Money works in many ways

[ Inspired by demonetization initiative in India and also my reading of Economics of Banking. I got to tell you both have been very painful. ;) I want this post to be a sort of cliched one. Am not very good with words and meter. ]

Money works in many ways
 
We save a penny here and a penny there
Our vaults get heavy and our ego too
We lose time to even count your pennies
We drive fancy cars and have great views from the window
Wear the best and look the best
Roam the world with a backpack and stubble

What does money want?

It loves movement from hand to hand.
It cannot contain in a locked safe!
It longs for value.
If you don't give it what it deserves, it goes sad and black!

What is money?
Moulded metal or printed note?
It pervades everywhere. 
It drives people insane.

Money works in many ways.

Money's made of the hope that we LIVE the next day.
However we want to.
Nothing more and nothing less.

Going high

We hear this everyday.

He's hit his high.
This drink gets me high.
You should always aim high.

When do you get high?

• When you score the best in exam and top the list? 
• When your team wins a volleyball match and you see the certificate? 
• Or when you get into the university you have only dreamt about 
• Or when you graduated successfully with a high paying job in a well-known corporate?
• When you play a tal with variation you have only heard but never tried before and see that spark in your teacher's eye?
• Or when your professor overlooks your late course application and approves your course after a tough debate and lecture on punctuality?
• When you give yourself a generous dose of a beverage or let some quirky smoke enter into your breath?
• Or when you hear a tune and bang your head for half-an-hour and realize it's just another well-known ragam? 
• Or when you give flowers and see the girl smiling mysteriously as if nothing had happened? And then have a non-stop-2-min-laugh about it as if how-dare-you-no-way!
• When you stumble upon a friend at a random place and start exchanging life events - present and past? 
• When you know you are right and button up for whatever is ahead?
• When you can't play a tune how-much-ever hard you try but play it flawlessly the very first time next day?
• While watching the movie you know you imagined this much better than what is shown?
• Or when you click a perfect portrait and your subject says thanks with the eyes?
• Or when you can't help but repeatedly thank the chef (and a friend) for making the lunch memorable?
• When you say something without validating internally and realize there's something cool about it? 

River of life

[ Inspired by Cauvery water issue and some personal experiences, of course ]

I'm life!

I don't come with a plan. I don't come with a schedule.
I have a destination but that's not my end.
I die everyday when I meet the ocean. I'm born everyday too.
I flood. I narrow down. I slow down. I flatten. But I never stop! 

There are bridges, which stay aloof.
They keep telling everyone to stay away from me and be safe.
They frown upon my vastness and depth.

There are dams, which try to stop and contain me.
They try to use me in ways - they think - that will help people.

My most valuable possession lies in my heart - the fishes, plants and micro organisms.
They fill themselves with me.
They are there for me wherever I go.
To an extent, may be, I exist for that love.

There are boats that flow with me and share some of my love!

People fight over me. I don't take sides.
I'm for those who need me.
People try to change my course. I oblige as long as I support my love.
I hate wastes from people and industries. They pollute me! They harm me and my love.

I AM life! 

Love,
A River

Grad School (Another short story)

[A story once written is never as beautiful the second time.]

It still feels like a dream. He still has his wife's words ringing in his head, "It's time for her to become a woman." He has never left her all by herself for more than a week. Now he'll have to do it for a semester. He wanted to ask her how long their semesters are. 3 months? What if it's 6 months?

He pulled down at the university hostel. It's a simple building with girl students gossipping. He also spots the warden who spoke to parents during their induction session for newly joining students. His mind is switching between the present and his arguments with his wife.

He: There are 2 top-rated universities in engineering nearby. We can drive there in less than 3 hours. Moreover, what's the scope for a career in literature? A journalist? A writer? A teacher? It looks to me like she wants to run away from home!

His wife (Interrupts): The whole world is not made up of only engineers and scientists. Let the girl follow her interests.  

He: Do you think she has a boy friend?

His wife: Not any that I know of. Honey, she's our daughter. She can face the world. You are just over-thinking. 

He: It's a 10 hour drive from here. I want to be there with her and see all the on-boarding myself. 

His wife: Johnny has his mid-term. I need to be here. 

He realizes he went blank thinking about their conversation. She is still looking at him silently not interrupting his thoughts. Just like him, she is not able to speak.

The dad in him takes over. "You have all the stuff packed. Clothes, books, tab, mobile... ummm... some stuff your mom prepared. Make sure you check if the SIM is active by the evening", he speaks quickly trying to suppress his urge to ask her how long her semester is.

"It won't be too long, pa! I'm going to be home before christmas.", she replies as if she heard him.  He supresses his reaction. She continues, "Home's been my world. I want to see more. I will meet students from across the world. Learn. Make friends. Learn from professors. I looked up so much about this university and their curriculum in this area. I made more than 10 calls over phone and skype to my seniors from school".

"But, baby, you have never been out of home for more than a week." He regrets why he said that. She is in tears. He hugs her. She doesn't let go. He pats her on the back of her head.

After a pause, she starts "Honestly, pa, I don't think I can last a day here. More than anything else, I don't know how I can spend a day not fighting with Johnny. I'll skype you every day at 7 PM. Remind Johnny to pick another slot for basket ball. I looked up trains which come over to our place. May do a couple of trips home over the weekends before christmas. I know mom didn't want to come here because she doesn't want to show that she misses me." 
 

He takes a pen from his pocket and gives her. "This thing, honey. This little thing here is very powerful. This made regimes fall. This liberated many lives. This has pushed the limits of thinking, imagination, creativity and reality. Let this be the light for your future." He couldn't believe he just said some deep stuff. He guesses it's part of being a dad. 

She doesn't let him go still. He wriggles out and kisses her on the forehead. With a heavy heart, he steps back into the car. The warden comes swiftly and holds her hand.  She assures him that this young lady is going to be a strong woman. He drives a 100 yards and stops to see his girl walk into the hostel glancing backwards mirroring the heaviness in his heart. 

He never thought about how he'll feel not seeing her at dinner everyday. Johnny and his wife seem to have already prepared themselves for it.

A Short Story

He senses her moving sharply behind him. She's not speaking a word but he knows she's furious. She calls his friend, Vijay, who was sitting in the other room on a couch comfortably, with amplified artificial sweetness in her voice "Vijay, let's go out for dinner today. I didn't cook anything". Vijay, to his utter dismay, is grinning widely. She signals Vijay to come and help her with folding her clothes. While Vijay is still at his job, he goes to her and asks if she's fine. She feigns another artificially sweetened smile saying everything and everybody is absolutely fine.

He knows he's made a mistake. May be he shouldn't have told what's on his mind. He is not clear if she is angry about what he told or how he told. He wished girls (especially this girl) were more patient and explain what's on their mind. He feels as if he has crossed the line but doesn't know how!

He walks slowly to her while she's combing her hair. She sees him coming in the mirror. She chooses to look at herself. He tries talking to her while framing all the sentences in his mind. He just can't. He clears his throat loud so she could hear him. She simply ignores him as if she didn't hear anything. He brunts out another "Ahem" before he mutters "Sorry. I didn't think it'll make you so angry."

She turns to him immediately at a speed he has never seen her move. Her face is now red. Before he even realizes, a storm is upon him. She is at him, "We have been living in the same place for over an year. Our families know each other. We have atleast a 100 common friends on facebook. We hangout almost every day. Even Vijay knows what's wrong! Sorry for what? Why are things so complicated with you?"

His frown turns into a smile.
She doesn't wait for his reply.
While she walks off angrily with Vijay, he knows it's time for him to get into action. 

L-man & M-woman

(My amateur - supposed to be fun but actually not - super hero story)

Mother Nature (M) can't help but notice the imbalance in the world. Men and women are not attracted to each other anymore! They are distracted all the time with their gadgets - mobiles, tablets, smart watches, TVs - at home. When they are out of their home, they are after power, money and self-gratification. M knows that the world can't go like this far enough. M knows more than clearly that the fundamental source of all forms of positive emotions - friendship, peace, camaraderie, joy and celebration - is love. Only when people are in love, they feel good about themselves and others. That's the only way to restore humanity. She's so sure!

But how is that possible?

M has so many other responsibilities. The environment is polluted, so many species are going extinct, stars are dying, droughts, cyclones, seismic activity, volcanic activity... there are just too many of them. M needs to scale. So she decides to create a new super power, L-man.

L-man can make two organisms fall in love.

1. He can touch any two beings and they will instantly fall in love with each other. Remember, he has to touch both of them only then they fall in love. Just one touch is of no significance. ( I'm taking no questions there. That's how super powers work! )
2. He can be at many places at the same time. M thought this is important because she felt her creations are so many and growing!

The first few centuries L-man got to work, he was quite successful. He made things work like magic! People respond to his touch like crazy. They go sleepless, no hunger, feel insecure, deep think, trash talk, obsess, cry and what not! He also sees that the more they stayed in touch the better they feel. They seem to enjoy each other's company more after his touch. L-man also experiments touching beings of the same gender and that works too! M, however, isn't sure how that'll work for the next generation. She also needs to think about maintainability and sustenance, you see! She thinks it's not coming in the way of what she's doing so it's OK.

One fine day, L-man realizes a flaw in his activity. He is touching same beings multiple times forgetting that he had touched them already. When he spoke about this to M, she starts thinking deeply about it! M feels the need for somebody who can reinforce the power of L-man's touch into the lives of people. M is convinced there has to be an M Jr. She creates M-woman.

M-woman starts working with L-man to bring longevity to his touch.

These are their super-hero logos, OK?  

Lucia (Kannada)

Hola!
Movie review is not my thing.
That doesn't stop me from attempting this for a movie in the language that I don't usually watch (It's a Kannada movie)!

If you are planning to watch the movie, don't read this any further. (It's an old movie but definitely worth a try.)

The name "Lucia" is an apt implication for "lucid dreaming".
The movie revolves around the character who succumbs to the effect of a drug called Lucia.
First of all, the movie raises strong questions on Euthanasia, effects/side effects of drugs, aspirations, success, understanding intentions and compromises many of us come across in our lives.

For a not-so-regular watcher like me, the progress of the story is quick and crisp. The transitions from the common man working at a theatre (talkies) to his romantic interest and then to the actor and beyond happen at an enjoyable pace. Honestly, I didn't quite enjoy watching this movie so much because of the issues addressed in a very subtle way go deeper into the mind. Drug abuse, highly competitive movie industry, investigating circumstantial evidence, the love story and the back-stabbing keep you gripped.

The theme of the story is rooted around the protagonist Nikhil (played by Shivakumar), a celebrated actor yearns for the life of a common man. He takes to Lucia for reaching out to his yearnings and succumbs to the after effects of the drug. The support he counts on start showing their darker side and that pushes him deeper into the abuse. Major part of the story-telling picturizes his lucid dream of a common man with his romantic interest in Shwetha (played by Sruthi Hariharan).  

The movie consummates at the moment where the protagonist asks his girl "Is this really real?" (Is this love true? / Can I trust you?)

The screenplay which blends the imagination with reality is outstanding. It's very easy to leave audiences wondering what had happened in such a complex knitting of shots. For a regular watcher, there are some songs. Not all of them blend into the story though. There are some fun parts in the story as well. Especially when Shwetha attempts to teach English to Nikhil. For native Kannada speakers, the conversations in slang from Mandya (a city close to Mysore) are refreshing.

Have been hearing about this movie from my Kannada friends for a very long time and finally managed to watch!

This movie also happens to be crowd-funded!
Isn't that cool?

Movie's available for a watch at rental INR 50 (valid for 48hrs) or at buy INR 100.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7AhxgNDRB8

Interested in someone?

Of late, I'm thinking a lot about what triggers a romantic interest in you?

After a little bit of contemplation, good bit of observation, past personal experience and research from few blog posts, few books and a little bit of tinder & trulymadly ( ...panting now!), I think there are 4 categories in developing this sort of an interest. 

1. Physical attraction: You like the way the person looks. It could be the dressing sense, the colour of eyes, the hair style, the body language, the complexion or the build. You just like looking at the person!
2. Demisexual: You are emotionally attached to the other. The other person means a lot to you in your life. Intense, you cannot imagine your life without him/her. You seek each other's company to share your feelings. You acknowledge and value each other's mood swings. You are not happy when the other does not give you enough time and attention. You are upset when the other is down. 
3. Sapiosexual: You are convinced with a good bit of reasoning that this is the person who you like to be with. You treaded all the possible paths and in some way or the other your options converged to this person. You debate, you question, you play and you may (sometimes) mislead each other but you are a team, no matter what!
4. Spiritual: You believe that you are meant to be together for reasons you can't explain. Perhaps this is a divine calling. You may not belong to the same faith but you believe that a super natural power unites you. You believe things the other person believes in. You may not be from the same region, religion or may not even speak the same language but your faiths align.

    This diagram is created using creately and is copyrighted to me.  When you show this to girls I'm interested in, please make sure you mention that it's reproducible under NPL (Naveen Public License).

To verify my observations, I took some attributes as a thought experiment to verify this model. 

• For example, you are interested in financial status. It falls under sapiosexual circle because it shows that you are convinced that the other person can support himself/herself to earn a comfortable life style. However, it can be in any of the intersection regions with demisexual circle like you are certain that the other person will not think about a wealthier one (I just made this up. Don't judge me on this one, OK?) or it can get into physical circle as well as you can spend some bucks on grooming.
• Another example, you are interested in adventurous types. It falls under sapiosexual circle again because you are convinced that the other person can take risks to keep the his/her interests alive and possibly yours too. It, again, may fall into physical category as well, because the person may try physically challenging things and so stays fit. ;-)

To conclude, I feel our interests fall in the intersecting region of all the circles. That sweet spot, my friends, is difficult to reach! 

Hope you liked this read!
Let me know if you like it / don't like it.

A (fake) report on positive effects of unpredictable sexual behaviour

[ Disclaimer: All the ideas/statistics quoted in this article are purely fictitious. Any resemblance to characters in real life known or unknown is definitely not coincidental ]

Predictable sexual behaviour is popularly believed to foster trust, healthy relationship building, social security and team building. With sexual preferences evolving, this is an interesting time we relook various aspects of sexual behaviour.

Conversations (verbal/electronic communication) are the core focus of this analysis. There has always been a debate* on spontaneity vs consistency in the sexual conversations. A sample space from one of the most used dating apps were asked about their preferences on various aspects of their exploration of sexual preferences of their partners. A surprising 81.9% felt that clear, crisp and straight forward conversations are boring because they tend to be predictable. Universal facts (29.3%), daily personal events (61.4%), career achievements(32.2%) and passion of life(45.0%) are marked as major turn offs by the participants.

That raises and interesting question “With a person you haven't met before, what creates the spark of interest?”

Looks, understandably, remain in the top 53.2%.

What followed, stunned the team of researchers

Element of surprise (32.7%), Adventure – Complexity in reaching out to somebody (31.2%), Anticipation (25.3%)

This implies that the sample group favoured unpredictability as a major turn-on in their sexual exploration. This could be largely attributed to the fact that some values – Honesty, straight-forwardness, emotional transparency, intellectual honesty and so on – are pretty much understood and the participants consciously and carefully avoid conversations in these areas.

When asked to explain, unexpected delays during rendezvous or dates increased their feelings of intimacy because they share their care and rush of emotions clearly. Participants (roughly 67.1%) thus favoured a touch of raw emotions compared to conscious (and controlled) exchanges of ideas.

The transformation period from expressing interest to realizing the interest to a convincing level in both the partners is crucial for dating apps. The results of this study will uncover many potential research areas around the elements of surprise in budding relationships.

*Some random reference you needn't bother going through. Get back the topic now!