Onlookers

Curiosity is one of the basic traits of mankind. And i believe it is from this curiosity, that we get a tendency to bother about what other's are doing.

As an onlooker, we might learn a lot about the people involved in real situations but the fact is that we don't realise even half of what they are going through. It is more like watching a movie where you know whatever happens on the screen will never effect you in any way.

Like it is easy to predict the sequences in a movie and and say OK this is a tragedy movie if it has a sad ending or say "everyone lived happily ever after" and exit from the theatre. Similarly as an onlooker we might exit from the lives of the people involved after certain episodes because we lost touch or because their part in our lives are over. Then all that we know is they had such a situation in their life which they handled in this particular way and the result was so and so.

so all that is left for us in that is probably a lesson of how we should or should not handle a situation if have a similar one in our life. But the truth is once we face a real situation, that might not be the case. It is only then we realise why people in that situation earlier took those decisions. Most of the decisions we thought were foolish or stupid as an onlooker will be the most probable ones when we are really in to it.

This difference is occurring mainly owing to our emotional instabilities or rather loss of our rational thinking when we are having emotions attached to a problem. As an onlooker we rarely have emotional attachment to a problem, so our thinking is more rational and based on facts which are not hidden by silly emotions.

So the best way to handle a problem or to find the best solution is to think like an onlooker or rather fell like an onlooker and being a critic of oneself. This is possible only if we are able to detach ourselves from the real emotional person and view it from the onlooker's angle.

Dreams that don't let you sleep

I have heard people saying that dreams are those that do not let you sleep and not the ones that come in your sleep.

Now i have another variety of the so called "dreams that do not let you sleep". I believe every dream that is not realised can also be classified in this category. I wonder if people are just not bold enough to turn and look at those sleep less nights spend weeping to the pillow, cradling a shattered dream. 

what should we call those dreams? lost dreams? definitely not because if they are lost, then why are they still in our mind? So let's call them "haunted dreams". Since i don't believe in ghosts, the word haunted doesn't send a chill down my spine. :) 

So many times in our life, we will see our dreams being shattered right in front of our eyes. In most of the cases we are helpless or sometimes we are just not bold enough to hold on to them. But in either case, they will become "haunted dreams" later.

Some people just push these haunted dreams to the bin and move on with their life sooner or later. But some people tend to collect these dreams and keep them safe in a bag of memory. And the result? whatever success they achieve in their life, whatever little happiness that comes their way, all these will be hidden by this bag.

So it is very important for each one of us to get rid of these bags if we have them but the best way is to be carefull not to have them. Don't misunderstand me, i didn't mean not to dream, i just meant, "haunted dreams" should not be created.

local train, chennai

As an engineering fresher, the most important job for me( and many others like me) is job hunting. which includes travelling to different places and attending numerous tests . 

Getting worried looking at the buji looking people who are mugging up even in the last minute, thinking about the number of jobless engineers, calculating the probability of an interview call (well v use engg maths here:)), all these are the main parts of these tests

But anyways my last test in "chennai metro city" will be remembered for something else.

I was travelling with my dad and my friend.  3 "vegetarians" completely new to chennai. Without much trouble we found out that to get to the exam centre from chennai central, v have to travel in d local train of chennai.

On the morning of the test, we got up and reached the local station, 10 minutes before the arrival time for the train.

First surprise- it was a sunday morning but still the Q in the ticket counter was bigger than the peak hour Q :) so many people travelling on sundays.. i thot sundays were for sitting at home and relaxing. :) well obviously that s not what d chennai people think.

Anyways thanks to the person at the counter we got ticket on time and went on to the platform.  we stood there confirming the route and destination. Finally the "12 car" train came. Just like any other train we had travelled, the first few cars were not much crowded but the middle ones were full, and somehow we found one less crowded one in between and got in. The first thing that struck me was "where are the seats?" This car didn;t have any except at the sides. Then i heard someone saying this was the luggage compartment. no offence i dnt mind standing for sometime. But then, i started realising what they meant by "luggage" This luggage couldnt be ignored for long as my nose was caling for attention. :)  Inspite of the fact that my mother is a non vegetarian and she buys fish everyday, i hadnt seen so much fish in my whole life...

The compartment was loaded with fish that i could bearly set my foot properly. I heard my friend mumbling "will we smell fish even after we get out?" I wanted to tell her that getting out is still 45 minutes away. But anyways owing to the circumstances i kept my mouth shut.  flies were having a good time inside the train too...:) I took a glance at what s happening around me and i saw a lady cleaning and chopping fish ryt there. That was t, i really wished the local trains stopped long enough for us to move to another compartment but we didnt have a chance. so we stood there till we saw our destination through the window...

In the journey back i was reminded that chennai people are not bothered by the hot sun or burning heat.. or holidays. they are always busy. hats off to them :)

Another crowded train took us back to chennai central and then back to kerala from there...