does matter' syndrome. Earlier I used to have a thin structure. A few years back, I started putting on weight and the new figure of mine has had an impact on my teachings well. Boys/Girls see me in a new light and I can see that they do notice me when I stand before them. Maybe this is just a figment of my own imagination but I am happy with my size.

In my opinion, a dwarf sized personality holding a bossy position will have little effect on his/her subordinates. It is always the survival of the fittest and biggest.  

Personal excellence and Me

Excellence is a difficult word. The difficulty is not because of the linguistic affiliation of the word but due to the efforts that goes into defining that word. There are different word combinations that goes along with the word excellence - pursuit of excellence, trying for excellence, how to excel - the list goes on. Excellence in one way is to become superior in something. The act of becoming superior is not an easy one. Excellence is hard to achieve. It requires time, energy and efforts. Excellence is also a state of mind. The mind is restless, always thinking about new ways through which it can seek some freshness in life. A mind seeking excellence will perpetually exist in the Ulyssesian mind frame, which is defined by these words - To strive, To seek and not to yield.

In my life I have always respected this concept. I have seen people around me who have achieved excellence. These people were practitioners of excellence. They had their role models around them and they constantly drew energy from them. Some examples are movie directors, authors, and even ordinary people whom I met on the streets. I have always felt the positive and energetic energy levels from these people. There are too many both ordinary and extraordinary who fills me up with a sense of excellence. I think it is always good to orient our mind to those people who stay positive and who celebrate creativity. There are also others who fall into two categories listed below

0.    Self-centered beings - These groups always does things for the sake of doing.  I like to quote the lovely and meaningful lines from Ted Hughes's poem Thrushes to explain these type which goes like this 'Their acts worship itself'. They lack innovativeness and the enterprising spirit.

1.    Negativity is thy name - The second category wallow in their own negative world. The world is not a self-created one. It is rather imposed on them because they never tried to create a world of their own. 

Technology to a certain extent helps me to stay in the sphere of excellence. I update myself with the latest news from the world of technology and by divine grace today possesses two gadgets, which can be seen as the tipping point of the world of technology - iPhone and iPad. Technology to me means Internet and this leads me to audio and video podcasts, downloading audio books, ePub and PDF books, apps that are interesting and informative. I also use iPod to listen to music and play station to play games.

Reading helps me to build confidence in terms of word power and sentence structure.

Indirectly it helps me to feel more confident when I write. I make it a point that I read at least a few pages before hitting the sack. I have to admit that these days my reading is slow compared to earlier days. Anyhow, reading is something, which gives me the necessary courage to face the world using words.

Following excellence is not easy. One should have the courage to rise above the ordinary and the mundane. One should also have the courage to look beyond the mediocre and turn one's attention to extraordinary things. In a way one should always compare oneself with others and measure the difference. Instead of feeling happy about the positive/ good qualities that you already have it is good to move on. It is better to identify the areas of interest and polish them periodically. That's the only way one can master the art of excellence.

Teacher and Teaching.

All these years of teaching have taught me the following

• There is nothing like real learning or teaching. the teacher is just a time filling, pseudo-being who creates a make belief situation where the students feel that they have learned something ( Humanities) 
• Teacher enjoys the act of teaching seldom recognizing the presence of learners. He reaches a kind of frenzied level through the act of teaching which is most of the time narcissistic and self-centered.
• The teacher only opens up new paths in the minds of the students. The student should never feel enslaved to the teacher. They should rise above the teacher and find his own path.
• A teacher can never perform the same way throughout an academic session. Some days are good and some days are bad. Consistency is something difficult in teaching. ( this matters only if the teacher is bit sympathetic or empathetic to his students. 
• It is easy for the teacher to sulk into the role of a Facilitator, but he should be aware of the fact that the role demands more than that of a puppeteer. 
• Education is highly commercialized and marks most of the time gets equated with money. As students they need marks and as teachers we need money. So it is difficult for the teacher to say - This is what you deserve you, Moron. 
• Research and updating is sadly missing from the teacher's life. Even if he is teaching ABCD, he should prepare himself to execute the lesson. 
• Teacher should always see not the student but a normal human being with all emotions and confusion. It is easy to teach after a proper understanding of the target audience.  

The Culture of Noise

It took one month and half to properly form ideas regarding this blog. The much needed noiseless environment was missing all these days. The blog partly was inspired by the home visit I had a few weeks back. I felt that the Indian socio-cultural ambience is filled with noise. I became acutely aware of this because of the two year stay in Oman a country which is relatively calmer and less noisy. No blaring horns, No crowded spaces, people too are slow and relaxed, no pressure on them to invade a space as there is no public transport system. It is strange that here people don’t use the horns while driving. The only time that Ihave heard them honking the horn is when they celebrate the marriage of their friends. It is a lovely sight to see the cars lined up one after the another moving in a sort of procession towards the bride’s home, kind of announcing their arrival through blaring horns and sometimes even shouting. The same applies to the celebration in case of a football event. World Cup football was one such event. The fact that most Omani’s wear a white dish-dasha brings in a feeling of peace and harmony. Most of them even prefer to drive white painted cars. It is a rare sight to see a colour other than white. I feel the culture has some influence on the noise level. I am defining culture through demographic, social and personal markers.

At  this juncture I would like to comment upon the noise that is sometimes created in our innerscape – The Mind. Most of time these noise effects clear thinking and logical behaviour. I have seen people who are disturbed from within and most of the time they are so engrossed with the inner voice that they don’t mind the outer world with its tumultuous sounds.

It is even debated whether man or woman make more noise. In my experience the credit for this should go to woman. I am not biased and my statement is purely based on real-life experience both in the family and the workplace. I have experienced the non-stop chatter of my female friends and colleagues much to the annoyance of myself and my male-colleagues. most of the this leads to exchange of heavy words in the form of opinions and comments.

Being a teacher for the past 10 years, I can say that it is teacher’s dream to handle a class where  his students are quite attentive and less distracted. Real learning happens in such a situation. The one to one correspondence between the student and teacher is always possible when there is an ambiance of silence. Silence also brings in the scope for listening not just to what others are saying but even to our innermost thoughts and

My world of apps, Essential apps for SE Xperia

When you buy something, the excitement usually remains for a week or two. By this time you would have finished exploring the gadget and the interest will fizzle down. After acquiring my Sony Ericcson Xperia 1 which is a windows  6.1 based mobile this flame is sill kept alive. I think it is appropriate to the write about the buying pattern behind this product before discussing the apps that are installed in the device. There was a pull towards the I phone which was priced at 340. After having a cursory glance at X1 and I phone, me and my wife had our cup of tea which helped to straighten things out. X1 was the winner. I liked it because of its  sleek design, touch screen. I had seen the phone ( can i call it a phone when actually it is a smart device) with my Principal a few days back and in one way my decision to buy X1 was influenced by that sighting.

This blog is not about comparing X1 with any other products. This will only answer the question – How good is the X1 for me?  or by extension - The ways in which the X1 is helping in my personal and professional life. The apps in the device is handpicked from different websites and it was indeed a laborious process. The process also encourages lots of creativity and long hours of internet searching from the user – that's me. It also opened up the world of internet like never before.  I got acquainted with websites which dealt with developing the required  software for X1. Some of the websites with which i got familiarised are www.freewarepocketpc.com, www.softonic.com, www.xdadevelopers.com, www.omarket.com, www.wapking.com, the list seems to be endless. It was more like doing deep fishing done in these websites. Trial and error method was used in gathering of the apps.

Some software's were installed and later I had to remove them because of the incompatibility issue. Some of them even crashed X1. This led me to discover the beauty of resetting the device clearing the storage area. The process of installing the software and  arranging the apps will take approximately 7-8 hours. This activity is fun filled and creates a sense that  of total control over the device.

Let me discuss the top five apps that i like in my X1. There are many but I prefer to give others a nominal reference in this blog.

# 1 – Clean Ram

 

 

This is a useful app which I downloaded from Omarket. The app helps me by cleaning the system of its RAM and saving some memory. This is an important act since it helps me to make my device perform faster with much efficiency and speed. I usually run the this app three or four time a day and I can see a marked difference in the way the system functions. After running the app each time I could almost hear my system heaving a sigh of relief. The app is a must have for all those who think that their system needs a fresh lease of life.

 

 

 

# 2 Facebook for Windows Mobile

 

This is the windows mobile version of the popular social networking sight Facebook which brings together friends together. Through this Facebook app I can update my status, Upload photos and videos, comment on the status of others and like and unlike the status of my friends messages. The Facebook app is does good things for me since it is the best way to stay connected and make the world know about my interests and passions. Moreover through this app I am able to learn about new events and the latest technology. The latest one which i discovered is about the TED domain which has got innumerable videos of live speeches done by various people all over the world. Using this app I can write a short review about a movie sitting right inside the theatre. I can also take a photo and upload it immediately to the web.

 

#3  Kinoma Free play

 

 

This app is does lots of good to a book lover like me. Recently I have developed a penchant for audio books and this app acted as the starting point for that. I can listen to 5 minute audio file of hundreds of audio books through this app. The app partners with audible.com, New York Times and many other content providers to give the audio streaming. The best part is that when we log into audible.com we are entitled for a free audio book. The book title is – The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. This app helps me to be in touch with the latest book releases in both the fiction and non fiction category.

 

 

# 4  My Note

 

 

This is again a great app for brain storming ideas and thoughts. The notes are scribbled using the stylus on the screen. It is magical and quite appealing to the eyes. The colour and size of the pen can be changed and we can add more notes depending on the idea. This note making app is used for class preparation and even for preparing this blog. I can also scribble the ideas that occur to me using this app so that i can retrieve it when required. This app can be good tool in research and to make easy and quick notes. 

 

 

 

# 5 Live Journal

After  seeing the Momento app in I phone i was searching for a similar one for windows mobile. I found one in Live Journal which even helps me to put my thoughts on the web. Since I have not popularised my Live Journal id, i am confident that many people will not read or comment on my thoughts. It is my earnest desire to document every step of my life in the form of a journal entry. I am sure that reading the same after a gap of time will bring in lots of memories.

# 6  Omarket

 

 

This is a market place for downloading apps for windows mobile phone. The steps are simple. Select the app that is appealing to you, read the reviews and download to install it in your phone. Sometimes the will not work on my device in which case I may have to uninstall the same. Some apps are so problematic that I may have to reset my device to start it all over again. As I had mentioned in the beginning there are many apps that are installed in my device. Most of the apps are downloaded using Omarket.

 

 

 

 

 

   apps # 6 and 7

  Motweets - Tweeting app for windows mobile

  Pocket Bible – Windows Mobile Bible software

 

 

 

                                                                                                               

  apps # 8 and 9

Beyond Pod – App for downloading podcasts.

Pocket Painter – App for image editing and drawing.

 

 

 

 

Spb Insight – for RSS feeds.

The Elixir of Life - Sleep

( This blog maps the pattern of sleep among human beings. As it is the usual practice this blog contains highly personalized views about one of the favourite habit of my students)

            Last night my sleep was not that good. World cup South Africa takes a big chunk from my sleeping quota. The third match which starts at 10.30 local time gets over only at 12.30 am. The spirit of watching exciting football urges me to forgo my sleep. Last night it was Germany and Australia, who played their opening match. The match was one of the best matches played in the world cup so far. It had plenty of goals, 4 yellow cards and one red card. I am sleepy this morning but deep inside i feel satisfied and happy.

              There used to be a stage in my life when I gave too much importance to sleep. I used to get up late, skip my breakfast and drag myself to the workplace. The rest of the day was spent lively way - handling classes and moving up and down working on loads and loads of extra-curricular activities which included theatre and book clubs. Now, looking back at those sleep dominated days, I feel that my mind was active than my body. Creativity took its own course and filled my life and other’s life around me with fresh ideas. I have a feeling that much of the ideas spring forth from my sleeping habits.

              We can see several motifs based on sleep used in the literary world. The celebrated poet Emily Dickenson uses sleep as a motif in most of her poems. She compares sleep with death and even regeneration.

And then—to go to sleep—
And then—if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor,
The privilege to die—

Shelley in his poem Ode to the West Wind again brings in the allusion of sleep and death when he wrote:

O Thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed
The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow
Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)

For Shelley, sleep was an phase which ultimately led to renewal. It is interesting to note that the poem Ode to the West Wind is filled with these recurring patterns of sleep and by extension death. There are umpteen examples found in the literary world which uses the sleep-death cycle.

And in the happy no-time of his sleeping,
Death took him by the heart.

(Wilfred Owen – Asleep)

Moving away from the world of words, the common man still enjoys the few hours of sleep after a day of hard work in office. It is a common saying that the rich cannot sleep due to the richness that they have accumulated. Maybe it is a socialist thought. The rich man is busy guarding his wealth whereas the poor man will sleep peacefully because he doesn’t have anything to protect. He lives under an open sky, with the stars above him.

It is interesting to watch people sleep.

• People sleep when they travel.
• People sleep when they are attending a meeting (even the Indian Prime Minister)
• People tend to sleep when they watch cinema and television.
• When people see the dead body of their friends or relatives they usually make this comment – “ He/She looks as if he/she sleeping”.

Creativity Unplugged

A blog that is published after a gap of two months. Found creative catharsis through one-liners in Facebook, Twitter and Live Journal. It is nice to write these words which celebrate the true spirit of creative blogging.

This blog examines the concept of creativity. To define this term called I am journeying into my own self to gather some personalised thoughts. Like the concept of beauty, I think that creativity is also highly subjective.

Most of the time creativity is associated with the area of fine arts like painting, writing and singing. Parents make it a point that the child receives some amount of creative inputs right from his/her childhood. In today’s world, creativity is forced upon young minds. The child is exposed to the world of singing, dancing, drawing, and what not. I feel creativity is something that should be discovered by the child. Elders should only facilitate this discovery to happen. They can do this by introducing the child to various activities involving creativity like painting, building blocks, games etc.

Creativity is a natural process and the best literary metaphor to explain is the Wordsworthian quote “spontaneous overflow” of powerful thoughts. Creativity should not be limited to the writing sphere even though that is one of the first associations that come to our mind. I have always admired the spirit of creativity in Shakespeare. A playwright who is adored and read all over the world for his sheer mastery of language and the creative ways he has put his thoughts into paper. Shakespeare can be treated as a referral point when we discuss the concept of creativity. We see a creative genius who brought in different styles, themes, genres, into his works. He also had a muse who inspired him to write and write. When it comes to writing Shakespeare is indeed a muse who can inspire a budding writer.

It is a sin to talk about creativity only in relation to writing. Creativity is something that can be quite useful in our daily life. A person shifting to a new house can find the concept of creativity quite helpful. I enjoyed watching Wake up Sid, recently and the house shifting scenes involving Ranbir and Konkana Sen. The way they arrange the house in a creative manner exemplifies the fact that the creativity is a concept that exists beyond the world of words. Even in daily conversation creativity plays an important role. Fresh ideas and innovative styles make the conversation interesting. I recollect some expressions that me and my friend coined which made our daily conversations lively. Some of the words were – wtcied, wiporish, and lovely. The first one refers to the concept of destroying something.

Her dreams were wtcied because of his plans;

In life there we should be wiporish,

It’s a lovely day, isn’t it my lovely friend.

In teaching, to make the classes interesting I employ different methods and my superiors have always commented that the methods are highly creative and innovative. I feel that creativity is an integral part of fun learning. Language teaching/learning is made interesting using these methods.

Creativity is thus a concept that should be nurtured right from the childhood. It opens up the mind to a world of opportunities. It also makes life interesting for yourself and for others.

Sit, Sat, and Sitting…

IT TOOK 2 MONTHS FOR ME TO WRITE THIS BLOG – Phew…

It is quite natural that animals (human beings included) always seek comfort. The body controls the mind in this aspect. The body wants to be cozy and relaxed and it decides a place which provides a perfect resting place. Since humans cannot lie down and conduct the business of life, the human body has settled for the second best option- to sit and to continue with the humdrum of existence. This blog discusses the concept of sitting i.e,  seated position. I will  examine the different aspects of this common human habit including the cultural, political, and the religious.

Let me begin this examination with the Indian scenario. The idea of sitting gains cultural,political colors in the Indian context. As children we were instructed not to sit in front of the elders. We were supposed to stand if an elder from our  family walks by. The idea of sitting is linked to the value of respect. The same is the case with classrooms. Students should stand up when the teacher makes his/her entry. In the Hindu tradition the man and woman gets married seated in front of the fire. in some parts of India especially the south, the dead is taken to the grave seated in a chair. In many occasions sitting is regarded as the auspicious posture than standing. Meditation and yoga in India recommends different positions which are good for body,mind,and soul. The idea of rest/not in motion is connected to the act of sitting. Hindu priests performs the traditional adoration ceremony seated in front of the deity.  most of them hail from upper caste section of the society and hence they have the upper edge in life. A lower caste being was not allowed to sit or even walk if there is a upper caste being around him.

In modern day life seat has become the epitome of power. Political parties yearn for power seats in the corridors of power. The public respect not the individual but the chair. Even in my little academic world sometimes i feel the power of chair. In a way a seat plays an important role in creating a hierarchical order in our lives. The person who has the seat or the who is sitting has more power than the one who is standing. The standing one is always waiting. This very evident when travelling in local trains and buses. The person who has the seat always casts a sympathetic glance at the one who is standing. Most of the time there ensues silly squabbles on the topic – who is the rightful owner of that seat? I am reminded of my childhood days when I used to fight with my brother for the window seat. Maybe that's the training we receive to fight it out in the big real adult world. Seats are seen as the anti dote for waiting. Bus/rail stations have waiting rooms with comfortable chairs so that weary traveler will never feel the pinch of waiting.

Modern day life has also brought in a special type of creatures known as couch potatoes. Their main preoccupation is to watch sitcoms and other gutterly creations that comes out of the idiot box. They combine this acts with the an endless supply of food. The mobile phones also add to these new fangled fashion of immobility. The cellular company made some quick bucks with the jingle – walk and talk.

thus goes on the story of a seat. I am sure that everybody will have their opinion about this topic, please feel completely to contact me at jith77@gmail.com

Have a seat/ say

 

Tales of Black Magic from Africa

These days  my colleagues and me are kind of jobless in the department. This is the time for us to sit and chat. We try our best to kill time. Mostly we engage in conversations that are aimless and misguided.

A few days back I initiated a discussion about Black magic in this part of the world. Some of my colleagues have spent years in this land. So I was sure that they will have lots and lots of tales to tell. And they didn’t fail me. This blog is about the tales of Black magic that I heard from my colleagues.

Flying Old Lady:

This is about a family and the weird experience they had some years back. One night after dinner they were seated in the living room, watching a football match. They were engrossed in the match when they heard a loud crash. The TV screen went black. They could make out that the noise came from the roof. They decided to move upstairs and enter the roof through the bedroom window. The father and the two sons moved together. They had a torch in their hand. When they reached the roof they saw that their  TV dish antenna was twisted and in a mangled state. Lying next to the antenna was a dark figure.They approached the figure with careful steps. It was human and it was moving, groaning and whining pain. They focussed the beam of light on the human shape,so that they could see the face in the bright white light that fell from the torch. To their shock and disbelief they discovered the human figure to be the old lady who was their neighbour. They shook her and called her by the name. She responded in a feeble voice. They called her name, this time their voice didn’t hide the suppressed irritation. She looked at them, her eyes probed them from their wrinkled sockets. She spoke and what she said made them stare at her in disbelief. She told that she was flying in the air on a stick and she fell on the roof after hitting the dish antenna.

The Naked Roadies:

This happened a few months back in a mountainous area in this country. Two brothers were travelling in a Toyota pickup. They were returning home after completing some important work in the city. They were in a hurry to reach the comforts of their home. Moreover they were driving through the land where no human presence was there. All of a sudden one of them saw something whitish moving across the road. It was fast and he couldn’t make out what it was. The younger one who was driving the pickup was so shocked by what he saw, that he lost control of the vehicle. The pickup skidded to the right, and it crashed against the road barrier. Both of them were thoroughly shaken and they were  silent for some time. Then the elder one who was in the navigator seat asked ‘Did you see them?’. ‘Them?’, the other one asked,what do you mean by them? ‘I saw three men, naked, with long white hair crossing the road’. The other one just stared at the road, his eyes eagerly scanning the darkness. They tried starting the engine and realized that the tyres were struck in the dirt. They had a sigh of relief when they found that their mobile phones were in working condition. So they contacted the police and waited for them to arrive.

( The tale will continue from the POV of the Police Officer)

I was about to go home when the office phone rang. I attended the call and from the other side I heard one voice excitedly speaking in hurried breaths. It was another call reporting about passengers stranded in the desert. I didn’t want to take up the job, but my conscience asked me to make the trip before heading home. So I set off in my patrol vehicle. The traffic in the city was light and soon I found myself moving towards the highway which led to the mountainous landscape. From a distance I could see the pickup with its lights flashing  lying on the side of the road. I parked my patrol vehicle next to the pickup, got out and moved towards the two figures that were in the pickup. ‘What happened to the vehicle’ I asked them. They were silent for sometime and then one of them spoke ‘We saw something and we lost control of the vehicle’. ‘What did you see in this place?’ I asked ‘It seems to be bit strange that you saw something here’,I commented. ‘We saw naked men running across the road’, they replied in a quivering voice. I couldn’t believe what they just said. I was about to open my mouth to say something when I some cries and not far from where we stood I saw a group of naked men, with the long hairs almost touching the ground moving quick and fast across the road.

Black Magic is still practiced in this part of the world. The rich use it to make more money and the poor to harm the rich. Black men use it to woo the fair maidens and in some cases even to destroy whole tribes. It is a belief system surviving mainly because of the inherent fear factor that is present in the human heart.

The Constant Gardeners – Our Farmville Tale

 

As I have mentioned before in this space, games have played a major role shaping sensibilities. The games added more variety in my life or in our life to be precise. Living in a land where the scope of entertainment is limited and restricted games helped us to remain in touch with the imagination. It all started with computer games and slowly it progressed to Play Station Portable games. The discovery of the shop in  XXXX Mall with a wide range of PSP games made us explore the world of virtual games. Then Facebook happened and along with it happened Farmville. The game is  played by thousands of people all round the world. The game is kind of hot topic these days in the Internet.

 

This blog is about Farmville. It is divided into two parts. In the first part,  I will describe how we became ‘real’ farmers because of Farmville. The second part deals with the lessons that we can learn from Farmville.

Farmville made us think about the possibility of creating a farm in our flat. Some events  happened that actually made us swing into action. One Thursday we got some plants from the church (thanks to the lady) We got some pepper plants and other plants. It was like receiving a puppy or kitten, with great care and concern we brought them home. The next step was to find a place to plant them. Again it was a neighbourly turn from another lady who brought us empty yoghurt buckets.We also used modified plastic water cans to plant them. We felt immense joy and satisfaction once we completed the task of planting. I kind of added some more plants by bringing some from my college garden. A visit to the restaurant made us procure some money plant. We also learnt about a popular belief that money plant should be stolen not borrowed.  In the next step of expansion we were assisted by the kids in the neighbourhood who actively participated in the act of farming. This time we had the support of uncle neighbour who brought  bag of mud from his ceramic factory. Kids joined us in mixing ordinary soil and the mud. As of now we have 15 plants and we hope that the number will grow in the future. It also depends on how long we are planning to stay here.

Farmville is a lovely way to do some virtual planting. The game helps you in the following ways:

1. Not-so-bad-way to kill time.
2. Gives a Sense of Hope.
3. It helps us in creating a sense of time, valuable lessons in time management can be learned.
4. It creates a kind of eco sense. Planting trees will almost becomes a habit.
5. You will become a good Samaritan and you will start helping others in real life not just your Farmville neighbours.

Education – A System Revisited

There are umpteen articles upholding the true spirit of education. There are several individuals who have labelled themselves as educationists and academicians who have taken up the responsibility of plowing out the weeds in the system. The obvious question that crops up in one’s mind is - Why the system is still a failure? In my opinion education is just another time wasting exercise which aims at making the individual more and more dependent on the system. As a teacher for the past 9 years, I have seen the concept of education crumbling under money pressure. Education became a means of earning a livelihood. It has become more like an investment business. Parents invest money in the education of children expecting two types of return. First of all, they want their children to earn a decent living (a big fat salary, MNC offer letter, big fat dowry all these are included in the package) secondly they want their kids to take care of them. The argument is this – we gave up all our comforts for your upbringing now in our old age you have to pay us back. This argument is as old as the human race. It is my strong belief that nobody in this world should do something expecting some returns. Education thus became need based or need fulfilling exercise. The joy of learning is almost lost and the individual adheres to the strict structure of academic drudgery. We see around us

courses designed for the specific markets. As an English teacher, my duty is restricted to improving the communication ability of my students. It is even an anathema to call them as students. In the modernized world they are better known as ‘customers’ or ‘clients’.

And for me, I am not supposed to move away from my lesson plans and curriculum document.

Most of the problem that happens in today’s educational world happens due to lack of a holistic approach. The problem will continue to haunt the system as long as the system exists on a policy of parochial learning. By the term parochial learning I mean the lack of creativity and the passion towards learning.

When I was a student, I didn’t even think about the post-studies scenario. It was like living in the moment. The city of Chennai stood there with her arms wide open. It was up to me to take the lead and explore the city. I did that exactly with the help of some of my friends. I explored the libraries, book shops, and attended the exhibitions not to land up in a highly paid salary job. It was just for the sheer fun of it. The type of learning which I undertook kind of set the tone for my future studies. I also secretly fell in love with the city for its endless supply of books and CD’s.

Maybe one of the reasons why I wrote this blog is because of the crime and the mental punishment that happened yesterday. This week is examination week in my college. Clients are busy scribbling answers in the paper, invigilators running around, anti-malpractice squads with snake eyes, and me standing in the center laughing at this comedy of errors.

Oman Diary 2

I have been in Oman for one and half years and have accumulated loads of images about this country. This is my second tryst with a Arab speaking community. Through this blog I am holding up a mirror to the Omani culture. I am not judgemental or critical . Here I share with my unknown readers my experience which gathered through my five senses. I have divided this blog into three parts

Teenage life:

Boys and girls lead a normal life here. They do have their limitations primarily because of lack of freedom. They are excessively dependent on mobile phones. The mobile companies are reaping benefits because of this. They offer MMS and Internet packages aimed at teenagers. This year four new mobile companies launched their services taking the total number of cellular operators to six. There is co-education only in the college level. Even there the interaction between boys and girls is very minimal. Religion plays a pivotal role in their lives. Most of the boys and girls spend their free time listening to the Holy Koran. Boys do venture out into the areas of Pop music, Rap and Reggae. Names like Akon and 50 cents are quite famous among boys. Boys also spend their time playing video games mainly Play Station. They like playing football games like Fifa 2009 and 2010. They take active participation in the football matches that take place in Oman and even in other Arab countries. It is a lovely sight to see them moving towards the stadium huddled together in a car or a pick up wearing their favourite team’s colour. They are also die hard fans of various European clubs like Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United.

Adult Life & Marriage:

When a boy or girl attains the marriageable age their parents will take the initiative to see their children married off. In most of the Muslim countries the boy has to pay a large sum of money and literally buy the girl. For a beautiful girl you have to pay more. Omani society consist of different tribes. The word tribe in the Omani context is different from the one we use in India. In India tribal means a person who lives in a forested area away from the so called civilized world. Some of the tribal names are  al-balushi  (from Baluchistan), al-mamari, al-maqbali,al ajmi. They practice community living and some of the towns are named after these tribal names. Marriages are often arranged within these tribes.Certain tribes get married only on Thursdays. Usually for marriage a tent is put up outside the house for the male members. Women spend their time doing henna. Women prefer western gowns for marriages. Meat and Chicken is served either separately or in the form of Biriyani.Food is served in a big bowl and three to five people eat from the same bowl. The groom’s car is decorated with flowers and festoons and his friends goes around the town in different cars in a procession. The procession is full of sound (honking horns) and fury signifying the blessed occasion.

Snapshots of Oman

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Coming soon

Cultural study of Oman

The Dead Mosquitoes in the Language Lab

  This morning as I was arranging the chairs and mouse pads in the language lab I noticed two dead mosquitoes. They were lying dead on the LAN server. When I removed their dead bodies I noticed that they their bodies were as light as feathers.

This sight triggered thoughts in my mind. First of all I asked myself – What caused their deaths? What made them die on the LAN server? Since I was the one who asked these questions I was forced to find the answers myself. I am sure that these mosquitoes entered during the day time hungrily buzzing and in search of human blood.

 

Day time the lab is filled with students and the smell of human sweat would have drawn these mosquitoes into the lab. By afternoon the lab is closed and the human presence disappears. I can imagine them flying around the lab. Their buzzing sound will be kind of drowned in the drone of the air conditioner. Their search will yield them no results. Their tiny stomach will yearn for a few drops of fresh human blood.

Round and round they will fly.

Hunger equation in them will multiply.

Their wings will lose its strength.

Their lungs will gasp for breath.

Eventually they will lose the battle. Some will fall on the ground, some will fall on the tables and desks, some will fall on places where human eyes cannot reach and some may fall on the LAN server.

Remembering 2009

I have mixed feelings towards this year. I can't really say that my year was bad nor was it too good. The highlight event of the year will definitely be the leg fracture and the subsequent hospitalization. It was altogether a different experience. Another important issue will be the fall out with d&m. There were attempts to connect the former with the latter.I don't think it is an exercise worth doing. Maybe I will comment on that in this web space soon. This blog is about my journey through the year - 2009.

Movies: Movie watching in Sohar became a new experience with the opening of Sohar Cinema. We started with Aliens and Monsters and ended with Saw Le. Some of the best movies which we saw were - Taking of 123 Pelham, Pazzahassi Raja, and Loudspeaker. Some movies are meant to be watched in the year. For the other we have the TV and the endless supply of movies from my students. I enjoyed watching Scary movie 1&4,and Meet the Spartans.

Books: This year saw me searching for a book and finally buying it from the City Centre. The title of the book is - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I also got attracted to the area of audio books and made some quick purchases like ‘Dreams from My Father’ by Barack Obama and ‘Jude The Obscure’ by Thomas Hardy.

Events: I had a fall and was hospitalised for 5 days. I fell in the month of July and started walking in the month of December without any external aids. First time I underwent a major operation and experienced life in ICU. I used walker, crutches and finally elbow walking stick during the course of my recuperation. I still have the nail inside my leg and it will be removed only when I go home next year.

Xi and me: I purchased a new phone Sony Ericcson X1 which is a windows based mobile. It has opened up a new world to me. Most of the time I am hooked to the software which i have downloaded. Kinoma Media Play, Viigo, and lots and lots of software.

The tickets issued to heaven…2009 took some good people along with it. I personally felt the loss of Dr VJM, Lohitadass, Murali, John Updike, and MJ.

The year ahead for me: Only prayers that i should be guided by the good Lord in every step I take, every word I utter and every decision I make.

The Irish Ghost in Me

Am I attempting a ghost story????

Kind of , I am sharing some ideas about mental my ghosts – sometimes they do occur in the form of ideas. Yesterday an idea stuck me that I should write something about my long term association with Ireland. The ‘association’ is only  a psychological one bordering on obsession. This blog is an attempt to map my obsession with Ireland. 

It started with W.B Yeats and his lovely poems which I read for my  Master’s program.  I did his poem ‘Second Coming’ and to substantiate my knowledge I did some background reading. I discovered two things  about W.B Yeats,

1. He is a victim of unrequited love.
2. His fascination with Irish culture primarily the folklore.

The effect the poem had on me is so much that even today I can quote some lines from the poem,

‘Turning and turning in the ever widening gyre.

The falcon cannot hear the falconer’

Again Literature pulled me towards Ireland. This time it was Drama and the author was George Bernard Shaw. The affiliation started in my under graduate days when I read his ‘The Arms and the Man’. To a certain extent the credit also goes to my professor Mr. Philips who had a unique way of handling the class. Later on both in my student life and teaching career George Bernard Shaw was a dominating figure. As a student I read his ‘Pygmalion’ and as a teacher I saw the movie version of Pygmalion – ‘My Fair Lady’. My professors including VJM used to quote GBS to add the necessary punch to their class.

Another Irish author who made me get interested in Irish life was Frank McCourt. I have read his magnum opus titled Angela’s Ashes. As a teacher it was quite a rich experience to read his academic bio – Teacher Man.

My fascination for Ireland is not just restricted to literature. It also includes some popular culture elements like – U2 and the Corrs. U2 appealed  to me for their eco-supportive songs and their great guitar work. Corrs for their sibling camaraderie and the fresh young  voice especially of the sylvan beauty Andrea. 

I don’t know much about Ireland. I have seen some flicks that were shot in Ireland. I have seen some wallpapers and screensavers. I have heard about the Catholic uprising and the IRA. The issues with Northern Ireland and how the UK is pampering the Irish people. Deep in my heart I do cherish a dream of visiting Ireland and inhaling the smell of the land deep in my nostrils.

Two movies /48 hrs

Recently we watched two movies within a gap of 24 hrs. Both the movies were unique. First one was filled with natural and soft treatment of life. The second was a combination of special effects and race against time. In many ways both had some common ground between them. The movies which we saw were - Loudspeaker (Malayalam) and 2012 (English).

Loudspeaker portrayed the changing face (s)of mankind. The following juxtapositions find place in Loudspeaker- old/new, rural/urban,natural/artificial. The treatment surprisingly is not Loud. There is a human element in the movie and it carries a strong message about our changing lives. The central motif is similar to Rajesh Khanna starrers -Anand and Bawarachi and the copy of copy of all these – Kal ho na ho. Something akin to the saying - He came, he saw and he conquered. Watching a movie with some brilliant snapshots of Kerala is a true nostalgic act for a Gulf Malayalee. Jairaj injects a shot of humanism without the help of Doctor Preacher. In a way it was good to see Jairaj attempting a theme like this which is far removed from his usual misadventures with ‘saffronic’ themes. (Paitherekam, Deshadanam). Even though  Mammoty looks different as the Loud Mike, he lacks a tinge of originality.We felt that he was too glamorous for the role of a ‘farmer/kidney donor from the hills’. Jagathy is wasted with an insignificant character of the apartment secretary . We had heard numerous complaints about the sync technique used ( first time in Malayalam) in the movie but our movie watching experience was complaint free.

2012 is about the end of the world. We all know that the world will end soon and the bad/mad rush has already begun. Copenhagen promoting the theme of hope is one way of creating awareness about the dying earth. ( Sign the petition and become a citizen at www.hopenhagen.com) The world as we know will face death due to either environmental issues, terrorism or an alien attack) Mayans predicted it long back and Indians noticed it and as usual Americans saves the world ( or at least the world of the rich) with the help of hard working China men. A movie filled with American jingoism and propaganda, 2012 is just like Independence Day. The biblical ark is shown in a new avatar. In many ways the movie attempts to yoke Mayan calender with the biblical ark.

The Language of Violence

Google has entered into a partnership with leading publication houses to bring the best from the world of words. i was browsing the titles this morning and i came across a book titled ‘The Violence of Language’. the title made me think about the violent ways of using language. I took some time to mull over the topic and found that it will be worthy of a blog. The fact that today violence is a common thing makes the topic more topical. The topic deals only with the verbal use of language. words which are un- parliamentary may be the starting point. every human being has got a breaking point. If he/she is pushed beyond a certain point then he will break. One of the way’s through which he regains balance is by uttering some words which are like bullets and will hit the target bull’s eye. The language becomes violent.

Cursing,Swearing are all instances were language can get really violent. Studies are being conducted into the violent nature of human communication. What are the effects of bad words on the listener? How does human brain process these words?. Answers will be found soon. Most of the time the powerful language we use is a result of anger and frustration. In these modern times you can see people getting more complex and hard hearted. The use of violent language is becoming more intense and common.

The self-development guru’s (Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra) are of the opinion that violent words always carry a negative field of energy and that will vitiate the ambience. this is one area which they are minting money. to make the post-post modern beings control their anger and practice the golden rule of silence. as a teacher i sometimes do get angry in the class, but experience has taught me that anger in a classroom is utterly useless. When i browsed the net i even came up with the idea of non-violent communication.

In, developing countries like India, the worst forms of violent communication is used against women and children. teachers against students, parents against children, husband against wife… the list goes on. Money, cultural issues, and lack of education are some of the breeding grounds for these types of communication.

Oman Diary - Part One

This is our second year in Oman. Last year we never had the inclination to explore Oman. This year we thought we will do a bit of exploration so that we will discover Oman. We decided to explore the ‘Real Oman’ far away from the hustle bustle of the Sohar life. So we chose a destination that is 70 kms away from Sohar - Wadi Hibi. Surrounded by mountains the village of Hibi is peaceful and has some of the best picturesque places.

 

There are some structures which our driver cum guide Saed told us were old houses.They are made of perfectly shaped stones and plastered with mud. Omanis lived in these houses maybe some 20 years back. Now they remain as examples of the past. the houses were constructed in such a way that the inhabitants were protected from wind and other adverse weather conditions. It had sub terranean passages and air ducts for ventilation. The modern houses co-exist with these ancient structures, complete with air conditioners and satellite TV.

 

 

This was the taxi which took us on this journey. Behind you can see the mountains and a Masjid. People living in Hibi are usually go to sleep late and they get up late. Most of them are farmers and their pace of life is slow and relaxed. We met some of them and they invited us to eat breakfast with them. The time was 10:30 am. Hibi like any other village is a close knit society. People know each other and they share a sense of camaraderie.  Maybe it is effect of nature on the minds of human beings. People are healthy and active. we met an old man whose age was 80+, walking around with the agility of an 30+ man.

( to be continued)