Pearls Before Breakfast

The article titled Pearls Before Breakfast, authored by Gene Weingarten, appeared in Washington Post on April 8, 2007. Someone posted it on News Notice Board of IIMA recently with an Extremely Long article disclaimer. After such a disclaimer, I was damn sure of not reading it - especially when it was not seemingly politics, economics, or controversy ridden. However, the link just kept popping up in front of me every now and then and people were all praise for this. So I finally read it today and now, I am so highly impressed that I've already written a note to the author and now, going to quote and comment on the article over here.

The article is about a simple fun experiment - Joshua Bell, a violin genius, who plays for royal audience and commands millions for a show, performs 6 tracks for 43 minutes during the morning rush hours. The catch is the venue of performance - Washington Metro Station, near escalator, where Bell plays like a street musician, with a casket in front of him for alms.

The article meticulously details what happens at the metro station. Bell is treated like an invisible man, a nuisance, a street musician, and except few, most of the 1097 passer-by did not pay any attention. The article is not mere journalistic or statistic record keeping. It engages philosophy, psychology, arts, sociology, economics, poetry, and much more than I am capable of understanding. I'd not spoil your treat of reading this piece but can't resist a few quotes and observations:

** "At a music hall, I'll get upset if someone coughs or if someone's cellphone goes off. But here, my expectations quickly diminished. I started to appreciate any acknowledgment, even a slight glance up. I was oddly grateful when someone threw in a dollar instead of change." This is from a man whose talents can command $1,000 a minute.

** "When you play for ticket-holders," Bell explains, "you are already validated. I have no sense that I need to be accepted. I'm already accepted. Here, there was this thought: What if they don't like me? What if they resent my presence . . ."

** all babies are born with a knowledge of poetry. Then life slowly starts to choke the poetry out of us.

** But the behavior of one demographic remained absolutely consistent. Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away.

** "If you love something but choose not to do it professionally, it's not a waste. Because, you know, you still have it. You have it forever."

And then there are things like, "Koyaanisqatsi", views of Kant and Hume on beauty, thinking financially about music, people completely oblivious to Bell's existence there at metro, people coming in and settling down to listen him, and the old Brazilian lady, who commented, ""If something like this happened in Brazil, everyone would stand around to see. Not here." Finally, quoting two lines of poetry, quoted in the article:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies

I in others

Three screen shots of posts from fellow bloggers. First one is from Shinjini's blog and the next two are from Koushik's. I wonder how they wrote so beautifully about my mind and about my life - something that I couldn't do.

Yes, I have been through the 'constriction ' . Yes, I have felt heaven. Yes, I knew I could not lose. Yet, I lost....!

And another sketch!

2009

What should be there in the first post of the year? Stock taking of the previous year? New year resolutions? Expectations from the new year? or nothing unusual - anyways, it is just an arbitrary flag on calendar.
Well, this year is going to be special for me in many ways - special, good or not so good, but special. I am hoping to finish my thesis requirements this year, then I have to make a career choice (and there are so many), and then, after graduating, I hope to lose my bachelor status too :D
I don't know what will come to my way and which way will I go. I don't know who will pick me and whom will I choose. There are so many doors open and I not only have to choose one but also have to close all the others. I don't know what this year holds for me but I am sure, it will all be for good. After all, Life is like a box of chocolates and there can be only good chocolate or very good chocolate :)

Three randon thoughts and a pop theory

1. when you've met enough people, everyone seems like someone.

2. Long ago, I used to chat to myself. It felt good when somebody talked just like me.
Now I don't sound like myself to me anymore so I chat to others only.

3. Five greatest inventions of mankind - Wheel, Wings, Microchip, Fire, and Football.


And The Pop Theory-

Mostly, love is like groping in the dark. You get hold of someone and you fall in love - not because you most certainly love them but because you are most uncertain whether you will get hold of someone else ever again.

And perhaps, that explains a lot of homosexual behavior. With the increased population, there is higher density in that darkness and hence, more groping. However, with the higher numbers, the competition is also enhanced, hence, an even thinner possibility of fishing out 'The One', so people tend to fall even for same sex.

This also explains a lot of break-up and divorce behavior. With a bigger population and higher density, there are more and frequent shoulder-rubbing in the dark. With so much of clashing and groping, people soon realize that getting on to another one in the hope of finding 'The One' is not very difficult. They also realize that though there is greater competition due to large numbers, the opportunities have also risen and a greater number of choices available. Hence, risk in break-up or divorce is systematically reduced and they can frequently grope in the dark in the hope of finding another groper.

Round 4 and still in Love :)

Started watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. yesterday for the fourth time. For over a year now, watched all ten seasons at random, one by one, and at random again. This time, started with the first season and now, after two days and four episodes past season one, I'm in love with all of them all over again.
Last time I wrote on Friday, 7 March, 2008 about F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and closed the post with asking above all, are they still F.R.I.E.N.D.S.? Many a things have changed since then. My own dynamics with many of my friends have changed a lot, specially with the one who introduced me to the series. But as F.R.I.E.N.D.S. taught me - In life, you have to move on... So shall I... from fourth round to fifth and from dearest to....... dearest!

Abu - one year ago

One year ago, I was in the hill city of Abu.

One year ago, Abu looked like this from a hill temple.

One year ago, these kids had a meal on a footpath near Nakki Lake.

One year ago, the Abu Sunset looked like this from the Sunset point.

Everything has changed for me, don't know for better or for worse...

I hope everything has changed there too and hopefully, all for better only - the city looks a lot more green, the kids go to some school with their lunchbox, and the sunset... well, that must be a lot brighter now.

After all, not every Sun that sets leave the world in dark... like the one in my world has!