The Difference Makers

The Blue Ribbon movement is part of a larger campaign, Difference Makers International, founded in 1983 by Californian Helice 'The Spark' Bridges. Bridges' goal is that every American receive a blue ribbon and that everyone in the world is acknowledged by 2004 !!!!



WOW !


Read these true life testimonials from the Chicken Soup for the Soul . Here is the original blue ribbon story [LINK]
and a less dramatic but real to life one .. here [LINK]
And if you want to buy the Blue Ribbons ... go here [LINK]

P.S : Ribbons costs a dollar each .

The condom analogy

When perching on my revolving chair ( i raise it so high .. that i feel dizzy ) and rummaging through my old mails for something important ... I found this 'lovely' (email) forward ..

Setting : circa 2004 election time ( Iam talking AmeriKa ... )

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The White House announced today that it is changing its emblem to a condom because it more clearly reflects the Republican Party's stance. A condom accepts inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually getting screwed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

My reaction : Hah !!

26 things you didn't know about me

1) Am mostly a happy-optimist who does lend (valuable) things to others .
2) Unlike what I sometimes project, Iam *NOT* a people-person. Invariably I distrust people more than I trust them. Are you listening ?
3) I have a tattoo on my foot ( the yin-yang ) and I take care of it like how a tattoo needs to be taken care of.
4) I like going out partying .. but in reality Iam not a party-person.
5) I like to be among loved ones .. but I dont have any around me ! ( Damn .. Am i depressed ? ) ( I confess : Sometimes I crave for a hug ... ) ( Damn .. I AM depressed ! )
6) I love computer games .. but I have 'grown a disdain' towards it because I suck at it.
7) I dont play tennis, basketball , cricket, or for that matter any sport that has do with my right hand. ( I had a freak accident that dislocated my right hand.. and now iam even scared to pick up a fight ) I dont bowl either. I dont lift weights though I jog.
8) I love talking to people Iam comfortable with .. I talk so much that people avaoid me the next time ... ( now did I say .. a) people whom IAM comfortable with .. not not who are comfortable with me !! b) people who are comfortable become 'un'comfortable with me :) )
9) Like everyone else I feel that Iam special ( Aaah ... not the mentally challenged 'special' ... you duffer ! )
10) I havent watched a movie alone in a single-sitting for a really long long time. ( Yep .. I used to go to movie halls alone ... but I have stopped doing that )
11) In a crowded mall, I sometimes feel concious .
12) Iam a poor dresser . ( I dont understand colors and matchings )
13 ) I sometimes think that Iam an undercover agent for some non-existent spying agency. ( In a crowded hall .. I search for people spying on me ) . Reality being .. Iam just another IT worker bee lost in the crowd. ( People take to fantasy to amuse their over-worked caffeine-dependent brains and otherwise dull life. )
14) I would like to be unmarried for ever .. but I need companionship .
15) I believe computers are an invention of the devil to keep people away from each other. ( now for once .. iam kidding )
16) I spend long hours reading other's blogs . Sometimes they are the only times when I take a break from work .
17) I hate regret ... I regret having to regret. I regret that I have to hate regret. My personal philosophy on regrets - They are hell on earth.
18) I so believe in the 80-20 rule .. or hmm 20-80 rule .. hmm maybe Iam getting it all wrong .. . Okay let me put it this way .. I donot want to spend 80% of my time .. pushing that 20% of perfection factor ... I would rather be happy getting it 80% perfect doing 20% of the effort .
conversly ...
I love any article with the heading "Tips and Tricks"
19) Iam *NOT* a foodie .. If it were possible to get my hands on a pill that would give me the daily-calorie-intake, I would happily feed on that .. ( but to confess again .. not for long ... maybe to break the boredom I might shift to a well-balanced-mouth-watering meal ! )
20 ) I do keep in touch with people. ( I like doing that ) - Getting in touch with old friends ( not aged friends ) gives me a kick. ( Hmmm I mean .. I do it for the kicks .. you know .. not literally )
21) I sometimes sweat at room temperatures.
22) Iam a coffee person .. nope. ... wait .. I like tea ... I mean I like coffee better than tea .. But I crave for tea more often ... hrrrr .... Frankly speaking ... Iam confused about it .. I like both ; depends on my craving.
23) I like taking long breaks from work. But hate frequent ones.
24) I sometimes wish I were 2 inches taller . ( But Iam happy with my body-type )
25) I like the feeling when it is just about to rain heavily ... and I like the smell of soil after the first rain . .. ( Cliched ..isnt it ?? I never claimed I have unique refined tastes )
26 ) I keep changing my mind ... every once in a while .. Nah ... not really .. Actually yeah .. Hmm Maybe .... Anyways ... I meant ... my priorities and decisions keep changing ... ( BAD !! ) bite this .. Initially this post was titled "23 things you didn't know about me" . Now I have to change it .

Now you are in the know !
( More to be added ...... )

Freewrite # 7 - We miss you.

Yesterday "the smiling man" was found dead .

There was no note beside his pillow or on his desk . There were no stale vegitables in his kitchen . The sheets were washed, clean and were smelling like fresh flowers. The cupboards were neatly closed and his books were dust free. He must have prepared for this.

While living between the streets of the big city, he must have gone through a lot of pain. Yet he made a lot of people think, laugh and smile ... His countless 'virtueless' 'friends' would still remember the numerous rides of joy he accompanied them.

Smile does mask a lot of pain.

He still has a lively smile on his, otherwise , dead face. I still cant believe he is dead. We miss you smiling man .

No one knows ....

No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
And no one knows
What it's like to be hated
To be fated to telling only lies

- Limp Bizkit ( Behind Blue Eyes )

Whats with them on National TV ?

Sometimes opposing views of the interviewer and the one who is interviewed makes interesting TV material. Sometimes its a gross waste of time ... One of such kind was from Karan Thapar ( of Devil's Advocate fame ) and Rahul Bajaj, the industrialist.

Well as for me ... Iam glad I missed this interview. The complete transcript [ LINK ] .But must have been fun watching it !

Few excerpts from the easily-not-worth-watching interview :

Karan Thapar: Mr Bajaj now that you are an MP, explain to me how a man who is worth some Rs 420 crore can believe that he is the right representative for the people of Maharashtra?
Rahul Bajaj: I don’t like this word Rs 420 crore. The figure is Rs 419 crore and including my wife it is Rs 473 crore. My children and brothers are not included.
Karan Thapar: Alright not Rs 420 crore. You are associating all sorts of mischief with the word Rs 419 crore.
Rahul Bajaj: Rs 419 crore is a much better word.

-------------------------------------------
Rahul Bajaj: Where did you go to school Karan?
Karan Thapar: Is that relevant?
Rahul Bajaj: It is very relevant because your logic is illogical.
Karan Thapar:If it is relevant I will tell you. I went to Doon School, Cambridge, Oxford and I know a lot about politics.
Rahul Bajaj: I went to Cathedral, St. Stephens, and Harvard, slightly better than you in every respect. So I understand logic. But I am a humble man unlike you.
-------------------------------------------

13 'proven' ways to Instant happiness ( or ) How to beat those moody blues .

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.“

~ Confucius

Disclaimer(s) :

a) These may not work on you. I have tried and tested these (ONLY) on myself.
b) These work on me most of the times.
c) If none of these work ... I sometimes ( try to ) sleep.


1) Listen to music ... Good Hard rock / Very fast guitar. ( I suggest you DONT use external speakers .. but headphones for reasons obvious to you and your neighbours.)
eg : Paranoid ( Black Sabbath ) , Flight of the Bumblebee ( Yngwie Malmsteen ) , Enigma

2) Make very strong Coffee ... ( self brewed and not machine made )

3) "Eat" insane amount of dark chocolate on emty stomach ... and wait till it dissolves directly into your blood stream - feel it ... ( trust me ... you can )

4) A warm-water soapy-bubbly bath with nice smelling body wash( citric concentrate or an aromatic soap ) .. Let the warmth flow slowly from your head to toe.

5) Close your eyes and do the your-are-in-a-pond-and-ripples-go-from-your-head trick. (ask me what this is )

6) Read the Bhagvat Gita . ( try Ch 2 , verse 22 ) and meditate on each verse. ( sometimes Bible helps :) )

7) Go for a ride in the open when you can see the blue sky. ( Avoid traffic ... Absolutely ! esp. if you are in Bangalore . )

8) Talk (over phone) to someone whom you really know. ( And make sure you *dont* dump your emotions on them .. you never know what mood they are in.)

9) Do high school math / puzzles. ( And feel good that you solved .. If you think it will take more than 5 minutes .. DONT DO IT ! :) )

10) Cook. ( Now we all live in a you-eat-what-you-cooked world) (And dont follow instructions from printed matter .. Do the do-it-yourself cooking )

11) Dance ... if you are already not tired ! ( Do the dance-as-if-no-one-is-watching-you dance )

12) Read about failed revolutions ( Student movement in China, Mao Rebels in Kerala, Guerilla uprisings in S.America ) or World Affairs ( particularly the Middle-East conflict ) and then think/console yourself by saying that your miseries are so insignificant compared to theirs :)

13) Play the guitar .. Try composing a new melody and work on it .


And I talked to other people and got some inputs from them on what they do to overcome blues

1) Visit a beauty parlour and get a facial done ( WOW .. I like this idea )
2) Go to a gym and work out till those endorphins run into your blood stream and make you feel good. ( Aah the quintessential human urge to feel good !)
3) Go to a place you have never been before or do something you have never done before !

And here are the things I generally avoid when Iam blue

1) Listen to slow moody music which I generally associate with other people I know.
2) Drink . ( Never do it alone ! Well .... Never do it atall !! )
3) Self pity.
4) Brood over the matter and walk inside the house like a peripatetic caged monkey. ( In other words .. DONOT 'nurture' your worries )