Your mawkish choice to make your heart a museum
Of our past encounters is the least of my bothers
I will however not fail to let you know
That I have already shredded that past from my mind
Showing posts with label concepts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concepts. Show all posts
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Examination
In a psychopathically-patterned gray vacuum
Entirely drained of sanctity and desire
A frozen horizon symbolic of doom
A Concentration camp for wannabees
Congregants
Willing prisoners
Seated
Dead-like
Silence
Pregnant minds
Birth pangs
Pens and papers
Neuronal marathons
Rhythmic inscriptions
Three hours
One by one
They leave
Cheerless
An MBA examination
Entirely drained of sanctity and desire
A frozen horizon symbolic of doom
A Concentration camp for wannabees
Congregants
Willing prisoners
Seated
Dead-like
Silence
Pregnant minds
Birth pangs
Pens and papers
Neuronal marathons
Rhythmic inscriptions
Three hours
One by one
They leave
Cheerless
An MBA examination
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Shattering Assumptions With Femme Gravitas
A 3D mathematical oddity
Beautifully proportioned
That to be taken serious
A mathematician must be
Bald
Beyond comprehension
And possess the personality of a wet blanket
Beautifully proportioned
Infinitely long legs
Disarmingly sweet-faced
The professorial kind
With grace and refreshingly endearing attitude
Defying all essential assumptionsDisarmingly sweet-faced
When she spoke I almost sighed with delight
Here was a differential equation buffThe professorial kind
With grace and refreshingly endearing attitude
That to be taken serious
A mathematician must be
Bald
Boring
Socially ineptBeyond comprehension
And possess the personality of a wet blanket
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
What The Choker Taught Me
Life, it appears to me, has incredible, sometimes strange, ways of reminding us of the lessons hidden deep within our hearts and minds.
Years ago, a bosom school friend demonstrated the classic signs of a choker! The type who will brag exceedingly and talk about his incredible bravado in the presence of his mates but run for cover at the very first sign of a challenge.
The challenge in his case was the love of a girl: telling a girl that he really liked her. Lol.
The most popular girl in the neighbourhood had manifested an interest in him.
Obviously blown away by the charming beauty of the girl, the otherwise brilliant chap begun to act like a wimp. He was the classic case of an emotional retard in the company of girls.
Whenever we were in the company of this particular girl, he would chicken out and become helplessly dumbfounded not uttering a single word until the girl was gone.
The poor guy's behaviour was completely unexpected, unreasonable and perplexing in the utmost. We, his friends, were baffled by his strange fear.
As much as we tried to coach him to go for the kill, the poor chap could never bring himself to say anything meaningful to the girl.
Instead, he would brag about the blooming love between himself and the maiden to every one of us, his buddies, who cared to listen.
Even though the girl did everything possible to encourage him to step forth, he could simply not overcome his fears.
As is always the case, before he could muster the courage to open his mouth, another neighbourhood dude had stolen his thunder and his prey.
Last night, life brought me a 'sankofa' moment.
I was talking to another friend on the phone and he talked about this friend. And all of a sudden the events I have narrated above begun to flood my mind. Then I remembered something. The behaviour of this friend taught me a great lesson in life about the importance of taking risk.
Fear is the undoing of many people.
The fear of rejection, of ridicule, of failure, of the unfamiliar ... continue to keep many good souls by the way side far from the very best.
As much as is possible I will continue to live my life in such a way that I will be able to grab every opportunity and chance, that come my way, with both hands.
A belly full of regrets is not something I wish to entertain at any point in life.
So I am reminding myself again today to strike while the iron is hot.
And Whilst at it to do so with a good measure of a killer instinct .
That, I believe, is a promise worth keeping to oneself!
Years ago, a bosom school friend demonstrated the classic signs of a choker! The type who will brag exceedingly and talk about his incredible bravado in the presence of his mates but run for cover at the very first sign of a challenge.
The challenge in his case was the love of a girl: telling a girl that he really liked her. Lol.
The most popular girl in the neighbourhood had manifested an interest in him.
Obviously blown away by the charming beauty of the girl, the otherwise brilliant chap begun to act like a wimp. He was the classic case of an emotional retard in the company of girls.
Whenever we were in the company of this particular girl, he would chicken out and become helplessly dumbfounded not uttering a single word until the girl was gone.
The poor guy's behaviour was completely unexpected, unreasonable and perplexing in the utmost. We, his friends, were baffled by his strange fear.
As much as we tried to coach him to go for the kill, the poor chap could never bring himself to say anything meaningful to the girl.
Instead, he would brag about the blooming love between himself and the maiden to every one of us, his buddies, who cared to listen.
Even though the girl did everything possible to encourage him to step forth, he could simply not overcome his fears.
As is always the case, before he could muster the courage to open his mouth, another neighbourhood dude had stolen his thunder and his prey.
Last night, life brought me a 'sankofa' moment.
I was talking to another friend on the phone and he talked about this friend. And all of a sudden the events I have narrated above begun to flood my mind. Then I remembered something. The behaviour of this friend taught me a great lesson in life about the importance of taking risk.
Fear is the undoing of many people.
The fear of rejection, of ridicule, of failure, of the unfamiliar ... continue to keep many good souls by the way side far from the very best.
As much as is possible I will continue to live my life in such a way that I will be able to grab every opportunity and chance, that come my way, with both hands.
A belly full of regrets is not something I wish to entertain at any point in life.
So I am reminding myself again today to strike while the iron is hot.
And Whilst at it to do so with a good measure of a killer instinct .
That, I believe, is a promise worth keeping to oneself!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Malcolm Gladwell's BLINK is a Superb Read
I am in book mode like you won't believe it!
I love books, good books. But sometimes it becomes almost impossible to get quality time to indulge.
So early this week, I decided to make time and go on a date with two of the reads I was given some time ago. At present I am almost done reading ‘blink: the power of thinking without thinking’.
The author, Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote also ‘The Tipping Point’-a phenomenal bestseller.
Born in London to a black Jamaican ( Denise's compatriot) mother and an English maths teacher, he grew up in Canada. ‘Blink’ is an fabulously good read. It is a book that helps to develop one’s intuitive capabilities and teaches how to trust one's gut especially in moments when one needs to make a decision on the spur.
If you see this book, get it like you would a bullion of gold. If there are any good reads you care to recommend, please, do so.
Got to go. The books are calling.
I love books, good books. But sometimes it becomes almost impossible to get quality time to indulge.
So early this week, I decided to make time and go on a date with two of the reads I was given some time ago. At present I am almost done reading ‘blink: the power of thinking without thinking’.
The author, Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote also ‘The Tipping Point’-a phenomenal bestseller.
Born in London to a black Jamaican ( Denise's compatriot) mother and an English maths teacher, he grew up in Canada. ‘Blink’ is an fabulously good read. It is a book that helps to develop one’s intuitive capabilities and teaches how to trust one's gut especially in moments when one needs to make a decision on the spur.
If you see this book, get it like you would a bullion of gold. If there are any good reads you care to recommend, please, do so.
Got to go. The books are calling.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Guy Words vs Gal Words
I have finally come to terms with the fact, and painfully so, that my social skills need a little bit of polishing. Ouch!
I dreadfully suspect that I am one of those individuals who are nondescriptly labelled social late-bloomers, aka nerds; the socially-deviant species with an extremely high affinity for technical facts & figures and other technocratic bragging rights and appear to possess an unbearable 'book-long' knowledge about everything but absolutely nothing about street-wise social skills. Certain facts and obvious social issues which are common knowledge to almost everybody who has lived on planet earth in the last hundred years are only now creeping in on me. Lol
Come to think of it, my nerdy self has been busy trying to master the so-called ‘critical’ skills, but has, until now, been totally oblivious to the fact that social skills are the fundamental tools needed to function effectively in every facet of society.
Excellence in, for example, computational mathematics and other high-end technical skills without the relevant social skills will only lead to intellectual frustration.
One of the ‘discoveries’ I have recently made, concerns the different baskets of common vocabulary of men and women. I have all along assumed that guys and gals mean the same thing when they use the same words.
The truth is that the intentions behind the use of many words are gender-specific. Which means that, guys and gals ‘comprehend’ words differently and therefore may use similar words to convey entirely different meanings.
I am told that many managers, these days, take their time to make sure that their speeches and presentations are packed with gender-neutral terms to really get across the gender divide.
Makes me wonder if I did really 'understood' any of the conversations I ever had with any member of the opposite sex and in the same way whether they understood me the way I intended.
I really believe that the number one reason why there are so many break-ups in relationships is the way the two sexes (mis)communicate to each another.
I really hope one day someone will make a gender-specific dictionary so that guys like me can somehow understand the meaning of some of the gal-words that I hear around me.
Just this week, two ladies were heard making similar remarks about two male colleagues around the office.
They called those fine gentlemen … erhm, j.e.r.k.s!
Then it hit me that I have never heard a guy use that word before to describe a woman or another man.
I suspect that ‘jerk’ is a gal-word. One of the killer words in the female vocabulary toolbox which, in my mind, girls use to convey an idea of a low life, the lowest form of the male specie. A disgusting piece of work to the female species.
However to my male soul, that word, jerk, whatever it means, does not convey an idea of utter disgust at all. In fact I have to admit that when a woman calls a man a jerk, the picture I get is a really fine gentleman who is completely misunderstood by women. Period!
Seriously, when a gal calls a guy a jerk my mind ‘sees’ a guy that finds it difficult to understand the female psychology, but otherwise a perfectly normal chap. In my mind, any decent man can be called a jerk simply because he has not mastered the fine art of dealing with the opposite sex.
It appears to me that most of the women who resort to that term do so because of an ugly experience with a man or men.
I guess women in general have certain inherent expectations of manliness in terms of attitudes, conducts, ambitions and how men are supposed to treat a woman.
The guy who scores anything below that imaginary baseline in the head of the fairer sex is unfortunately called a jerk.
Guys on the other hand use terms like bimbo to describe some women.A bimbo is perhaps the female equivalent of a jerk. Don’t get me wrong I am only guessing. Besides, I said perhaps!When a guy calls a woman a bimbo, what goes through his mind is a sort of hare-brained creature crawling all over the place seeking for some guy to grind her good.
A materialistic woman without any values whatsoever ; a woman solely given to creature comforts without any aspirations beyond the mundane issues of life.
A bimbo is that non-wife material that hangs around the corner in different seductive poses.I really doubt that a woman understands that term in the same way as a guy does.
So guys and gals share with me the guy-words and gal-words you often use.
As a guy, I really would like the ladies to paint clearly to me, beyond the dictionary-speak, the following:
(a) what sort of guy would you call a ‘jerk’?
(b) do you always call every man who breaks up with you a ‘jerk’?
(c) what goes through your mind and body when you use that term to describe a guy?
I am so keen to learn this sort of rocket science for the purpose of self-education as well as being a mentor to others in my corner.
Please help a late bloomer!
I dreadfully suspect that I am one of those individuals who are nondescriptly labelled social late-bloomers, aka nerds; the socially-deviant species with an extremely high affinity for technical facts & figures and other technocratic bragging rights and appear to possess an unbearable 'book-long' knowledge about everything but absolutely nothing about street-wise social skills. Certain facts and obvious social issues which are common knowledge to almost everybody who has lived on planet earth in the last hundred years are only now creeping in on me. Lol
Come to think of it, my nerdy self has been busy trying to master the so-called ‘critical’ skills, but has, until now, been totally oblivious to the fact that social skills are the fundamental tools needed to function effectively in every facet of society.
Excellence in, for example, computational mathematics and other high-end technical skills without the relevant social skills will only lead to intellectual frustration.
One of the ‘discoveries’ I have recently made, concerns the different baskets of common vocabulary of men and women. I have all along assumed that guys and gals mean the same thing when they use the same words.
The truth is that the intentions behind the use of many words are gender-specific. Which means that, guys and gals ‘comprehend’ words differently and therefore may use similar words to convey entirely different meanings.
I am told that many managers, these days, take their time to make sure that their speeches and presentations are packed with gender-neutral terms to really get across the gender divide.
Makes me wonder if I did really 'understood' any of the conversations I ever had with any member of the opposite sex and in the same way whether they understood me the way I intended.
I really believe that the number one reason why there are so many break-ups in relationships is the way the two sexes (mis)communicate to each another.
I really hope one day someone will make a gender-specific dictionary so that guys like me can somehow understand the meaning of some of the gal-words that I hear around me.
Just this week, two ladies were heard making similar remarks about two male colleagues around the office.
They called those fine gentlemen … erhm, j.e.r.k.s!
Then it hit me that I have never heard a guy use that word before to describe a woman or another man.
I suspect that ‘jerk’ is a gal-word. One of the killer words in the female vocabulary toolbox which, in my mind, girls use to convey an idea of a low life, the lowest form of the male specie. A disgusting piece of work to the female species.
However to my male soul, that word, jerk, whatever it means, does not convey an idea of utter disgust at all. In fact I have to admit that when a woman calls a man a jerk, the picture I get is a really fine gentleman who is completely misunderstood by women. Period!
Seriously, when a gal calls a guy a jerk my mind ‘sees’ a guy that finds it difficult to understand the female psychology, but otherwise a perfectly normal chap. In my mind, any decent man can be called a jerk simply because he has not mastered the fine art of dealing with the opposite sex.
It appears to me that most of the women who resort to that term do so because of an ugly experience with a man or men.
I guess women in general have certain inherent expectations of manliness in terms of attitudes, conducts, ambitions and how men are supposed to treat a woman.
The guy who scores anything below that imaginary baseline in the head of the fairer sex is unfortunately called a jerk.
Guys on the other hand use terms like bimbo to describe some women.A bimbo is perhaps the female equivalent of a jerk. Don’t get me wrong I am only guessing. Besides, I said perhaps!When a guy calls a woman a bimbo, what goes through his mind is a sort of hare-brained creature crawling all over the place seeking for some guy to grind her good.
A materialistic woman without any values whatsoever ; a woman solely given to creature comforts without any aspirations beyond the mundane issues of life.
A bimbo is that non-wife material that hangs around the corner in different seductive poses.I really doubt that a woman understands that term in the same way as a guy does.
So guys and gals share with me the guy-words and gal-words you often use.
As a guy, I really would like the ladies to paint clearly to me, beyond the dictionary-speak, the following:
(a) what sort of guy would you call a ‘jerk’?
(b) do you always call every man who breaks up with you a ‘jerk’?
(c) what goes through your mind and body when you use that term to describe a guy?
I am so keen to learn this sort of rocket science for the purpose of self-education as well as being a mentor to others in my corner.
Please help a late bloomer!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Reflections @ The 100 Milestone
This post is number 100.
Looking back on this journey, my candid comment is simply: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
It has been an incredibly enriching experience so far for me. There has been a lot of personal satisfaction. Lots of heart-bearing. Lots of contemplations. Lots of learning. I am indeed a better person for all that.
Through it all, I have to say that I have really enjoyed the privilege of sharing with you all, learning from you all as well as laughing with so many people all over the place.
As the journey moves on from this point, allow me to thank those of you who have made this blog a worthwhile cause.
Your candid contributions, comments, analyses and corrections will continue to be cherished and appreciated going forward.
Thank you all a 100 times!
Looking back on this journey, my candid comment is simply: A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
It has been an incredibly enriching experience so far for me. There has been a lot of personal satisfaction. Lots of heart-bearing. Lots of contemplations. Lots of learning. I am indeed a better person for all that.
Through it all, I have to say that I have really enjoyed the privilege of sharing with you all, learning from you all as well as laughing with so many people all over the place.
As the journey moves on from this point, allow me to thank those of you who have made this blog a worthwhile cause.
Your candid contributions, comments, analyses and corrections will continue to be cherished and appreciated going forward.
Thank you all a 100 times!
Friday, May 15, 2009
If You Give A Darn
A Healthy appetite is ....
- knowing the difference between what you really need and what you think you want. To many there is no difference at all, but to the disciplined, that is the essence of life. The fact that it looks nice does not mean it is indispensable.
- keeping a balanced and reasonable perspective in everything. Eat what you may, but always from a small plate. Waste not want not. Never overtreat your ego.
- making sure you don't leave your fair lady at base camp whilst you gallop to mount pleasant. Wham bam thank you madam is irreverent. Instead try not to hang up until she is banged up. In all give-and-takes, let her get more than she has bargained for. Remember that the game between the sheets must be an equitable and equilateral marathon, for goodness sake.
- realising that money can procure some happiness, but much depends on how the cash got into your hands in the first place. It is important to defer some joy for your own good. Don't be insatiable, it will only bring grief.
- realising that doing nothing about that low libido is the shortest path for her/him into the hands of that dog/bimbo down the lane. Until you do, prepare yourself for a war which you have no hope of winning.
- knowing that thinking is also part of the deal. So give yourself regular time to stare at the wall. Whatever the colour! What you sow is what you reap. Even in the desert!
- taking responsibility. Don't become an addict to anything or anybody, even to yourself. Keep some space for the unexpected. Why fill up with junk simply because it is available. Have some big dream. If it does not come to pass, what do you lose?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Obfuscation
In a small enterprise with a full complement of staff numbering 10, what do you consider to be the real meaning of the title:
Junior Associate Deputy Vice Foreman?
That is the official title of one of the overworked and underpaid workers.
I kid you not!
Junior Associate Deputy Vice Foreman?
That is the official title of one of the overworked and underpaid workers.
I kid you not!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Paraskavedekatriaphobia
Some folks, the insanely superstitious, regard Friday as an unlucky day.
Many more actually believe that the number 13 is freakishly ominous, yeah think about wasting ones heart, life and time believing in a crap like that.
So whenever the number 13 coincides with a Friday, like it is today, alarm bells begin to ring for these folks and they revert to an alternative course of action in all their activities.
Many are the bizarre and strange things that will be done on a day like today to deal with the bad energy, bad omen and bad karma that the believing folks actually perceive are floating around to fall upon them.
Some folks will dress 'differently' in order to deflect bad omens.
Others prepare special menu for the day, avoiding all things involving meat.
Many others play special music to soak their minds in positive thoughts.
Some religiously turn their beds to face a certain direction and recite formulaic incantations the whole night until they fall asleep. Others choose to leave their own beds to sleep in with family members.
Some do not travel at all to avoid accidents, others do not even bother to leave their 'spiritually fortified' homes.
Others become overly careful in making sure that no black cats crosses their paths.
Some amongst them put their best foot forward and treat everyone they meet with absolute courtesy in other to reap a harvest of goodwill from colleagues and acquaintance on a day like today.
Some of the folks that did not perch up for work today, feigning sickness, were actually in bed, nursing their souls from the horrors of this fear. So also is that guy or lady, who under normal circumstance is unfriendly, but chose to shower insane amounts of generosity on everyone today. Spare a thought and a prayer for them all.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th , is a real affliction.
Have a blessed weekend folks.
Many more actually believe that the number 13 is freakishly ominous, yeah think about wasting ones heart, life and time believing in a crap like that.
So whenever the number 13 coincides with a Friday, like it is today, alarm bells begin to ring for these folks and they revert to an alternative course of action in all their activities.
Many are the bizarre and strange things that will be done on a day like today to deal with the bad energy, bad omen and bad karma that the believing folks actually perceive are floating around to fall upon them.
Some folks will dress 'differently' in order to deflect bad omens.
Others prepare special menu for the day, avoiding all things involving meat.
Many others play special music to soak their minds in positive thoughts.
Some religiously turn their beds to face a certain direction and recite formulaic incantations the whole night until they fall asleep. Others choose to leave their own beds to sleep in with family members.
Some do not travel at all to avoid accidents, others do not even bother to leave their 'spiritually fortified' homes.
Others become overly careful in making sure that no black cats crosses their paths.
Some amongst them put their best foot forward and treat everyone they meet with absolute courtesy in other to reap a harvest of goodwill from colleagues and acquaintance on a day like today.
Some of the folks that did not perch up for work today, feigning sickness, were actually in bed, nursing their souls from the horrors of this fear. So also is that guy or lady, who under normal circumstance is unfriendly, but chose to shower insane amounts of generosity on everyone today. Spare a thought and a prayer for them all.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th , is a real affliction.
Have a blessed weekend folks.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Plumber Gives Away Plum Treasure
In this dreary season of severe shortage of all manner of cash, how could a cash-forsaken plumber mistake a bounty of a treasure for a bomb?
A clueless plumber digging a drainage system for the purpose of installing water pipes in the East Rand of Johannesburg comes across a sopping cooler box buried about two metres below the surface.
Convinced that he had chanced upon a deadly cocktail of super bombs similar to Saddam Hussein's yet unearthed weapons of mass destruction, he dialed the police hot-line to report that the clicking devices are about to flatten the motherland.
The bomb disposal unit arrives in a flash.
Box is meticulously opened and... instead of a dreadful beast of super bombs, they unwrap 1.5 million rands in hard cool cash.
Cops dutifully load bounty into their car for 'further investigations', leaving behind bewildered plumber to his fate of digging up dirt.
What would you have done?
A clueless plumber digging a drainage system for the purpose of installing water pipes in the East Rand of Johannesburg comes across a sopping cooler box buried about two metres below the surface.
Convinced that he had chanced upon a deadly cocktail of super bombs similar to Saddam Hussein's yet unearthed weapons of mass destruction, he dialed the police hot-line to report that the clicking devices are about to flatten the motherland.
The bomb disposal unit arrives in a flash.
Box is meticulously opened and... instead of a dreadful beast of super bombs, they unwrap 1.5 million rands in hard cool cash.
Cops dutifully load bounty into their car for 'further investigations', leaving behind bewildered plumber to his fate of digging up dirt.
What would you have done?
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A New Day
I have paused enough.
Now is the time to restart this business of speaking my mind, of finding my voice.
I have analysed enough.
Here is the hour to retrace the verdict of my heart, of stringing together portions fed upon.
I have taken in enough.
Now is the moment to release the streams of sacred tastes, of singing texts never hymned.
I have seen enough.
Here is the time to restate the visions of my expectations, of fondling dreams long desired.
Now is the time to restart this business of speaking my mind, of finding my voice.
I have analysed enough.
Here is the hour to retrace the verdict of my heart, of stringing together portions fed upon.
I have taken in enough.
Now is the moment to release the streams of sacred tastes, of singing texts never hymned.
I have seen enough.
Here is the time to restate the visions of my expectations, of fondling dreams long desired.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Awakenings
I am beginning to awaken to the fact (to me at least) that there are certain concepts, principles, ideas or buzz words that broadly define, accentuate and encapsulate every one of the 52 weeks, and by extension the 12 months, in the year!
Whilst I frankly can not produce a thesis to back up this whimsical 'discovery' in my mind, I suspect that it can help simplify and perhaps improve life considerably. So I am beginning to subject it to evidential analyses to determine its reliability and efficacy.
Will you join me in doing this for yourself? This is what we will do:
So I will be expressing lots of gratitude and thankfulness throughout this week.
So far the prevailing principle for this week is "Creativity".
This probably is due to the fact that on Saturday I attended a superb seminar on the topic of "unleashing the creative potential in you" and have been bombarded by the word literally every day ever since. More on the the concept of creativity in the next post.
Thank you all for reading!
Whilst I frankly can not produce a thesis to back up this whimsical 'discovery' in my mind, I suspect that it can help simplify and perhaps improve life considerably. So I am beginning to subject it to evidential analyses to determine its reliability and efficacy.
Will you join me in doing this for yourself? This is what we will do:
- From Sunday to Saturday write down all the recurring principles, ideas, concepts and buzz words that invade your space uncontrollably. The dorminant or most recurrent of them is the focus of the next week.
- Proactively challenge yourself to practice the attributes of the buzz word throughout the week that follows.
- Jot down the changes you witness in your life as well as the remarks of those around you.
- We will all then post our verdicts in the first week of 2009 on our respective blogs!
So I will be expressing lots of gratitude and thankfulness throughout this week.
So far the prevailing principle for this week is "Creativity".
This probably is due to the fact that on Saturday I attended a superb seminar on the topic of "unleashing the creative potential in you" and have been bombarded by the word literally every day ever since. More on the the concept of creativity in the next post.
Thank you all for reading!
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