Last Moments of 2006

With just 5 minutes left in 2006, it is fun trying to keep Mikaeel up for the countdown. 2006 has been a great year professionally and personally. My biggest achievement for 2006 has been teaching my son the pleasures of basic algebra, geometry and trigonometry. It is tough explaining sine and cosines to an 8-year old, but its amazing how receptive kids are to new concepts.

Every year I think that I cant possibly work any harder, but it seems there are few limits to human perseverance & hard work. I guess I will find out in 2007 whether there are limits. The countdown has begun, I have 731 left ... it's everything I have teed up for.

In the last few moments of 2006, Riz wonders what Lauren is up to.

The winter has been kind so far - no snow on the ground and the forecast of temperatures in the 40s all next week.

Best Wishes to all my friends and family for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2007.

The last days of 2006

I have had a good time entertaining guests the last couple of weeks. It was especially entertaining to see Mikaeel interacting with 5 year old Shyaan and 7.5 year old Jadeer. The half is important when you're younger - as you get older you tend to round down. The boys go after their dad, Joudat, my high school buddy, now some hot shot Government official. So needless to say that like Joudat, they are anything but boring. Mikaeel got his fill of conflict resolution and in now ready for his cousin 6-year old Shamrez to arrive. I think it will be a gentle transition.

Teaching Kids conflict resolution and negotiating skills is tough, especially when you try to push for polite, non-physical, gentle and positive behavior. The goal is to make kids assertive yet polite, tough yet gentle, social yet disciplined and critical yet obedient.

Blood Diamonds

Two weeks in a row. After watching Apocalypto, I didn't think I would be that impressed with Blood Diamonds, but it turns out that it is an exceptional movie. Not that I was much for diamonds and other ornaments, jewels, expensive watches, etc. to begin with, however, this movie really drove home the fact that anyone who cares to compensate for their shortcomings by wearing jewelry, should at least be cognizant of where that jewelry comes from. Even now 15% of the world diamonds are conflict diamonds.

That reminds me of one of my mentors, Mony, who wisely said that anyone who accessorizes excessively is admitting that they have a vacuum that they are attempting to fill with ornaments. Over the years, I have thought of her statement almost before every meeting. I tend to dress up when I am least prepared for a meeting. If I wear a tie to a meeting, I have essentially cut-off circulation to my brain and am just there to look good and nod my head.

Apocalypto

What a great, disturbing and thought provoking movie. All I could think about during the movie was how nothing has changed between the brutality of the Mayan culture then and our "modern civilization" now. Yes the movie is ultra-violent, but so is what really happens in battles, imprisonment, and imperialzation. I did wonder whether a movie about the misery of our soldiers in Iraq and the people of Iraq would be any less violent and gruesome.

For all those that call it ultra-violent, I would agree, but it is not fictional, unlike the violence shown in games like Grand Theft Auto or silly horror movies whose names I don't care to remember. Movies like Apocalypto, Gladiator, Brave Heart, Alexander, Kingdom of Heaven are all movies that are fully justified to carry violence to portray reality of those eras.

This movie will touch a nerve with fathers and their instincts to protect and provide for their families. The only difference is that instead of waking up every morning and lining up for a hunt in a jungle, we now wake up an line up for intellectual battles.

This movie will definitely make it into my collection of Epics.

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify

Products have become too complex. Even after a couple of graduate degrees from MIT, I find it hard to navigate software products, gadgets, websites, search engines. Perhaps it is an early on set of senile dementia, so I was pleased to see a couple of articles and events that point to the return to simplicity:

1. Sergey Brin, Co-founder of Google recently wrote about focusing on simplicity. See: http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/biz2/howtosucceed/index.html

2. Business Week published and article on simple products for puzzled seniors only. The article talks about simple cell phones with no email and other frills, printers that periodically dial out to your email address and print your emails. Although the article is for Seniors Only, I would generalize it to a large community of folks that would like to see simpler things. See:
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061129_628050.htm?sub=techmaven

Call me a hypocrite as I dream of simplicity while I type my blog on a chilly Sunday evening in Boston. Shouldn't I be simplifying my life and reading a book instead of staring at a screen and typing a blog for strangers.