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My days are numbered

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by greenplanet, Feb 18, 2010.

  1. greenplanet

    greenplanet New IL'ite

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Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/> <w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/> <w:LsdException 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mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> I am not dying. Far from it. Why , I just got examined recently and i was in fine fettle . Or so I thought till the doc revealed …. you seem to be heading towards cerebral asymmetry or what is called as Hemisphericity. From predominant activity of your left cerebral hemisphere.

    Well I never knew number crunching could have such an effect. I agree I am a number junkie but c’mon you can’t expect me to do a balancing act on my brain when I am struggling to even balance my life in this highly competitive world. But don’t you agree our life revolves around numbers. 24/7. Well we all have lucky numbers, unlucky numbers, phone numbers, credit card numbers, daily bus number, account numbers, passport numbers, car numbers, lottery numbers,… ad infinitum. And we can’t do without them, even though many amongst us have numerophobia.

    Then why blame the poor Brain. Doesn’t it also enjoy boogieing with numbers….ever squirreling away the numerals we love to reminisce. …. 18 Ganpati festival , 112456 -bank account number , 23 Navarathri , 9012 4757 9293 1293 credit card number , 2346 atm pin number , 23,786 rupees in sb account , 14 Dassera , 23 exams , and so on and so forth including the numerous numerals related to various birthdays of our spouse, kids, relatives, friends etc. But this guy Mr. Brain is also very smart. He has to his credit the ability to chuck out what is outdated. And rightly so as we don’t need to remember our obsolete telephone numbers, account numbers etc. It does save us from going wacky.( if not already )

    Number zero had always intrigued me. Call it jealousy, if you so wish. I was envious of its perfect balancing act between the positive and negative integers. But there is another deeper reason behind it and if you will keep a secret …I will reveal … well…it had adorned many of my school answer sheets with its ominous presence. (hush …).

    Numbers continued to fascinate me and crunching them was more scrumptious than a pack of lays cracker crisps.

    One weekend at home I was recalling the media plan and so deep was I engrossed that I started to verbalise my thoughts “ 3 million target audience with 26% of them in the 25,000+ income category can’t be achieved with just 8 television rating points …..” and my wife screamed at 80 decibel frequency pouring the simmering 100 degree sambar onto the two and a half , 5 cms radius idlis on my plate. Well that’s the effect of numbers for you.

    But why just blame me …what about the statisticians, numerologists who do nothing but number crunching till the cows come home.

    Not to forget the filmmakers who fancy numbers.
    1941, The 39 steps , 100 Dalmatians , Fahrenheit 451, 2001: A Space Travesty, The Magnificent Seven, 2 Fast 2 Furious, The 6th Day , 1942 a love story, 3 idiots, Nine and a Half Weeks, 13 Ghosts ….

    Numbers may be plain or boring to many but it does evoke many sentiments,

    36-28-36 now don’t say numbers aren’t sexy?
    9/11, 26/11, 2012 is sufficient to bring out the fear in us. Aren’t numbers scary?
    108, 1008, 786 aren’t these numbers revered, numbers are spiritual.
    13, 111, aren’t numbers superstitious?
    90’s - So many batsmen get out in the nineties…now isn’t numbers nervy?
    11111 - A man spent 20 lakhs of rupees for this new car number plate . Now aren’t numbers costly?
    420 – Don’t numbers cheat ?

    Lets take a short break, with a joke , considering the doctor’s advice to occasionally move the activity to the right brain :

    The mother of already three is pregnant with her fourth child.
    One evening, the eldest daughter says to her dad: "Do you know, daddy, what I've found out?"
    "No."
    "The new baby will be Chinese!"
    "What?!"
    "Yes. I've read in the paper that statistics shows that every fourth child born nowadays is Chinese..."


    The break ends and now we move back to the strained left brain….

    The number 1729 is just another number for most of us . But not to Ramanujam , read on to what Hardy , a famous British mathematician had to narrate …

    “ Once I was going to see Ramanujam when he was ill at Putney. I had ridden in taxi cab number 1729 and remarked that the number seemed to me rather a dull one and that I hoped it was not an unfavorable omen. "No," he replied, "it is a very interesting number; it is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. "

    Now I haven’t heard about Ramanujam having suffered from any brain equilibrium problem.


    And what about the many for whom numbers are but a way of life :

    "My life is all arithmetic", the young businesswoman explains. "I try to add to my income, subtract from my weight, divide my time, and avoid multiplying..."

    Last time when I met my friend , he was on his way to see the doctor and he was sulking ‘ Arre bhai , he will keep playing with the BP numbers and give me the jitters …earlier he said I was 170/110 and before that 180/110 ..now I don’t know what he is gonna add up .”

    Numbers even play a part in naming. Consider Dwivedi ( dwi means two) , Tripathi ( tri means three) , Chaturvedi ( chatur means four ) and Chaurasia ( means eighty four )

    Well, so much for numbers.

    You will agree that today with the world going techy, we ourselves are slowly getting stamped as mere numbers, isn’t it .

    And at the end of it all….once dead and gone, we become just another 8 digit number .

    Greenplanet 1978–2012.
    [FONT=&quot]
    Well my days are definitely numbered. Don’t you agree?


    GP

    [/FONT]
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2010
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  2. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    Dear Greenplanet

    Fantastic, Superb, excellent. You have really played with the numbers. So many facts you have given about numbers. Your first post was about IL and now the second about numbers, next will be on what. I think I got the opportunity to give you the first fb but I am not so good in giving fbs because I have no patience to wait and think and then write but give fb immediately.

    All the best to spread more greenery all around

    viji
     
  3. Padmini

    Padmini IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear greenplanet,
    In a wonderful and thought provoking manner you have brought out the importance of " numbers" in our day today life.
    From politics to films you have shown the importance of numbers. Yes
    I do agree without giving a ' second" ( a number).

    Numbers control our lives. We live our lives based on numbers. In fact, our whole world is run on numbers. Without numbers, we would have no way of managing time. Money would be useless, because it would have no value. There would be no long distance communication.In today's society, numbers are as important as the air we breathe. Unless we are well versed in the language of numbers, we would find it difficult to reach at important decisions and perform everyday tasks. Be it to shop wisely, or buy the right insurance, or refashion a home within a budget, knowledge of mathematics holds the key, and hence, barely necessary.
    with love
    pad
     
  4. Tubelight

    Tubelight Bronze IL'ite

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    Hi Green Planet !
    You are the absolute NUMBER ONE !:yes:
    Oh boy ! Never in my life have i had so much fun when reading numbers! Like, I am one of those stereotype dumb belles who always say "Duh !" if they see or hear anything bigger than a three digit number and try to keep out of Math-harms way . And here you go, stunning me with the revelation of how our whole life is dominated by numbers and numbers and numbers galore ! Awesome , man ! Crunchier than a kilo of Lays and Bingo !
    And :eek:mg: Nandan Nilekani is threatening to bring in a fresh new battalion of these insidious numerals to ensnare us more !

    That ominous shunya balancing the positive and negative integers ( :eekeeek ! what are those !!!) was adorning not just your answer sheets. You have company here, friend ! So where's the need for hush hush !

    True, Ramanujam dint suffer any brain equillibrium problem. But his brain just downed shutters in protest and he was reduced to that ultimate Eight Digit Number all too soon, sigh ! :cry: Almost makes one think , yes, numbers can be evil too !

    No no no !your days certainly are not numbered ! You have very long innings here , Rockstar ! :thumbsup
     
  5. knot2share

    knot2share Gold IL'ite

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    Dear GP

    This just reminds me of an ad that comes on TV here for RACV (Royal Automotive Club of Victoria), where they say to their customers - You are a member and not just a number. I am NUMB-er........after reading your love affair with numbers :). I can never remember numbers well like how some do. So true isn't it that we are all down to just numbers. All our lives are numbered for that matter. We all are lined up holding a number card in our hands, waiting for our turns........During that wait, we meet a number of people who come into our lives for a number of reasons. Life itself is a maze of numbers. Enjoyed reading your post. Right now I feel like that beautiful and perfectly balanced number. Only difference is I don't feel balanced enough :).
     
  6. greenplanet

    greenplanet New IL'ite

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    Dear Viji Mam, Grateful, thanks for the first fb. Its great to have you always around in the colourful garden of IL . Regards GP
     
  7. greenplanet

    greenplanet New IL'ite

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    Dear Padmini Mam, Thanks for your valuable comments. Numbers are very important , although at times boring . Unlike yesteryears women today are extremely well versed in number juggling and in many places lead a team of men. Regards GP
     
  8. greenplanet

    greenplanet New IL'ite

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    Hi TL, Thanks for all the comments. Well i am ready for a long innings , but at the other end of the crease , perfectly balanced on zero, happy watching (reading) your excellent 'fours ' and sixer' unbeatable blogs...Regards GP
     
  9. greenplanet

    greenplanet New IL'ite

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    Hi K2S, I have seen quite a few australian commercials and they are wonderful. As far as your balance is concerned, dont worry its only the numbers on top that have equilibrium problem ( like a pyramid) you are anyway well placed 'down under'. Regards GP
     
  10. Soldier

    Soldier Gold IL'ite

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    Hi GP!

    A unique post with the role the numbers play - be it politics, films whatever.
    As I read something more came to mind ......
    Education - quality getting diminished (or already done?) but everyone so mindful only of marks. Number - your score definitely plays a role in fetching u a seat to College or Professional Courses.
    Horoscopes - Saturn in 7 - Rahu in 5 and what not? That too astrologers never seem to agree on the same number.
    Numerology - Mani becoming Money or Manni (somebody may think Bhabi) Murugan becoming Mourugane!!!!!!!!
    Dishes - Chicken 65 !!!!
    Hot drinks - !/4, 1/2 !!!!!!!!!

    Anyway thought provoking! Thats abt all for the present. Shall get back if something more strikes.
     

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