The topic of class/house leaders turned up recently in a conversation with my kids.
My son was very clear that he does not like being the leader. My daughter on the other hand had an interesting perspective. What she exactly said was :
"I don't like being the leader either but when others are class leaders, I get so irritated that I prefer to be the leader myself even though I really don't like it"
And why just leadership? its true of so many things in life. We aren't always fortunate enough to have a choice between what we like or don't like. Oftentimes life doles out tough options and we are forced to pick one we least dislike.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Word : Minute
Minute has various meaning. These are the entries for minute as per the online dictionary :
min·ute
n. Abbr. min.
1. A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour, or 60 seconds.
2. A unit of angular measurement equal to one sixtieth of a degree, or 60 seconds. Also called minute of arc.
3. A measure of the distance one can cover in a minute: lives ten minutes from school.
4. A short interval of time; moment. See Synonyms at moment.
5. A specific point in time: Stop that this minute!
6. A note or summary covering points to be remembered; a memorandum.
7. minutes An official record of the proceedings of a meeting.
tr.v. min·ut·ed, min·ut·ing, min·utes
To record in a memorandum or the minutes of a meeting.
mi·nute
adj.
1. Exceptionally small; tiny. See Synonyms at small.
2. Beneath notice; insignificant.
3. Characterized by careful scrutiny and close examination: held a minute inspection of the grounds.
When you look at it closely, all are related.
- When someone gives you get a minute-by-minute (ref n. 4) account of an event, you get every minute (ref adj. 1, 3) detail of what happended.
- When you record every minute (ref adj. 1, 3) detail, every minute (ref n. 4) of the dicussion, you get the minutes (ref n. 6) of the meeting.
min·ute
n. Abbr. min.
1. A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour, or 60 seconds.
2. A unit of angular measurement equal to one sixtieth of a degree, or 60 seconds. Also called minute of arc.
3. A measure of the distance one can cover in a minute: lives ten minutes from school.
4. A short interval of time; moment. See Synonyms at moment.
5. A specific point in time: Stop that this minute!
6. A note or summary covering points to be remembered; a memorandum.
7. minutes An official record of the proceedings of a meeting.
tr.v. min·ut·ed, min·ut·ing, min·utes
To record in a memorandum or the minutes of a meeting.
mi·nute
adj.
1. Exceptionally small; tiny. See Synonyms at small.
2. Beneath notice; insignificant.
3. Characterized by careful scrutiny and close examination: held a minute inspection of the grounds.
When you look at it closely, all are related.
- When someone gives you get a minute-by-minute (ref n. 4) account of an event, you get every minute (ref adj. 1, 3) detail of what happended.
- When you record every minute (ref adj. 1, 3) detail, every minute (ref n. 4) of the dicussion, you get the minutes (ref n. 6) of the meeting.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Another realization..
Its took me more that three decades and a nine year old son mad about Power Rangers to learn my alphabets!
Recently my son asked me the meaning of delta (in the context of Power Rangers) and that had me starting to explain alpha, beta ... and then it suddenly clicked -
alpha, beta => alphabets!
So much for such an obvious etymology that had escaped my notice for so long.
Recently my son asked me the meaning of delta (in the context of Power Rangers) and that had me starting to explain alpha, beta ... and then it suddenly clicked -
alpha, beta => alphabets!
So much for such an obvious etymology that had escaped my notice for so long.
There is a keen difference between instinctive action and impulsive
action.
Impulse is driven by the heart. It signifies what I 'want to do'.
Instinct comes from the spirit. It marks what I 'need to do'.
And not to forget that there is a third variety, the well thought action -
Thought is a creation of the mind, telling me what I 'should do'.
action.
Impulse is driven by the heart. It signifies what I 'want to do'.
Instinct comes from the spirit. It marks what I 'need to do'.
And not to forget that there is a third variety, the well thought action -
Thought is a creation of the mind, telling me what I 'should do'.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Another perspective
The roads in Bangalore are bad, there is hardly anyone who would contest this (even though lately I have seen some change for the better).
Everyone blames the government and and a whole bunch of civic bodies for not doing enough to rectify the situation. There are places where the road has so many pits that it is a question of which pit to go through rather than which pothole to avoid. I know the kids take the last seat in the bus because they 'love the bouncy ride' - feels like an adventure trip!
<<>>
I have been wondering if (part) culprit for the bad roads are the magnificent trees that line up the road sides. Bangalore promenades are a sight to behold when in full bloom. Is it possible that the beautiful Frangipanis, Gulmohars, Silver Oaks, African Tulips and all else have literally a role to play in all of Bangalore's pitfalls.
Bangalore's soil is rich but very hard to dig through and liable to cracking - trees are unable to establish deep roots. To be able to create a strong foundation in this earth, it is important for the trees grows their roots wide and far rather than deep. A lack of deep tap root would expose the tree to the risk of being uprooted by a strong wind (something we have seen oftimes in Bangalore). Roots spread wide would hold the tree better. As the roots spread they come all the way up to the road, cracking it up!
Bangalore wouldn't been the same without its trees. Not having the trees is not solution to bad roads, maybe laying them differently taking this fact into account is.
Everyone blames the government and and a whole bunch of civic bodies for not doing enough to rectify the situation. There are places where the road has so many pits that it is a question of which pit to go through rather than which pothole to avoid. I know the kids take the last seat in the bus because they 'love the bouncy ride' - feels like an adventure trip!
<<>>
I have been wondering if (part) culprit for the bad roads are the magnificent trees that line up the road sides. Bangalore promenades are a sight to behold when in full bloom. Is it possible that the beautiful Frangipanis, Gulmohars, Silver Oaks, African Tulips and all else have literally a role to play in all of Bangalore's pitfalls.
Bangalore's soil is rich but very hard to dig through and liable to cracking - trees are unable to establish deep roots. To be able to create a strong foundation in this earth, it is important for the trees grows their roots wide and far rather than deep. A lack of deep tap root would expose the tree to the risk of being uprooted by a strong wind (something we have seen oftimes in Bangalore). Roots spread wide would hold the tree better. As the roots spread they come all the way up to the road, cracking it up!
Bangalore wouldn't been the same without its trees. Not having the trees is not solution to bad roads, maybe laying them differently taking this fact into account is.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Decision Making
When it comes to making the big decisions, there are two distinct methods:
- Practical Choice
Making decisions using complex statistics and probabilities to predict the most likely outcome.
(Common example being - choosing Engineering, Medicine etc as a profession to achieve reasonable success)
- Intuitive Choice
Making decisions based on some unknown black-boxed algorithm/logic that you trust/have found to work but cannot explain even to your own self
(An example could be backing a particular stock even in case of consistent bad performance)
What is common sense?
Choosing how to arrive at the decision. In certain cases, both practical and intuitive choices are identical making the decision making simple. However as is often the case, the two decisions (practical and intuitive) are warring and this is where common sense steps in. It is common sense to consider all possible outcomes, weigh in the benefits/risks of each and arrive at the final decision.
When we reflect back, a common sense decision need not necessarily be the best decision.
The practical decision with an almost certain outcome was just that, almost but not quite!
The gut feel which had proved to be right so often, finally let you down!
- Practical Choice
Making decisions using complex statistics and probabilities to predict the most likely outcome.
(Common example being - choosing Engineering, Medicine etc as a profession to achieve reasonable success)
- Intuitive Choice
Making decisions based on some unknown black-boxed algorithm/logic that you trust/have found to work but cannot explain even to your own self
(An example could be backing a particular stock even in case of consistent bad performance)
What is common sense?
Choosing how to arrive at the decision. In certain cases, both practical and intuitive choices are identical making the decision making simple. However as is often the case, the two decisions (practical and intuitive) are warring and this is where common sense steps in. It is common sense to consider all possible outcomes, weigh in the benefits/risks of each and arrive at the final decision.
When we reflect back, a common sense decision need not necessarily be the best decision.
The practical decision with an almost certain outcome was just that, almost but not quite!
The gut feel which had proved to be right so often, finally let you down!
Friday, November 03, 2006
People : Standing out vs Blending in
I believe there are two distinct types of people in this world.
The very very 'normal' people (not to be confused with average) - who strive hard their entire life to stand out from the crowd - to make everyone, most importantly their own selves believe they are different and unique.
The other set of people comprises of the 'odd' folks. These are those people who think, act and feel differently from most people around them and continue to struggle their entire lives to belong and blend in and not to be considered weird or different.
Besides these two extremes, there are the in between folks, and of course, there are people who stand out naturally and take pride in it and the people who prefer to and are a part of the crowds and feel comforted in a sense of being away from the spot light.
The very very 'normal' people (not to be confused with average) - who strive hard their entire life to stand out from the crowd - to make everyone, most importantly their own selves believe they are different and unique.
The other set of people comprises of the 'odd' folks. These are those people who think, act and feel differently from most people around them and continue to struggle their entire lives to belong and blend in and not to be considered weird or different.
Besides these two extremes, there are the in between folks, and of course, there are people who stand out naturally and take pride in it and the people who prefer to and are a part of the crowds and feel comforted in a sense of being away from the spot light.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
and again..
.. I've had a weird thought..
Is there any fundamental difference between :
- In my view blah blah blah is true
- In my opinion blah blah blah is true
- I've been thinking blah blah blah is true
Dictionary meanings are as follows:
View: A position from which things are looked at.
Opinion : belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge
Thinking: A way of reasoning; judgment
I could be wrong but this is what I derive out of this?
A view is obtained from our current position, circumstances, place etc. It is very literally how you see it and is easy to change with time and position. Opinion is a derivation from a views, thoughts, feelings held over a period of time and probably harder to change. Thinking is more cognitive in nature and based on logic and reason.
Is there any fundamental difference between :
- In my view blah blah blah is true
- In my opinion blah blah blah is true
- I've been thinking blah blah blah is true
Dictionary meanings are as follows:
View: A position from which things are looked at.
Opinion : belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge
Thinking: A way of reasoning; judgment
I could be wrong but this is what I derive out of this?
A view is obtained from our current position, circumstances, place etc. It is very literally how you see it and is easy to change with time and position. Opinion is a derivation from a views, thoughts, feelings held over a period of time and probably harder to change. Thinking is more cognitive in nature and based on logic and reason.
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