Yesterday, work and running ensured I emerged victorious.
Today, battling hard using music and a book. Struggling. Failing. Losing.
Category: post
Because I’m happy
Woke up happy. The book last night had been good, the bed had been better than previous night, and the dream was not a negative one like usual.
Got happier. Someone donated £5.00 to the Clutter Free fund. Thanks Rami!
Got happier. Got the “You’re in” magazine from London Marathon ballot. I’ll finally be running the London marathon after 4 attempts!
And then happiest person around. Kissed and hugged and made up with mi amore. And hugged some more1 :)
- Though I really wanted to hug her, and kiss her last night when I was crying and laughing while reading that book. Still, better late than never :) ↩
Shake what your mamma gave you…
Discovery of the day, and my current favourite song. Can close my eyes and see me & R dancing away to it 🙂 💃
On YouTube:
No to ‘A’, is not a Yes for ‘B’
It’s just a demand for something better than A.
In a political tussle between issues A & B, the defeat of A doesn’t mean the public supports B. It just means they don’t support A.
Couple of examples…
Communism vs Capitalism
The people’s revolutions just said they didn’t want Communism anymore. Not that they wanted Capitalism.
Despite what every politician in the West may tell you, the people in Eastern Europe & Russia didn’t choose Capitalism. They chose to be free of Communist dictatorships. And to try another politico-economic order. It’d be a stretch to say they chose Capitalism, given a majority of them hadn’t experienced it for multiple generations
Globalisation vs Isolationism
People are saying no to rampant Globalisation, not yes to Isolationism.
Whether it’s Brexit, rise of Trump & Sanders, or the anti-trade, anti-bigCo, and anti-globalisation trends in polls, the voice is clear – a large portion of Western populations have grown vary and sceptical of Globalisation. In free trade, free movement of people, and even in free movement of ideas.
What it doesn’t indicate is that the people want to be isolated from everyone else in the world. What it may indicate is that the people want a control on the mingling – to not be completely overrun, without recourse, in their own backyard.
In most cases, people know exactly what they don’t want. And that’s why they voted as they did.
They’re not as clear on what they do want. They just want something better.
This, however, doesn’t imply that they want the only presented alternative. In most cases, they may want another, not-yet-visible solution. One that isn’t currently offered to them. One that even they may not be able to clearly describe/explain, at the moment.
Death by options…
This is one part of the derivatives market that I’ve never understood – who creates and sells these options, and why?
Creating and selling options, in itself, has always sounded a loser’s business to me.
When it’s selling them to investors more sophisticated, and more informed, than you – it’s just burning pounds to earn pennies from viewers.
Why do then the same set of investors, usually pension funds, keep doing this every few years? Despite half of them getting wiped out by those pensions when the next downturn (or a period of volatility in this case) hits.
Data is, not are.
Data can refer to a data point (are), or a data set (is).
However, only the data set, really, is data. A data point, just by itself, is an anecdote, not data.
Hence, data is.
Democracy – Institutions vs Society
We have learned that even though we have the hardware of democracy — institutions, elections — our software is not good. We are too attuned to status, too willing to submit to authority.
Source: nytimes
Race is hard
I see an Eastern European women while walking Chewie, and try to give her a wide pass.
Because they’re expected to be ‘not very friendly’ towards men of colour. Specially, when encountering a brown man in the middle of nowhere.
She turned out to be the friendliest person I met all week. We chatted and walked together for 20 mins, while our dogs played with each other to exhaustion.
Almost midnight, outside the 24/7 Tesco superstore. A young, white British (looking) lady is about to drive off with her boot (full with shopping) fully open.
I wave at her to stop. She looks at me, makes a face, and turns her car the other way to go the long way round.
I honk to get her attention, and point at the boot.
She gets out, says ‘Thanks. Bye.’, and closes the boot. I drive off.
After thought: What was I thinking, expecting a young white woman to respond to a wave from a brown man in the middle of the night?
Anil Dash is disturbed by the latest round of shooting deaths of black Americans at the hands of that country’s clearly racist police force.
He tweets a storm, including bits about Asians/Indians needing to show solidarity towards fellow Black Americans.
I respond, pathetically:
And follow it up with this:
Both those statements are true. Neither is useful.
Race, is hard.
Fail. Get failed. Try again.
Going home
Tomorrow I’m heading to India. A 12 day trip, all of it planned to be spent in Karnal. No plans, yet, of travelling, meeting friends, or spending any nights away from home.
Feeling a bit weird. It’s been a while since I did this, since I spent time there.
In 6 years since we moved to the UK, I’ve made a total of 5 visits home – once when grand dad passed away, then one to see F&F, next after our wedding, then for my sister’s wedding, and last for R’s sister’s wedding.
It’s almost 5 years since I visited to meet family outside of an occasion.
It’s been way longer since I stayed in Karnal for anything over a week.1
Decisive, moi.
Ordering a naked burrito at Tortilla.
Him: Lettuce or Rice base?
Moi: Bit of both, please.H: Which meat?
M: Bit of steak, and a bit of carnitas, please.H: Which salsa?
M: Bit of pico, and a bit of habanero, please.
I’m great at making decisions.
Except when they don’t matter.