Eye to Eye

Heard of 'Body Language' anytime? Atleast all those people who have prepared for an interview must have! It's difficult to maintain eye contact with the interviewer while processing all the questions they keep throwing at you (as processing facial expressions requires a lot of brain effort!)

Anyways. I am not talking about that. Here's what I am talking about:

So this other day I was walking with my friends in Connaught Place (CP). Two of us had fallen in steps behind the other two, when suddenly a nice lady walked past me. Out of nowhere I decided to do an experiment. I called one of the two people walking in front of us; our eyes met and suddenly I directed my eye to the lady in between us two. Almost as if my eyes controlled his motor neurons - he looked where my eyes were pointing: right into the face of a total (beautiful) stranger at a distance of ...

This event, in the chill of Delhi winters, rekindled my interest in this field. Here are some good references to get you started:

1. Pauk Ekman - Emotions Revealed (Awesome book, thanks to my Prof. RBN!)
2. Malcom Gladwell - Blink (thanks to my birthday gift by chemical engineer)
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_contact
4. http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_08_05_a_face.htm

Please do refer to me if there are any other good books you've read on this subject

I wrote a small term paper (with Menu) last year on Non Verbal Communication. As novice as I might be - let me know if you need a copy :)

Here's a part from the paper which I particularly like:

Some aspects of facial expressions are hard to fake, for e.g. the raised inner corners of eyebrows which come with real sadness (Ref: Emotions Revealed, Paul Ekman)

You've an exam tomorrow - Yes!

A friend finds himself totally irritated by his roommate's apparently insensible desire to complete the book Catch 22 in one night, and tries to beat him down sarcastically; only to be boomeranged. Here's how it began:

"[You read like] You have an exam of this book tomorrow..."

"Okay"

"You have an exam tomorrow!!!"

"Yes!"

"What is this exam about?"

"This book"

"The book you are reading?"

"Yes"

"Catch-22"

"Yes"

"You have an exam of this book"

"Yes"

"What is this exam about"

"This book"

"How can it be possible!!! When is the exam?"

"2:30 PM"

"I mean, seriously?"

"Yes"

"You have an exam of this book tomorrow?"

"Yes"

"How do you know!"

"You told me"

"I never told you. I was asking you"

"Yes, I am telling you"

"What?"

"That you told me"

"I asked you!"

"Yes, and I have told you"

"Ok, let me get this straight - you have an exam tomorrow on this book tomorrow at 2:30 PM"

"Yes"

"What are they going to ask you"

"How can I know!"

"I mean, what will happen as a result of you giving this exam"

"I don't know"

"You don't know!"

"Yes"

"Then who knows?"

"You"

"How can I know?"

"You told me"

"I didn't tell you, I asked you"

"Yes, I am telling you"

"Agrhhhh....ok so who is conducting this exam"

"I don't know"

"You don't know!"

"Yes"

"Then who knows"

"You"

"Oh my God, how can I know!"

"I don't know"

"You're are lying"

"You're lying"

"About what?"

"That I am lying"

"Agrhhhhh, so it's true that you've an exam tomorrow on this book"

"Yes"

"How can I be sure that you're not lying"

"You told me"

"Ok, don't try to act smart - I did not tell you about anything, I asked you"

"Yes, I am telling you"

"I don't understand - for the last time - You have an exam tomorrow on this book at 2:30 PM?"

"Yes"

"It's so weird, why would there be an exam on this book"

"Yeah"

"I think you are lying to me"

"I think you are lying to me"

"About What"

"That I am lying to you"

"Why"

"Because I am telling you what you told me"

"What the hell did I tell you?"

"About the exam"

"For the last time, I asked you!"

"Yes, and I am telling you"

"Ok - finally: you've an exam tomorrow on this book?"

"Yes"

"Oh, ok then I should stop disturbing you. All the best"

---x-----

An Excerpt:

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

--x--

However the two things are almost, but not quite, entirely unrelated. While the conversation is based on exaggerated linguistic ambiguity coupled with some brutal lies from one side and an overtly feeling of trust and compliance from the other; the novel is based on what I can loosely call as logical ambiguity.

Even if the above interpretation is false, to make any sense at all of the post you have to think it's about Catch 22 when clearly it's not. However, as soon as you stop thinking that it's about Catch 22 it makes stops making any sense at all!

Who's Legendary?

Probably and sadly both will vanish into oblivion soon, but what is to be seen is that who's going to be legendary in times to come. Hope it's the real one.

Words Words Words

I found this on an old torn paper - I am guessing that I wrote this while attending a lecture in my college...

Words, Words, Words

They fly by

Words, Words, Words

My head sighs

Words, Words, Words

Like a screeching nail on the glass

Words, Words, Words

Like a jingle out of its own class

Words, Words, Words

You think you are like a Rhapsody

Words, Words, Words

But let me tell you, you are nothing but noddy

Words, Words, Words

I yawn, I cry

Words, Words, Words

I fear, if I hear, I might die

Words, Words, Words

Please stop them

Words, Words, Words

Banish, burn them

Words, Words, Words

Oh God, why

Words, Words, Words

Given by thy

Words, Words, Words

Witchy, wicked, sly!

For additional scintilla: let me quote Shakespeare -

Polonius

"What do you read, my lord?"

Hamlet
"Words, words, words"

Emotional Baggage

The feeling of not being able to help your friend beyond a point

The feeling of telling lies when you don't want to

The feeling of being lied to, on your face

The feeling of not being able to sit for hours over coffee with people you want to

The feeling of doing what you don't want to, and not doing what you want to

The feeling of not being able to pray at the start of the end and at the end of it

The feeling of not being able to tell people what you want to, when you want to

The feeling of not being able to cry alone, or in front of anyone

...

However, the quote of the day goes to an old journal entry of mine:

It's pointless to feel pointless

....