It might seem odd that I've made a statement like that. In all seriousness, don't judge me by my opinion. I mean opinions change. They have to right? You let a person change. Let the opinion change too.
Case and point : The current World Cup. Facebook updates are filled with a topsy turvy of opinions. "Yay, the way India is going, we are going to the finals". Ten seconds, eleven seconds, twelve seconds.....A minute (You get my drift). "Come on, men in blue. Can you not do one thing right??" Stars around my head. What happened a while back? Of course, this is to be blamed on the fact that this is always the case with the Indian team and all the blahs that follow along. But I thought changing opinions was hypocritical?
So here's to not judging an individual on their opinions. To those have believed in something, and have in the course of their thought process decided to change their belief and failed to acknowledge it, feel free to stand with your chin up.
After all- its just an opinion
Shreyasee
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Guns on Campus
I wanted the title to be a snarky one, but my linguistic abilities failed me given the nature of the topic I am about to divulge in. Recently, the State of Texas (Happy Belated Birthday State of Texas) has proposed to allow guns on campus, on educational institutions' premises. Of course, since we are dealing with the Red State, it is highly likely that this law is going to pass.
Fortunately though, debates have taken place to attempt to give this law a justified (loosely used) existence of sorts. Here's where I stand. I am all for not having guns on campus. It's just going to someday make my parents lose their only daughter. I have an affinity to attract trouble towards me, and I can see myself dying because of a shooting on campus. Someone said that responsible people own guns. Ya, hence so many people died in Columbine, and VA Tech and little Christina Taylor-Green and poor Gabrielle Giffords suffering ; cause they were being targeted by "responsible" people. How, how tell me is it justified to have guns on campus? I am horrified. I am losing the ability to articulate at this point, that's how horrified I am. Added security if there is a shooter on campus? Imagine what the scene is going to be. Civil War Re-enactment if you asked me. Fires shot everywhere and more innocent people dying.
Your probability of death by a bullet goes up when this law is passed. Your probability of an undergraduate threatening you with a gun to increase his grades since he wasn't happy with them goes up. Your probability of being in the middle of a silly shootout increases. Your probability of committing suicide because of course load will increase. Your handle on sanity will decrease. Your handle on reality will decrease. Your handle on rationality will decrease.
I am scared .....
Fortunately though, debates have taken place to attempt to give this law a justified (loosely used) existence of sorts. Here's where I stand. I am all for not having guns on campus. It's just going to someday make my parents lose their only daughter. I have an affinity to attract trouble towards me, and I can see myself dying because of a shooting on campus. Someone said that responsible people own guns. Ya, hence so many people died in Columbine, and VA Tech and little Christina Taylor-Green and poor Gabrielle Giffords suffering ; cause they were being targeted by "responsible" people. How, how tell me is it justified to have guns on campus? I am horrified. I am losing the ability to articulate at this point, that's how horrified I am. Added security if there is a shooter on campus? Imagine what the scene is going to be. Civil War Re-enactment if you asked me. Fires shot everywhere and more innocent people dying.
Your probability of death by a bullet goes up when this law is passed. Your probability of an undergraduate threatening you with a gun to increase his grades since he wasn't happy with them goes up. Your probability of being in the middle of a silly shootout increases. Your probability of committing suicide because of course load will increase. Your handle on sanity will decrease. Your handle on reality will decrease. Your handle on rationality will decrease.
I am scared .....
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
The Art of Bargaining...in India
If you are from India, then bargaining is an integral part of your existence. Exaggeration? Probably not. Any city I have been to I have always been advised to profusely bargain...like there's no tomorrow. Be it Linking Road in Mumbai, New Market in Kolkata, General Bazaar or Charminar in Hyderabad.
If you are not aware of this, it is one of those things that could make or break your shopping reputation. "Maathe pe buddhu likha hai kya? 4 rupaiy se zyaada hargiz nahi doongi?" To which the seller could reply two ways " Deneka daam bolru madam" or "5 rupaiy madam". All for a pair of kaajal that costs 3 rupees each. One might argue that even that was overpaying.
I have seen mom, aunts, friends scorn upon me when I give in easily. My mom had reduced the price of a handbag in New Market from 100/- to 50/- . What is hilarious is the drama that ensues. The seller cries foul, the buyer attempts to do the same, the buyer decides to walk away, the seller follows the buyer and 70% of the times will seal the deal at say 55. Of course then I hadn't realized that 50 bucks was high too, but humor me.
This time in Bombay (Mumbai, whatever suits your boat) I was pleasantly surprised to see myself even attempting to haggle. I brought down the pair of really pretty earrings from 250/- to 100/-. Proud of my bargain, I began to look confident as I strolled with Sriram, who himself was quite surprised with my efforts. "Do din ka khaana chin gaya usse," he made sure he pointed out. Only to stop at another store merely 500 ft selling the same exact identical pair of earrings for 100 bucks. Aiyyo moment. Learning experience. Chin up. General Bazaar in Hyderabad definitely proved better, since all I kept saying was - "Udhar mereko isse kam ko dere, aap log mereko lootne ki koshish kaiko karre?(The other store is selling for less, you better give me a better deal)" Though I would like to boast that said attempt worked 100% of the time, it didn't since the sellers aren't kacche khiladi(novices) either.
So how do you perfect it? Can you in fact perfect it? Can we model it (the paper hungry in me asketh) ? I mean sure people have worked on it before, but for some reason I don't think it can beat what experience can teach you.
Oh well - there's time ;)
If you are not aware of this, it is one of those things that could make or break your shopping reputation. "Maathe pe buddhu likha hai kya? 4 rupaiy se zyaada hargiz nahi doongi?" To which the seller could reply two ways " Deneka daam bolru madam" or "5 rupaiy madam". All for a pair of kaajal that costs 3 rupees each. One might argue that even that was overpaying.
I have seen mom, aunts, friends scorn upon me when I give in easily. My mom had reduced the price of a handbag in New Market from 100/- to 50/- . What is hilarious is the drama that ensues. The seller cries foul, the buyer attempts to do the same, the buyer decides to walk away, the seller follows the buyer and 70% of the times will seal the deal at say 55. Of course then I hadn't realized that 50 bucks was high too, but humor me.
This time in Bombay (Mumbai, whatever suits your boat) I was pleasantly surprised to see myself even attempting to haggle. I brought down the pair of really pretty earrings from 250/- to 100/-. Proud of my bargain, I began to look confident as I strolled with Sriram, who himself was quite surprised with my efforts. "Do din ka khaana chin gaya usse," he made sure he pointed out. Only to stop at another store merely 500 ft selling the same exact identical pair of earrings for 100 bucks. Aiyyo moment. Learning experience. Chin up. General Bazaar in Hyderabad definitely proved better, since all I kept saying was - "Udhar mereko isse kam ko dere, aap log mereko lootne ki koshish kaiko karre?(The other store is selling for less, you better give me a better deal)" Though I would like to boast that said attempt worked 100% of the time, it didn't since the sellers aren't kacche khiladi(novices) either.
So how do you perfect it? Can you in fact perfect it? Can we model it (the paper hungry in me asketh) ? I mean sure people have worked on it before, but for some reason I don't think it can beat what experience can teach you.
Oh well - there's time ;)
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