Money

I got my salary yesterday, one day ahead of schedule. There were powerful emotions in the air. People were overjoyed, and started making plans for the weekend. Others were relieved, coz now they could pay there credit card bills:) The news did not have a much of an impact on me. When i saw the total lack of emotion I was experiencing i started wondering... I have always claimed that i'm not much of a money guy, i can picture some rolling eyes right now:), ok ok i admit that i do need some money, i want to be able to afford a decent accommodation, have a clean pair of clothes to wear every morning, and ahh.. yesss.. food, that is one of my luxuries, if i may... i want enough money to be able to eat what ever i want, when i want and how much ever i want. But that's about it! And for this my current salary seems more than enough.
I'm not saying that this is a good thing, but it does give me more freedom. I can work where ever i want, i don't have to worry(much) about the money aspect. My current job doesn't pay a lot, its decent by industry standards, but certainly not the top draw, and with me completing six months, better offers(salary wise) are all over the place. Luckily for me, i love my job, i love the technology i'm working in, i love the team i'm working with:). So no temptations at all:)
On the other hand, money in some ways can be a very powerful motivator, it can drive you to work harder, and help you achieve more in your professional life. In that way i might be at a disadvantage, with no monetary motivation, i might end up having a laid back attitude towards work, but then who knows? if i see my colleagues get better increments than me, i might start appreciating money more:), but i think it wouldn't be bcoz of the money, rather i would perceive a comparatively lower increment as a sign that i'm not being appreciated, and that is something which would definitely bring out some strong emotions(it would piss me off :))

BULATS

I got my test results for the BULATS yesterday. The scores were pretty impressive, even if i say so my self:). For the computer based test, i got a listening score of 100 and a reading and language knowledge score of 100, and thus an overall score of 100, which is the maximum possible. This score gets me an ALTE level 5 rating, which is the highest you can get for this test.

The english speaking test results were ok. I got an ALTE level 5= rating, which is the decent. There are five levels(1...5) and in each level there is a sub level rating in the form(+,=,-). So the highest possible rating in this test is 5+, while i managed the next level 5=. To find out what these scores mean check out the following link ALTE Levels.

5 Reasons

This is my third trip back home. Every time I come home, in the first few moments as i enter the house somethings hit me with such intensity that the wind gets knocked out of me. Things from my days back in college that I used to take for granted. Here are five... five reasons i contemplate leaving my job in Bangalore and shifting base to tvm everytime i enter my house:)
1. The (really really) clean tiled floor. God!! I could sleep on the floor anyday:)
2. My bed. Its so big, and clean and neat, with spotless sheets and puffed up pillows and streched bed sheets without a wrinkle from end to end.
3. 15Gb of songs, ahh with everything from John Mayer to Bryan Adams to Metallica to Carnatic Music, everything sound "awesome" on my four point surround system :D
4. The view! From my bedroom window you can see into the next state on a clear day! Its such a breathtaking sight! Kilometers of the lush green carpet of coconut trees, ahhh good 'ol trivandrum.
5. Offcourse, my Mom(you can actually see the love in her eyes when i reach home), my 6foot tall brother(unshaven, not had a bath and normally sleeping when i reach home), and my dad(good 'ol dad):)

An attempt at poetry..

old and wrinkled sitting by the door,
her bag full, all it can store,
knitting needles and balls of yarn,
shining silk scarfs and much more,
quite and brisk, i walk by,
denying her existence, not even a smile,
day after day, and everyday,
still can't tell you her name...
'cause you see,
life's a game,
and I'm in it for fortune and fame

spring comes and goes,
sweltering heat and then it pours,
christmas carols and midnight masses,
beautiful landscapes when it snows,
year after year,
but i'm not one who knows,
why you ask?
i'll give it to you simple and plain...
'cause you see,
life's a game,
and i'm in it for fortune and fame

moments and years after,
times gone by, slower, and then faster,
i'm now older at this game,
a veteran, a master,
have forgotten the pain of sorrow
and pleasures of laughter,
its such a shame,
'cause you see
life's a game,
and i was in it for fortune and fame

Purpose

The question of the day is the purpose of this blog. Why did I create this blog? After many years of spending time on the net, doing God knows what:), on 11th of March 2005, I created "Limpid Pools of Solitude". What were the compelling reasons, if any, for me to create a blog? I can think of atleast a dozen logical answers to that question, but I dont agree with any of them completely.
A purpose by definition restricts the scope of the task at hand, it helps us focus. A good purpose quanitifies goals, it helps establish a destination for a journey, a set of parameters by which to measure success. This is considered a good way of working, some people call it engineering. I agree, for most tasks undertaken by man, a well defined goal is a must, but to make this the norm for doing things would be a grave mistake. The concept of setting goals is based on the underlying assumption, that it is indeed possible to conceive the desired goal. I at this moment can't conceive one for this blog, so let me stop the crap and just say... The purpose of this blog is to discover its own purpose.

What's in a name?

Motivated by the many blogs I have been reading in the past few weeks, I've decided to get myself one too. Blogger.com must have one of the simplest registration forms I've ever filled. It takes a normal person less than 2 minutes to get his blog up and running on this site, but then again, I'm no normal person:). After spending a couple of hours browsing through dictionaries, the Webster thesaurus and good ol' google looking for a good name for my blog, I finally decided on "ratiocination".

Ratiocination: ratiocination(n)
1: the proposition arrived at by logical reasoning (such as the proposition that must follow from the major and minor premises of a syllogism)
2: logical and methodical reasoning

But of course it was taken, I was pissed, and went into a frenzy looking up weird names and "limpid pools of solitude" was born, I thought "limpid pools of silence" sounded better, but somehow didn't fit the context, don't you think? Anyway so "limpid pools of solitude" it is...