Bad writing days..

In the last two days, I've composed two bad emails. Bad just because they didn't have the desired effect and that they were both taken in the wrong sense. 


This comes back to my earlier post but unfortunately that's how it is. I wish my intended message was delivered but unfortunately it wasn't. Now I feel like a jerk when I probably shouldn't. 


Candidness, upfrontness (not a word!) and ambition doesn't help sometimes. 

The scariest thing I saw this Halloween.

Forget ghouls, goblins, grim reapers, evil clowns. Most of those are imaginary (all clowns are evil!) What this post is about is very much real and scarier than any costume anyone can think of. It is probably one of the most disturbing things I've watched the last few years. 



It is very very disturbing for a number of reasons: 

1. From the trailer : A FIVE year old talks about being saved and that he found Jesus. 
2. Children are being made to pray to a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush
3. Mother home-schooling her son - " Did you get to the part yet where it says that science doesn't prove anything? And it's really interesting when you look at it that way..." 
4. Children are playing with torchlights in the night, making ghosts stories up, scaring each other, having a jolly good time being children. In walks the camp leader and says "I don't like ghost stories; some of them are fun - but they don't honor God". I'm sure you can imagine how thrilled the kids got with that sort of comment. 
5. Kids are convulsing and crying like they've done murder. Guilt and fear are strong motivators for brain washing. Forget government conspiracy theories for mind control. Indoctrinate a child with religion and he's yours forever. 
6. "Warlocks are enemies of God. And I don't care what kind of hero they were, had it been in the old testament, Harry Potter would've been put to death!!". Cut to a kid with a sad face. (This is old news - you could read more about it here)
7. Little girl goes up to a group of African Americans sitting by the road and says "If you die right at this moment, where would you go". Guy says "Heaven". Girl says "Are you sure?", "yes". Girl walks aways looking very unbelieving "I think they were muslims". 
8. basically the next 1.5 hours is more on the same lines...

If you've got netflix, blockbuster or can get the movie from somewhere, do have a watch.

Children at that age should be hogging on candy, playing with a ball, doing child-like things. Not wanting to be saved, or in training to become "religious soldiers". One of the little boys in the documentary is a born-leader. He would talk and people would listen. He is now being groomed to 'spread the word of God' and 'lead a revolution'. That's just what we need..training our children to become revolutionaries. 

I was very upset watching this. I tried to think back to my childhood. My parents are religious and I'm not. Not in the slightest. I was maybe as a child. But I have made my choices since then. However, I cannot recall even a SINGLE incident when I was told that all other religious beliefs are bogus, and there is only one truth. 

Like in this video above, it's bullshit that there are some religions of the sword and some are not. 

Old friends, new people

I've been lucky this year to meet up with some old friends after a long time. 


Its always so much fun to hang out with people who've shared some fun times with you; unfortunately over the course of time, these aren't really the 'old friends' but 'new people' who you have to discover all over again.


People become guarded, old inside jokes don't mean the same, and its no longer effortless! On the other hand, some people like that - to rediscover and perhaps find someone more mature and complete than the person you knew back in college. 


I don't like the effort, I still yearn for the same old, same old. People shouldn't change but then again I'm hoping for the impossible :)

Forget the past, live in the present, think about the near future

Over Diwali my cousin Nipa asked me "If you think about your past relationships and missed chances, what's the one you regret and what's the one you could have a do-over with". Most of the people in the room had their answers ready. I had to think for a while..but I think my answer is the truth for me. 


My answer was I don't have a single regret and I don't want a do-over. She was surprised and so were my other cousins. Well, my reasoning is that I don't have a regret over anyone because the decision to end a relationship would be one that I've thought about and wouldn't have taken it lightly. Do-overs - well if I didn't try hard enough or didn't get to know the person that well, that just means that over the first, second, third or even fourth impressions there was either nothing there to pursue or it was a one-way street. Either way, it doesn't make any difference. About the present, I'm with someone who is best for me as I am right now. Life rushes on ahead and there'll be road bumps and sometimes dead ends. What are you going to do anyway?


The only time to live in is the present and perhaps just a tiny bit into the future - the past is the past, the only way you're going to change things about the past are through solace, forgiveness and in your mind and imagination. 

So I didn't win..

but it was definitely worth entering. I think that one of the ways to improve your sport/hobby (mine is photography) is to actually compete for it. You get to see what other people's skills are, compare them to yours and hopefully improve. 


In any case, I'll continue to take pictures and improve over time. Maybe someday I'll manage to win at it! 


To see the ones I had entered for the contest themed "Asia without borders" refer to my earlier post - http://mehulvora.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-finalists.html

Credit now, pay later..The new Nobel Peace prize

This year's Nobel Peace prize is awarded to USA President Barack Obama. Here is the official press release from the prize committee. He has (as of this day) been in office for just more than 9 months.

The peace prize was awarded 'for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples'. The prize, according to me and many others (including previous peace prize winners) has been awarded in 'hope' of doing everything he has pledged to do. He has inspired 'hope' in an uninspired world. Come on !! Anyone coming in after the Bush fiasco would've got the same sort of hope-inspiring effect on the US or other countries. 


Nobel prizes, peace or otherwise, were until today based on the impact of the laureate's work on the relevant field. e.g. This year's Nobel prize in Medicine and Physiology went towards the discovery of the telomerase enzyme and telomeres that have since then been implicated in very important aspects of aging and cancer. They have become widely studied and have impacted the field significantly. This discovery was first made in the early 1980s. It has taken more than 20 years for this discovery to be given its due. Now granted that peace prizes have been given for their immediate and far reaching impacts. Note the immediate and far reaching impact - NOT impending impact. This is exactly what the prize to Obama signifies. I earnestly hope that in him receiving this he is much more in the spotlight and under pressure, as a politician and world leader has never been before, to actually deliver some of the campaign promises they have made. Obama, in his defense, has been on the right path so far. 


Where have we heard 'I want world peace and no wars and bloodshed' a thousand-and-one times before. On every beauty pageant that you've watched (ok. This is a cliche but there's a reason it's a cliche!). 

My many role models

My grandfather - I loved this man very much. Except one time (my fault totally, carefree teenager that I was) he never used to get angry. For anything. He had the one quality that I adore the most - patience. I yearn to attain that level of patience. I think my life in research is slowly and steadily teaching me that. 

My sister - I've followed in her footsteps since the very beginning. Junior college, Bachelors and even the same university. I think I look up to you because of your amazing analytical and critical skills. I want to write as well as you do, I want to be as introspective as you are, I want to be able to understand and interpret like you do. You would think that life as a scientist makes you this way. I think I'm not there yet..as much as I'd like to be there yesterday! To see her writing go here - http://purvsoutlet.blogspot.com/

Dewey Royal - Dewey, I'm going to miss you. I look up to Dewey for his formidable intellect and even more powerful courage and resilience. Dewey was a research professor in our lab who after being diagnosed with MS and being crippled by it at a very early age, overcame his fear, handicap and showed me that nothing is impossible or too hard. I didn't have too many chances to interact with him, but every time I did I was always challenged, inspired. I want to have the strength and perseverance and above all the passion that he had for his science, life, the universe and everything. Dewey passed away earlier this summer and he is sorely missed !!


My cousin Nirav - For his never-say-die attitude. And for being the one to call me from time to time :D