Here's wishing a happy new 2010 to all of us!
2009 for me was many things. Hectic, no-blogging, rewarding in a few ways, work, work and work! 2010 doesn't look like it will be any different on the work side. But this blog - my one soapbox - had been almost neglected last year. This year, I should make a resolution to post something at least once every fortnight, if not more often. I am still in the process of making that resolution. It will happen as time permits.
Wide, wild and wonderful that this world is, there was no dearth for several compelling topics to write about in 2009 - both news-wise and on the personal front. However, rather than do impulse blogging (which is more fun - but it requires you have enough time to feel both the impulse and then blog it) it would be better to make a list of topics that I do want to write about this year. That way, if I am a little more methodical, I can keep my random writing part of the brain active.
For starters, I (along with a billion other people, I hope) am worried about the muck our collective lifestyle is putting into the environment. There are great ideas for implementation everywhere. However, for several people, including me - one should start small and easy. What are some things we can start doing that would reduce the ecological footprint of our lives? I agree entropy is not going to decrease - but can we at least keep the increases lower? One good thing that I did last year and will continue to do is the use of public transport. I have taken my car to work less than five times last year. My company's transport and BMTC's Volvo service work quite well for me. Of course, this one is easy because I get the advantage of being able to get a few winks of sleep while travelling. Are there other similar things we can do - easy to implement and easy going - entropy increase wise? (Of course, I am referring only to the thermodynamic entropy and not its information counterpart).
Book reviews should happen - if I read a few books. Actually, I did finish the Panchatantra last year. Other titles - the Black Swan by Nicholas Nassim Taleb and Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. The former one is an eye-opener. The second is more a Gladwellesque perspective on different topics. I am reading GEB right now. It's a rather ponderous read - but there is enough stuff to retain interest - very well written! Others - include my favorite - the Bhagavadgita. The more commentaries you read, the more facets of this gem do you get to admire. Hopefully, this will influence my outlook towards life in a positive way. Many books adorn my bookshelf - bought with great desire, but unopened. This unread list of books should become smaller and the number of reviews on this blog should increase. Samskrit classics lie in this list too. mRcChakaTika, mudrArAkShasa and shAkuntala should hopefully get reviews on this blog this year.
I will try to write about my reflections on random topics too. Some of them - Is it ethical to drink cow's milk from the dairy? What is the state of Kannada in Karnataka? Is 2012 a hoax - if so, who started it? I'd like to try some occasional science and technology topics too - let's see how that part goes.
I hope to write about these in the usual languages - English, Kannada and Samskrit.
With this hope, and a wish that all of us might have a happy, prosperous, peaceful and healthy 2010, I conclude my first blog of the year....
|| sarve janAH sukhino bhavantu ||
2009 for me was many things. Hectic, no-blogging, rewarding in a few ways, work, work and work! 2010 doesn't look like it will be any different on the work side. But this blog - my one soapbox - had been almost neglected last year. This year, I should make a resolution to post something at least once every fortnight, if not more often. I am still in the process of making that resolution. It will happen as time permits.
Wide, wild and wonderful that this world is, there was no dearth for several compelling topics to write about in 2009 - both news-wise and on the personal front. However, rather than do impulse blogging (which is more fun - but it requires you have enough time to feel both the impulse and then blog it) it would be better to make a list of topics that I do want to write about this year. That way, if I am a little more methodical, I can keep my random writing part of the brain active.
For starters, I (along with a billion other people, I hope) am worried about the muck our collective lifestyle is putting into the environment. There are great ideas for implementation everywhere. However, for several people, including me - one should start small and easy. What are some things we can start doing that would reduce the ecological footprint of our lives? I agree entropy is not going to decrease - but can we at least keep the increases lower? One good thing that I did last year and will continue to do is the use of public transport. I have taken my car to work less than five times last year. My company's transport and BMTC's Volvo service work quite well for me. Of course, this one is easy because I get the advantage of being able to get a few winks of sleep while travelling. Are there other similar things we can do - easy to implement and easy going - entropy increase wise? (Of course, I am referring only to the thermodynamic entropy and not its information counterpart).
Book reviews should happen - if I read a few books. Actually, I did finish the Panchatantra last year. Other titles - the Black Swan by Nicholas Nassim Taleb and Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. The former one is an eye-opener. The second is more a Gladwellesque perspective on different topics. I am reading GEB right now. It's a rather ponderous read - but there is enough stuff to retain interest - very well written! Others - include my favorite - the Bhagavadgita. The more commentaries you read, the more facets of this gem do you get to admire. Hopefully, this will influence my outlook towards life in a positive way. Many books adorn my bookshelf - bought with great desire, but unopened. This unread list of books should become smaller and the number of reviews on this blog should increase. Samskrit classics lie in this list too. mRcChakaTika, mudrArAkShasa and shAkuntala should hopefully get reviews on this blog this year.
I will try to write about my reflections on random topics too. Some of them - Is it ethical to drink cow's milk from the dairy? What is the state of Kannada in Karnataka? Is 2012 a hoax - if so, who started it? I'd like to try some occasional science and technology topics too - let's see how that part goes.
I hope to write about these in the usual languages - English, Kannada and Samskrit.
With this hope, and a wish that all of us might have a happy, prosperous, peaceful and healthy 2010, I conclude my first blog of the year....
|| sarve janAH sukhino bhavantu ||
