S has been my boss for about 2 months now. It's my 2nd time with a female boss. The 1st experience (I've alluded to this before) was nothing short of 'part-trauma-part-unreal-drama':). This time is a diametric opposite to my internship experience at Citi. :) Like my previous bosses, S exudes warmth and possesses everything that could possibly endear her to a direct report. That's just for background.
S drove me to our venue for this evening's dinner with the other CMKers and our conversation touched topics I wouldn't have ventured near with a male boss. Not cause they'd be any kinda disappointment, but just cause sometimes it takes a woman to be able to let your guard down.
Anyway, where the conversation ended up was at that enigmatic thing we call chemistry.
Now for me, chemistry is a more than 'spark with a person that can end in romance'. To me it denotes the richness of the space between people in general. Chemistry exists with better halves, yes. But chemistry also exists with friends, bosses, co workers and most other people we interact with right? So how come it gets mentioned only in romantic contexts all the time?
Take for example, that delicious thrill you feel when a coworker gets exactly what you mean when you explain a theory to solve a complex problem. You don't have to spend a good 10 minutes explaining the why's and how's. They just GET it. THAT's chemistry. Intellectual maybe, but chemistry it is. :)
Then there's the boss who when he coaches you just has to say the words and understanding dawns on you like the first rays of the morning sun. Principles simply glide their way into your mind without the obstruction we term 'doubts'. THAT's chemistry.
Then there's that friend who when he hears you say "I feel like SHIT" may not always know how to SOLVE your problem, but can certainly take your mind OFF it. This is the class of people who know just the thing to say to make the sun shine out from behind the clouds for a teeny bit, even if they can't really chase the rains away. People, the very thought of whom, gives you that wonderful reassuring warm feeling in your soul. THAT's chemistry.
Remember the person you met and just KNEW this was gonna get interesting? That exchange of repartee, casual banter, the ability to make each other laugh, to get into a conversation that kept you awake past the wee hours, that left your hands hurting from all the typing, that took your mind off even your favorite most critical activities? THAT's chemistry.
What I've observed over my short life although, is that chemistry doesn't have as much to do with individuals themselves as it does with the space between them. What do I mean?
It means A can find chemistry with B even if they're both the most insipid boring people in the world (heck, maybe THAT's what lets them click!), even if A is this hyperactive talkative being and B is the quiet sober rarely speaking type, even if A knows a LOT about everything, and B knows nothing about absolutely anything.
It means that when you think you've found chemistry with someone, there's very little you can actually credit to the person in question. Likewise, and more importantly, if you DON'T find it with someone, it's no judgment to how interesting/ wonderful they are. Net - the feeling is largely independant of the individuals involved, but hugely dependant on the intersection domain of their interactions, and hence completely unpredictable and varying!
For good reason too! Imagine if all of us could 'click' with only certain personality types! If the world ran on formulae like that, we'd never be able to form and maintain the diverse circles of 'special' friends/ co workers/ bosses etc that we can now. :-)
Some other time maybe I'll dissect the subject further, but for now remember, its not you, its not me ... its the space BETWEEN us that determines our 'Chemistry' :D
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Quirks anyone?
Y put up a hilarious post in keeping with her tradition of hilarious and hilariouser posts where she confessed to some very interesting quirks. Thing is, i'm so inspired to write about my own, and although i even know i have hajaar quirks, i either cannot remember most of them now, or have just lost many of the adorable ones (fine, more like psycho ones!) over the last few years. I'm gonna give it a shot anyway coz it promises to be a funny post and all our lives, esp mine, could do with humor anytime and everytime! :D
1. I cannot stand to see people's palms on a restaurant table right before they commence eating. Visions of germs and bacteria and the like cloud my vision causing me to cringe/ make faces/ roll eyes/ screech with vicious intensity that they take their hands off the table. (It comes from my father's constant nagging of us when we did the same as kids). Kinky ALWAYS does this when we go out together to eat (usually we hit low tier places where the tables aren't exactly covered with freshly laundered table cloth) and 6 out of 10 times that we go out, I drive him sullen and angry to the point of abandoning what he was saying and cribbing about my (un)adorable eccentricity. He also passes on this knowledge about Unpred to whoever accompanies us to dinner/ lunch, resulting in it being a not-so-secret quirk anymore.
2. I can't stand to see people having things inserted into their skin, be it a needle (EEEK!) or a scalpel (OMG! OUCH! FREAKK!) or even so much as another person's fist (read fights in movies) I cannot stand the sight. I avoid most violent movies for this reason, and if forced to go watch, spend most of the time with eyes closed asking the person beside me to let me know when its safe to open my eyes. Now you know that NOT doing medicine was more like a default option than a thought-through choice!
3. Sleep simply does not come easy to me. If it does, it's always waiting to make a run! This runs in the family. A sliver of light through the window, under the door, flimsy curtains etc are enough to wake me up/ not let me sleep. Even the most minute sounds such as typing on a keyboard, a moving chair and the door bell are enough to wake me up. (My bro and I shared a room for a good 15 years, he has MANY crib stories for anyone who wants to know more!) I have thick red cotton curtains for this very reason. And living away from home has only spoilt me more than ever before as far as silence is concerned!
4. Even until a year back, i couldn't stand dishes in the sink unwashed. I HAD to wash them. (Yes, Monica like visions floating in ur mind would be considered appropriate right now) Now a simple rinse later, I can leave them until the maid comes in and does the washing. It doesn't bother me. Back then, it SO did!
5. It used to scare the crap out of me when people got off Indian trains at a station on the way (Like say at Mathura between Mumbai and Delhi) and I'd know that std waiting time was less than 5 minutes. I spend most of my energy screaming at them to get right back in or they'd miss the train. This I've acquired from my folks. (Oh, DON'T even get me started on the family quirks, you'll just refuse to associate with us :D). I've gotten over this one as well having imbibed the "Don't need to break head over other people's stupidity" principle pretty well.
6. Sleeping in the afternoon puts me in a sullen mood. I SWEAR, I don't know why! But on a weekend afty if i decide i need a nap and wake up at like 6 pm, I'm the most moody, silent antithesis of my usual talkative self. I cannot explain this and am still looking for someone to blame it on/ trace it back to. (Family isn't exactly coming to my rescue this once!)
7. I cry when i get drunk (the 4 - 5 times a year that I DO get drunk). Rivers and rivers of tears. I cry out of happiness. I cry out of sadness (real and imagined). But I cry. English doesn't quite capture the expression 'Phoot phoot ke rona' but that's what I'm like when i get drunk enough :) If you're with me at times like this (which is unlikely unless you're a very very close friend, this special spectacle is reserved for a special few :D), please to not panic or be afraid for my well being. Its like annual spring cleaning for my mind and soul. I'll be good as new post the outburst, so don't lose heart (or sanity!) in the meantime. :D
Edited to add at Palli and Kinks' insistence respectively:
7. Sometimes (I Repeat, ONLY sometimes!) I snort when i laugh. This is ONLY when my guard is down and I'm around really familiar people and I laugh with no care for the world. Its a deep delightful sound (even if only to my own ears!!) and ends with a little snort, sometimes. Used to be reason for plenty of ROTFLing when we were in IIMB. Now only Palli has the pleasure of ROTFLing to it.
8. Apparently I'm always in the middle of smsing someone. Even when I'm in the midst of company, apparently I don't hesitate to take calls and smses. I think it has something to do with my fetish for staying connected. Also my fetish for truly instant messaging (meaning i cannot NOT reply to sms ASAP). Sigh .. whoever knew digging into one quirk would uncover so many new ones ...
9. Like Palli, I cannot stand wet bathroom floors. Its OK to have the shower area wet, its OK to have sink wet, however for bathrooms that have a designated shower area, the rest of floor needs to be clean and dry. Wet Floor --> Higher chances of brown footprints being left over when you walk in and out. So my bathroom has one bathmat inside and 2 outside despite the fact that it gets cleaned 3 times a week. What did you say? You don't clean your bathroom most of the time? Emm...don't wonder too much why i keep declining your invitation to come over then! (Now just like Palli, I'm sorry, I love you simply for reading this blog.. don't scamper away muttering 'spooky weird mad woman' even if that's what I am!)
And that's all i can remember. If any of you think I've missed something critical, then point it out ONLY if its funny. NOT needed otherwise (in case it wasn't clear, that IS a warning!) :)
And I tag my usual enthu cutlet blogger friends (this is what they call fake motivation - bleddy most of them rarely even blog, still i need to call them enthu cutlets!) to write about their quirks. For the sake of specificity, that means - SS, Samesh, Ketan, Vish, Harika, Palli, Amaresh, Ravi, Shiv and Nuts to write about THEIR quirks. (Yes, I'm taking you ALL down WITH me :D)
1. I cannot stand to see people's palms on a restaurant table right before they commence eating. Visions of germs and bacteria and the like cloud my vision causing me to cringe/ make faces/ roll eyes/ screech with vicious intensity that they take their hands off the table. (It comes from my father's constant nagging of us when we did the same as kids). Kinky ALWAYS does this when we go out together to eat (usually we hit low tier places where the tables aren't exactly covered with freshly laundered table cloth) and 6 out of 10 times that we go out, I drive him sullen and angry to the point of abandoning what he was saying and cribbing about my (un)adorable eccentricity. He also passes on this knowledge about Unpred to whoever accompanies us to dinner/ lunch, resulting in it being a not-so-secret quirk anymore.
2. I can't stand to see people having things inserted into their skin, be it a needle (EEEK!) or a scalpel (OMG! OUCH! FREAKK!) or even so much as another person's fist (read fights in movies) I cannot stand the sight. I avoid most violent movies for this reason, and if forced to go watch, spend most of the time with eyes closed asking the person beside me to let me know when its safe to open my eyes. Now you know that NOT doing medicine was more like a default option than a thought-through choice!
3. Sleep simply does not come easy to me. If it does, it's always waiting to make a run! This runs in the family. A sliver of light through the window, under the door, flimsy curtains etc are enough to wake me up/ not let me sleep. Even the most minute sounds such as typing on a keyboard, a moving chair and the door bell are enough to wake me up. (My bro and I shared a room for a good 15 years, he has MANY crib stories for anyone who wants to know more!) I have thick red cotton curtains for this very reason. And living away from home has only spoilt me more than ever before as far as silence is concerned!
4. Even until a year back, i couldn't stand dishes in the sink unwashed. I HAD to wash them. (Yes, Monica like visions floating in ur mind would be considered appropriate right now) Now a simple rinse later, I can leave them until the maid comes in and does the washing. It doesn't bother me. Back then, it SO did!
5. It used to scare the crap out of me when people got off Indian trains at a station on the way (Like say at Mathura between Mumbai and Delhi) and I'd know that std waiting time was less than 5 minutes. I spend most of my energy screaming at them to get right back in or they'd miss the train. This I've acquired from my folks. (Oh, DON'T even get me started on the family quirks, you'll just refuse to associate with us :D). I've gotten over this one as well having imbibed the "Don't need to break head over other people's stupidity" principle pretty well.
6. Sleeping in the afternoon puts me in a sullen mood. I SWEAR, I don't know why! But on a weekend afty if i decide i need a nap and wake up at like 6 pm, I'm the most moody, silent antithesis of my usual talkative self. I cannot explain this and am still looking for someone to blame it on/ trace it back to. (Family isn't exactly coming to my rescue this once!)
7. I cry when i get drunk (the 4 - 5 times a year that I DO get drunk). Rivers and rivers of tears. I cry out of happiness. I cry out of sadness (real and imagined). But I cry. English doesn't quite capture the expression 'Phoot phoot ke rona' but that's what I'm like when i get drunk enough :) If you're with me at times like this (which is unlikely unless you're a very very close friend, this special spectacle is reserved for a special few :D), please to not panic or be afraid for my well being. Its like annual spring cleaning for my mind and soul. I'll be good as new post the outburst, so don't lose heart (or sanity!) in the meantime. :D
Edited to add at Palli and Kinks' insistence respectively:
7. Sometimes (I Repeat, ONLY sometimes!) I snort when i laugh. This is ONLY when my guard is down and I'm around really familiar people and I laugh with no care for the world. Its a deep delightful sound (even if only to my own ears!!) and ends with a little snort, sometimes. Used to be reason for plenty of ROTFLing when we were in IIMB. Now only Palli has the pleasure of ROTFLing to it.
8. Apparently I'm always in the middle of smsing someone. Even when I'm in the midst of company, apparently I don't hesitate to take calls and smses. I think it has something to do with my fetish for staying connected. Also my fetish for truly instant messaging (meaning i cannot NOT reply to sms ASAP). Sigh .. whoever knew digging into one quirk would uncover so many new ones ...
9. Like Palli, I cannot stand wet bathroom floors. Its OK to have the shower area wet, its OK to have sink wet, however for bathrooms that have a designated shower area, the rest of floor needs to be clean and dry. Wet Floor --> Higher chances of brown footprints being left over when you walk in and out. So my bathroom has one bathmat inside and 2 outside despite the fact that it gets cleaned 3 times a week. What did you say? You don't clean your bathroom most of the time? Emm...don't wonder too much why i keep declining your invitation to come over then! (Now just like Palli, I'm sorry, I love you simply for reading this blog.. don't scamper away muttering 'spooky weird mad woman' even if that's what I am!)
And that's all i can remember. If any of you think I've missed something critical, then point it out ONLY if its funny. NOT needed otherwise (in case it wasn't clear, that IS a warning!) :)
And I tag my usual enthu cutlet blogger friends (this is what they call fake motivation - bleddy most of them rarely even blog, still i need to call them enthu cutlets!) to write about their quirks. For the sake of specificity, that means - SS, Samesh, Ketan, Vish, Harika, Palli, Amaresh, Ravi, Shiv and Nuts to write about THEIR quirks. (Yes, I'm taking you ALL down WITH me :D)
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Why I haven't blogged in a while
Its been 3 days since i last wrote.
Mogambo's cribbing that I'm depriving her of her lunchtime accompaniment (come to think of it, this is a brilliant way to get something u want na, praise someone to the hilt so they'll do EXACTLY what you want them to, and sucker for praise that I am, i even fall for it.. CHE!). And although I spent most of last night chatting with HER, she ended with saying she'd rather have had me blog. Yeah, i feel special!
Reasons I didn't blog (yes, I know no one else asked, but don't stop a woman on the brink of something will ya!):
1. The wrist has been giving me unnatural trouble. Read - pain:
Yes, blame it on the incessant blogging and chatting and such other online activities. I bought a wrist band when this problem peaked last year, and the doc suggested i use support when i type. Now I'm back to wearing it. Its not yet close to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. So DO NOT post panicky comments!!!
As an aside, this friend sent me an email with detailed pics of an operated wrist (for the record, i cannot stand even the sight of needles so you can imagine what the sight of raw exposed flesh on someone's wrist did to me!). The mail was more cause he wanted me to read up some exercises for the hand to prevent it from getting worse, but I'll do that once i get past the nightmares I think :P
So anyway, the wrist has been a little bad, and so I figured might as well give it some rest.
2. Optimal Initiative Pacing:
Well that's what we call it. What a layman would say is, how much blogging is SO much that people can't even catch up on ur posts when they're written. I figured I'd gone on an overdose of sorts and needed to give my kind friends a chance to catch up on old posts without wearing themselves out. Hence the break in writing :) (I hope you guys leveraged the chance well... if not, no need to tell me about it!)
3. A wonderful packed weekend:
With a recap of the awesome bhindi with leftover rasam at Palli's place on Fri nite, then a failed attempt at downing some Absolut Citron (Tip: Rasam and Vodka DO NOT go well together, in case you didn't already know!).
Then a storytelling session to the kids at the library. Something was up with the kids this time though. I mean, Palli came over to check out this reading thing, so in some ways i needed to put up a great performance, but for some reason, the kids weren't as responsive as they normally are. Maybe it was the stories (I KNEW i should've picked some with more interesting ends). It was more likely the overenthusiatic 2.5 year old punjabi girl in the 1st row who added her own vishesh tippani to everything i said ..went somewhat like this ...
Unpred: So, which other birds do you guys know about?
E2.5G (Enthu 2.5 yr old Girl): I know crow .. crow does caww cawww ...
Unpred: Very good .. any others know any birds?
E2.5G: Once we went to the birdpark and saw many many birds ..
Unpred: Emmm .. that's good for you .. how about we hear from the other kids? What about you guys?
E2.5G: But once outside my window ...
Unpred: *Torn between being nice to enthu kid and asking her to let someone else talk, hoping the child's mom will come to the rescue*
Clearly E2.5G's mom is nowhere around. Probably browsing around the fiction section having outsourced E2.5G's enthusiastic outburst to a hapless ME. By this time most other kids are just so distracted by the monologue of E2.5G that their usually vocal responses have toned down to whispers that obviously don't reach me. SIGH!
Don't get me wrong! I love kids. But to put a 2 year old into a group thats clearly defined as being for 4 to 6 year olds and then abandoning her there is real unfair to the poor storyteller (ME! ME! ME!) and the other kids who feel completely overwhelmed and stop contributing.
Anyway, storytelling aside, the weekend was packed with cooking adventures (Tam style Adai, Pasta, Dhoklas, Rabdi), some awesome movies (Flavors, No Reservations), sitcoms (8 episodes, Season 1, How i met your mother) back to back, and good conversation cum company. Amidst all this real world socializing, i just had to give the online socializing a smallish break :)
Will get back starting tomorrow. Hopefully, an evening spent in a Sari (which reminds me, i still dont have safety pins, HELP!) won't be too exhausting on the system. And although the training has been fairly mind numbing so far, atleast it gives my poor wrist a break from typing! Phew!
Nite ya all! :D
Mogambo's cribbing that I'm depriving her of her lunchtime accompaniment (come to think of it, this is a brilliant way to get something u want na, praise someone to the hilt so they'll do EXACTLY what you want them to, and sucker for praise that I am, i even fall for it.. CHE!). And although I spent most of last night chatting with HER, she ended with saying she'd rather have had me blog. Yeah, i feel special!
Reasons I didn't blog (yes, I know no one else asked, but don't stop a woman on the brink of something will ya!):
1. The wrist has been giving me unnatural trouble. Read - pain:
Yes, blame it on the incessant blogging and chatting and such other online activities. I bought a wrist band when this problem peaked last year, and the doc suggested i use support when i type. Now I'm back to wearing it. Its not yet close to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. So DO NOT post panicky comments!!!
As an aside, this friend sent me an email with detailed pics of an operated wrist (for the record, i cannot stand even the sight of needles so you can imagine what the sight of raw exposed flesh on someone's wrist did to me!). The mail was more cause he wanted me to read up some exercises for the hand to prevent it from getting worse, but I'll do that once i get past the nightmares I think :P
So anyway, the wrist has been a little bad, and so I figured might as well give it some rest.
2. Optimal Initiative Pacing:
Well that's what we call it. What a layman would say is, how much blogging is SO much that people can't even catch up on ur posts when they're written. I figured I'd gone on an overdose of sorts and needed to give my kind friends a chance to catch up on old posts without wearing themselves out. Hence the break in writing :) (I hope you guys leveraged the chance well... if not, no need to tell me about it!)
3. A wonderful packed weekend:
With a recap of the awesome bhindi with leftover rasam at Palli's place on Fri nite, then a failed attempt at downing some Absolut Citron (Tip: Rasam and Vodka DO NOT go well together, in case you didn't already know!).
Then a storytelling session to the kids at the library. Something was up with the kids this time though. I mean, Palli came over to check out this reading thing, so in some ways i needed to put up a great performance, but for some reason, the kids weren't as responsive as they normally are. Maybe it was the stories (I KNEW i should've picked some with more interesting ends). It was more likely the overenthusiatic 2.5 year old punjabi girl in the 1st row who added her own vishesh tippani to everything i said ..went somewhat like this ...
Unpred: So, which other birds do you guys know about?
E2.5G (Enthu 2.5 yr old Girl): I know crow .. crow does caww cawww ...
Unpred: Very good .. any others know any birds?
E2.5G: Once we went to the birdpark and saw many many birds ..
Unpred: Emmm .. that's good for you .. how about we hear from the other kids? What about you guys?
E2.5G: But once outside my window ...
Unpred: *Torn between being nice to enthu kid and asking her to let someone else talk, hoping the child's mom will come to the rescue*
Clearly E2.5G's mom is nowhere around. Probably browsing around the fiction section having outsourced E2.5G's enthusiastic outburst to a hapless ME. By this time most other kids are just so distracted by the monologue of E2.5G that their usually vocal responses have toned down to whispers that obviously don't reach me. SIGH!
Don't get me wrong! I love kids. But to put a 2 year old into a group thats clearly defined as being for 4 to 6 year olds and then abandoning her there is real unfair to the poor storyteller (ME! ME! ME!) and the other kids who feel completely overwhelmed and stop contributing.
Anyway, storytelling aside, the weekend was packed with cooking adventures (Tam style Adai, Pasta, Dhoklas, Rabdi), some awesome movies (Flavors, No Reservations), sitcoms (8 episodes, Season 1, How i met your mother) back to back, and good conversation cum company. Amidst all this real world socializing, i just had to give the online socializing a smallish break :)
Will get back starting tomorrow. Hopefully, an evening spent in a Sari (which reminds me, i still dont have safety pins, HELP!) won't be too exhausting on the system. And although the training has been fairly mind numbing so far, atleast it gives my poor wrist a break from typing! Phew!
Nite ya all! :D
Monday, September 10, 2007
Rainy start to the week ...
Its a lovely Monday morning. (Yeah, I know, WHO says that?!) But it is. Its cloudy with a hint of cool breeze, everything outside my window is a pristine green, the showers haven't even touched down on earth yet, and still the green is pristine. The air has what I call reassurance, to lay to rest or atleast calm down the fears that reared their ugly head right before shuteye happened. I don't know what it's saying. But overall I think its supposed to be a good sign. This usually happens when I'm down in the pits and as a treat for His special child, He sends the showers down like a special task force :D They're here today. The rains. :)
Friday, September 07, 2007
Just realized ...
For the last 1 month or so .. its been non stop blogging .. every single day ... why I do this? I already explained earlier. This connection with words is addictive and very very fulfilling.
But what I just realized is, most blogs I find updated regularly (read 4 to 5 times a week) are by bloggers who are home and blog aside from mostly non-laptop work. I work 9 hours a day at this very laptop and then come home to the same damn thing!!!! No wonder my back and wrist and shoulders and fingers feel like they're on fire (No sweethearts, that's NOT MEANT in a good way!!).
I'm officially obsessed!!! HELP!!! :DDD
But what I just realized is, most blogs I find updated regularly (read 4 to 5 times a week) are by bloggers who are home and blog aside from mostly non-laptop work. I work 9 hours a day at this very laptop and then come home to the same damn thing!!!! No wonder my back and wrist and shoulders and fingers feel like they're on fire (No sweethearts, that's NOT MEANT in a good way!!).
I'm officially obsessed!!! HELP!!! :DDD
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Bosses and mothers ..
Teeny tiny cooking tip before i start the actual post: A super duper Bhindi cooking idea to not have to keep the damn thing on the stove for donkey's years. Just microwave the sliced bhindi for about 6 minutes to make it real nice and soft and ready to be spiced up with some oil on the tawa!!!
(Lalitha: Be proud. Be VERY proud.... Also, after the microwaving-potato-without-water story, tell your mom THIS and see what she says :D)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Now to the real subject of the post ...
For some time now, I've had P report to me at work. Having gotten promoted recently myself and to a different brand from the one I started out, you'd think I already have my hands full. Apparently, my manager/s didn't think so. So they handed me this bright enthusiastic young woman who's future now officially rests in my hands. Yeah, as if I didn't have enough to worry about!!!
2 months down however, I realize there's something to what they decided for me. (Managers at P&G are so highly regarded for good reason, I suppose!) Coaching someone is officially the best part of my new job. It's sometimes worrying, sometimes stressful but mostly its a rich rewarding experience that lets me come home with a smile on my face. Everytime I'm on the cusp of being overwhlemed by the little things, I look at P and tell myself, THAT's my biggest project, not this small stuff. Not the numbers and the one pagers and the reco roll outs to top management. And for those few minutes, it all seems worth it, coz it gets linked up to another living breathing person. :-)
I wonder, although, how good my boss A had to be to think that this would be the kinda thing that motivated me. It takes deep insight into another person to be THAT good a manager. With my kinda self involvement, my biggest fear is always that I'll forget about P's welfare at some time. That I won't see the times she needs help/ advice/ encouragement and that her enthusiastic being will be let down because of my negligence. But A was never like that. In the course of discussing my strengths and weaknessess, he did this incredible thing. He asked me if I understood why X was an opportunity area. I said yeah, and rattled off examples of times when I'd manifested the trait, looking really ashamed -might I add! And A shook his head and said "Yeah, but that's the symptoms right? I don't really think that's why you did so and so ... I think its for so and so real reasons". I must admit, he read me better than I ever read myself.
THAT's what makes a good manager. Knowing the mind and heart of the person who works with you. Knowing what makes them tick. Knowing that your style is just that YOUR style, and won't work with everyone, and hence developing a unique style to deal with every person who reports to you.
Like A had this tendency to ask me "To, kya chal raha hai life mein?" everytime we started a meeting. We'd spend 15 mintues updating each other on our most interesting stories. A is probably the only person whose been completely clued in to the happenings in my personal life for the last 1.5 years, more importantly the last 5 months. He's been supportive and smiling through it all, keeping me smiling and motivated in turn. I know there's times he's offered more than fair share encouragement on the professional front, simply coz he knew things were sometimes rotten on the personal front. Does that kinda relationship with a boss even appeal to someone else? It never mattered. It appealed to me ... and so he kept it that way with me. Now that's a FANTASTIC manager.
My 1st boss T was and will always stay my personal favorite. T himself a rather unique style of operating vs. most managers, and yet with his 3 direct reports back then, 2 girls and 1 guy, he had subtly different styles. With me it continues to be the constant leg pulling on a personal front coupled with demonstrations of high respect on a professional front. There was always just enough seriousness and just enough jokes. There was never judgement, yet lots of honest feedback. And it worked brilliantly for me. That's another FANTASTIC manager.
When I think about it hard enough, being a boss is in so many ways like being a mother. And this is meant in the best way possible. Mother's who read this blog, DO NOT for a minute assume I underestimate your role and relationship with your child. Point i'm trying to make is, in a people driven culture like my company's, a manager's role best mirrors that of a mother. Here's the parallels.
1. Like any mother ASSUMES about her child, good managers ASSUME and take for granted that the person reporting to them is innately capable and intelligent. That given the right coaching, he/she can become a huge success.
2. Like any mother, good managers struggle with drawing the line between letting their direct report make his own mistakes and giving him all the answers.
3. Like any mother, a good manager trusts in and stands up for his report, more so in public than in private.
4. Like any mother, a good manager is constantly alert for signs of trouble. Is the child demotivated? Not performing well? Not happy? Not liked? Not content? Not comfortable? There is always the tendency to watch out for the yellows before they turn into reds.
5. Like any mother, a manager has to cope with being harsh on a report when the situation so demands. It may not be pleasant, but if that's what makes most sense for the others' welfare, then that's what shall be done, no matter how bitter it feels.
6. Like any mother, a good manager is constantly trying to tell the world how good a job his report has done. His pride and joy lies in the accomplishment and success of his report.
7. Like mothers have to deal with kids leaving for studies and careers away from home, a good manager has to deal sometimes with letting go of someone - sometimes to another team, sometimes another function, sometimes another career. Nothing is as important as the happiness of the report. Even after all that time and care you invested in them, you always know they're not here to stay. And it still doesn't change how hard you work at making them successful.
Nayak once told me (and he wasn't the only one) that I'd make a better mom than a wife. Although he got kicked badly for that statement, and although i resent that kinda role comparison, I can only hope that the statement bodes well for P. :)
(Lalitha: Be proud. Be VERY proud.... Also, after the microwaving-potato-without-water story, tell your mom THIS and see what she says :D)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Now to the real subject of the post ...
For some time now, I've had P report to me at work. Having gotten promoted recently myself and to a different brand from the one I started out, you'd think I already have my hands full. Apparently, my manager/s didn't think so. So they handed me this bright enthusiastic young woman who's future now officially rests in my hands. Yeah, as if I didn't have enough to worry about!!!
2 months down however, I realize there's something to what they decided for me. (Managers at P&G are so highly regarded for good reason, I suppose!) Coaching someone is officially the best part of my new job. It's sometimes worrying, sometimes stressful but mostly its a rich rewarding experience that lets me come home with a smile on my face. Everytime I'm on the cusp of being overwhlemed by the little things, I look at P and tell myself, THAT's my biggest project, not this small stuff. Not the numbers and the one pagers and the reco roll outs to top management. And for those few minutes, it all seems worth it, coz it gets linked up to another living breathing person. :-)
I wonder, although, how good my boss A had to be to think that this would be the kinda thing that motivated me. It takes deep insight into another person to be THAT good a manager. With my kinda self involvement, my biggest fear is always that I'll forget about P's welfare at some time. That I won't see the times she needs help/ advice/ encouragement and that her enthusiastic being will be let down because of my negligence. But A was never like that. In the course of discussing my strengths and weaknessess, he did this incredible thing. He asked me if I understood why X was an opportunity area. I said yeah, and rattled off examples of times when I'd manifested the trait, looking really ashamed -might I add! And A shook his head and said "Yeah, but that's the symptoms right? I don't really think that's why you did so and so ... I think its for so and so real reasons". I must admit, he read me better than I ever read myself.
THAT's what makes a good manager. Knowing the mind and heart of the person who works with you. Knowing what makes them tick. Knowing that your style is just that YOUR style, and won't work with everyone, and hence developing a unique style to deal with every person who reports to you.
Like A had this tendency to ask me "To, kya chal raha hai life mein?" everytime we started a meeting. We'd spend 15 mintues updating each other on our most interesting stories. A is probably the only person whose been completely clued in to the happenings in my personal life for the last 1.5 years, more importantly the last 5 months. He's been supportive and smiling through it all, keeping me smiling and motivated in turn. I know there's times he's offered more than fair share encouragement on the professional front, simply coz he knew things were sometimes rotten on the personal front. Does that kinda relationship with a boss even appeal to someone else? It never mattered. It appealed to me ... and so he kept it that way with me. Now that's a FANTASTIC manager.
My 1st boss T was and will always stay my personal favorite. T himself a rather unique style of operating vs. most managers, and yet with his 3 direct reports back then, 2 girls and 1 guy, he had subtly different styles. With me it continues to be the constant leg pulling on a personal front coupled with demonstrations of high respect on a professional front. There was always just enough seriousness and just enough jokes. There was never judgement, yet lots of honest feedback. And it worked brilliantly for me. That's another FANTASTIC manager.
When I think about it hard enough, being a boss is in so many ways like being a mother. And this is meant in the best way possible. Mother's who read this blog, DO NOT for a minute assume I underestimate your role and relationship with your child. Point i'm trying to make is, in a people driven culture like my company's, a manager's role best mirrors that of a mother. Here's the parallels.
1. Like any mother ASSUMES about her child, good managers ASSUME and take for granted that the person reporting to them is innately capable and intelligent. That given the right coaching, he/she can become a huge success.
2. Like any mother, good managers struggle with drawing the line between letting their direct report make his own mistakes and giving him all the answers.
3. Like any mother, a good manager trusts in and stands up for his report, more so in public than in private.
4. Like any mother, a good manager is constantly alert for signs of trouble. Is the child demotivated? Not performing well? Not happy? Not liked? Not content? Not comfortable? There is always the tendency to watch out for the yellows before they turn into reds.
5. Like any mother, a manager has to cope with being harsh on a report when the situation so demands. It may not be pleasant, but if that's what makes most sense for the others' welfare, then that's what shall be done, no matter how bitter it feels.
6. Like any mother, a good manager is constantly trying to tell the world how good a job his report has done. His pride and joy lies in the accomplishment and success of his report.
7. Like mothers have to deal with kids leaving for studies and careers away from home, a good manager has to deal sometimes with letting go of someone - sometimes to another team, sometimes another function, sometimes another career. Nothing is as important as the happiness of the report. Even after all that time and care you invested in them, you always know they're not here to stay. And it still doesn't change how hard you work at making them successful.
Nayak once told me (and he wasn't the only one) that I'd make a better mom than a wife. Although he got kicked badly for that statement, and although i resent that kinda role comparison, I can only hope that the statement bodes well for P. :)
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Rasam .. Taboo .. and kicking ass with both! :D
Will try and keep this brief ... today was supposed to be "Unpred plays host" day with me having bravely (recklessly) invited 6 (yeah you read that right - SIX) adults home for dinner that I would cook (Its arguable who was braver, the feeder or the hapless 'feedees', but let me not digress!) in my little misshapen, tough to navigate kitchen which provides almost as much exercise as my daily jog.
Obviously, like every little significant / insignificant thing in my life that gets wordspace on this blog, tonight's dinner will be written about.
Rasam .. or was it Sambar?
The rasam turned out FABULOUS (and i'm gonna need one of kinks/ vijay/ palli/ deepa/ pangal/ sid to vouch for this! so leave a comment people!!!).
Not without event though. Here's how the story went ..
(rasam making almost done, Unpred turns to nearest innocent to-be-victim)
Unpred: Lalitha taste this and tell me if it reminds you of rasam
Lalitha: Hmmmm .. emmmm ... mmmm ... Sambar type look and feel is happening ...
Unpred: But tell me, net net, what's the diff between rasam and sambar?
Lalitha: (Sighs at the utter stupidity she's having to encounter as a guest) Duh! Sambar has coconut!
Unpred: Well .. then what's wrong with this? I don't even stock coconut! How can this be Sambar then (grappling with understanding Lalitha's sense of logic)
Lalitha: (With all the knowledgable solemnity of a Remy in Ratatouille) Hmm ... too much dal .. too little water .. too little tamarind also ..
Unpred: So we add water and tamarind juice?
Lalitha: Not sure if its all that simple woman! Just tell junta you made Sambar no ...
Unpred: *Sambar again??? But there's no coconut! :S Bleddy, shudn't have committed and raved about how i'd make rasam .. now i'm stuck ... is pride more important to me? Or is maintaining the semblance of taste?*
(Makes rather quick decision and allocates priority to pride - OBV!)
Unpred: Tamarind juice+ water it is! So it might taste of nothing finally, but what is life without a little calculated risk (agreed its NOT calculated, and 6 other people's lives are at stake but the words PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE are doing a small dance around my head)
(Quickly pours the aforementioned into bubbling liquid and realizes now salt and sundry spices will have to be added to make up ... now realizes what Lalitha meant by 'not so simple'... Adds everything through the dawning realization ... )
Outcome: The bubbling concoction magically tasted like rasam finally methinks. Sid did make a comment about it being Sambar, but promptly took it back once he tasted it (Ok fine, it was coz i threatened to never invite him again if he didn't call it rasam ASAP, HAPPY?)
And honestly, even to my discerning tastebuds, it did taste pretty good. Anyone who wishes to try can come over, really, half of it still sits in the fridge. I may be great at taste, but proportions - clearly not my strength! There was much most sighing and oohing and aahing over the rasam (and lalitha's awesome potato curry - dry, oily, spicy and PURRFECT!) and we felt suitably elated.
Game of Taboo - Men vs Women.... Women kick ass :D
Lots of tabooing has been happening lately, yes. So it happened tonight as well. The jealous buggers split the dream team of Unpred + Kinks after our recent spate of victories and proposed a men vs women match. I shed tears, even tried proposing a P&Gers vs. non P&Gers split ... anything to get my incredible taboo mate back on my team .. but didn't happen. Ah, well, such is life. And all's well that ends well. We beat the boys. By a 12 point margin. *Evil Grin*
Highlights of the game:
1) Vijay running out of cards and screeching ... "No more no more .. pochu pochu" with frantic worried expression on face ... (ok u really had to be there!) while the rest of us rolled in laughter
2) Vijay: "You use this to soak up something spilled on the floor ... no no .. not mop .. close ... u use it to SOAK up split stuff ... "
Kinks: TODDLER!!! (WTF!!! More rolling laughter! Logic was explained later, apparently he thought u cud use the toddler's diaper to soak up spilt stuff :S ... don't ask me, I have Taboo chemistry with him, but even i wudnt have cracked that one!)
3) Lalitha: Pointing excitedly at me ... "What's the difference between Rasam and Sambar" (dear reader, hope u were paying attention earlier)
Me: Emmmm .. DAL! Tamarind! WATER!!!
Lalitha: Woman!!! difference !!! Sambar!!! Rasam!!!
Me: emmmmmm .... more dal? less dal? more water?
Lalitha: COCONUT!!!
(ur right, I shudve seen THAT coming!)
We still think Kinky's toddler joke was the highlight of the evening. For the record, we were SO obsessed with the game, we finished EVERY SINGLE card in the deck... it was 11.15 pm by the time everyone left. And guess what i did right after? Eh, well .. my blogging obsession is common knowledge now, so no genius points for that anymore.
[for the record: Harika, Mr Roy and Soggy, we missed you guys, and i shall do this once again sometime over a weekend when i have enough time and resources to cook for 10 people... pls don't be mad!]
Fancy fancy ... hits from never before continents
Oh did I mention, i got my 1st ever hit from South Australia and Russia this week. You can check it on the neoearth counter at the right bottom of my blog :) Nuts and whoever it was in Aus, THANKS!! :D
Edited to add: After the half-line description i gave Lalitha's potato curry and her ensuing outburst on my comments page, I'm a little scared that she might never explain the difference between various gravies to me in future. So here's some more praise for the curry. The potato was perfect, soft on the inside yet roasted to ideal crispness on the outside. The taste was subtle enough, perfect to go with the tangy rasam. And if we really have to compare, while half the rasam sits in my fridge, all of the curry was wiped out. It was THAT good (or my proportions are THAT bad but let's not go there :D) Palli - happy a? :-)
Obviously, like every little significant / insignificant thing in my life that gets wordspace on this blog, tonight's dinner will be written about.
Rasam .. or was it Sambar?
The rasam turned out FABULOUS (and i'm gonna need one of kinks/ vijay/ palli/ deepa/ pangal/ sid to vouch for this! so leave a comment people!!!).
Not without event though. Here's how the story went ..
(rasam making almost done, Unpred turns to nearest innocent to-be-victim)
Unpred: Lalitha taste this and tell me if it reminds you of rasam
Lalitha: Hmmmm .. emmmm ... mmmm ... Sambar type look and feel is happening ...
Unpred: But tell me, net net, what's the diff between rasam and sambar?
Lalitha: (Sighs at the utter stupidity she's having to encounter as a guest) Duh! Sambar has coconut!
Unpred: Well .. then what's wrong with this? I don't even stock coconut! How can this be Sambar then (grappling with understanding Lalitha's sense of logic)
Lalitha: (With all the knowledgable solemnity of a Remy in Ratatouille) Hmm ... too much dal .. too little water .. too little tamarind also ..
Unpred: So we add water and tamarind juice?
Lalitha: Not sure if its all that simple woman! Just tell junta you made Sambar no ...
Unpred: *Sambar again??? But there's no coconut! :S Bleddy, shudn't have committed and raved about how i'd make rasam .. now i'm stuck ... is pride more important to me? Or is maintaining the semblance of taste?*
(Makes rather quick decision and allocates priority to pride - OBV!)
Unpred: Tamarind juice+ water it is! So it might taste of nothing finally, but what is life without a little calculated risk (agreed its NOT calculated, and 6 other people's lives are at stake but the words PRIDE PRIDE PRIDE are doing a small dance around my head)
(Quickly pours the aforementioned into bubbling liquid and realizes now salt and sundry spices will have to be added to make up ... now realizes what Lalitha meant by 'not so simple'... Adds everything through the dawning realization ... )
Outcome: The bubbling concoction magically tasted like rasam finally methinks. Sid did make a comment about it being Sambar, but promptly took it back once he tasted it (Ok fine, it was coz i threatened to never invite him again if he didn't call it rasam ASAP, HAPPY?)
And honestly, even to my discerning tastebuds, it did taste pretty good. Anyone who wishes to try can come over, really, half of it still sits in the fridge. I may be great at taste, but proportions - clearly not my strength! There was much most sighing and oohing and aahing over the rasam (and lalitha's awesome potato curry - dry, oily, spicy and PURRFECT!) and we felt suitably elated.
Game of Taboo - Men vs Women.... Women kick ass :D
Lots of tabooing has been happening lately, yes. So it happened tonight as well. The jealous buggers split the dream team of Unpred + Kinks after our recent spate of victories and proposed a men vs women match. I shed tears, even tried proposing a P&Gers vs. non P&Gers split ... anything to get my incredible taboo mate back on my team .. but didn't happen. Ah, well, such is life. And all's well that ends well. We beat the boys. By a 12 point margin. *Evil Grin*
Highlights of the game:
1) Vijay running out of cards and screeching ... "No more no more .. pochu pochu" with frantic worried expression on face ... (ok u really had to be there!) while the rest of us rolled in laughter
2) Vijay: "You use this to soak up something spilled on the floor ... no no .. not mop .. close ... u use it to SOAK up split stuff ... "
Kinks: TODDLER!!! (WTF!!! More rolling laughter! Logic was explained later, apparently he thought u cud use the toddler's diaper to soak up spilt stuff :S ... don't ask me, I have Taboo chemistry with him, but even i wudnt have cracked that one!)
3) Lalitha: Pointing excitedly at me ... "What's the difference between Rasam and Sambar" (dear reader, hope u were paying attention earlier)
Me: Emmmm .. DAL! Tamarind! WATER!!!
Lalitha: Woman!!! difference !!! Sambar!!! Rasam!!!
Me: emmmmmm .... more dal? less dal? more water?
Lalitha: COCONUT!!!
(ur right, I shudve seen THAT coming!)
We still think Kinky's toddler joke was the highlight of the evening. For the record, we were SO obsessed with the game, we finished EVERY SINGLE card in the deck... it was 11.15 pm by the time everyone left. And guess what i did right after? Eh, well .. my blogging obsession is common knowledge now, so no genius points for that anymore.
[for the record: Harika, Mr Roy and Soggy, we missed you guys, and i shall do this once again sometime over a weekend when i have enough time and resources to cook for 10 people... pls don't be mad!]
Fancy fancy ... hits from never before continents
Oh did I mention, i got my 1st ever hit from South Australia and Russia this week. You can check it on the neoearth counter at the right bottom of my blog :) Nuts and whoever it was in Aus, THANKS!! :D
Edited to add: After the half-line description i gave Lalitha's potato curry and her ensuing outburst on my comments page, I'm a little scared that she might never explain the difference between various gravies to me in future. So here's some more praise for the curry. The potato was perfect, soft on the inside yet roasted to ideal crispness on the outside. The taste was subtle enough, perfect to go with the tangy rasam. And if we really have to compare, while half the rasam sits in my fridge, all of the curry was wiped out. It was THAT good (or my proportions are THAT bad but let's not go there :D) Palli - happy a? :-)
The warmth of words ...
There are these blogs linked up to mine that get updated on a regular basis. The MadMomma, SS, Y and the Broom. All women. All people I don't know. All using the blog sometimes to discuss worldy issues, but mostly to discuss their own lives.
They say this thing about words, they have this ability to just nail you sometimes. If you don't understand what I mean, its probably pointless reading any further. If you do, then you also understand that surge of feeling you feel for someone who has written incredibly well :- ) It's really not all that rare, esp in the blog world. And the above writers all do that for me with their blogs on an almost daily basis. It's this daily treat I look forward to. After a rigorous run of work from 9 am to 11 am, I take my 1st break for the day and browse through these blogs, usually ending up delighted by the content and depth of writing and refreshed to get on with more work :D
(Btw, I love the other blogs I'm linked up to too, that's why I've linked up, they just don't fall into the 'oft updated category' I'm alluding to right now, but doesn't mean they lack that "feeling" thing i'm talking about)
Why I'm saying all this? Coz today, I read this fantastic post that SS put up about why she blogs. Prolific bloggers usually have favorite writers and favorite posts. This post has officially made its place in my personal collection of much loved posts :D If you're the kinda person who gets a kick out of this kinda stuff (you know, words, expressions and the like) then pls to check out :)
They say this thing about words, they have this ability to just nail you sometimes. If you don't understand what I mean, its probably pointless reading any further. If you do, then you also understand that surge of feeling you feel for someone who has written incredibly well :- ) It's really not all that rare, esp in the blog world. And the above writers all do that for me with their blogs on an almost daily basis. It's this daily treat I look forward to. After a rigorous run of work from 9 am to 11 am, I take my 1st break for the day and browse through these blogs, usually ending up delighted by the content and depth of writing and refreshed to get on with more work :D
(Btw, I love the other blogs I'm linked up to too, that's why I've linked up, they just don't fall into the 'oft updated category' I'm alluding to right now, but doesn't mean they lack that "feeling" thing i'm talking about)
Why I'm saying all this? Coz today, I read this fantastic post that SS put up about why she blogs. Prolific bloggers usually have favorite writers and favorite posts. This post has officially made its place in my personal collection of much loved posts :D If you're the kinda person who gets a kick out of this kinda stuff (you know, words, expressions and the like) then pls to check out :)
Monday, September 03, 2007
Linger?
This is a personal post.... writing coz i feel like and would rather write than talk ... pls to skip easily ..
I haven't ever been able to crack the science behind lingering thoughts. How is it that some incredibly memorable moments and good times fail to register in memory, short or long term? How is it that some completely forgettable experiences stay etched for way too long, way beyond expiry dates. Stark recollections are funny in the way they occur sometimes for the most inane incidents that have no significance whatsoever.
In reverse chronological order ...
This plays like a movie trailer ... The Village, Orchard road.... A group of people saunter out post dinner ... one stops as eyes rest on the Meritius Mandarin across the road .. suddenly an image of a running girl slamming into the front lobby door looking for a pay phone flashes in the mind ... Cairnhill Road was it? Unable to locate phone, runs past the ATM machine .. and the rest is a blur ...
There's the other one of hearing Robbie Williams + reading the Kite runner ... alternately closing and opening the windows .. fidgety and overwrought over choosing between paying attention to troubling thoughts and Hosseni's troubling words...
There's Galloping Gooseberries club sandwiches + Lime Mint coolers from Fruit Shop on Greem's road while stuck in office on Sundays for a terrible 2 months at Citi ... why i still loved those sandwiches i can't remember, but the taste of mayo + veggies in delicious bread I do....
Of opening the door to A 315 and walking out to a view of the tree outside A top ... Sehgal in the adjoining room playing Bhaage re mann ... pouring rains ... and heading down for hot chai with a content smile despite soggy clothes and overdue assignments ...
Of a whole night in C 302 with Nayak and Sohit spent discussing life, love, the gain and loss of both, missing Kunal, Ma and Dush and then heading out for breakfast at Koshy's after waking up a wildly protesting Papa just so we'd have someone to ride the 2nd bike :-)
Of prepping for the ConB Apex ... bonding with Sam :-), watching Mi3 fall asleep as the clock struck 10 pm and wake up as everyone else fell asleep at 3 am with a fervent "Chalo yaar, kaam karte hain!" :D
Sitting at the french window outside home in Mumbai, watching the hills, listening to Lagaan, wondering how the english lyrics could sound so corny when the rest of "O re chori" sounded so good ...
Hearing the latest gossip from the official VJTI housewives club - Lotli, Sirdesai and Sumit - over library tables while pretending to prep for the GRE/ CAT :)
Being a massive pain of a director through the making of Mukhauta's 2nd production - 'The Unexpected Guest' ....
Mugging through the train jourey from Borivali to Matunga while in class 12 so as to not waste 40 precious mins of travel time ... what's worse ... infecting Nutan with this habit too :)
Hanging out from local trains for the 1st time in my life ... Sharmili .. gracias! :) Or was it Tapi?
Mugging aloud, as per daily skeds all through class 10, while i sat on the window sill and it rained outside .. by sheer accident, touched a frog on the clothes line outside one rainy day .. hand soaked in Dettol for 30 mins post that ... cringing and wincing through the ickiness of it all :)
Sandy and me sitting down with our cups of bournvita and biscuits every evening at 6 pm to watch The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, me with my secret crush on Race Bannon, him on Jesse Bannon .. :)
1987 ... mom being wheeled into the delivery room .. maternal aunts still pulling my leg about whether i'd rather have a brother who could turn out to become stronger than me someday or a sister who would borrow my stuff and pain me ... tough tough decisions i tell ya .. :)
1986 ... 5th bday ... being delighted when mom mentions post the morning bath that i can wear my new satin red 'frock' to school today coz its my birthday ... no need for the red and pink chequered uniform :)
The mind can't go any farther back ...wishing it to move ahead at the very least :)
I haven't ever been able to crack the science behind lingering thoughts. How is it that some incredibly memorable moments and good times fail to register in memory, short or long term? How is it that some completely forgettable experiences stay etched for way too long, way beyond expiry dates. Stark recollections are funny in the way they occur sometimes for the most inane incidents that have no significance whatsoever.
In reverse chronological order ...
This plays like a movie trailer ... The Village, Orchard road.... A group of people saunter out post dinner ... one stops as eyes rest on the Meritius Mandarin across the road .. suddenly an image of a running girl slamming into the front lobby door looking for a pay phone flashes in the mind ... Cairnhill Road was it? Unable to locate phone, runs past the ATM machine .. and the rest is a blur ...
There's the other one of hearing Robbie Williams + reading the Kite runner ... alternately closing and opening the windows .. fidgety and overwrought over choosing between paying attention to troubling thoughts and Hosseni's troubling words...
There's Galloping Gooseberries club sandwiches + Lime Mint coolers from Fruit Shop on Greem's road while stuck in office on Sundays for a terrible 2 months at Citi ... why i still loved those sandwiches i can't remember, but the taste of mayo + veggies in delicious bread I do....
Of opening the door to A 315 and walking out to a view of the tree outside A top ... Sehgal in the adjoining room playing Bhaage re mann ... pouring rains ... and heading down for hot chai with a content smile despite soggy clothes and overdue assignments ...
Of a whole night in C 302 with Nayak and Sohit spent discussing life, love, the gain and loss of both, missing Kunal, Ma and Dush and then heading out for breakfast at Koshy's after waking up a wildly protesting Papa just so we'd have someone to ride the 2nd bike :-)
Of prepping for the ConB Apex ... bonding with Sam :-), watching Mi3 fall asleep as the clock struck 10 pm and wake up as everyone else fell asleep at 3 am with a fervent "Chalo yaar, kaam karte hain!" :D
Sitting at the french window outside home in Mumbai, watching the hills, listening to Lagaan, wondering how the english lyrics could sound so corny when the rest of "O re chori" sounded so good ...
Hearing the latest gossip from the official VJTI housewives club - Lotli, Sirdesai and Sumit - over library tables while pretending to prep for the GRE/ CAT :)
Being a massive pain of a director through the making of Mukhauta's 2nd production - 'The Unexpected Guest' ....
Mugging through the train jourey from Borivali to Matunga while in class 12 so as to not waste 40 precious mins of travel time ... what's worse ... infecting Nutan with this habit too :)
Hanging out from local trains for the 1st time in my life ... Sharmili .. gracias! :) Or was it Tapi?
Mugging aloud, as per daily skeds all through class 10, while i sat on the window sill and it rained outside .. by sheer accident, touched a frog on the clothes line outside one rainy day .. hand soaked in Dettol for 30 mins post that ... cringing and wincing through the ickiness of it all :)
Sandy and me sitting down with our cups of bournvita and biscuits every evening at 6 pm to watch The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, me with my secret crush on Race Bannon, him on Jesse Bannon .. :)
1987 ... mom being wheeled into the delivery room .. maternal aunts still pulling my leg about whether i'd rather have a brother who could turn out to become stronger than me someday or a sister who would borrow my stuff and pain me ... tough tough decisions i tell ya .. :)
1986 ... 5th bday ... being delighted when mom mentions post the morning bath that i can wear my new satin red 'frock' to school today coz its my birthday ... no need for the red and pink chequered uniform :)
The mind can't go any farther back ...wishing it to move ahead at the very least :)
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Brands ...
Although i work in the marketing industry, I always figured I wasn't all that much of a brand freak. Simply put, I don't really dig the 'Prada's and the 'YSL's of this world, would rather shop for unbranded cheap clothes and footwear and .....you get the general drift :)
There's however a set of products (mind you, this is more like products with a name, more than just the allure we call a 'Brand') that have just simply made their mark on me. If asked the all too familiar question of 'What would you do if this brand/product was no longer available', my honest reply would be "I don't know how I'd survive without them'. I mean, I'm sure life would move on and I'd find a substitute in due course of time, but that interim period would be filled with much anxiety at finding a suitable successor, if you know what I mean. If you don't, then maybe the outlined examples will help ...
- Dove: I know, I'm starting with a Unilever brand. And i work for P&G. Call me a traitor, but I think Dove is a brilliant brand. One of the few brands I'll admit has what they call 'allure' for me. In that some of their products have just never worked for me, esp hair care. But some others (their Body Silk, shower cream and deodorants lead the pack) are just fantastic. I think its a combination of their 'We genuinely love women' positioning and partly the product action in select categories (Like i said before, Hair isn't one of them) that makes Dove such a loved brand in my life.
- Olay Total Effects: I've raved about this brand to people before. And yes, I used to work on Olay, so I won't blame you if you're screaming 'Bias'! To be fair to myself, I worked on whitening products, and this one's an anti aging product. It wasn't ever really my own. But honestly, no other skin product makes my skin glow like Olay TE does. If I leave home without TE on my skin, it just feels so .. so .. naked! Even when its an occassion to get dressed for, I don't have to use make up/ foundation - TE suffices :) It not only provides cosmetic coverage, but also genuinely gets rid of uneveness, dryness and dullness over time. I'm not asking anyone else to try it (that's your prerogative really), I just love this product and am not ashamed to scream it out from the rooftops!
- Gucci Envy perfume: I never ever bought perfumes for myself coz it felt like such a waste of money when plenty came in as gifts. At this one P&G fine fragrances seminar thing, they gave off free Gucci perfumes. And Gucci Envy stuck like no other fragrance ever did! Long Lasting fragrance is this!! Sharp, citrusy and not too feminine or sugary, just the way I like my fragrances. Gucci Envy is an all time favorite fragrance that genuinely 'Lingers' all day, giving perfumes over the world a good reputation :)
- Neutrogena Rainbath Shower gel: Aparna recommended this to me once. She's the maverick as far as brands go, really. Has this knack for trying products and then passing around appropriate WOM (word of mouth) on them to her friends and peers. Rainbath shower gel has the one fragrance no other product has ever managed to simulate - first rain on earth! :D Given my affinity for rains and associated scents, this one's obviously a favorite :)
- Ariel: Ok fine, i work on this brand now!!! I can't help it though, if it's completely brilliant ok! Seriously, i used to think twice before I wore whites in tough dirt/ dust situations. I love white kurtas, they're the most elegant colors for Kurtas ever! But I'd always be afraid of getting tea/ dirt/ food stains on them. Not being very laundry involved makes the slightest risk of ruining clothes a huge entry barrier to wearing some of my favorite shades. Ever since I've used Ariel though, I've even done things as stupid as wear a pristine white brand new kurta through a day in Bangalore city autos and restaurants, and with ZERO stress! Coz i knew Ariel was there! :D
- Axe deo: Procterites yelling 'Traitor', pls to calm down. Almost every male friend I have uses Axe deo regardless of which FMCG he works for. That itself is testimony to how good the product is. Agreed, the 'Axe effect' is a LOT of 'allure' from great advertising, but one has to admit, the product lives up to every expectation (No I haven't tried! Yes, I've been told :))
- Body Shop: Its just the fragrance and colors. I'm not even sure I'm a big fan of their products. I just love walking into a store once in 2 months and picking up one new scented oil (for the room, not the body). My room ALWAYS smells of a body shop fragrance - Sandalwood, Orange, Meadow, Lime, Strawberry, Lavender - U name it, I have it!
I can't think of many more right now. Will def do a follow up post when they come to mind, but this is it for now, these are the brands I'm hooked to - potentially for life :)
What's your story? Which brands are you a sucker for? :-)
There's however a set of products (mind you, this is more like products with a name, more than just the allure we call a 'Brand') that have just simply made their mark on me. If asked the all too familiar question of 'What would you do if this brand/product was no longer available', my honest reply would be "I don't know how I'd survive without them'. I mean, I'm sure life would move on and I'd find a substitute in due course of time, but that interim period would be filled with much anxiety at finding a suitable successor, if you know what I mean. If you don't, then maybe the outlined examples will help ...
- Dove: I know, I'm starting with a Unilever brand. And i work for P&G. Call me a traitor, but I think Dove is a brilliant brand. One of the few brands I'll admit has what they call 'allure' for me. In that some of their products have just never worked for me, esp hair care. But some others (their Body Silk, shower cream and deodorants lead the pack) are just fantastic. I think its a combination of their 'We genuinely love women' positioning and partly the product action in select categories (Like i said before, Hair isn't one of them) that makes Dove such a loved brand in my life.
- Olay Total Effects: I've raved about this brand to people before. And yes, I used to work on Olay, so I won't blame you if you're screaming 'Bias'! To be fair to myself, I worked on whitening products, and this one's an anti aging product. It wasn't ever really my own. But honestly, no other skin product makes my skin glow like Olay TE does. If I leave home without TE on my skin, it just feels so .. so .. naked! Even when its an occassion to get dressed for, I don't have to use make up/ foundation - TE suffices :) It not only provides cosmetic coverage, but also genuinely gets rid of uneveness, dryness and dullness over time. I'm not asking anyone else to try it (that's your prerogative really), I just love this product and am not ashamed to scream it out from the rooftops!
- Gucci Envy perfume: I never ever bought perfumes for myself coz it felt like such a waste of money when plenty came in as gifts. At this one P&G fine fragrances seminar thing, they gave off free Gucci perfumes. And Gucci Envy stuck like no other fragrance ever did! Long Lasting fragrance is this!! Sharp, citrusy and not too feminine or sugary, just the way I like my fragrances. Gucci Envy is an all time favorite fragrance that genuinely 'Lingers' all day, giving perfumes over the world a good reputation :)
- Neutrogena Rainbath Shower gel: Aparna recommended this to me once. She's the maverick as far as brands go, really. Has this knack for trying products and then passing around appropriate WOM (word of mouth) on them to her friends and peers. Rainbath shower gel has the one fragrance no other product has ever managed to simulate - first rain on earth! :D Given my affinity for rains and associated scents, this one's obviously a favorite :)
- Ariel: Ok fine, i work on this brand now!!! I can't help it though, if it's completely brilliant ok! Seriously, i used to think twice before I wore whites in tough dirt/ dust situations. I love white kurtas, they're the most elegant colors for Kurtas ever! But I'd always be afraid of getting tea/ dirt/ food stains on them. Not being very laundry involved makes the slightest risk of ruining clothes a huge entry barrier to wearing some of my favorite shades. Ever since I've used Ariel though, I've even done things as stupid as wear a pristine white brand new kurta through a day in Bangalore city autos and restaurants, and with ZERO stress! Coz i knew Ariel was there! :D
- Axe deo: Procterites yelling 'Traitor', pls to calm down. Almost every male friend I have uses Axe deo regardless of which FMCG he works for. That itself is testimony to how good the product is. Agreed, the 'Axe effect' is a LOT of 'allure' from great advertising, but one has to admit, the product lives up to every expectation (No I haven't tried! Yes, I've been told :))
- Body Shop: Its just the fragrance and colors. I'm not even sure I'm a big fan of their products. I just love walking into a store once in 2 months and picking up one new scented oil (for the room, not the body). My room ALWAYS smells of a body shop fragrance - Sandalwood, Orange, Meadow, Lime, Strawberry, Lavender - U name it, I have it!
I can't think of many more right now. Will def do a follow up post when they come to mind, but this is it for now, these are the brands I'm hooked to - potentially for life :)
What's your story? Which brands are you a sucker for? :-)
RGV ki Aag ...
kaafi pheeki pad gayi ... and that's an understatement given how BAD this movie has turned out to be. Not just relative to the original 'Sholay', but even just in absolute movie making terms.
Just got home from the movie and wanted to blog about it while the torture from the last 3 hours is still fresh in my mind. So what's wrong with Aag you ask? (Ok maybe u DONT ask, but i tell anyway, yes?)
- Terrible scriptwriting. Now really, this was supposed to be a lift off another existing (and might i mention, BRILLIANT) script. So how could they go SO wrong with this? Its this hodge podge of a story, set somewhere in a place called Kaliganj which seems like the Bombay sealine more than anything else. Bweh! And there's Holi being celebrated in a Tam house (????!!!??? Even as a fraud tam i know Tams aren't big on Holi!!!). Am not quite sure why Rambha Bhai talks like he does, why Babban has sidekicks who range from an old uncle to an IT professional type chap in specs. What the hell was happening in there?
- Terrible screenplay. What kinda dialogues were those? I know of 10 year olds who can speak better and would probably write more original, impactful dialogues. The bad lines don't just take away from the overall script, they even take away from the otherwise brilliant acting of an Amitabh Bachhan or a Mohan Lal. They really do! And for actors who aren't brilliant anyway (Elaboration will be offered in the next para), bad lines just make you want to go for their jugular for inflicting such unbearable torture on your ears and eyes.
- Bad actors. What is with that woman Nisha Kothari anyway? She's SO bad, i can't find an adjective to capture the feeling. A permanent scowl adorns her face except in the 'I'm an auto driver, yet i possess a lifetime membership with Victoria's Secret' song sequence where it's replaced by a forced look of 'being with this Heero guy is sheer bliss'. She barks her dialogues, practically spits them out, and has this shaky angry quality which she doesn't quite manage to pull off. She can't emote for nuts, and doesn't stop at not being a good actor, stoops right down to being a BAD one! Then there's Ajay Devgan who didn't even bother to carry along his standard set of 5 expressions (left 4 behind , ghar pe) and the new kid playing Raj, who lets give him his due here, is cute, but trying real hard to be as stony (read expressionless) as Ajay.
- Bad music. Ok so we've seen a gazillion movies with bad actors and bad scripts. Atleast they had decent music to make up for all of the above. You'd hope that applied to Aag as well, wouldn't you? Dream on! I don't remember a single song except from the trailer, they were all so bad. And seriously, Urmila looks really AWFUL in her patented item number. This isn't coz im a woman and i don't appreciate item numbers or hot women. I totally do! But Urmila in Aag isn't hot, isn't sultry, isn't sexy, IS disgusting, IS unattractive, IS tough on the eyes with her scantily clad boobs that practically pop out at you from the confines of the screen!
There's lots more i could complain about. But its fairly clear that my net reco is DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE UNLESS YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW BAD IT IS!!!! Amidst everything else, I must admire, however, the resolve of the entire cast to act almost equally badly so that no one can be singled out. (I did it still, didn't I? :D)
Just got home from the movie and wanted to blog about it while the torture from the last 3 hours is still fresh in my mind. So what's wrong with Aag you ask? (Ok maybe u DONT ask, but i tell anyway, yes?)
- Terrible scriptwriting. Now really, this was supposed to be a lift off another existing (and might i mention, BRILLIANT) script. So how could they go SO wrong with this? Its this hodge podge of a story, set somewhere in a place called Kaliganj which seems like the Bombay sealine more than anything else. Bweh! And there's Holi being celebrated in a Tam house (????!!!??? Even as a fraud tam i know Tams aren't big on Holi!!!). Am not quite sure why Rambha Bhai talks like he does, why Babban has sidekicks who range from an old uncle to an IT professional type chap in specs. What the hell was happening in there?
- Terrible screenplay. What kinda dialogues were those? I know of 10 year olds who can speak better and would probably write more original, impactful dialogues. The bad lines don't just take away from the overall script, they even take away from the otherwise brilliant acting of an Amitabh Bachhan or a Mohan Lal. They really do! And for actors who aren't brilliant anyway (Elaboration will be offered in the next para), bad lines just make you want to go for their jugular for inflicting such unbearable torture on your ears and eyes.
- Bad actors. What is with that woman Nisha Kothari anyway? She's SO bad, i can't find an adjective to capture the feeling. A permanent scowl adorns her face except in the 'I'm an auto driver, yet i possess a lifetime membership with Victoria's Secret' song sequence where it's replaced by a forced look of 'being with this Heero guy is sheer bliss'. She barks her dialogues, practically spits them out, and has this shaky angry quality which she doesn't quite manage to pull off. She can't emote for nuts, and doesn't stop at not being a good actor, stoops right down to being a BAD one! Then there's Ajay Devgan who didn't even bother to carry along his standard set of 5 expressions (left 4 behind , ghar pe) and the new kid playing Raj, who lets give him his due here, is cute, but trying real hard to be as stony (read expressionless) as Ajay.
- Bad music. Ok so we've seen a gazillion movies with bad actors and bad scripts. Atleast they had decent music to make up for all of the above. You'd hope that applied to Aag as well, wouldn't you? Dream on! I don't remember a single song except from the trailer, they were all so bad. And seriously, Urmila looks really AWFUL in her patented item number. This isn't coz im a woman and i don't appreciate item numbers or hot women. I totally do! But Urmila in Aag isn't hot, isn't sultry, isn't sexy, IS disgusting, IS unattractive, IS tough on the eyes with her scantily clad boobs that practically pop out at you from the confines of the screen!
There's lots more i could complain about. But its fairly clear that my net reco is DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE UNLESS YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW BAD IT IS!!!! Amidst everything else, I must admire, however, the resolve of the entire cast to act almost equally badly so that no one can be singled out. (I did it still, didn't I? :D)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The public nature of blogs - 2
Doesn't really let you keep that open book policy after all. So you turn to songs for their metaphorical generosity of meaning :)
----------------------------------------------
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
-----------------------------------------------
There is indeed a time, and until my time comes, i just need to keep the faith and the smile that reaches my eyes.
----------------------------------------------
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time for every purpose, under heaven
-----------------------------------------------
There is indeed a time, and until my time comes, i just need to keep the faith and the smile that reaches my eyes.
The public nature of blogs ..
Doesn't let you write everything you really want to. I've been told by some bloggers that they don't like blogs that double up as online journals, and I've resisted the temptation to ask them to stay away from mine, coz that's mostly what this is - a dump for the collective (ok mostly momentary!!) wisdom and experiences of the day. I come here coz sometimes these conversations with the reader feel more interesting than real life conversations (Lucky, keep in mind what i told you today... its happened before, and i hope it happens again :P). No I'm not turning into a sociopath who turns to her blog for solace. There's wonderful friends around who i get weekday/ weekend time with and conversations with them somehow add to rather than replace the thoughts on this blog. But there's still something totally wonderful about being able to write here.
Shiv once posted a question on why people blog. What's the inner motivation to put up personal opinions and notes down on a public forum where your life is vulnerable and exposed to the scrutiny of friends and strangers alike? I thought about it and never managed to find a really 'perfect' answer, but here's a sort of longish reason why I blog.
Overall - loving to talk and have conversations automatically makes an outlet like this a precious commodity to me. Specifics as follows ...
Not having all of my incredible conversationlist friends here all the time basically makes me turn to a medium like this. This is how i communicate with them. You'll notice that most stories are just my own. Rather tedious for an outsider, but of some interest to friends who usually have context on my life and can understand, and hence reply and hence contribute to the illusion of a conversation. That's incredible for me, conversation and exchanges of ideas being my lifeblood and all that.
Some of them (Kinks for e.g. who hasn't visited the blog in donkey's years) just find me in person or over phone / chat (Like Sohit, Kunal etc), so don't come here at all. Which is fine, coz atleast they catch me in person and keep in touch another way. :-)
Then there's the wonderful people i've met through the blog world. The Madmomma for e.g. - even before i realized she was a friend of a friend, we'd started to chat and all that, which was followed by a visit to her place and meeting with the OA and the babies :D Or SS, for e.g. who once had so much to say to a certain post, that she emailed me personally with her take on the issue. It doesn't do much for everyone, but that kinda thing, a complete stranger reaching out from another corner of the world just makes me deliriously happy. There's something wonderful about knowing people who think like you, maybe not always, but share your passion for writing and have the enthu to keep in touch, the lack of history notwithstanding. :)
The blog also makes it easy for me to filter out those who don't enjoy this kinda exchange and don't care for personal interaction either. They're essentially saying "im not that interested in keeping in touch with your life, online or otherwise". And imagine how easy it makes my 80:20 principle on friends!!!
To all those who visit and don't visit ... you make a difference in your own little way. So thanks!!! :D
Shiv once posted a question on why people blog. What's the inner motivation to put up personal opinions and notes down on a public forum where your life is vulnerable and exposed to the scrutiny of friends and strangers alike? I thought about it and never managed to find a really 'perfect' answer, but here's a sort of longish reason why I blog.
Overall - loving to talk and have conversations automatically makes an outlet like this a precious commodity to me. Specifics as follows ...
Not having all of my incredible conversationlist friends here all the time basically makes me turn to a medium like this. This is how i communicate with them. You'll notice that most stories are just my own. Rather tedious for an outsider, but of some interest to friends who usually have context on my life and can understand, and hence reply and hence contribute to the illusion of a conversation. That's incredible for me, conversation and exchanges of ideas being my lifeblood and all that.
Some of them (Kinks for e.g. who hasn't visited the blog in donkey's years) just find me in person or over phone / chat (Like Sohit, Kunal etc), so don't come here at all. Which is fine, coz atleast they catch me in person and keep in touch another way. :-)
Then there's the wonderful people i've met through the blog world. The Madmomma for e.g. - even before i realized she was a friend of a friend, we'd started to chat and all that, which was followed by a visit to her place and meeting with the OA and the babies :D Or SS, for e.g. who once had so much to say to a certain post, that she emailed me personally with her take on the issue. It doesn't do much for everyone, but that kinda thing, a complete stranger reaching out from another corner of the world just makes me deliriously happy. There's something wonderful about knowing people who think like you, maybe not always, but share your passion for writing and have the enthu to keep in touch, the lack of history notwithstanding. :)
The blog also makes it easy for me to filter out those who don't enjoy this kinda exchange and don't care for personal interaction either. They're essentially saying "im not that interested in keeping in touch with your life, online or otherwise". And imagine how easy it makes my 80:20 principle on friends!!!
To all those who visit and don't visit ... you make a difference in your own little way. So thanks!!! :D
Chai and naashta!
Weekday mornings are usually a crazy blur ...
....wake up wondering how the gradually diminishing sleep quota will affect my dark circles in the long run
....steal a look at the visage of 'God' in my room and promise him ill spend more time with him soon, for now thanks, sorry and all that
....check mail, feel good that there's 2 people somewhere reading the blog and even commenting!
....morning ablutions, and yes, ill spare u the details
....get dressed in a vain attempt to look like some of those perfectly done up women who look dapper no matter what (what's with my unruly mane that makes me a twin of a shaggy dog within an hour of reaching office?)
...usually gulp a banana and some juice before i make a run for the 9 am bus
Now weekday WFH (work from home) mornings are quite a different thing altogether! :D
.....wake up at 8 am and hurrah over the 'no need for a bath or travel' highlight of the morning! (for the record, im a clean, usually nice smelling person, just that i prefer bathing in the evening to wash off the boredom of the day, aka my campus habits)
.....head st to the laptop. And start work. Work for an hour till like 9 am.
.....break peacefully for a first principle cup of tea with elaichi and ginger (Fancy, I KNOW!!!)
.....make myself hot toast with cheese or peanut butter
.....bring back to table and munch/ drink away as i read through all the blogs linked to mine :) spend a nice relaxed 30 minutes getting charged for the day ...
.... back to work .. productively so!
Most things mastercard/money can buy, but reinvesting the time i spend on travel and getting ready into my weekly dose of morning peace - PRICELESS! :D
....wake up wondering how the gradually diminishing sleep quota will affect my dark circles in the long run
....steal a look at the visage of 'God' in my room and promise him ill spend more time with him soon, for now thanks, sorry and all that
....check mail, feel good that there's 2 people somewhere reading the blog and even commenting!
....morning ablutions, and yes, ill spare u the details
....get dressed in a vain attempt to look like some of those perfectly done up women who look dapper no matter what (what's with my unruly mane that makes me a twin of a shaggy dog within an hour of reaching office?)
...usually gulp a banana and some juice before i make a run for the 9 am bus
Now weekday WFH (work from home) mornings are quite a different thing altogether! :D
.....wake up at 8 am and hurrah over the 'no need for a bath or travel' highlight of the morning! (for the record, im a clean, usually nice smelling person, just that i prefer bathing in the evening to wash off the boredom of the day, aka my campus habits)
.....head st to the laptop. And start work. Work for an hour till like 9 am.
.....break peacefully for a first principle cup of tea with elaichi and ginger (Fancy, I KNOW!!!)
.....make myself hot toast with cheese or peanut butter
.....bring back to table and munch/ drink away as i read through all the blogs linked to mine :) spend a nice relaxed 30 minutes getting charged for the day ...
.... back to work .. productively so!
Most things mastercard/money can buy, but reinvesting the time i spend on travel and getting ready into my weekly dose of morning peace - PRICELESS! :D
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Random thoughts ...
Of steps, non steps and broken ankles
Palli broke her leg this morning. Ok lets make it sound less fatal and more real, she did some stepping off a step without realizing there wasn't really another step below the aforementioned step and if you didn't follow all that, it doesn't matter anyway- key takeaway is that she ended up spraining an ankle.
Vijay and I did a surprise thing to cheer her up, all this after the cheap senti she gave me on gtalk as i logged out of office to run to her house, not realizing we were rushing to see HER! Woman, the very caring Pangal notwithstanding, we do hope we made u smile through the bloated ankle this evening :)
Palli broke her leg this morning. Ok lets make it sound less fatal and more real, she did some stepping off a step without realizing there wasn't really another step below the aforementioned step and if you didn't follow all that, it doesn't matter anyway- key takeaway is that she ended up spraining an ankle.
Vijay and I did a surprise thing to cheer her up, all this after the cheap senti she gave me on gtalk as i logged out of office to run to her house, not realizing we were rushing to see HER! Woman, the very caring Pangal notwithstanding, we do hope we made u smile through the bloated ankle this evening :)
Of brilliant songs
We all have our list right, the one that goes favorites/ favs/ favs1/ favs2 (you get the drift eh?) on itunes and sundry other music players?
Most songs are special coz they come with special stories. Some worth remembering, others struggling to be forgotten (all depends on how memorable the story is obv)
Despite the 2 long posts once done on some ultra special songs and their stories, here's my list of other special songs...
To induce happy expression and moon away ....
Wonderwall - Oasis (i know someone introduced me to this song, bleddy cannot rbbr!)
1000 miles - Vanessa Carlton (terrible video, lovely meaningful song)
Feel - Robbie Williams (hot black tea in my hand, sitting alone by a cold window shedding secret tears over 'Kite Runner' and wondering how i NEVER hrd Robbie ever before...)
Love fool - Cruel Intentions OST (i can imagine the singer with a pixie haircut for some reason!)
Can't fight the moonlight - OST for Coyote Ugly (this is fantastic to sing along, strong 'Sharmili in SG' memories)
More than words - Extreme (wat a!)
One on One - Robert Miles (one of the 1st english songs i EVER heard)
Linger - Cranberries (Sumedha, thanks! We do have sim tastes in music :) Wat work will get done on Ariel at this rate say?)
Californication - Red hot chilli peppers (1st song i heard on the IIMB campus)
Comfortably Numb - (They invented this brilliant phrase with the song didn't they?)
To hum along in Hindi ...
Jaane Do - Cheeni Kum (God! this is lovely... although Lalitha gives me threat of death if i play this more than once)
Tu bin bataye - RDB (sigh .. need i say anything? such content expressions, such solid stable love, how? what? where?)
Guzar na jaye - Rog (Sumedha again ...)
Bol na halke halke- JBJ (Rainy day, green view from the window, me with cuppa chai drinking in more than the tea)
O saathi re - Omkaara (Mogambo, OUR song yes ? :-) Wat lyrics, wat melody, the only song i can claim has 'texture': velvety, silken and 'scent': first rains on dry earth)
To headbang and party away...
Jhoom - JBJ (Sur aur taal ka anokha mishran :D)
RDB - The OST (Sets even the filipinos at work dancing away :D)
And some more i don't rbbr!!! Clearly im not quite the party animal yet! :D
Ok sleep beckons now ... meaningless post after meaningless post is taxing on the system still!
Shaadi Vaadi done!
2 very good women just announced news of their wedding. Sanchita just wrapped up the wedding in Calcutta (in great ishtyle im sure) :-) and M, the sweetest woman in my batch (this is without a doubt, find me ONE person who contests this, and ill buy you a house!) pinged me today to let me know she's found someone as well, engagement in Dec, shaadi next yr. All this after last nite's news of Kavita making it to Insead is slisha too much overload of happiness for my system. :-) But yes anyway, the theme for the day, esp after that long talk with M and finding Sanchi online today, is Shaadi Vaadi done!!! :D
Mogambo dearest, you're next i think. I've already gotten a June 1st 2008 date from one friend, and M has June plans as well. If you really really and truly truly (this is extremely irritating P&G CMK Lingo!) want me there, send off dates sooonnn!!! :D
Anymore dates coming up?
Mogambo dearest, you're next i think. I've already gotten a June 1st 2008 date from one friend, and M has June plans as well. If you really really and truly truly (this is extremely irritating P&G CMK Lingo!) want me there, send off dates sooonnn!!! :D
Anymore dates coming up?
Before i forget ...
The wonderful Kavita who came into all our lives like an aforementioned wave of utter enthusiasm and joy has officially made it to a B school - INSEAD Singapore to be more specific!! :D I don't know if im happier for her having made it after everything she's been through, or just for myself - to be able to have her a local call away and catch her every weekend for coffee just feels like too much of a blessing. :D
Kavs, congrats!!! You so deserve this after all the tough choices you made. I hope that anyone you missed dropping a msg to reads this and shares your happiness like we are right now :D Love ya! (((()))))
Kavs, congrats!!! You so deserve this after all the tough choices you made. I hope that anyone you missed dropping a msg to reads this and shares your happiness like we are right now :D Love ya! (((()))))
Thoughts ...
come in all shapes and sizes and textures ...
There's the light misty cloud of happiness that settles over you ... you know it feels good now .. but there's no way to say if it'll be followed by a pleasant shower or a torrential storm .. but uve sworn to shuddup and enjoy it while it lasts ...
There's the brazen wave of joy that engulfs you in its glory and leaves you drenched in its goodness ...
There's the hot wind that comes from the desert, literally strips you of life, leaving you dry and barren ...
There's the pinprick - sharp, shortlived, but quick to draw blood as soon as it touches you ... you don't see this coming, and u sure as hell didn't anticipate exactly how painful it would turn out to be ...
There's the foggy Delhi winter ... stifling and blinding in their uncertainty ...
There's the pool of Evian .. by which of course i mean that sudden flash of clarity that suddenly sends every kind of cloud scampering away and let understanding (of self/ others and sundry) dawn upon a befuddled mind ...
They make us who we are, yes? Then why stop thinking? Why tire of it ever? :-)
There's the light misty cloud of happiness that settles over you ... you know it feels good now .. but there's no way to say if it'll be followed by a pleasant shower or a torrential storm .. but uve sworn to shuddup and enjoy it while it lasts ...
There's the brazen wave of joy that engulfs you in its glory and leaves you drenched in its goodness ...
There's the hot wind that comes from the desert, literally strips you of life, leaving you dry and barren ...
There's the pinprick - sharp, shortlived, but quick to draw blood as soon as it touches you ... you don't see this coming, and u sure as hell didn't anticipate exactly how painful it would turn out to be ...
There's the foggy Delhi winter ... stifling and blinding in their uncertainty ...
There's the pool of Evian .. by which of course i mean that sudden flash of clarity that suddenly sends every kind of cloud scampering away and let understanding (of self/ others and sundry) dawn upon a befuddled mind ...
They make us who we are, yes? Then why stop thinking? Why tire of it ever? :-)
Monday, August 27, 2007
This one's for you Mogambo!
I'm back in Singapore, and happily so!!! No more sneezing bouts, no more covering my mouth and nose in autos in a feeble (and useless) attempt to protect it from the onslaught of the dust and smoke its so allergic to. I'd love to blog about the whole trip, but its late, i have an early morning work assignment to do and the evening was spent having a good time with the wonderful palli .. so will write more later ... but before i go, just 2 things:
1. I despise - repeat -DESPISE, insinuations about how 'delicate' or 'firang' I am as a response to my mention of the dust in big Indian metros being bad for me.
Its not about having lived in a developed nation and looking down on my own now. Its not about getting spoilt by the cleanliness of Singapore and being unable to 'adjust' or 'cope' with Bangalore. Its about knowing that I have a medical issue with exposure to dust and knowing i don't want to end up in hospital with a case of allergic bronchitis as i did when i was 12 and 14 respectively. Yes, it was a long time back, but no thanks, i'd rather live a safe life than have my sorry ass in a hospital on medication with an IV drip stuck in my arms.
I may look thin (and wtf is people's issue with that anyway? I can pull off the clothes i wear, I have a healthy WBC and RBC count and i can effortlessly run 2 miles a day, so what's so wrong with being 'thin') and that has NOTHING to do with my colds, so kindly stop assuming I'm 'weak' coz im 'thin'.
For the record - I shunned a 3 day stay in a Windsor Manor or a Taj in Bangalore in favor of living on campus (yes - our very own iimb campus with less than average bathrooms, no shower facilities, loos without the 'firang' accesory that is toilet paper, with 3 flights of stairs to drag my 20 kg bag up vs. an elevator or hotel staff to help, with upma/ dosa / local tea for breakfast vs. the lavish spread of a company paid breakfast buffet) and I enjoyed every minute of it.
So kindly give the judgement a break when i say im allergic to dust - I have a health problem, not an attitude problem!
2. I'm seriously tired of losing people to B school. What is with that place anyway? Its like this weird little time warp or black hole that sucks people into it and spews out a mutated version of the people we loved and adored. I'm hardly in a place to judge, having been there, done that. This time round anyway, I've known enough to understand it'll be fine soon. Still, the erstwhile pride and joy of being associated with a b school is coming to be replaced by trepidation and concern for the near and dear ones of those who set out on the journey ... more later ... for now .. just so sick and tired .. does it always have to be this way?
1. I despise - repeat -DESPISE, insinuations about how 'delicate' or 'firang' I am as a response to my mention of the dust in big Indian metros being bad for me.
Its not about having lived in a developed nation and looking down on my own now. Its not about getting spoilt by the cleanliness of Singapore and being unable to 'adjust' or 'cope' with Bangalore. Its about knowing that I have a medical issue with exposure to dust and knowing i don't want to end up in hospital with a case of allergic bronchitis as i did when i was 12 and 14 respectively. Yes, it was a long time back, but no thanks, i'd rather live a safe life than have my sorry ass in a hospital on medication with an IV drip stuck in my arms.
I may look thin (and wtf is people's issue with that anyway? I can pull off the clothes i wear, I have a healthy WBC and RBC count and i can effortlessly run 2 miles a day, so what's so wrong with being 'thin') and that has NOTHING to do with my colds, so kindly stop assuming I'm 'weak' coz im 'thin'.
For the record - I shunned a 3 day stay in a Windsor Manor or a Taj in Bangalore in favor of living on campus (yes - our very own iimb campus with less than average bathrooms, no shower facilities, loos without the 'firang' accesory that is toilet paper, with 3 flights of stairs to drag my 20 kg bag up vs. an elevator or hotel staff to help, with upma/ dosa / local tea for breakfast vs. the lavish spread of a company paid breakfast buffet) and I enjoyed every minute of it.
So kindly give the judgement a break when i say im allergic to dust - I have a health problem, not an attitude problem!
2. I'm seriously tired of losing people to B school. What is with that place anyway? Its like this weird little time warp or black hole that sucks people into it and spews out a mutated version of the people we loved and adored. I'm hardly in a place to judge, having been there, done that. This time round anyway, I've known enough to understand it'll be fine soon. Still, the erstwhile pride and joy of being associated with a b school is coming to be replaced by trepidation and concern for the near and dear ones of those who set out on the journey ... more later ... for now .. just so sick and tired .. does it always have to be this way?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
IIMB after 1.5 years ...
Short post this coz i need to head out again in 8 hours after scrimping on sleep again .. but feels so wonderful to be on campus ... and to be here with Shams who i kept hoping wud make it as my junior while i was a PGP2 student in 2004 - 05 and who finally made it 2 years after i passed out ... just the feeling of coming back to what i regard my true alma mater after 1.5 yrs, just driving in thru the gates ... even i can't find the words to capture that kinda joy :) (but blog about it i can huh!) :D
More later ...
More later ...
Friday, August 17, 2007
This one's picked from Chandni's blog as well ... absolutely lovely .. whether you have context or not ..
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Jeevan Main Ek Sitara Tha
Maana Vah Behad Pyara Tha
Vah Doob Gaya To Doob Gaya
Ambar Kay Aanan Ko Dekho
Kitne Iskay Taare Toote
Kitne Iskay Pyare Choote
Jo Choot Gaye Fir Kahan Mile
Par Bolo Toote Taaron Par
Kab Ambar Shok Manata Hai
Jo Beet Gayi So Baat Gayi
- Harivansh Rai Bacchan
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:) How true ...
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Jeevan Main Ek Sitara Tha
Maana Vah Behad Pyara Tha
Vah Doob Gaya To Doob Gaya
Ambar Kay Aanan Ko Dekho
Kitne Iskay Taare Toote
Kitne Iskay Pyare Choote
Jo Choot Gaye Fir Kahan Mile
Par Bolo Toote Taaron Par
Kab Ambar Shok Manata Hai
Jo Beet Gayi So Baat Gayi
- Harivansh Rai Bacchan
============================================
:) How true ...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
"Is this the way to touch a woman??"
Let me know if you didn't find this incredibly funny. I'll note it down I promise, so I can lament your sense of humor (Oh wait! The lack of it, I mean) when we meet face to face.
As an aside: So many shady googles are going to bring people here to my innocuous link to an equally innocuous blog!!! Apologies!
As an aside: So many shady googles are going to bring people here to my innocuous link to an equally innocuous blog!!! Apologies!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Back!!!
I've just landed and gotten back home. Had the good sense to get my tickets advanced coz today was just half a day's worth of work!
So here's key accomplishments of the half week in a nutshell:
- Worked. (Yeah 1 word is enough for that one here)
- Read up HP6 on the flight to Manila and was good to see I was still pretty thrilled with it. I realize that with most books, i end up almost skimming through the 1st time coz i jus wanna know how it ends, and then i come back later to savor the writing and style and all that. More morons like that out there?
- Saw this awesome movie called Fracture (Nitin, I can tell u the end if u want to hear, coz the Manila flight let me see the WHOLE movie unlike ur BKK flight .. teehee!!! :D) on my way back
- Also finished this INCREDIBLE book called 'Love Walked in' which before you become your judgmental self and begin to smirk, is NOT about a woman falling in love with a man .. ok wait, before I send out the wrong signals, it's NOT about women and women or men and men or any such combinations! You could google it to check out what it's about. In any case, loved the writing style (its digressive just like mine) and the story feels SO REAL!!! The kind of stuff that could easily happen to the best or worst of us :) Read it if you can.
- As for all that hyped shopping in Manila, vs. the truckloads of clothes/ shoes/ bags/ accessories that you're probably hypothesizing i came back with, I've come back armed with 700 pesos worth of detergent powder. Yes you read that right. Don't (sc)rub your eyes!!! I brought back Ariel for my family, for myself and for Sumedha (who btw asked me to carry enough powder to last 2 generations!!! My 50% scrimping on her request probably saved me from getting caught at the airport with too much 'white' substance!!!) and I'm so enthralled hearing women talking about laundry that I think i'm gonna do an overnight soak for the 1st time in about 4 years now!! :D
Expectations from next week's India travel:
- Work (Yeah since its business travel and all that)
- Shop a little in Bangalore please!!! After that shamefaced detergent loaded return from Manila, I need to save face!
- Have people tell me I've gotten chubbier/ healthier/ rounder... any alternate variation of the above will ALSO do! Please just do NOT resort to the usual blatant lack of creativity (read: "You've lost weight", "Your cheeks look sunken", "Your eyes look sunken" "Your ear/ nose/ ankle/ middle finger looks thinner than when we last met") I promise you'll be promptly shown one of the aforementioned as a sign of vicious protest! Kunal - This is when ur erstwhile irritating googly woogly chant comes to the rescue!
- Meet the parents. My own that is. Pass on aforementioned detergent to them as token of my love and appreciation (not to mention, a valiant attempt to boost my own brand's sales).
- Talk to the sibling and do status check on CAT prep and some probes on closeted girlfriends. (Fine!!! I'll confess my own life is BORING so im looking to my bro to provide entertainment, Is it really THAT bad?!)
- Visit the IIML campus if possible. Simple curiosity. Nothing else.
- Do everything at IIMB that i did back in my 2 years there. Walk around, eat in the mess, visit the classrooms, sprawl out in welcome sunshine at the freshly watered OAT lawn and meet Rambo after what ... 1.5 years? :)
- Eat at my fav joints in Bangalore (Samarkhand, Spiga, Indijoe and watever else this generation thinks is yummy), meet up with old friends, meet some online friends i havent met ever before and some relatives.
And I can't think of more now. Add on if u will! Oh, and do buy Ariel!!! :D
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Paradox at its best ....
There's hungry children all over the world, more so in my own country. I can choose to not notice and not do anything about it. And yet they're there.
Meanwhile, a delegation of visitors run up a food bill of 30000 INR in a fancy restaurant on company expense.
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There's people dying as a consequence of the diamond trade in parts of Africa every single day.
Meanwhile women across the world dream about owning a diamond ring that will be the size of their fist.
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There's rampant illiteracy in my nation. Child labor where there should be eager 10 year olds going to school. Dark dingy sweatshops instead of bright lights shining down on text books.
Meanwhile, in colleges across the nation, teenagers with access to education, lectures, books and lab facilities bunk classes, sleep through lectures, crib about second rate faculty and use lecture time to catch the latest Bollywood flick.
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Women still get treated like second rate shit in many parts of India. When its not violence and physical abuse, its preferential allocation of resources and mental prejudice. When its not in laws paining their DIL to bear a son (please, or should we just get our son married again to a woman who CAN give him a son?) its women getting molested in broad daylight, on the Mumbai Dadar bridge, in Chennai buses, on Delhi streets.
Meanwhile, the government continues to make amends by providing women's reservation in higher educational institutions by which time the woman has crossed most key barriers to making it big and can EASILY just make it on her own merit, thanks very much, instead of having to deal with the irritating tag that reads "Girls Quota".
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Cut to my own life ...
My heart and soul light up everytime I'm in the vicinity of children. As i read to them at the library every Saturday, I have this feeling of immense fulfilment, of being whole and of being of use to the planet. I can spend hours with 2 to 6 year olds and not get bored. I lose patience with stupid adults in (give or take) 15 minutes, but im yet to meet a child who I could possibly label 'stupid' or lose patience with even after hours of together time.
Meanwhile, I continue trying to sell more laundry detergent to whoever will buy.
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Paradoxical would be an appropriate choice of words now?
Meanwhile, a delegation of visitors run up a food bill of 30000 INR in a fancy restaurant on company expense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
There's people dying as a consequence of the diamond trade in parts of Africa every single day.
Meanwhile women across the world dream about owning a diamond ring that will be the size of their fist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
There's rampant illiteracy in my nation. Child labor where there should be eager 10 year olds going to school. Dark dingy sweatshops instead of bright lights shining down on text books.
Meanwhile, in colleges across the nation, teenagers with access to education, lectures, books and lab facilities bunk classes, sleep through lectures, crib about second rate faculty and use lecture time to catch the latest Bollywood flick.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Women still get treated like second rate shit in many parts of India. When its not violence and physical abuse, its preferential allocation of resources and mental prejudice. When its not in laws paining their DIL to bear a son (please, or should we just get our son married again to a woman who CAN give him a son?) its women getting molested in broad daylight, on the Mumbai Dadar bridge, in Chennai buses, on Delhi streets.
Meanwhile, the government continues to make amends by providing women's reservation in higher educational institutions by which time the woman has crossed most key barriers to making it big and can EASILY just make it on her own merit, thanks very much, instead of having to deal with the irritating tag that reads "Girls Quota".
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Cut to my own life ...
My heart and soul light up everytime I'm in the vicinity of children. As i read to them at the library every Saturday, I have this feeling of immense fulfilment, of being whole and of being of use to the planet. I can spend hours with 2 to 6 year olds and not get bored. I lose patience with stupid adults in (give or take) 15 minutes, but im yet to meet a child who I could possibly label 'stupid' or lose patience with even after hours of together time.
Meanwhile, I continue trying to sell more laundry detergent to whoever will buy.
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Paradoxical would be an appropriate choice of words now?
Monday, August 13, 2007
This one's very interesting .... women .. can u relate?
I'll get straight to the point. I picked this up from an anonymous blog. Wondered if any of the women I know can feel/ understand what she's going through. Kindly note, I'm NOT saying these are my thoughts reflected. I'm not saying I can feel her pain. I'm ONLY saying this made for interesting reading and I thought many women I know might identify with it. And before you ask, NO! That's NOT MY ANONYMOUS blog! :-)
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" Yesterday, while talking to X (for perspective, a female friend), I told her that I was not going to marry Y (for perspective, a man), and I was looking for eligible people to date. The first thing she asked me was, "Why not Z?" (Z, for perspective, is an incredibly good friend, the kind I understand and the kind who understands me and adores me for who I am) Indeed, why not Z, is a question I've asked myself a couple of times over the past month. Well, it's because I need someone to take charge of me, I replied.
It's not that I want to be fawned over every 5 minutes, and told how much I am loved 20 times a day. It's not even that I want the presence of a man most of the time. It's the fact that I can be talked back to, without the guy being nervous or apologetic about doing that. And if I'm being an ass, (which I am a lot of the time!) I want to be told so and firmly! I need someone who's smarter than me, not just in a sectoral way, but smart in life, someone I can look upto ... someone who believes in himself enough to follow his heart, even though that means fear and pain, but happiness at the end (or perhaps along the way?)
Y's spoilt me now in a lot of ways. I realize that when I think about dating other men. It's not like I'm a feminist, who thinks the woman must be in control of the relationship and where it's heading. And it's not even like I'm a village simpleton, who clings to the man in her life like a baby koala. I think not too many men realize that a lot of women now, are half-way between those two extremes.
It shouldn't be too difficult (right?) for a man not to be intimidated by a woman who earns enough to treat herself well, and stand on her own two feet; a woman who knows her mind enough to pick arguments with total strangers without fear of what people will say; and at the same time, wants to be shown that she is loved. Nobody is asking for a mushy display of flowers and candlelit dinners every night, but a matter-of-fact "you matter to me" once in a blue moon will do.
Well, I guess it IS difficult, probably. That's what makes THE men special then. That they understand the role, and play it. I don't even want them to play it well at this point of time - they'll learn along the way.. but can I find such a man please?"
It's not that I want to be fawned over every 5 minutes, and told how much I am loved 20 times a day. It's not even that I want the presence of a man most of the time. It's the fact that I can be talked back to, without the guy being nervous or apologetic about doing that. And if I'm being an ass, (which I am a lot of the time!) I want to be told so and firmly! I need someone who's smarter than me, not just in a sectoral way, but smart in life, someone I can look upto ... someone who believes in himself enough to follow his heart, even though that means fear and pain, but happiness at the end (or perhaps along the way?)
Y's spoilt me now in a lot of ways. I realize that when I think about dating other men. It's not like I'm a feminist, who thinks the woman must be in control of the relationship and where it's heading. And it's not even like I'm a village simpleton, who clings to the man in her life like a baby koala. I think not too many men realize that a lot of women now, are half-way between those two extremes.
It shouldn't be too difficult (right?) for a man not to be intimidated by a woman who earns enough to treat herself well, and stand on her own two feet; a woman who knows her mind enough to pick arguments with total strangers without fear of what people will say; and at the same time, wants to be shown that she is loved. Nobody is asking for a mushy display of flowers and candlelit dinners every night, but a matter-of-fact "you matter to me" once in a blue moon will do.
Well, I guess it IS difficult, probably. That's what makes THE men special then. That they understand the role, and play it. I don't even want them to play it well at this point of time - they'll learn along the way.. but can I find such a man please?"
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My thoughts (Yeah, these are MINE!): The only thing that comes to mind now is the little known truth about how those women you always thought were CEO material, the ones with the booming voice and extreme confidence in every meeting, the ones with the fantastic academic records and seemingly fast paced careers, the 'tough cookies' on the outside are usually the ones who love with a lot of difficulty but hurt much easier.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
1st night in Manila ...
Reached safe and sound ... bumped into 2 others from the CMK function at the airport so came in together ... checked in and headed st to the laptop ... this is what they'd likely term internet OCD!!! :D
Looking forward to tomorrow ... research in a new city with a new set of people ... have been told the shopping here is gr8 too :)
Until i grab another hour of paid internet, here's Adios everyone! Have a wonderful week! :D
Looking forward to tomorrow ... research in a new city with a new set of people ... have been told the shopping here is gr8 too :)
Until i grab another hour of paid internet, here's Adios everyone! Have a wonderful week! :D
To visitors on this blog - known and unknown, Hi?
Heya everyone who reads this blog - known or unknown to me. I don't think i get quite as many anonymous comments as most other bloggers i know do. That's probably coz the overall number of people who visit this site are low anyway :)
But since I figured it would be really nice to know who drops by, I have a neoearth program running for the last 2 days (yeah i'm getting blog savvy!) that tells me where the visits are coming from and its very interesting to note that outside of the predictable hits from my friends in India and Singapore, there's hits coming from NY/ NJ, Central North America and the west coast (LA? SF?) and London.
Again, I do know friends from most of these regions (except maybe Central NA!?!?) who are visitors and even keep in touch over mail and through comments, but if you aren't someone I know, and don't particularly mind revealing yourself (calling you a lurker sounds awful - like ur a criminal or something!), then could you kindly drop off a comment and a name / pseudo- identity to the effect? :-) Thanks! Much appreciated :)
But since I figured it would be really nice to know who drops by, I have a neoearth program running for the last 2 days (yeah i'm getting blog savvy!) that tells me where the visits are coming from and its very interesting to note that outside of the predictable hits from my friends in India and Singapore, there's hits coming from NY/ NJ, Central North America and the west coast (LA? SF?) and London.
Again, I do know friends from most of these regions (except maybe Central NA!?!?) who are visitors and even keep in touch over mail and through comments, but if you aren't someone I know, and don't particularly mind revealing yourself (calling you a lurker sounds awful - like ur a criminal or something!), then could you kindly drop off a comment and a name / pseudo- identity to the effect? :-) Thanks! Much appreciated :)
A view from the window ....
Yeah, so i'm not a brilliant photographer .. but that isnt the point of this post! That's the pretty morning view the new house has gifted me ... an incredible breeze + peace of mind guaranteed :) 
And that's the view from the living room.
Our house in Bombay, atleast the last one we've moved to 7 years ago or so had this view of the hills seperating western and central Mumbai on the left, and if u craned ur neck hard enough, a view of Gorai creek far on the right. When monsoon arrived, we were always the 1st ones to know, coz the mountain would blend into the inky darkness of the sky behind and all outlines would vanish. That's when we'd know it was time to get out the umbrellas :)
I've spent many many hours at that equivalent of a French window studying for exams, downing sweet cuppa teas during breaks, indulging in my only hobby then - music, long calls with friends and evening conversations with mom when she was back from work and I had the occassional spurt of goodness to make her a cup of coffee without cribbing about how much I had to study!
Funny thing is, all these window activities were limited to prep leave periods (typically the month before an exam that you sit at home and make up for the non - studying sins of the entire term that went by) and post exam vacations (which in engineering are a sad 2 to 3 weeks) so my strongest memories are still of struggling with fundae at the window and then reaching give up point when i saw how pretty the horizon looked and realized how much easier it was to ponder over life and sundry others vs. mugging for a meaningless exam :D (Don't ya worry, i passed my exams just fine despite all this!)
7 years down, and i'm back to enjoying my Sunday cup of tea plus the window view. :) Life indeed comes full circle :D
Of Sundays lost ...
Egh I'm not looking fwd to tomorrow at all ... have to leave on work for the Philippines by 3 pm in the afternoon and HATE the fact that my personal weekend time is being infringed upon by my work. (Yeah im one of THOSE work life balance fanatics!). If it was travel to India, I'd be leaving in the night and reaching later at night, but with Manila we don't have the privilege of a time difference ... gah!
My visa's still not in my hand btw ... i need to drop in at the embassy tomorrow on my way to the airport and pick up my docs ... a couple of months back I'd have been a nervous wreck thinking about it ... now i've thought about it only now .. as i blog ... and it hasn't bothered me yet. How things change!
Spending the next one week in Manila and then on work in India .. so ill be gone for 2 weeks from my home here ... hopefully will still continue to blog ... esp in Manila coz there won't be too many people (except my daily online angels) to talk to and not talking is as good as jumping into a wild overflowing river (yeah, i can't swim yet) as far as im concerned.
I know I promised to put up the Cathedral pics, but connecting the cam etc feels like too much work. That's the other thing i've recently become - Lazy!!! :D
But the biggest change i think vs past 6 months (apart from the ability to find sleep easily, to not fret over little things and indulge in laziness) is the ability to just sit around and do nothing. My mind used to be like Orchard Road in Singapore. Flooded with traffic forever and not a silent moment ever! Its always been like that. I'd always be looking somewhere outside to find something to occupy me. Making plans by calling people. Chatting. Even waiting for people in other time zones to wake up so i could speak to them. (Yeah, what a loser!!!!) Dropping visits. Blah. Am finally able to just be on my own and entertain a vacant mind. Am able to do that enviable activity of playing music and just listening. NOT cleaning. NOT cooking. NOT tidying up. NOT planning. Just being. Its a wonderful feeling. Avid CMKer that I am, am tracking to see how long it lasts. :)
I'm going to make up for my time lost tomorrow with an extra half day off sometime in the year. God knows with my grand plans for a big vacation (surprise, this one will unveil in a month or 2!!!) I'll need it more than just want it for kicks :D
Till then, ill stop lamenting the loss of a day that hasn't even begun and plunge back into Harry Potter 6 .. i've forgotten all about horcruxes and how D'dore got his hand charred like that ... so adios everyone!!
I'm going to make up for my time lost tomorrow with an extra half day off sometime in the year. God knows with my grand plans for a big vacation (surprise, this one will unveil in a month or 2!!!) I'll need it more than just want it for kicks :D
Till then, ill stop lamenting the loss of a day that hasn't even begun and plunge back into Harry Potter 6 .. i've forgotten all about horcruxes and how D'dore got his hand charred like that ... so adios everyone!!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
St Andrew's Cathedral .. a walk through
Am headed out to an evening show of 'The King and I'. Palli's entry into Singapore has made life better in many ways :) Wanted to blog about the morning tour she and I took through the St Andrews Cathedral in City Hall this morning ... but i ended up sleeping through the afternoon. There was this time a few months back that sleep was just SO tough to summon on will... and now i guess i just tire myself to the point where i slump into bed every evening feeling blessed to be able to sleep .. am even able to sleep at weird hours of the day ... pray it lasts ...
The only thing that hit me (and I figured I really wanted to say out loud) is despite being a fair bit of a believer in God and a big fan of churches and temples, the last time i visited church was in early Jan this year ... 8 months to be precise ... and a visit to the temple was only when I accompanied mom on her Saturday ritual when i went home in July. Shameful? I don't know. I don't judge others or myself by these standards, but that feeling of being constantly in His protection and sphere of knowledge is somehow not the same as it used to be once upon a time.
And the nostalgia that hit when i walked into the Cathedral, was weird and unexpected. High roof, painted glass panels, peace and quiet. So much baggage that we convince ourselves we've shed, and then suddenly there's new challenges on that task that crop up out of nowhere.
More with pictures of the cathedral once im back from the play.
The only thing that hit me (and I figured I really wanted to say out loud) is despite being a fair bit of a believer in God and a big fan of churches and temples, the last time i visited church was in early Jan this year ... 8 months to be precise ... and a visit to the temple was only when I accompanied mom on her Saturday ritual when i went home in July. Shameful? I don't know. I don't judge others or myself by these standards, but that feeling of being constantly in His protection and sphere of knowledge is somehow not the same as it used to be once upon a time.
And the nostalgia that hit when i walked into the Cathedral, was weird and unexpected. High roof, painted glass panels, peace and quiet. So much baggage that we convince ourselves we've shed, and then suddenly there's new challenges on that task that crop up out of nowhere.
More with pictures of the cathedral once im back from the play.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Blogaddict hoon main ...
Its not fair!!! Their last qn was "When you finish taking this test, do you plan to blog about it!" Well hello! I picked it up on another BLOG. Of course I'll blog about it!
Ah well .. *dramtically sighs*... not like this is a surprise to anyone....
78%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?Ah well .. *dramtically sighs*... not like this is a surprise to anyone....
Mingle2 - Dating Site
Am i ashamed? Not really, am actually somewhat kicked :D I'm back to being a geek ... after 7 years or so .. im a Bloggeek!! :D (Yeah you heard it here 1st!)
Validation .... in all forms ..
Watched Chak De India ... walked in with bated breath as we usually do with much hyped movies that proudly show off SRK ... for once, we walked out exhilerated and craving for more :) The movie delivers a punch .. right to your heart ... makes you proud to be an Indian, makes you (makes me!) proud of those women who went from 'belan' weilding nothings to the nation's 'shaan' and gives you a quick yet effective crash course in the spirit of sportsmanship.
Unrelated fact: I have this age old funda that a man is best judged by his behavior on field. Its the most 'real' form of him where every facet of his personality is open for all to see with no charm and no wit to hide behind. To understand you need to see Nayak on field :) Brilliantly talented yet humble to the core and a true team player, an absolute delight to watch! (yeah - who said this isn't biased! :P)
But I digress. Chak De India does all that i mentioned up there ... and more.. yet the one thing i took away from the movie was the 10 second shot after the girls defend the most critical goal that leads them into victory and the camera zooms in on SRK. There's just one word writ on his face - Validation.
Of having being wronged and undoing it all with this one victory. Of redeeming the rejection and the pain that he was put through despite the best that he gave to his role. Validation that he will finally have the ability to hold his head up and know that it didn't all go to waste.
Its very coincidental (or maybe my mind is just in that place where it's twisting everything i see to fit this theory) that just 2 days ago, SS wrote this lovely post about finding her own validation. Read it, and you'll know the parallel.
The situation and setting are fairly different, yet the principle behind both the movie and her post is the same. Of being denied appreciation and acknowledgement of one's goodness in some way and then finally getting it as it is deserved. But she's right. Not all of us are destined to find it. Maybe we should just be happy for those who do :) Maybe THAT's our validation :)
Unrelated fact: I have this age old funda that a man is best judged by his behavior on field. Its the most 'real' form of him where every facet of his personality is open for all to see with no charm and no wit to hide behind. To understand you need to see Nayak on field :) Brilliantly talented yet humble to the core and a true team player, an absolute delight to watch! (yeah - who said this isn't biased! :P)
But I digress. Chak De India does all that i mentioned up there ... and more.. yet the one thing i took away from the movie was the 10 second shot after the girls defend the most critical goal that leads them into victory and the camera zooms in on SRK. There's just one word writ on his face - Validation.
Of having being wronged and undoing it all with this one victory. Of redeeming the rejection and the pain that he was put through despite the best that he gave to his role. Validation that he will finally have the ability to hold his head up and know that it didn't all go to waste.
Its very coincidental (or maybe my mind is just in that place where it's twisting everything i see to fit this theory) that just 2 days ago, SS wrote this lovely post about finding her own validation. Read it, and you'll know the parallel.
The situation and setting are fairly different, yet the principle behind both the movie and her post is the same. Of being denied appreciation and acknowledgement of one's goodness in some way and then finally getting it as it is deserved. But she's right. Not all of us are destined to find it. Maybe we should just be happy for those who do :) Maybe THAT's our validation :)
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Ironic ...
How a song named 'Comfortably Numb' can give you goosebumps with how beautifully its written :)
It doesn't get any cuter than this ...
Conversation between me and ex boss A on communicator, the msn eqv within P&G:
A (2.17 pm): Hi
(an hour passes before I get back to my laptop from back to back meetings and see the msg)
Me (3.15 pm): Hi
A: Hi
ME: (long pause)
A:(long pause)
Me: (still pausing)
A: Was I the one who sent the original Hi?
Me: Ermmm .. yep!
A: Hmmmmmmm
A: [emoticon for questioning expression = raised eyebrow]
A: [emoticon for confused expression = :S]
Me: (having deduced with my sherlock abilities that A clearly has ZERO recollection of why he pinged me in the 1st place) Its OK ...just tell me when you remember ...:)
A: Yeah, ill ping you if and when i rbbr ... forgot why i pinged :S
Me: (he's just as human as the rest of us .. hurrah!) Sure thing .. ill be around only .. :)
A: cool :) see you then ..
Me: Cya!
And thus I love my bosses ... ALL of them .. THIS is what they call halo effect! :DDD
A (2.17 pm): Hi
(an hour passes before I get back to my laptop from back to back meetings and see the msg)
Me (3.15 pm): Hi
A: Hi
ME: (long pause)
A:(long pause)
Me: (still pausing)
A: Was I the one who sent the original Hi?
Me: Ermmm .. yep!
A: Hmmmmmmm
A: [emoticon for questioning expression = raised eyebrow]
A: [emoticon for confused expression = :S]
Me: (having deduced with my sherlock abilities that A clearly has ZERO recollection of why he pinged me in the 1st place) Its OK ...just tell me when you remember ...:)
A: Yeah, ill ping you if and when i rbbr ... forgot why i pinged :S
Me: (he's just as human as the rest of us .. hurrah!) Sure thing .. ill be around only .. :)
A: cool :) see you then ..
Me: Cya!
And thus I love my bosses ... ALL of them .. THIS is what they call halo effect! :DDD
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Of Rasam and sundry others ...
For the last 2 nights I've been reading this book called Monsoon Diary - Reveries and Recipes from South India by Shobha Narayan. Handed on to me by Lalitha, the book is the author's story of her life traced from her childhood days in Kerala to present day New York, interspersed with recipes from South India. The reveries make for fairly interesting reading.
But the recipes, dash them, are too appetizing for a midnight read. Seriously! I ended up snacking on a whole pack of Cheese Twisties last night cozz her Rasam recipe gave me the worst craving. :S (Had to run an extra mile today to make up for the awful sick feeling .. but that's besides the point!!)
So all of today ive been dreaming about Rasam .. hot rasam ... golden brown rasam ... steaming aroma rasam ... tomato rasam .. jeera rasam ... molagu (peppercorn for the uninitiated) rasam ... mmmmmmmmm..... finally when V mentioned Mysore Rasam over chat, it propelled me into action. Ran the google, got the recipe .....
May I pause here for a minute to make a minor (ok fine!!! its fairly major!!!) confession?
Me, the tam bram 26 year old who can make reasonably good Sambar and Vattakozhambhu, who can make rava upma, poha, khichdi and pulao, even pasta, the Italian cousin of vermicelli, COULD NOT make Rasam. UNTIL TONIGHT. For some reason, this simple tomato and tamarind concoction always eluded me under the pretext of unfathomed complexity of preparation. Maybe it has to do with how good my mom's rasam always was, and how i never thought I'd measure up (like most other things eh :D) ... and maybe it has to do with how i never quite stumbled upon the recipe by chance.
................ so got the recipe, printed it out and came home looking forward to making some authentic Rasam. And i did ... most of it was pretty simple, my kitchen's unnecessarily unwieldy construction did pose some preliminary challenges, but nothing a determined mind (and a hungry stomach) couldn't conquer. I even added a dash of handground (yeah, my hands those!) peppercorns and cumin seeds for that rich aroma :) And need i mention that the most perfect accompaniment to Rasam Rice is Potato curry? So that came next ... and i ran off to the gym having set the mood right for my tummy :)
The aroma that hit me when i got back into the house has to be experienced, words don't suffice! :) That was one of the best meals ive had in a while ... and ALL of this thanks to a Ms Shobha something sitting in NY right now and completely clueless about the impact she's having on my life here! :D
So Lalitha, to your question on how the book is, the answer is - positively mouth watering!
Monday, August 06, 2007
1st milestone in blogging ... 100 posts!!! :D
Just realized i hit 100 posts with my last one :-)
Feels strange to think that back in November or so I hadn't blogged in almost 2 years (for all sorts of reasons .. work .. life and the like .. ) and then something set me blogging all over again ... the need to find a place to vent thoughts coz it just wasn't happening in my situation back then. To think that something so wonderful can come out of a miserable period of self doubt and low self esteem. To think that reaching out in this virtual world can bring more satisfaction than some real conversations. To think that the strangers out there can turn into friends slowly and steadily....
Thanks to everyone who graces this blog with their presence .. i love you guys for listening .. and i love you even more for initiating dialogue ... i love you for writing long answers to my strange questions and then emailing them to me :) .. i love you for being this complete stranger caught up in her world of 2 young kids who found the time to connect with me and welcome me in her home ... i love those of you who play magic with words on your own blogs ... i love you coz despite not being in touch over the phone, so many of you keep in touch through this blog ... this thing that started for all the wrong reasons and is now something i'm proud to have as a passion ...
Here's hoping i reach my next milestone soon!!!!
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Answer these for me will ya?
If i pray for something real hard, is there anyway to say i'll be granted what i asked for? I promise to pray real hard, even if God's on a temp vacation, i promise he'll hear me... so once he's aware... is it ok to expect he'll grant my wish?
Do songs automatically attach themselves to situations/ people/ places? Is that why some songs bring back a strong rush of memories ... usually a mixed bag of good and bad .... or is this just me being my usual nutty self?
We all have friends that we absolutely love right? Then how come some of us end up loving them and others end up falling IN love with them? What makes the difference? (Chemistry is such a global term .. but is it just that?!)
Are we all destined to find our "calling" in life? Or does it sit in a certain corner, and make your acquaintance only if you stumble upon it as you walk by?
Is the special kinda love reserved for a special few people in this world? The kind where you can wake up every morning knowing how much someone (other than ur folks) values you for who you are and looks forward to hearing your voice and seeing your face? The kind that gives you that wonderful tingle running up and down ur spine? The kind that makes everyone around not jealous, but yes secretly wishing that they were half as lucky? The kind where you have a best friend and a lover bundled in a single package ... Is this kind of love reserved for a few only?
Do our dreams mean something? Esp the kinds we have often? (If anyone says yes, pray explain what all those tigers and lions in my dreams mean!!!)
Do most people feel uncomfortable with uncertainty in the important areas of life? (I've realized a huge insight about myself ... so long as i can find a way to be ok with ALL possible outcomes of an uncertain situation, i can deal with the uncertainty .. takes some time and self explaining .. but happens eventually unless one outcome is an absolute 'NO NO'!) How do normal people come to terms with it? Or atleast find a way to not feel so thrown off by instability/ uncertainty?
Is the 'elusive' always attractive? I was watching an episode from Sex n the City this morning and the part tht stuck in my head was Carrie's immense discomfort with Aidan (am i spelling this right?) being 'too available'. And her intense attraction to Mr Big coz he always felt so unattainable... then there's this part towards the end of the episode where she's managed to actually push Aidan away, turn down an offer to meet his folks and then bumps into Mr Big at this opera thing ... and it all comes rushing back to her ... the emotional frigidity, the inability to commit ... all of the things that while they peeved her when she was in the relationship, now make Mr Big an elusive hence attractive proposition in comparison to the uncomplicated, expressive and loving Aidan. The irony of it, however, is not lost on her and having discovered her pathetic weakness for the unattainable, she rushes back to Aidan determined to defy this crazy internal craving.
Do songs automatically attach themselves to situations/ people/ places? Is that why some songs bring back a strong rush of memories ... usually a mixed bag of good and bad .... or is this just me being my usual nutty self?
We all have friends that we absolutely love right? Then how come some of us end up loving them and others end up falling IN love with them? What makes the difference? (Chemistry is such a global term .. but is it just that?!)
Are we all destined to find our "calling" in life? Or does it sit in a certain corner, and make your acquaintance only if you stumble upon it as you walk by?
Is the special kinda love reserved for a special few people in this world? The kind where you can wake up every morning knowing how much someone (other than ur folks) values you for who you are and looks forward to hearing your voice and seeing your face? The kind that gives you that wonderful tingle running up and down ur spine? The kind that makes everyone around not jealous, but yes secretly wishing that they were half as lucky? The kind where you have a best friend and a lover bundled in a single package ... Is this kind of love reserved for a few only?
Do our dreams mean something? Esp the kinds we have often? (If anyone says yes, pray explain what all those tigers and lions in my dreams mean!!!)
Do most people feel uncomfortable with uncertainty in the important areas of life? (I've realized a huge insight about myself ... so long as i can find a way to be ok with ALL possible outcomes of an uncertain situation, i can deal with the uncertainty .. takes some time and self explaining .. but happens eventually unless one outcome is an absolute 'NO NO'!) How do normal people come to terms with it? Or atleast find a way to not feel so thrown off by instability/ uncertainty?
Is the 'elusive' always attractive? I was watching an episode from Sex n the City this morning and the part tht stuck in my head was Carrie's immense discomfort with Aidan (am i spelling this right?) being 'too available'. And her intense attraction to Mr Big coz he always felt so unattainable... then there's this part towards the end of the episode where she's managed to actually push Aidan away, turn down an offer to meet his folks and then bumps into Mr Big at this opera thing ... and it all comes rushing back to her ... the emotional frigidity, the inability to commit ... all of the things that while they peeved her when she was in the relationship, now make Mr Big an elusive hence attractive proposition in comparison to the uncomplicated, expressive and loving Aidan. The irony of it, however, is not lost on her and having discovered her pathetic weakness for the unattainable, she rushes back to Aidan determined to defy this crazy internal craving.
The principle of it all seemed so familiar ... everything i cannot have or have too little of always feels like the one thing i just HAVE to have ... is it like that for everyone? Is 'too available' or 'too easily attainable' something that kills the charm for everyone?
I'm ending the pointless midnight ramble here ... but if Einstein ever said we don't use more than a teensy % of our brain cells, then I'm here to prove him wrong!! Admittedly, that brainspace gets spent thinking about the most useless inane things ever, but its the usage that counts, not the intent behind the usage right?? :DD
Oh, and if anyone actually has answers, feel most welcome to answer!!! Muchas appreciated!
I'm ending the pointless midnight ramble here ... but if Einstein ever said we don't use more than a teensy % of our brain cells, then I'm here to prove him wrong!! Admittedly, that brainspace gets spent thinking about the most useless inane things ever, but its the usage that counts, not the intent behind the usage right?? :DD
Oh, and if anyone actually has answers, feel most welcome to answer!!! Muchas appreciated!
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Am i talented or wot!!! :D
My 1st work of 'art'. Yeah im a shameless attention seeker who loves showing off the silly trinkets she paints!!! But if ur anyone who can stand this craze .. u probably love me more than fair share .. so feel proud if you can !! :D
That's side 1 and 2 i painted yesterday .. see the beige wooden finish at the bottom? That's the color the entire thing was when i started ... so that's phase 1 after both base coats were applied ... and one side was painted with this awful flowery pattern for lack of anything more creative that my mind could come up with!
And that's phase 2 done !!! Sides 3 and 4 with base coat and painted with less shady patterns :)
I'm gifting them to the person who gifted me the paint brushes .. let him reap as he sowed i say!!! :D
Oh and did I mention .. im shamelessly soliciting compliments/ appreciation/ encouragement :D
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
What i admire ...
As the 1st brush stroke ive executed in 10 years dries by the window, I'm gonna take a break and put down something else a lot of people got tagged for ... I didn't, but when did I ever wait for a someone to ASK me to say something!!! So here goes ...
I admire...
1. People who can get back on their feet after a setback easily ... this isn't just ur classic, won't show he/ she is going through a tough time, has a brave front to put up to the world and doesn't let anyone in on the utter hell that she's (can i just keep it to 'she's for simplicity's sake?) going through. This is the kind who shrugs setbacks off with a mild wave of 'shit happens, don't let it ruin anymore of your life' and means it not just to the world, but just as honestly to herself as well. I have standard gestation periods depending on whether the setback is personal or professional and try as I might, haven't gotten close to perfecting the mild shrug OR the admirable attitude that accompanies it.
2. People who can articulate their thoughts well, i admit clarity of thought is a prerequisite, but even if you assume that's a given, too many people i know muddle some brilliant thoughts by communicating them badly. This is almost a converse to my "I judge people who suck at words". I don't just admire articulate people, I practically fall in love with them. I'm not kidding!!! Whatever happens to adoloscent girls when they see Brad Pitt and whatever happens to men in general when they see Katrina Kaif/ Vidya Balan/ Salma Hayek (I'm covering all bases here but u get the drift!) happens to me when I read well written prose .. blogs/ personal emails/ news articles and so on .. or even when i hear someone bring out a thought so well you can almost visualize it :) Yeah im a sucker for linguistic brilliance :D
3. People who can speak their mind .. they don't sugar coat, don't care for status quo, love challenging current thinking, care two hoots for what the boss or the MD or the GM even thinks and speak their mind in every forum. They have strong beliefs (not random strong opinions) and they're not afraid to voice them out loud. I love such people esp coz they're so rare. :)
4. People who tell the truth at interviews and on resumes despite the pressure to impress ... I've seen and even turned a blind eye to claims that people make on their resumes/ SOPs/ interview answers. I admire the kind who can walk into an interview and say NO, i havent had a single leadership position .. or NO i didn't top every damn class i went to ... or I'm not sure why I'm doing this MBA, i just think i'd be good at it .. vs the standard, this is what i was born to do, its my passion and i can see my life 5 years ahead from now (Who the hell are we kidding? I can't see my life bleddy 2 months from now!!)
5. Mothers in general ... going through 9 months of labor ... and then making all those decisions on how to bring up another human being and NOT screw up their life ... trying to do justice to personal passions and to the life of another all at once ... giving up SO SO much despite knowing adoloscence will bring ungratefulness, sleepless nights of worrying about bad company and all kinds of stress ... and still functioning as the glue that keeps families together ... i hope to do it all someday and i admire every woman who's done it so far!
6. People who live healthy lives on a consistent ongoing basis ... Nayak is a classic example of this ... my MD is another much touted example .. in general people who respect their bodies and exercise moderation with food and alcohol alike ... who care about how they look enough to know all rice meals can leave you with a disgusting potbelly ... who ensure they get enough fruit and fibre in their food to keep the wrinkles at bay .. who go easy on the tea and coffee to keep their energy up ... who keep up their stamina with regular exercise ... who love their bodies on the inside so it positively glows on the outside ... totally respect their discipline and control :) (Oh and before you smirk and go "BORING" might i suggest you meet Mr Nayak or Mr Yuri? ... they're both interesting and wonderfully charming people unlike the boring dull ascetics you might have imagined them to be)
7. Men who can be open about their affection for the special woman in their lives ... its so refreshing to have a man say something positively glowing about his woman without feeling the need to be apologetic about it or fearing being labeled henpecked ... Enough of the drunken idiots who blither away about how they're sorry they got married or about how being single was so much better ... Enough of the snide remarks about how they're doing things coz they're scared of their better halves ... how tough is it to feel/ believe and say you're doing it coz u feel like? Give me more of those who don't mind admitting they miss their woman, who don't mind calling her 3 times a day, who don't mind getting moony every once in a while ... its all too rare!!!
8. People with musical talent ... vocal OR instrumental ... i just sit and gaze at them filled with unbridled gleeful adoration ... not only are they blessed .. they're doing something beautiful with it and sharing with us all! Bless their souls ...
That's all i can think about for now ... :) the base coat's almost dried and ready to get painted on further ...
I tag the same set of people to write about the people they admire :) Kinks, Vish, Harika, Ketan, Ravi, Nutan, Samesh ...
I admire...
1. People who can get back on their feet after a setback easily ... this isn't just ur classic, won't show he/ she is going through a tough time, has a brave front to put up to the world and doesn't let anyone in on the utter hell that she's (can i just keep it to 'she's for simplicity's sake?) going through. This is the kind who shrugs setbacks off with a mild wave of 'shit happens, don't let it ruin anymore of your life' and means it not just to the world, but just as honestly to herself as well. I have standard gestation periods depending on whether the setback is personal or professional and try as I might, haven't gotten close to perfecting the mild shrug OR the admirable attitude that accompanies it.
2. People who can articulate their thoughts well, i admit clarity of thought is a prerequisite, but even if you assume that's a given, too many people i know muddle some brilliant thoughts by communicating them badly. This is almost a converse to my "I judge people who suck at words". I don't just admire articulate people, I practically fall in love with them. I'm not kidding!!! Whatever happens to adoloscent girls when they see Brad Pitt and whatever happens to men in general when they see Katrina Kaif/ Vidya Balan/ Salma Hayek (I'm covering all bases here but u get the drift!) happens to me when I read well written prose .. blogs/ personal emails/ news articles and so on .. or even when i hear someone bring out a thought so well you can almost visualize it :) Yeah im a sucker for linguistic brilliance :D
3. People who can speak their mind .. they don't sugar coat, don't care for status quo, love challenging current thinking, care two hoots for what the boss or the MD or the GM even thinks and speak their mind in every forum. They have strong beliefs (not random strong opinions) and they're not afraid to voice them out loud. I love such people esp coz they're so rare. :)
4. People who tell the truth at interviews and on resumes despite the pressure to impress ... I've seen and even turned a blind eye to claims that people make on their resumes/ SOPs/ interview answers. I admire the kind who can walk into an interview and say NO, i havent had a single leadership position .. or NO i didn't top every damn class i went to ... or I'm not sure why I'm doing this MBA, i just think i'd be good at it .. vs the standard, this is what i was born to do, its my passion and i can see my life 5 years ahead from now (Who the hell are we kidding? I can't see my life bleddy 2 months from now!!)
5. Mothers in general ... going through 9 months of labor ... and then making all those decisions on how to bring up another human being and NOT screw up their life ... trying to do justice to personal passions and to the life of another all at once ... giving up SO SO much despite knowing adoloscence will bring ungratefulness, sleepless nights of worrying about bad company and all kinds of stress ... and still functioning as the glue that keeps families together ... i hope to do it all someday and i admire every woman who's done it so far!
6. People who live healthy lives on a consistent ongoing basis ... Nayak is a classic example of this ... my MD is another much touted example .. in general people who respect their bodies and exercise moderation with food and alcohol alike ... who care about how they look enough to know all rice meals can leave you with a disgusting potbelly ... who ensure they get enough fruit and fibre in their food to keep the wrinkles at bay .. who go easy on the tea and coffee to keep their energy up ... who keep up their stamina with regular exercise ... who love their bodies on the inside so it positively glows on the outside ... totally respect their discipline and control :) (Oh and before you smirk and go "BORING" might i suggest you meet Mr Nayak or Mr Yuri? ... they're both interesting and wonderfully charming people unlike the boring dull ascetics you might have imagined them to be)
7. Men who can be open about their affection for the special woman in their lives ... its so refreshing to have a man say something positively glowing about his woman without feeling the need to be apologetic about it or fearing being labeled henpecked ... Enough of the drunken idiots who blither away about how they're sorry they got married or about how being single was so much better ... Enough of the snide remarks about how they're doing things coz they're scared of their better halves ... how tough is it to feel/ believe and say you're doing it coz u feel like? Give me more of those who don't mind admitting they miss their woman, who don't mind calling her 3 times a day, who don't mind getting moony every once in a while ... its all too rare!!!
8. People with musical talent ... vocal OR instrumental ... i just sit and gaze at them filled with unbridled gleeful adoration ... not only are they blessed .. they're doing something beautiful with it and sharing with us all! Bless their souls ...
That's all i can think about for now ... :) the base coat's almost dried and ready to get painted on further ...
I tag the same set of people to write about the people they admire :) Kinks, Vish, Harika, Ketan, Ravi, Nutan, Samesh ...
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