Onus

I would like to start things off by quoting that I would always remember this time of my life as the most challenging one--in every conceivable aspect--and I am definitely going to learn a lot in these two months.

Today, I was thinking about all the battles ahead of me in these coming few weeks,and this actually got me feeling all lost and confused. So I am writing this post here for all my friends who are not aware of my current status and more so for myself--as a memory.

The most daunting task ahead of me is to apply to the various Universities in USA for my MS. Collecting information without anyone to counsel is proving to be a real headache. My mother offered me to hire a professional counselling service who usually charge around 15-20k for helping out students with applications. But as it occurs,I just can't convince myself to spend so much money on such things, and so I have decided to do it all by myself.

Let me sum up all the things--that i know so far-- would be needed for my applications. First, I would need to write a Statement Of Purpose (SOP), then i need to make three Letter of Recommendations (LOR), find teachers who would sign those LOR's for me , apply to the GGSIP university for issuing my original Transcripts,collect information about all the universities and various courses, shortlist around 6-7 universities and then form an adapted SOP for each of them. Then,finally fill in the real application form and mail all the documents and of course pay the fee online.

This being said, here is a list of the activities I need to do side by side the aforementioned tasks.

• Work for the Final Review of our project which is scheduled for Monday , 16th Nov 09.
• My navy letter has arrived, got to Fax those guys to change my SSB dates.
• Prepare for internal vivas of all the labs which are also starting from the same date.
• Prepare Innovations for all the labs ( there are three of them ).
• Then on Thursday--19 Nov--some company--Negro or is it Negaro-- is visiting the college for placements,so have to sit for their interview.
• Friday,internal viva of our Minor Project. Need to make a fat report and PPT for the same before the viva.
• Next, Monday External Practicals whole week.
• Then I think I would get a week to prepare for the CAT and my final exams.

This is about it I guess, and I am sure that if I have forgotten anything,I would be reminded of it in the comments. And for now,without wasting another second I would like to get down to writing my SOP.

Forever Antisocial

They teach me to behave in society, they tell me to be nice to others, they teach me to deal with people, and then, they tell me --"Be yourself".

Would someone please explain me how does it work? On one hand, I am being taught to wear a mask every time I step outside the house and on the other, I am being expected to be myself. Is it about surviving out there without losing your identity, or does it involve getting your work done even when you dislike the person you are dealing with. As much as I would hate to agree with the latter, what choice do I have considering the quixotic connotations of the former?

Even if I like someone and can't visit or meet him for certain genuine reasons, it is taken as a sign of my coldness and I am being taunted with phrases like--"So you got the time?" and "Did you forget your way?"-- when I do finally visit him. Now don't you think this behavior is actually fathering the aforementioned "coldness"? Next time even if I have the time to go and meet that person, I would think ten times before doing so,simply for the reason that I don't want to be baited again.So, it takes me to my next question, which is "Do I have to or should I do things which I can't or don't want to, just to be approved by the society?"

On the contrary, when I try to be social and talk nicely to everyone I am being termed as fake. Take for example the Sherlyn Chopra scenario in the ongoing Big Boss 3. During the first two weeks she was being herself and was joking and teasing everyone because of which she was nominated, and then during the next two weeks she was nice to everyone and tried to mix up with others, but she was nominated again,and this time for the reason that she was not being herself ,and is putting on an act.Now what does one do in such a scenario? Does it work like either you are "born social" or you are "forever antisocial"?

And finally, I would like to know what does one do when he can't reveal his anger to his object of antipathy? For example, say I did not approve the words of my teacher(or boss or friend), but I naturally can't unleash my anger on his face for the obvious reasons. Now I have got two options,either to keep that rage inside and ruin my sleep or talk it out with my friends or family--I can abuse that teacher or friend or I can justify how I was right and he was wrong--and feel palliated. Again, I opt for the latter,which takes me to my final question which is "Would you call this back-bitching or me being a double faced person?". Now, since I am being nice to that person (my teacher or boss or good friend) on their face--because I have no other choice-- and then afterwards abusing them behind their back, it does in fact fit in the definition of "back-bitching".

To sum it up then, I understand these questions might not have definitive answers and the answers to some might depend on the specific situation involved. Nonetheless, feel free to leave your opinions in the comments section.

Taboos : A Rational Outlook

Have you ever found yourself in a situation over dinner or otherwise,when you are watching your favorite hollywood flick with family and viola,the channel changes?, reason?,an inappropriate or vulgar scene hidden under some feeble excuse by your father like "I have to watch news" or "Let me just check the score".I am sure the answer is yes for most of us. We might be over 18 now, but apparently,it has got little to do with age.
According to the 2002 edition of the "Encyclopedia Britannica", taboos are "the prohibition of an action or the use of an object based on ritualistic distinctions of them either as being sacred and consecrated or as being dangerous, unclean, and accursed".Generally they are taken for granted,seldom does one try to quibble over them. Some of these taboos are barred by law,to quote some general examples,homicide,homosexuality(in many countries),incest;while almost all are forbidden by our culture, morals and tradition. Amongst all this,some natural questions that spring up in our minds are : "Why do they exist at the first place?","Who made these taboos?","how did they originate?".We are curious,aint we?,this is because no one really gives us a reason for their existence,we learn about them as we grow,some make sense,some not,they are just there and we have to live with them.So,lets try to look at them from a more rational perspective.
As it turns out,most of the taboos we are dealing with are supported by sound scientific arguments.
Incest
It is the ethical and legal prohibition to have sexual relations with a related person or to marry him or her - even if the individuals involved are consenting and fully informed adults.Now,how did this originate?, i mean it wasn't obvious to us as kids, or was it?.One theory, proposed by Havelock Ellis suggests that this taboo expresses a psychological revulsion that people naturally experience at the thought of incest. Most anthropologists reject this explanation, since incest does in fact occur. Another theory is that the awareness about this taboo will lower the incidence of congenital birth defects caused by inbreeding(mating of genetically close individuals).So perhaps our ancestors realized this fact and forcefully prevented such acts during their times,and this very practice over the generations became what is today known as the incest taboo.
Food Taboos
There are many sections of society where individuals refrain from having non vegetarian diet.According to them it is against their religion to do so, but why ? a possible reason might be the merciless killing of animals from whom meat is produced, or maybe at the time such thoughts were originating among a specific clan, there was scarcity of animals or they were needed for some other purpose like milk etc.
Moral Relativism : The Bitter Truth
It refers to the fact that ethical or moral propositions do not reflect the universal truth, but instead makes claims relative to social,cultural or personal circumstances.Hence although some taboos can be traced back to their universal scientific roots,others are born purely under certain set of social and cultural state of affairs.They exist because they work,because they provide effective solutions to intricate social dilemmas.Moreover,they tend to disappear when no longer useful.For example incest might be tolerated in a world with limited possibilities for procreation, or in a hypothetical situation,suicide maybe encouraged in a society suffering from over-population and scarcity of resources.
None of such taboos refect the objective truth,none can be claimed to be universal.They are merely convinient conventions,workable principles,and regulatory mechanisms - nothing more.

Majority of the social taboos existing in our society today are useless and outdated,instead they create problems.So i urge you to think,weigh and analyze your options carefully rather than blindly accepting anything.