Friday, March 20, 2009

At my 'analytical' best

Disclaimer: Reading this post is not advisable for confused/easily confusable souls like yours truly. Go ahead and read this iff (if and only if – discrete math… No? Forget it) you are sure you would remain as sane as you are (:-D) before reading this. And I may ask too many questions here, but I am confused, people, help me!!!

As mentioned above this post is a series of questions.

How often have you faced an internal conflict between what your brain (Note: My mokkais about you not having a brain are not a part of this post, ‘coz. this post is “serious”. Trust me!) says and what your instinct says? I am sure we would have come across this kind of a situation at least once on our lives (No? Not even while answering certain ‘ambiguous’ objective type questions? Even in college? Then I’d advise you not to continue reading this post.)

During such conflicts, which one would you follow? Would you go by what your brain instructs you to do or would you just go by your instinct? From your experience so far, which one has proved to be more successful?

Once you have thought of an answer to the previous question, try answering this simpler one (one which makes you think I have gone completely nuts, if you don’t think that about me already). Is it wrong to be too analytical? Should we be prepared for Worst-Case Scenarios before every decision point of our lives or should we just chill and wait for problems to come and then think about it?

I, for once, have become too analytical these days. For example, I always think of my future as a series of decision boxes (the rhombus shaped ones in any flowchart) - I think like, “scenario1 may result in scenario2 or 3. So what would I do if I land up in scenario2 and what would be my course of action in scenario3? If all goes well in scenario2, I’d be in scenario4; else I’d be in scenario5. What would I do if I am at scenario5? Similarly, I left scenario3 in the middle. If that is going to result in scenario6, 7, or 8, what would I do in each of these scenarios? It is like an extra-deep nested- If construct. Get my point? Lost me somewhere in the middle? Now you understand why there was a weird disclaimer?

If you got up to this line, you are as sane as I am (take it as a compliment). I think so much that, these days, I feel there is nothing I do other than thinking (I mean I am not even acting upon my thoughts). I get so tensed while thinking about certain unfavorable scenarios that I feel depressed for rather long periods of time. Is there a way to be a little less errr… insane???

ANSWERS PLEASE!!!

53 comments:

  1. i think you might know my answer :D

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  2. @Vaisakh
    U lost me somewhere in the middle? I am unable to guess any further. Have u been THIS confused?

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  3. its more getting confused and working through and around that has become a part of my life :D

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  4. Hmm...

    Seems like this "Evala Chinna Pennu" have some serious trouble., Probably she would have to draw a flowchart to even explain this blog..

    Sandy, Who on this earth is non-analytical ? Everyone plans, executes, delivers (outcome differs)

    Life is always on IFF's and BUTs. Luckily, for me, all these IFF's and BUTs never work, whatever I plan, doesn't always work out, so my funda towards life is.. "TAKE AS IT COMES"


    On a simpler note, Dont think much, a Broader mind has many more options.., Only then firms recruit people who has "OUT OF THE BOX" thinking.

    :-)

    Luv,Dhinu!

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  5. @Vaisakh
    But my question is, do u think in so many nested-Ifs??

    @Dhinu
    U r exactly like my sister. She has this come-what-may, dekh-lenge attitude. I actually admire her for that. But I myself could never be like that because I am this obsessive compulsive analyst.

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  6. @Sandy.
    Yes I do. Coz of these IFs i will always, "Chindichu Chindichu kaadu keyarum" :)

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  7. just lay back and relax for a while...what is the point of planning when u don't even know if you'll be alive the next day or not...go by your instincts and take one step at a time...i hate such deep-analytical ,flowchart full of questions kinda thinking...probably why i suck at math..but hey, i'm happy and tension-free n that is the whole point right? stay cool and stop giving your headaches to mom;-)

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  8. @@Gaya@3

    When can i propose you ? Sandy, Excuse me for this..

    Luv/Dhinu!!

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  9. @Gaya
    Yes, as I have already said in one of my earlier comments, I admire u for your ability to be this relaxed about everything. But I am unable to stop drawing imaginary flowcharts every time I think of anything. Example: I am traveling by bus to Coimbatore tonight and was thinking about it. Suddenly I thought, what if I miss the bus? What would be my contingency plan? Uuuuffff....

    @Dhinu
    You know I can break your back. Your soccer ball is still with me. Stay away from my sister!

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  10. @dhinu
    way to go dhinu :D

    @sandy
    oyee you were talking about instincts and IFs... and now you are threatening dhinu on this???

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  11. @@ Sandy,

    Size Matters, Probably you may have drawn an imaginary flowchart from breaking my back even, Huh, for me its just kick the ball and god knows whats on your way, should be anything from your head to toe.. Hope it only doesn't hurt Vid, Nitsy or anyone else..

    Luv/Dhinu!

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  12. @@ Vaiskah,

    Hum Katar mein hai kya??

    Gaya@3... itni demand mein ho kya ??

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  13. sandy,
    you have done sooo much math/compsci in ur brain??!!I wud be too lazy to do all that!!why dont u use YOUR BRAIN(????) for our project...Oops! i did it again...YOUR PROJECT..??Junta @ onsite wud sleep peacefully!:P
    Now comin to the topic and some serious(i will try here) stuff...needless to say i always act on my instincts(u know the recent incident rt ;))and i can support my acts!! So anyone who have guts can go by their instincts..afterall planning or drawing a flowchart or designing alorithm also are the results of instincts at that point of time...though u have wasted time on giving a serious thought on the situation at that point of time...u neva know..u can neva predict future!!Its just ur instinct at that point of time making you draw the flowchart...The flowchart might look silly to ur own self tomo!
    alrt..i know..am an expert in confusing people who are already confused...:D

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  14. @Sandy..
    If u miss the bus...we will go and watch GULAAL!!
    I wish,pray and hope u miss the bus!!:P

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  15. @Dhinu

    hehe...yeah,v'll make a perfect couple to irritate my sister...lol!

    @Sandy

    stop chasing away my potential boyfriends;)carry on with your weird questioning thing...

    @Vaisakh

    you r doing the narada job perfectly;) keep it up!

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  16. @Vaisakh
    Well, while thinking of ur instincts and making your decisions, you should also consider the dangers/risks involved, which is where I step in.

    @Dhinu
    Stop hitting on my sister and roommates.

    @Gaya
    Pls keep up your I-don't-care attitude here too.

    @Anju
    As for using my BRAIN for our... oops.. MY project, I am trying to do just that - carefully, very carefully!!!
    And yeah, what you did by following your instinct is not quite what I'd have had the guts to do; but yeah, I guess I am freeing myself from all the designing algorithm/drawing flowchart thingy little by little. I want to succeed at this, but still my compulsive calculative mind doesn't let me do that. :-D

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  17. @ Sandy,

    U r so damn lucky man.., u've well wishers in the form of Anjana.., :-)

    BTW, when is she coming to Bangalore, Those days, i'll make a point to travel by bus.

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  18. @gaya3...
    i will take that as a compliment :D

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  19. @Gaya
    U *****... For once I was being this overly-protective sister (with great difficulty of course) and you blow it on my face?? U know what my instinct is telling me to do right now? [Gritting my teeth....] U'll get practical "treatment" tomorrow!

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  20. @Anju
    Don't worry, even if I miss the bus, I'll take another bus to Salem and then another one frm Salem to Coimbatore.

    @Dhinu
    Stop hitting at Anjana. She's engaged.

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  21. Sandy...wheres the community "I HATE DHINU" ???

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  22. wow u have an algorithm for todays travel too...u rock ya!!

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  23. @Blah-er
    Well, I am gonna start a "I hate Dhinu" community shortly in Orkut. Pls do make it a point to join the community and give him a royal thrashing whenever you find time! Will send you an invite to join the community too.
    As for the algorithm thing, I know I suck... U don't have to be THIS sweet and say I rock!!!

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  24. @sandy
    you should not go head on with your sis...
    dangerous for health... (from personal experience :))

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  25. @Vaisakh
    I know... I have experienced it myself umpteen times! :-(

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  26. :)
    hey got some updates in my blog.. check it out

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  27. @@ Sandy,
    Whose this Blah-Er ?

    And why is he/she/it/they so intrested in "I HATE DHINU" community ?

    however, make it... I'm sure there would be more than 2 users including u and Blah-Er.

    Not so sure, if we're msising the algoriths here.

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  28. @Dhinu
    Vlah-er is Anju.I guess it is pretty evident that she is least interested in u. :-) And yeah, gathering people into the "I hate Dhinu" community wouldn't be a tough task given there are so many of us. ;-)

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  29. @@ Sandy,

    babe, dont u know that people who starts off on a wrong note are the ones to make happy endings ???

    I consider the petty fights with ANJU, Just like that..

    Rgds
    Dhinu!

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  30. @Dhinu
    :-P Yeah right... I'd rather let Anju answer that one.

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  31. Sandhya,

    //How often have you faced an internal conflict between what your brain says and what your instinct says??//

    Well,if it is me,I will just think and go with the thing which matters the most 5 years from now,whether it's career or whatever.

    Btw when you have such a Cute Name(Sandhya) why people call you Sandy.Sounds chick ? I guess not.Just asking :-)

    Have a nice weekend,
    K.Kiran.

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  32. @Kiran
    Thnx for writing in ur comments. This topic has been haunting me for over a week now. Now that I have got a variety of responses, I'd base my decision after considering the suggestions made here by all my friends.

    Sandy is a name that I have got from my college days and other friends caught up with that name too. I guess that would stay forever! No1 apart from my friends call me Sandy!

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  33. being analytical is no sin, but being disturbed over imaginative scenarios is definitely not worth it. life sure is unpredictable and many a time it wudnt pass the smooth roads and prefer rocky lanes instead. but how many alternatives could you imagine? there wud be a thousand rhombuses on the chart of life which you wouldn't even have heard of, forget thinking about it. call it "unpredictable damages". but life aint a piece of code which could have 1% of unpredictable damages after passing through the testing phase. learn to face the problems as it occurs, not before that. why do we waste our energy thinking of solutions for problems which does not exist? u take care dear and have fun :)

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  34. @Sawan
    What u r saying is true... I admit. That is EXACTLY where I have a problem. When I think of a scenario that is yet to occur, I think of it 1st and I can think of only 2 scenarios and I start thinking about it more to make sure I have not missed out a resultant scenario. :-) As ridiculous as it may it sound, that is what is happening to me!!! I am trying not to think too much and it has been working for the last 2 days now, as I am at home and my mom is keeping me from thinking!

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  35. dnt try hard not to think! wut comes natural should go natural :) you would be fine. just find ways so that you get too involved in something which might kep you away rom thoughts. and try to have loong conversations with very very dear ones. at times there might be something which is disturbing you and you may not identify it unless you have a chance to talk about it. you take care.

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  36. @sawan
    U are truly right... I talked to my mom for more than 2 hours and at the end of it, I felt an amazing amount of confidence surging out of nowhere!

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  37. m happy for ya :) u take care and have fun :)

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  38. Sandy,

    i am marking my attendance. i cant figure out ur complex rhombus boxes.. i don c wat you c.. i think i ve a better job to do rather than trying to giv u a suggestion...

    the better job i was referring to is..
    Hi Gayathri... :)

    -- Nagu

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  39. @Nagu
    I hate u completely... For once, try to be nice to ur frnd (who herself resembles Jessica Alba 58%), without hitting on her friend!!!

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  40. Sandy,

    I thought its ur sister whom i waved to..

    and coming to jessica alba thingy i feel she lacks 42%... U still hate me?

    --nagu

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  41. @Nagu
    Ohhh please, don't tell me you are from the group that always focuses on the "glass is half-empty" part?

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  42. Sandy,

    Just for fun buddy.. chillax...

    --nagu

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  43. @Post

    well lets see... to ur questions I m analytical too (ask ur sis for explanations)... but there are certain contigencies u need to foresee certain things u need to forget thinkin abt... its a mix of both... sometimes u ll ve to go by instinct and at other times by ur brain... but at the end of the day dont regret what u ve done... thts it... Atleast I feel sane... and ur scenario 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,... countless is not the rgt way... I sup... stick to sce 1 and 2... 1 u do it correctly 2 u don and what r u gonna do when u r failing... don think too much yaar... relax and enjoy life...

    @Gaya

    Lots of fans pola irukae...

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  44. @Sriram
    Thnx for ur opinion!
    As for wat u suggest, it is easier said than done. For me thinkin incessently is like ur heart beating! It is involuntary... To curb it is scary (I feel I'd not be alive if I am not thinking)!!!

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  45. @ Sandy

    Yes it is easier said than done... But u don try to curb urself... just be urself... If thinkin is ur heartbeat do it... And I ttly agree tht if u r not thinkin u r dead... And nobody in this world can stop thinkin abt whats gonna happen... not evn ppl who have so called "come what may" attitude... Just tht they take it way cooler thn the others... So I would stick to my earlier answer... 2 options... either u succeed or u fail... What do u do is u succeed... what do u do... if u fail thts all...:):):)

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  46. @Sriram
    True, u should see my sister and her don't care attitude. U would be amazed by that. I wish I could be a little more relaxed and laid back....

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  47. @ Sandy

    Yeah I know ur sis's attitude... its got its demerits too.. so I would say take ur decisions analysing options and worst case sce... but be relaxed... thts all...

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  48. @Sriram
    Thank u... Will try to curb the anxiety at least... :-)

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  49. This was a nice post! Confusing but I guess we all are too self-critical on occassions but the period that follows lets us loose certainly!

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  50. @Manik
    Thanks for dropping by - bringing up 50 comments for a single post - first time ever!!!

    As for the period that follows the self-critical period; it certainly does a world of good to us! It sets our mind clear and makes us feel that we are in control of our lives!!

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  51. @sandhya/sriram
    hey ppl....dis post is entirely abt sandhya and her analytical mind.. so i'd rlly appreciate it if you don't involve me or my attitude ovr here...

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  52. "One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."
    - Bertrand Russell

    I do the rhombus thing of planning for diff scenarios that you mentioned only when I'm in deep deep shit. During the other times, I freeya vitufy.

    Regarding listening to instincts vs brain, thats a toughie... I usually trust the brain on umimportant stuff like exams :D and instincts when it comes to ppl. I think you can develop instincts once you become good at something. Until then just chill, take calculated chances and enjoy life.

    And oh, Hi!

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  53. @Arvind
    Hi, thanks for ur comments and welcome to my blog... :-)

    As for trusting my instincts, I am doin' it more and more these days, as I am convinced that I have run of thoughts and have started developing terrible headaches!!!

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