Karma Chameleon

Reincarnation: do you believe in it?

No.

ImageBeing born in a Hindu family, worse, a Brahmin Iyer one and to top them all being in India, where all such concepts feel at home. Reincarnation being a very religious and philosophical subject has lots of takes on it with various interpretations. They say your soul never dies and takes on a new life, it depends on your actions and how you live your life.

Now if they were any true, I surely would have been a mosquito in my former life, for now I’m usually in deep shit…

ImageImageWhile I respect everyone’s opinions and beliefs, so as long as they have the same outlook and no one enforces one’s on another. While I like to believe in karma and destiny, practically I feel you are accountable to no one but yourself. And often it becomes very annoying or very hilarious. If there is any truth to it I’d like to be an eagle and fly everywhere without headache, for right now I’m sort of already in the plain of oblivion.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unique

Image

This week’s challenge was another interesting one, and when I thought about something unique, isn’t it ironic that there are so many in our world and universe which is are unique? Unique in their own ways?

The best representation of unique for me is

ImageMyself.

Who or what else could it be? Who could be more unique than yourself in this existence? Well sorry to sound also pessimist here at the same time, we are all drowning in this vast ocean of unique individuals here who do big things and achieve great wonders. While I admire many such people myself, never fail to recognize oneself as important, that is the first step in achieving something in life, Or at least it will help you not be suicidal.

Coming to the picture above, as you can already see how I look by just looking a bit at the left, that picture was taken in the Mumbai Comic-Con 2012. There was booth for promoting The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey too and ‘best photographs’ were in for some prizes. I don’t know how they judged, maybe for cos-players but needless to say I won some cool The Dark Knight Rises merchandise 😀

And I got that Guy Fawkes mask from the BombayMerch booth, which is one of the most famous online shopping sites in my city which is founded and owned by a very old friend of mine. Always wanted (an authentic) one and got it, known by the epic graphic novel/movie V for Vendetta and used by infamous hacktivist group Anonymous, as it has become a symbol of freedom and revolution.

Beneath this mask, there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask, there is an idea. And ideas are bulletproof.

Right to Health

Is access to medical care something that governments should provide, or is it better left to the private sector? Are there drawbacks to your choice?

To answer this question, I would like to put it this way: The government is supposed to provide good medical care to citizens, but unfortunately the failure is to such an extent that not even basic requirements are met to millions. The story is pretty much the same around the globe. All of the hardworking tax payers’ money is being swallowed by the corrupt, and in worse cases getting treatment is like fighting against a crime. Isn’t it a crime by the government? But why would they care? The rich can manage, the middle struggle and the poor just suffer.

Here comes to the private sector. We all know government hospitals suck. In most cases, just to sound real but you know the real story. On the other hand, many private hospitals which have the best of the doctors and facilities and more like a luxury hotel, only serve a fraction of the whole people. If I were have to choose, I would have to go with the lesser evil here, as in this case atleast something is being done.

Sure we have a ‘Right to Health*’ but the unwritten part is ‘*Limited conditions, otherwise go fuck yourselves’.

Update: Today in latest news I’m disgusted to know India is the second lowest country in the world which spends on health care.

Hardly 1% of the GDP is spent on the health sector. The Government doesn’t do anything, not does it help the private health sector. I knew things were fucked up, I never knew the numbers that it is so goddam fucked up!

And they are satisfied with the fact the lowest is Pakistan, as we are above them. Being happy just being a spot above one of the most fucked up failed state in the world, seriously? Even (I should add relatively) poorer countries in Africa do more!

And you expect India to be a super power, let alone a developed nation!?

Are you out of your fucking minds you fucked up morons?! ARGH!

Choose your own path

It was a hard choice, and had to be made quick. The ally was freed, and comrades old and new were on the ship, ready to sail. The soldiers and mercenaries under the command of the corrupt official were almost dealt with.

Blood split everywhere.

For a higher cause.

There was no reason to wait, as the objective was met. Or was it? The warrior stood on the ship, seeing what unfolded quickly before him. The corrupt official managed to endure the surprised, well planned attack. Before him across the bridge he emerged from the tower with some captive woman he held. Cursed and abused he did. Set the watch tower on fire with the woman held hostage he did. And fled the scene, not before threatening to return and seek vengeance and continue his misfortune.

If a decision had to be made, it had to be quick. Should he chase down and finish him once and for all, for he might be true to his word, and return to plague the town, village and forest as he did up till this point? Or save the lives of the innocent woman, held as whores for his need, and left as hostage to be burned felicitating his escape? Could he hope to do it, hoping his comrades on land finish him off? Were the woman innocent and deserving to be saved? Or chase down the scoundrel and deal with him once and for all, helping thousands, but going against what he always stood for, saving a life? He had to choose – after jumping off the ship, go after the scoundrel, as he was was already far off by then, or proceed to save the woman. Not a moment more he could spare if he has to accomplish either one of them.

What was the question? Was it the greater good? Or lesser evil?

Or why indulge in it at all? For his work was done, he can just simply sail away, for he had a greater mission at hand, which could not wait further, leaving the fate of the woman, the scoundrel, and rest of the people to their own fate.

But the choice was clear. Within the blink of an eye…

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

So what will be the most amazing and epic game of our lives was revealed, and sadly it will be the final witcher game (but you may never know in the future). Real bittersweet news. The Witcher franchise is my most favourite, and they beat the shit out of almost everyone else in  terms of mature complex story and wonderful look. Here is to Geralt’s possibly last epic adventure!

You can check out my review of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

ib17DDkgyMQ8KPTitle reveal video, what we have for now but some epic music at least:

Here is the Game Informer magazine hub where many exclusive interviews and articles will posted over time.

Call Me, Maybe

Describe your relationship with your phone. Is it your lifeline, a buzzing nuisance, or something in between?

That is an interesting question. My relationship with my phone has changed quite a lot over time, I got my first phone when I was in 9th grade in school, when I was 14. It was a Nokia 1600 which my pop gave me after he got a relatively better one. Well I remember that not being a good tale, it was some Sony Ericsson phone which got stolen less than a week of getting. The following year I got a good phone of that time, SE W580i. I had a big fascination with Sony Ericsson that time, when they made really great phones, which unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore. Then again the next year, I got the SE Cybershot C905 and it was the best phone I had till date, I had it for over 3 years, also longest yet. I was totally in love with that phone of mine, being an enthusiastic photographer I went about clicking everywhere with it, which rivaled many good cameras itself (it was the world’s first 8 megapixel camera phone and was the best at it’s time). Now it’s dead body remains in my drawer. Many of my good memories of the past were with it, if there were any.

urlWell I used it as a camera most and phone seldom. although there were brief periods when I used to talk to people a lot. I was never a people’s person, and always been a social outcast. Well after it’s demise, since almost the past 3 years I have used multiple ‘spare’ phones, none great and only for basic communication and spent months together without a phone. Yeah that is possible in today’s 21st century, contrary to popular beliefs. Currently I have a not so great, HTC Explorer, not so courtesy of my pop who being a typical Indian parent who thinks he knows everything and mainly because my mother was freaking out as I wander about anywhere and she goes bonkers. Mothers you see.

At least for the first time I’m to a limited extent getting to try out internet and services like WhatsApp for the first time which has been the trend these days. I still wish for a decent phone though, but actually more of a good camera as I don’t believe a cell phone to be an extension of myself.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

You need to make a major change in your life. Do you make it all at once, cold turkey style, or incrementally?

This is a not-so thought provoking daily prompt. It purely depends on the change which I would want to make. Here I need to lose weight. Now that can’t happen overnight, so it is ridiculous that I drop eating all together and start hitting hours in the gym. It is step by step process. I haven’t done anything anything yet about it so far though, if that makes you feel better anyhow. 😛

On the other hand, if I were to drop a certain habit, I need to start by dropping it immediately. There is no ‘slow process’ as such, the only thing slow here is the pain and compulsion to get back to doing it.

Speaking about change, most people, no matter how much they say they welcome change, it is a fact that moving out of your conventional comfort zone is difficult and most people don’t want to get out of it. But change is one of the most important aspects of life, ironic as it sounds, change is the only changeless factor of life.

“To change with change is the changeless state.”

– Bruce Lee