Whats in a face

But would be nice to put a face behind the words... so here it is ...

Attractively Insulting.

• Happiness is not everything. Just look at yourself .. you are alive, right?

• If you don't have courage, just fake it. For all you know, your opponent is doing the same. Same goes for knowledge. But this we all know.

• Contrary to the popular belief Win-Win essentially means I win either ways. Something like "Heads I win, Tails you lose".
• 
  

Finding Love

When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians (*)
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine emotion
touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.

Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasurable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.

Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
to arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithaca means.

Reacting to some dissent from those who are keeping their love waiting, this is for those who are so desperately waiting for their sweetheart to turn and give one of those heavenly smiles, that makes love the most sought after emotions of human downfall.

Thus spake love.

Whoever you are holding me now in hand,
Without one thing all will be useless,
I give you fair warning before you attempt me further,
I am not what you supposed, but far different.
Who is he that would become my follower?
Who would sign himself a candidate for my affections?
The way is suspicious, the result uncertain, perhaps destructive.
You would have to give up all else, I alone would expect to be
your sole and exclusive standard,
Your novitiate would even then be long and exhausting,
The whole past theory of your life and all conformity to the
lives around you would have to be abandon'd,
Therefore release me now before troubling yourself any
further, let go your hand from my shoulders,
Put me down and depart on your way.

(re-interpretation of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass :-))

Strengths and Weakness

Often we find ourselves in situations where we are asked to analyse strengths and weakness...if we are lucky it is about ourselves and if we are unlucky then it is a about a third person or entity. Although I am not sure about the exact demarcation of lucky and unlucky in such cases. Since, it can be more disheartening and equally, if not more, complicated to put one self under the microscope...mostly if it is about our own self, it tends to throw up ghastly insights which we can barely tolerate.

Having had a quick glimpse of life or more of a sneak preview in the last few months, I left wondering what are my strengths or weakness. Left wondering here basically means, no body else to talk to other than the mirror ( time to get a dog I guess -- but I am afraid looking at my condition The Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals might strongly object).

I have come to the conclusion, ( and readers, honestly, this was without the aid of old barley extracts ) that your strengths are your weaknesses. I know that kind of simplifies SWOT analysis when you are asked to do so -- imagine how trivially easy it would be to say Strengths = Weakness and Opportunities = Threats -- hence we are left to only analyze Strengths and Opportunities. If we can , the smart-aleks that we are, can somehow equate opportunities to be a direct function of Strengths, then we are left to deal with just one aspect of an other-wise drab and boring, as also very fruitless, exercise. Specifically if the target of such an exercise is none other than our own superior selves.

Lets take for example one of the movie stars of the current bollywood who is known for his perfectionist attitude. Open to guesses, but knowing the lackluster characters of current fiefdom and the lack of it, it is not tough to guess. Lets say for a moment that you are him. then your biggest strength is your worst weakness. You know you have won awards for your perfectionist approach , while time and again you proceed to subject yourselves to an inhuman extent to achieve this perfect. The net result -- You are a star. Sadly the analogy could not be more ironic. A star burns and so do you.

Let take the example of a beautiful mind. No the fans of that beautiful movie can desist -- I am not attempting to sling anything at that movie. Infact, those who haven't watched it, I suggest -- take some time of to watch the movie. The suggestion of taking some time of, is not to watch the movie -- it is for you to internalize the purport of the movie.

Teachers : Learnings of a Life

Perfection. The keyword catches my eyes as I swirl the ice-cubes in the glass of the golden adrenalin.
Isn't that why I drown myself in alcohol. Isn't that the burning desire that has alas turned my life and everything I hold dear into ashes.
What force draws me to that elixir of life? The abominable wish to numb pain? Even if it is a temporal relief? The pain I feel, unfortunately, is too deep and no amount of intoxication even reduces a fraction of it.
Then why do I resort to this so often?
Perfection -- That is the reason why I subject myself to an alcohol induced sleep. Because whatever happens today, however much it hurts, however much i cry, tomorrow is inevitable. Tomorrow, I have to wake up, tomorrow I have to subject myself to the physical needs, tomorrow I have to drive, tomorrow I have to reach office. Tomorrow Asif has to appear in front of the whole world, in a way only he knows how he does it.
And if Asif has to do that, to again stand up, to again prove to the world that if not the best, he is among the best, then he needs rest. He needs atleast a few hours of sleep, he needs to keep that pain from turning into horrendous nightmares, he needs to relax. Because whatever happens, life doesn't stop. Whatever happens today perfection has to be attained tomorrow in each and every sphere of life, in each and every thing that he touches -- from parking perfectly, to a perfectly analysed and composed business case, to a perfectly executed fore-hand topspin on the table-tennis board.
Perfection, in everything I do.

Anti - Word

Why ? Why do I think ? Why do I inscribe?

Because there is no body to talk to ? Or there is nobody I can talk to?

Here it is... without any fancy words, without any fancy frills....
Straight from the bottom of my heart... straight from where it matters most...and straight from where it hurts most.