Steamless soups and Rotten ideas

How to stay positive during the period of economic recession?

2009-02-25T22:31:00.000-08:00

One day the zombie started to wonder how one can remain positive during such negative times of economic recession. Is it worth to worry about your job security, the stock losses and making up your mind to live with much less money? It was during such a fit of pessimism that the zombie read an article about recent medical research indicating the presence of special genes in some people that keeps them happy during any such adversity. "Damn, What luck!" shouted the faceless zombie. "How can I keep myself happy too?" he cried loudly. He was pretty sure that he was not one of those lucky souls to have been gifted with such good Godly genes in his blood. "When will research develop to inject such good genes into my body?" he cried loudly again. After sometime when he recovered from his mood and gained his good senses, he decided to think about how he can stay happy during bad economic times. He started to take his notepad and scribble down a list of things without looking up. A peep from behind (social engineering!) showed the following:

1. Write down the list of five things that you are proud and happy of possessing in your life. They can be anything that you are thankful of. Carry this list with you always and read it whenever you are unhappy.

2. If you haven't lost your job yet, stop worrying about losing it. Look around you and talk to your peers. Take breaks with them and talk about how you can group and add a little new feature to your company product that can sell or bring revenues. Let your managers know about it.

3. Spend time at charity. There might be an orphanage or old age home that needs your help. Spending time with little kids or old seniors can be refreshing to your mood. The satisfaction of offering help shall heal your heart for days.

4. Buy yourself a small treat. Go for a little walk with your loved one. Learn to live with less money. Avoid the french fries and coke. Drink water. Stay healthy!

5. In the worst case, think of all those people without food, water and living amidst filth in third world countries. Think of all those people suffering from illness and terminal diseases. The pain and agony they go through. You shall be thankful for whatever position you are now in. Recession or not!

Hmmm......The zombie sure has gone nuts. But there can be a few good points in his 'happiness list' for each one of us out here. As I left the zombie alone, he started to jump up and down in joy for having found a way out! Well, we can't really be sure. Time has to answer. Just like the recession.

The zombie's joy slowed down gracefully as I closed the door and took a turn into the street. The shouts still resonated in my ears. "Recession, recession go away! Zombie knows to be happy again!"

Now, what do you think shall keep you happy during tough recession times?

The End

2007-04-06T08:54:00.001-07:00

I can't imagine the end,
of all the things to be gone through.
I know I'm gonna die,
the pain of it drawing close.
I'm only left alone,
with the gift of memories,
of days good and old.

The days where I sat on the rocks,
watching the waves break on the steps.
With my feet in the cold waves,
a dying sun decorating the clouds.

The days when I felt like a child,
travelling to the corners of the world.
with my arms of steel,
full of energy and zeal.

I can't imagine my end,
lonely and alone,
withered from my journey of life.
I realize I'm only left alone,
with the gift of memories,
of days good and old.

I can't imagine why,
He who made me travel alone?
The journey of good or bad,
I can't decide.
But why should I complain?
I can't feel the pain.

I can't imagine my end,
in the cold of a winter morning.
I realize I'm only left alone,
with the gift of memories.
I realize the end is near,
Let me sleep forever.

A zombie and a warmer globe

2007-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

The zombie appeared terrified after glancing through a plethora of articles in newspapers on global warming. The divided scientific opinion on global warming between human induced warming by the burning of fossil fuels as opposed to the idea of a change in the solar output troubled him. Pearls of perspiration came down his face. The thought of having to witness tinder like summers drove him crazy. The fiery thunderbolts that struck during the past monsoon came to his mind along with the flash floods. "Why the heck should this warming occur during my lifetime?!" he moaned.

A pale weak voice took him by surprise. He shivered a bit by the sudden utterance of a soft greeting. However, he composed himself quickly and turned back. There stood a little girl of five. She looked very sick and thin with a very common attire smeared with dirt. The appearance of her clothes suggested that it could have been a week since it was properly washed. She was poor to even afford a detergent to wash her clothes. Her hair was disclad but her eyes shone brilliantly. She put her hands in to those of the zombie and said "I was looking for you all over the place. I'm alone at home and there's nothing to play with. Can we play for sometime?". The zombie was always pleased to see the little creature. Her father was a poor labourer who struggled to earn two square meals a day. Her mother cleaned up the neighbouring houses and struggled to earn some money to afford them a shelter. The zombie was in such a state of mind, that he could not afford to pay full attention to the child in front of him. He looked at her with little interest and uttered "Why don't you play with something else?".

The girl stared back at him through her sad eyes. She spoke slowly. "There's nothing at home to play with. I had a kitten a long time back but mother gave her away to my uncle in the village. She could not afford to feed both of us with milk." The zombie suddenly realized that he had carelessly made the child sad. He felt sorry for the child. The girl turned to the window and staring out asked him, "Can I sing for you?". "Sure" said the zombie. He was always amused to see the girl happy. The girl smiled happily and started to jump up and down while singing out some of the rhymes taught to her in the local school. The school which she attended was free and lacked proper infrastructure. The building was in a dilapidated state. Classes from kindergarden to high school were conducted in the same room amidst chaos and confusion along with the loud banter of the children. Even the teachers were not well qualified and paid meagre salaries.

The girl danced and sang for sometime and got bored with it. She pulled up a chair close to the zombie and glanced at him closely at the head. "What are you looking at?" asked the zombie. "Do you have an injury to your head?" she queried back in her soft voice. "No" replied the zombie a bit taken back. "Why do you ask that?" said the zombie looking keenly at the girl. The thoughts of global warming and crazy weather had completely drained out of his head. The little girl held all of his attention now. "My father got hurt on his head and a lot of blood came out. He feels a lot of pain always. Do you feel it in your head too?" asked the girl innocently. The zombie shrugged to remember that the girl's father fell from a speeding crowded train, a few years back and badly injured his head. Though he was dragged inside the train and left laying on the floor with blood oozing from his head, no one cared nor could spare time to rush a poor labourer to the hospital. Human life, especially that of a poor man was so cheap. It was the cleaners who came in the evening that carried him to a doctor. The doctor managed to save his life but the incident left him struggling with epilepsy and violent seizures for life. Being a poor labourer he could not afford money for his health condition and that incident sent his life into a harder downward spiral. The girl's mother bent her back hard to support her husband and to feed her daughter. Life has been a struggle for the girl's family. Ever since, they have not been able to live happily. "My mother cries for father's health and the doctor has given him a couple of tablets to be consumed daily." said the girl with a small pause. "Father shall get well with the tablets. Mother tells me that we can afford to have the kitten with us after father gets healed up".

The zombie's throat went dry. He assured her saying "Dont worry kid. Father shall be okay and mother shall be happy again." He reached around for the box of candies that he had stashed up on the rack and gave them to her. She happily grabbed them and went out looking to play with the children on the street. The zombie felt sad for her. He sat up thinking about the demons of global warming. There are far more important things to strive for before worrying about global warming. The world should strive for providing food and basic amenities to everyone living on this planet. No one should go hungry or die on the streets. The day poverty is abolished shall be the day the world must look forward to. It is a pity that countries continue to spend billions on military and defense researches but cannot afford to ensure that all of its population is being fed and clothed properly. Lets fight poverty and tackle the more important demons first before arguing about the changes in the climate pattern. The governments tend to blow up the global warming idea and cover up other issues that they really should be concentrating on. Don't be fooled by them.

A first blog

2007-03-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

"I have created a blog. Now, there is a page of my own to post all of that nonsense in peace. I don't need to interact with a human face again. I can seek solace for everything and anything through my blog-o-sphere. Let everyone hear my rotten voice!" shouted a faceless zombie. Tears of satisfaction rolled down his cheeks.

The problem with the zombie was that he always carried himself with pride that he was one of those extremely creative devils to have ever lived and died on this planet. But in reality he was just a soulless voice who wandered around trying to imitate almost everyone he knew to rub off his unique creativeness. He was just a shard of a broken mirror trying to reflect the mirage of thoughts around him.

While you get ready to share the experiences and thoughts of a rotten zombie or a ghostless devil, sit back to unwind with a steamless soup to let the rotten ideas and vapors of ghosts to die down.