Examinations, Results and Failing.

Results are out and I have failed my Third Year Exams. Yes. To all who know me it may come as a mild shock, and yet it's the truth. So how did this happen you ask? Well I place part of the blame on myself. Working and trying to study at the same time is not really a good idea. You just can't manage it and expect to be excellent at both. Which brings one to the question; should one spend a quarter of a century towards the pursuit of an educational qualification? 25 years of your life dedicated to education before you get a job. It just isn't feasible to most including me who are from average middle class families where you more or less have to fend for yourself.

So then where lies the problem exactly? Is it us Youth who have their ambitions allegedly misplaced or is it the Government who fails to recognize that the Indian Education System is badly in need of an overhaul? I am not complaining about the Higher Education System in India. The IIM's and IIT's can hold their own against the best universities in the world. So why doesn't the Primary and Secondary Education System not have the same quality? Can nothing be done about it? Is is not important? You are 21 on average by the time you are done with your basic Education. After which you need to specialize because unless you have been living under a rock for a really long time you would know the futility of having just a graduation in this country of ours. The numbers show the stark reality of the truth. The number of Raw Graduates being employed is abysmally low, only a quarter of the two and a half million graduates that India produces being actually employable.

The success or failure of the Indian Economy Is directly dependent on the literacy rate of its population. Yet the quality of the education should be as important as the measures taken to increase the literacy rate. A comparison between India and China is imperative, nay, inevitable. China's Youth is almost entirely literate. To say that India is a Democracy while China is not isn't the best explanation our policy makers can come up with. In fact the failure of the political structure of the country may have something to do with the education system; having infested and stained rather than built and grown and nourished India's present.

There is an unrest amongst the youth of today towards the shoddy education system. Everyone seems to acknowledge that a degree in any stream holds as much water as an upturned cup. The longer the time before a change is made the more the youth of our country would be affected by the feet dragging of our not so beloved politicians and policy makers. I for one sure do not wish to be old and senile before these people wake up from their slumber and wonder what has happened to this great nation which was supposed to have become a superpower but has turned instead into a super mess.

Breaking The Million Mark

Last July when I started this Blog it lacked direction. It was just going to be about random events in my life and my rantings on things; mostly relationships. Little did I know that it would turn into a hobby and then into a mini-obsession. My rank on Alexa at the end of March was somewhere around 10 million. Not really a score one should give thanks to the good Lord for but considering there are about 70 million Blogs in the Blogosphere, it was a decent enough head start. My posts grew more regular in April and after discovering and joining the Entrecard community I saw the traffic soar exponentially. Soon at the end of May my rank was just a little above 1 million. A good climb up the Blog mountain. And now my Alexa rank stands at 842,472. Woohoo! How cool is that eh? Gives me much more incentive now to go on and maintain the Blog the way I have in the last 3 months. Let's just hope my readers see it the same way I do.

Making Money Online

I imagine that most Bloggers like me would like to earn some money online (Who doesn't?), whether it be using the Blog as the primary vehicle or not. So here I will list a few sites that I consider have the potential to make money.

1) Dneero: Dneero is one of my favorites. It is a site which has a simple formula; pay people for their opinions. All you need is a Blog or be part of some social network and you're good to join.

2) Bux.to: Bux.to is another site that has a lot of potential to make gains. The concept here revolves around a person clicking and viewing websites. Each website visited gives you a certain revenue and you can have people that you have recommended making money for you in the same manner.

3) Tempscript: Same concept as Bux.to.

4) Uronlinebux: Again, same as the 2 above..

5) Click4ads: I know this is getting monotonous but again this site is similar to the ones above.

6) Mginger: Mginger is a site that works only for people with Phone Numbers registered in India. The concept here is to receive ads on the phone and get paid to view these ads.

7) Youmint: Same concept as Mginger.

8) Ximmy: I just joined this new site which is actually a search engine with social networking built into it. They pay you too for writing reviews and building the community by inviting your friends to participate as well.

This is all I've got for now but I will keep updating this list as I keep on finding newer sites to make money on..

20 Questions..

I found this bunch of questions on a blog I visited the other day and thought I'd take a shot at them. It's taking off from where I left off with 29 Questions..


1. At what age do/did you wish to marry?

Depends. The more important question is are there any takers out there?

2. What was your happiest moment when you were a child?

I remember pissing out my 3rd floor window and experiencing an unparalleled joy watching it hit the ground below.

3. Where is the place that you want to go the most?

I'd like to visit the Stonehenge.

4. Which part of you do you hate the most?

The part that tells me I HAVE to be good to people all the time. I have however managed to successfully ignore that part.

5. When you encounter a sad moment, what do you do?

I feel sad. What am I supposed to do otherwise? Dance on tabletops?

6. What are you afraid to lose the most?

My Collector's edition Spider-man costume.

7. If you win $1 million, what would you do?

Give it all to charity.. Yeah, right!

8. What do you love the most about last year (2007)?

I got a Girlfriend. And then some.

9. What would I change if I was King of the World for a day?

I would commission the most massive statue ever built. Guess who's image it would be in?

10. How do you cope with boredom?

I sleep, read, talk on the phone and surf the Web.

11. Till now, what is the moment that you regret the most?

I regretted it every time I asked myself the question 'should I?' and answered that in the negative. Now I'm just like 'fuck it, let's do it'.

12. What type of person do you hate the most?

Anyone who has an ego bigger than mine. Arrogant Bastards.

13. What is your ambition?

To be great at everything I do.

14. If you had one wish, what would you wish for?

That I become irresistible to women. Wait, I already am.. Drat! I wasted my wish..

15. How did you celebrate New Year?

With My Girl and a few friends. Unbelievable as this may sound, I neither drank nor smoked that night. And stop saying 'Hah, that's likely'. I really didn't.

16. What has been the craziest thing you've ever done in your whole life?

I can't recall any one incident but it would definitely have involved peeing. As you may have noticed I have a penchant for urinating in places considered inappropriate and even unlawful.

17. What do you look forward to in 2008?

To be employed. Please, someone gimme a job. I promise to try to not get myself fired this time.

18. If your life is a song, what title best fits it?

The song 'Wanderlust' By Fozzy.

19. What is your inspiration in life?

Life itself I guess.

20. Which world would you want to live in - Love without Money or Money without Love?

Logically thinking neither of these supposed worlds would exist so I think this question is just stupid and they should stop asking it at Miss World pageants.

Parting Company

It's strange how people get really close to each other in a very short span of time. I got to know Lara through a common friend and we sort of grew on each other since we both share a love of writing and a weird sense of humor. Now she has moved to a different city in a different state and I feel a sense of loss. It wasn't like we were the very best of friends. Hell, I remember meeting her after 4 months once and not realizing it had been that long. Meeting online everyday was like a must and we had to chat about something or the other, most of it being vacuous. But now that she's so far away the feeling that I can't see her when I want to is a little depressing. Although I find myself overjoyed knowing that she is now working with The Times Of India, no mean feat I tell you. And Lara did it. I feel proud to have her as a friend and wish her all the best for her future. I may just take you up on that offer to live and work with you in Goa. This post is my thanks, for being a great friend and an inspiration (of sorts) and I'll always cherish the times and memories we shared. Let's party together next time we meet. Love ya Kiddo..

Getting Tattooed..

I kept this part out of the last post on the Goa trip because it certainly deserves mention separately. We decided to meet this friend of a friend who is incidentally also a tattoo artist to score some 'maal'. One thing led to another and we found ourselves checking out his books on tattoo designs and wondering which one to get done and what part of the anatomy. Also vital was the need to budget since getting a tattoo wasn't part of the original plan and it was necessary to know how many meals and beers would be sacrificed in order to adjust a tattoo into the equation. Fortunately being good with numbers all was well and I selected my design promising to come back the day before my departure to Bombay and get myself inked.
The day of judgment dawned and I was forewarned by my tattooed friends that 'It's gonna hurt' with an expression that brought to mind the look sadists probably give when they're just about to start cutting you up. But the 'joints' were being rolled enthusiastically and I was offered to 'spark' the first one and dull myself to the pain that I was about to endure. The tattoo artist by the name of Noel asked me where I wanted to get it done and I chose the left side of my chest as the spot to be permanently tainted. I thought it was an apt spot since the tattoo would not look right elsewhere as you can observe from the picture. It just seemed like the right place. Noel proceeded to warn me with a slight laugh that 'It's gonna hurt there man, haha". Just what I needed; some more encouragement and this coming from the tattoo guy himself.
He drew the outline on my chest with a pen after shaving away the hair from the area that was to be tattooed. I was quite dulled by then and ready to be subjected to the mercy of his needle. When he started I found the pain bearable although when he got to the parts near the bony area toward the center of my chest is when I knew what pain he was talking about. I could feel the vibrations travel through my spine and tingle the tips of my fingers! Finally, two and a half grueling hours later he was finished and just when I had had enough of it. But the whole process gave me the kind of high that can only be felt and not put into words. I've already told myself I'm going to get my next tattoo done from him. It is an experience that stays with you for life. Literally..