The Sinister Dexterity

"But there are very few [Southpaws] people who are proud to be one." - this was Preeti's comment about my previous post.

Sad but true,I have to admit.

I'm not apologetic about being left-handed, but the fact remains- there has been, and there still is,a repression of left-handedness.

'Lefties' do feel that they are discriminated against, and somewhat oppressed.

Even today,left-handers face persecution in the normal,daily tasks.

I have personally suffered from the writing discomfort associated with right-handed desks,struggled to find room on the left-hand end of college benches (2-seater) to avoid knocking elbows with the ,usually,right-handed bench-mate.

That apart,the other regular,every-day implements are usually designed for the right-handed people - scissors, can openers, computer keyboard's numerical pads, golf clubs, gearshifts, and hand-held power tools - are just a few that cause complications in a left-handed person's world.

In fact,being left-handed is certainly frowned upon in many cultures around the world as many cultures simply believe that right is right, and left is wrong.

In India,Middle East(esp desert regions) and Indonesia, it is considered impolite to eat with the left hand, and Eskimos believed that every left-handed person was a sorcerer.

In Japan, a man could divorce his wife,if he found that she was left-handed.

The left-handed Romans training to be in a Roman legion would have their hands bound to their side, and would be forced to use the gladius with their right hand,to avoid interfering with the cohesion of the Roman legions.

A simple translation of the the word 'left' in different languages results in this :

Mandarin: improper
French: awkward, clumsy, tacky
Italian: crooked, maimed
German: awkward
Russian: sneaky
Portuguese: mischievous, weak
Spanish: malicious
Romanian: crooked, evil

With origins in Latin, the english word 'dexterity' conveys being skillful.

Contrarily, 'sinister' derived from 'sinus', the Latin word for left, has evil,disturbing and negative connotations while 'sinus' is harmless enough means 'pocket'.

However, 'sinus' refers to the single pocket of the Roman toga,which was on the left-hand side for the convenience of the right-handed wearer.

Even the word "ambidexterity" reflects the bias.

Its intended meaning is, "skillful in using both sides."
However, since it keeps the Latin root "dexter," which means "right," it ends up conveying the idea of being "right-handed at both sides.

If one traces the origins of modern words,one will discover that the predominance of right-handedness is an extremely old phenomenon.

But should 'handedness' really matter?

Should we tolerate a society so primitive wherein left-handedness is literally beaten out of a child,with full knowledge that the child could develop a severe stammer and which could ,in turn, lead to a host of psychological problems?

Certainly not!

Methinks,peaceful co-existence needs another 'dexterous' twist!

Advantage Southpaws..?!

Southpaw : LEFT-HANDER
especially : a left-handed baseball pitcher
(merriam-webster dictionary)

It's well-known that left-handed and right-handed people view the world differently.

Research has shown that the left-handed(not biased or anything but being a southpaw myself..) use the left hemisphere of the brain to focus on the big picture - like a landscape - but to focus on details within the big picture - a hill,a lake or a house - they use the right-hemisphere.

The exact reverse holds true for right-handed people.

But what got my attention was an article about you selecting your 'preferred' hand as a 10-week old foetus ..incredible or what!

A research team from Belfast conducted an experiment ,in which they identified 60 foetuses who sucked their right thumbs and 15 who sucked their left thumbs in the womb.

(Well,technically,when you're a 10-week old foetus your movements are not under brain or conscious control - the arm movements are more likely to be some kind of local reflexes trigger by the spinal cord.

This shows that nerve connections from the body to the brain seem to develop before the connections that allow the brain to control body movements ,and this has given rise to speculation about how the foetus's body movements could somehow influence the way the brain develops,instead of the other way round - which is the popular belief.

But I digress...)

After examining the subjects as kids aged 10-12, they found that all 60 right thumb suckers were right-handed while 2/3rd of the left thumb suckers were left handed (probably changed their mind and opted for the 'dominant' hand)

Kids definitely have a mind of their own!!

Being Southpaws also helps snails - snails with left-handed shells can have a big advantage in life - predators may find them impossible to eat!

The whelks and cone shells preyed on the crab Calappa flammea get clean away as the Calappa dudes cannot open left-handed shells (from their point of view)- they have a tool for peeling on the right claw only!

It's like trying to open a can with a right-handed can-opener using your left hand and it goes like - struggle to get the grip right on the opener,struggle to fit the opener on the can,can slips/slides, you lose the grip , do it all over again, bring in a knife, hack away and by the time you've opened the lid,you've made a big mess and introduced fine iron shavings into the contents - only the Southpaws know how painfully frustrating the whole process is!

This is just not one pain point - you have the 'right-handed' peelers, scissors,hockey sticks - ok,I should stop now but I have to mention a beautiful knife - right-handed but still beautiful - I have with a six-inch blade and one serrated edge - I'm never going to be able to use it in self-defense because when held in my left hand,I'm forced to strike with serrated edge instead of the smooth,sharp edge- what a waste!

(Check out my favorite Southpaw Salvation here)

Back to our crustacean friends - when faced with a choice like this ,they prefer the right-handed shells(again..from their point of view) because with the left-handed ones,the opening is on the for which they have no 'can-opener' tool or else they have to grasp the pointed end towards their bodies.

Both options apparently are too much trouble; the crabs acts like a vegetarian in a butcher's shop and moves on to find dextral shells.

But strangely enough,instead of being numerous, the left-handed snails are rare and may even be dying out.

Similarly,10-13% of humans are left-handed.

Makes one wonder what else is at play in Nature!

Another interesting fact is that the left-handed people also have an advantage in sports like tennis,cricket and baseball.

But left-handedness also has an increased risk of certain diseases so it's puzzling that it has still endured.

While great brains are figuring that out, it's also a fact that Southpaws are good at combat.

Although this has fired speculation about violent societies have a larger percentage of left-handers, it's established that Southpaws usually have the upper hand in fights including certain sports like boxing and fencing which are 'special cases of fights' with strict rules about intentionally wounding/killing the opponent.

Apparently,opponents just do not expect a left hook!

The Lost Art of Wooing

Woo : to seek the affections of,with the objective of marriage

I have been thinking about this for a while - the Singleton Syndrome - which has now begun to emcompass men.

All my single male friends (barring 1-2 exceptions) seem singularly incapable of finding a girlfriend!

And they're all fairly nice people - no multiple piercings,black nail polish or multi-colored mohawks, but no girlfriends either.

Forget the traditional wooing, guys these days can't seem to start a conversation about the weather with a girl not known to them!

So what is the problem?

Are these guys all super-shy? No.

Are they Quasimodo look-alikes? No.

Are they sociopaths/psychopaths/criminals? No. (well...at this point,no)

Are they dumb(literally and figuratively)? No.

So why are they terrified of introducing themselves to women?

Even the pack-mentality does not seem to bolster their confidence anymore.

All a bunch of guys will do is stare,ogle and lech at a group of girls and both groups, usually, end up eye-balling each other.

Point to note : while the boys are all knees and elbows, the girls, in most cases, couldn't be bothered trying to make things easy for guys who can't even walk up to them and say Hello!

Whatever the reason for this social ineptitude,my advice to my guy friends is :
(I have had 3 requests to 'help me find a girl,plzz plzz plzz' )

1. Assess yourself (and be honest about it!)

If you genuinely are Greek-god gorgeous,you probably are seeing a very attractive woman
and hence shdn't be reading this at all.

But if women don't exactly fall over themselves for you, accept that(it can be tough!)

So if looks are ruled out, check the rest :

physique - will def bolster confidence (obsessing over it can sink you big-time!)
intelligence - either you have it or you don't
wit - either you have it or you don't
humor - either you have it or you don't
talent - either you have it or you don't, but there must something you do well!
charisma - either you have it or you don't
personality - either you have it or you don't

So work with what you have, work on what you'd like to improve on and don't expect instant results.

I mean if you are skinny ,you can't expect to get bulging biceps overnight or if you have the personality of gym socks, well , you can't turn into a female-magnet overnight.

Physique is simple to tackle, charisma is slightly tough and personality can be developed when you work on everything in between and then add some confidence to it!

That apart, just be yourself!

No guy ever believes that and I don't understand it!

Honestly,guys! Women like men who are comfortable with themselves - qualities and vices.

Nothing is a bigger turn-off than a guy trying to be something that he is not.

Be honest and laugh at yourself once in while - it's not going to kill you!
(with all due consideration,honesty just might!)

Seriously,you can't expect to get away with telling a woman she has a nice smile while talking to her breasts!

So once you're comfortable in your skin and all that,you have to make the effort of going out and meeting new people, how you do it is upto you.

As long as you break out of the comfort circle of buddies,who have seen you drunk , puking,squealing at the sight of a rat and what-not - you're on the right track!

You need to be open to meeting friends' friends,accepting introductions from acquaintances and lesser-known people.

During this process,you'll hone your social skills and hey,you might just meet that special someone!

And an important thing you'll realize is that you're not alone - there are other people like you,fumbling and bumbling around!

Now once you're on the social circuit, do all you can to make the woman you fancy remember you the next day - it could be for your ability to laugh at yourself or your genuine good humor,or your absent-mindedness or the fact that you were really desperate or obnoxious or both!!

If you nail that,you've hit paydirt!

Remember all's fair in love and war!

One Ring..

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

~ JRR Tolkien

Very powerful lines. Always.

The Salad Buffet

A quick survey of the buffet spread at the Blue D coffee shop yesterday almost killed my apetite for lunch,and got me thinking - the food was indian, the rich preparations that were presented well and would,without a doubt,taste divine- but just the thought of a 'hot' lunch was unbearable!

It was unimaginable to spend my Sunday afternoon in a stupor induced by rich food and the summer heat and so,understandably, I had an inexplicable longing for an array of cool, summer salads - crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes,cool cucumbers,fresh summer fruit,chilled dressings,fragrant herbs - sheer bliss!

The next thing in my line thought was to have a Salad Buffet!

So here is what my Salad Buffet would hold:

1. The Waldorf Tuna Salad (YUM!)

2. Pasta Salad - vinaigrette-based

3. Pasta Salad - yoghurt-based

4. Potato salad

5. Mediteraanean Salad - olives, feta/cottage cheese

6. Fresh Fruits - with whipped cream or flavored yoghurt?

Come to think of it, a Salad Potluck also sounds nice!

And it would be really useful - and FUN - for people to get hands-on.

Let's see if the Potluck idea takes off..
(here's hoping that the 'usual suspects' would support the Salad Buffet!)

Interested people,please sign-up!

Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

.... I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's fucked up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone .....

Oscar Fashion 2006....

... and how celebrities fared on my personal style-o-meter...




Will Smith - Super Hot!
Jada P Smith - Simply Gorgeous!



















Va-Va-Vooom!














(No, there is no 'blue' bias here!)





Jake Gyllenhaal - Hot!














(Where are all the hot guys gone????)




GLAM SLAM!






















Elegance Personified















Golden Girl (bar the hair)



















Timesless!

















Adorable!




















Graceful

















Healthy and Happy!
















Tweety-pie!
(full points for sheer guts to wear yellow!)





















Getting there - definitely!

















BLAAAAH!





















DOUBLE BLAAAAH!!
















Panels-and-Bow Disaster!!





















Radio-Active Disaster!!
















Tribal Disaster!!


















Call 911!!!

Sushi Success

I'm thrilled to declare that Project Sushi was a success, with a decent score in the aesthethic dept - some rolls looked good (like the first photo shown here) while some rolls were actually horizontal - and scored full points in the enthusiasm and fun category!

The participants - Vikash,Murtu,Sandeep ,his wife Nimfia and your truly - have cleared the first base.

We turned out a good amount of rolls on a messy table, with sticky fingers and sticky rice,cucumber juliennes,hot pepper sauce(instead of wasabi) and tuna flakes.

The sauce was a little too fiery for my taste and overpowered the delicately flavored sushi roll.

So ,we learnt from mistakes and got the proportion right, and soon everyone had got the hang of it.

In the meantime, I put together stuff - tomatoes,cucumber,apple,celery,lettuce,lemon juice,coleslaw(99% fat free) and cheddar cheese shavings- and whipped up the superquick version of the Waldorf salad.

The coleslaw was tasty and the salad became a huge hit.
(walnuts would have been good for the nutty flavor but skipping the raisins was a good idea!)

By the time the salad was ready,Murtu had run out of patience with making sushi , Sandeep was ravenous(he made about half a dozen veg sushi rolls) and Vikash had, thankfully, had more sushi rolls ready-to-eat than the ones already-in-his-tummy!

Soon, we were tucking in, and had polished off the salad and the sushi (I still think that Sandeep and Nimfia under-ate!)

Desserts - chocolate barfi and kalakand - was provided by Murtu and was delicious!

I was full-full and happy-happy and longed to have a nice siesta but,alas, there were places to go and things to do..

Nonetheless,it was a perfect Sat lunch- Three Cheers for Sushi!

Caught in the midst of the Bozo Explosion

I could finally define where I am at the moment on the work-front - in the midst of the 'Bozo Explosion' (thanks to Guy Kawasaki) - which is defined as the inevitable downslide of a "mean, lean, fighting machine of a company" after it achieves success, typically after it goes public or ,in my case, after it's bought by a giant of a company.

Out of the top 10 signs of bozosity listed here,the ones I came across as a part of 2 acquisitions were :

1. The two most popular words in your company are “partner” and “strategic”.
In addition, “partner” has become a verb, and “strategic” is used to describe decisions and activities that don't make sense.

2. The aforementioned company mission statement is one page long.

3. An employee is paid to do nothing but write a blog ,for present,at least ;o)

4. There's a lot of talk about "processes" and that they need to be followed and
optimized.
After all is said and done, more is said than done.

Some of the hilarious signs are :

- Your parking lot's “biorhythm” looks like this:

• 8:00 am - 10:00 am--Japanese cars exceed German cars
• 10:00 am - 5:00 pm--German cars exceed Japanese cars
• 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm--Japanese cars exceed German cars
  
  

- Your CEO's admin has an admin.

- Your HR dept has more than one person

- Your HR department requires an MBA degree for any position;
it also requires five to ten years work experience in an industry that is only four years old.

After acquisition #2, the usual post-acquisition effects were seen - people quitting en masse, the general unrest amongst the remaining (who were worrying about being laid-off, asked to relocate), little or no communication followed by a lot of visitors coming in for quick 1-2 day visits and then disappearing, and again, little or no communication about the outcome of their visits.

Also,the information filtered down through the management to 'individual contributors' was not enough to give a clear picture of what was happening - little information was not communicated effectively - causing people to hit the panic button.

This spelled doom for my company(previously mean enough and decidedly lean) which could not afford to lose any resources but ended up losing very good people.

Although,the downslide hasn't begun on an individual basis (we're yet to feel the ripple-effect ),it feels like individual contributors are teetering on the brink.

And downslide for me would be having all the creativity and spontaniety stifled mainly because now we have to fit in a very, very big picture, where one is apt to get lost, have to deal with all the big-company bureaucracy - typical decision delays, added overhead of numerous channels of communication/approval, and consequently lose the fast-pace and dynamism.

I'm hoping we're not sucked into the big picture totally but can maintain some level of independence as a 'business unit' - with almost full control over the internal functioning.

And what we need to fight for are the principles of hiring smarter than self, under-staffing, hiring the 'right' person as opposed to hiring a person with the 'right' resume and of course, purging.

Purging seems ,by far, the most sacrilegious thing to do for the top management- in the Indian context - and most frustrating for employees ,who have to bear the brunt of the top management's supreme reluctance to 'exploy'.