Mother Tongue - Is it really a big deal.. ?

I was reading something on a friend's blog which got me thinking about this -

Is it really a big deal if you are not thinking or talking to yourself in your own native language/mother tongue ? Like my friend, I seem to be more comfortable speaking, typing, arguing or discussing in english more than in my mother tongue.. But, is that a bad thing ?

Agreed, we grew up speaking our mother tongue at home.. its what we first learn from childhood, so we are "supposed" to be most comfortable speaking it than other languages.. But, is it something bad if you are more comfortable speaking some other language than your own ?!

Back when i was about 8/9 may be ..when my english teacher used to tell me that to know a language and speak it really well, you must think in the language.. and I remember consciously making myself "think" in english.. I guess most of us convent-school-goers kinda grew up.. thinking in "english" even though its not our mother tongue... So, may be we got used to thinking more in english than our own language.. Ofcourse attending schools in places where the students come from different regions also makes it such that one cannot use their native language everywhere.. Not to mention higher-education books are all in english and sometimes there is total lack jargons in the regional language.. which gets us using english more often.. Its almost like a necessity.. especially in the corporate.. globalized job market.. too..u cant get anywhere in most parts of the world without english..

But, thinking about the question of whether its something one should feel bad about.. I am not so sure.. Granted, we need to speak our own language.. its who we are.. our identity.. to preserve our culture and rich history and heritage... etc .. But, ultimately, isnt language a means to express your feelings and thoughts.. ? a tool that enables us to interact with the other social beings in the world... Does it really matter what exactly it is ?

OK ...after saying all of that, I should probably add, living outside of India, I do try to enforce speaking in our regional language at home.. with my kids..esp.. I teach them every word quite religiously.. and they might wonder the same in future.. But, if they wont learn it, they wont be able to appreciate or enjoy some things I do.. they may not be able to communicate with grandparents and other relatives who cant speak english.. and that would be a shame.. :)

So my take on this.. the most number of languages you are comfortable with, the better it is for you in this world.. :) I would learn spanish and chinese.. if I get a chance...

Value vs Effort / Cost

This seems to be a question I have to answer in most things I do these days.. Whether its at work, or buying something or even blogging.. ! How much value does this generate ? Is it worth it ? This question is popping up more in my head these days.. Have I become .....hmmm too calculative ? Or is it just that life is full of such decisions for everyone ?!

Music - Passion.. Love..Obsession.. ?

If u love something u eat, u eat more of it until ur stomach is full ... u wear a dress u love many many times.. what do u do when u love a song.. listen to it over and over right ?! I have been listening to the same piece of music over and over from the past 3 days.. No i am not bored.. infact I have a really strong desire to do something with it. I have no idea what ! Music instigates emotions in your heart and soul that give u such pleasure... that cannot be explained in words... one has to feel to understand what I am trying to say here...

So, have you ever fallen in love with a piece of music so much so that how much ever you listen to it ... you are not satisfied ? Has it ever happenned to you ? It has happenned to me many times. I donno if I am just passionate..hopelessly emotional.. or just plain crazy.. ?? I wonder ! Whatever I am, I do know this : Music has the power to influence people's minds in ways unimaginable.

Whats up with this whole size 0 business?

That its for invisible people ? Or that their waist is so small its almost non-existent ?! The concept is just way too unrealistic. Though, I have to accept there are many people who do wear size 0. The whole idea of being as thin as u can be to almost the level that u are a size nothing.. is just crazy. ..

what are your thoughts about this ?

Monday Morning Blues

Its raining cats and dogs and a chilly 29 degrees.. at 6:30 AM ..this morning, I got on my daily bus and noticed a similar expression on almost everyone's face - "I am not happy being here."
Even if the weather wasn't so bad, monday mornings in general seem to be a bit of the "Dont disturb me" days.. Most people seem to be not too excited about it. Is it because they dont like what they would do the rest of the day/week until the next weekend ? Or is it just the start of the routine factor that annoys them ? or may be lack of sleep over the weekend they were planning to catch up on...that they never did due to many social activities. I came into work thinking about it and I have to say everyone here too seems a bit rigid.. and not so approchable.. unlike most of the other days. I guess in my case, its just the start of another busy week.. after a fun/tiring weekend.. and even though I love what I do at work... monday mornings are somehow the most boring time of the week... :(

Do you also suffer from the "Monday Morning Blues" ?

What does it mean to be rich?

I was listening to a radio programme that spoke about this topic. This is one question everyone seems to have an answer for. Its interesting what people come up with. What is your take on it ?

What is the cost of freedom ?

Everytime I listen to news that an innocent person has been serving time in jail "by mistake" .. for a crime he/she did not commit, and now being released after many years..due to the results of a DNA test or something like that, I wonder... How much does a person's freedom really cost ? Looks like everyone has a different price tag attached to this question. Does all that compensation make the pain go away.. or get back the lost time. All that money will definitely buy a very good vacation .. But how does anyone come up with a price tag for the lost time or freedom..or the pain and suffering that the person in question went through all the years in the jail and being treated as a criminal for a crime they did not commit ?! And what about the trauma that the family members may have gone through of trust/distrust, humiliation/embarrassment etc. etc. and how frustrating it is to the families of the victims of the actual crime.. to know that the real culprit was never brought to justice in all that time .. ! Sad..but some errors people make are really hard to fix.. !

What is happenning to this world ?!

There isnt one good thing on the news right now, that I can read and feel good about ... OK the redsox win is an exception for their fans I am sure. But, everything else is going so wrong... Terrorist Groups targetting children to be their next "terror delivery method", emergencies in already politically unstable countries, record-high foreclosure rates in the US real estate market, Labor union strikes at companies that are already not doing great , dollar value dwindling and banks in shortage of funds.. I can go on an on..with this list.. But yet inspite of all this, some how, media and news are still surrounded around things that are not important to most people on this earth. Why should I care "How much Britney Spears spends on her clothes every month" ? Who cares what she does with her money and her life.. ok.. may be some people do. But thats not even close to the number of people who care about their home values going down ? or even the number of people whose lives have been devastated due to wild fires in california.. But still, there it is, the news about her each and every day as one of the headlines along with the "other stuff".. How can a news about a celebrity be on the same scale ? Are people more interested in reading about such things than the real issues in the world right now ? Or is it becoz they have so much frustration about the every day life that this is a form of entertainment to them ? I dont know..

Life without internet !

I cant imagine my life without internet , email or even without google for that matter.

Anything I want to know about .. .hmm.. closest chinese restaurant to my home, hmm.. whats the cost of a refrigerator.. where can I buy the cheapest TV.. What is the true meaning of Psyche ? Whats the scoop on Tom Cruise these days ? How good is the new Harry Potter movie.. ? Well .. Think of all the businesses that wouldnt be running. Can you imagine a world without online shopping, without online news, gosh.. I cant think there is way too much to put.

If writing letters was the only way to keep in touch with people who live geographically far from me, I dont think I would have kept in touch with more than 2 or may be 3 of my good friends. Not that I dont want to.. but its just too much to think, write, post, wait for a reply etc. etc. Thanks to the inventors of web email. Keeping in touch has become so much easier !! Inspite of this, I still do have many pending replies to send, ..and many excuses I make.. Wonder how our parents managed to keep in touch with their friends from high-school !!

How did people live before the internet ?! How our lives would have been without it now !! I think its the greatest invention ever made in the recent years ! I really cannot imagine having to live without it !! Can you ?

A Million Dollar Question

Think about it.. !! What would you do if you had a million dollars ?

Buy a large house, a cool convertible, have parties and buy nice clothes ? Or will you put it all in the bank ? What would you do ? Or do you need a few minutes to answer the question so that you can think up something ? Do you see what I am getting at ? What is your "Financial" lifestyle ? Are you living today ?? or living for tomorrow ? or are you planning now to be able to live tomorrow ? Because you are saving, do you stop living now, save each and every penny, compromise on all wishes ?? Or do you satisfy all your wishes now and spend everything you have now, and suffer the consequences in future. .. If u dont plan ur future, you may not have one.. and if you dont live your present, then you may not really understand how to live even in your future. I am not quite sure what my plan is but one thing i do know is that I am not giving up on one for the other.. I believe there should be a balance...

Language and Accent

Is there a right or wrong accent ? What you are used to is what sounds good ? or is it something else ? Do you decide not to talk to someone because you dont understand their accent and so, cant really communicate well with them ? or do you figure where they come from and are not interested anymore ? Lets consider the English language. American or British ?