Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Of Pigeons and Statues...

I’ve always had roles around me who stand out in my memory. Of the lot, one of the most prominent would be Mr. Witty, who thrives on the happiness of others.  He takes every possible opportunity to ridicule the other. Every chance, to bring out the satire. It could be imitation or plain verbal abuse. In most cases, he has his own loyal following who laugh at his every “joke”. Who seem to have the time of their lives. A common strand running through this true hearted group is one, their poor sense of humour, and two, their very poor sense of humour.
     I could never stand Mr Witty And as far as I know, the best strategy for confronting him is not confronting him. Avoidance. He can always take your case, be it your best day, and (God have mercy on you!) your worst! What they don’t realise is the fact that it is not because of ignorance that he is not being hurled revilements in return, but because of decency. The refusal to go down to Mr Witty’s modus operandi. In most cases, Mr Witty never realises this and it often takes a good, brave friend to enlighten him.
     Mr Witty is a role and not a character. All of us have been him at some point of our lives. Some of us are/were lucky to get a brave friend to tell us. I, for one, am one of them. Owe a lot to these friends of mine, for telling me how irritating I could get. Seriously a lot.
     Sometimes ridicule is good. It helps in the team building process. As a matter of policy, I don’t take the case of someone for something he/she can’t change. You really have to be in the other persons shoe to feel the desperation, to feel the pain. To know, that you can’t do anything about it and you are stuck with it for life. Physical attributes for one. I, myself, have been in similar positions plenty of times. Target of friends and family.
     There have been moments. In the case of my younger bro, for instance, I would have just come up with the most irritating line. Then realise how I felt when my brother did that to me. And retrace.
     Sometimes u get to be the pigeon and sometimes ………..u are the statue.

Saturday, August 27, 2005

Quants and Music...

I decided on my QT project finally….. Music. I initially suggested the correlation between the heights of bball players and their performance on court. It met with outright rejection. Right now in XLRI, I m identified with bball and the band. I’m fine. I enjoy both.  The different keys used by composers?  I, frankly don’t have a clue how I m gonna do it. I’ve kept myself furlongs away from music theory. I’ve always had the ear for a good song or composition. And yes, can find out if somebody goes out of key. But that’s about it.
This is going to be one learning experience and yes, lots of music. Think its time to start tapping to the rhythm again.

Monday, August 22, 2005

Bumpy Ride Ahead !!

We have a hectic week ahead. Loads of submissions and projects to complete. The whole class is totally freaked out. Hmm… that includes me. We are trying not to think of the days to come. We'll wait. Wait for it to hit us. Right now, there’s just one plan. Think of one project at a time. So far, so good. Pray is gonna hit me hard. I can almost feel the blow coming. I’m wearing all protection now and trying to make it as soft as possible.
I’ll survive …

Friday, August 19, 2005

Never was learning so interesting.......


I ve never found learning as interestin... i dont remember the last time. But i m beginning to enjoy the stuff i do out here. I ve always found a reason to hate the stuff i do. Education is supposed to help u realise who you are...

Right now...Its Nirvana, I m there. This is education !!

"The four most frequent and common divisions of birth order are first borns, middle borns, last borns, and only child. The following are the overall general characteristics that Adler states for each division of birth order. Parents have more time and attention to devote to their first child and tend to be more cautious, indulgent, and protective. For a while, the first born has no other siblings to compete with and only adult role models around the home to copy. However, when a sibling is born the first born has the desire to maintain their privileged position with their parents. These children are more likely to score high on intelligent tests, be highly motivated, and have a high need for achievement. Other frequent characteristics include vulnerability to stress, dependency on approval of others, task orientation, and assertiveness.

The middle child or second born will strive harder and will often compete to take over the position of the first born. Middle children will usually compete in areas other than those in which the first born is accomplished, Adler calls this phenomenon the "teeter-totter principle." Research indicates that middle children are sensitive to injustices, unfairness, and feelings of being wrong. Middle children are able to work well in teams, relate well to older and younger people, and are able to maintain good relationships. Out of any of the other categories, these children are the most trusting and the most willing to respect opinions of others.

The youngest child is considered the baby of the family and will never be dethroned. This child tends to be spoiled by parents and other siblings. The result of this is a sense of security and having a noncompetitive nature. " The youngest child tends to be the most powerful in the family, resorting to the aggressive acting out which Adler calls the passive methods such as shyness, cuteness, or inadequacy." (Encyclopedia of Psychology, pg. 155) These children develop a lighter side to their personalities and are fun loving. Out of all the birth positions, the youngest tends to have the highest self-esteem and to be best liked."