Communal Cricket

The Match yesterday gave us a chance to watch it together, on social media. We hollered audibly, and made sure we were heard by our friends on Facebook and Twitter. Although many status updates were an expression of our excitement, they also gave us a chance to do something other than twiddle our fingers while the boys in blue did their part.

Games watched at home in childhood, in college in common rooms, and at work in conference rooms all melded together, as all the people we shared these moments with were on social media. We could exult over a stylish shot, groan in despair when a catch was dropped, and pray together when times were tough.

Otherwise, the internal energy would have no outlet and may have resulted in more heart attacks :)

The Vicious Circle of Social Media

Social media is logically the best way to learn about what’s happening in social media. There’s something constantly happening in this field. We feel like we always need to be plugged in, otherwise we may miss out on something important.

Just like poets are often the audience for other poets, social media too is populated with social media experts, who advise techniques for blog creation, for instance. Voila, there’s their blog. It’s a bit like the only people who get rich from self help books are self help authors.

This also remind me of college classes, where we analyzed texts. It’s a cottage industry, producing material to criticize works, by past products of the system. The consumers are the current students of these courses.

I’ve learnt many useful tips regarding social media, from social media enthusiasts, who I found on social media platforms. But, too often I come across posts for the newbies. So sometimes I feel these are to make sites content heavy.

We pick and choose who we track on social media. On Twitter, it is an effort to stop following someone, once you start. You only do it if the volume of tweets is too much, or the quality dips significantly.

Let’s only write what we would like to read?

All I Really Need to Know, I learn on Twitter

The other day, someone asked me, “Which class are you in?” I smiled, explained that it had been a while since I finished my education. But that interaction got me thinking. Does learning stop when we leave school? Is education ever really over?

Now we have a tool to help us through life. Search engines can seem impersonal, and sometimes we may question the veracity of the information. On Twitter though, you can find answers to most questions. And since they are by actual people, you can follow up with them for clarifications, supplementary questions, or hand holding

Why not use Facebook? I feel that is our comfort zone, because we are particular about who we add as our friends. They may know as much as we do, particularly if the subject is esoteric. Tapping experts on Twitter is a better bet.

Facebook reminds me of a swimming pool, where groups of friends do their own thing. You smile, wave, laugh with each other. It’s for the good times. Twitter is this vast ocean you can drown in, or learn to swim in.

Good luck.

IWD

Happy Women's Day. The argument has been that if women want equality, why do they also want a day set aside for them? The fact remains that women are still exploited all over the world, so I think in this context, if initiatives around these women are helped by this day, then we should definitely mark this day.
Wikipedia informs me that this was originally International Working Women's Day. Originally a Socialist event, does it still have teeth, on the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day? Let's not limit it to wishing each other, celebrating womanhood, and meeting galpals.
When I was a child, it was a distinct mental jump to watch women in managerial roles on cable TV- Star World soaps and the like. Gradually, as I saw women achieve more, be as good at tasks which were considered male, I internalised the fact that we've arrived.
Womanism still resonates more with me than feminism. Sometimes, catfights prevail over better sense. But I still think we've come a long way. I still don't like the fact that #bootyappreciationday is trending on Twitter worldwide now. Let's get it off the charts!

Note to Myself

I've learnt a lot from the Open Forum on Saturdays (1-2 PM) at Kornash. It's fun connecting it with Psychology classes in school. Heat and tempers rising are related, so need to be careful now:)
Acceptance- the past is past. It can't be changed. Accept that, and move on. Don't let it poison the present, and worse still, the future. Although it is important to vent, once that's done, it's time to move on.
Internal chatter- read an article in Femina on how music helps drown it out.
Karma- if people have forgiven you in the past for similar incidents, return the favor. Even if they haven't, you can pay it forward.
Depending on others for help can only be temporary. It's important to internalize lessons, so that you don't repeat mistakes.
I still love the definition of learning we studied in psychology class in school- Learning is any relatively permanentchange in behaviouras a result of experience.

Speed sales

Fighting with plump aunties for salwar kurtas that will make me look like a Christmas tree, as early as 10 AM, left me drained. The exhilaration of getting bargains was cancelled out when I discovered that my credit card would not work- cash please! So I went to withdraw money.

Last time I got suits from here, they were useful. People keep getting married unexpectedly, so at least this way I won't have to scramble for suitable outfits. Sale shopping is best done in twos- so that one can hold the fort while the other scouts around/tries the outfit/finds a mirror which has some face space.

Had to keep taking rounds, as discarded stock was put back on the racks. A useful filter is to dog someone whose taste you like, so that you can pick up the ones that don't fit her/she doesn't like on second thought.

Speed dating must be similar. Instant decisions have to be made, before the kurta in question weighs your arm down. In both cases:)

The Death of Blogging, the Birth of Twitter

Read an article today in the New York Times on how blogs are dying. The younger generation prefers Twitter. Although Twitter's great for sharing links and thoughts, it's not as satisfying as a good long blog post I can get my teeth into.
Twitter's a Hi! and a blog's a how are you? the one that friends can take half an hour to answer. If Twitter's 20-20, a blog's a Test match.
A blog tells you more about a person, the way she thinks, speaks, and writes. In a tweet, I'm always conscious of the fact that I have only 140 characters. Reminds me of the STD calls earlier.
A blog can be thought similar to a magazine, while a tweet is akin to a newspaper. Although Twitter may be more social, a larger ego boost, what will you tweet about? That's where a blog can come in.
Although I still believe brevity is the soul of wit, short blog posts seem like a good compromise between a tweet and a post which is closer to article length.

V- Day

Valentine's Day. A day we singles regard with dread. The very air seems sickly sweet, mocking us as we breathe in.
I remember the hicks who used to invade K-nags when we were in College. I warned my brother to be careful (he's in Delhi for Valentine's).
This year, a friend got a rose on Rose Day. Airtel informs me that today is Propose Day. The run up to V-day is gaining mileage this year, the supporting cast getting airplay as V-day fatigue sets in.
We used to go out in a group on V-day, in College. I like the Ebay ad---self-love, self-indulgence, so what if no one sends you gifts.
I don't think love really needs a day. It's on our minds 365*24*7 :)

So simple...

Sounds right...will try. Weight loss focus hasn't worked so far, focusing on health may!

this seems doable...

Next time, I'm fighting myself...will just eat :-)

So true...from Holy Kaw!

Data which proves what we've known...TMI

Is my favorite acronym now- Too much Information! So what if a tweet is 140 characters, have you tried adding the tweets you read in a day?

Facebook and Eliot

To prepare a face to meet the faces we meet...

Tweet tweet, i know you have another woman...

On the perils that twits face...

To women over 30

I take it back. I liked Turning 30! It was eerily similar to my life so far. Loved the bai...she reminded me of Malti di. OMO...I miss you. She does cry a lot in the movie, something which is tough to understand for someone who hasn't gone through that level of heartbreak. Saw a woman protagonist I could identify with after a long time.
It's a more important issue for singletons still, I think. If you are well set on the career ladder, totting kids, or happily married, this milestone isn't so scary.
What if you're alone, stuck in a job you dislike, unhappily unmarried? It's all in the head. We all know people who are unhappyily married, who whine even if they are well set.
We should be more than what we do, or who loves or doesn't love us. Rather than living in a vaccum, waiting to be filled by a job or a significant other, we should fill it ourselves, bit by bit, minute by minute. And before we know it, it will become a habit.
I know some wonderful thirty plus women who are single. Some say men feel threatened by their success. Others are vertically or horizontally different. Still another is the stereotypical man hater.
How have they coped? Some are single in the city, others live in parents. Still others live in the same city as their parents, but separately.
They're all great fun to be with. More so than many married women i know, who can only talk about their children, maids, and houses.
We do maid talk too, and house talk. Some of us are close to nieces, nephews, and strange kids.
While I'm on the subject, I know some fantastic 40 year olds, people in their fifties, sixties, and twenties.
What do they all have in common?
Cognitively, they're as fresh as children.
When I was twenty, thirty seemed a long way away. I promised myself I would write a novel by then. So far, i have a few short stories. I'm already planning goals for the next decade.
40's the new 30.
The twenties are for dreaming. I think the thirties are for rediscovering those hopes, and working towards making them come true.
We've learnt to be more self reliant, but also realise we need people. Occasionally.
Even physically, age reflects what you think.
yours,
29+

Maya, the Screen

Turning 30! is to be avoided. Wish the same was possible with actually turning thirty. A thought- mental age differs from physical age, like kairos differs from chronos. There is good kairos and bad kairos- by which I mean, events which give us pleasure and events which sadden. The latter is better from a growing point of view, but not one we submit to willingly.
Reading The Penguin Edition of The Upanishads, specifically the introduction. Got interested after listening to Parthasarthy speak on the Isha Upanishad. Prefer these to self help books, which nag. The Upanishads merely glory in the joy of God, wanting you to experience the same. Treating others as if we were all one, what a simple way to do good! More as I continue on the journey.
We live as we dream. Alone. Conrad.
Inner life must be lived alone, like we die alone. From the afore mentioned introduction.
Poetry and religion are even more similar than psychology and religion. So even more interesting to me! Reading a book I felt like marking after a long time.
Both must be felt, and are tough to describe. Another line I liked from the introduction- poets make the abstract concrete. So do the Upanishads.
It's a pity religious questions make it tough for them to be taught in school. With a science driven world, we just haven't kept up. We can't declare ourselves obsolete. Technology will just have to wait while we understand ourselves.

Happiness is a sum of many things. One of them is being needed. You can be needed if you work at something you're good at. I have a dream. A dream with deadlines is a goal. Resilience gives you faith that you can achieve your goal. Here's hoping, knowing that yes, I can. Affirmations help too.

The polo final was an unforgettable experience. Barefoot, turbanned Manipuris in red and green put up an exhibition match. Then Black Gold played the White Knights. Dashing horses, Sandy Cash ( who we later discovered went by the more prosaic name Sandeep Kashyap) and the other players shouting with raised mallets made it exciting. The thud of the horses' hooves, the thud of our hearts as we tried to spot where the ball went, kept us jumping in our seats.

Upping the stakes

Airtel sent me an SMS today saying that I have been subscribed to a Baba Ramdev pack and I should call this number to unsubscribe. Spam is one thing. Spam that needs you to take action another. I hope this doesn't become a trend.
After calling the number, the voice asked me whether I was sure I wanted to unsubscribe. Cheeky !@#$%.