A useless search

.....but hey, interesting nonetheless!

A google search for this blog's title gave me
.
Results 1 - 10 of about 206,000 for uncertainty prevails. (0.69 seconds)

If nothing else the search results atleast justify the phrase's meaningful existence on the blog.

A surface analysis will reveal (and not very surprisingly) that four entries, including the very first, are connected to India!
Leading to the natural conclusion that of the total uncertainity that prevails in this world

# India contributes a good 40%

# Geogre Bush and Politics - 20%

# Cricket 10%

The actual results are given below for ready reference:

Indiantelevision dot com's Breaking News : Uncertainty prevails in ...
Uncertainty prevails in Mumbai over CAS, DTH ... MUMBAI: There is a lot of
uncertainty amongst the cable trade in Mumbai, the country's business capital, ...
www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k3/apr/apr69.htm - 17k - Cached - Similar pages

Pacific Islands
Uncertainty prevails after Vanuatu polls But PM Natapei confident to retain post.
By Robert Keith-Reid. Vanuatu's French born former controversial Ombudsman ...
www.pacificislands.cc/pm62002/ pmdefault.php?urlarticleid=0023 - 30k - Cached - Similar pages

The Hindu Business Line : Uncertainty prevails; avoid fresh positions
Uncertainty prevails; avoid fresh positions. B. Venkatesh. THE negative sentiment
in the spot market rubbed off into the derivatives segment on Thursday, ...
www.thehindubusinessline.com/ bline/2002/03/01/stories/2002030100931900.htm - 13k - Cached - Similar pages

The Hindu Business Line : Uncertainty prevails over CAS rollout in ...
Uncertainty prevails over CAS rollout in Mumbai — MSOs, broadcastes ready; Sena
says no. Rina Chandran. Mumbai , Aug. 29 ...
www.thehindubusinessline.com/ bline/2003/08/30/stories/2003083000570400.htm - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

Uncertainty prevails - Stock File - Express Computer India
Uncertainty prevails. Deepak Sahijwala & Sanjay R Bhatia. The markets have remained
volatile amidst a range-bound trend. Volumes continue to remain low with ...
www.expresscomputeronline.com/ 20040607/stockfile01.shtml - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

Business - Uncertainty Prevails Over the Ban on Prime-Time Beer ...
News and Business in St.Petersburg. The St. Petersburg Times newspaper - latest
news from St.Petersburg and Russia.
www.sptimes.ru/archive/times/998/news/b_13366.htm - 20k - Cached - Similar pages

How Green Can George W. Bush Be? Uncertainty Prevails about ...
The path of the new US administration as far as environment has many activists
on edge, as they fear that energy interests will dominate at the White House.
www.tierramerica.net/2000/1224/article.html - 28k - Cached - Similar pages

UNCERTAINTY PREVAILS ON PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT ISSUE
UNCERTAINTY PREVAILS ON PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT ISSUE. Home . BY: Zorba (6-19-00).
maquila11.jpg (5172 bytes) " Our expectation is to resolve the Permanent ...
www.maquilaportal.com/editorial/editorial15.htm - 7k - Cached - Similar pages

Uncertainty Prevails as ECs Begin Job Search - Harbus - News
Uncertainty Prevails as ECs Begin Job Search, , Harbus, a newspaper of Harvard
university.
www.harbus.org/news/2001/10/01/News/ Uncertainty.Prevails.As.Ecs.Begin.Job.Search-103918.shtml - 42k - Cached - Similar pages

123India.com Cricket
Uncertainty prevails over Shoaib selection. Lahore, Feb. 14: Confusion and
uncertainty prevailed over the availability of paceman Shoaib Akhtar for the ...
cricket.123india.com/news/120050215-c.html - 21k - Cached - Similar pages

......now don’t blame me for anything, I did tell you it was useless !!

Just something

Finally one study with which I kind of agree at some points. In fact this just seems to stick to certain little things which I too observed but could never put to words. Do not take this up as a case for feminism though!

Excerpts from the The Telegraph, Kolkata dated July 17, 2005

Opening up in cyberspace

Far more women than men blog — and more and more Indian women are expressing themselves on the Web. Vijayalaxmi Hegde who works in an online learning company in Chennai, began blogging more than two years ago. “I started blogging because I was restless. I had a deeper need for acceptance and approval from random people I didn’t know existed. I think many bloggers operate from this deeper need of approval. When something happened in my life, or when I observed something, I always thought of putting these on my blog,” she says. Reshma is not alone.

Jasmeen Patheja began blogging for purely professional reasons, but it soon turned out to be a personal space. Says the 25-year-old fine arts graduate from Bangalore’s Shrishti School of Arts, Design and Technology: “It became a form of release. I was connecting with women who thought as out-of-the-box as I did.”

Welcome to a little noticed phenomenon — the increasing number of women who blog. The survey by the US-based Perseus Development Corp. found 56 per cent of the bloggers it polled were women, versus 44 per cent men. Also, women are less likely to abandon a blog than men are. In short, women are opening up their lives in virtual space as never before.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that women write about personal or social issues, unlike men who focus on work-related issues. For instance, there are more chances of a male IT engineer running a tech blog than his female counterpart doing so. Says Swaroop C.H., a software engineer who works at Yahoo! Bangalore, and runs a tech blog (http://swaroopch.info), “I don’t know of many tech blogs run by women. Neither do I know of women’s work blogs.”

It is the way women blog, what they blog about, and the significance of the medium to them that makes the difference. Dr Sunil M. J., a psychiatrist in Bangalore who frequents many blogs daily and is an avid blogger himself, says, “I have noticed that women tend to be more emotive and family-oriented in their blogs, even across races. ”

So why do women blog? The sheer democratic nature of blogging promises to do a lot for women, who earlier had to make do with the under-the-bed diary. Patheja believes that blogging is popular among women because it allows them to exert control beyond what they are given in real life. “Women blogs are full of writings that would be considered outrageous in routine life. Women are not scared to voice their opinions,” she says.

All the women approached for this article said they considered blogging an important virtual space in some way. It fulfilled an inner need, a need to ponder about larger-than-life questions as these from Sihikahi (http://sihikahi.blogspot. com): “Have you ever thought that it can be so easy to lose yourself in the daily routine? I mean, you weren’t born for this mad rush between home and office, were you? Larger question: what were you born for? Still larger question: were you at all born for anything? Unless you stop for a moment and take stock, you won’t even know that with each contraceptive pill you have taken for years, and will continue to take for some time (coz you just don’t have the space for your baby), with each deadline reached in office, with each little happy thing postponed for later, you have lost the joy forever.”

These are a woman’s questions, asked in a space that’s fast becoming feminine. But will she get her answers? We don’t know yet, and that is not the point. The point is that the rest of the world can go take a walk while she blogs.

For the men who have come reading this far : If by now, your notion that 'women are just a bundle of emotions' seems to have gained weight, then peep inside. You too, probably feel the urge to express and gain approval. And, just because someone can, let not that be a discount on her credits. Instead, go ahead and write for yourself.

(On a lighter note, I never thought I would get this serious by the end of it all....just kept flowing with the thoughts. In fact, I believe these Women vs Men things make for a pathetic reading most of the times. However, at other times they can become rather exiciting ! )

People: new and old

They are around you always. At times they make you feel secure, other times they are the reason you are scared.

A list:

My little small town cousins:
Four. In Jamshedpur. Were asleep when I reached. So, in the morning when I get up, find all the four (none higher than three feet) huddled up all in one room.
The two girls were probably more shy but the boys were no less. It is rare in our cities....the way they were smiling, blushing and playing hide-n-seek. Trying to sneak a look at me, but as soon as I caught their eyes, in a flash they would go all giggles and take cover behind the bedsheet.
Couldnt help enjoying !
Though it is another story that within 30 minutes they cared not who I was !


My Driving guru:
Always keeps bugging me about dakshina. His comments on the people on the road and tips to handle or rather keep away from them are hilarious. The car is a piece of art. His controlling the clutch is what I hate most.


The Motorcyclist or the Brat-with-the-big-car :
They make me feel like a movie character. If any one day something goes wrong.....

Have to relate one experience though. It was eight in the evening.I was waiting for an auto, standing all dressed in salwaar-kameez et al. Was my friend's sister wedding. Slight drizzle. The road was shining, the yellow street lights and the to and fro vehicular headlights adding to the gleam.
Two bikers passed by, I hardly noticed until one stopped a few yards away. He turned his head, I looked away. He went grrrh grrrh on his accelarator and I breathed again. But then,he took the turn around the gol chakkar and was heading towards me. I tried displaying immense serenity on the surface (havent figured out for whom or for what good) but my insides started squirming. Just then a cab zoomed in like a savior and I quickly jumped in.

However, once safe, the first thing that crossed my mind was......shucks, missed some adventure !


The Helpful Middle aged gentleman:
You meet them everywhere. I received their help at the Passport Office. (By the way this office caters to the entire West Bengal State and has a legacy of gifting you spondilytis free with every succesfully issued passport.)
These guys take active interest in everybody's problem and, except for their place in the queue, would readily help you with anything.


The Cute salesboy/other impressionists
The smile factor. There is this one at the Wrangler Showroom. Poor guy.....he showed me every denim piece he had before I finally selected one in three days. And the amazing part was the constant smile and the eagerness to serve. I know that was his job, but I somehow found him rare.
There was another one at Westside, almost urging me to flirt around a bit.

I have to say this, it's Kolkata Special.......the ones in Delhi are way off the mark.


The only Talking Guy at the Workplace:
Calls himself Neo. Loathes India and though a Bengali by birth and everything else, is an Australian at heart. Beleives that Operating Systems are the best thing to study. Whatever I might do, he is sure to say "high funda"or "bhenerated". Tries hard to get me to listen to Rock, but in vain.


The Irritable Bengali lady:
Is generally very prim and proper, probably works in a Bank. You have to deal with them in the buses. And they, will just not tolerate you. Will never take the accidental slight nudge in the right spirit, are ready to fight with the conductor for anything. (Feel guilty continuing.)


Holiday Solace:
Malaya Sir. Can talk to him for hours at stretch. Inspirational stuff.


The virtual aquantainces:
Those you meet in the web world. You talk to them, exchange mails (formal or casual) without a hint as to what they look like. Most of the time we dont even care because we may actually never (need) to see or meet them. But, it strikes me as strange whenever I think of it.


The Aged and Sick in the family:
I would rather not have written this as it generally is one source of sadness and deep retrospection.Best to be kept within.


To-be-married and younger-than-myself cousin
Oh, there are so many now and the number is increasing. I do not really care but it gives me mixed feelings.

For the girls I can forsee another mother-of-two in the making, with all her life devoted to the children or the husband. The world is cahnging they say. The only change I see is that now my cousins are well read and all, but essentially end up in the same manner as the ones twenty years earlier did. The problem is with the family head who just refuses to accept anything but three things: one- girls are a responsibility on their parents ; two : Please marry them while I am still alive ; three: If they want to study, they can always do that if her in-laws permit her.

Mom's Customers:

Office Boss

One gentleman you genuinely want to impress.

American cousins:
Smartest kids I havs seen. Come out with funny names- they have christened my brother chacha bhaiya for god knows what resons. Love to eat Paan and wear Kurta-Pyjamas. Will never let go their Bisleri bottles. And, will not speak in Hindi, no matter what.

It is a real pain to see them off at the airport though.You just wish they could stay back a little longer. Still young,l and despite everything else they love the company and warmth here.

Once-classmate-now-model friends:

You forget their existence until you spot them one fine morning in the local newspaper modelling for an umbrella. You are enthused nonetheless and go around the entire house telling everyone about the girl being your classmate once upon a time!

The unseen many

............to be completed and continued

Ill-timed insights- for the first half.

My thoughts have a very sad sense of timing.

They are most profound when I have no means to capture them.....no pen, no paper and sadly, the laptop is still not an option with me.
[Personally, I rather like Luann's style of recording her thoughts....will surely try that someday- once I am comfortable listening to my own voice. If this is acceptable, I would take a greater-than-slight digression here. This business of becoming comfortable with your own attributes -voice, video, images- while still realising it for itself, i.e., unlike the morning tryst with the mirror, is increasingly gaining importance. And I, am at a complete loss here. The problem is, most of the times, I fail to reconnect to the moment when I wrote something or got a photo clicked, hence I do not identify with the me in those things of the past, hence no joy. Anyways, that is just a self- made theory to explain the phenomenon to myself, completely ignorable.]

Getting back, whenever I am climbing down stairs, passing an icecream wallah, sitting and observing people in that rickety rackety bus, the ideas that emerge of nowhere amaze me. But they are lost as soon as they occur. Bubble gum thoughts. If I could somehow manage to stick them together I am sure I will come out with a bestseller. Till then, we shall have to make do with the ordinary ones.

These days my thoughts occur to me in a very readymade-diary-format. To elaborate, the lines are such as I would have written in my diary......very english and very sentencised. Funny it may sound, but true it is.

------------end of first half ----------------

My reading habit some times get too much on me. I, quite unconsciously, read up every bit of written/printed word that happens to cross my eyes (and this is especially true of the tini-mini bits of writing...on wrappers, fridge/aircon labels,newspaper envelopes, medicines<---by far the the largest contribution comes from this segment). And let me assure you this much, the moment you realise that this is the 500th time you are reading that sticker atop the toilet flush, you feel like tearing your hair apart.
And tear you might, but the habit doesn't go....you find yourself reading the sticker again the 511th time again, and the story continues.
And, since you really can't do much, you end up memorising things like TVS India- Taking it to the heart of India (Mouse pad's contribution), half life of a professional (some five month old newspaper article scrap which covers a diary which is kept besides my clothes in my wardrobe) and a sense of decency prevents me from stating the learnt-by-heart details of the flush sticker!