Human value and the terror attacks.

Very often, in Asian societies, I beileve we ascribe too little value to a human life. The whole "family" value system encourages and forces self sacrifice. You are taught from the beginning that you are no better than a worm in the larger scheme of things..and you accept your destiny fatalistically..When pulled out from the system..many of us flounder..wondering what purpose we could have independent of our environments..and are unable to cope with the sudden self importance..lacking any purpose.coz we've never had to deal with it before..

westerners on the other hand..bomb an entire country because 2 soldiers are kidnapped.. more people die in bathtubs than terrorist attacks..but that justifies Iraq and Afghanistan being invaded and decimated.. Terror attacks in London and Madrid produce visceral reactions in the populace there. In Mumbai, life goes on, and we "admire" the "Mumbai" spirit..

I say , it is more a reflection of our poverty, that in spite of such tragedy, our life must go on.. we have no choice..no time to mourn..no time to respect the dignity of the people who died.. we move on..and get back into the race to survive.

It makes you feel very small when it hits you. The fact that you do not matter..and that you have no value as a human being.

soccer is boring without gambling

I was never really a soccer fan until i discovered soccer betting. Never really understood all the fuss about the world cup..did like watching the south Americans in general,they have fun with their football..the europeans are too formal about it..making strategies, passing so much..no artistry..

So this world cup, I invested heavily..Consider it a calculated risk..Busily strategized various hedging options..scrutinized odds..prepared spreadsheets..Even watching Brazil thrash ghana yesterday was a huge thrill..Would they score 1 goal or 3 ? When you have 20 bucks on the balance..every penalty area penetration has your heart in your mouth..

still..gotta love those brazilians though..they made it 3..

but getting back to the point..betting is immense fun..I hope this isnt the beginning of a slippery slope...Maybe i can apply these principles to the stock market.

heres hoping I win at least a 100 bucks..everyday !

in summary

called home..as i usually do every weekend..they reported a hundred new things..
i had nothing new to report..it is a depressing thought..nothing noteworthy in my life anymore..
pretty much why the blog is filled with meaningless posts like this..

escaping the is

just bacK after another hectic round of travelling...travelling on business is like an eclair with a hollow inside. Places buzz by in a jetlagged daze and you hardly register anythng unique..people are the same everywhere. It is quite depressing , the human nature. long trips like this make you lose your thread. Your life is a set of strands wavering in the winds of destiny.

you can watch a movie, read a book, go out with your friends, take a holiday, the many mythical escape routes. In the end, you come back to this one feeling, this one meaning, this one single prison of existence. Variety is an illusion created by your mind to escape the monotony of the grand existence. the intricate web your brain creates. emperor to ant, it is all the same. life is all about escaping the Is. travelking on business just drives your deeper inside the cave of Is.

blogomatic

i wish i had a automatic thought to blog converter..i keep missing so many things i want to record..random thoughts that disappear by the time i sit in front of the computer..
it is somewhat scary..the idea of complete impermanence..no identity, nothing more than a sum of thoughts..

doing ok

saw a Rerun of the 98 wimbledon championships, Pete Sampras winning his 5th wimbledon..at the championship dinner afterwards , he said "I just realized i had equalled Bjorn Borgs record of 5 Wimbledons, and I thought to myself, "I am doing ok.." " in a very modest understated sort of way..

I just moved into my new apartment, it's very spacious, we started talking of buying a pool table, or playing cricket inside the house..as i lay on the bed, looking up at a high ceiling, pool view on my left, i though to myself "I am doing ok.."

sometimes its the little things that make you feel like a champ,

my own arc

haven't blogged in a long time.
summary of events :
- travelled to india, trapped in a cyclone, escaped in a train.
- read the broker, by john grisham and realized that paperbacks are fun, and nothing more
- drank a lot of wine in various places, wine is a nice afternoon alcohol.
- went to china again - the abundance of wealth and growth is astounding, trhe contrast in the countryside is stark and disturbing.
- watched hazaaron khwaishe , understood yet disagreed with the leftists.
- found a new house to move in - filled with apprehension
-most recently, had an excellent meal of red rice and chicken curry and lots of coconut filled items in kerala cuisine
- currently slightly inebriated.

sigh..these are all simple narrations of events..as if life could be described as "start, live and stop"
Everyone has epic arcs, feats of triumph, acts of glory, victories and defeats, tragedy , adversity and redemption. wish i could locate my arc. wish i could focus on some destination, this listlessnes and random diversity of actions is crushing me....need to find my arc..