Marong Trip May 16, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
I will publishing a new post in few days about my trip to Marong and How regional living really shaped the way I think about life and happiness !!
I apologise to all my readers for not blogging quite frequently for the last few months!
Thank you for your patience !
Selva
eBook Vs Environment March 24, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: amazon, ebook, environment, iPad, itunes, kindle, nook, paper, tree
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Most people think that library will become obselete in near future because of ebooks. Because of Nook, Kindle & iPad, eBooks started to revolutionize the way people read books. People who are envioronmental conscious
support ebooks. Trees needed to be cut to make paper and eBooks supporters argue that less tree will be cut if we switch to ebooks. I give you, two perspective into eBooks.
First, from companies perspective who sell eBooks. Companies make money by selling eBook readers and the distribution cost for eBooks is virtually zero !! Ebooks is a very lucrative market for big corporations.
Second, people are happy too because there is no need to build book shelves and plethora of books can be put in a small 32GB SSD device !
The issue I wish to address is the reading experience. I love reading books in hardcopy rather than carrying a ebook reader. We can lend the book to someone. It is easy to hold when you are lying in the bed or sitting in the couch. It is not easy to hold an eBook reader because you need to see the monitor at an appropriate angle (Ofcourse future eBook reader may have better viewing performances !).
Drawback of eBooks.
1. What if battery runs out? You cannot read the book
2. Do you want to stare at the small screen monitor (Kindle or Nook ) after you staring at your computer monitor for long time at work?
3. Can you share your ebook with your friends?
4. There is no interoperability between Nook, Kindle & iPad. So the book bought through iTunes cannot be read through Kindle !! What a mess !! ?
It is upto the people to figure out what is best for them. Eventhough I am an enviromental conscious person, I don’t like eBooks !
Are you prepared? March 14, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: 2012, australia, bliss, disaster, happiness, japan, prepared
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Diaster in Japan are making people to think, “2012″ is coming sooner than expected. If so, are you prepared?
Go to Grocery now and buy ample amount of vegetables, fruits and other groceries and have a waterproof storage container to preserve them. Buy a solar LED lamp and batteries. Then buy the chemical named “lead” that will prevent you from getting exposed to nuclear radiation. Buy a life saving jacket and have atleast 4 litres of water. Now take your SUV to the highest mountain in your country and wait for 2012.
You are prepared now prepared for Tsunami, flood, earthqauke, nuclear radiation ! “WoW” you are gonna survive the apocalypse. Hypothetically you are prepared for the worst but not scientifically. If you are not prepared for the nature’s mysterious diaster like “Giant Solar flare” or “How about giant meteor” hitting earth!
The philosophy is so simple. If you are destined to live during a diaster you probably will, even if you are not prepared for it. You will be dead no matter what you are prepared, if you are destined to !! Thinking about future probabilistic events will improve your anxiety ! Congrats ..you have just made a psychiatrist richer !!
Life is a cycle of sorrow & happiness. If you are going through a sorrow, believe that sorrow is a temporary thing. If you are going through a blissful life, remember happiness is not a permanent thing. We can only feel sorry for the people who are affected and we can offer our help. It naturally make people to worry about stock market, how things are going to change…anticipation of future things are very choatic and if you want to predict a choas, you are a fool.
Take the life as it unfolds. Keep things simple and be happy because you are ALIVE !!
<<I am gonna order radiation proof life jacket and a Geiger muller counter now >>
The first Australian March 7, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: aussies, australia, city ambassador program, india, Indians, melboure, tram, volunteer
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I have asked all the aussies the same question during my second meeting with them “Do you remember me?”. Many of them replied “Sorry …I have a bad memory” but I usually remember people and their names forever even though I had met them once.
I have would have met so many people than an average australian meet during their entire life span (Given the population of India & Australia). But why aussies lend to forget people names and their faces even though they meet somebody only once? It is really astounishing for me if somebody replied that they cannot remember me or my name or they cannot recollect the situation where we could had a conversation or meeting.
I have taken up this question and discussed with many of my friends and I am summarizing my views with their opinions here.
1. Australians will remember if you make good impressions during your first meeting
2. Most of them cannot be bothered to remember your face because they don’t want to know you !
3. You are not so important for them so that they can remember
I do not really appreciate few of my friends opinion that aussies have poor memory ! My friend quoted that aussies drop out of uni’s because they cannot remember things so they flunked in exams”. Ability to remember things is an important attribute for academic achievement but I could not find a solid theory of how memory could be attribute to remember few names and faces !
I give you few of my own experience to explain the above theory !
1) I was really surprised when an Australian called me and told me the occasion where I met her ! Then to prove that I know her, I told her full name (first name & surname) and I believe that she was suprised about my memory! That girl is my Boss of my volunteer program and I have met her only once !!
2) I helped a lady with her pram when she tried to board the tram with her baby, six months ago. I met her last week in the tram [I was sitting opposite to her ]and asked her how she was doing? She replied that she was good and after few minutes glancing at me she asked me this very irritating question ! “Do I know you? “ . I screamed inside my mind “Holy **** !! How can this lady forget me because I helped her”. I didn’t exasperate but I smiled and narrated her how I knew her !!
She said sorry and sai that ” she had a poor memory !! ” [ Usual reply I get from most of the people]. When she is about to get off, I mentioned her my name and she told me that “She will call me by my name during our next meeting”. I wonder when I would meet her !!
I cannot really come to conclusion why aussies forget people’s face and names? Any ideas to provoke my thinking…..Leave it as a comment
Does Multiculturism work? February 18, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: china, english, india, melbourne, multi culture
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How do call a place where people from many countries live together in peace & harmony? The answer is Melbourne !!
This blog argues about intricacies involved in multi culture environment and how people stereotype other people based on their limited experience and knowledge.
Most of people are already biased about other country people because of media influences. People try to categorize other people based on observing their behaviour in trains, trams & buses. People observe others how they carry themselves, how they argue and how they behave in public places.
“Some people uncounciously hate some people even though they pretend they like them”. They is nothing common among people to hold them together except Melbourne is fabulous place to live and work. They praise the beauty of city and the country. They attend other country people festival and experience other people’s culture.
Most of the people try to protect their own culture even though they live in English speaking country. They teach their kids their own mother tongue. Even though they are lot of differences exist among people, they still appreciate the concept ” Unity in Diversity”.
In my view people pretend that they like other country people but deep inside their brains they are not compromised. People think that they are happy because they live their own life and nobody interfere their views. The government is doing good for people and there are always some events happening in the city to engage people !
What do you think about living in multi cultural city?
365 days to go January 22, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: 2012, 365 days, mayan calendar
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If you believe in Mayan calender, everybody now have only 365 days left in their lifetime. Apocalypse is going to happen and we cannot avert it.
My three theories on this perspective.
If you are a vegan and you drive a car, you are not environmental conscious. Researchers find that driving your car 10 km equals to cooking the meat ( same amount of energy required)
In fact it is okay to eat meat than driving the car. If you are a vegan, it is good for yourself not for the environment. The amount of environmental pollution is more if you drive a car than being a vegan.
Green companies make hell lots of money by selling solar panels and the battery companies are rejoicing because somewhere we have to store the energy.
Politicians are trying to convince people that their government is moving towards to green because they have ‘ Green tax’ in place. What a joke !!
Many private companies hold patents to green technology and they won’t give to the government unless they make billions of dollars in profit.
Everybody knows that our grand children are gonna drink the purified ‘ contaminated water’. we have exploited most of our natural resources and we have reproduced a
lot. What if this earth don’t have enough resources to support more life. That’s a Apocalypse. People do whatever it takes to get food and shelter.
People are getting more selfish in this century and it will continue till it is tipped off. A mix of natural disaster & people’s desperation for food would overthrow government and would lead to chaos.
Trust and peace would be hard to find among people. There will be blood and many artificial and unknown diseases will appear like a ‘Santa Claus’ surprise.
people who are fortunate to live beyond the Apocalypse would be the most unfortunate people on this earth. Nuclear contamination will hunt them.
150 minutes January 1, 2011
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: asian, australia, china, chinese, melbourne, minutes
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This post is about an asian girl whom I spent 150 minutes with. She was punctual to my appointment like Japanese.
I could not recognize her from far away because she was wearing a big sun glasses. She told me that she bought that sunnies off late.
We walked to Arts Centre to board the Tourist shuttle. She is full of dreams and I felt that she is more matured in her
thinking and the way she does things. I helped her with her with my Mathematical knowledge whenever she find difficult to
cultivate words to convey her idea. I feel like I’m like ‘ Leonard’ to this Penny !!
I was trying to share some information about the places where tourist shuttle stops. But she knows most of the things and
in fact she amazed me with some interesting information about China town.
I find it hard when I try to explain science in laymen terms and it happened when I trying to explain Einstein’s equation
to her.
She listened to all my talk meticulously and she seems to know much about Indians! Her talk was very interesting and
almost forgot the time. I remember “Einstein” that moment. Einstein explanation about theory of relativity in laymen
terms buzzed in my ears !!
After tourist shuttle, we took the city circle tram for a ride. It was fun and to our surprise tram was very crowded and
the all the passengers are listening to our conversation.
We spoke about our hobbies, Cricket and of course on very common boring topic ‘ weather !!’. She thrown lights upon the weather
of her city and spoke about why Chinese visit Oz in this time of year.
She is like a treasure of knowledge and I needed more time to know more. Tram stopped at flinder st where she waved ‘Bye’.
Christmas surprise 2 December 27, 2010
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I wanted to thank this neighbour of me who wished me one morning and I have done a very remarkable thing in my academic career the same day. A Christmas wishes would surprise her and by the way I can thank her. I ringed her door bell on a lovely evening before Christmas. I told her that I am a bike rider who ride past her house everyday and told her that she wish me ‘Good morning’. She replied her in a very cool way that she wishes every body who ever walking in the street. She then invited me into her house and this really surprised me. She introduced her and then introduced her friend. I kept my CV very short this time. She quickly figured out that I am not comfortable with cats. She thanked me for my wishes and I wished her before I left.
It is very common that every body wishes every body but they don’t remember your face. You may think that it is a social protocol that every body follows. Australians think that it is very polite and very kind if you wish someone who walks in the street. I wish to thank people who really made my day with their wishes and “SHE” falls in this category.
I felt very happy that both of my neighbours accepted my wishes and I felt their happiness inside me.
It was a great feeling.
Christmas surprise Part 1 December 27, 2010
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: aussies, australia, australian culture, india
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There are few people in my street who wishes me every day when I ride past their house. They make my day. Even though I took only few seconds to see them, I feel very excited when I see them. I want to give those good people a surprise Christmas wishes. I went to one of the good people house, ringed the bell and I was eagerly waiting for her to open the door. Unfortunately nobody turned up! I left her house and came back after a while and this time I was lucky. She was removing her waste bins. I wished her and I was holding a gift card and pack full of chocolates. She was very suspicious and asked me whether she knows me and I explained her that I am a bike rider who ride past her house everyday and ‘she’ wishes me every day. Now she is okay and then I wished her for Christmas. She was happy and she told me that she is surprised. She then introduced her with her name. I kept my introduction very brief.
I felt happy because she accepted my wishes and my gift J. It is very common in India to visit neighbour to exchange gifts and wishes. I know everybody in my street and everybody knows everybody. Australia is very different and neighbour is always a stranger. Even if your neighbour wishes you everyday, when they ring your bell you always ask this question “ Do I know you?”
I wish I could be friend of them. I still don’t understand this “ Do my neighbour don’t want my friendship or Do they afraid to make friendship with a stranger ?”. I sometimes think that Aussies don’t want to expand their ‘comfort zone’.
Fashion Addicts November 7, 2010
Posted by selvaraaju in Uncategorized.Tags: addiction, aussies, australia, australian culture, fashion
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It is very common in most of the countries that people are shop alcoholic. Girls are after clothes, nail polishes and makeups.
Guys are after cool Tees and suits.
But why people pay so much attention for their outlook while they spend little time in developing their inner look.
Clothes make people look more charming and their clothes magnify their beauty.
It is also fascinating to notice that makeups make average look people more beautiful. It is very good to be simple. Lead a simple life and not to fall into
virtual fashion world. It is not necessary to wear those expensive clothes to look “COOL”.
Spending money on fashion clothing, foot wear, sun glasses and other fashion accessories are pure waste of money. “Simplicity always sells”
Instead of updating the clothes every month, lets spend some time to keep our inner self look “cool”. Looks are often deceiving but inner self is like a mirror of ours.
If people love your inner self, they care little about your looks. Inner self refers to your soul, your heart.
People have less time to enrich their inner self because most of their time is spend on partying, clubbing , etc..
there are lot of activities that one can do to develop good inner self. Doing lots of community services, helping other in possible ways. if possible giving some
financial assistance to poor people always help you to have good character.
