The RavS and The Art of Changing Hair Styles

I have this itch to constantly tinker with my looks. It's almost an obsession and I have been called a number of things due to it. Good too, but mostly bad - show off, cartoon, attention seeker and what not. Do I mind? Yeah, I mind. I mind it so much that I want to punch the person on the nose. But I don't care about it that much to stop doing something that "I do for myself".

One of my characteristics is to experiment. While hair and beard and moustache are for everyone to see and comment, I experiment with dozens of little things week after week, month after month. Anyone who has read all the posts here would know I have experimented with different styles of writing, different themes, different lengths, different formats, etc. etc. In fact, many of these post have been about a number of weird experiments on self and others.

When I write code, I try different techniques too. One time I painstakingly wrote a program through OO paradigm, that could have been so easily done via procedural techniques. Sometimes I deliberately write shitty piece of code just to give myself a 'feel' of what happens when the code standard is sub-par. Sometimes I don't document, other times I over-document.

I haven't told you about my 5-hour/day sleep experiment, the 19-hour study marathon, the touch-feet-of-elders-everyday experiment, the ask-a-question-every-hour-even-if-you-know-the-answer experiment, the don't-break-eye-contact-first experiment, the year long write-750-words-a-day experiment (Ok may be told this one). The point is : my life is woven around different kinds of experiments. Some succeed moderately, most fail so miserably and embarrassingly that I vow never to discuss it with anyone.

Now that I have set the context, it will be easier to answer some questions:

Why can't I just stay with a style for long?

Losing my hair is something I fear a lot, probably only second to losing my family and friends. It's known even to my yet-to-be-adopted pet that men suffer from hair loss a lot more than women (ladies have a lot of advantages on genetic level, I hate you ladies). Hair it seems has a shorter life span than human nowadays. So, I go with the philosophy of "do it, while you have it". Besides, I have this kinda OCD of tinkering with stuffs.

But why just experiment with hair? 

Why not experiment with clothes and other accessories? Good question, but easy to answer - hair styling is cheap and easy! Besides buying a lot of clothes and accessories goes against my minimalist philosophy. So, yes I like accessories. But mostly I find it a 'burden' to carry and to store & take care. More about it some other day.

Do I do all this to seek attention? 

A 2 part answer:

1. Everybody loves attention. Some of us avoid the limelight, but we all love attention.

2. On a subconscious level - probably yes. But on a conscious level it is about seeking answers : What if I keep my hair long and wear a band? How would I look with a pony tail (ask my mom)? How about keeping the hair reverse parted? What will happen if I keep my hair short? Mohawk? Can I ever carry off a moustache?

Now here is the most amusing part, every style I keep at least one person tells me that it is much better while some other person will tell it's worse than the last one! People just try to project their own experiences, thoughts, fears on you. So, doing something just to impress someone is not worth the effort (and I say this after actually trying to impress a few people).

Whatever you do in your life, you will be commented upon. The only way to not be called upon is to just be average (and I don't say this just in the context of styling); to fall in line, to do exactly what others are doing, to not question the set standards, to kill any idea you want to try in any field just because people will find it weird, and you might get embarrassed.

If you live your life based on others' point of view, you will always be utterly confused (personal experience!). It's better to man up (or woman up) and do what you like, and let the world go to hell. And probably try a new hair style :)

PS1: I don't take the credit for any of the hair styles I have tried over the years. They are mostly inspired/copied from others. But then most my writings are inspired/copied from others.

PS2: A big THANKS to my sister who advises me in trying new styles, and everyone else who don't give a shit about it.

PS3: Update on Moustache: It's grown longer and denser and now it's become difficult to maintain symmetry. It has become a constant distraction, having to fight with the gravity all the time. Next week is going to be the last of it. Will probably take a final picture.

PS4: I had initially decided to put up pictures of all the styling done in last 1000 days. But then it was going to be too much work for the lazy me. Also, I realized that  I don't have as many pictures as I would have liked. Probably should archive myself more often.

PS5: Sorry for abusing the PS. But as I said, it's all about experimenting. 

Myself

OK, so I am finally writing about myself. And it's funny that one thing that I should have posted a long time ago, I am doing it now. Well there is a reason for that: it's really hard to define your own self. I think that's what people call discovering yourself, and it takes the whole life to "actually" get to know yourself. Anyways, without wasting my blog space and your precious time I would like to present to you, Myself <drumrolls>:

My name is Ravi Singh, and my blogger/pen/online name is RavS. I am 23 25 years old (though I am not really proud of the fact). I am from India, in case you are not from India. I like a variety of stuffs... related to computers! So, that includes Blogging, Programming, tinkering with the OS, trying out new softwares (I am a part time beta tester, who doesn't reveal his findings!) and of course surfing the web (well mostly surfing the web).

I love music (but I know I am not the greatest music loving creature alive). I like so many music genres (Rock) and artists (Taylor Swift) that it's really impossible to tell which one is my favorite (Himesh Reshammiyya). Basically I can hear anything under the sky and it all depends on my mood. I am also a movie watcher (though a much better movie collector) and again there is no clear favorite actor (Tom Cruise) or actress (Angelina Jolie) or genre (Comedy) that I could name.

I am an awesome procrastinator, but I am too humble to brag about my superpowers. I am an introvert and shy guy. I sometimes don't bath and message all my friends to tell my achievements. I am a lousy artist, but  that's because I don't want to give complex to people like these. Alright, alright. I know you would be thinking why am I writing these negative traits. Well actually I am a fan of Sjain in this regard, who thinks  shouting about your negative features is actually a positive thing. And hey, you only wanted to read "Myself", (I didn't ask you ;) and now that I am writing "Myself" myself, you are criticizing me? That's not coo! Read on...

But I like to have my own opinion (Justine B. sucks), but never get annoyed at anyone (****** you R. Black, you have ruined my Fridays). I love all my friends (except XP and Sui) and am usually happy for them (yeah, whatever...). I always praise my friends' work (secretly it annoys me to see how awesome they are, so I fake it). I think we should always try and keep improving ourselves (yesterday I watched more TV shows than the day before) and try to help everyone (except XP and Sui). 

I have got a really big nuclear family (not the radioactive kind, idiot) and I am the only eldest brother in the family. I am self unemployed in an Indian company. I have really high dreams (one time I scared the hell out of terrorists with an empty gun, in my dreams). I am punctual (never late more than 2 hours). I am always impartial/neutral in my views (as long as you are talking about something I like). I don't like to pressurize anyone (until they keep reading and commenting on my posts).

I do not support piracy (I am also a hypocrite) and I am a full fledged GNU/Linux supporter (mostly because of their bull/penguin logo). Microsoft is my favorite company (to curse against, while using their products). I am super athletic & fit and I rarely lie about anything. I am a gifted singer-cum-dancer and I also have a great sense of humour.

Well that's pretty much it. If you gotta know more about me, I would think either you have a crush on me (OK if you are girl, not Ok if you are not a girl) or are spying on me (OK if you are girl, not Ok if you are not a girl). In a really rare case you may be plain curious (OK if you are a girl or not). In any case, just drop me a mail/tweet.

Cheers!

Battle Royale : RavS vs Ravi

To you *RavS* and *Ravi* might be one and the same, or the names might even not matter. But for me, RavS and Ravi seem to be 2 completely different personalities. It's like I have dual nature and I don't know which one is correct or better than the other. So, to get a clearer view, I asked myself the question... 

Differentiate b/w Ravi and RavS

• Ravi is a reality, and practicality.
• RavS is a concept. An ideology.

• Ravi is God made (through parents :)
• RavS is self made (with some help from friends)

• Ravi believes in hard work and dedication.
• RavS is lazy but believes in smart work and shrewdness.

• Ravi is a Hindi word that means 'Sun'
• RavS can have different meanings in different contexts. But basically RavS is an amalgam of words Ravi + Singh.

• Ravi's full name is Ravi Singh
• RavS uses RavS RSH for full name (RSH being used as a trademark nickname and in Alt names like @twitRSH).

• Ravi is shy by nature and needs to be pushed get work done.
• RavS is ready to take initiative and can push others when the need arises.

• Ravi likes to play safe.
• RavS is far more adventurous and is ready to take risks if the stakes are high.

• Ravi is not very talkative and keeps the conversation to the point.
• RavS is fun to be with, so people like his company.

• Ravi is confident in his abilities and works within his limitations.
• RavS feels insecure and is always looking to improve.

• Ravi is inclusive, officially and unofficially, so he is answerable to every deed.
• RavS is exclusive, and underground.

• Ravi is omnipresent, off and on line.
• RavS is mostly an Internet alter ego.

• Ravi is simple, fair and humble.
• RavS plays with attitude and believes in "ends being more important than means".

• Ravi does not want a girl friend.
• RavS does not have a girl friend.

• Ravi has matured and is ready to take responsibilities (umm.. I guess :).
• RavS is still not fully defined and is evolving day by day.

Battle Royale: RavS 3.5 Vs RavS' Bro 3.5

So, here is something interesting I thought about writing for today. You know I have a little brother (technically he is my cousin, but now since he lives with us permanently, I don't like to call him a cousin, so no more explanation about him from now on). And he is really crazy (like you would like little kids to be). He has left me wondering how was I at his age. So, I thought a little bit about it and came up with following points for comparison:

1. TV

RavS: The guy didn't have a TV at home (poor chap!). The only TV he had access to was of his dear neighbors. It was a huge black and white TV encased in a wooden box and the only channels it showed was DD National and DD Metro, which could only be changed by a knob on the TV.

Bro: This kid has got not one but 2 TVs, that too colored ones! Granted they are not the latest models (Flatscreens, LEDs, HDTV etc.) but they are still acceptable. And he can see over 100 channels, by just a click of buttons on his remote. Though only channel he likes to see are cartoons and those showing Saas-Bahu.

2. Computer

RavS: "What's that?" He would have asked you on hearing the word. The only thing remotely resembling computers he had seen was a typewriter which he used to see when his bua used to take him for her typing classes. (Little known fact: This guy would go on to spend 3/4 part of his day staring at the monitor of his computer later on).

Bro: He has got an access to a desktop which may not be the latest and greatest (who has that anyway; specs change every month) but is still respectable enough to play anything. Now he doesn't yet know what's it used for, but he knows how to use the scroller on the mouse (so he would flip the article I am reading) and press the 'Enter' key on Numpad (so he would enter the incomplete chat or command, making a mess sometimes). And yes, he knows what a 'camputar' is!

3. Mobile Phones

RavS: He hadn't heard about one, let alone use one. Only things that he had seen (not used) for telephoning purpose were those huge PCO booths that required coins every half minute to continue talking. (Funny thing, he still doesn't have a mobile phone!)

Bro: He has not 1 but 3 mobile phones at home (not to mention 2 others that got old/damaged). And he has another one of his own too! (OK, that one is a toy). But he is not stupid, he likes to play with 'real' mobiles. So, many times he would hit that 'green' button and redial the last  dialled number, either miss-calling people or giving me the phone to answer and give explanations when the other party picks up. (And God, I hate these phone conversations).

And there are so many other things that RavS' bro posses which RavS hadn't even heard of at his age (viz. a digital camera, a movie player, a PMP (which he calls GaanaaSunn) etc.). But let's talk a little bit about their behaviour also:

4. Nature

RavS: My family says RavS was more forthcoming in his childhood. Well I guess that's the advantage of being a child, you don't have to live up to the society's expectations. But soon enough, he wasn't the only child in the home anymore, so he had to play the role of elder brother and become a role model for them. So, the adventurous nature slowly changed to a more thoughtful approach.

Bro: He is the youngest member in the family and so naturally everyone adores him. This gives him the license to be a home grown little terrorist. So, he would do all kinds of things including pulling my hair, breaking stuffs (he has already put one mobile phone in a water jar), turning off things when in use (TV, water motor) and turning on things when not required (fans, lights). And while I haven't heard a peep from other kids of his age in the neighborhood, he is famous for his shrieks every time he gets scolded.

5. Friends

RavS: Since he didn't have the modern gadgets to play with and pass time, he would go to his neighborhood friends' home to play little stupid games kids play and would enjoy the company for hours. As a result he had many friends, either of his age or a little younger than him.

Bro: The only time he gets out of home is when he goes to school, when his Dad takes him to buy stuffs or for a little walk in the park. A lot of people know him and play with him sometimes, but they are too elderly to be called his friends. So, the only friends he has got are his home-bred brothers and sisters.

And that's it! By taking my own example, I have tried to highlight the differences that have come in the life of today's kids as compared to kids of 2 decades back. We are going more and more towards modernity but are also isolating ourselves (and the kids) from each other.

So, do you agree? Not agree? Comment and let us know.