i got tagged by Holy Ash who in turn was tagged by someone who goes by the the intriguing pseudonym ctrl.altered.mind...

the interesting fact is, like holy ash, i had no idea that the term "meme" actually referred to something...presumed it was just one of those funny words that some blogger made up!

but in fact, according to the daily meme, a meme is:

An idea that, like a gene, can replicate and evolve

A unit of cultural information that represents a basic idea that can be transferred from one individual to another, and subjected to mutation, crossover and adaptation

A cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one generation to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation); "memes are the cultural counterpart of genes"

before i get to the interesting piece about my unspectacular quirks, here are the rules of this particular "games":
- link the person who tagged you.
- mention the rules in your blog.
- describe 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
- tag 6 following bloggers by linking them.
- leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs to inform them of having tagged them.

ok, now that i've got that out of the way...

- the notes in my wallet are arranged in order of denomination, largest on the outside to smallest on the inside. very irritating when i hand it to j and she gives it back with everything just stuffed in (she's noticed this and got better at arranging it the way i like it of late)

- i like to park my car with the wheels slightly skewed (turned out towards the road). i didn't realize this myself till j and one of her friends pointed in out some years back

- i use the mouse (not the touch pad, the extra one) with my left hand but the pointers and buttons are default (for normal right-hand use). people get very confused when they try my laptop or watch me working!

- i don't like sitting facing a wall or corner (in restaurants etc.), i always like having the wall at my back. i even ask folks to get up/ swap places with me if i get in last...

- i always prefer to sit facing forwards in a train, don't like the seats facing against the direction its moving. if i get stuck in a "backwards" seat, i'm always fidgety.

- i like my specs to be spotless, so i end up cleaning them all the time. i know this really irritates some folks at work, esp. when i keep on at it - you know when there's this small spec of something that i can never get off and i keep going at it

hmmm...now its all out in the open...promise not to take advantage!

so, everyone, i don't know 6 people who blog and haven't done this post already, so i'm not tagging anyone else...thank god, you say?

"underground" music

through a drab, touristy day in London, this guy provided an uplifting highlight!



imagine if:

you didn't get a guaranteed salary every month

you didn't have enough money to have a bank account

you had to perform all day in a dark corner of a london tube station to earn a sandwich at the end of the day

and if this is what we call the "developed world", imagine the millions back home in India and everything they need to do.

through last week, there's been a major uproar in the UK about children "as young as 10" working on clothes sold by Primark and how this was "exploitation" and how they should be at school instead.

who's going to pay for their education?
who's going to pay to feed them every day?
who's going to provide the shelter in the summer, monsoon and winter (well, all through the year, actually!) etc.

after all this bleak stuff, why was this guitar guy a highlight? because he had a smile on his face, he enjoyed what he was doing, and he hailed me with a "cheers, mate!" when i was done filming him and dropped a few pence into his box...

cheers!