The 'would have been's...

Here I am– the Cricket star that never became… but a computer geek… and Praveen who took this picture – the photographer that never became but another computer geek. Buths is keeping wickets – the ‘would have been’ honest politician who never became… but an hotelier…

Then there is Goliath who just landed back on Paradise Isle - the ‘would have been’ national rugger captain who became a guitarist and gospel singer, Chucky; the ‘would have been’ composer who became but a banker, Sid; the ‘would have been’ actor who became a software engineer among the multitudes of those ‘would have been’s... Astronomers who became teachers, Opera singers who became management trainees...

And what about the ‘would have been’ girlfriend I dare ask… who never became…???

Why is life full of twists and turns… so unpredictable and convoluted further by coincidences and chance occurrences that turn us upside-down…???

I need a rational explanation for life... a finite set of rules and laws that life runs by... an equation that can be plotted on a graph that would reflect and predict the patterns of life. I need a recipe that would make life humorous and interesting…

I need a to drink a jug of water… and go back to sleep…

All things explained

I found proof that "Men" and "Women" are in fact two entirely different species. (Now that explains a lot of things doesn’t it?)

What do you know about fairytales and what they taught you?

One of the true wonders of childhood is that we learn most of life’s lessons while we are very young, immature, restless, clueless and carefree – children. From important facts such as how a candle can burn your finger to myths and stereotypes such as tortoises have a better chance of winning races than rabbits. This is why I believe that pre-school teachers are to blame for most burning world issues from global warming and climate change to rising oil prices and the war in Iraq - because most of our reasoning is based on what we learn in pre-school.

This is no joke… I am convinced that George W Bush got his idea that it was perfectly ok to walk into Iraq and take whatever it’s “Evil tyrant” had after reading ‘Jack and the beanstalk’ to a bunch of kindergarten kids on that fateful day in September 2001 (it’s hard to think the president had ever read any kind of book ever before in his life). There the actions of Jack in stealing a goose and a golden harp from an evil giant are justified just because the giant was ‘evil’. It is also ok to train your pussycat to deceive the king so that you could marry the princess. I mean, it takes a pretty stupid king to take a pussycat seriously – which brings me to my next point.

In fact I think it is the fairytales that have taught us how it is essential for Kings and Queens to be brainless and the royal court to be comprised of practically the dumbest people in the land – so we still continue to elect the intellectually challenged to parliament. Take the myriad examples in “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, or “Rumpeltiltskin” in which a peasant farmer who gets an audience with the king convinces the monarch that his daughter could weave gold out of straw. You’d say the farmer was dumb to come up with such a pathetic story but hey… the king just buys that without any questions such as “ if your daughter could spin gold, how come you are so poor?”. This could have well been the classical version of “Dumb and Dumber”.

The magic of the old fairytales and their ‘happily ever after’ endings have failed. Donald Duck, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and Tweedy Bird – all died prematurely thanks to the Ninja Turtles and other violent cartoons. Superman, Batman and Spider man are hanging to their lives thanks to Hollywood but they only show up once a decade or so. Kids today are engaged in Mortal Combat save their families in SIMS and become soldiers after playing ‘Counter-Strike’. To cut a long story short, we need a new set of proper fairy tales for the next generation to grow up on and we need them fast.

What's the point?

Don’t you think that it’s sad that most of us go through life half way or more before we ask ourselves “what’s the point?” Take no offence, but there are countless idiots among us who would die well before they ask themselves what it is they really want in life.

I mean it’s not just about life in general… take education for example… we go through many years in school even before we are mature enough to ask ourselves as to why we did all the things we did. Why is it such a big deal when you become first in class? Isn’t second or third good enough? Isn’t it good enough that you just passed? Why are we then preoccupied with University rankings; looking for nothing but the best universities? Wouldn’t any university degree be better than just having you’re A/Ls? Why do you then want to work for the best company and highest salary? Why do you think you need to buy a Mercedes? Isn’t a Toyota good enough? Isn’t public transport good enough? This is not about wanting what is best… it’s about why we choose to do most of the things we do. Why choose one thing over another? Simply… why bother?

I am not even questioning the motives behind our actions? Most of us are obviously motivate to do and get the “best”. But all I am asking is why? What’s the point? Why do people support political parties? Why do we look for recognition and acceptance? Why do we compete with each other? Why do we exploit nature to the extent that we destroy its resources that sustain our very lives? Why do we kill each other because we want their land or they want ours, or because they speak a different language or use a different name when they talk to God? Why do we fall in love? Why do we fall apart? How come cologne smells “good” but cow-dung doesn’t? What are the physical attributes that separate what is beautiful from what is not? What’s the point of having polarities in our perception of what is nice & ugly, music & noise, good & bad or right & wrong?

What’s the point of democracy? What’s the point in dying for “my country”? What’s the point in having lawyers and economists? What’s the point in having writers and journalists? What’s the point in funding science and technology research? What’s the point in electing politicians?

How do these elements contribute to my existence and well being? Who am I? what am I doing writing in this blog?

Back with a song...

It's been a while since I last wrote
A letter for the sake of good old times
So I came to Uni and cleared my throat
To write a letter - a verse that rhymes

A year and a half has whistled by
With time we grow in mind and age
Time has been in short supply
To notice the world beyond my hedge

A faster life has always bred
Little time for the creative mind
Tutes and tests that plagued my head
Would never let the brain unwind

Through strife and bliss I've lived to tell
A tale of joy and humble pride
One of gratitude for at times I fell
Many have helped me keep my stride

I hope that life has been good to you
Through many days that kept us apart
But memories of the things you do
I have always carried in my heart

This is a hint – an alarm bell
To warn you of an impending threat
In a few weeks I'll fly from hell
And land in paradise – it's time to fret