reading continues...

Read (past tense) > English August by Upamanyu Chatterjee - funny yet seemed very real, very indian.. Liked the book > The Inscrutable Americans by Anurag Mathur * - I must say, it began really well; but after a while it became too predictable, repetetious and all that. Dear Brothers, it is an alrite-types book Have moved to a sortof motivational book - I'm OK, you're OK. Using the theory of Transactional Analysis, it claims it has altered peoples' life. Must admit, I am nowhere near that - am finding it pretty difficult to digest it ... * - A tip from Rao made me read it...

57249

this number attained great significance this weekend, for I - saw 'RHTDM' for the 57249th * 57249th time - saw 'Maine Pyaar Kiya' for the 57249th time - resolved for the 57249th time, that this week onwards will resume gymming (1) - resolved to reduce 5.2749 cms of my girth - For the 57249th time, wondered about the reason for the being of mankind... (2) (1) - On all the previous occasions I have broken my resolution (2) - Was it the outcome of a depression? may not be so - coz i dont remember feeling low

few FAQs - Good Friday

What is Good Friday? It is a holy day celebrated on the friday before Easter. It marks the crucifixion of Christ. What is done on this day? Catholic and Orthodox Christians treat Good Friday (Great Friday, in the Orthodox Church) as a fast day. Special services marked with readings, sermons and hymns are carried out. Why the "Good" in the name? Some sources say that it was originally known as 'God's Friday' which with time got switched with 'Good'. ---------Ken Collins webiste mentions --- I’ve read that the word good used to have a secondary meaning of holy, but I can’t trace that back in my etymological dictionary. There are a number of cases in set phrases where the words God and good got switched around because of their similarity. One case was the phrase God be with you, which today is just good-bye. So perhaps Good Friday was originally God’s Friday. But I think we call it Good Friday because, in pious retrospect, all that tragedy brought about the greatest good there could be. ---------- What are the customs associated with this day? Fasting and abstinence, from meat and alcohol, are followed by most sects. Hot-cross buns are eaten. (there is a nursery rhyme abt good friday and hot-cross buns too) References: Good Friday -Wikipedia Ken Collins website PS: The only intent is to dispel the ignorance abt this day. I am still very much loyal to my Faith, and intend to continue being so... (my faith sees this event in a much different light)

more readds

Read Vernon God Little - by DBC Pierre. Only one word to describe this masterpiece - bizarre (yes, I know my vocab is poor) A good review of it - here Also read 'Bridget Jones Diary' - no new one this and no new are the two groups - critics and laudators (is there such a word ???) I am in the latter - v.g. - ppl who have read this will appreciate this; for others - Urgh .. And yes, The movie is better than the book.. Some Vernon God Little reviews - here ----- me ves y sufres ----

me supports reservations

Yes.. why not? The SCs/STs have reservations, why deprive the OBCs of this privelege/right? They have faced similar (maybe a bit less) woes, so they should get similar benefits.. makes sense - I bet it does! So what if the total reservation level has now crossed 50% - you are not born a special person - it is your fault, and you ought to live with it! Do I sound sarcastic -- hmmm, Having faced this reservation experience 5 years back, I ought to.. Cut to Aug'01 - Engineering seats alloaction in the erstwhile COEP.. Me with 292/300 (was very displeased with 94/100) am pretty much convinced that will get into COEP (Comp/EnTC) - with 60+60 seats in each discipline and Me having a 30 something rank, things seemed rosy - didnt know about reservations =)) I enter the hall, see a screen - drop down (almost) - 8 seats open for general category in each discipline ... God, is this reservation or what - reservation for females, SCs, STs, OBCs, physically handicapped - phew, I think I missed a few other "priveleged categories".... Shoot me@ Seriously speaking.. the only strata of the society that needs any (read all) reservations are the EBCs - and this is right from the primary level of education.. realizing that you need to do something once the person graduates is simply a late realization. And this is irrespective of the caste & religion... Can't an upper caste person be poor? Don't we find innumerable rich SCs/STs blatantly "utlizing" the privleges they undeservingly get? The bottomline is poverty prevents people from progress & not only these special strata of people are poor!! PS: Looking back, not getting into COEP wasnt a big deal! The situation in PICT wasnt drastically worse/better

SBI strikes -

Its the 5th day into the strike and there are no signs that the impasse will end soon... The country is almost cripled because of the inactivity of India's largest bank. The employees of SBI are justified in demanding an upward revision in their pensions which has been stable since '92. They claim that they do not want assurances but firm steps taken.. (valid) But have they forgotten that most of the state and central government departments have their accounts in SBI? That ordinary customers-mostly salaried government employees have their only accounts in SBI? That pensions and govt-salaries are disbursed through SBI? And That public sector SBI accounts for 18 per cent of the total deposits and advances in the Indian banking sector? (- all invalid) --------- "I have not been able to withdraw my pension for this month. The strike has badly affected my household expenditure. I don't know what I will do if the strike continues for long." says a retired public sector employee Dilip Patil and lakhs of others who are sharing the same fate. -------- I personally am very much affected by this strike too, dont ask why.... I can only hope that the matter gets resolved very soon.. or Else??? Update - The strike is off since Monday, the staff is working extra-time and extra-hard to reduce the pending matters. I forgive them :) but don't think there are many takers for the forgiving thing....

(on the mat)hematics

Politicians are brilliant and often they come out with such masterpieces - ---------------------- All maths and no play makes Jack a poor sportsman. Solution: Junk the numbers and hit the playground. This is what a top bureaucrat in the sports ministry wants enshrined in the national school curriculum. ---------------------- Agreed that Maths is the most-feared subject of all, and eats up a major chunk of a students time. ---------------------- With Commonwealth Games round the corner, the ministry of sports and youth affairs has written to education policy-makers, seeking ways of promoting the sporting ethic and one suggestion is that time given to mathematics be swapped with playing games. ---------------------- Couldn't they have come up with a lesser extreme step than making it optional.. lower the difficulty, reduce the scope, change the teaching pattern , blah blah; but no, appeasement and that too by such insane 'deeds' is the trademark of politicians... Complete story - here