Happy Marriage!

Some Nights

At this moment, this is what my life is about: a delightful diary, a concise planner, an interesting book, a pair of much cherished earphones and a very childish pencil pouch. And together they are contribute to making me very happy :)

Best Day Ever

I thought for a while about what my best day ever would be, and well here it goes...

There would definitely be reading involved, an 'aha' moment would be a bonus. It's that moment when while reading something you realize some profound truth like never before and most likely it stays with you for a while and anytime there is a reference to it, you are taken back to the day when you first realized it and you can remember every detail of the moment.

There would also be some organizing involved: desk, closet, inbox, phone, reading list, could be anything. The satisfaction of knowing that I have taken that one step closer to perfection (even though no such thing exists!) is exhilarating.

The weather of course would be sunny with clear blue skies, a few wisps of clouds and a strong breeze during the day. The sunset would be fiery red and the twilight would last long. And the night would be clear and cool. Nothing about the weather would be stuffy or disagreeable.

My best day would not however be spent alone because let's face it, too much of solitude gets lonely. But nothing too eventful either, maybe a leisurely conversation in the early evening sitting by the window or strolling in the park.

That is all really, all I need for it to be a perfect day...  

This is in response to the daily prompt: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/12/25/prompt-best-day-ever/

On Writing

The world today is full of way too many options! I just wish sometimes that there were fewer. Don't believe me? Just think for a second about how many apps you have in your phone and the how many of them do pretty much the same or similar things. Or even better, how many different sites are open in your web browser right now? Chances are that the number is atleast 3 or 4. I know I have 4 different sites running right now - I'm checking my email, downloading the Evernote desktop application, reading an online magazine and streaming an episode of The Big Bang Theory. What is wrong with that? Nothing really but something I saw today just reminded me of how much we miss out by just rushing along from one option to the other. It was a beautiful but so simple 'recipe box'. Just a little wooden box with a colourful hinged lid which opened to reveal a stack of pretty cards meant for jotting down recipes and storing them safely for future reference. While my stationery loving heart fell in love with it, the very second thought to follow was that I can probably find an app to do the same thing for free. This led to some introspection. Most of the time I am not a big fan of technology, in fact it's a running joke among my friends, but over time I have learnt to acknowledge that they can be pretty useful and have even become quite adept at using them. I even bought a smartphone and have been very very happy with it but I realised that I haven't even once posted a blog from my phone! This in spite of having the blogger app installed in my phone. My previous phone was a blackberry and I have posted from it numerous times straight from my email which believe me was painful but then that was when the blackberry was good for little else so all was well in the world. But ever since I have got my Samsung Galaxy Grand with all it's endless possibilities, I have not done the one thing I love the most: WRITE. I have chatted, emailed, browsed, read, made lists even, jotted the ocassional notes, checked a million other apps for their latest but I have not written. The reason this hits me so hard is because there was a time when I would write endlessly when good old paper was the only means available. Now with blogger and wordpress and evernote and one note and google drive and sky drive and what not I just don't get around to writing that much anymore. There are too many things distracting me, all very deceptively packed under the guise of things that will make our lives better. But actually they're 'just noise' as someone so rightly put it recently. The whole internet is full of it. Think for a moment and you'll know it's true. It's up to us to filter out the things that do nothing to help us and let in only those which actually make our lives better. On that note, I thought I'd make myself an early new years' resolution and vow to get more writing done in 2014. Hope you decide that too! Cheers :)

Gandhinagar Diaries: Part Two

Well in part one, I was still a newbie enjoying the place with a wide eyed enthusiasm of a child and I had assumed that after a month here I would be more realistic. Fortunately, that has not been the case and I am just as delighted by the place as I was a month ago. Where shall I begin..

The Ahmedabad airport had a nice surprise in the form of this bookstore. Nothing remarkable about the store itself, just the regular kind of stock as a bookstore in any airport but the display windows were just so colourful that I stood staring at them for a long long time.

Another amazing experience was my trip to Baroda. Total time taken : 2.5 hours only!

1. Bus from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad : 40 minutes
2. Waiting time : 10 minutes
3. Bus from Ahmedabad to Baroda : 90 minutes

Exploring Baroda was another treat. Travelling on a scooter, you can traverse the entire city in less than an hour! And the green theme continued here..

Don't have too many more pictures to share but everyday in Ganshinagar has been a treat. The walk to office in the mornings; there is no better therapy for eyes than looking at green of the trees all around freshly washed down by the rains. The rain gods have indeed been kind this year and evidence is all around. The still darkness of the night; it gets eerily quiet here. Walking around on the weekend in the soft rainfall not really caring about where I'm headed, just wandering. This has actually been a great place for self reflection..

Cheers!

Gandhinagar Diaries: Part One

I am here in Gandhinagar for a month and decided to write a weekly blog about my experiences (well the plan didn't exactly pan out since it's been three weeks now but better late than never!). Prior to this visit, my connection to Gujarat has consisted of hearing my college roommate rant (for 3 years!) about how boring Baroda is and a two day visit to Ahmedabad. Well I was in for a surprise!

Being a foodie the first things I looked out for was the food and I was not disappointed, a host of local restaurants as well as some of the chains like Subway, Dominos, CCD and Baskin Robbins are here in all their glory. A thali place called Curry House and a pizza joint called Sam's Pizza really won my heart.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so I won't try to explain the sheer beauty of the place that takes your breath away the minute you get here, I'll just let you see it.

These pictures are clicked on my way to work, I walk there (a first!), it takes 10 minutes. That's right Mumbaikars, I can see your jaws dropping. Actually nothing in Gandhinagar is more than 15 minutes away (the area of the city is 177 sq. km.), and it is such an organized city, warms my perfectionist heart.

The distance between Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad is 25.9 km and Google says it takes 37 minutes to get there, well I've made it in 20 (another first, where Google is the less optimistic one!). The road connecting the two cities is another beauty. 

My first weekend in Gandhinagar was spent in Ahmedabad (told you it's close). I thoughts I had enough of malls everywhere but the Alpha One Mall in Ahmedabad's Vastrapur region is quite something. Huge doesn't even begin to describe it and stores of every possible brand will be a delight to any shopaholic. After the general roaming around and a fabulous dinner at KFC, I was in for another surprise, a movie at a Drive-in Theatre!

Picture: View of the screen during the interval

Picture: A view of the rows and rows of cars which show just how many people show up to enjoy the experience. There are even families who have spread out blankets on the ground and settled down to watch the movie while enjoying all kinds of food, almost like a picnic :)

I didn't have very high expectations from the movie (D-Day) but not only did it have a surprising twist but the entire experience of sitting in your car and watching it made it quite fabulous!

During my second weekend, I was in Bombay and returned via train. I personally love train journeys and have not been on one in a while, so maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much but I think anyone would enjoy the journey. It's short enough (7 hours) to not get restless but long enough to actually spend some time in the train taking in the atmosphere, staring out of the window watching the scenery, munching on junk food, and the works! Recommended for anyone who wants a break from routine and just unwind with a book or some music or even do nothing at all.

Last but not the least, our office in Gandhinagar is also a thing of beauty, quite like a college campus, the way it spreads out ad it's ample spaces.

That's all for now folks, Cheers!

Things I Like...

My cousin challenged me to write an essay on things I like and this was the result

I like writing, it really makes me happy but strangely I need to be in the right mood and that doesn't happen all the time. But today is one of those days and I have been writing a lot, case in point being this essay!

The other thing I really enjoy is something that doesn't have an exact word to describe it. It's basically about enjoying the little things in life. So a cool breeze at the end of a hot summer's day, the sound of rain on the window pane, reading my favourite books, falling asleep to nice music, just laying in bed relaxing doing absolutely nothing and the list goes on!

I like making plans, and some of them can be extremely improbable and most of the time I do nothing about them just build them up in my head and then put them away. Let's see maybe someday I'll actually put one of them to action!

I like having interesting conversation, discovering a new point of view or finding that someone shares your view can both be exhilarating. We can learn so much from every single conversation that we have, it's amazing, all you have to do is open your mind to it. It usually works best when you don't have an agenda to fulfill!

Lastly, (and this is something that I learnt today in Facilitation School) I will make a genuine effort to connect with people who are very different from me in their thought process and approach to work. I will not judge them for it, I will still do what I already do in my personal life and look for the best in them because I believe that there is something good in the worst of us and something bad in the best of us.

The Beauty Of Different

Karen Walrond is a writer and photographer and the author of 'The Beauty of Different', a book about celebrating the uniqueness of each individual and proving that everyone is beautiful. I know her from a TED talk video where she talks about the theme of resonance.

In this video she outlines 2 beautiful themes. 

The first is the simple concept of the fact that whenever we are in a situation where we are the ones who are different, we start looking for whats familiar since that is what stands out. If you reverse the situation and you are in familiar territory, and someone else is different, you no longer try to find the resonance and dismiss it as different. This very simple (but powerful) concept is what leads to any number of societal evils: the minute we don't stop to see the familiar in the different we stop connecting to the situation or person and biases begin to form. 

The second one derives from the first and tells us what we could do to make that connection everywhere we go. As in photography, she advises that we should 'always look for the light'. The light that shines from each one of us is what resonates with others and that is what we connect to. Whenever you meet or interact with someone, consider yourself a tourist in their world and look for the light in them that you can connect to and then you shall be able to look past the different and find the familiar which ultimately leads to our own growth and joy. Every time that we don't attempt to do this, we are stunting ourselves and also contributing to the restrictions in society which shun everything different.

Hope you enjoy the talk as much as I did. Cheers!

Harvard Business Review Blog: How To Give a Killer Presentation

Read two amazing articles on the Harvard Business Review blog.

The first one can be found here.

The second one titled, How To Give a Killer Presentation (need to sign up on the HBR site for reading the complete article) is a must read for anyone who has ever had stage fright. Speaking from experience I know just how terrified I get when getting up and speaking in front of an audience. Well this article is heaven sent, it provides a systematic process of how to prepare yourself to give a great (actually killer :P)  presentation. Now while it might not be very practical to follow this method for every single presentation we ever make, but if we shortlist the most important ones and prepare really well, very soon it will become a habit, a habit that will give us the confidence to speak up (and well!) every time.It's quite a long article but well worth the read. Summarizing the key points here..

1/ Frame your story (figure out where to start and where to end)
2/ Plan your delivery (decide whether to memorize your speech word for word or develop bullet points and then rehearse it over and over)
3/ Work on stage presence (but remember that your story matters more than how you stand or whether you're visibly nervous)
4/ Plan the multimedia (whatever you do, don't read from PowerPoint slides)
5/ Put it together (play to your strengths and be authentic)

The summary really doesn't do justice to the complete article which is written by the curator of TED Talks, Chris Anderson. For more than 30 years, the TED conference series has presented enlightening talks that people enjoy watching and the article is interspersed with plenty of examples of brilliant talks from the series.

Happy Reading. Cheers!

Harvard Business Review Blog: Battle-Tested Tips for Effective Explanation

Read two amazing articles on the Harvard Business Review blog.

The first one titled, Battle-Tested Tips for Effective Explanation is the very interesting concept of dazzling with clarity and simplicity. It gives you 7 simple tips on communicating effectively. It doesn't matter if your audience is one or hundred, selling your idea is essentially just good communication and good communication is good explanation. So the 7 tips in a nutshell go as follows:

1/ Make Your Audience Feel Smart, Instead of Making Yourself Look Smart
2/ Explain the Forest, Not Just the Trees
3/ Add Details Sparingly
4/ Write Less Copy, Use More Visuals
5/ Remember Your Audience is Human
6/ Focus on Why
7/ Your Job is to Inform Smart People

Highly recommended reading for anyone who has a lot of communicating to do but finds themselves unable to quite clinch it. Cheers!

Blockbuster Friday

We have all heard about the benefits of a good breakfast first thing in the morning. Well it's one thing to hear about it and quite another to experience it first hand. A sandwich, coffee and good book in the morning makes for the best half an hour of the day. Lifts your spirits and helps you have a charged up day. Throw in the additional bonus of your favourite music and the amazing rainy weather of Mumbai and you've got yourself a blockbuster of a day. It also helps to remember that its a Friday and by the end of the breakfast I was positively beaming. A job well begun is half done they say, so here's to an awesome Friday to myself and everyone else! 

Cheers :)

Nonsense

Sometimes for no reason whatsoever, the urge to write something comes over you. You may not even have anything to write about but you decide to start writing something anyway. With me invariably, these attacks happen on days when I am quite exhausted and ready to drop but despite that somehow I find my fingers racing over the keyboard just to satisfy that urge. Well, for those of you who have been patient enough so far, here's hoping you like what my tired mind has concocted today!

The little boy was hardly three years old but to see him stride across the sandy beach you would think he owned the place. Armed with a bucket and a spade, he purposefully marched towards the sea and it almost seemed like it would part for him. Fortunately at this point, the parents of the young adventurer managed to catch up with him and he was firmly lifted off his feet and carried off a safe distance. The kid would not go without a fight so it was quite an amusing sight to behold. But children being as they are, the trip into the sea was soon forgotten and the next thing begun: building a sandcastle. This went on for a while and before you knew it, he was bored again; and wanted to head towards the sea again. This time his wish was granted and perched on his daddy's shoulders, he witnessed the swirling seas and pounding waves with delight written all over his face. Of course the next thing he wanted was to play around in the water himself and had to be restrained with great difficulty...

This could go on for a while and I don't think would get any more interesting so I will bid goodnight now.

Cheers!

Go Goa Gone!

I haven't actually seen the movie but I am going to shamelessly steal the title for this post just because it's catchy :P  

I am currently on a vacation with my family in Goa and this place never ceases to amaze me. I have been here twice before but this was the first time that I saw Goa in the monsoons. We arrived here on a Wednesday afternoon and the heat wave that hit us as soon as exiting from the airport gave no indication of what was to come in the next few days. The car journey from the airport to the Club Mahindra resort was very pleasant because of the dazzling views all around (my mom and I were sharing a chilled beer which certainly helped matters). I decided to use the time exploring the various camera options in my new phone, got some very interesting clicks thanks to that! We aren't an energetic lot like a lot of people I know who would explored Goa from one end to the other in the 3 days. Unlike them, our holiday was spent at the resort was mostly lazing and chilling with a few walks on the beach and swimming thrown in. The highlight of the trip came on the second day when the monsoons set in. My brother and I had taken a walk towards the sea and sat down on of those wooden benches with a thatched roof attached when the rains came down. Well down is the wrong word since the rain literally flew in every direction. I was hard pressed to keep a huge yellow umbrella open in front of me to shield me from the worst of the sprays but that was about it. It was a maniacally beautiful sight: the trees swaying like they would be ripped out of the ground, sand and rain flying about everywhere, umbrellas getting bent over backwards, the roar of the wind and how could I forget, the sound of thunder. In that moment, while I looked around in awe at the wonder of nature, I suddenly felt the true insignificance of my life in the larger canvas of the universe. Who were we anyway, to defy the laws of nature and seemingly uncover its secrets? Mankind may have progressed far beyond what it had imagined it would but there are moments when the universe asserts its supremacy by showing us exactly what it is capable of. But I digress, the sight was a beautiful if slightly scary one and we spent close to an hour sitting there just waiting for it to pass over. And when it finally did there was a calm in the air quite different from before. Nature had eproved its point with its little show, it didn't need to show us more. It rained again at night but it wasn't quite as fantastic, just your usual moderate winds and heavy rainfall, it was a good lullaby to fall asleep to.  

 

The rest of the vacation was spent mostly lazing, reading, eating (a lot!) and watching the final season of 'Lost' (there is something about the series that just fascinates me). All in all it was a very pleasant and peaceful vacation and repeating this a few times a year is all I need to keep me going. Alas tomorrow it shall be back to the daily grind, which brings me to the other thing that I thought of while lazing around doing nothing: The human spirit is indomitable, definitely stronger than the human body and stronger even than the human mind. If you keep your spirit fuelled (not necessarily fuelled with spirits :P), it can get you through everything, even the drudgery of everyday living which is small fry compared to what all the human spirit has had to bear with throughout history. So the next time you feel stuck in the rut of your life, just close your eyes and go to your "happy place"; it can be anything, an actual place that you have been to and liked, an imaginary place in your head, a moment, a memory, the lyrics of a song, a tune, a scene from a movie or play or book; as long as it makes you feel happy. And then after a moment when you open your eyes, you shall be happy and your spirit fuelled up to get you through the next battle and charging towards victory!   

Cheers!

In the Valley of Heaven...

As I landed in Srinagar, the first thing that hit me was the unbelievanly fresh smell in the air. It is sunny outside but the breeze is nice and cool. The last half an hour of the flight was breathtakingly beautiful. The   bird's eye view of the Himalayan snow capped mountain ranges was spectacular and I literally had my nose pressed against the window. Once the plane entered the valley and moutains were tinged all around there was another treat down below, patches of green fields in every possible shade. There was a bit of a delay before landing due to air traffic but I guess nobody minded circling around that scenery for a while.

The airport in Srinagar is a defence airport and is located in the middle of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) area. The first thing that strikes you about the city is the absolute lack of high rises, a very very refreshing change from usual and the next thing you notice is that the houses are so pretty! So we were on our way to the university where were to have a hiring exercise the next morning when it was decided that we first do some sightseeing. About turn and we found ourselves heading to Gulmarg. The entire two hour journey was beyond  description!

To be continued...

The end of the day...

The scene from the window was absolutely beautiful.  It was unbelievable how the bustle of a hot summer's day could lead to such peace and quiet. Street lamps lit up the empty roads with the occasional car passing by and lights twinkled in the windows of the buildings all around. The sky was overcast with white fluffy clouds with only glimpses of the dark blue sky above. But best part about this scene was the one thing you couldn't see: the cool and steady breeze. With the music softly playing in the background there was really nothing more I could've wished foe except maybe that the end of every day  could be spent peacefully contemplating the window from my window ledge with the breeze blowing through my hair. You don't need anything exotic to make you relax at the end of the day, just find that one thing that works for you and thats all you'll ever need.

Cheers!

Life is Transitory

Life is transitory. How do I know that? I looked it up in the dictionary and it says: Transitory means “of a passing nature; not enduring or permanent; temporary, fleeting”. And that is so true about life! The feeling really hit me when I was cleaning out a desk at home a few weeks ago. The things that came out of there, some of which I had almost forgotten about, all brought back to me so many memories of specific places in time that I was staggered. And this is only about eight or nine years worth of stuff, I don’t really have much from before that time. So it really hit me that this pile of stuff would only get bigger. What kind of stuff you ask? Well there are things ranging from birthday cards (especially the handmade kind but the other kind too, the message inside them make them special), bookmarks (I just love collecting those!), mementos (invitation cards, ribbons, fancy badges, sea shells), notes on scraps of paper, diaries with scribbles of song lyrics or half finished stories, calligraphy sheets, folders, old calendars with nice pictures on them, precious stationery, a few photographs from back in day we used to actually print them and the list simply goes on..

Anyway, this got me thinking (what’s new?!), and it occurred to me that we use this transitory nature of life as an excuse and keep planning for the future which never does really appear. We keep telling ourselves that this phase of life will just pass by soon and then we shall do all things that we have always planned. But actually it should be the absolute reverse of that! We should be living in the here and now, making the most of the phase we’re going through right now instead of waiting for it to finish and a better time to begin. There will be no better time if we don’t make it so; so the closet that we’re planning to clean out next month, or the early morning exercise that we so want to start but keep putting off till next week, or that we want to cook but next weekend always sounds better, all these things are just exercises in procrastination. Want to be more updated about happenings in the world? Start reading the news today; Want to get fit? Go for a walk right now; Want to read or write more? Start right now. It really doesn’t matter what it is, the answer always lies in taking action. Nothing stops us from doing the things we want to do or to put it the other way which I find that people respond to better is that nothing forces us to not act. Only that little fear inside of us that we may not be good enough or not be able to achieve what we set out to do or someone else might not like what we do; but quite frankly none of us is perfect and every mistake is an opportunity to learn so that we get just a little better at it. It’s just the decision that we need to make really and the rest will all take care of itself; the decision to be what we want and do what we want. So that in another ten years time when we clean out that desk full of memories we are satisfied with what we see and not regret that there are missing pieces that we could have had but just didn’t do anything about. Something to think about… Until next time, cheers!

Being Lost

Just yesterday a bunch of us were discussing how we view things differently at different points in our lives, in this case we were specifically talking about movies we have watched and loved at one point of time only to be disappointed by them in later years. Everyone agreed that there would always be those evergreen classics but for the most part the things we relate to at a certain time would most likely change with time. I decided to check the theory for myself today. There was a time in my life that I was addicted to the TV series aptly titled ‘Lost’. If you haven’t had a chance to see a bit of it, trust me you need to try it. I was so enthralled by this show that I have actually once watched 15 hours worth of episodes non-stop (yup, I can be crazy like that). After that even though the passion remained I wasn’t very religious about following the subsequent seasons as they came along. I kept up with the developments of the plot by reading about it on Wikepedia but that just wasn’t the same. At one point of time in college I had a brief reunion with the show and couldn’t believe I had stayed away for so long but once again fate did not permit us to stay with each other. Cutting to the present, a while back I managed to acquire all six seasons worth of episodes and I said to myself that I would shortly relive the joy of a Lost marathon but what do you know months have passed by with me hardly glancing at the folder or maybe having a look but choosing to go for something lighter instead (it’s a very intense show and you have to watch it in sequence else you’re lost quite literally). So today I dusted off the cobwebs and decided to give it a shot and see what my present self thought of Lost. After blankly staring at the screen for a few minutes I decided to randomly pick out an episode from the last season hoping I wouldn’t regret it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that from the first minute I was hooked on as if it was just yesterday! But I did discover that I was no longer eagerly sitting at the edge of my seat waiting for every next scene. Moreover I did not have the urge to keep watching one episode after the other. I did end up watching three random episodes but the curiosity was much diminished (I could blame it on Wikepedia but I have long forgotten what I had read on it so it wouldn’t be fair). I still wanted to watch the show and discover new things about the characters but it wasn’t an obsession anymore. I fact I think I’d be quite content to watch an episode every other day and be quite satisfied. So in conclusion, yes the time and place in our lives do effect our perception to things and how we react to them but I also believe that sometimes the new perceptions we build can be pretty great too. Until next time, cheers!

Of Books and Newspapers

In my family, we have a practical habit which has now become a tradition, which is that of covering all our books with old newspaper. Well the newspapers to begin with are all quite new and glossy but time soon does its magic and they take on that yellowish tinge that we are so familiar with. A glance at the bookshelves is always a pleasing array of bits of colours and text which is just so homey. My favourite part is the ability to glance at the books with their titles hidden behind their covers but still know exactly which book it is just by looking at it! Infact every time I pick up a book to read, I also inevitably glance through the newspaper cover to read the articles on them. We invariably use the Sunday Times Life edition as covers so there is always something quite interesting to read and a glance at the date also brings back back some nostalgia. However, as nothing lasts forever, eventually after some years have passed, we are forced to take off the faded and ragged covers and replace with new ones and then the cycle begins again. It is quite a herculean task this, replacing every book cover and I'm quite glad that I have given up numbering and labeling them as I did when I was a child. So as the dreaded task approaches me, I decided to take a moment to celebrate it, and reflect on the eternal temporariness of life, how everything always does come to an end (a sentiment expressed in the Sunday Times Life today :P). Until next time, Cheers!

 

Summer Day

The summer heat beat down on the ramshackle old car as it moved along the road, squeaking and squealing every step of the way. The driver, a woman, had come a long way and was now looking left and right seeming to be searching for something. She brought the car to a halt, took a deep breath and wished that the heat would subside. Taking a sip of water from the bottle beside her, she scanned the area around her from behind the dark glasses she wore. She was certainly nearing civilization after travelling through deserted roads for hours, but this was not the end of the journey. She was just looking for the turn she needed to make in her journey, trying to make sure that she didn't make a mistake. There seemed to be no road signs to guide her, it looked like she was hopelessly lost. There was no other option but to ask someone for help. She got out of the car, wondering which of the handful of houses to approach to ask for directions. She was suddenly filled with despair for reasons she couldn't quite explain. As she hesitated, as if in answer to a prayer, there was a deep rumbling in the distance and the skies were suddenly overcast with dark clouds. A thunderstorm approached, driving away the heat and replacing it with cool winds and the first drops of rain. As the smell of wet earth engulfed her, she smiled. It didn't matter anymore that she was lost, she was just content to enjoy the moment and trust that just like there was a way to cool down a summer's day, there would also be a way to find her way.

A Saturday Morning...

I wrote this a long time ago on the back of a bus ticket printout. Just found it recently while cleaning out my desk, so thought I'd put it up here..

I sit alone in an empty restaurant on a Sunday morning and just watch the world around. Traffic goes by easily, for there is no rush on the blessed weekend. The sun shines brightly today instead of the incessant rains of the week gone by. I look back on the week gone by, last Saturday at this time I was on a bus on the way to Pune, a journey of only three short hours but a place that is world's away from this one. I almost felt like I was going back in time; the closer I got to Pune, the more clearly I could see before my eyes - my life of three years.

In the quiet I can hear the hum of the air conditioner with the occasional sounds from the kitchen. Now they decide to put on some music, nice and slow just like the day. There is an ancient tree outside which actually blocks part of the road but nobody has bothered (or should I say dared?) to cut it down. Its as if the tree holds its own against this world of constant change and remains resolutely firm in the face of danger. It's scarred and drooping branches reach all the way across the road and offers its shade to all. And now the quiet of the restaurant is broken by the loud and carefree voices of schoolchildren who argue heatedly about the burgers, fries, choice of sauces and drinks. You can't help but smile at the innocence of the young.

I often think that the very young like the very old have the uncanny ability to see through the trappings and go straight to the truth. They pick up all the vibes around them, a lot of which depends on their parents with whom they spend most of their time. Children will imbibe all the good that they feel and repel all else. Even later in life, we come to resent certain manner of things without any particular reason for doing so; it is basically our subconscious that reminds us that sometime in our life we have seen something similar and not liked it.

Now there is a man who want his takeaway order and fast. He makes a few quick and impatient phone calls, all the while drumming his fingers on the table that is his temporary sanctuary. At last he collects his package and is on his way, leaving behind, in his wake, a trail of energy. How some people can be so constantly charged up, beats me!

And now comes the food, just as good as I remember it! There something very indestructible about food, it always lasts, no matter what. Food makes everything just a little bit better, a little less worse, a little more bearable, and basically you get my drift. And since my focus has now shifted to this delightful burger before me, I bid adieu. Until next time then, cheers!

Sleep!

I just discovered that it is just as hard to try to fall asleep when you are wide awake as it is to try to wake up when you are fast asleep! I never in my life imagined that this would be the case, being as fond of sleeping as I am. But its true nevertheless, I woke up at 3 am today and spent an hour trying to go back to sleep and I could not. So having thus woken, I have spent a delightful hour reading about 'How To Measure My Life' and other such interesting articles. Not a bad start to the day after all!

New Things

I have searched all day for inspiration for this post but have only drawn blanks everywhere I have looked. So I thought I'd write about some of the new things I have read this week.

I discovered this site which gives a pretty good overview of our tax laws as well as a site that lets you download the entire union budget (needless to say I have not completely finished going through either :P)
http://finance.indiamart.com/taxation/

A friend of mine introduced me to the world of 'vlogs' or video logs. Apparently there are people around the world who make their living out of it! Not surprising actually, its just the next stage of evolution after writing about stuff. There is one that I really liked.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pKOkB4Sigk

There are sites that generate word clouds! Its damn cool.

http://www.dontwasteyourtime.co.uk/elearning/alternative-word-cloud-generator-tagul/

That's all for today. Cheers!

Reality Bites...

I have often begun writing stories only to realise about halfway through that I am unconsciously basing my story on people I know or situations I have been in instead of inventing something completely new. There is some creative liberty that I take but essentially the story remains true to reality. It just helps prove that art does imitate life and maybe there is nothing wrong in that, but I just can't help feeling that it's wrong. I have deleted countless such stories only because I have felt all too strongly how I would feel being in another person's position and seeing my life out there for all to see, but maybe that's just me. Moreover, I think it really matters to me what people think and while we are always preached that 'it should never matter what someone else thinks', I think there is nothing wrong with that. Man is a social animal and needs to survive by getting along with people; sure, there might be a few outliers who genuinely do not care about what people think of them or their actions but even they value the opinion of those few people who matter to them. For the rest of us, things might not be so easy, we may even heed the opinion of a new acquaintance. While I wouldn't recommend that, I really think there is nothing wrong with going along with the crowd, or wanting approval from those around us, its all a part of life. But I digress, my point here was about being unable to write about things that are too close to reality. But ironically, some of best pieces of writing have been I have broken that mold and written true (but well disguised) stories. I guess this is why I am such a big fan of metaphors. I am so much more comfortable relating feelings to abstract things or everyday incidents instead of putting it down as an actual story. I am also good at it, so I don't think I'm going to change anything. My 'stories' shall continue to be metaphorical with the occasional one of reality thrown in, it should keep things interesting and prevent me from becoming predictable, for I do think that I tend to get predictable sometimes. Here's to keeping those surprises coming. Cheers!

24.02.2013

As this blog turns four years old,  the author is in a contemplative mood. So I do what I do best, stretch out on the couch, put on some soothing music, stare into the lamplight and contemplate. My thoughts are in a mood to wander today, and I am in no mood to organize them. Sometimes its good to let yourself wander. My mind goes back to random memories, both happy and sad: a sunny winter day spent in the park, a long walk at the end of a summer day, an amazing impromptu lunch and a roadside joint, a movie and dinner and all the laughs that come with it. I once read in someone's autobiography that when you look back on memories, if they are happy ones, you can actually re-live the joy of the moment by just thinking of it but if they are sad ones, you don't really feel it as acutely as it had been. I think this is so true and so wonderful, its like life telling us to go out there and do whatever pleases us best, for tomorrow all the bad stuff will feel just a little less bad. I have always tried to live my life that way with as little regrets as possible and I'm proud to say that I have managed quite well so far. When faced with life's toughest situations, just ask yourself if you could do it all over again, would you want to change anything? In most cases, no matter how bad, my guess is that your answer will be a 'no'. Likewise, when trying to make a difficult decision, always toss a coin: if you're disappointed with the result, then you've already made your decision. Take notice of all the little things around you and you will find yourself smiling even if you were in a foul mood seconds ago; and the best part is that the smile is something that shall make you smile when you remember it, where as the foul mood will just be a memory. So chalk up as many smiles as you possibly can for this is the most important scoreboard that you can have. Focus on all the positive stuff and accept the negative stuff too for what is life without them, just make sure when you look at your scoreboard, you have more smiles than frowns or tears. For there is nothing in this world that is greater than happiness and the pursuit of it.

Here's wishing it to be fruitful year ahead.

Cheers!

Share a Smile: Part 2

It was Thursday, the end of a very long day, not helped by the painful ankle caused by the car door slamming on my foot, the weekend nowhere in sight and I was just ready to drop. That was before I walked into my building lobby and witnessed the amusing sight of two children trying to play a game of badminton. From the look of them, I would say they were no older than two and four years old. The four year old was instructing the two year old on the nuances of the game. She was even considerate enough to kneel down and play to give him an even chance seeing as this way they were both of the same height. I watched them while I waited for the elevator: the looks of intense concentration, the complete disregard of their surroundings, and the earnest application of their little minds just made my day. We should all take a leaf out of children's games and apply it to our crazy, fast paced and (supposedly) adult lives. Live for the moment, give it everything you've got and don't think about what anyone else thinks, celebrate each little victory and most importantly keep things simple. The worst thing that could happen are a few scrapes and bruises and the best thing: the exhilaration that comes from having achieved something.

Cheers!

Go Google!

I am constantly amazed by the things you can do with +Google! Yesterday I discovered Google Reader and Google News. I knew they existed but had never really had a chance to explore them before (read: didn't really bother). But after reading 'The Google Story' a few months, I have really come to notice the role that Google plays in our lives. It is everywhere! And now I know for a fact that you can literally find anything on it. But I digress, it was the Google Reader and Google News that I was raving about. They have opened the doors for my latest mission to step into the world of current affairs and could not be more grateful. Now I have all the sites (and blogs: those have nothing to do with current affairs just the pleasure of stalking the web in search of hitherto undiscovered blogs) neatly categorized in folders (yes, I'm obsessive like that) and can view them all from one platform with hardly any need to go to each site individually unless searching for something old. Moreover for those of us with blogs on blogger.com, the blogs we follow from the dashboard can be fed into Google Reader and vice versa. Google News I still haven't grasped completely yet but the idea is the same: all the news on a topic gathered together on one page with options to view just the snippets or entire articles or just have an icon that takes you to the site page. I might as well also say how much I like the Google Dashboard which is landing page for all Google products that you subscribe to.

Anyway, this was not intended to be a technical review so all you techie folks can head over to http://googleblog.blogspot.in if you want some of that.

Until next time,
Cheers

A Very Happy New Year

So here comes another year. Time to make (and break) all those new year resolutions. My new year resolution is very simple and not very new. It is just to remind myself the power of positive thinking. Don't believe me? Think back to a situation where you've given up hoping and compare it to one where you felt confident of things working out and see which one worked out better. So I'm making a pledge this year to think positive at every step of the way. No matter how daunting the task ahead, no matter how chaotic the situation or how painful the climb ahead, think positive and half the battle is won. And when it seems that there is no way to find something to be positive about, then look around you, there is always going to be someone else that exudes that ray of sunshine, all you have to do is soak it up (its contagious you see!). There are these 2 quotes that perfectly define what I'm talking about:

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

"Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become... habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become..."

On that note I can safely say that it is going to be a very happy new year.

Cheers!

The Dreams We Dream...

Dreams are the most magical and beautiful things for the simple reason that they may never come true. We may spin as amazing stories as we want in our heads whilst never having a clue of what the future holds. We can create our own little world in our mind's eye, a place only for us, to visit when times are rough or simply when wanting some peace. It is so much fun to plan this place, 'the happy place' I call it, cram in every bit of joy that you can gather so that the place is overflowing with goodness. Banish all misery, pain and wrongdoing from here; keep at bay the darkness, fear and doubts that plague us in the real world and just be free to do anything you imagine. Imagine being an astronaut and shooting into space to explore infinity and beyond; or maybe you would prefer to be a mighty ruler of an empire; or a secret service agent a la James Bond; or just a world traveler flitting from place to place across the globe; or an author of best selling books; or a snake charmer; or a marine biologists discovering more and more of nature everyday; or a teacher addressing a roomful of earnest young beings; or an administrator par excellence; or an accountant, engineer, ballerina and the list simply goes on and on and on. Fate is such a cruel thing that one the one hand it offers us a world full of so many amazing things to do but such little time to do more than a few. So, I say again, even if it will never be a reality, it is wonderful to keep dreaming. Dream on..

Cheers!

Favourite Things

Just felt like listing a few of my favourite things...

Sunny days and clear blue skies

The smell of wet earth just before the rains

Late night movies in bed

Reading a favourite book by lamp light

Falling asleep listening to music

Cooking something delicious

Walks on the beach or anywhere actually

Wind blowing through my hair

Surprises and unexpected pleasures

Laughing till it hurts

High heels coz they make me look taller

Lots and lots of water

Spectacles

Photo albums (the printed kind)

Stationery (diaries, notebooks, pens, pencils, you name it!)

The sound of silence

Fiery sunsets on a summer days

The rain whipping in my face while travelling

Singing out loud

Dancing

Happy day


Cheers!

The Stories

Everyone of us has a story to tell and no stories are the same. Each and every life and it's story figures in the tapestry of human history. We may not always make it to the history books (lets face it, those are boring most of the time so we're lucky in a way :P); but it matters, every single thing that we do or do not do. There is a beautiful line that explains it so clearly, whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it's very important that you do it because nobody else will. We may not even be remembered for it, but it is still important that we do it. Our stories are all unique, unmatched and make for a fascinating study. There are stories of courage, stories of love, stories of sadness, stories of pain, stories of joy and the list goes on. Take a moment when you are feeling blue to look at your story and see what it means to you. Look at every bend in the road and see how you have risen to the occasion; look and see the lives you have touched and have become richer for it; look at what you have achieved and be proud to be you; look at all the things you love and the joy they bring you; and lastly look at yourself and the person you are because you have all these stories behind you like a solid wall to lean on. Walk forward confidently and with every step, keep building those stories.

Rants of the MBA Aspirant

Writing about yourself is the hardest thing you shall ever have done. Just the very thought makes my forehead  frown and my stomach grumble and my hands itching to do anything but write (or type as the case may be). But unfortunately most B-schools set quite a store by what we think of ourselves and leave these interesting questions in the application forms that need to be answered. How would you rate yourself on versatility? Adversities faced in life? Responsibilities shouldered? And each application wants them just a little differently. So here I am now pulling my hair out trying to look at my CV and figure out where the hell the answers are hidden and how best to write them. Ultimately it will just come down to forcing myself to stick my butt to a chair for 3 straight hours and thrashing out the stuff cringing at every loftily written phrase and neatly glossy paragraph but alas it must be done for only then do the gates to these hallowed halls open to us.

While we are on the subject, I'll take a step back and talk about all the other things these erstwhile institutes have us do. I'll begin with the application fees shall I? It is anywhere between Rs. 950 and 1650 for entrance exams. Some institutes are kind enough to not charge additional fees to apply to the college but there are others where you will end up paying anywhere between Rs. 950 and 1650 over and above the entrance exam fees to fill out the application form for the institute. I wonder if anyone has ever studied what this means financially for the institute? With the number of students applying for their post graduation courses to B-schools increasing by the year, the corresponding increase in expenditure borne by the institute would only marginally increase. Many of these institutes do not even print their admission brochures any more, preferring instead to have downloadable PDF versions, very commendable of them and I am all for making the earth a greener place but that still leaves us with a lot of unaccounted for money! I can understand the reason for placing a fee on admissions as adding value to the process ensuring students who apply are actually serious about studying in the particular institute. But unfortunately it does not work like that anymore, students who can afford it (and some who can't!) are all filling out the endless forms for every exam and application form. The simplest solution I would say is to reduce the application fees to a minimal amount and instead design every application form (as opposed to only a handful who currently follow this procedure) with qualitative essay type question which will actually cull out the serious students from the 'also rans'. Of course entrance exams as method of elimination shall have to continue, without them managing logistics would be a nightmare, but application procedures should be better thought through.

Speaking of application procedures, having filled out my share of forms, I have come to believe that very few institutes actually have a clear cut vision of what they want in an applying candidates and design their forms accordingly while in others there are mostly run of the mill fields with very little scope for expressing individuality. And lets not even get started with the poor quality of online platforms that are used that some have and of course each has a different requirement of the kind of browser required and acceptable bank credit/ debit/ online payment options. I think that that effectively summarizes the pains of all MBA aspirants in the present day. However lets not forget that after all this, there still remains the little matter of actually taking the tests, speaking up at the GDs and acing the PIs. All the best all!

Cheers!

I just discovered 2 things about myself today:

1. I really need to write tasks down on paper to be able to complete them
2. I really need to write something everyday

Coincidence? Or maybe my life is all about writing To Do Lists :P

Cheers! 

The Gift of Life...

There is one school of thought that subscribes to the theory that everything in life is about chance and that nothing is planned. So it doesn't matter what we do or don't do with our lives, we will end up where we were meant to. Then there is the other point of view that says that we make our destiny, that the power is within us to shape and mould what we want our lives to become. I believe that they're both wrong and that life is actually a delightful combination of the two. We have with the raw materials if you will: all the characteristics and strengths that define who we are and there is no changing that. But what we do with them is something that is entirely up to us. We can throw up our hands and say that it is fate that hasn't let us become all that we could be but the truth remains that whatever gifts that we have with us can be used to bring out the absolute best in us and make us shine so bright that the entire world notices. The belief in who we are and what we are doing is what will make those dreams come true. The moment you give up hope is when you have written yourself off and no matter what you do, you won't be able to make anything of yourself. I think this quotation perfectly describes what life should be about and how to live it to the fullest:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Something to think about..
Cheers!

Pocketful of Sunshine =)

Sometimes when life gets you down, it's good to count your blessings and just celebrate everything that is good about it, so that is exactly what I'm gonna be doing!

1. The internet is the world's greatest invention. There is almost nothing that you cannot do on it. All those millions of forms and standing in queues or even making payments, remember the time when cheque payments felt so easy? Well not any more, coz you got, voila! the internet. I just logged on to netbanking for 15 minutes and am saved myself an hour long visit to the bank and I am just over the moon about it. Registrations for exams, ordering merchandise, social networking, music, videos, sheer timepass stuff, it has it all!
2. Early morning bliss is something else that I am grateful for. I am normally not a morning person but there are just some days that you wake up feeling like you can conquer the world and then you hear an absolutely amazing song that just makes your day (check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONVGfzRWxaU), and find some interesting emails in your inbox or chat with some people after quite a while and it just makes you smile. Not to mention all the peace and quiet around, everyone should try it out sometime. I don't sing reularly but I'm guessing this is why people who do, mostly practice early in the morning, makes for an amazing rest of the day.
3. Unexpected pleasures that come your way are the most precious gifts we can receive. Like yesterday travelling through Aarey Colony in Mumbai, I just did nothing except feast my eyes on the greenery all around and discovered what heaven on earth felt like. On reaching office, had a really good conversation with someone who I hadn't spoken to in a while, feels nice to just slow down and do that once in a while. Managed to play table tennis for a while, made for a refreshing break in the midst of a crazy day. We all lead such fast paced lives that it may be easy to miss out on these things as they don't come with signposts that will shout out to you to stop and take a look. But it is only these things that can bring a balance to the hectic life which would otherwise drive us into mental asylums by the dozen.
4. Another of life's great joys (and world's greatest inventions) is the earphones. Sometimes you just need to block the entire world out and lose yourself in your favourtie music. Whether it is good old hindi film music or hip hop hustle, whatever gets your mood going, just plug in those earphones to your phone, ipod, music player and you are set for a spell of bliss

So that concludes my random ramblings for the day. Felt good to put all this down, maybe we could all do that, just stop for a moment everyday and be grateful for all the good things that have happened in the day.

Until next time.
Cheers!

It was a beautiful morning, sunlight filtered through the fresh green leaves which swayed gently in the breeze. As I looked out of the large windows and saw the vast expanse of blue skies with bits of grey clouds floating across, I felt deeply content. It was uttlerly peaceful and made me want to keep day dreaming all day. The hills in the distance, the buildings tall and short in the foreground, the trees in the office compund, the railway track at a distance and not a soul in sight; just everything about the scene spelt serene. It made me feel grateful for all my blessings and happy about all the good things in life. Simple things which don't need to be put in words, I sat there just recounting them in my head and then glancing at the clock brought me back to reality. Until next time then! Cheers =)

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour...

- William Blake
Auguries of Innocence

Through the camera lens…

When I look at the world around me today, I see a lot of amazing things happening. And yet there is something in me that yearns for times that are behind me. The simplest example I think of is cameras. There was a time when it was a cumbersome and extremely precious object, prized and jealously guarded by its owner. Film roll was so valuable that each shot was considered from every angle before actually capturing so as to have a masterpiece. The disappointment when the roll finished and then the breathless wait for it to be developed after which you vowed to carefully preserve them in albums but unfortunately time would cause it to get tarnished to show its age until they became almost unrecognizable. Now with the leaps and bounds of technology, one can see digital cameras small enough to fit in your pockets and what’s more, you don’t even need cameras if you happen to have the latest smartphone with built in cameras, flashlights and countless other features that are enough to make your head spin. There is no need to think twice before clicking a picture when you can always delete it if you think it isn’t good enough. There is no thrill in getting that perfect shot when you know you can try it endlessly till you get it right and there is no mystery left as you can view the picture immediately. We are careless with what we choose to capture and so it doesn’t really inspire us to print them and want to preserve them. We tell ourselves that this is good, in this way we don’t need to pick and choose and can have all the million photographs saved in the computer memory or web albums, look over them all anytime and save the paper that we would have used, to print them. But really think about it, when was the last time you went back and browsed old photo albums stored on your hard disk? Wheras we all still definitely peruse the old hardbound albums from time to time and think back fondly to the moments in each carefully shot photograph (and sometimes even the hilariously gone wrong ones as there was no delete button back then!). Not to say that there isn’t anything good about this new age digital revolution, I just miss the charm of the good old days and just wish we could sometimes go back a few decades and lose ourselves in the simple pleasures of life.