as you sow, so shall They reap [part 2]

Here goes the change-yourself-HOWTO :

1

Give up absurd fears.

Fear is one of the primary reasons for our indifference towards animals.

Assure yourself that the most dangerous, merciless, psychotic, predatory animal around is you.

2

Feel like buying leather?

Think of a skinned snake writhing on the ground as it is being eaten alive by ants. This is a fact. Snakes are skinned after stunning them and their bodies are tossed away. More often than not, they regain consciousness.

Fight this mindset - Cruelty that I do not see is okay.

Once you are done fighting, start scowling at anyone showing off their leather goods.

3

Be productive at work, not at home - go for 1 kid per home

4

Minimize wastage. Understand that it is not a question of affordability.

Water: Do not walk away from a leaking tap ever. Stop thinking that it is not your problem; it will be someday.

Food: Overeating fills you up, but your body can only absorb so much. Don't make me tell you where the rest ends up. Never overeat!

Energy: Prefer pedals to accelerators.

5

Resolve to plant a tree before you buy a car.

Its even better if you plant a couple of trees before you buy a car.

It would be awesome if you plant a couple of trees and do not buy a car.

6

Avoid excessive consumerism.

Change cell-phones only as often as you change wives.

Think twice before asking for free gifts. They are not free!

Understand the difference between wants and needs

7

Stop being ignorant.

Read about bottom-trawling.

Find out what factory farming is.

Know about downed cows.

Watch "The Cove" (It won this year's Oscar for Best Documentary).

8

Do not be cynical or shy

Do your part however small it is; be it switching off your office PC or reusing polythene bags. You may not be remembered as Mr.Greenpeace but at least it will put your kids in the right track and lets them start their life sensibly.

Throughout history there has been something that has been giving us all we need, and throughout history we have been taking it for granted and ignoring it though we stand right on it.

Save it. Only 1 left

as you sow, so shall They reap [part 1]

A century ago India had around 40,000 tigers; they are down to 1411 now. What happened to the rest? Well... a few of them died of sickness or old age. The lucky ones.

Once dangerous, now endangered.

Sparrows have an eye for healthy living spaces. Do you hear any twitters around your home nowadays? Same goes with vultures too... when was the last time you saw one?

Sparrows and vultures aren't as popular as tigers, hence their absence goes largely unnoticed.

The key to sustenance is co-existence.

However humans, the most rational of all life forms, prefer 'sole-existence'. Hence extinction is no longer a natural phenomenon, its our favorite pass-time. We exhibit such passion and commitment that today the average extinction rate is one species every 20 minutes.

So how does life go on with so many broken links in the circle of life? Simple... it doesn't.

Every life form directly dependent on an extinct species gets the next one-way ticket upwards.

Humans however, have always managed to find workarounds. Not for long though; Momma Nature has got lots in store - melting icecaps, decreasing land mass, thinning glaciers - all geared towards minimizing 'the' problem... us.

Feeling a little low? Alright, let me cheer you up with some good news : By the time things turn real nasty, we wouldn't be around. Our kids however, will be around to see the end^[1] of oil wars^[2] and the begin of water wars. Not such a bad deal, is it? We do the deed, they pay for it.

A few decades from now, life would be radically different from what we have seen; definitely not for the better.

"Its never too late"

That is a terrible cliché and I would be lying if I said that. We can however leave our kids a world they can manage with - imperfect, but up and running.

Lets change... not from Monday, not from new year's day... now.

^[1] an end caused by oil depletion, not by dawn of morality

^[2] oil-wars are known to us by a different name: war against terror. This name makes it sound ethical and just

to be concluded in Part 2

Is Avatar 'Hurt' ?

How do you feel about The Hurt Locker trumping Avatar at the Oscars?

The Hurt Locker, which I guess refers to a minefield, is a cinematic fix for your adrenaline cravings. This is one of those rare movies that generates genuine thrills. It understands that the thrill is not in the explosion, rather, it is in those few seconds before the explosion. It is in the uncertainty. It is in the anticipation. The movie drags the audience into the hot-zone from scene one. You aren't just watching the bomb getting defused - you are in there ! sweating, throbbing and most-likely, praying.

HL proves that Kathryn Bigelow's flair for action-thrillers, first showcased in the cult-hit Point Break(1991), is only getting better with age. Her Best-Director Oscar is truly well-earned.

That being said, Oscar or no Oscar, Avatar is the best picure. Period. No matter what the Academy thinks, people know it for what it is. It isn't just a movie - it is an experience.

Pretty dumb guys at the Academy, huh? Well, what do you expect from the guys who liked Shakespeare in Love better than Saving Pvt. Ryan in 1998. But this time, I am not disappointed with their judgement. Sample this:

Case -1 : Avatar wins the Best-Pic Oscar

Consequences:

- Another laurel to Avatar which is already at the pinnacle of success

- Obscurity to HL

Case-2 : Avatar does not win the Oscar

Consequences:

- Not as-much-as a dent on Avatar's glory

- HL receives the recognition it deserves, plus, a valuable lesson taught to distributors

It is a crying shame that no major distributors wanted HL because of its low budget and supposedly-low commercial value. The movie is now going to enjoy a wider distribution thanks to its Best Picture Oscar.

Caution to viewers -

- HL is not a date-movie. In fact, I think its a guys-only movie.

- Are you a Transformers fan? Keep out and watch Power Rangers on Pogo.

And lastly, my ratings for the best of 2009 -

1. Avatar ... 9.5/10

2. Inglourious Basterds, District9 ... 8.5/10

3. Hurt Locker ... 8/10

(Haven't watched A Serious Man, Up in the Air yet)

The Cure-all

An army general busy in his work is constantly being disturbed by his kid son. To avoid this, the general comes up with a task to keep his son occupied - he tears up a world map into many pieces and asks his son to rearrange it. Hoping that it would keep his son busy for the rest of the afternoon, the general continues with his work.

Half an hour later, his son comes back showing him the correctly rearranged map.

The surprised general asks, "How did you do it so quickly? "

The son answers, "At first I tried piecing-up the world together, which would have taken a lot of time, but then I found the picture of a man on the back of the map. So, all I had to do was set the man right and the world became all right"

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I did not like this fable the first time I read it in The Hindu a long time back. But back then, I did not know the difference between a fable and a story. Also, it was boringly titled 'First step to changing the world is changing yourself' or something like that. So, its okay if you don't like this post - you are just being immature, stupid, idiotic and moronic :P

So you think your job sucks

Monday

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Customer care exec. : " A Very Good Morning Sir. This is Shwetha calling from Reliance. Is this Mr. Arun Kumar's residence? "

Customer: " No. This is Mr. Arun Kumar"

C C E : " Err .. excuse me? "

Cust: " Alright. You are excused " (Ends call)

Tuesday

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C C E : "Good Morning Sir. Is this Mr. Arun Kumar? "

Cust: " Yes .. "

C C E : " I am Shwetha. Your outstanding phone bill for this month is Rs..."

Cust : " If its so outstanding why don't you pay it? " (Ends call)

Wednesday

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C C E : " Morning Mr. Arun Kumar. Shwetha here. Why don't you pay your bills on time? "

Cust : " If we do, you would be out of your job, wouldn't you? "

C C E : " FYI Sir, I wouldn't be out of my job. I've got other more important work to do"

Cust : " Then start doing it right away and stop screwing me !! " (Ends call)

Thursday

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C C E : " Mr. Arun, pay your dues by today or else the service will be terminated "

Cust : " Who is Arun? and more importantly, what service did you provide him Lady ? I'm interested"

C C E : " oops !! wrong number... sorry " (Ends call)

Friday

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C C E : " Is this Arun? If so, please pay your bill Sir. Don't bother if you aren't "

Cust : "Ohh .. sorry, I completely forgot about it. Whats the outstanding amount? "

C C E : " It is Rs..."

Cust : ( A woman's voice heard in the background ) " Ajay !!! for the fourth time this week, stop pretending to be your dad and give him the phone! "

C C E : " Fhaakk !! " (Ends call , Slaps boss, Quits job)

a few days later ..

Monday

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a CCE from Citibank: "Miss Shwetha.. ? "

Shwetha : " Why would I miss her? " (Ends call)