Peaceful Weekend

Having one of those days where the weekend is here but there is no energy left? Welcome a normal weekend in the life of an IT'ian.

What does one plan about the upcoming weekend - music, home party, shopping, drive, movie all of this has become a stressful activity.. don't you think so?? My weekends are pretty much planned well in advance and include some of the above mentioned activities and at times I am thinking... Binz What music to listen to.. what are the odds for choices? My playlist, soft or contemporary rock, jazz, pop!!! Choices at our disposal. Planning for a home party itself is stressing - who gets invited? what about the ones who don't? (Cant say No?) What does everyone drink.. what about the after math of a crazy party (I haven dared to throw one for my colleagues - too much of planning) I can talk endlessly about shopping - I have done a fair amount of it online and in the malls, and these days it scares the hell out of me when I see 1000 people in a mall.. lifts are filled, escalators are packed.. is shopping a therapy anymore? How about a drive to the farthest place in Hyd. Well in this city the farthest you can drive is to the airport, one other place is to drive to nagarjuna falls.. mind you this monsoon season this is the only place the city for recreation. And in the weekend there are about 1000 cars driving towards it and and other 4,000 people in the location. Do I sound like negative nancy??

What I really want for the weekend is a walk in the park, watch little children swim, look at old couples holding hands and walking.. sitting on the bench (thanks to my township there are many benches to sit on in the walkways) and watching everything that happens around you. Already sound like I am 70. Never the less peace is what I am looking for. If this is available in the quiet weekends while doing my rounds in the park or just sitting then so be it. :)

While we are in a fast paced environment where everything is done under a minute, it takes much needed patience to get the mind to rest. What ever the means to get to a peaceful state of mind I wish you a good one.. free your mind and have a peaceful weekend.

Video Killed The TV Star

Today I am really in a mindset to talk out loud about some of the vlogs that I have been watching for a while now. A video blog or aka vlog is a form of television??? yes, its an embedded video with images, clippings of real life incidents, accidents, funny stories, pranks, acts, talent.. and some of them taken ONE GIANT leap of faith and made it their bread and butter. Haven't you heard? Daily vlogs??

Leading this is you tube which probably has made millions of dollars ensuring that lives are no more private anymore and that the most interesting conversation of your life will be to talk about someone else's life! Reallyy??? So the one that really got my attention in the last few weeks is this vlogger (did I just coin a new word?) +ItsJudysLife  These guys are recently married, have a child and they record videos on a daily basis averaging out for about 20-25 minutes recording about their kid Juliana and when she pooped to when she slept - Nooo kidding.

Apart from the sweet little baby they also have random conversations about either their lifestyle, what has been cooking for breakfast and what misanplas for lunch. Its rather interesting to see what they are upto on a daily basis. Although this might sound like any other day for some couples these guys make a HUGEE effort to have their viewers interested in their videos. Last week Judy (mother) heard some noises and added the word ghost in their video headline. This was enough to shoot up the viewer count to 153,530 as of now. So this is the new age television then? Watching what our neighbors cooked while I sipped my cuppa hot coffee?? I now recollect the song "video killed the radio star" and now the song will be.. leave a comment on that!

I am going to go back to watch these guys, they make me smile :) oh common this is no cheesy statement - I will put down a link so that you can view it too.

Until next time on sometime new. Bye for now.

 

Gun Games

I am starting out my first write up in G+ e Blogger and was thinking what I should write about. My mind is filled with images of the fearful people talking on the phone, children crying, teachers in shock, police vans everywhere. The advantage of technology is such that I am able to sit in India and look at the images captured post the shoot out in CT. I have some understanding for lack of better word of what might have happened. I have personally witnessed a shoot out while I was in NY, my first trip to the states and have been part of those lucky ones who walked out without getting hurt.

While I was reading up this article in various websites I came across some startling facts. Each country has had their share of history when it comes to shoot outs. Handgun killings in Japan - 48, Britain - 8, Switzerland - 34, Canada - 52, Israel - 58, USA - 10,728. Would you now say you want to pick up a gun for your own protection? Well that is debatable and can be a long one. In the United States along more than 40% of people accounted for owning a gun in the late 1900. Althought most of these sales are through licenced owners a big percentage goes through secondary market where in the sales are to youths. At present the licenced sellers do not sell hand helds to people below 21 and long guns to below 18. They might eventually go the secondary market.

The US govt has included many restrictions and initiated many community programs, intervention programs, project safe neighbourhood and many more to modify some of the behaviour patters, environment etc. This is always a work in progress effort..... again debatable.  Gun control is eventually going to become an heated point of discussion in the next few weeks. I am sure I will get to read more articles on this. Will I blog about it? I dono.. but for your further reading if this does interest you, please find some references below

Roleff, Tamara. ‘Gun Control (Opposing Viewpoints). Greenhaven. 2007
Bruce, John. ‘The Changing Politics of Gun Control’. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 1998.
Cook, Philip J. ‘Gun Violence: The Real Costs (Studies in Crime and Public Policy)’. Oxford University Press. 2002
Cornell, Saul. ‘A Well-Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America’. Oxford Universitry Press. 2008.

For all those who have gotten injured or even lost their loves ones in the shooting that took place CT my heart goes out to you and your family. Pray that their souls will rest in peace.