The Doctor is in the House

The best show ever! I will not stoop to argue with you on this one, whatever pathetic little show you bring up as a counter. Curious to find who was behind all the acerbic wit that House spews forth show after show I stumbled upon this article.

However I was amused to read the part on page 3 where they talk about the 'consternation of die hard Wilson fans!' lmao. Wilson is portrayed as about the most pathetically nice and servile buddies you could have. I certainly wouldn't want to be such a doormat, as House calls him in the latest episode. And is it me or did you find Wilson's acting a little funny in that one, the whole of which was focused on him. That's not why I watch House, Writers, so definitely not the way to go.

Frutti di bosco

The rich tang of berry
Is not ordinary
The fruit pulp within
Truly makes your head spin


Its deep crimson hue
refreshes our lips anew
Each spoonful of ice cream
A heavenly dream

Rafaello and Tiramisu
Sorry but I won't miss you
Flavours are ad infinitum
but of this one I can't keep mum

I do not claim to be
a great or famous bard
but an ode to this dessert
even they would find hard

But the Gelatos before us
offer a divine chorus
From New York to Moscow
In the praise of Frutti di bosco

The Ski Trip

At some point during your stay in Europe you will begin to tire of churches, statues, bridges, monuments, ruins and the rest. Seeing is one thing but doing is much better. That is how the search for a different experience on the Eurotrip led us to the Ski town of Saas Fee in the Valais, home to some of the best all year ski slopes in Europe. Not for us the mundane train rides to the Jungfrau or the Titlis (where I am told the restaurants even have signs in Hindi). However not knowing the first thing about skiing this would be, in the words of the one and only Barney Stintson ‘legen… wait for it… dary!’.

Saas Fee turned out to be really beautiful and there was not an Indian or a non European in sight. Unique experience… CHECK.

What with all the ski schools closed the day we landed up there and the lady at the rental shop actually dissuading us from trying on our own (even though it’s bad for her business!), we almost gave up hope of being able to try the slope. But out of sheer bloody mindedness we decided to just shove caution out the back door and give it a shot. Apparently the beginner’s slopes would open only the next day or so we were told when we reached the counter for the ski pass. "Whatever..we're here so let’s try it out" said I. A slope called Morenia was recommended to be the easiest available place to try.

In retrospect, BAD decision. We could have easily ended up dead. On a slope gravity is your enemy and your friend. One wrong move and it’s ‘bye bye cruel world’. Climbing the ski lift we took silly photographs trying to get the pro skiing look. Even though I would give myself 10 points for style, it is saddening that I will do anything for a facebook picture.

Walking onto the slope we boldly plonked the skis down and strapped our boots in. This was going to be awesome. Then I started sliding backwards. Panicking I dug my ski sticks into the ice to no avail. Gathering speed I fell backwards under the wood platform outside the restaurant. Luckily for me it wasn't a full out drop or I wouldn't be writing this. An embarrassed smile and a cheery" I'm fine" was the best I could manage to reassure the worried faces looking down on me from the platform.

Falling isn't the hard part about learning to ski. Falling is easy and for me it was effortless. But as in life the hardest part is getting back up.

It was plenty of entertainment for a large group of snowboarders sitting outside the Morenia Restaurant. There was constant laughter whenever I managed to fall in a new and interesting way but also some cheers when I managed to stay up on the skis for a bit.

Finally when I decided to take a break and went in for a Coke, I wondered whether they could possibly offer me some advice. I sauntered over to them. "Could you tell me how to turn?" I inquired. Turns out they don't speak much English. "We are snowboarders, not skiers" one of them managed. "Never mind then" I said. "Where are you from?" One of them wanted to know. "India" I replied to much murmuring, "…and you are Germans, I think?". "Swiss Germans" he corrected. I detected the slightest hint of pride. "So… why are you here?" he asked half wonderingly and half sarcastically.

It irritated me a bit that he would consider it incredible for someone like me to be there on that slope with him. I really wanted to make him understand that in the future there would be many more Indians on the slopes as in every other field that we have excelled in.

I could have lectured him for hours on how India was an emerging economy with strong growth and a powerful democracy with a larger youth population than that of the whole of Switzerland and how we would, along with China, soon be one of the two largest economies in the world, but I didn't think it would have left any impression, given the little English that he understood. I had to convey it in much simpler terms.

"Why!?," I countered with false surprise," Why NOT?" as I picked up my gear for one more try on the slope.

cushion of safety

I know these are tough times for the Indian Airline Industry, but some cost cutting measures can border on the outright ludicrous. I recently had the pleasure of travelling by Jet Lite from Mumbai and their latest in cheap really chilled my spine!

Being really tired I was just about to doze off during the pre-flight briefing when I heard the announcer say it.

" Between Rows xxx and yyy we have removed all life jackets! Instead we give you the amazing floating seat cushion!! It makes a water landing a fun filled experience for the whole family!" With two plastic strips that are too wide to be of any use, you'll just have to hug the cushion for dear life till help get here!

In fact, for that added thrill, we make it a little more challenging for rescue teams to save you. We did away with the lights on the vest to make it virtually impossible to see you in the dark.

Have a nice flight!"

Looking at the air hostess running through the drill, I wondered how she could keep a straight face while asking people to use that piece of junk.

I mean just think what would happen if there were kids on board. Obviously they can't hug a seat cushion. And only if your dad was an olympic gymnast could he hold u and your kid brother while hugging a seat that just may float. But that picture makes it look all too easy.
I mean how hard can it be?! In fact I can run you through it right now:

Step I: The plane's just crashed onto water. Fires have started in the electricals and smoke is filling the cabin. Don't mind the disorientation of dropping oh say, 20,000 feet~! and crashing onto something that would have the consistency of concrete under those conditions...Just remain calm and start tugging your seat while people around you calmly do the same.

Step II: If you manage to rip off the seat from its place, put your arms around the seat and hug it with all your strength because standard issue seat cushions aren't going to be a snug fit.

Step III: In this fashion exit the aircraft from the aircraft and dive into the sea.

Step IV: Enjoy your swim! This is aptly illustrated by the fully dressed man looking comfortable in the picturesque blue sea, lying on the cushion just as if he were on his living room sofa.

It was enough to make the strongest atheist start praying. But when I looked around people were still as relaxed and nonchalant as ever. It wasn't like we could have immediately done anything about it but even showing the slightest concern to match the frozen expression on my face would have been nice. I guess fatalism is still in vogue.

Respect

Some crazy whim in me has made me try to write a blog almost 2 years after my first attempt!! And like I suspected I never got around to writing anything on the first blog. Just like I never got around to doing many other things that I always wanted to do. Because I never found the time. Rather I never made the time. All said and done self improvement is one tough nut to crack.

I actually wonder if there was anyone on earth who found it easy to 'self improve'. Creativity is another thing I can't grasp. Millions of people are blogging away furiously. How many of those blogs are worth reading? Is this blog ever going to be worth reading?

Time inexorably ticks away. Every passing second is one second less in your life. Cliched or melodramatic, call it what you want, but a lot of people really seem to believe that . Work gets crazy at times and people still push on and on. But I always wonder what is good enough for those striving to reach higher and higher. I mean where is the point where a super achiever can say: " There! I've done it. And now I will rest." Even God had to rest on the seventh day! But we have no rest.

Solow's model says that the percapita income can increase only through the productivity increases of the worker whether through technological breakthroughs or by just plain working more. (Yeah I have a fondness for the dismal science but then again maybe I just feel dismal right now) Anyway some people seem to have taken it to heart. What it fails to capture though is the individual motive to try and increase his income and standards of living. Here I'm not talking from a subsistence level but from a point where a person is pretty comfortable already.

I have a theory that may sound controversial or offending to people who have worked hard to reach where they are today, but being willing to take that risk, let me go ahead and say that a strong need for respect and appreciation lies at the core of all attempts to improve oneself. If that sounded too mild let me put it this way: People who keep working hard don't have the self confidence not to.

I'm no psychologist and attending Organizational Behavior I and II hardly puts me in a position to comment on people's traits, especially after having slept through most of the lectures and listening to endless BS in the others, so at the outset let me relieve your worries by saying I have only anecdotal evidence from a single source ie myself.

But maybe you can agree with me when I say that I feel I only tried to excel to earn the respect and liking of others. Which is pathetic. Why should I bother what others think of me? And did it achieve what it intended to? I hardly think so! On the contrary there is resentment and suspicion among peers "Why is this guy trying to change the status quo?".

What people don't always realize is that the most likable guy in any group will be the one with the lowest ambition and ego. No one feels threatened by him. As Trump said "Show me a person without an ego and I'll show you a loser." That's how society measures people who don't march to its beat. It is our fear of falling short of society's measuring rod that forces many of us to give more than required to pursuits which turn out to return less than expected.

Then we come to the pressures by people who have influence over you, like parents for instance. Even if you are content to be yourself, the need to be one step ahead of the Joneses forces many parents to drive kids to perform more consistently and better than ever before. Recently an article said that children now start coaching for the IITs from the 6th standard. I hadn't even heard of things like that back then. I just knew that after 12th grade people left home for college as dorks and came back cool. A 'cool factory' if you will.

Considering these things knowing a few non achievers might actually be a good thing. If you are already better than your existing social circle you will be more than satisfied to bask in the warm glow of admiration and appreciation that it provides you. The niggling doubts of self worth arise only when you meet someone better than yourself. Then you are forced to think "hmm...what can I do to be as respected and as liked as that guy?"

And its a vicious circle. If by some unfortunate chance you manage to rise a little above your circle, they start feeling uncomfortable. And on it goes. Because a good standard of living is only in relation to a worse standard of living. But no one I know compares his life with say prehistoric cavemen. No one says "Hey! I'm in no danger of being chomped on by a t-rex. Life's just great isn't it!". No. Everyone compares himself with his immediate circle of interaction. " That guy got a raise" or "He's got a new car/wife/house...".

Also its not as if your troubles ended after getting one upper hand over your friends. Once you reach the next level you make another set of friends who are at your same level and again the same cycle of beating the Joneses kicks in. Its like a nightmare Nintendo game. If you do reach the top there's no one left to share the victory with!

The core of my argument in case you thought I was rambling is that there are 2 basic forces at play:

1. We associate best with people who are similar to us in most respects

2. We want to be better than those people to gain their respect. Unfortunately in the process of oneupmanship we lose those friendships and gain a new set of people at our new level with whom we associate best.

To allow others to be your yardstick
will keep you enslaved all your life.
~ © Alison Stormwolf ~