The bookstore problem

You are in a bookstore with the intention (and resources) to buy ONE book, and all the books are wrapped in plastic. Is there a way other than judging a book by its cover?

And what if you find the covers of more than one book interesting? How do you judge different books based on the cover?

One would think that based on apriori knowledge/information/wisdom you buy a book which had the most interesting cover. But what if AFTER buyin the book, you happen to read the preface of another book... And now THAT book ALSO seems interesting...

Is that a start of something?

The ice-cream problem

I go to an ice-cream parlor. I haven't tasted an ice-cream earlier, but 'heard' that it tastes delicious.

There are 27 varieties. I have to make a choice between these flavors. I choose a flavor.. educted guess, I would think. I like the ice-cream. It's not AS good as I had heard, but it's good.

I presume that I had not made the BEST decision about the flavor. But now I have more knowledge (Experience) and hence, the next decision wil be better. And next time, I summon the courage to make a choice of another flavor. A more educated guess, again I think.

And I like this flavor much more... But then, the mind is not happy. It wants to 'explore' further.
And it has seen the pattern - more educated the guess, the greater chance of the flavor being tastier.

So, next time I go to the ice cream parlor, I choose ANOTHER flavor. It's delicious. It's as good as it can get. I think it can't get better. But the weak mind tempted... to make the next guess... to explore a vertex on the next level of the traversal..

I do that. And this time, I also gets toppings... peanuts, oreo cookies etc. Now the ice-cream is thoroughly tasty. I am GLAD I took the step.

But there are questions:-

1. There is a modification to the problem. Once I choose another flavor, the previous flavors are discarded for good, and I cant get back to them. Under such circumstances, when should I stop exploration?
Should I stop when I find a GOOD flavor, even though there are chances that I might find a better flavor in the next step of exploration? (It is MY belief that the next educated guess will be better... but that need not be true).

2. Was the last ice-cream better because of the toppings? Or was it inherently good?

3. There are ice-cream flavors that are reallly popular (recommended). Am I biased towards those?

There are so many subtleties that are not captured in this analogy, although they can be.

Anyway, my roomie suggests a similar story - about a shishya (student) and his guru. THe guru asks the shishya to go to the forest and pick up the tallest branch, on the condition that e cannot pick up a brach on his way back.

Well... this is easy to solve... coz one can keep hold of the tallest branch SO FAR, and then discard it when a taller branch is seen. (FInd the max number in an array algorithm).

But this solution UNFORTUNATELY does not hold for all situations!

The bike-path Teaches

I enjoy enjoying the scene around me when I bike.
I like to leave the clutched handle and free my clenched fists.

If I am biking up-slope, I can never leave my hands.

If I am biking on level ground. I can somehow manage to leave my hands ... but my eye is tied to the path and I cannot look around.

If I am going down-hill at a steep gradient, I can leave the hands. But again, I have to be cautious. One small mistake can cause me to topple and ruin the whole ride.

However, if I find a down-hill path with a gradual descent, I can continue peddling and watch around and ENJOY, without any effort or fear of falling.

The aim is to find that path... THAT balance where one is not struggling and there is no inertia... where one is enjoying the journey without concentrating too much on the journey... without any strain of intense effort, or fear of 'toppling' over.

That's what an ideal income should be!
:-)

Quotes

• A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand

• I am always right. Once I thought I was wrong, but I was mistaken.

• Multitasking is listening to you ans pretening I am interested.

• Grow your own dope - plant a man

• Sarcasm is one of the services I offer

• I am deeply superficial

• Roses are red, Violets are blue, I am schizophrenic and so am I

• Life is short - take the scenic route

• Perfection is the enemy of 'good enough'

• If you dont have time to do it right the first time, when are you going to have time to do it all over?

• Ever notice that 'what the hell' is always the right decision?

• We make a living by what we et... We make a life by what we give

• YOuth is not a period in time, it is a state of the mind

• The heart has reasons that reason does not know

• Be yourself... who else is better qualified?? ;-)

Walk with Prerna

I wish I was a poet... at least a part-poet.

Prerna and I went for a walk today... on IV beach. We left a 5.30pm. We started talking about Daler Mehendi and Punjabi songs... and Rang De Bsanti.. and Bollywood. Then we stepped down on the beach. It was BEAUTIFUL.

We were enchanted. We sang the touchy songs - 'Saagar kinaare, dil yeh pukaare... tum jo nahi to mera, koi nahin...'

We walked till Campus point. And there, as we turned back, we saw a breathtaking sight.

The Sun was radiant. The water was metallic-colored, and the waves lashed against the few rocks that defiantly withstood the force. The sky had a gradual shading of blue. The ocean was almost spotless... the few spots being the birds who had flown deep into the waters and were bobbing up and down along the waves. The clouds behind the Sun were orange, and the trees were bent towards the sea. On the sand where we walked, there were fresh pugmarks of the birds. They made a wonderful pattern in the sand.
I was enamored. So was Prerna. She said "When you see something beautiful, dont you feel you are a part of it too??" Yes, I do.
I smiled. I could not contain the outpour of feelings. I didnt know why I felt what I felt.
I just smiled.
And then I looked down. There was a smiley drawn in the sand.

We walked for about 90minutes. And then surrendered to Naan-Stop. Delicious food. Captivating conversation. Hilarious incidents.

A fulfilling day...

Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahi

Unbelievable things...

1. I felt hungry and went to eat at Naan-Stop (alone). I saw the guy whom I had met 5 months back when I was totally new to this place. I was surprised that I recognized him (remembered that we had met). He, on the other hand, KNEW MY NAME!
2. I did an entire assignment on my own bal-boota... Almost a first, in this quarter.
3. I missed Salsa class.
4. I allowed all and sundry to color me in Holi.
5. I had the best dance party (4 of us grooved crazily). And then we listened to soulful music.
6. The first dinner out with friends at SB...
   
7. I had some of the most peaceful and fulfilling sleeps after I have come here... in the last week.
8. As with all good things, it came to an end.
9. A sound philosophy about the 'guilty party having to try and mend things', has not been followed. This caused more-terrible-than-usual heartburns.
10. I successfully resisted (so far).

Inheriting luck?

A thought that I often ruminate over...

I have been fortunate/unfortunate to have been born in a monetarily rich family. This has often caused my friends to look at my actions from a different perspective. Moreover, most people assume that there is no (or very little) 'struggle', and that it must have been an easy ride.
Also, some of them are almost jealous because of the freedom that I have (that money gives).
And the comment I dread the most is: "You are so lucky!". Not to say that I am not, but affluence is not the reason (well, not ALL the reason at least).

I think inheriting wealth is the same as inheriting the genes from parents/lineage. If someone's parents are intellectual, then the child is lucky because he/she gets the intelligence in the genes. In fact, if he uses it wisely, he could have a higher potential of being rich (and by that logic, is luckier than someone with only monetory inheritance). Similarly, someone born of good looking parents is lucky.

All the qualities that are carried over from the parent to the offspring, puts the offspring on a high-ground from the rest in that field. By that logic, EVERYONE is lucky (just the magnitude of luck varies... depending on which quality is given higher value).
And if one thinks thoDa deeply, monetary inheritance would rank rather low on the 'luck' scale.

Then why are rich people targetted?? Or why are daughters of rich families made to feel 'luckier'?