Episode 5: Parallel universe!

I mean, its so difficult to keep training my brain with US dollars, AU dollars, euros, rupee, pounds every time I travel. If I was given a power in this world to make a revolutionary change I would make ONE currency for the world, really, who on earth wants to express their math skills of currency conversion every time.

What if I was given power to do some 5 crazy changes in this world. I even love this fictitious thought of it.

1.    I belong to this world, why should I draw boundaries and call it my continent, my country, my state, my city and my town. Birds don't do it when they migrate, why should I? I start to talk in terms of latitude and longitude. If there are aliens we would anyways be telling, "by the way I'm from earth where are you from?"

2.    Nobody gets to buy a land, because land should be used only for growing vegetables and wildlife to have their home. And we all start to live in space I.e. flying houses or sky suspended home. Imagine we all have flying cars to travel back home that is sky scraper in literal way.

3.    A metal has more value than life in the world today. Gold should become a metal having no value in eras to come. Gold, steel, platinum, silver, lead, carbon should mean same at the end of the day. If someone says "I have a diamond studded platinum tap in my bathroom", it should just mean personalized style and not rich.

4.    Some carnivorous animals which died thousands of years ago are killing other animals even today, in the form of oil and gas. Flying cars, utility and entertainment appliances should work on star power (solar is one among them) and air fuel.

5.    Crime is to be read as cruelty raised institution for money and entertainment (sex in particular). Let us minus the wealth of everyone i.e. each of us start at zero. So nobody has anything to loot or steal from others. Aim is to make sure all of us have healthy meal (physical source to survive), a role to share ( knowledge, resource like medical, transportation).

      Path to save from harassment! Design a gadget embedded (smart phone / bio sensors in the body) which senses a brain signal from the person in traumatized state ex. Situations like rape, domestic violence. This signal is sent to the closest 100 or N devices choosing men and women in a smart algorithm and lead them towards the "to-be" victim (an attempt to NOT have victims and then punish the b******ds, rather red handed catch of the attempt). At-least the fear of embarrassment would stop this wild sinful act of human. 

What would be your crazy change?

Episode 4: Would you come scuba diving this vacation???

When I grew up in this world, it was already filled with the filth of money, materials, competition and the dirtiest side of humankind. The world was suppose to end twice in the journey of my "this" life. However you and I have survived both.

That day, I was in the sea and sailing on a boat.

The black soil and water on the shore wasn't a good sight for a beach holiday. I'd already started to get sea sick. I put myself on the wooden couch of the boat. I wasn't too happy about the sun shining that kept my eyes closed under the dark glasses I wore. I felt like a lost soul in the fish bowl. There was money, iPod, pantaloons, laptop, chewing gum, camera, job, gold, exotic vacations, vodka, jeans, almonds and dates in this life. And, what else was I looking for?

My life seemed like someone else's chicken soup. I don't eat chicken and someone else is having my soup.

I woke up to see the boat coming to a halt as it came close to the island. Sea weeds, poisonous plants, corals and images of wonderful fishes were displayed in the chart shown by the sea expert. I had to put on a skin tight funny outfit over my clothes, a spectacle and a pipe pumping in oxygen from the heavy cylinder residing on my back. There I was, standing at the edge of this boat looking all nervous about the first dive that I had to make. I always wondered why all adventures had to be gone through these "butterflies in my tummy" kind of experience.

The sun was burning the skin out of me, a "hydrophobic me" was scared amidst the water, I looked like a joker and I was seriously rethinking whether this adventure should get into the history of my life. My mind was juggling with all these thoughts while the instructor pushed me and I almost did a fab somersault before landing. In this 'gosh' moment, the pipe which was supposed to be in my mouth flew away, my nostrils were stuffed with the sea and I'd gulped a few tumblers of salt water.

Short time and big blunders, time when I understood the real meaning of accident.

The instructor had taught me that "thumbs up" means all good and "thumbs down" means cut the crap and save me. I had joked that his elaborated instructions wouldn't end in-spite of completing scuba dive. Taking a deep breath, keeping all the instruments intact I went sinking down the deep ocean for the first time in my life. A quick fin act by the legs helped me feel like an angel cuddling the ocean.

Lessons of life never end. If you feel it ended then you are no more alive.

A spectacular view of blue paradise with, corals spread as beautiful as marble flooring was the palace of colourful and divine souls swimming around. My eyes were treated with yellow, blue, white, orange fishes moving in large groups. It looked as if they were all buddies playing some primitive game of their clan. There were some jelly and star fishes clamped to the corals. Maybe someone who scuba dived before me taught them the game of hide and seek ;)

An amazing feeling that moved me was their characters of liveliness, bright, togetherness, sense of belonging and we love you all attitude. I'm sure if I'd decided to join a clan of fish and won their hearts they'd be happy to let me be a part. I'm sure being bubbly would help me in making them feel comfortable. God forsake "bubbly", due to dryness in my throat I had a heavy cough and the bubbles forming from my breath stopped. I again gulped a few more tumblers of water and quickly gave a thumbs down sign (All thanks to the elaborated instruction list). The second encounter of an accident. The well versed instructor pulled out a valve from the jacket and I sensed floating in few seconds.

With all the hurdles apart, the most beautiful adventure that I have ever done is diving. The purest form of life and love survives within. It's calm, welcoming and loveable.

Maybe this is what I was searching and god had given me his answers packed in this wonderful experience of mine.

Would you come scuba diving this vacation?

Episode 3: BookFace

A life without Facebook.

Is there one, I used to wonder and I did have for a few months now. Before I make a comeback to this digital fort, I thought to write about my digital social network less world.

When it was my world!!

app on my phone, the likes for photographs, friends I got to chat with, posts that I commented on, videos shared, events piled up, frens wedding and congratulation posts, vacation information, game requests, xxx wants to add your birthday in calendar.... the list goes on.. All of it was given a pause.

While my heart was heavy with emotional stress, give me a break said my brain and I took pleasure in clicking the button to "deactivate my account" in October 2012.

A journey!!

I was on a travel to two new countries on my list, Czech Republic and France. Meeting international friends is always fun. There is so much to learn about culture, monuments, art  forms, economy, cocktails, food, flowers and families. I like short travels coz you get to hear so many stories in a great package. I was also fortunate to take part in a workshop called "energy audit".

Are we conscious on how we spend our energy an entire day was the topic of this four hour workshop. A human mind is created to work in rhythmic patterns, but we believe in computers and computing. "how can I afford to lose 30 mins, I'll skip my lunch", "I can't wake up so early, will surely go gymming tomorrow", "spiritual thinking, am I that old",we have enormous excuses to not focus on the way we spend our energy. I wanted to immediately kill my addiction to digital Social network which I did, coz I felt my mind was processing too much data of which not all was necessary. So I went shopping in Prague, visited the castle, went on a ferry ride, walked the city, worked through my projects, made presentations, travelled to France, cooked food, drank some wine while my friends back home felt I was washed away from the digital world.

Reality strikes in!! Hard!!

After the much enjoyed working hard trip I came home and then the jittery feeling started to haunt me. Every 2 hours I felt like typing "www.socialnetwork.com" on my browser and activate my account. I wanted to know what was happening and this is precisely the UVP of it, people like to know what's happening in others life.

Battling your own wish to sway the other way is by far the worst feeling in closet. Searching a new home is never a bottom line, searching a new life is. Digital Social network less life isn't something new, but to have one after the experience is a reinvention and it isn't that bad at all.

Time, energy, focus, books, hobbies, love and friends, I got them all....After a week or so, my brain had faded the memories of social network.

Some nice moments further!!

I started reading a lot of books ranging from fiction to autobiography, management to history, romance to political thrillers. I downloaded music apps on iPad and did self learning on playing keyboard. I can play some nice tunes like pink panther, Roja, tumse milke, Teri meri, bade achhe lagte hain, arare arare now. I did vocal recordings of a lot of songs. Tuned myself towards social responsibility. I started to watch movies in theatres. I did research on Hindu scriptures to understand the hidden truths of the preaching and its connection to science and mathematics. I got insights on topics like business model creations. I went on a vacation to coorg. I spent good amount of time with friends and family. There were nice times of cafe discussions. I have oil paints in my bag, time to try a canvas.

So,

I took time to call up and meet my friends to have a nice chat rather than writing a post on their wall or like a photo of them. I took time to cook desserts with mom in my kitchen and it was much fun than growing a farm on computer. I could hold hands of my loved ones and there is so much of warmth in it than just leaving a text message for them. I could write a series of my short stories and this is so overwhelming an experience than just killing time in refreshing the list of posts on my wall. I did make new friends, at the parlour, coffee shop, nilgiris, office, bus stop, schools, events, during journey, international travel. I have understood and now strongly believe, physical presence of a person has much higher influence and energy than virtual.

Anyways, Life is good this or that way, it turns great when you love whatever you do. My life, I love it.. How about you?