Downward Spiral

Every time I open a news website, I am welcomed by some macabre headline staring at me. And it is not that I frequent just one or two sites. Sites ranging from Indian news to CNN and Time have only sad stories to tell.

Some of the latest headlines:

- 4 MNS legislators suspended for attacking Azmi
- UPA ministers' travel expenses: Rs 300cr in 3 yrs
- Pak daily passes 'death sentence' on US journalist
- Naxals could hit investment climate, warns FICCI
- Speeding car mows down 3 in Noida
- Suicide bomb attack kills 3 in Pakistan
- India is world's No.1 in retail theft: Survey

All these are just from Times of India site for today. And these are not all. Such news occupy pretty much 80% of the site.

Here in US, the papers are flooded with Fort Hood killings, Cleveland rapes and murders, Legalizing marijuana (This has surprisingly become such a hot topic these days. What a waste!), Tropical Storm Ida, Hateful radical preaching outside the mosque in NY and on and on and on.

Sometimes I wonder, is the entire world degenerating into misery, woes and sadness at an accelerating pace? Deterioration of everything over time is inevitable. Home towns becoming inhabitable due to pollution and traffic, weather becoming more and more hostile, terrorism eating the society alive, widespread epidemics of diseases increasing and so on. But in recent times, the pace of that seems to have accelerated.

Like the God is in a hurry to fold the game on our little planet earth and maybe start afresh.

Empire State of Mind

Continuing the mood.. Turn up the volume ! Enjoy.

"Empire State of Mind" by Jay Z and Alicia Keys

The City I Love

Clicked some shots while walking back from office yesterday. Boy, I love the city.

Place: Around Times Square, New York City
Time: 9:00pm, Wednesday, 29 Oct 2009
Camera: iPhone [explains low resolution!]

"A Cricketer's life is very challenging" - Yuvraj Singh

Humorous Quote by Yuvraj Singh - "A cricketer's life is very challenging'

Yeah sure. Driving a Crore Rs. worth Hummers in India. Dating Bollywood Actresses. Appearing on front covers of fashion magazines. Wearing Tag and Rolex. Contracting with companies for a few million bucks for posing in front of television. Flying business class to coutries. Living in five star hotels. Having one billion people as fan base.

 

Boy, it sounds so challenging and tough. I am jealous as hell. Are you?

Joy of the first bicycle ride

Do you remember the feeling of your first bicycle ride all by yourself ? Your parents pushed your bicycle from behind, ran with it and then eventually let you go on your own. A moment of fear then a delicate balance, then surge of self confidence and finally the feeling of liberation! Your bicycle sailing on the road. Your first ride.

I was in a park jogging today and I saw a little kid on a bicycle with his father. I saw him ride on his own after a while and I saw his face. That triumphant and jubilant face reminded me of the days when I was learning the bicycle. Though the memories were very hazy, I could still feel it myself after all these years. And although I can't recollect who it was that taught me, I do remember the place. It was in the playground of my uncle's vacation home in the suburbs of Sihor town. It was a very old Atlas cycle of red color with handles bent inward as it was the style in its days. It was a bike almost a generation old at that time. Nevertheless, it did the job!

CFA Level 1

Today I got my result of CFA Level 1 exam that I took last month. I passed. Hard work of six months paid off in good! Feeling happy and proud :)

Edit: CFA = Chartered Financial Analyst [http://cfainstitute.org/]

'Legally Gay' in India !

Today Indian society took a giant leap forward. The Delhi High Court ruled today in favor of decriminalizing the gay sex between consenting adults. This is an extremely bold ruling considering the nature of Indian society and prevailing orthodoxy of Indian culture.

I call this the victory of 'Modern India'. The rational side of the Indian society won this long and hard fought battle. Not surprisingly, all religious leaders came out, bashing the high court's decision.
Ironically, for them, it is OK to kill, burn, rape, plunder in the name of religion. But it is not OK to have a loving relationship between two consenting adults who happen to be of the same gender. I would just like to tell them one thing. It is the victory of love over hate.

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/delhi_hc_legalises_consensual_gay_sex.php
http://ibnlive.in.com/pdf/gay-judgement.pdf