Highway of Life

There's heavy traffic on the roads, heavier still on the net but heaviest on the highway that is life! At times I envy people who know their destination even before they hit the highway but most of us are travelers who don't know where we are going and where we want to land up. But hey, it's good fun at times.

It's actually fun till the time when one day you suddenly stop to think where the road leads to. That day it becomes less fun.

Think about it, you are traveling on this highway, enjoying the drive, whizzing past all the signs, hoardings etc. Then suddenly a thought comes to your mind, 'Dude where are you going?'. You slow down at that point in time - unsure about the answer.

Then you start thinking if you want to go to a hill station or probably a beach or maybe a remote village or maybe a bustling city. Then you watch out for the sign boards, then you stop by a person you see walking and ask, 'Dude, where does this road lead to?'. If you decide to go to a beach then you start thinking if you want to land up at the nearest beach or do you want to go to the beach where most people go on holiday or is it gonna be the lonely beach where you sit with a bottle (or crate) of beer and do some serious thinking! What have you achieved in life, what have your friends achieved, what do you want to achieve and what do you 'really' want to achieve! There, now you aren't simply out there, you are out there and going someplace.

I chose the lonely beach and the crate of beer. Whenever I think of resuming my journey, another thought comes to my mind which warns me not to drink and drive. So, I drink some more. As this goes on, the beach seems like home. Hmm...guess I have reached!!

Love, Tennis and Relationships

Have you ever romanced tennis? Might sound a bit strange but the fact is that terms used in Tennis have a lot of hidden meaning. Obviously you might need a little help in deciphering the code. That's where I step in!

Glossary of tennis terms are explained below with their meanings as per the Love Dictionary (LD):

Tennis: Love all (scoreline)
LD: The most fundamental rule

Tennis: Game
LD: Love is a game of hide and seek, of hunting, where the lover hunts his game

Tennis: Set
LD: A couple!

Tennis: Match
LD: Same as Set.

Talking of set reminds me of upset. A 'point' worth mentioning here is if there is an upset then there is basically no match as far as Love is concerned. However, in Tennis, first there has to be a match for us to know if there will be an upset. If there is no match, the spectators get upset for sure!

Tennis: Mens Singles, Womens Singles, Mens Doubles, Womens Doubles, Mixed Doubles
LD: Stags, (Man's dream!), Gay, Lesbian, 'Normal' couple

There are more but will leave you to discover them. Love is all about discovering (and seldom finding!).

Finally an ode to the umpire:

Tennis: Silence please!
LD: Say Nothing at all

The Great PG Wodehouse

My house of wood (body of bones if you will) has often been set on fire by the laughter 'riot' better known as P.G. Wodehouse

The reason why I happened to remember him today is because I was planning to share something about men and women. Relationships, breakups, candle lit dinners, movies, love, hate, arguments, marriages, divorces and the endless list of things you attach to the phenomena of a man and woman trying to share time and space is quite extra-ordinary.

My favorite topics often feature these two specimens and what each thinks and how they interact with each other. I think they make wonderful loser stories.

Women are these days fighting for equality. I find this trend disturbing. Why do they want to take a step down from their pedestals (on which they often place themselves with the help of lover devotees) and want to be equals? Anyways, if that's what they choose, then that's what they will have coz which man (in his right senses and remembering the mantra: 'live in peace or die in peace but peace, peace, peace') has ever denied a woman what she wanted.

The whole idea of a basic conflict in persona types of men and women that neither of them understood was very matter-of-fact'ly' presented by this great man Wodehouse. Let me quote him, "At the age of eleven or thereabouts women acquire a poise and an ability to handle difficult situations which a man, if he is lucky, manages to achieve somewhere in the later seventies."

This age difference, this generation gap is never bridged. Ofcourse there are some 80 year old men who have relationships with 18 year old women but those are rare cases of a man meeting Life for the first time on his deathbed - but not all are that lucky.

Anyways, more tidbits on the specimens will keep coming your way till the time I reach my 70s'. After that, I guess my poise may not allow me this luxury.

And yes, Wodehouse fans may please take some more inspiration from his quotes:
Quotes

Loser Relationships

People who know me know my fascination for the word 'Loser'. It is actually a very generic term that I use to describe almost everybody. My definition of the word is very generic - not a one size fits all, but rather something like 'available in all sizes' :) It's a way of recognizing that everybody has his or her own faults. It hints more towards the comic elements of the human anatomy which reassuringly indicate the presence of the 'L' gene in everyone. It's a quality which enables people to make fun of themselves and thus gives a certain right to make fun of others as well (in keeping with the adage 'do to others as you would have yourself do to yourself' - ah , ok I know it reads differently in it's original format!). Anyways, the point is that to me it's a pretty endearing term.

The reason why I am talking about the definition and connotations of the L word here is because a lot of people see this word and it's meaning very differently. I read a very detailed description of losers and how they behave in relationships - quite depressing for those who would look at it seriously but quite funny in terms of the detailed analysis done in the portrayal of an incorrigible beast as it were! Hmm, anyways, to each his own but an interesting read none the less.

Here's the link: http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=157

Ambition

As a child how many times have you been asked this question, 'What do you want to do when you grow up?' or 'What's your ambition in life?'

A typical child usually gives answers which I think are chiefly guided by what they have heard their parents say eg. becoming a doctor, engineer etc. These could be their parents ambitions for them or more unfortunately their parents unfulfilled ambitions.

I wonder why we feed children with such suggestions. I feel they stop being in touch with their feelings very early in life because of these suggestions.

If someone asked me that question I would probably say 'Not much'. That's an option that a lot of people would choose but unfortunately it doesn't even figure in the list of options that society/ educational institutions/ family etc. ask you to choose from. Not doing much or not becoming that elusive 'Someone' is looked down upon by the masses. This is crazy coz if you think about it, a lot of people today wait for their retirement. They aren't happy with what they do. They want to retire early. Why do you think people want to retire at an early age?

Think about it. Retired folks are usually people who 'don't do much' in terms of what society values. So, if you want to take an early retirement then basically understand that all you really wanted to do in life was 'not do much'. That has always been your goal but a lot of dust settled on it because of what others wanted you to do and thus you never saw it.

Remember, when you don't want to do much then actually you gain the freedom to do anything which you feel like doing at that point in time. When you don't need to be 'someone' then you can start being 'one' with yourself. Believe me, that's all that matters.

I wasn't doing much when I wrote this piece.