From Dependency to Interdependency

Dependency in any aspect of life can cause so much pain and irritation. I was supposed to get some help with moving into a new house today. In return for that help, I hadn't thought of something that I could offer. Clearly, this is dependency. The helper is at liberty to change his mind as there is nothing that he can gain out of this situation.

The result: The helper won't be able to live up to the promise due to some reasons today. Thats alright as such situations arise and cannot be helped. What makes me unhappy was that the promise was mercilessly forgotten. But then, maybe my expectations are too high?

Surely, I will live, I will help myself out. But, I don't want to forget the lesson to be learnt here. This life can be full of dependencies. One cannot be totally independent no matter how hard he or she tries. Planning backups for such situations is possible but probably not ideal in all situations because the actual problem is the dependency itself. The one who succeeds is the one who learns to convert these dependencies into interdependencies. I could have thought of something to offer to the helper so that he doesn't forget the promise. That would have been equivalent to converting dependency into interdependency.

Thanks to Stephen R. Covey's book: The seven habits of highly successful people . It had all the theoretical explanation. Here is the real life situation.

Retake, Retake, Retake.....

Just got back after a video interview of our project for our company's DVD. My hands are shivering as I type. It took me one hour just to answer 6 very simple, very basic questions. I am so happy that I don't have to face the camera for a living!

A presentation in front of a live audience of 50 people is so easy compared to sitting in front of a camera, which is not live and only 3 other crew members are sitting in front helping you talk, is so darn difficult. I wanted the answers to be perfect. I wanted a retake for every long pause, every hrmmmm, the slightest mis-pronunciation, everything. I have probably never been so self-conscious in my entire life!

No more work for the day! My mind refuses to concentrate on anything.

The fate of rail crashes

I am appalled by the state of Indian Railways. The number of crashes, the lessons learnt from these crashes, the actions taken, everything is so very disappointing. Ofcourse the rail network in India is big but that doesn't mean it can be disastrously managed.

This topic comes to my mind after reading the recent court rulings over the the Hatfield crash in the UK in 2000. 4 people died because of the crash and 150 were injured. The court has now imposed a fine of £13.5 million (~108 Crore/Khokha ;) Rupees) to be paid by the responsible companies on account of negligence. If we compare this response with the one that rail accidents get in India, I get so very annoyed. I probably don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of rail accidents that happen within a 5 year span.

Is anybody still wondering why India is still developing? Are we all doing our duties as citizens of India? I do feel bad that I am sitting here in the lap of a rich country and not doing anything for the country that I was born in.

Is it time we knell the death toll for our State "managed" rail system? Or should we tackle these politicians first?

Clocky

Gauri Nanda, a student at MIT, has come up with this Alarm clock with wheels and wrapped in carpert (as seen in the pic). Apparently, when you hit the snooze button, it runs around the room making sure that you get up (to throw it out of the window). It won her the lg Nobels award.

Good Thinking!

More info here

Chariots of Fire - 2005

This year's charity run was organized to raise money for Children's Hospices in Milton. I took 13.5 minutes to finish the run this year, 80 seconds more than last year. Very Disappointing indeed :( Anyway, our team took nearly 1 hr 10 minutes and stood 108th amongst a total of 400 teams.

The Four Brothers

Worth watching. Sometimes a bit 'hollywood'y but that didn't bother me much. Apparently, its quite similar in story line to 'The sons of Katie Elder'.

A well deserved 7/10.