Wednesday, June 11, 2008
thought express -feb 5 2008
She felt a tingle in her spine,It was a pain that brought a smile on her face,She wondered at the stages that the lifeform within her underwent,From a single cell to its eventual growth as her successor,She felt a delight that she could never explain,A prayer would go out evrytime she thought of tat weird form of muscle n tissue,The scan that she saw felt that it wasn't yet a reflection of any in her family,However, she knew that it would be enough if it carried some bit of her beliefs and values,Why would she have to sacrifice two of her ribs,If it weren't for the beauty and absolute divinity of childbirth....These were thoughts I had as a dear friend told me about her experiences in expecting her unborn child...Somehow, it felt magical J n @ the same time it brought back thoughts of the events of the day..the day had been rough as I took on some guys who didn't necessarily understand certain aspects of my work n thn I wondered abt the spine alternately...We women love a man with a spine for the simple reason that we are short of a pair of ribs, n it gives us a high when we are with a man we can depend upon!I am often described as an independent and self-assured woman who would be able to take care of herself, but a man with a spine is who would impress me...There are many a campaigns that reiterate this collective belief- it requires guts to b able to stand out!.... the recent campaign of don't speak Shout!definitely is a means to espress... This campaign was run with an intention to engage people in speaking out for both macro n micro issues in and around them right from their freedom to dance to support primary education...n this again requires us to rise beyond the mediocre n the ordinary... only the spineless would like to shun into obscurity...Ahem! But into this kissa spine ka..comes another factor of the ones who have a spine to cause havoc or take the people's office 4 granted J devegowdas progeny used state money to kickstart a second family @ the states cost..an author who created a marrymydaughter.com where brides were only in their teens to a desi monster Doc who sold kidneys the world definitely seems to have its share of devilry J devilry wch is beyond fearlessness and can only b described as the karname of the agitated or the unrested mind....
23-Jan-08 Understanding aint agreement :)
'Swati[from Janaagraha] is the most knowledgeable NGO professional I have met in my life', said Carl. Peter added, 'this has been an altogether unexpected experience', Gina says, 'they flock you and surround you as if they have never met a white woman'..Denise says,'an old woman came up to me and touched my cheek, what does that mean?'…
Well! If you are all wondering who these people are…they were students from the US, visiting India on an educational trip…Gools was fortunate enough to meet them through Prakash in MindTree. Their professor Tim happens to be a TRIZnik and Gools was in awe of his observation and perceptive abilites…
I felt Gools transformed into a different woman when she was with these students, she displayed a sense of calm n camaraderie that mde the students feel at ease, and to a large extent extremely patriotic - informing her guests of an India they would never possibly know [the ease with which she cud switch accents ws quite a revelation J ]…I came to realize how strong and opinionated she was, whether it came to haggling with rickshw dirvers who would just up the prize the minute they set eyes on the firangs, or when she boldly claimed, 'definitely your friends would know that all Indians aren't dark n dirty' ;D when she had a photo-op[ :D she sometimes does things probably because she realizes that she can get away with it]…
Mrs Nut: Dots, I have something to add b4 u go on n on abt Gools n her life…a colleague of mine, whose husband happens to be a proff at NLSIU told me that in NLS the students requested a condom vending machine n the proff was left embarrassed…r v heading towards an India with youth confused abt thr sexual needs or choices, or are we being hypocritical abt one's freedom or choice or does this indicate that students as young as 18-19 lead a dual life where they think loving is abt being sexually invloved? Has promiscuity bcm the norm and r our children experimenting wit multiple partners? As a parent of two young professionals do I have to be worried? Are the media's views on issues such as these, a reflection of the actual life of young individuals?
Dotty: Mom, your questions are all valid and right, however, if some students request for a machine like this it doesn't reflect that all students would use them, besides thy may have asked the proff this just 4 'shock factor' :D n besides dnt men n women cheat on their life partners, hasn't this hypocrisy existed all along rite thru the annals of history… its also true that whn extreme freewill is exercised, ppl jst get fed up or further confused..for ex:chastity bands in the US have bcom a phenomenon aftr yrs of wild experimentations amng the youth… Indian youth happen to be in that phase whn things hav bcom accessible J n things wch provoke r usually xcitin [a perception] hence thy may try to indulge. However, v got 2 put a brk to redundant conversations wch create circles…
to be able to love is to be able to see the beauty of life in every capsule, every moment of life - in giving, in sharing, in smiling n if u hav been vocal n kind enough to instill in us this sense of warmth n belonging then the need to fit in, the need 2 run with the rest wouldn't matter…. I believe tat movie called 'cashback' chronicles the life of a young painter looking for the meaning of love beautifully, as long as we are influenced by the right medium one shouldn't worry to much cause what our parents give us is what we would pass onto our children J ….
Mr Nut: Hmm both you women have to get into these save the world discussions…wouldn't u rather worry abt ur investments wit the stock markets crashing? Not tat thr is mch to b affectd by, every event has an opportunity attached to it, just like Yossarian [in catch 22] made a business opp of the war, we can make the most out of investing while the risk averse stay away…
Junior: Paapa, all tat u seem 2 talk abt is money J I met Dotty's boss, n I saw in him the meaning of being 'equanomous/equipoised' if we all cud get to that stage whr nothing affects us wudnt life be simpler n more beautiful…heroes is running a new ad campaign n am sure looking fwd to the next season, if I were one of thm I wud b peter petrelli who cud take on everybodys gift n cud fly….
The event tat dotty wrote of last week was powerful, the music ws similar to a gospel rock show, however, using Indian bhajans n including the entire audience to sing along-added to the energy in the hall, so mch so tat some of the mentally disabled children who were part of the audience began to dance!!!
'Celebrating humanity is celebrating divinity' :) you will hear abt the book 'the secret' soon…as of nw it seems to unraveling itself wonderfully…t.c
Well! If you are all wondering who these people are…they were students from the US, visiting India on an educational trip…Gools was fortunate enough to meet them through Prakash in MindTree. Their professor Tim happens to be a TRIZnik and Gools was in awe of his observation and perceptive abilites…
I felt Gools transformed into a different woman when she was with these students, she displayed a sense of calm n camaraderie that mde the students feel at ease, and to a large extent extremely patriotic - informing her guests of an India they would never possibly know [the ease with which she cud switch accents ws quite a revelation J ]…I came to realize how strong and opinionated she was, whether it came to haggling with rickshw dirvers who would just up the prize the minute they set eyes on the firangs, or when she boldly claimed, 'definitely your friends would know that all Indians aren't dark n dirty' ;D when she had a photo-op[ :D she sometimes does things probably because she realizes that she can get away with it]…
Mrs Nut: Dots, I have something to add b4 u go on n on abt Gools n her life…a colleague of mine, whose husband happens to be a proff at NLSIU told me that in NLS the students requested a condom vending machine n the proff was left embarrassed…r v heading towards an India with youth confused abt thr sexual needs or choices, or are we being hypocritical abt one's freedom or choice or does this indicate that students as young as 18-19 lead a dual life where they think loving is abt being sexually invloved? Has promiscuity bcm the norm and r our children experimenting wit multiple partners? As a parent of two young professionals do I have to be worried? Are the media's views on issues such as these, a reflection of the actual life of young individuals?
Dotty: Mom, your questions are all valid and right, however, if some students request for a machine like this it doesn't reflect that all students would use them, besides thy may have asked the proff this just 4 'shock factor' :D n besides dnt men n women cheat on their life partners, hasn't this hypocrisy existed all along rite thru the annals of history… its also true that whn extreme freewill is exercised, ppl jst get fed up or further confused..for ex:chastity bands in the US have bcom a phenomenon aftr yrs of wild experimentations amng the youth… Indian youth happen to be in that phase whn things hav bcom accessible J n things wch provoke r usually xcitin [a perception] hence thy may try to indulge. However, v got 2 put a brk to redundant conversations wch create circles…
to be able to love is to be able to see the beauty of life in every capsule, every moment of life - in giving, in sharing, in smiling n if u hav been vocal n kind enough to instill in us this sense of warmth n belonging then the need to fit in, the need 2 run with the rest wouldn't matter…. I believe tat movie called 'cashback' chronicles the life of a young painter looking for the meaning of love beautifully, as long as we are influenced by the right medium one shouldn't worry to much cause what our parents give us is what we would pass onto our children J ….
Mr Nut: Hmm both you women have to get into these save the world discussions…wouldn't u rather worry abt ur investments wit the stock markets crashing? Not tat thr is mch to b affectd by, every event has an opportunity attached to it, just like Yossarian [in catch 22] made a business opp of the war, we can make the most out of investing while the risk averse stay away…
Junior: Paapa, all tat u seem 2 talk abt is money J I met Dotty's boss, n I saw in him the meaning of being 'equanomous/equipoised' if we all cud get to that stage whr nothing affects us wudnt life be simpler n more beautiful…heroes is running a new ad campaign n am sure looking fwd to the next season, if I were one of thm I wud b peter petrelli who cud take on everybodys gift n cud fly….
The event tat dotty wrote of last week was powerful, the music ws similar to a gospel rock show, however, using Indian bhajans n including the entire audience to sing along-added to the energy in the hall, so mch so tat some of the mentally disabled children who were part of the audience began to dance!!!
'Celebrating humanity is celebrating divinity' :) you will hear abt the book 'the secret' soon…as of nw it seems to unraveling itself wonderfully…t.c
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Krishna says give yourself (15-1-08)
The festival of harvest ws celebrated last nite hanging out at every nook n cranny tat Bangalore had to offer, met up at Qwikys, went to Vaayu for dinner, then dancing at Taika, then Barista at leela n ended up partying the entire nite ...the celebration ws the Bday of a v special friend n her growing of age [hehehe] taika n many others like it have lost their charm w.r.t the dance floor- the music is as gud as eva, howeva, the crowd seems to hav lost its apetite to shake a leg in happy abandon post the new regulations - urs truly just went ahead n downed herself in mojitos, vodka n old monk, didnt still seem to get affected until the choc fantasy did the trick at Barista :D..howeva, i came to realise its no longer safe 4 a gang of women to party nymore, a guy approached a friend n in his drunken stuper said, i am an engineer n i want to go out wit u [ she freaked out initially, thn v all had a heary laugh at a very strange pick up line, wots so special abt being n engineer n think abt the psychology bhnd n individual if his only claim to life is tat of being a techie] i do respect every individual's profession, howeva, i dont bliv it has any element of exaggeratd status attached to it, v got 2 hav a job to sustain our interests, face challenges n earn a living...so whthr a guy's an engineer or not hardly matters...today it mayb big, but manufacturing was big one day tooo, it will also find its place in the cycle of life....nyway heregoes a mail dotty wrote last Sunday, but didnt send across -
Krishna ….
I dance to your melody,
And I sing for your blessings,
I share what you so easily gave - grudgingly, yet complain that I do not have enough,
I look at another, my reflection, and say, 'Hey! He doesn't give as much as I do'
Not realising HE AND ME are but equal….
Ugh ugh! [Clearing throat!] these are sometimes thoughts that Gools has, n I must say her mind runs like a windmill revolving at different speeds as winds of different kinds drive it….Its been a fortnight since the nuts found presence in your inbox, n thy will aggressively do so…
The nuts had the gud fortune to kickstart the new year with the Lord Krishna, thanks to Sanjay, whose an ardent devotee himself…the Nuts were blessed to share through a benefit dinner organized by the Akshaya Patra foundation on the theme of wedding food of different regions of India. We celebrated through indulgence on a delectable platter of 60 varieties of food from the four corners of the compass…The dishes were called different things, but they all tasted and smelled of the beauty of the Lords blessing in seemingly providing for his children- children lost, children hungry n craving, n children living in his eternal bliss…v view such dinners as an opportunity to satiate our own hungers- hungers for networking, for recognition, for the joy of celebrating our standing in the social order, v nudge, v swear, n v act disorderly in queues just so v have an opportunity to taste every other delicacy on offer before another[fellow human]…the Lord sees it all, he is but maaye, n do u think our deceptions blind him?
Interestingly, the proceeds of this dinner went to little children's mid day meals scheme, if they were to be present at the temple as people fought for food, they would have learnt a few lessons early in life. Do chaos n kindness go hand in hand?
The Nuts came back with a stomach filled with perceptiveness and awareness… they got the hint that Krishna gave us all- its his kindness tat he provides us opportunities to play different roles…Divine intervention towards consciousness' :D
The fortune trail continued n Gools started seeing in her friends n coworkers the plan that Krishna had chalked for her – Give yourself – he kept repeating…She did give, in listening to her colleagues as thy trekked downhill blindfolded in the middle of the night, danced together around the bonfire, fell and got up to continue an activity which needed her as much as it did every other person, n she gave as she allowed her friends to climb over her to complete tasks, tasks that were significant for thm n tasks that impacted all of thm, she gave whn she didn't speak out as others took credit for the work she completed, she gave as she stood behind thm all as thy ran their claims of dominance n influences…knowing all the time tat Krishna watches over her….
In everything that we try to accomplish, there is an intent of leaving a signature for the selves, but oftentimes the accomplishment remains not as that of an individual but with relevance to the time and impact it had..for ex: the launch of the Nano by the TATAs will be significant not just on the impact it would have on the masses but its symbolic effect on the perceptiveness of the rest of the world in assessing India's capability and technical prowess…the westerners may scoff at it and talk of all that the Nano doesn't have! But they should admit that we Indians, specifically the Tata's have kept their word n have allowed the many dreams of the populace to see daylight, nano is an answer to the people huddled under shelters while the rains play havoc, nano is the answer to old people struggling to find a footing in a crowded bus, nano is an answer to a young couple carrying their little children and plying through roads loaded with traffic..
Swaminathan in his article today has written beautifully abt the impact of nano with relevance to the green activists and their calls for ban on vehicles such as these which may lead to so called congestion…we have the least density of cars n by policies which emphasise the need for clear regulation we will be able to address the various queries that one may have against such a pathbreaking invention – I call nano an invention because it is within a specified cost, fulfills the need for a certain level of comfort and definitely doesn't occupy space :D…these are the kind of accomplishments that one should crave for!
We petty ourselves in dreaming for the next appraisal, for the next brownie point against a colleague, for an inch of property against a relative whom we share our dna with, for that gadget that a friend has, for that dress/hairstyle that we wnt to have..how futile does existence become?
Dotty has said enough, I think I must tell you all that I am betting on Reliance power this season as the next big IPO intercedes Mr Nut…Junior says, this IPO will be oversubscribed because of its clever advertising and media propulsion, there are already scrips present in the power space, wouldn't they have the potential to grow as much?
Mrs Nut lives in her state of sympathy towards Hillary, they don't let women progress even in the US… well! In the end its again a collective manipulation of human emotions, when Hillary's failures at the primaries started being associated with her gender the womenfolk started expressing their electorate more firmly, it was always a known fact that Hillary is a powerful woman senator, but, why did it take so long for women to collectively vote for her and her competence…should gender be your trumpcard to a possible victory? I wouldn't be comfortable in working with an American whose resolve could be so easily manipulated J again, would I not vote for a woman candidate as against a male candidate only because shes a woman?.. is yet to be tested [hehehe]
a lexicon on slang was released by a teenager, I felt it was uber cool to have had the patience to compile jargons n lingo wch wud bcom pass/irrelevant in a shortwhile ;) but the uniqueness of the lexicon is that it gives a clear message to our folks, your kids cant share everything with u, smtimes u just haveta let goJ…
Coming to the events around town, this weekend i.e 19th of jan, please try to attend a music concert called the "Divine Rockers" it's a show run by children for children, the said children being those from matrushree- a home for the mentally disabled. The children performing happen to be students of the music school that Gools happens to be learning guitar from- n they will be playing Bhajans in rock! The venue of the event is Alliance Franchaise at 6.30pm…b there if you want to have a good evening which celebrates sharing your smile with children from Matrushree…
You may contact Gools for passes…
Wishing u a blissful week ahead!
A quote by Vivekananda to end this mail :)
"He who is overcautious about himself faces danger at every step; he who is afraid of loosing honour and respect gets only disgrace; he who is afraid of loss, always looses"
Krishna ….
I dance to your melody,
And I sing for your blessings,
I share what you so easily gave - grudgingly, yet complain that I do not have enough,
I look at another, my reflection, and say, 'Hey! He doesn't give as much as I do'
Not realising HE AND ME are but equal….
Ugh ugh! [Clearing throat!] these are sometimes thoughts that Gools has, n I must say her mind runs like a windmill revolving at different speeds as winds of different kinds drive it….Its been a fortnight since the nuts found presence in your inbox, n thy will aggressively do so…
The nuts had the gud fortune to kickstart the new year with the Lord Krishna, thanks to Sanjay, whose an ardent devotee himself…the Nuts were blessed to share through a benefit dinner organized by the Akshaya Patra foundation on the theme of wedding food of different regions of India. We celebrated through indulgence on a delectable platter of 60 varieties of food from the four corners of the compass…The dishes were called different things, but they all tasted and smelled of the beauty of the Lords blessing in seemingly providing for his children- children lost, children hungry n craving, n children living in his eternal bliss…v view such dinners as an opportunity to satiate our own hungers- hungers for networking, for recognition, for the joy of celebrating our standing in the social order, v nudge, v swear, n v act disorderly in queues just so v have an opportunity to taste every other delicacy on offer before another[fellow human]…the Lord sees it all, he is but maaye, n do u think our deceptions blind him?
Interestingly, the proceeds of this dinner went to little children's mid day meals scheme, if they were to be present at the temple as people fought for food, they would have learnt a few lessons early in life. Do chaos n kindness go hand in hand?
The Nuts came back with a stomach filled with perceptiveness and awareness… they got the hint that Krishna gave us all- its his kindness tat he provides us opportunities to play different roles…Divine intervention towards consciousness' :D
The fortune trail continued n Gools started seeing in her friends n coworkers the plan that Krishna had chalked for her – Give yourself – he kept repeating…She did give, in listening to her colleagues as thy trekked downhill blindfolded in the middle of the night, danced together around the bonfire, fell and got up to continue an activity which needed her as much as it did every other person, n she gave as she allowed her friends to climb over her to complete tasks, tasks that were significant for thm n tasks that impacted all of thm, she gave whn she didn't speak out as others took credit for the work she completed, she gave as she stood behind thm all as thy ran their claims of dominance n influences…knowing all the time tat Krishna watches over her….
In everything that we try to accomplish, there is an intent of leaving a signature for the selves, but oftentimes the accomplishment remains not as that of an individual but with relevance to the time and impact it had..for ex: the launch of the Nano by the TATAs will be significant not just on the impact it would have on the masses but its symbolic effect on the perceptiveness of the rest of the world in assessing India's capability and technical prowess…the westerners may scoff at it and talk of all that the Nano doesn't have! But they should admit that we Indians, specifically the Tata's have kept their word n have allowed the many dreams of the populace to see daylight, nano is an answer to the people huddled under shelters while the rains play havoc, nano is the answer to old people struggling to find a footing in a crowded bus, nano is an answer to a young couple carrying their little children and plying through roads loaded with traffic..
Swaminathan in his article today has written beautifully abt the impact of nano with relevance to the green activists and their calls for ban on vehicles such as these which may lead to so called congestion…we have the least density of cars n by policies which emphasise the need for clear regulation we will be able to address the various queries that one may have against such a pathbreaking invention – I call nano an invention because it is within a specified cost, fulfills the need for a certain level of comfort and definitely doesn't occupy space :D…these are the kind of accomplishments that one should crave for!
We petty ourselves in dreaming for the next appraisal, for the next brownie point against a colleague, for an inch of property against a relative whom we share our dna with, for that gadget that a friend has, for that dress/hairstyle that we wnt to have..how futile does existence become?
Dotty has said enough, I think I must tell you all that I am betting on Reliance power this season as the next big IPO intercedes Mr Nut…Junior says, this IPO will be oversubscribed because of its clever advertising and media propulsion, there are already scrips present in the power space, wouldn't they have the potential to grow as much?
Mrs Nut lives in her state of sympathy towards Hillary, they don't let women progress even in the US… well! In the end its again a collective manipulation of human emotions, when Hillary's failures at the primaries started being associated with her gender the womenfolk started expressing their electorate more firmly, it was always a known fact that Hillary is a powerful woman senator, but, why did it take so long for women to collectively vote for her and her competence…should gender be your trumpcard to a possible victory? I wouldn't be comfortable in working with an American whose resolve could be so easily manipulated J again, would I not vote for a woman candidate as against a male candidate only because shes a woman?.. is yet to be tested [hehehe]
a lexicon on slang was released by a teenager, I felt it was uber cool to have had the patience to compile jargons n lingo wch wud bcom pass/irrelevant in a shortwhile ;) but the uniqueness of the lexicon is that it gives a clear message to our folks, your kids cant share everything with u, smtimes u just haveta let goJ…
Coming to the events around town, this weekend i.e 19th of jan, please try to attend a music concert called the "Divine Rockers" it's a show run by children for children, the said children being those from matrushree- a home for the mentally disabled. The children performing happen to be students of the music school that Gools happens to be learning guitar from- n they will be playing Bhajans in rock! The venue of the event is Alliance Franchaise at 6.30pm…b there if you want to have a good evening which celebrates sharing your smile with children from Matrushree…
You may contact Gools for passes…
Wishing u a blissful week ahead!
A quote by Vivekananda to end this mail :)
"He who is overcautious about himself faces danger at every step; he who is afraid of loosing honour and respect gets only disgrace; he who is afraid of loss, always looses"
the nutty resolve- welcome 2008
'I don't believe in dreams, I believe in goals declared' Junior Nut. He seems to be sleep walking constantly…. working till midnight he seems to have no grip or control over time and he ends up making such abrupt albeit powerful statements… when asked about his New year resolution…
The Nuts like many other families do many things together, due to constraints of time, they have decided to have dinner at least 4days in a week together and here's a sneak peek into their resolutions for 2008 :D
Mr. Nut: Heard that the real estate in and around Bidadi is developing, I must invest there. I will take my family on a mid year holiday. Marriages are pursued here based on the age of the individual, I wont let dotty be forced into being married as I believe she has to find a purpose and hold meaning to sharing her life with her soul mate. I will watch my weight and health and will try to make the family happy by dressing more sharply hereafter…
Mrs. Nut: God! Let this year be a momentous one, let dotty who has a decent job find a respectable match. I need to get the wall embossed to make the living room look more contemporary. I need to loose weight, but should learn to cook more continental; the kids like all sorts of food, food I can't even manage to pronounce properly. I need to ensure that my students win all the dance and music events this season, my track record has to be maintained, will have to sit with the choreographers and chalk events scheduled this year. I want to understand adventure sports better and will have to save more to contribute to the holiday fund this year, want to take the kids to an exotic locale…clothes, shopping, malls, movies…hmmmm, life never seems to change for a woman!
Junior Nut: I resolve to be the obedient son :p hope I don't jump any more signals n get caught by the cops, need to buy some more hardware, I will download as many new games as possible, will continue to watch AXN n WWE late into the night, have to additionally ensure that sis doesn't buy ny of those god forsaken skirts wch makes all those road romeo's glare at her [ she doesn't seem to care a damn!!!] I hope she falls in Love with some prince charming, it wud b easier to convince my folks when its my turn. I have to buy two more branded watches and ensure I am the top performer this quarter,[targeting institutions and NRIs would do the trcik!] this will ensure a sponsored holiday wch I cud use to send mom n da on a trip…Yipppeeee!!! 2008 I am ready to write my destiny!!!
Dotty Nut: I need to understand philosophy and psychology better this year. I want to be able to play songs on the guitar [ooooh! the guitar teacher's such a hunk!] I want to buy some blue leather, stoles are passé, should look at leggings n scarves n hats, need to buy bright shades this season, wanna b able to save up for regular spa therapy, secretly wish to become a masseuse one day :D:D I want to gain abt 5 kilos n want to make chocolate based pastries n cookies..yumm! hope I find a chef who will be willing to marry me…ooops, I don't knw what 2008 has to offer, Hope/Fun/Love? Or surprises like the death of Ms Bhutto whom I admired for her strength n fortitude…y do such things happen whn v r in such festive spirits?
Well! Hopes, dreams, aspirations all linked to our resolutions, but clearly evident is the fact that one man's resolve can be a complete contradiction to another's w.r.t same context, for ex dotty's wedding n Mr. n Mrs. Nut having two divergent resolves
Practicalities definitely influence the resolve, but don't they hinder/block spontaneity?
When we are impressionable in every transaction and are influenced on a regular basis, how would setting resolutions make a difference? Like all rules that we happily break- the resolutions also end up being broken JJ
The media has been a constant source of inspiration all through the year, reflecting bold and controversial subjects and sometimes spreading clear articulate messages. I thoroughly enjoyed the various mutual fund ads, ads by vodafone and airtel[the one with the kids surpassing borders n playing football together] n more recently the new avenger ad seems like a direct extension of my personality…
I am however, conscious of the regular debates on good vs bad :D I believe that the state that we seem to think we are in is consequential. Most often what we perceived as being in a soup or being on the bad side has helped us if we look back and it seems like things have fallen in place because of those perceived pitfalls, all that happens, happens in the natural course of life n hence there would always be a relative balance ensured…
I am upset by what I refer to as the "Collective manipulation of emotions", the way the reality shows are structured and presented…the means through which one contestant becomes a favorite as against another, not because of evident superiority in competence, but because of some reason or excuse which helps up their rating with the masses - be it regional background, a health condition, a monetary/economic state or a spiritual quotient, its simply insane or unreasonable. We as audiences allowing such deceptions to happen at a collective level is shocking n sometimes despairing…
Another instance where there seems to be collective manipulation by the free press is in hinting towards one's choices- by writing articles such as 'Bad is the new good' we are taking our impressionable youngsters to a questionable n confused state, with parents being hypocritical and not discussing the so called taboo subjects, youngsters choose paths that they are not quite sure off…
Personally, I am not against people loving chocolates or their idea of expressing their emotions and love towards a dear one through physical expression [read Times Life, Dec 30 edition]… but the press by painting it as symbolic of evil makes it seem tempting to the impressionable teen…my sisters n nieces r in town to celebrate New year n thy talk in whispers abt these things n thy r as young as being in the 6 th grade at school…papers such as TOI should maintain some restraint in publishing articles in a deceptive light, wch r usually misguiding n can be misconstrued [what is the correlation between having sex n exercising? N how cud one replace the other?]
I don't deny my need to love chocolates or my need to nurse a drink, but I am aware of the responsibility tat my soul expects of me [existentialism is in essence being comfortable with oneself without seeking acceptance from the entire stratosphere J ] and unless guided clearly the young of today wud become the cultural bane we would be embarrassed to address, but will have to live with…we cannot control choices, but in celebrating freedom of the spirit, we must be able to take responsibility for the choices we make… enjoying a smoke then returning home with mint / mouth fresheners stuffed in ones throat, hiding the fact tat one enjoyed a smoke isn't a state I want to see my children in, I wud prefer tat thy come n tell me tat thy experimented wit smoking n likd it n need more allowance to continue to smoke n I wud be happy to present my viewpoint on the same….in an exaggerated need to be good we r creating a society of cowards, hiding their guilt n regret in silence n willfully living a fake n pretentious existence …hmmmm…a long winding message this new year!!! Friends, if our parents cant talk lets resolve to take care, lets try to spread the message of responsible fun
As a parting shot, do remember that we are subatomic in existence in this multiverse, and it doesn't really matter as long as we try to make that miniscule existence meaningful!!!
Next mailer meet in 008 :D happy new year!!! May it be more revealing and inspiring
The Nuts like many other families do many things together, due to constraints of time, they have decided to have dinner at least 4days in a week together and here's a sneak peek into their resolutions for 2008 :D
Mr. Nut: Heard that the real estate in and around Bidadi is developing, I must invest there. I will take my family on a mid year holiday. Marriages are pursued here based on the age of the individual, I wont let dotty be forced into being married as I believe she has to find a purpose and hold meaning to sharing her life with her soul mate. I will watch my weight and health and will try to make the family happy by dressing more sharply hereafter…
Mrs. Nut: God! Let this year be a momentous one, let dotty who has a decent job find a respectable match. I need to get the wall embossed to make the living room look more contemporary. I need to loose weight, but should learn to cook more continental; the kids like all sorts of food, food I can't even manage to pronounce properly. I need to ensure that my students win all the dance and music events this season, my track record has to be maintained, will have to sit with the choreographers and chalk events scheduled this year. I want to understand adventure sports better and will have to save more to contribute to the holiday fund this year, want to take the kids to an exotic locale…clothes, shopping, malls, movies…hmmmm, life never seems to change for a woman!
Junior Nut: I resolve to be the obedient son :p hope I don't jump any more signals n get caught by the cops, need to buy some more hardware, I will download as many new games as possible, will continue to watch AXN n WWE late into the night, have to additionally ensure that sis doesn't buy ny of those god forsaken skirts wch makes all those road romeo's glare at her [ she doesn't seem to care a damn!!!] I hope she falls in Love with some prince charming, it wud b easier to convince my folks when its my turn. I have to buy two more branded watches and ensure I am the top performer this quarter,[targeting institutions and NRIs would do the trcik!] this will ensure a sponsored holiday wch I cud use to send mom n da on a trip…Yipppeeee!!! 2008 I am ready to write my destiny!!!
Dotty Nut: I need to understand philosophy and psychology better this year. I want to be able to play songs on the guitar [ooooh! the guitar teacher's such a hunk!] I want to buy some blue leather, stoles are passé, should look at leggings n scarves n hats, need to buy bright shades this season, wanna b able to save up for regular spa therapy, secretly wish to become a masseuse one day :D:D I want to gain abt 5 kilos n want to make chocolate based pastries n cookies..yumm! hope I find a chef who will be willing to marry me…ooops, I don't knw what 2008 has to offer, Hope/Fun/Love? Or surprises like the death of Ms Bhutto whom I admired for her strength n fortitude…y do such things happen whn v r in such festive spirits?
Well! Hopes, dreams, aspirations all linked to our resolutions, but clearly evident is the fact that one man's resolve can be a complete contradiction to another's w.r.t same context, for ex dotty's wedding n Mr. n Mrs. Nut having two divergent resolves
Practicalities definitely influence the resolve, but don't they hinder/block spontaneity?
When we are impressionable in every transaction and are influenced on a regular basis, how would setting resolutions make a difference? Like all rules that we happily break- the resolutions also end up being broken JJ
The media has been a constant source of inspiration all through the year, reflecting bold and controversial subjects and sometimes spreading clear articulate messages. I thoroughly enjoyed the various mutual fund ads, ads by vodafone and airtel[the one with the kids surpassing borders n playing football together] n more recently the new avenger ad seems like a direct extension of my personality…
I am however, conscious of the regular debates on good vs bad :D I believe that the state that we seem to think we are in is consequential. Most often what we perceived as being in a soup or being on the bad side has helped us if we look back and it seems like things have fallen in place because of those perceived pitfalls, all that happens, happens in the natural course of life n hence there would always be a relative balance ensured…
I am upset by what I refer to as the "Collective manipulation of emotions", the way the reality shows are structured and presented…the means through which one contestant becomes a favorite as against another, not because of evident superiority in competence, but because of some reason or excuse which helps up their rating with the masses - be it regional background, a health condition, a monetary/economic state or a spiritual quotient, its simply insane or unreasonable. We as audiences allowing such deceptions to happen at a collective level is shocking n sometimes despairing…
Another instance where there seems to be collective manipulation by the free press is in hinting towards one's choices- by writing articles such as 'Bad is the new good' we are taking our impressionable youngsters to a questionable n confused state, with parents being hypocritical and not discussing the so called taboo subjects, youngsters choose paths that they are not quite sure off…
Personally, I am not against people loving chocolates or their idea of expressing their emotions and love towards a dear one through physical expression [read Times Life, Dec 30 edition]… but the press by painting it as symbolic of evil makes it seem tempting to the impressionable teen…my sisters n nieces r in town to celebrate New year n thy talk in whispers abt these things n thy r as young as being in the 6 th grade at school…papers such as TOI should maintain some restraint in publishing articles in a deceptive light, wch r usually misguiding n can be misconstrued [what is the correlation between having sex n exercising? N how cud one replace the other?]
I don't deny my need to love chocolates or my need to nurse a drink, but I am aware of the responsibility tat my soul expects of me [existentialism is in essence being comfortable with oneself without seeking acceptance from the entire stratosphere J ] and unless guided clearly the young of today wud become the cultural bane we would be embarrassed to address, but will have to live with…we cannot control choices, but in celebrating freedom of the spirit, we must be able to take responsibility for the choices we make… enjoying a smoke then returning home with mint / mouth fresheners stuffed in ones throat, hiding the fact tat one enjoyed a smoke isn't a state I want to see my children in, I wud prefer tat thy come n tell me tat thy experimented wit smoking n likd it n need more allowance to continue to smoke n I wud be happy to present my viewpoint on the same….in an exaggerated need to be good we r creating a society of cowards, hiding their guilt n regret in silence n willfully living a fake n pretentious existence …hmmmm…a long winding message this new year!!! Friends, if our parents cant talk lets resolve to take care, lets try to spread the message of responsible fun
As a parting shot, do remember that we are subatomic in existence in this multiverse, and it doesn't really matter as long as we try to make that miniscule existence meaningful!!!
Next mailer meet in 008 :D happy new year!!! May it be more revealing and inspiring
24-12-07 Introducing the nuts this XMAS
Lewis Carrol's most famous work was 'Alice in Wonderland' n one of my favorite lines was the one by the white queen where she tells Alice- to always believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast…in line with this, I am happy to introduce this Christmas- The Nuts!!!
Mr Nut: An atomic engg who got bugged with the equations and switched to the market of bulls n bears. Hailing frm a family whr he had to struggle to hav a single meal, the nuts life chngd economically aftr his education n wedding to Mrs Nut. Mr Nut has his quirks, loves brewing Tea for his dotty, believes n supports campaigns such as 'save the sparrow', 'save the squirrel', 'save the street dog' etc. Happily donates 30% of his earnings to empower his fellow homosapiens [to the annoyance of his entire family]
Mrs Nut: Loves to rear earth worms, crazily artistic n growing bald, her entire family gives her gyan about hair bonding techniques n shes seriously contemplating shaving her head off or converting to a different faith [ faith being a celebration of humanity] shes thoroughly disappointed with the lack of creative pursuit by her children n describes Mr Nut as an obsessed, absent minded yogi…Having had a mother who was educated by a German Nanny n a Father who cut a political career, she sometimes has to tolerate the taunts of her crazily conscious n conceited relatives for the lack of style n glamour in her life…
Nut Junior: Loves animation, downloads n games on that junk box called a comp, can tinker with unnecessary and useless objects n make them reasonably useful, gave up on a tech career with the big blue n nw wrks as a relationship manager in the capital markets division of UTI. Claims his luv 4 numbers was left unfulfilled at the big blue. Is also a man of few words, always making character maps of all ppl surrounding his sis n thinks his claim to life is to protect her at all costs, his lov 4 sports is legendary
Dotty Nut: Unreasonably crazy… she wanders into multiple domains, her imagination is unbound n her need for freedom is annoying, she never lets anyone at peace due to her n number of questions, she luvs to give n gain attention but usually makes a suppr fool of herself due to her clumsiness….doesn't understand y ppl call her intelligent/smart as she thinks that she has no control… she has plenty of nicknames as she willingly allows ppl to amuse themselves n her…. oldest nickname wud b grandma as she wud weave a story around anything, even the simple need to eat… aftr watchn greenmile n undergoing sm pain due to an interfaith relationship she had in her blossoming yrs, shes decided to connect with the pained n distribute solace… in this quest, she drains her own energy n shes become conscious of the power of healing… n nw believes tat despite all her confusions, she will be able to make a difference only by loving n accepting the grey world…she loves books as mch as she loves herself n can write n speak with conviction…
So this entire yr ppl frm the Nut family will write to us to share, to celebrate, to agonize n sometimes to plain unwind n get rid of their own boredom…Eccentricity is definitely a strain in their genes wch makes the nuts so dear to me….n the nut family believes its their eccentricity wch adds perspective to the mundane n makes them celebrate each moment every day…
Dotty Nut especially wud be the scribe of the year as she wud share her thoughts on Goolya n her conversations, movies watched, holiday plans, recipes n primarily focuses on the unsung heroes of life from Muniraju, the auto dirver, who debates about the benefits that the british raj bestowed on us to his idol Kamaraja, ex CM of TN, etc to the very simple yet very strong Sapna Kareem a Hindu Mal who married a journalist n nw battles with rearing a differentially abled child to being a volunteer coordinator at Janaagraha..
So heres Dotty Nutty reporting:
Yellozzzzzz,
Its funny being a scribe, but its interesting life just keeps revealing itself…pssst psst she had 2 noteworthy conversations, one on Lucifer – the fallen angel n the other on the possible interrelationship between Mallus n Bongs [ 2 of her fav breeds of ppl :D], she also contemplated marrying her dear friend Marsha as thy plan to adopt a child together[hehehe], shes watched those two movies on the war between Light n Darkness called Day watch n Night watch almost everyday whenever she has time….
Nw to details ;)
Lucifer was a powerful Angel under the Lord Almighty, but he fell from Grace mainly because of his rebellious n revoltive spirit, God sent him away providing him his own abode, n wrote to all of his Children that we must Love the sinner, isn't it a paradox that the good in the world take time to care for the supposed bad n revoltive n dangerous world, n do those symbolic of the bad really suffer in hell as painted out?.. then wouldn't all the artists who created paintings wch were controversial, books tat were blasphemous also end up in hell for the creative license they took…but we all lov thm for their imagination n ability to differ frm the ordinary…the message of the Lord seems to be a bidirectional, best bet wud be to dispel belief itself J …
These thoughts became part of a conversation whn Gools started narrating the message of Day watch n night watch wch celebrates the balance that shud exist between the Light n the Dark… it's a series of movies wch doesn't typically celebrate the victory of good over evil, but hints at the coexistence of the two to maintain a healthy natural balance…the rigidities that Gools set for herself n wch made her judgemental towards ppl vanished bcause of this simple understanding, black n white coexist hence the greyness around
J powerful Christmas message, we will only choose either of the two on the basis of circumstances n the balance of our decisions makes us add meaning n value as we seem fit….
There was another interesting conversation wch dealt with the beauty of Mal movies n Bong movies, some of them are symbolic of cinematic excellence but many of thm tend to look n feel like soft porn, very subtle yet powerfully voyeuristic…n then this lead to classifying both ethnicities n the conversants concluded that there are 2 categories of ppl, either the intellectuals or the voyeuristic especially among the bongs n the Mals, thy also have a background of rich culture n distinct cuisine, maybe the food has an affect on the way they turn out :D
Dus Kahaniyaan was not disappointing but interesting in bits n pieces, some stories r based on mail forwards but very well made with stalwarts like Shabana n Naseeruddin n Nana Patekar acting in thm, the stories being 'Rice plate' n 'Gubbare' but the interesting ones were those tat featured Diya Mirza, Neha Dhupia n 'High on Highway' a good timepass with all stories having an underlying pain attached to thm…Gools likd it [ she loves movies so tat aint surprising :-@], the website of kiterunner the movie is beautiful n gools is looking fwd to its release, coincidentally she met a portal designer who freelances his service and doubles up as a musician, she intends to do his career profiling as she had perceived that freelancing ensures creative freedom, however, having met him she realizes that the challenges of a freelancing designer are aplenty almost proportionate to the money they make!!!
Did you know that the dude who made the famous campaign for Hutch was from OnM and was all of 22yrs, died of a heart attack due to the increased stress…Long road out of Eden by Eagles seems to add solace n lift her spirits whenever she hears such news or simply when she wants to get tuned out…
N news for the New year party seeker among us- Angsaana the resort has been well recommended, its private n understated luxury has become the talk of the town [most of gools friends are heading thr] the white themed party at Fuga is another party her friends seem to be attendin [but our bookish Ms Gools, as always prefers to stick around at home amidst her movies n music as she hates crowded parties n feels too old to party anymore :D]…The Gold Finch hotel will host a take off nite on 31 st, the attention to detail on each floor n the theme resembles the insides of a cabin with both bollywood n hollywood music being featured…the price for a couple being 3999/- the cake shop has an amazing mix of goodies at their Christmas counter wch Gools indulged to glory n is now trying to burn at her gym includes macaroons,carrot,date n walnut cake, almond rocks,stolen bread etc
Mr Nut: An atomic engg who got bugged with the equations and switched to the market of bulls n bears. Hailing frm a family whr he had to struggle to hav a single meal, the nuts life chngd economically aftr his education n wedding to Mrs Nut. Mr Nut has his quirks, loves brewing Tea for his dotty, believes n supports campaigns such as 'save the sparrow', 'save the squirrel', 'save the street dog' etc. Happily donates 30% of his earnings to empower his fellow homosapiens [to the annoyance of his entire family]
Mrs Nut: Loves to rear earth worms, crazily artistic n growing bald, her entire family gives her gyan about hair bonding techniques n shes seriously contemplating shaving her head off or converting to a different faith [ faith being a celebration of humanity] shes thoroughly disappointed with the lack of creative pursuit by her children n describes Mr Nut as an obsessed, absent minded yogi…Having had a mother who was educated by a German Nanny n a Father who cut a political career, she sometimes has to tolerate the taunts of her crazily conscious n conceited relatives for the lack of style n glamour in her life…
Nut Junior: Loves animation, downloads n games on that junk box called a comp, can tinker with unnecessary and useless objects n make them reasonably useful, gave up on a tech career with the big blue n nw wrks as a relationship manager in the capital markets division of UTI. Claims his luv 4 numbers was left unfulfilled at the big blue. Is also a man of few words, always making character maps of all ppl surrounding his sis n thinks his claim to life is to protect her at all costs, his lov 4 sports is legendary
Dotty Nut: Unreasonably crazy… she wanders into multiple domains, her imagination is unbound n her need for freedom is annoying, she never lets anyone at peace due to her n number of questions, she luvs to give n gain attention but usually makes a suppr fool of herself due to her clumsiness….doesn't understand y ppl call her intelligent/smart as she thinks that she has no control… she has plenty of nicknames as she willingly allows ppl to amuse themselves n her…. oldest nickname wud b grandma as she wud weave a story around anything, even the simple need to eat… aftr watchn greenmile n undergoing sm pain due to an interfaith relationship she had in her blossoming yrs, shes decided to connect with the pained n distribute solace… in this quest, she drains her own energy n shes become conscious of the power of healing… n nw believes tat despite all her confusions, she will be able to make a difference only by loving n accepting the grey world…she loves books as mch as she loves herself n can write n speak with conviction…
So this entire yr ppl frm the Nut family will write to us to share, to celebrate, to agonize n sometimes to plain unwind n get rid of their own boredom…Eccentricity is definitely a strain in their genes wch makes the nuts so dear to me….n the nut family believes its their eccentricity wch adds perspective to the mundane n makes them celebrate each moment every day…
Dotty Nut especially wud be the scribe of the year as she wud share her thoughts on Goolya n her conversations, movies watched, holiday plans, recipes n primarily focuses on the unsung heroes of life from Muniraju, the auto dirver, who debates about the benefits that the british raj bestowed on us to his idol Kamaraja, ex CM of TN, etc to the very simple yet very strong Sapna Kareem a Hindu Mal who married a journalist n nw battles with rearing a differentially abled child to being a volunteer coordinator at Janaagraha..
So heres Dotty Nutty reporting:
Yellozzzzzz,
Its funny being a scribe, but its interesting life just keeps revealing itself…pssst psst she had 2 noteworthy conversations, one on Lucifer – the fallen angel n the other on the possible interrelationship between Mallus n Bongs [ 2 of her fav breeds of ppl :D], she also contemplated marrying her dear friend Marsha as thy plan to adopt a child together[hehehe], shes watched those two movies on the war between Light n Darkness called Day watch n Night watch almost everyday whenever she has time….
Nw to details ;)
Lucifer was a powerful Angel under the Lord Almighty, but he fell from Grace mainly because of his rebellious n revoltive spirit, God sent him away providing him his own abode, n wrote to all of his Children that we must Love the sinner, isn't it a paradox that the good in the world take time to care for the supposed bad n revoltive n dangerous world, n do those symbolic of the bad really suffer in hell as painted out?.. then wouldn't all the artists who created paintings wch were controversial, books tat were blasphemous also end up in hell for the creative license they took…but we all lov thm for their imagination n ability to differ frm the ordinary…the message of the Lord seems to be a bidirectional, best bet wud be to dispel belief itself J …
These thoughts became part of a conversation whn Gools started narrating the message of Day watch n night watch wch celebrates the balance that shud exist between the Light n the Dark… it's a series of movies wch doesn't typically celebrate the victory of good over evil, but hints at the coexistence of the two to maintain a healthy natural balance…the rigidities that Gools set for herself n wch made her judgemental towards ppl vanished bcause of this simple understanding, black n white coexist hence the greyness around
J powerful Christmas message, we will only choose either of the two on the basis of circumstances n the balance of our decisions makes us add meaning n value as we seem fit….
There was another interesting conversation wch dealt with the beauty of Mal movies n Bong movies, some of them are symbolic of cinematic excellence but many of thm tend to look n feel like soft porn, very subtle yet powerfully voyeuristic…n then this lead to classifying both ethnicities n the conversants concluded that there are 2 categories of ppl, either the intellectuals or the voyeuristic especially among the bongs n the Mals, thy also have a background of rich culture n distinct cuisine, maybe the food has an affect on the way they turn out :D
Dus Kahaniyaan was not disappointing but interesting in bits n pieces, some stories r based on mail forwards but very well made with stalwarts like Shabana n Naseeruddin n Nana Patekar acting in thm, the stories being 'Rice plate' n 'Gubbare' but the interesting ones were those tat featured Diya Mirza, Neha Dhupia n 'High on Highway' a good timepass with all stories having an underlying pain attached to thm…Gools likd it [ she loves movies so tat aint surprising :-@], the website of kiterunner the movie is beautiful n gools is looking fwd to its release, coincidentally she met a portal designer who freelances his service and doubles up as a musician, she intends to do his career profiling as she had perceived that freelancing ensures creative freedom, however, having met him she realizes that the challenges of a freelancing designer are aplenty almost proportionate to the money they make!!!
Did you know that the dude who made the famous campaign for Hutch was from OnM and was all of 22yrs, died of a heart attack due to the increased stress…Long road out of Eden by Eagles seems to add solace n lift her spirits whenever she hears such news or simply when she wants to get tuned out…
N news for the New year party seeker among us- Angsaana the resort has been well recommended, its private n understated luxury has become the talk of the town [most of gools friends are heading thr] the white themed party at Fuga is another party her friends seem to be attendin [but our bookish Ms Gools, as always prefers to stick around at home amidst her movies n music as she hates crowded parties n feels too old to party anymore :D]…The Gold Finch hotel will host a take off nite on 31 st, the attention to detail on each floor n the theme resembles the insides of a cabin with both bollywood n hollywood music being featured…the price for a couple being 3999/- the cake shop has an amazing mix of goodies at their Christmas counter wch Gools indulged to glory n is now trying to burn at her gym includes macaroons,carrot,date n walnut cake, almond rocks,stolen bread etc
whew! Permanence (2-12-07)
Running with a schedule where I go home only to crash n have dinner :) I have started to use the time I take to travel- to think and jot down things.... there was this strange thought abut what permanence means to me? And there was no spontaneous answer coming my way!
If i were to define permanence, I would equate it to the nonexistance of pretence and the acceptance of tranisition.
Being in a role which is not predefined/ wch is very new for my organisation, I get to do a 100 different things but at the same time I will have to let go of things I may really like doing as other things may take precedence. For ex, I got trained in using MS Project with the technical teams and I wanted to use it to chart the many projects we have planned for the next 3 years. But the dependencies on other functions and practices are so huge that making an approximate time line wouldnt suffice. Hence though I completely understand PM and Gnatt charts I would not be able to use it effectively to help my team. I use concept mapping for conflict resolution n this is tool I want more people in the team to adopt and use," its easier said than done":).........already tied up with forecasts and targets to meet my team becomes caught up in the vagaries of the transactional aspects of their job, despite working post work hrs when most interviews are scheduled....despite working in weekends and moving to different locations, my team remains cheerful n enthusiastic, this again , I term as permanence.
Living by what one belives in, and accepting that despite all cause n effect things may not work out as expectd, is permanence. Its the ability to carry a smile on one's face no matter what happens or doesnt happen is permanence :)
The willingness to stretch and participate in a dance competition which isnt compulsory is again a reflection of the same. I am a very average dancer, but because of this knowledge I spend more time practising, there are times when I wake up in the early hours of the morining n practise....... being the tallest in the team I have to be extra careful when we maneur complex moves n the way we sink up with each other without xchanging a single word is again 'permanence' I am sure all of u notice things like this happen in and around u, but do u reflect on the patterns whr u dont have to say bt u r understood, u dont have to ask, but u recieve, u dont hav to manipulate, but things happn according to ur needs, that again is permanence. As certain as death is, so is our existance itself.
We worry, we fret, we pursue, we cause pain, we complicate relationships, all in the search for happiness and fr the gratification of the self, but if we were to not bother, to let things happen naturally, go with the flow :) we would find life beautiful n happiness all around, we all wear different colored shades, shades of arrogance, shades of pride and shades of sure footedness at the same time being blind to another's arrogance, pride n sure footedness, thats when we make life shallow n superficial what applies to us doesnt apply to somone else....this again results in permanence- a permanent pursuit of happiness without realising that its within and around us always....
my need to dishonour the line between whats right n whats wrong, whats predefined, whats undefined and my willingness to accept this volatility is permanence. I dont have to fake my needs, neither do I have to fake my inability to achieve them. I know that I sometimes pursue what many may see as dark or wild only for the curiosity of it. Its easy for me to have control n pretend to not be under any control, and my willingness to admit this pretence is 'permanence' ....I dont see myself getting into holy matrimony in the near future because I cannot invest my time and energy into a relationship at this moment, my entire day n night is spent in a world strategising my career n my work, because i knw that after a while it would be a state of 'times up' either I do things now or i wait for things to happen later, I enjoy the co of many of my male friends but I am very clear abt whr I stand w.r.t thm, thr maybe one of thm whom I may absoultely love but I am definitely confused n hypocrytic abt it, this acceptance of the duality in me is permanent :)...well! each of you will have your own definitions, but if you start looking at things around you and you were to make plane for the future, do plan some contigency for the permanence of the unknown, time and space are definitely dimensions of permanence but this is a permanence we live in the illusion that we control....
There is a mention of a concept called BRIM- brains remote implicit memory, look it up [ source: the case of a Bonsai Manager], it definitely is permanent, I think most of our intuitive and sensitivity to situations arises because of BRIM. Logic, reasoning are all fair but what happens to 'gut' feel? do we clamour for attention realising that everyone else is as well:)? do we decieve the need to excel by pretending to give up n in the garb/viel of genrosity n kindness?
we all live n grow in the 'pursuit of the self' :) this sure is permanent...nw u knw y this write u looks like a sneak peek into the notes of a 'megalomaniac' I voice all that I feel n my need for this voice to exist is permanent...
My affection n feelings of bonding towards each of u is definitely permanent....
look forwrd to my take on 'aaja nachle' n 'beouwolf'..i happened to watch to Russian english movies called daywatch n nightwatch, very interesting take on the light n darkness that exists n an apt adaptation on the legend of the 'chalk of fate', maybe some subconcious thoughts on permanence r a consequence of all the movies n the books :)
you can also look forward to the permanence of your inbox recieving some of my thoughts...
If i were to define permanence, I would equate it to the nonexistance of pretence and the acceptance of tranisition.
Being in a role which is not predefined/ wch is very new for my organisation, I get to do a 100 different things but at the same time I will have to let go of things I may really like doing as other things may take precedence. For ex, I got trained in using MS Project with the technical teams and I wanted to use it to chart the many projects we have planned for the next 3 years. But the dependencies on other functions and practices are so huge that making an approximate time line wouldnt suffice. Hence though I completely understand PM and Gnatt charts I would not be able to use it effectively to help my team. I use concept mapping for conflict resolution n this is tool I want more people in the team to adopt and use," its easier said than done":).........already tied up with forecasts and targets to meet my team becomes caught up in the vagaries of the transactional aspects of their job, despite working post work hrs when most interviews are scheduled....despite working in weekends and moving to different locations, my team remains cheerful n enthusiastic, this again , I term as permanence.
Living by what one belives in, and accepting that despite all cause n effect things may not work out as expectd, is permanence. Its the ability to carry a smile on one's face no matter what happens or doesnt happen is permanence :)
The willingness to stretch and participate in a dance competition which isnt compulsory is again a reflection of the same. I am a very average dancer, but because of this knowledge I spend more time practising, there are times when I wake up in the early hours of the morining n practise....... being the tallest in the team I have to be extra careful when we maneur complex moves n the way we sink up with each other without xchanging a single word is again 'permanence' I am sure all of u notice things like this happen in and around u, but do u reflect on the patterns whr u dont have to say bt u r understood, u dont have to ask, but u recieve, u dont hav to manipulate, but things happn according to ur needs, that again is permanence. As certain as death is, so is our existance itself.
We worry, we fret, we pursue, we cause pain, we complicate relationships, all in the search for happiness and fr the gratification of the self, but if we were to not bother, to let things happen naturally, go with the flow :) we would find life beautiful n happiness all around, we all wear different colored shades, shades of arrogance, shades of pride and shades of sure footedness at the same time being blind to another's arrogance, pride n sure footedness, thats when we make life shallow n superficial what applies to us doesnt apply to somone else....this again results in permanence- a permanent pursuit of happiness without realising that its within and around us always....
my need to dishonour the line between whats right n whats wrong, whats predefined, whats undefined and my willingness to accept this volatility is permanence. I dont have to fake my needs, neither do I have to fake my inability to achieve them. I know that I sometimes pursue what many may see as dark or wild only for the curiosity of it. Its easy for me to have control n pretend to not be under any control, and my willingness to admit this pretence is 'permanence' ....I dont see myself getting into holy matrimony in the near future because I cannot invest my time and energy into a relationship at this moment, my entire day n night is spent in a world strategising my career n my work, because i knw that after a while it would be a state of 'times up' either I do things now or i wait for things to happen later, I enjoy the co of many of my male friends but I am very clear abt whr I stand w.r.t thm, thr maybe one of thm whom I may absoultely love but I am definitely confused n hypocrytic abt it, this acceptance of the duality in me is permanent :)...well! each of you will have your own definitions, but if you start looking at things around you and you were to make plane for the future, do plan some contigency for the permanence of the unknown, time and space are definitely dimensions of permanence but this is a permanence we live in the illusion that we control....
There is a mention of a concept called BRIM- brains remote implicit memory, look it up [ source: the case of a Bonsai Manager], it definitely is permanent, I think most of our intuitive and sensitivity to situations arises because of BRIM. Logic, reasoning are all fair but what happens to 'gut' feel? do we clamour for attention realising that everyone else is as well:)? do we decieve the need to excel by pretending to give up n in the garb/viel of genrosity n kindness?
we all live n grow in the 'pursuit of the self' :) this sure is permanent...nw u knw y this write u looks like a sneak peek into the notes of a 'megalomaniac' I voice all that I feel n my need for this voice to exist is permanent...
My affection n feelings of bonding towards each of u is definitely permanent....
look forwrd to my take on 'aaja nachle' n 'beouwolf'..i happened to watch to Russian english movies called daywatch n nightwatch, very interesting take on the light n darkness that exists n an apt adaptation on the legend of the 'chalk of fate', maybe some subconcious thoughts on permanence r a consequence of all the movies n the books :)
you can also look forward to the permanence of your inbox recieving some of my thoughts...
18-11-07 Wateva, whneva, Howeva
Oops did u think my memory played games with the Lyrics of our v fav Shakira's nobr :D:D
Well! Not really, I have been noticing a pattern among interactions and I find these words used to redundancy. Its fun however, to notice the tone and attitude that the younger breed bring into organisations. I am having suppr fun interacting wit the young ones… well! excuse me did I hr u clear ur throat n say not her, shes gotten into the aunty mold [hehehe]
I have been interacting with campus minds to a large extent and their energy and enthu is simply contagious, However, they seem to have short spurts of energy and tend to get bored too soon, internally we are trying to make their transition into professional life smooth and easy, but somewhere we seem to be clearly missing on sending them the actual message of how this state of comfort will not continue…once they get allocated to projects they seem to be facing high levels of stress n its disturbing…hmmm n smwhr I feel like taking care of thm as I have been handling their corporate assimilation n tat sense of responsibility makes me refer to thm as my kids [oops again a repeat of the aunty syndrome]
I hav been able to squeeze sm time off n party away at firangi paani in Forum, I like the restaurant,sahib,sindh,sultan… n the food is delicious, rich n authentic n the attention to detail of a railway with hatholders n those weird ceiling fans that one finds only in a train are nicely incorporated…I have also gotten hooked to salad bars, theres a nice quaint pure n veg close to office n these days ull find me lunching thr often. I underwent trng on MS project n it was an interesting experience whr I could connect wit many frm the technical stream.
Also managed to watch the diwali blockbusters or can I call thm overhyped disasters :D:D I knw I hav startd to sound like an arrogant, condescending individual, but bliv me OSO is quite ok wit deepika adding a fresh perspective,guys I am sure u wud all agree…but, Saawariya is extremely disappointing bcos of the leads, I think the tragic tale could've been watched if not for the continued monologue of the love struck hero[ahem] the cinematographer has been the saving grace n definitely sm of the numbers r hummable…
If thr was a movie I wud recommend in the present list, it wud b Jab we met! It made me nostalgic of my engg days, many of u will rembr sm of my nakhras tat wud perfectly match wit those of our dear Kareena [ my opinion of her acting abilities has completely taken a U turn] shes simply exceptional, looking bck at her performances, I am sure she has her career graph rising, wonder abot the XY factor though [if Shahid is disappointed, so am I, thrs more thn a Saif out thr]
Then thrs Johnny Gaddar, simply clever, based on a Chase novel it's a complete paisa vasool :) .The movie am looking forward to is 'Aaja nachle' – mads has been the madame of bollywood n thr can be no replacement.
Tats a load full of movie masala :):) u can add the recipe of a carrot smoothie wch wud do wonders to ur moods while enjoying all the movies I have spoken of, it's a combi of carrot, apple, cucmber, sm icecream n milk blend it together n voila u hav a drink tat will mak u feel suppr cooooool….I enrolled 4 guitar classes frm today onwards, u can expect to read abt strings attached, detachd n broken JJJ
t. c n hav a cool week ahead! n pls don't miss jab v met! Hehehe, thy didn't pay me 4 the publicity!
Well! Not really, I have been noticing a pattern among interactions and I find these words used to redundancy. Its fun however, to notice the tone and attitude that the younger breed bring into organisations. I am having suppr fun interacting wit the young ones… well! excuse me did I hr u clear ur throat n say not her, shes gotten into the aunty mold [hehehe]
I have been interacting with campus minds to a large extent and their energy and enthu is simply contagious, However, they seem to have short spurts of energy and tend to get bored too soon, internally we are trying to make their transition into professional life smooth and easy, but somewhere we seem to be clearly missing on sending them the actual message of how this state of comfort will not continue…once they get allocated to projects they seem to be facing high levels of stress n its disturbing…hmmm n smwhr I feel like taking care of thm as I have been handling their corporate assimilation n tat sense of responsibility makes me refer to thm as my kids [oops again a repeat of the aunty syndrome]
I hav been able to squeeze sm time off n party away at firangi paani in Forum, I like the restaurant,sahib,sindh,sultan… n the food is delicious, rich n authentic n the attention to detail of a railway with hatholders n those weird ceiling fans that one finds only in a train are nicely incorporated…I have also gotten hooked to salad bars, theres a nice quaint pure n veg close to office n these days ull find me lunching thr often. I underwent trng on MS project n it was an interesting experience whr I could connect wit many frm the technical stream.
Also managed to watch the diwali blockbusters or can I call thm overhyped disasters :D:D I knw I hav startd to sound like an arrogant, condescending individual, but bliv me OSO is quite ok wit deepika adding a fresh perspective,guys I am sure u wud all agree…but, Saawariya is extremely disappointing bcos of the leads, I think the tragic tale could've been watched if not for the continued monologue of the love struck hero[ahem] the cinematographer has been the saving grace n definitely sm of the numbers r hummable…
If thr was a movie I wud recommend in the present list, it wud b Jab we met! It made me nostalgic of my engg days, many of u will rembr sm of my nakhras tat wud perfectly match wit those of our dear Kareena [ my opinion of her acting abilities has completely taken a U turn] shes simply exceptional, looking bck at her performances, I am sure she has her career graph rising, wonder abot the XY factor though [if Shahid is disappointed, so am I, thrs more thn a Saif out thr]
Then thrs Johnny Gaddar, simply clever, based on a Chase novel it's a complete paisa vasool :) .The movie am looking forward to is 'Aaja nachle' – mads has been the madame of bollywood n thr can be no replacement.
Tats a load full of movie masala :):) u can add the recipe of a carrot smoothie wch wud do wonders to ur moods while enjoying all the movies I have spoken of, it's a combi of carrot, apple, cucmber, sm icecream n milk blend it together n voila u hav a drink tat will mak u feel suppr cooooool….I enrolled 4 guitar classes frm today onwards, u can expect to read abt strings attached, detachd n broken JJJ
t. c n hav a cool week ahead! n pls don't miss jab v met! Hehehe, thy didn't pay me 4 the publicity!
the outsourced (3-11-07)
The opportunities that lie in the sector that I belong to are more often than not dependant on the whims and fancies of a customer/client belonging to a different country, here bcoz of a cost advantage :)
I am appalled and irritated by the insensitivity of my coworkers[ who usually have a background in Engg, n are a part of one of the fastest growing sectors] towards the so called contractual employees.... lets pause and think of the bigger picture....all of our jobs are essentially contracted out to the companies that we belong to, then y do we fail to recognise and appreciate the efforts of the workforce that supports and sometimes helps tremedously in adding value and a cost advantage to the very same organisations we belong to...
These coworkers who act as a leveraged resource are many a times more qualified and better exposed.
They contribute immensely to the growth of any organisation, but at the same time they are treated like second handers by their colleagues who are on permanent roles just cause they think they belong to a different league..am i trying to b prescriptive or overtly emotional and imposing? not reallly, i think that the future of all of our careers lies in understanding that most of our work may take the form of a consultative approach where we outsource our skills n competence to any company without being bound to a specific organisation.....this is the way the world works...
In the West, its common to be outsourcing your capabilites to different companies, through a consultative approach, where alongwith building an individual career we can focus on our interests, our family and everything that matters to us, though seemingly unconventional it would be the best approach...then y do we as a collective system attach taboo to the pathfinders in this industry who do tremendously well in growing our organisations? can we factor in the emotional maturity of our well qualified workforce who seem to treat their co workers as mere ''objects'' - Objects that could be obstacles to their growth, objects that could act as vehicles to their success, objects that are inconsequential to their role and hence irrelevant...Have any of u noticed this kind of behaviour/transactions? Isnt it evident to the person that u transact with that sometimes u dont really mean wot u say? Dont we sense the disconfort in people when we sound shallow/ fake?
I am curious about transactions, I am interested in the wellbeing of my coworkers, and who best can I ask for opinions other than each of u who have added value to my life and made it meaningful...this may seem abrupt and also at times u may not understand the context but i am trying to capture your thoughts n opinions so feel free to add to what I have said...
Apart from my pursuit of understanding psychology and innovation, I am enjoying the many conversations I have started with a few friends who came visitin our company, Tim happens to be the Vice President, Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies and his friends Mark- a development economist and Chuck an anthropologist who have helped understand various certification programs have been of immense help to both Janaagraha and MindTree and it makes me happy that I could connect with such interesting, focussed individuals...on the home front i have disappointed my folks by rejecting the very first proposal for marriage that came across...I respect the individual for his educational background and standing in society at the moment, he was impressed and claims to have fallen in love with me but doesnt want to allow me to give back to the world wot i took from it, his materialism put me off, money gives us a power to make a difference, but the same money cannot be used to blind us from those opportunities that allow us to make a difference :)...well! its kinda complicated :) n the populace is considerable n i am in no hurry to wlk down the aisle by compromising :)
I believe that being a homemaker and a mother is one of the best phases in a woman's life n i want to do my best at it. I will have to let go of many things i am into, at that time, hence before i get into it, i would want to first build the foundation firmly so that my children luv the world as much as i do and understand that there is a sense of purpose attached to existance....
hmmmm....too mnay thoughts n too many opinions but i choose to leave this mail abrupt....
voice ur views
signing off with a quote i connect with 'Accept the unknown with gratitude'
I am appalled and irritated by the insensitivity of my coworkers[ who usually have a background in Engg, n are a part of one of the fastest growing sectors] towards the so called contractual employees.... lets pause and think of the bigger picture....all of our jobs are essentially contracted out to the companies that we belong to, then y do we fail to recognise and appreciate the efforts of the workforce that supports and sometimes helps tremedously in adding value and a cost advantage to the very same organisations we belong to...
These coworkers who act as a leveraged resource are many a times more qualified and better exposed.
They contribute immensely to the growth of any organisation, but at the same time they are treated like second handers by their colleagues who are on permanent roles just cause they think they belong to a different league..am i trying to b prescriptive or overtly emotional and imposing? not reallly, i think that the future of all of our careers lies in understanding that most of our work may take the form of a consultative approach where we outsource our skills n competence to any company without being bound to a specific organisation.....this is the way the world works...
In the West, its common to be outsourcing your capabilites to different companies, through a consultative approach, where alongwith building an individual career we can focus on our interests, our family and everything that matters to us, though seemingly unconventional it would be the best approach...then y do we as a collective system attach taboo to the pathfinders in this industry who do tremendously well in growing our organisations? can we factor in the emotional maturity of our well qualified workforce who seem to treat their co workers as mere ''objects'' - Objects that could be obstacles to their growth, objects that could act as vehicles to their success, objects that are inconsequential to their role and hence irrelevant...Have any of u noticed this kind of behaviour/transactions? Isnt it evident to the person that u transact with that sometimes u dont really mean wot u say? Dont we sense the disconfort in people when we sound shallow/ fake?
I am curious about transactions, I am interested in the wellbeing of my coworkers, and who best can I ask for opinions other than each of u who have added value to my life and made it meaningful...this may seem abrupt and also at times u may not understand the context but i am trying to capture your thoughts n opinions so feel free to add to what I have said...
Apart from my pursuit of understanding psychology and innovation, I am enjoying the many conversations I have started with a few friends who came visitin our company, Tim happens to be the Vice President, Altshuller Institute for TRIZ Studies and his friends Mark- a development economist and Chuck an anthropologist who have helped understand various certification programs have been of immense help to both Janaagraha and MindTree and it makes me happy that I could connect with such interesting, focussed individuals...on the home front i have disappointed my folks by rejecting the very first proposal for marriage that came across...I respect the individual for his educational background and standing in society at the moment, he was impressed and claims to have fallen in love with me but doesnt want to allow me to give back to the world wot i took from it, his materialism put me off, money gives us a power to make a difference, but the same money cannot be used to blind us from those opportunities that allow us to make a difference :)...well! its kinda complicated :) n the populace is considerable n i am in no hurry to wlk down the aisle by compromising :)
I believe that being a homemaker and a mother is one of the best phases in a woman's life n i want to do my best at it. I will have to let go of many things i am into, at that time, hence before i get into it, i would want to first build the foundation firmly so that my children luv the world as much as i do and understand that there is a sense of purpose attached to existance....
hmmmm....too mnay thoughts n too many opinions but i choose to leave this mail abrupt....
voice ur views
signing off with a quote i connect with 'Accept the unknown with gratitude'
24-10-07 Pabbas/ Pondi and togetherness
I wore a wanderers hat and went visiting Chennai, pondi and Mangalore.
Each trip for a different reason, but each trip adding to memories that could be cherished :)
I was working out of the Chennai office for a few days and met many entrepreneurs who run their own manpower consulting agencies. Their knowleeege on the industry was simply amazing and helped me realise their passion towards the role thy played.
My friends from XIME who had eaaarlier accompanied me to Pondi when we were in college decided to come down again as I was working from Chennai. Pondi remains as inviting as ever and we could stretch our budget strings better and savour it further. What was more important were the line of conversations we had more serious in tone, sincere and devoid of hypocris it felt like we were re-discovering each other, the bonds became stronger, fom the spiritual to the sexual we went talking our hearts out...many of us who continue to wander have started to pause, retrospect and then move on. All of us together believe that running makes oooe more intelligent and how we coould use that increased % of rey mattr in creating more avenues to further utilise it, it was like creating a chain reactioon it was the best mind gym I had in recent months...
Pabbas one of my fav hangouts in Mangaore hasnt lost its charm, the reasooon y I was there was to congratulate a dear friend as she stepped ito holy matrimony, we had discussions abt the value of togetherness and I told her about the Chinese custom of giving away a 1000 origami cranes during weddings as symbolic of sustaining a relationship for a 1000 years. Simly Beautiful, naaa :)
Togetherness to me is not only abt two souls who come together, but the additiona acceptance and willingness to acomodate each others families, customs, cultural ethos, social obligations and in the end to smile each day and watch the sunset ymbolizing the net morn, theres beauty, trust, hope and joy in togethrness as well as dark circles/mopped hair, pain, anger, posssiveness n suspicion in togetherness....I know many of u will add smmore as a followup to this mail...
signing of frm good old Mangi...
Each trip for a different reason, but each trip adding to memories that could be cherished :)
I was working out of the Chennai office for a few days and met many entrepreneurs who run their own manpower consulting agencies. Their knowleeege on the industry was simply amazing and helped me realise their passion towards the role thy played.
My friends from XIME who had eaaarlier accompanied me to Pondi when we were in college decided to come down again as I was working from Chennai. Pondi remains as inviting as ever and we could stretch our budget strings better and savour it further. What was more important were the line of conversations we had more serious in tone, sincere and devoid of hypocris it felt like we were re-discovering each other, the bonds became stronger, fom the spiritual to the sexual we went talking our hearts out...many of us who continue to wander have started to pause, retrospect and then move on. All of us together believe that running makes oooe more intelligent and how we coould use that increased % of rey mattr in creating more avenues to further utilise it, it was like creating a chain reactioon it was the best mind gym I had in recent months...
Pabbas one of my fav hangouts in Mangaore hasnt lost its charm, the reasooon y I was there was to congratulate a dear friend as she stepped ito holy matrimony, we had discussions abt the value of togetherness and I told her about the Chinese custom of giving away a 1000 origami cranes during weddings as symbolic of sustaining a relationship for a 1000 years. Simly Beautiful, naaa :)
Togetherness to me is not only abt two souls who come together, but the additiona acceptance and willingness to acomodate each others families, customs, cultural ethos, social obligations and in the end to smile each day and watch the sunset ymbolizing the net morn, theres beauty, trust, hope and joy in togethrness as well as dark circles/mopped hair, pain, anger, posssiveness n suspicion in togetherness....I know many of u will add smmore as a followup to this mail...
signing of frm good old Mangi...
14-10-07 And suddenly an inventor appeared
Have you ever wondered why a particular idea, which seemed obvious and simple post implementation, didn't occur to you?
Have you ever wondered what innovation means? Have you used innovation and creativity interchangeably?
Do people around you talk about some idea and then use words like innovation regularly but you don't seem to see actual proof of innovation?
Doesn't the term innovation again belong to that long list of must have abbreviations/b-school buzzwords?
These were some of my thoughts a few months ago when I entered my professional life. But today after having read the book mentioned in the subject line and being exposed to some techniques under TRIZ-the theory of inventive problem solving, I believe, that "anything could be used for purposes other than for which it was created" quote Altshuller the father of TRIZ.
At MindTree, we have been using this methodology for about 4 years, but finally we have reached a stage where we will be able to provide enough material and cases to be able to share knowledge about the same as course material. I was hesitant to share this little secret of mine with all of u when I last said that I visited RVCE and if things work out fine u will hear good things.
Well! The reason Kalyan, Prakash, Krishnan and myself went to RVCE was to propose a course in innovation where Mindtree would help in co owning it. However, they haven't responded and there is skepticism about being able to teach a course on innovation [ its already being taught in other countries, I don't see y we cant here] but like all wonderful ideas it is only a matter of time by which we will achieve the purpose of creating innovation as a buzzword. I am working on a paper which helps map emotions in the knowledge industry through TRIZ, again this may not succeed, but I have realized that my calling in life will be in this field.
Thanks to Aravind's encouragement, I actually did go to Radio Indigo and audition, it was an experience like no other J The previous radio experience I had was with Radio City, in contrast the studio, the infrastructure at Indigo is far superior, I ended up befriending Geoffrey whose voice by now is familiar to most of you, he also happens to be the National Programming head of Indigo.
Our conversation focused on various studies which have clearly indicated that the market for radio in India still lies with the populace that stays at home n he wants to reach out to them as the only international channel. They have spent a bomb on tie-ups with shows such as American top 40 and Maaya and I was glad to discuss my career options with a man so passionate about his line of business. Thanks to our brainstorming, we even had our dear Bagchi sir hosting his own playlist yesterday in Indigo.
Apart from the career part of life, I have become a total gym freak, Contours Express is a gym for women run by women, n I enjoy the alternate cardio and strength training experience which is coupled with yoga stretches as part of the winding up. For the first time in my life, I am recording everything I eat in a diary n I have come to realize that I eat more than I should :D I am off late hooked to this restaurant called 'Ruby Tuesdays' which serves food by the plate and I can say by experience that most of their veg offerings are simply delightful.
Individually, I see myself evolving constantly and also see that a kind of role reversal is happening at home. I participate in most of the decision making, investing and enjoy being domesticated [after all those years of wild abandon n wandering] questions exist but answers are always around J my relationship with my family has become very responsible, I am preparing myself to take on more n more n I am happy to admit that peace exists n there is a smile of satisfaction in me. I think in essence what Einstein said makes sense, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler".
Have you ever wondered what innovation means? Have you used innovation and creativity interchangeably?
Do people around you talk about some idea and then use words like innovation regularly but you don't seem to see actual proof of innovation?
Doesn't the term innovation again belong to that long list of must have abbreviations/b-school buzzwords?
These were some of my thoughts a few months ago when I entered my professional life. But today after having read the book mentioned in the subject line and being exposed to some techniques under TRIZ-the theory of inventive problem solving, I believe, that "anything could be used for purposes other than for which it was created" quote Altshuller the father of TRIZ.
At MindTree, we have been using this methodology for about 4 years, but finally we have reached a stage where we will be able to provide enough material and cases to be able to share knowledge about the same as course material. I was hesitant to share this little secret of mine with all of u when I last said that I visited RVCE and if things work out fine u will hear good things.
Well! The reason Kalyan, Prakash, Krishnan and myself went to RVCE was to propose a course in innovation where Mindtree would help in co owning it. However, they haven't responded and there is skepticism about being able to teach a course on innovation [ its already being taught in other countries, I don't see y we cant here] but like all wonderful ideas it is only a matter of time by which we will achieve the purpose of creating innovation as a buzzword. I am working on a paper which helps map emotions in the knowledge industry through TRIZ, again this may not succeed, but I have realized that my calling in life will be in this field.
Thanks to Aravind's encouragement, I actually did go to Radio Indigo and audition, it was an experience like no other J The previous radio experience I had was with Radio City, in contrast the studio, the infrastructure at Indigo is far superior, I ended up befriending Geoffrey whose voice by now is familiar to most of you, he also happens to be the National Programming head of Indigo.
Our conversation focused on various studies which have clearly indicated that the market for radio in India still lies with the populace that stays at home n he wants to reach out to them as the only international channel. They have spent a bomb on tie-ups with shows such as American top 40 and Maaya and I was glad to discuss my career options with a man so passionate about his line of business. Thanks to our brainstorming, we even had our dear Bagchi sir hosting his own playlist yesterday in Indigo.
Apart from the career part of life, I have become a total gym freak, Contours Express is a gym for women run by women, n I enjoy the alternate cardio and strength training experience which is coupled with yoga stretches as part of the winding up. For the first time in my life, I am recording everything I eat in a diary n I have come to realize that I eat more than I should :D I am off late hooked to this restaurant called 'Ruby Tuesdays' which serves food by the plate and I can say by experience that most of their veg offerings are simply delightful.
Individually, I see myself evolving constantly and also see that a kind of role reversal is happening at home. I participate in most of the decision making, investing and enjoy being domesticated [after all those years of wild abandon n wandering] questions exist but answers are always around J my relationship with my family has become very responsible, I am preparing myself to take on more n more n I am happy to admit that peace exists n there is a smile of satisfaction in me. I think in essence what Einstein said makes sense, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler".
baapu,running n an accident (2-10-07)
On the eve of Bapus bday, [when in recent yrs the spirit n symbolism of Gandhi has been commercialized by our dear old bollywood] I sat appalled viewing the musical chair of politics unfold infront of my eye in Karnataka…there was only a single chair with both parties fighting over an otherwise amicable coalition…but haven't we seen this happen before, when power hungry politicians have fought tooth n nail for the same kursi in other states, eventually leading upto another election…one of the parties involved even went on record to say, 'all political parties are ready for an election at any given time', I was disgusted at the casual description of one's exercise towards freedom of governance.
We are a proud country with proud individuals, we feel happy writing blogs on nationalistic spirit, reemergence of Indian hockey, Indian cricket, Indian tennis etc…all 'cause a movie ran successfully n we felt the bond as a Nation..but when would the real spirit of nationalism emerge as the cause and purpose of a political party? [other than during the empty n oft repeated promises during election time]…where would all the progress go to if we didn't hav the right representatives? r v collectively responsible for this rigmarole, do we even pause to wonder if v r proud of the ppl in the kursis who make all decisions related to the PnL n annual reports of the Nation? the taxes we pay, the various govt promoted schemes, is there a convergence of cause n effect?
My views though seemingly sarcastic have also resulted in what every one of us posess- a 'sense of hope' n seeing god in each of us. This happened when I watched a movie [as i wanted to avoid the news on TV]called 'Chariots of fire' based on two Olympic legends – Harrold Abrahams, a jew whose father ws a banker n who had the privilege of being educated at Cambridge, but who ran as he felt that he had to outrun every white man for the disrespect n disregard shown to a jew…Eric Liddel, a missionary who ran because God gave him speed, he likened running to following ones faith….. a moving real life depiction which had beautiful music by the legendary composer Vangelis Papathanassiou, n produced by Dodi Fayed.
This movie touched me, and re - iterated my belief that no matter the nature of our pursuit, if we have a sense of single minded purpose, strength of conviction n willingness to look beyond the ordinary, we could become legends [mayb even in politics], passion, perseverance, n respect for our fellow beings will take us a long way in overcoming the little disappointments n miseries we may face on a transactional basis in real day to day terms…
I had a terrible accident this moring, the axle broke, the front of my car hit the neighbours wall n is all smashed up..but somehw I aint feeling ny heaviness of the heart/guilt, I am unusually calm n I am typing away my thoughts like lightning, I am only glad that I didn't hurt nyone else, n god saved me, I don't hav a scratch on me xcept for the steep bill I may hav to foot, my parents didn't shout at me n that's wot made me start writing this, it seems more like by writing it to all of u, I feel its actual happening as passé n I look ahead to the day when I wont have ny more accidents n this day wud b a learning, as my bro says, we learn from our mistakes, I still cant recollect how things happened as it all happened so quickily that the sequence is not falling in place, my bro put the handbreak n the car skidded to a hault, I had no control of the break or accelerator n I had just taken a steep turn…god! ppl all ur prayers n my parents patience has made me see light today n probably amidst all the instability n uncertainty, the strength of my mind is allowing me to do something so perfectly normal as writing to u all….
Think abt most thngs I have written prior to the preceeding para, all of us have the potential to be change agents, in creating wealth n multiplying its effect through the power it bestows on us... lets atleast try to change things around us, which may eventually lead to our forgiveness of the incompetence shown by a few of our reps, n try to replace tm with more competitive individuals. If we were to elect reps for a board of a co whose shares we hold, we follow it more seriously than our election for governance, do we not take board meetings more seriously, as it is linked to our direct earnings, our investment n our growth, then in the larger context should we pause to think of our system n mechanism of governance…
Happy gandhigiri [nw tat sounds real fimi]
We are a proud country with proud individuals, we feel happy writing blogs on nationalistic spirit, reemergence of Indian hockey, Indian cricket, Indian tennis etc…all 'cause a movie ran successfully n we felt the bond as a Nation..but when would the real spirit of nationalism emerge as the cause and purpose of a political party? [other than during the empty n oft repeated promises during election time]…where would all the progress go to if we didn't hav the right representatives? r v collectively responsible for this rigmarole, do we even pause to wonder if v r proud of the ppl in the kursis who make all decisions related to the PnL n annual reports of the Nation? the taxes we pay, the various govt promoted schemes, is there a convergence of cause n effect?
My views though seemingly sarcastic have also resulted in what every one of us posess- a 'sense of hope' n seeing god in each of us. This happened when I watched a movie [as i wanted to avoid the news on TV]called 'Chariots of fire' based on two Olympic legends – Harrold Abrahams, a jew whose father ws a banker n who had the privilege of being educated at Cambridge, but who ran as he felt that he had to outrun every white man for the disrespect n disregard shown to a jew…Eric Liddel, a missionary who ran because God gave him speed, he likened running to following ones faith….. a moving real life depiction which had beautiful music by the legendary composer Vangelis Papathanassiou, n produced by Dodi Fayed.
This movie touched me, and re - iterated my belief that no matter the nature of our pursuit, if we have a sense of single minded purpose, strength of conviction n willingness to look beyond the ordinary, we could become legends [mayb even in politics], passion, perseverance, n respect for our fellow beings will take us a long way in overcoming the little disappointments n miseries we may face on a transactional basis in real day to day terms…
I had a terrible accident this moring, the axle broke, the front of my car hit the neighbours wall n is all smashed up..but somehw I aint feeling ny heaviness of the heart/guilt, I am unusually calm n I am typing away my thoughts like lightning, I am only glad that I didn't hurt nyone else, n god saved me, I don't hav a scratch on me xcept for the steep bill I may hav to foot, my parents didn't shout at me n that's wot made me start writing this, it seems more like by writing it to all of u, I feel its actual happening as passé n I look ahead to the day when I wont have ny more accidents n this day wud b a learning, as my bro says, we learn from our mistakes, I still cant recollect how things happened as it all happened so quickily that the sequence is not falling in place, my bro put the handbreak n the car skidded to a hault, I had no control of the break or accelerator n I had just taken a steep turn…god! ppl all ur prayers n my parents patience has made me see light today n probably amidst all the instability n uncertainty, the strength of my mind is allowing me to do something so perfectly normal as writing to u all….
Think abt most thngs I have written prior to the preceeding para, all of us have the potential to be change agents, in creating wealth n multiplying its effect through the power it bestows on us... lets atleast try to change things around us, which may eventually lead to our forgiveness of the incompetence shown by a few of our reps, n try to replace tm with more competitive individuals. If we were to elect reps for a board of a co whose shares we hold, we follow it more seriously than our election for governance, do we not take board meetings more seriously, as it is linked to our direct earnings, our investment n our growth, then in the larger context should we pause to think of our system n mechanism of governance…
Happy gandhigiri [nw tat sounds real fimi]
10-9-07 Do we protect ourselves all the time?
Do we protect ourselves all the time?
Do we protect,
Each moment that goes on to become a memory,
Each person who comes and never returns,
Each book whose page adds meaning and value,
Each dish that delights and leaves a flavor, an essence, a smile, a burp,
Each crossing in the road when there would be an intersection,
Each signal that would change color,
Every relationship that goes through phases of love, hate, warmth, irritability,spite n feelings n emotions unbridled…
Do we protect ourselves all the time?
When we elect the right politician who becomes wrong…
When we speak of potholes as if it aint our problem
When we complain of bad infrastructure, substandard education every time we return from a trip abroad,
When we overlook a neighbours cry for help
When we think only "I am doing important work"
When we throw garbage into the neighbourhood empty site
When we donate for money for the Akshaypatra but scream abuses at that little girl who doubles up as a helper [maid]
What does protection mean?
Is it to shield, to safeguard, to defend, to value, or to honour?
Protection to me is synonymous of strength, of the will to stretch, to accommodate, to create memories of value… do we love ourselves enough to protect ourselves?
Do we think that our careers need to be protected, so that they could act as a guideline for someone else's livelihood?
Do we feel like a benefactor sponsoring a meal, n live in false gratification, when we could live by creating valuable business opportunities and enabling entrepeneurship?
All the above thoughts are a thread from that one line 'protect yourself all the time!' wch is one of my favorite quotes from Million Dollar Baby…we can fight only if we have the heart to…
Right from Rocky to Million dollar baby, movies on boxing have fascinated me…. the spirit and passion behind a fight makes me connect and identify with a primeval need to survive against all odds, create something meaningful n chersihable, and in the end leave me with a feeling of conformance to the thought,' I think I did alright!'
Apart from these thoughts tat cloud my mind all the time, things are pretty much routine[hallelujah]… have been having a hectic schedule at work, coming up with new trend analysis and trying to master minitab and datawarehousing tools to present data[gave my first review wch had quite some positive feedbach, hav a long way to go however], having discussions on skill mapping, and arranging for an initiative with Janaagraha where I play host to a team of Proffs from the US, life couldn't be more interesting…
Inbetween had dinner at a theme restaurant called "gufa" which has amazing food but mediocre liquor [ I hav bcom the breezer/cocktail variety as age's catching up, n theres no longer a need to experiment…. n ended up only sipping through my drink/skip blue lagoon if u r thr J] went to my old favorite 'opus'its as dreamy a place as it used to be, many thanks to subbu, gaurav, anjaa for making the nite more magical….also had time to sip on some tea at Infinitea, as usual the oneliners there amuse me….
Guess tats my brief on the week tat passed by, but kept the most hilarious bit to the end of the mail, ppl, do watch 'rattatoiulle' [the names in French pardon my spelling, if its wrong] a rat which reads, watches tv, likes humans [as it thinks we are creative and intelligent] n cooks suppr gourmet meals, fun n as the theme says it all 'anyone can cook'…inspiring nuf for me to get into the kitchen nxt morning n prepare paysa for my team.. must watch for ppl who luv food n indulge in the art of cooking…
Gotta go guys, wrk awaits…
Do we protect,
Each moment that goes on to become a memory,
Each person who comes and never returns,
Each book whose page adds meaning and value,
Each dish that delights and leaves a flavor, an essence, a smile, a burp,
Each crossing in the road when there would be an intersection,
Each signal that would change color,
Every relationship that goes through phases of love, hate, warmth, irritability,spite n feelings n emotions unbridled…
Do we protect ourselves all the time?
When we elect the right politician who becomes wrong…
When we speak of potholes as if it aint our problem
When we complain of bad infrastructure, substandard education every time we return from a trip abroad,
When we overlook a neighbours cry for help
When we think only "I am doing important work"
When we throw garbage into the neighbourhood empty site
When we donate for money for the Akshaypatra but scream abuses at that little girl who doubles up as a helper [maid]
What does protection mean?
Is it to shield, to safeguard, to defend, to value, or to honour?
Protection to me is synonymous of strength, of the will to stretch, to accommodate, to create memories of value… do we love ourselves enough to protect ourselves?
Do we think that our careers need to be protected, so that they could act as a guideline for someone else's livelihood?
Do we feel like a benefactor sponsoring a meal, n live in false gratification, when we could live by creating valuable business opportunities and enabling entrepeneurship?
All the above thoughts are a thread from that one line 'protect yourself all the time!' wch is one of my favorite quotes from Million Dollar Baby…we can fight only if we have the heart to…
Right from Rocky to Million dollar baby, movies on boxing have fascinated me…. the spirit and passion behind a fight makes me connect and identify with a primeval need to survive against all odds, create something meaningful n chersihable, and in the end leave me with a feeling of conformance to the thought,' I think I did alright!'
Apart from these thoughts tat cloud my mind all the time, things are pretty much routine[hallelujah]… have been having a hectic schedule at work, coming up with new trend analysis and trying to master minitab and datawarehousing tools to present data[gave my first review wch had quite some positive feedbach, hav a long way to go however], having discussions on skill mapping, and arranging for an initiative with Janaagraha where I play host to a team of Proffs from the US, life couldn't be more interesting…
Inbetween had dinner at a theme restaurant called "gufa" which has amazing food but mediocre liquor [ I hav bcom the breezer/cocktail variety as age's catching up, n theres no longer a need to experiment…. n ended up only sipping through my drink/skip blue lagoon if u r thr J] went to my old favorite 'opus'its as dreamy a place as it used to be, many thanks to subbu, gaurav, anjaa for making the nite more magical….also had time to sip on some tea at Infinitea, as usual the oneliners there amuse me….
Guess tats my brief on the week tat passed by, but kept the most hilarious bit to the end of the mail, ppl, do watch 'rattatoiulle' [the names in French pardon my spelling, if its wrong] a rat which reads, watches tv, likes humans [as it thinks we are creative and intelligent] n cooks suppr gourmet meals, fun n as the theme says it all 'anyone can cook'…inspiring nuf for me to get into the kitchen nxt morning n prepare paysa for my team.. must watch for ppl who luv food n indulge in the art of cooking…
Gotta go guys, wrk awaits…
man/woman (2-9-07)
Some of u have written to me asking if there would be a waning of the wave of my voice wch thy felt ty hrd on a weekly basis as against the fortnightly its become off late….urs truly has started living in her office..ahem definitely calls for her to xtend her life to mch more interesting activities n occupations…
Last weekend was a long weekend n I made ample use of it, met up with Nikki aftr ages n had loads of girly fun, sharing, eating n cribbing…the week prior to that we had the honor n privilege of hosting an attorney from the US, Linda Howard, who happens to be one of those literary celebrities whose calendar's booked for yrs n ppl luv to listen to, but, having met n spoken to her, was convinced tat she deserved every bit of attention n following, her claim to fame was a handbook on sexual harassment in the workplace..
n she spoke to all women mindtree minds on building self esteem, this is a topic I disagree can be taught or learnt, it comes naturally, whn both men n women r subjected to circumstances n situations, we will emerge building beliefs in ourselves n respecting ourselves for wateva v r…n its true for ppl across the globe, we all hav our lows n highs, n women more so as thy value n emphasise their emotional selfs n give more importance to relationships [if u hav wondered y a woman colleague is taking so long to recover from her boss' feedback or sternness, its cause we r internally attuned tat way] its been clinically proven :) tat due to thr emphasis on ppl n relationships, women tend to take things personally, things tat men may ignore as a bad day at office…however, this session helped us in forming a woman council within our team, n urs truly proposed a community within, if all goes well ull all c pics of us launching tis v necessary council…
If I sound like a feminist, mayb I am or I hav worn tat hat 4 now [scary sm of u may say .heehehe] yesterday saw me munching on a pizza, the pizza hut menu has been redesigned wch is pleasantly appealing, n a colleague of mine brought up a discussion on 'road less travelled' n a specific biography called 'timepass' [indeed a simple n significant tribute to the true flower couple of India] its written by Pooja Bedi, wch details even v intimate n wild encounters her mother had in her life, n this colleague hrd a piece of my mind whn I said tat I would respect these women for thr fotrigtness n no regrets lifestyles rathr than terming thm as 'bold'/raunchy, if thy r comfortable with the choices thy made y shud v talk abt thr choices, if v were comfortable with our v own, do v overemphasise the baddy image cos somwhr in each of us lies a need to bhav in the xtreme…
The book 'almost single' was a nice read, its something I could identify with, its abt 3 women, at age 29, unmarried – a woman relationship mngr in a five star hotel, a corporate woman who walks out of her marriage due to a philandering husband n a small town (bhatinda to be precise) Punjabi insurance agent whose in the big city trying to find a charming NRI prince, its set in Delhi, simple n contempory but let me warn u its not a grt book, read it to pass time n its fun…I cud relate to it, bcos I am in tat phase of life whn ppl around me think I should consider marriage[thank god I have parents who think otherwise], just bcos I hav a decent job n look nice, hav been hearing warnings abt hw men wudnt want to hear my thoughts, my gibberish on books n all tat unless I am the right age, my ma married at 26 n shes happy n well settled, n I don't c y I cant settle down at an age of my choice, if men can touch their late twenties y shudnt v, I have a house to build, I want to hav a grip on my career[ in my field its 4 yrs of shelf life n sloggin aftr wch ill truly arrive], I want to b a dedicated wife n a super mom, u hav all knwn of my ideas- of my choice of having my own child care centre wch wud b attached to mars patisserie… if I can find someone who understands these choices I wud b more thn willing to walk the aisle, the search is on, n lets c whr it ends, in the end I bliv I will lead as happy a life as ever, as I knw things hav a way of falling in place…
N thn thr r the other relatd qsns, y r u cing smone? Dnt hang around wit men who dnt knw wot thy want frm u? qsns wch I think dnt make sense…y cant a guy n gal hav a completely platonic friendship whr thy understand echothr perfectly n count on ech othr? Battles v women face either at home or with relatives all the time...guess, it's a phase v all go through :)
nyways,a team of students from Iowa are coming to India to study both social and commercial entrepreneurship, am volunteering to help tm touchbase with Janaagraha, my active volunteerism has reduced to just a few msgs across the various means tat the net provides....well tats my few decibles of sound for nw...
keep rocking...
Last weekend was a long weekend n I made ample use of it, met up with Nikki aftr ages n had loads of girly fun, sharing, eating n cribbing…the week prior to that we had the honor n privilege of hosting an attorney from the US, Linda Howard, who happens to be one of those literary celebrities whose calendar's booked for yrs n ppl luv to listen to, but, having met n spoken to her, was convinced tat she deserved every bit of attention n following, her claim to fame was a handbook on sexual harassment in the workplace..
n she spoke to all women mindtree minds on building self esteem, this is a topic I disagree can be taught or learnt, it comes naturally, whn both men n women r subjected to circumstances n situations, we will emerge building beliefs in ourselves n respecting ourselves for wateva v r…n its true for ppl across the globe, we all hav our lows n highs, n women more so as thy value n emphasise their emotional selfs n give more importance to relationships [if u hav wondered y a woman colleague is taking so long to recover from her boss' feedback or sternness, its cause we r internally attuned tat way] its been clinically proven :) tat due to thr emphasis on ppl n relationships, women tend to take things personally, things tat men may ignore as a bad day at office…however, this session helped us in forming a woman council within our team, n urs truly proposed a community within, if all goes well ull all c pics of us launching tis v necessary council…
If I sound like a feminist, mayb I am or I hav worn tat hat 4 now [scary sm of u may say .heehehe] yesterday saw me munching on a pizza, the pizza hut menu has been redesigned wch is pleasantly appealing, n a colleague of mine brought up a discussion on 'road less travelled' n a specific biography called 'timepass' [indeed a simple n significant tribute to the true flower couple of India] its written by Pooja Bedi, wch details even v intimate n wild encounters her mother had in her life, n this colleague hrd a piece of my mind whn I said tat I would respect these women for thr fotrigtness n no regrets lifestyles rathr than terming thm as 'bold'/raunchy, if thy r comfortable with the choices thy made y shud v talk abt thr choices, if v were comfortable with our v own, do v overemphasise the baddy image cos somwhr in each of us lies a need to bhav in the xtreme…
The book 'almost single' was a nice read, its something I could identify with, its abt 3 women, at age 29, unmarried – a woman relationship mngr in a five star hotel, a corporate woman who walks out of her marriage due to a philandering husband n a small town (bhatinda to be precise) Punjabi insurance agent whose in the big city trying to find a charming NRI prince, its set in Delhi, simple n contempory but let me warn u its not a grt book, read it to pass time n its fun…I cud relate to it, bcos I am in tat phase of life whn ppl around me think I should consider marriage[thank god I have parents who think otherwise], just bcos I hav a decent job n look nice, hav been hearing warnings abt hw men wudnt want to hear my thoughts, my gibberish on books n all tat unless I am the right age, my ma married at 26 n shes happy n well settled, n I don't c y I cant settle down at an age of my choice, if men can touch their late twenties y shudnt v, I have a house to build, I want to hav a grip on my career[ in my field its 4 yrs of shelf life n sloggin aftr wch ill truly arrive], I want to b a dedicated wife n a super mom, u hav all knwn of my ideas- of my choice of having my own child care centre wch wud b attached to mars patisserie… if I can find someone who understands these choices I wud b more thn willing to walk the aisle, the search is on, n lets c whr it ends, in the end I bliv I will lead as happy a life as ever, as I knw things hav a way of falling in place…
N thn thr r the other relatd qsns, y r u cing smone? Dnt hang around wit men who dnt knw wot thy want frm u? qsns wch I think dnt make sense…y cant a guy n gal hav a completely platonic friendship whr thy understand echothr perfectly n count on ech othr? Battles v women face either at home or with relatives all the time...guess, it's a phase v all go through :)
nyways,a team of students from Iowa are coming to India to study both social and commercial entrepreneurship, am volunteering to help tm touchbase with Janaagraha, my active volunteerism has reduced to just a few msgs across the various means tat the net provides....well tats my few decibles of sound for nw...
keep rocking...
5-8-07 sm responses to my last mail n 'sisterhood of friendship'
Smtimes feel thouroughly thrilled at the responses i get to my mails, thy r always welcome, but thy make my day today, tomorrow n always [hehehehe]here goes sm self exaltation :p"i thoroughly enjoy readin your mails and the thought process of yours is commendable!! And something wht you have written above is wht i deal with on a daily basis so thought will tell you about it , the kind of trust you need to have in a relationship and the insecurities and the paranoia and the frustration which ppl wud face more so when they are far away from each other is very much known and as am training to be a Pscyhiatrist, come across this picture more than anybody, and ppl do get better, all they need is a lil channelisin and as you rightly mentioned are we tryin to drift apart even before we try to get closer ??? thats the thing you have to adress the most and the sense of belonging has to be inculcated btwn the couple who are facin the wrath of long distances or may be even otherwise! So trust once lost like thought before is not somthing which can never be reclaimed but you just have to work twice as hard be ready to tke it that long , and of course as you know it is tough , but nothin comes eazy in life !! So all the ppl you are counsellin, am sure can be rest assured that they are in safe hands ( your's) ;) and can work towards a better tomorrow , it only takes time and effort and a good counsellor to guide them , anything in this regard which might need further professional help in the form of medications are welcome and once again we can team up like we did durin PU days :) wud like to congratulate you on your effort to get ppl back together !!! Keep it up , am so proud of you !! And dont forget if you need anything am around , keep 'em mails flowin !!! "Dev - an MD student specialising in Psychiatry, a dear buddy is a btr description..."I thought ur writings may cease after some time... but not only have u kept it going , U just have got better at it.. the writings are having more punch...
I think I should remind George of the anthology...to ur book.
life is strange, and its this strangeness that makes it worth living it"-Shemith [liked the last line, hence sharing ti wit all of u :)]____________________________________________________________________________
BP/ Baden Powell is a father figure to most scouts and guides. As a guide who did considerably well,having completed my Rashtrapati Puraskar by age 15, thanks to the commitment and guidance of Ms.Matilda, todays mail is about 11 of us, who were the largest batch from a single school to complete this wonderfully fulfilling and uplifting milestone.
And now, after almost a decade, these sisters of mine found me, its but befitting that I write about them on the day of friendship [not that these 'days' would make much of a difference to the fondness and respect I hold to my friends, if u look at it commercially the Hallmarks/Archies of the world would luv to find a significance to each day, as if life wasn't in itself significant and a celebration J]
Thanks to Sabs who created a community to locate these set of friends/sisters [its in our honor statement as a guide that every guide is a sister to the other], as this year also celebrates 100 yrs of scouts and guides, I would want you all to know how much influence this whole experience as a guide has affected me, I luv to look at the houses pass by [as I travel in crowded buses],I luv to trek, I luv to cook [ I started cooking only to fulfill a badge of ours] I luv to live in tents, I luv to gaze at the sky,I luv to travel, I luv to think abt the ppl around me… all thanks to this exposure, rigt frm my 5th grade when I went to my first camp in Besant park in Doddabalapur, I have enjoyed the independence of being alone yet a part of a larger group, waking up early to practise BP 6 exercises, sleeping late to fill our log books, being ready to showcase our tents for inspection every morning just b4 flag hoisting, the kind of discipline and complete involvement in the day itself in camp life is an experience unique and wonderful… alongwith each of the tasks already allocated, we would volunteer in the kitchen, we would create bridges, pracitse our morse codes, and learn to bind books[ I was rather clumsy at it, though I must say I knw how its done technically]
The best recollection is doing our Civil Defence program at Home Guards opposite to the Ulsoor lake, (now our corporate set train our campus minds in ERC[ emergency rescue cycles] etc).. ours was a more comprehensive program where we could complete this program only after we pass an exam J The uniform was another beautiful and self sufficient accessory in itself, it was to be worn upto the knee and had to be a specific deep blue and the scarves that we wore could represent a message we believed in or an event/jamboree we took part in, we had to wear a belt which would help us fix a rope and whistle which came in handy during our many adventures J…
Coming to Sabs n gang, this group was formed 2 weeks ago n you should c the delight with wch my mailbox invites these mails, everyday we keep shooting mails from all across, frm Tokyo to the US, most of us bcame engineers, one of us a model, another a commerce expert, and the team thinks tat urs truly is their fav who actually completed her PG as she promised long ago, just waiting to make them happier by pursuing my doctoral in a couple of years J
3 out of the eleven are married n most of them are working for our MNCs, I am really proud of knowing this set of totally grounded, charming and intelligent women. What remains constant abt them is that thy continue to hold on to dear old values and hope to be change agents in their own capacity, wow, this association is so refreshing …
More mails to write, but loads of catching up to do J they were the ones who encouraged me to apply for a writing badge wch helped me immensely, their mothers taught us to dance, knit and bond…just waiting to relive those days…
But, the present isn't nything I could complain abt, went on a trek to Savandurga wit a group of young campus minds, it was an amazing experience where I felt the energy spread and become contagious, we cleaned the temple and its surroundings, the climb on this beautiful monolith was steep and dangerous, the ascent being easier tan the descent, it was one of the strongest forts wch the erstwhile founder of Blore, Kempegouda built to defend the boundaries of our city, the manchinbele reservoir flowed like a beautiful picturesque painting in motion [natures bful gifts J] n we winded up the trip by visiting the doddaaaladamara [ big banyan tree] in Magadi, hmmmmm…all I can say is it's a testament to time and holds solidly to the earth, it reminded me of the coexistence of basic elements of nature.
Today, saw my team in action as audience for their soccer match, n surprisingly thy won, thanks to our goalie who defended the penaltys J did call up som friends to wish, n spent the rest of the few hrs of the day with my folks, my bro teaching me hw to make sm kadbu, a nice delicacy, n life remained a routine of pleasant n beautiful, cherishable experiences…
BP also stands for our motto in scouts n guides –Be Prepared..n in retrospect, life is definitely been preparing me to situations n circumstances I may/may not face, with the firm blanket of friends who will be there, n who will remember me as one of their own, just as my mind wudnt forget of the memories n experiences n learnings thy gifted me long ago…
Cheers to another day of friendship…
I think I should remind George of the anthology...to ur book.
life is strange, and its this strangeness that makes it worth living it"-Shemith [liked the last line, hence sharing ti wit all of u :)]____________________________________________________________________________
BP/ Baden Powell is a father figure to most scouts and guides. As a guide who did considerably well,having completed my Rashtrapati Puraskar by age 15, thanks to the commitment and guidance of Ms.Matilda, todays mail is about 11 of us, who were the largest batch from a single school to complete this wonderfully fulfilling and uplifting milestone.
And now, after almost a decade, these sisters of mine found me, its but befitting that I write about them on the day of friendship [not that these 'days' would make much of a difference to the fondness and respect I hold to my friends, if u look at it commercially the Hallmarks/Archies of the world would luv to find a significance to each day, as if life wasn't in itself significant and a celebration J]
Thanks to Sabs who created a community to locate these set of friends/sisters [its in our honor statement as a guide that every guide is a sister to the other], as this year also celebrates 100 yrs of scouts and guides, I would want you all to know how much influence this whole experience as a guide has affected me, I luv to look at the houses pass by [as I travel in crowded buses],I luv to trek, I luv to cook [ I started cooking only to fulfill a badge of ours] I luv to live in tents, I luv to gaze at the sky,I luv to travel, I luv to think abt the ppl around me… all thanks to this exposure, rigt frm my 5th grade when I went to my first camp in Besant park in Doddabalapur, I have enjoyed the independence of being alone yet a part of a larger group, waking up early to practise BP 6 exercises, sleeping late to fill our log books, being ready to showcase our tents for inspection every morning just b4 flag hoisting, the kind of discipline and complete involvement in the day itself in camp life is an experience unique and wonderful… alongwith each of the tasks already allocated, we would volunteer in the kitchen, we would create bridges, pracitse our morse codes, and learn to bind books[ I was rather clumsy at it, though I must say I knw how its done technically]
The best recollection is doing our Civil Defence program at Home Guards opposite to the Ulsoor lake, (now our corporate set train our campus minds in ERC[ emergency rescue cycles] etc).. ours was a more comprehensive program where we could complete this program only after we pass an exam J The uniform was another beautiful and self sufficient accessory in itself, it was to be worn upto the knee and had to be a specific deep blue and the scarves that we wore could represent a message we believed in or an event/jamboree we took part in, we had to wear a belt which would help us fix a rope and whistle which came in handy during our many adventures J…
Coming to Sabs n gang, this group was formed 2 weeks ago n you should c the delight with wch my mailbox invites these mails, everyday we keep shooting mails from all across, frm Tokyo to the US, most of us bcame engineers, one of us a model, another a commerce expert, and the team thinks tat urs truly is their fav who actually completed her PG as she promised long ago, just waiting to make them happier by pursuing my doctoral in a couple of years J
3 out of the eleven are married n most of them are working for our MNCs, I am really proud of knowing this set of totally grounded, charming and intelligent women. What remains constant abt them is that thy continue to hold on to dear old values and hope to be change agents in their own capacity, wow, this association is so refreshing …
More mails to write, but loads of catching up to do J they were the ones who encouraged me to apply for a writing badge wch helped me immensely, their mothers taught us to dance, knit and bond…just waiting to relive those days…
But, the present isn't nything I could complain abt, went on a trek to Savandurga wit a group of young campus minds, it was an amazing experience where I felt the energy spread and become contagious, we cleaned the temple and its surroundings, the climb on this beautiful monolith was steep and dangerous, the ascent being easier tan the descent, it was one of the strongest forts wch the erstwhile founder of Blore, Kempegouda built to defend the boundaries of our city, the manchinbele reservoir flowed like a beautiful picturesque painting in motion [natures bful gifts J] n we winded up the trip by visiting the doddaaaladamara [ big banyan tree] in Magadi, hmmmmm…all I can say is it's a testament to time and holds solidly to the earth, it reminded me of the coexistence of basic elements of nature.
Today, saw my team in action as audience for their soccer match, n surprisingly thy won, thanks to our goalie who defended the penaltys J did call up som friends to wish, n spent the rest of the few hrs of the day with my folks, my bro teaching me hw to make sm kadbu, a nice delicacy, n life remained a routine of pleasant n beautiful, cherishable experiences…
BP also stands for our motto in scouts n guides –Be Prepared..n in retrospect, life is definitely been preparing me to situations n circumstances I may/may not face, with the firm blanket of friends who will be there, n who will remember me as one of their own, just as my mind wudnt forget of the memories n experiences n learnings thy gifted me long ago…
Cheers to another day of friendship…
kache dhaage (30-7-07)
The fragility or strength of a relationship depends on a single word 'trust'. I have been playing the role of a counselor this week to two of my close friends, a couple who live in 2 different countries and every waking hr [literally] they want to knw wots happening on the other side of the horizon, they panic, they are suspicious and at times angry…sometimes the tension becomes palpable…. are v as a generation bcoming over dependant and jumpy, do we expect more thn v shud, r v walking away frm eachother without even attempting to walk towards each other? Questions questions and more questions…but, with seemingly different answers, what works for somebody doesn't have to work for smone else, that is wot adds vibrancy to the fibre of life….
On Thursday, as the nation celebrated Kargil Divas, like most of us I was moved and affected emotionally (as a kid kindness meant being able to give, and receive appreciation from my teachers, now I wud rather not want to talk of the things tat matter to me or r valuable to me as thy wud b precious, n true kindness or 'givin' will loose its meaning if I do it to gain sm printspace or recognition)
After listening to the widow of a doc who died during Kargil, I didn't feel sympathetic neither did I feel sorry, but I felt pride, pride at the thought of a woman holding onto a brief memory of a husband who gave her 2 children in the 5 yrs of their life together, pride at her surviving bravely and being a model to most of us fickle people who r on the edge for relatively insignificant reasons, pride at what she symbolized, a woman who hoped, who believed in someone so dear, who passed away for a bigger cause/purpose, her parting message to children at the end of the show(twas on Radio Indigo n shes a teacher) 'be good children n play as much as u want' som1 truly courageous, who after sharing something v personal spoke with simplicity and sincerity. What can a child understand more than a msg of tat kind…with material comforts becoming automatically available aren't msgs like this tat wil help us mould our children?
In contrast I observe the hollowness and shallowness of people who are together, together for different reasons, for being with the 'it' guy/girl completely unhappy with each other, who dnt even njoi those sweet silences tat wud allow 2 ppl to communicate mch more thru their gestures and eyes, there r ppl with each other just so tat the world wants thm 2 b 2gethr, ppl perceiving tat thy r only thr 4 each other without actually experiencing and appreciating the co of many friends and understanding the intricacies and practical limitations that one may have in lieu of distance, nature of work and varied interests...I was at a wedding of two beautiful ppl and I only wish tat the beauty remains and the strength of their togetherness blossoms into a much more beautiful oneness.
Observations hav suddenly bcom acute n leadin a corporate life sometimes is all abt manipulation, I dnt want to be affected by the negative energy sm colleagues may hav as thy think I am doing smthing different frm wot thy r, its abt learning frm their mistakes, I sometimes am but a mute spectator, I belive in being blind to human weaknesses, I have started to understand tat just as I have my idiosyncracies n insecurities everyone else has too, in understanding tat its natural and common, I can say tat I will survive as long as I am comfortable being me…
Reflections/confessions u might say, but I hav com to accept tat by being truthful one doesn't loose a thing..I have bcom addicted to Potter and hav also been reading a wonderful book on economics called 'Freakonomics' – intelligent, simple and data driven…Notes to Myself by pather is another ready referral wch keeps me understand my evolution btr J
On Thursday, as the nation celebrated Kargil Divas, like most of us I was moved and affected emotionally (as a kid kindness meant being able to give, and receive appreciation from my teachers, now I wud rather not want to talk of the things tat matter to me or r valuable to me as thy wud b precious, n true kindness or 'givin' will loose its meaning if I do it to gain sm printspace or recognition)
After listening to the widow of a doc who died during Kargil, I didn't feel sympathetic neither did I feel sorry, but I felt pride, pride at the thought of a woman holding onto a brief memory of a husband who gave her 2 children in the 5 yrs of their life together, pride at her surviving bravely and being a model to most of us fickle people who r on the edge for relatively insignificant reasons, pride at what she symbolized, a woman who hoped, who believed in someone so dear, who passed away for a bigger cause/purpose, her parting message to children at the end of the show(twas on Radio Indigo n shes a teacher) 'be good children n play as much as u want' som1 truly courageous, who after sharing something v personal spoke with simplicity and sincerity. What can a child understand more than a msg of tat kind…with material comforts becoming automatically available aren't msgs like this tat wil help us mould our children?
In contrast I observe the hollowness and shallowness of people who are together, together for different reasons, for being with the 'it' guy/girl completely unhappy with each other, who dnt even njoi those sweet silences tat wud allow 2 ppl to communicate mch more thru their gestures and eyes, there r ppl with each other just so tat the world wants thm 2 b 2gethr, ppl perceiving tat thy r only thr 4 each other without actually experiencing and appreciating the co of many friends and understanding the intricacies and practical limitations that one may have in lieu of distance, nature of work and varied interests...I was at a wedding of two beautiful ppl and I only wish tat the beauty remains and the strength of their togetherness blossoms into a much more beautiful oneness.
Observations hav suddenly bcom acute n leadin a corporate life sometimes is all abt manipulation, I dnt want to be affected by the negative energy sm colleagues may hav as thy think I am doing smthing different frm wot thy r, its abt learning frm their mistakes, I sometimes am but a mute spectator, I belive in being blind to human weaknesses, I have started to understand tat just as I have my idiosyncracies n insecurities everyone else has too, in understanding tat its natural and common, I can say tat I will survive as long as I am comfortable being me…
Reflections/confessions u might say, but I hav com to accept tat by being truthful one doesn't loose a thing..I have bcom addicted to Potter and hav also been reading a wonderful book on economics called 'Freakonomics' – intelligent, simple and data driven…Notes to Myself by pather is another ready referral wch keeps me understand my evolution btr J
21-7-07 ABC of a drive through life
These days they call me sunshine girl in office, but, I am yet to figure out the y behind it :)mayb my clothes are too bright or my smiles bcom as wide as the Cheshire cat or my gooood mrng wish rings loud n clear everyday as I enter office…well! Wateva the reason it's a nice name to have [hehehe]
This week I could call it the 'connected' week, I spoke to many of my friends from all across and it was wonderful, it felt like the bonds and ties we had were as strong as ever, even though we may not stay in touch as often as we wud want to :) …Subbu said hes reading my mails n tats wot keeps him connected to me, he went on to say that I should either become a saint or an author, n I chose that I would someday write as it was more lucrative, [look at the pottermania that Rowling created, my bros booked the book, n am waiting to read it :)] Subbu ws shocked, he said, I don't think you were ever the kinds for whom money was a motivator, well! Tats relativeJ was my reply…
Arjun calls n talks to me abt life in Chennai n adds tat I must n should read the book ' power of love' well, u all knew the two subjects wch cud be called my oxygen for life are individualism and spiritualism, n this book explores the latter category, will defnitly b interesting coming as a recommend frm tat intli financial guru :-D
Spoke to Priku, page n ummi, n then realized they were my accelerators who made my ride smoother n gav tat xtra mileage to my drive for life…then there are a few who are like the clutches who are important to control the drive…they are my colleagues and my well wishers they know exactly whn to disagree or support, or at times guide, I had many interesting meetings with ppl frm marketing and knowledge management, and the essence of these hav left me slightly more learned than the previous week
:) the break came in thru a dear friend who sought help for something I was helpless to help for :-@
Thus the journey went on sometimes accelerating for the sheer joy of being encouraged, sometimes breaking at forks and narrow lanes and at all times with the support of the clutch that gave purpose and meaning to every road n path, if I wudnt enjoy what I am doing presently, if I didn't find a purpose to look forward to each day, wud I be in the drivers seat?
Hmmmm…ma'ams on her trip again, is definitely wot u r thinking apart frm the drivin I have had fun in picking up flowers [zerbera prices have shot to the sky!] arranging them, cooking [especially nicy garlic n onion pakodas], n modifying my pictures, and checking urs truly's many faces.
A friend reminded me of Paulo Coelho yesterday, so I have attached the note that I write after I read any book with this mail, its just a group of sentences I kept thinking of, if they interest you grab the book 'Veronica decides to die' J by the same author, most of his books are recommended.
Yesterday also saw me wearing blue mascara n a v blue chain, my colleagues were horrified, but u knw hw I sometimes like to tickle one's funny bone :)
n finally I haveta write to u all abt one intensely intelligent movie calld the 'fight club', it made me acutely aware of my own habits, made me realize the potential of the human psyche and left me humming the theme music…I don't want to write abt it, as I wud rather want u to watch it, cause u may interpret it the way u want, n definitely brad pitt seems mch more intelligent, than his usual dolled up self J [btwz it's a coupla yrs old, but I wasn't xposed to this movie]… I also saw a twisted psychotic thriller called SAW, xtremely gory bt can watch it once, but it made me a little scared…
Well Sheryl crowes singnig, ' All I wanna do is have some funI got a feeling I'm not the only one'......
This week I could call it the 'connected' week, I spoke to many of my friends from all across and it was wonderful, it felt like the bonds and ties we had were as strong as ever, even though we may not stay in touch as often as we wud want to :) …Subbu said hes reading my mails n tats wot keeps him connected to me, he went on to say that I should either become a saint or an author, n I chose that I would someday write as it was more lucrative, [look at the pottermania that Rowling created, my bros booked the book, n am waiting to read it :)] Subbu ws shocked, he said, I don't think you were ever the kinds for whom money was a motivator, well! Tats relativeJ was my reply…
Arjun calls n talks to me abt life in Chennai n adds tat I must n should read the book ' power of love' well, u all knew the two subjects wch cud be called my oxygen for life are individualism and spiritualism, n this book explores the latter category, will defnitly b interesting coming as a recommend frm tat intli financial guru :-D
Spoke to Priku, page n ummi, n then realized they were my accelerators who made my ride smoother n gav tat xtra mileage to my drive for life…then there are a few who are like the clutches who are important to control the drive…they are my colleagues and my well wishers they know exactly whn to disagree or support, or at times guide, I had many interesting meetings with ppl frm marketing and knowledge management, and the essence of these hav left me slightly more learned than the previous week
:) the break came in thru a dear friend who sought help for something I was helpless to help for :-@
Thus the journey went on sometimes accelerating for the sheer joy of being encouraged, sometimes breaking at forks and narrow lanes and at all times with the support of the clutch that gave purpose and meaning to every road n path, if I wudnt enjoy what I am doing presently, if I didn't find a purpose to look forward to each day, wud I be in the drivers seat?
Hmmmm…ma'ams on her trip again, is definitely wot u r thinking apart frm the drivin I have had fun in picking up flowers [zerbera prices have shot to the sky!] arranging them, cooking [especially nicy garlic n onion pakodas], n modifying my pictures, and checking urs truly's many faces.
A friend reminded me of Paulo Coelho yesterday, so I have attached the note that I write after I read any book with this mail, its just a group of sentences I kept thinking of, if they interest you grab the book 'Veronica decides to die' J by the same author, most of his books are recommended.
Yesterday also saw me wearing blue mascara n a v blue chain, my colleagues were horrified, but u knw hw I sometimes like to tickle one's funny bone :)
n finally I haveta write to u all abt one intensely intelligent movie calld the 'fight club', it made me acutely aware of my own habits, made me realize the potential of the human psyche and left me humming the theme music…I don't want to write abt it, as I wud rather want u to watch it, cause u may interpret it the way u want, n definitely brad pitt seems mch more intelligent, than his usual dolled up self J [btwz it's a coupla yrs old, but I wasn't xposed to this movie]… I also saw a twisted psychotic thriller called SAW, xtremely gory bt can watch it once, but it made me a little scared…
Well Sheryl crowes singnig, ' All I wanna do is have some funI got a feeling I'm not the only one'......
The Rose (8-7-07)
Am allllllllive n kicking [actually running] , just read a story abt a woman called Rose,she went to college in her late seventies as she always dreamt of getting a college degree, and the week after she graduated she died, however, she sang a song to her class before she died, n I felt, I should dedicate this song to all of u....
Some say love it is a river that drowns the tender reed
Some say love it is a razer that leaves your soul to blead
Some say love it is a hunger an endless aching need I say love it is a flower and you it's only seed It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance
It's the dream afraid of wakingthat never takes the chance
It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give and the soul afraid of dyingthat never learns to live
When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winterfar beneath the bitter snows lies the seed that with the sun's love in the spring becomes the rose
30-6-07 Traveller
A philosopher once said, "A good traveller has no plans, and doesn't arrive at all"
well! My state of mind is akin to the same…with the way tat my lifes evolving I cannot disagree.
A balloon seller passed by just nw, I sat at the window feeling the breeze and looking at those colorful balloons, each day this week has been a learning, from understanding problem definition techniques such as 9 windows, IFR-Ideal final result to resources, I have come to realize how much the human intellect has contributed to improving the lives of the rest of the race…A brief introduction into TRIS which is the theory of inventive problem solving, a model of thought found by a Russian by name Altshulller which defines every problem in terms of its contradiction and has arrived at a total of only 40 solutions to any problem universally…it will sound vague when I write like this, but, for me to share this knowledge, I'll have to reach a maturiy stage whr I will be able to share it to the extent it will be useful…As each day unfolds I realize that life and its opportunities are just soooo infinite…U can catch me gazing at the sky, setting off on short walks, all of these actually contributing to a clarity of thought amidst the clutter of swings that I maybe on!
Due to this awareness I have come to respect and luv humanity over wider dimensions, maybe I am floating in a heightened state of sensitivity :-) … yesterday a tool I developed wch is basically a scorecard to measure our vendors was given an excellent rating :-) n when Sanjay actually told Ashish abt hw easily n quickly I had arrived at it, there were tears in my eyes…whn thr is scope to learn there is a sense of freedom, n I am reveling in the independence life has bestowed on me…
This morning I was home alone, n since the kitchen was at my disposal I decided to cook a spicy coriander bath (basically a dish made of rice) I don't like complicated recipes or time consuming ones, even b4 I cook I should b able to c the dish n smell its flavor, my ma hates to cook any of the rice baths, n I am just the opposite :-)
my family has gone to Nanjangood, a temple in worship of one of Lord Shivas avatars, hes called hakim Nanjunda, as Tippu had an illness and he prayed to this diety n was healed [folklore- the story may have different versions, this is the one I know ;0] infact, my parents, n my mas many sisters are all bonding together as thy experience a mid life crisis, my mother has her own reasons to b gng thr, my treatment has a sideeffect of dry skin, som of u who knw me in school knw tat lik most dark skinned women I had a prob with oily skin, well!... Nw hallelujah I hav sch dry skin tat 2 open my mouth wud b a pain [hehehe] its like the texture of the bark of a tree…hmmm, but it doesn't matter as I await spring n knw tat the skin is in the process of healing…for everything thr is a reason n time…I have started believeing it, n it has made me peaceful, n more n more I c the good in ppl I am attached to, their forgiveness of my silliness, their acceptance of my stupidity n their encouragement on a regular basis is making me stronger…
If u r wondering wot the hells she talking abt, u don't hav to worry neithr do I knw, as always my fingers r just flying over the keyboard, forever conscious of my spelling as I think I misspell almost everything I write…well, visioning is somthin I wud just let all of u figure out…the kitchen beckons again for me to try another experiment… n thereaftr office [even saturdays r made interesting by the wrk i do]
well! My state of mind is akin to the same…with the way tat my lifes evolving I cannot disagree.
A balloon seller passed by just nw, I sat at the window feeling the breeze and looking at those colorful balloons, each day this week has been a learning, from understanding problem definition techniques such as 9 windows, IFR-Ideal final result to resources, I have come to realize how much the human intellect has contributed to improving the lives of the rest of the race…A brief introduction into TRIS which is the theory of inventive problem solving, a model of thought found by a Russian by name Altshulller which defines every problem in terms of its contradiction and has arrived at a total of only 40 solutions to any problem universally…it will sound vague when I write like this, but, for me to share this knowledge, I'll have to reach a maturiy stage whr I will be able to share it to the extent it will be useful…As each day unfolds I realize that life and its opportunities are just soooo infinite…U can catch me gazing at the sky, setting off on short walks, all of these actually contributing to a clarity of thought amidst the clutter of swings that I maybe on!
Due to this awareness I have come to respect and luv humanity over wider dimensions, maybe I am floating in a heightened state of sensitivity :-) … yesterday a tool I developed wch is basically a scorecard to measure our vendors was given an excellent rating :-) n when Sanjay actually told Ashish abt hw easily n quickly I had arrived at it, there were tears in my eyes…whn thr is scope to learn there is a sense of freedom, n I am reveling in the independence life has bestowed on me…
This morning I was home alone, n since the kitchen was at my disposal I decided to cook a spicy coriander bath (basically a dish made of rice) I don't like complicated recipes or time consuming ones, even b4 I cook I should b able to c the dish n smell its flavor, my ma hates to cook any of the rice baths, n I am just the opposite :-)
my family has gone to Nanjangood, a temple in worship of one of Lord Shivas avatars, hes called hakim Nanjunda, as Tippu had an illness and he prayed to this diety n was healed [folklore- the story may have different versions, this is the one I know ;0] infact, my parents, n my mas many sisters are all bonding together as thy experience a mid life crisis, my mother has her own reasons to b gng thr, my treatment has a sideeffect of dry skin, som of u who knw me in school knw tat lik most dark skinned women I had a prob with oily skin, well!... Nw hallelujah I hav sch dry skin tat 2 open my mouth wud b a pain [hehehe] its like the texture of the bark of a tree…hmmm, but it doesn't matter as I await spring n knw tat the skin is in the process of healing…for everything thr is a reason n time…I have started believeing it, n it has made me peaceful, n more n more I c the good in ppl I am attached to, their forgiveness of my silliness, their acceptance of my stupidity n their encouragement on a regular basis is making me stronger…
If u r wondering wot the hells she talking abt, u don't hav to worry neithr do I knw, as always my fingers r just flying over the keyboard, forever conscious of my spelling as I think I misspell almost everything I write…well, visioning is somthin I wud just let all of u figure out…the kitchen beckons again for me to try another experiment… n thereaftr office [even saturdays r made interesting by the wrk i do]
a hat named coleen (27-6-07)
A hat named Coleen!!!! Nw wats the matter with google, has she gone crazier than she already is ;-D…
I learnt abt hat making whn I watched the hats made for one of the worlds favorite annual socializing event, which, had hat makers working for 2 weeks 24/7, with their role including naming their respective creationsJ…Coleen interesting huh!... n attire makers especially the 3 piece precise khandani specified suit makers who have been designing for centuries, [they have been designing them from the 16th century!]Well! Isn't tat suppppper exciting! [do pardon my desi hinglish!!]
The khandan here happens to be our fav royals- the residents of the Buckingham palace [hehehe] n the event is the Royal Ascot [a yearly horse racing extravaganza wch my bro n mom hav been following diligently frm the day it started off…though, I could watch it only on Saturday, am I glad…
The evnt is symbolic, symbolic of not just the fine balance between man n horse, but, also symbolic of fashion, society and networking among the bluest of blood [am rolling my eyes nw], its also symbolic of tat very well spoken language rolled soooooo precisely by the English themselves….hmmm, it was one show I thoroughly enjoyed, horses, as most of u knw are my fav animals, their sensitivity, their speed, their majesty hav me bowled over…the excitement of the commentators, the green surrounding the animal in all its glory n the man [the jockey] enslaved to his horse, he maintains his weight, sits in a v uncomfortable position n definitely rides it like he should b as light as a feather…my dad is a movie freak, he can watch ny n every movie released, n most often his fav entertainment is making stories by combining the scripts of many movies [in one of our msk classes we had a similar game, n it was thoroughly entertaining] n he thinks my luv 4 horses is mainly coz my parents watched the black stallion whn I was happily sleeping in mas womb [ its again one of his fav stories
J cant say if I can bliv it nw]
Every time I wud give up, everytime I wud complain he wud tell me to think of the horse n the whip, he wud say tat the situations tat I was into, were like the whip n the way I wud find solutions to it wud b like the horse winning among its own breed n finishing among equals..tats som analogy, but it definitely works for me, speed thrills…hehehe
Hav been catching up on a coupla movies, watched bheja fry, a clever well scripted situational comedy, a small budget movie with a simple story, yet v crisp n entertaining, ur bheja will definitely bcom dheela [translation: ur spirits will b set free] bt, I must admit I cudnt stop admiring sarika in the little role tat she played [wish the whole kamalhasan bit cudve been rewinded, we missed a gud actress 4 somtime]
The other movie was a kannada one called 'mungaaru male' beautiful cinematography n simply melodious music, it has actors who look like u n me, v ordinary ppl, the story too is simple, but, the depth of the script n the power of the movie is in its dialogues, I have cried watching som bits of the movie, hwvr, its not a depressing movie, its bcom a record blockbuster, whoever heard of kannada blockbusters ;)
n the weekend saw me doin the evening pooja aftr som spell of time, it has been my assigned duty frm childhood, bt as I grew up n wasn't at hom everyday in the evenings, this bcame my responsibility whnevr I ws at home, n as I sat n prayed I almost felt meditative, the power of ones thoughts n beliefs is in itself a blessing, the heightened sense of belongingness n acceptance always humbles me…the whole idea or concept of a god or religion is something I don't bliv completely in, bt the ways n means of worship, the hymns we sing, the posture v adopt, the concentration n focus tat v have while worshipping, the presence of incense n flowers n most importantly the lamps v light adds hope, joy n meaning…
Well! Writing abt it is in itself like a healing… work also is happening, but, hav decided to shoulder som responsibility in the kitchen, especially, on weekends. I made a simple sweet, wud like to share the recipe… heregoes, its called seven cups, as a rule:use the same bowl for measurement.
Use a dish into which u put a bowl of ghee, n as it warms add a bowl of besan/chickpea using the same bowl as measure, stir it continuously[or else ur sweet'z gonaa b lumpy], soo pour the besan slowly stirring it simultaneously, then pour a bowl of milk, n add 3 bowls of sugar to this mixture, stir it continuously n finally add a bowl of coconut, the trick is to use the same measure for all the 7 times, 1 ghee,1besan,1 milk, 3 sugar, n finally the coconut…then pour this mixture aftr it reaches a semisolid consistency to a larger serving dish which is coated with ghee, spread the mixture n cut it immediately into even shaped pieces just aftr spreading it! Voila, the seven cups is ready to serve..its really yummmm
Heres wishing u a v sweet week…nxt time around I shall write abt visioning wch I spoke of n relate it to vachanas n quotes, for all who r not in blore, its simply super weather with the winds blowing at super speed n rain catching up, hwvr, not completely the best of season's as the colds n fevers r in the air…
I learnt abt hat making whn I watched the hats made for one of the worlds favorite annual socializing event, which, had hat makers working for 2 weeks 24/7, with their role including naming their respective creationsJ…Coleen interesting huh!... n attire makers especially the 3 piece precise khandani specified suit makers who have been designing for centuries, [they have been designing them from the 16th century!]Well! Isn't tat suppppper exciting! [do pardon my desi hinglish!!]
The khandan here happens to be our fav royals- the residents of the Buckingham palace [hehehe] n the event is the Royal Ascot [a yearly horse racing extravaganza wch my bro n mom hav been following diligently frm the day it started off…though, I could watch it only on Saturday, am I glad…
The evnt is symbolic, symbolic of not just the fine balance between man n horse, but, also symbolic of fashion, society and networking among the bluest of blood [am rolling my eyes nw], its also symbolic of tat very well spoken language rolled soooooo precisely by the English themselves….hmmm, it was one show I thoroughly enjoyed, horses, as most of u knw are my fav animals, their sensitivity, their speed, their majesty hav me bowled over…the excitement of the commentators, the green surrounding the animal in all its glory n the man [the jockey] enslaved to his horse, he maintains his weight, sits in a v uncomfortable position n definitely rides it like he should b as light as a feather…my dad is a movie freak, he can watch ny n every movie released, n most often his fav entertainment is making stories by combining the scripts of many movies [in one of our msk classes we had a similar game, n it was thoroughly entertaining] n he thinks my luv 4 horses is mainly coz my parents watched the black stallion whn I was happily sleeping in mas womb [ its again one of his fav stories
J cant say if I can bliv it nw]
Every time I wud give up, everytime I wud complain he wud tell me to think of the horse n the whip, he wud say tat the situations tat I was into, were like the whip n the way I wud find solutions to it wud b like the horse winning among its own breed n finishing among equals..tats som analogy, but it definitely works for me, speed thrills…hehehe
Hav been catching up on a coupla movies, watched bheja fry, a clever well scripted situational comedy, a small budget movie with a simple story, yet v crisp n entertaining, ur bheja will definitely bcom dheela [translation: ur spirits will b set free] bt, I must admit I cudnt stop admiring sarika in the little role tat she played [wish the whole kamalhasan bit cudve been rewinded, we missed a gud actress 4 somtime]
The other movie was a kannada one called 'mungaaru male' beautiful cinematography n simply melodious music, it has actors who look like u n me, v ordinary ppl, the story too is simple, but, the depth of the script n the power of the movie is in its dialogues, I have cried watching som bits of the movie, hwvr, its not a depressing movie, its bcom a record blockbuster, whoever heard of kannada blockbusters ;)
n the weekend saw me doin the evening pooja aftr som spell of time, it has been my assigned duty frm childhood, bt as I grew up n wasn't at hom everyday in the evenings, this bcame my responsibility whnevr I ws at home, n as I sat n prayed I almost felt meditative, the power of ones thoughts n beliefs is in itself a blessing, the heightened sense of belongingness n acceptance always humbles me…the whole idea or concept of a god or religion is something I don't bliv completely in, bt the ways n means of worship, the hymns we sing, the posture v adopt, the concentration n focus tat v have while worshipping, the presence of incense n flowers n most importantly the lamps v light adds hope, joy n meaning…
Well! Writing abt it is in itself like a healing… work also is happening, but, hav decided to shoulder som responsibility in the kitchen, especially, on weekends. I made a simple sweet, wud like to share the recipe… heregoes, its called seven cups, as a rule:use the same bowl for measurement.
Use a dish into which u put a bowl of ghee, n as it warms add a bowl of besan/chickpea using the same bowl as measure, stir it continuously[or else ur sweet'z gonaa b lumpy], soo pour the besan slowly stirring it simultaneously, then pour a bowl of milk, n add 3 bowls of sugar to this mixture, stir it continuously n finally add a bowl of coconut, the trick is to use the same measure for all the 7 times, 1 ghee,1besan,1 milk, 3 sugar, n finally the coconut…then pour this mixture aftr it reaches a semisolid consistency to a larger serving dish which is coated with ghee, spread the mixture n cut it immediately into even shaped pieces just aftr spreading it! Voila, the seven cups is ready to serve..its really yummmm
Heres wishing u a v sweet week…nxt time around I shall write abt visioning wch I spoke of n relate it to vachanas n quotes, for all who r not in blore, its simply super weather with the winds blowing at super speed n rain catching up, hwvr, not completely the best of season's as the colds n fevers r in the air…
17-6-07 Oye!! exhaustive
am going nucking futs!!!!!! ;)
Well! That's exactly how I felt when I ventured towards 'value lanes' an outbound training centre, on the outskirts of Bangalore… this happened in the last minute[my boss permitted to attend it only in mid morning, n I had to call up home to send a change of clothes..things happenin to me in the last min is a little annoying :)]… thoughts flooded my head in multiple directions, the work I mailed home to complete over the weekend, the new week of learning through a classroom set up by joinng in on the BA bootcamp to attend sessions on practices that we are into, missing another weekend of staying at home…this weekend i had planned to watch beauty n the beast [the animated version of it] n attend a family lunch on Sunday at my uncles place :)
But, as I sat in the bus which went on some of the worst roads that Bangalore could've had, I wondered what I was doing in a group of 55 others who were relatively familiar with each other..
I had to break the ice with most of them and get to know thm plus participate in rigorous activites which would need all my senses in acute concentration…but, as we got off the bus at the venue after about 40 mins of tat bumpy ride, I just smiled n could feel the 55 others smiling back at me J…the place felt like heaven on earth, a small pocket of civilization surrounded by mountains, a river n forestry…with spartan tents which had comfortable cots and cupboards too[it was like the coexistence of both luxury n simplicity together] dichotomy as usual…we had a small briefing on our neighbours in the surrounding forests, the boars and bears whom we were told not to disturb :-D n the first activity was playing a volleyball match, with the ball missing…. more of a know ur neighbour sort of game
J… where we had to pass the ball calling the name of someone within the team first, followed by the name of sm1 in the other team[it worked wonders n I cud remember most of my team n the opposite team as well!]
No brk aftr that, close to 7 in the evening, n it literally felt as 'dark as night' n we were divided into groups of 9 n were made to complete the task of carrying a bucket of water across 3 modules without actually setting foot on the ground or spilling the water, n bliv me despite being a young group of ppl at an avg age of 32, n having been thru these programs some point b4 in life, we cud only manage to complete 1 module mch byond the stipulated time:-L this was followed by dinner n barbecue n some djing which we all enjoyed despite, that stretched physical exertion… ppl who claimed to hav no appetites almost ravaged the kitchen J n everybody was thankful for the delicious food. The dinner stretched till 12 but we all had to end singing n chatting abruptly, as we had to wake up the next morn n b ready to face the day by 5AM.
What do we see, at that early hour, another simulated event where our clients are from Dubai n hiring for an entertainment co… men n women who could perform 11 hurdles, n thy felt that the hurdles should be based on our Indian army's mode of selection n we couldn't negotiate the time but finish all the hurdles within or by 15 mins.
The teams were again groups of 9, n all of us had to finish tasks to earn 675 dollars after wch, if time permitted, we cud repeat some of the hurdles n earn further money… n based on our earnings we would win the contract…hmmm, strategy, finance, n physical exercise…whattte combi ;) n all this as the sun rose in the horizon.. n our stomachs grumbling for food!
My team had 2 women n we were given a lot of consideration during the planning stage, I was xcited abt doing the Burmese bridge as it reminded me of the accident I had as a guide of falling from a height, n I wanted to finish it inorder to rest som of my fears!
My team started calling me the Burmese bridge beauty;) [hehehe] well, all these hurdles seemed v exciting, but were extremely difficult to do, except for 4 of the hurdles, balancing loop, the pole vault, the water logged dividers, the hangin tyre… the tough ones whr the 10ft wall, the bridges, the fishing net, the tarzan swing, n the W wall.
Until we crossed $675, all of the teams had to finish each of the hurdle, we all finished the easier ones, n I felt like I was eternally struck in the fishing net[ this is just a net which you have to climb, n then on descend om the other side, it was the most time consuming… the 10feet wall I finished comfortably as I was used to it through my experience in guides, but, by the time I reached w wall I was exhausted …only 10 mins had passed, I had completed most of the activities except the Burmese bridge n the tarzan swing n was stuck at W wall [the hurdle with highest points] n most of my team had completed it [my team had many from defense families n it was our advantage;)] in order to help me finish this hurdle, 2 guys in my team, one on the wall n the other as a camel under, I put my feet on this guy n the guy on the wall pulled me up n I jumped across, well! Completing this hurdle felt like victory itself…I ended up not fulfilling 2 of the hurdles in the stipulated 14 mins, but ended up repeating 2 of the easier hurdles again J in the end we stood 3rd among the competing 6 teams, it was close yet fun competing, I was astonished abt hw mch we could stretch if only we blived in doing things
:)
Breakfast was timed to 20 minutes, after wch we had to trek on a mountain which was simply had the most beautiful view that I have seen in recent times… [it reminded me of a trek I had been to in engg to chikamangalur]…the trek back was made difficult by blinding a few of us n muting the rest of thm, this was a v difficult trek, but, it made us realize that our senses bcom acute when we accept a deformity, I was blinded, but, I walked in small steps n completely trusted the chain I belonged to, we were resting each others hands on the shoulders of ppl in front of us, n went wherever thy went, n whn we looked at pics after the trek we found out tat we were almost at the edge many times, this was quite a learning experience, the amount of bonding tat happened aftr this event was simply superb!
This was followed by a quick lunch, n we had to go for a rappling activity, this was exhilarating!!!... The rules are simple, as we descend we should look upto the sky, be at 90degrees to the surface, n balance our weight on the hook with support from one arm behind us n the other infront of us, the most important thing is to not bend one's knees. Well! this was one exercise that made us shed our inhibitions, it was exhaustive but hilarious in its own way, the closer we reached the surface of the earth, the more we wanted to rapple, the height of this surface was abt 60ft n everytime we would reach close to the surface the rest who were thr b4 us wud crack some silly joke n we would smile with a sense of achievement! Indeed an experience I would recommend to all of you J[take me along n mayb u wudnt b as scared..hehehe]
The final n the last activity was at the river, we were working under the same co but as groups representing different locations, we had to design a raft which would be low cost n at the same time efficient n sturdy, enough to hold abt 7 ppl even in a flood!
The best part is we were given the resources which comprised of inflated tyres, ropes, n bamboos of different sizes n had to actually implement the design n test it in the river, all this again had distributed time limits, n this one activity we all took head on n all the teams completed it with loads of fun n enthu :)
We made slogans n songs to maintain the rhythm during rowing n it was a wonderful experience which helped us relive n relax after the whole days exertions… wanted to stay in the water forever, but home beckoned, another bumpy ride awaited, but this time around had established an acquaintance with almost 30 of them, as each activity would've us belonging to different groups n each interaction helped me understand varied interests, varied behavior patterns, n different hues of a personality that adds immense meaning to the canvas of life…
The initial sckeptism n complaining attitude was replaced by a 'spirit to discover more' to be able to connect more with everybody n understand the essence of life itself…the bones n every muscle in me is hurting but, the pain is welcome n it adds to my existence :)
This week was heavy with learning…have to also write to u all about my mentor n buddy Sanjay who happens to be the head of my division n the way he facilitated a visioning session through a video by a 'futurologist' into different modules n helps put forward a topic wch can b controversial, as visioning cannot be exactly taught!!
More on this in my nxt mail, u hav something 2 luk fwd to… n promise tat it will b another long mail :)
Well! That's exactly how I felt when I ventured towards 'value lanes' an outbound training centre, on the outskirts of Bangalore… this happened in the last minute[my boss permitted to attend it only in mid morning, n I had to call up home to send a change of clothes..things happenin to me in the last min is a little annoying :)]… thoughts flooded my head in multiple directions, the work I mailed home to complete over the weekend, the new week of learning through a classroom set up by joinng in on the BA bootcamp to attend sessions on practices that we are into, missing another weekend of staying at home…this weekend i had planned to watch beauty n the beast [the animated version of it] n attend a family lunch on Sunday at my uncles place :)
But, as I sat in the bus which went on some of the worst roads that Bangalore could've had, I wondered what I was doing in a group of 55 others who were relatively familiar with each other..
I had to break the ice with most of them and get to know thm plus participate in rigorous activites which would need all my senses in acute concentration…but, as we got off the bus at the venue after about 40 mins of tat bumpy ride, I just smiled n could feel the 55 others smiling back at me J…the place felt like heaven on earth, a small pocket of civilization surrounded by mountains, a river n forestry…with spartan tents which had comfortable cots and cupboards too[it was like the coexistence of both luxury n simplicity together] dichotomy as usual…we had a small briefing on our neighbours in the surrounding forests, the boars and bears whom we were told not to disturb :-D n the first activity was playing a volleyball match, with the ball missing…. more of a know ur neighbour sort of game
J… where we had to pass the ball calling the name of someone within the team first, followed by the name of sm1 in the other team[it worked wonders n I cud remember most of my team n the opposite team as well!]
No brk aftr that, close to 7 in the evening, n it literally felt as 'dark as night' n we were divided into groups of 9 n were made to complete the task of carrying a bucket of water across 3 modules without actually setting foot on the ground or spilling the water, n bliv me despite being a young group of ppl at an avg age of 32, n having been thru these programs some point b4 in life, we cud only manage to complete 1 module mch byond the stipulated time:-L this was followed by dinner n barbecue n some djing which we all enjoyed despite, that stretched physical exertion… ppl who claimed to hav no appetites almost ravaged the kitchen J n everybody was thankful for the delicious food. The dinner stretched till 12 but we all had to end singing n chatting abruptly, as we had to wake up the next morn n b ready to face the day by 5AM.
What do we see, at that early hour, another simulated event where our clients are from Dubai n hiring for an entertainment co… men n women who could perform 11 hurdles, n thy felt that the hurdles should be based on our Indian army's mode of selection n we couldn't negotiate the time but finish all the hurdles within or by 15 mins.
The teams were again groups of 9, n all of us had to finish tasks to earn 675 dollars after wch, if time permitted, we cud repeat some of the hurdles n earn further money… n based on our earnings we would win the contract…hmmm, strategy, finance, n physical exercise…whattte combi ;) n all this as the sun rose in the horizon.. n our stomachs grumbling for food!
My team had 2 women n we were given a lot of consideration during the planning stage, I was xcited abt doing the Burmese bridge as it reminded me of the accident I had as a guide of falling from a height, n I wanted to finish it inorder to rest som of my fears!
My team started calling me the Burmese bridge beauty;) [hehehe] well, all these hurdles seemed v exciting, but were extremely difficult to do, except for 4 of the hurdles, balancing loop, the pole vault, the water logged dividers, the hangin tyre… the tough ones whr the 10ft wall, the bridges, the fishing net, the tarzan swing, n the W wall.
Until we crossed $675, all of the teams had to finish each of the hurdle, we all finished the easier ones, n I felt like I was eternally struck in the fishing net[ this is just a net which you have to climb, n then on descend om the other side, it was the most time consuming… the 10feet wall I finished comfortably as I was used to it through my experience in guides, but, by the time I reached w wall I was exhausted …only 10 mins had passed, I had completed most of the activities except the Burmese bridge n the tarzan swing n was stuck at W wall [the hurdle with highest points] n most of my team had completed it [my team had many from defense families n it was our advantage;)] in order to help me finish this hurdle, 2 guys in my team, one on the wall n the other as a camel under, I put my feet on this guy n the guy on the wall pulled me up n I jumped across, well! Completing this hurdle felt like victory itself…I ended up not fulfilling 2 of the hurdles in the stipulated 14 mins, but ended up repeating 2 of the easier hurdles again J in the end we stood 3rd among the competing 6 teams, it was close yet fun competing, I was astonished abt hw mch we could stretch if only we blived in doing things
:)
Breakfast was timed to 20 minutes, after wch we had to trek on a mountain which was simply had the most beautiful view that I have seen in recent times… [it reminded me of a trek I had been to in engg to chikamangalur]…the trek back was made difficult by blinding a few of us n muting the rest of thm, this was a v difficult trek, but, it made us realize that our senses bcom acute when we accept a deformity, I was blinded, but, I walked in small steps n completely trusted the chain I belonged to, we were resting each others hands on the shoulders of ppl in front of us, n went wherever thy went, n whn we looked at pics after the trek we found out tat we were almost at the edge many times, this was quite a learning experience, the amount of bonding tat happened aftr this event was simply superb!
This was followed by a quick lunch, n we had to go for a rappling activity, this was exhilarating!!!... The rules are simple, as we descend we should look upto the sky, be at 90degrees to the surface, n balance our weight on the hook with support from one arm behind us n the other infront of us, the most important thing is to not bend one's knees. Well! this was one exercise that made us shed our inhibitions, it was exhaustive but hilarious in its own way, the closer we reached the surface of the earth, the more we wanted to rapple, the height of this surface was abt 60ft n everytime we would reach close to the surface the rest who were thr b4 us wud crack some silly joke n we would smile with a sense of achievement! Indeed an experience I would recommend to all of you J[take me along n mayb u wudnt b as scared..hehehe]
The final n the last activity was at the river, we were working under the same co but as groups representing different locations, we had to design a raft which would be low cost n at the same time efficient n sturdy, enough to hold abt 7 ppl even in a flood!
The best part is we were given the resources which comprised of inflated tyres, ropes, n bamboos of different sizes n had to actually implement the design n test it in the river, all this again had distributed time limits, n this one activity we all took head on n all the teams completed it with loads of fun n enthu :)
We made slogans n songs to maintain the rhythm during rowing n it was a wonderful experience which helped us relive n relax after the whole days exertions… wanted to stay in the water forever, but home beckoned, another bumpy ride awaited, but this time around had established an acquaintance with almost 30 of them, as each activity would've us belonging to different groups n each interaction helped me understand varied interests, varied behavior patterns, n different hues of a personality that adds immense meaning to the canvas of life…
The initial sckeptism n complaining attitude was replaced by a 'spirit to discover more' to be able to connect more with everybody n understand the essence of life itself…the bones n every muscle in me is hurting but, the pain is welcome n it adds to my existence :)
This week was heavy with learning…have to also write to u all about my mentor n buddy Sanjay who happens to be the head of my division n the way he facilitated a visioning session through a video by a 'futurologist' into different modules n helps put forward a topic wch can b controversial, as visioning cannot be exactly taught!!
More on this in my nxt mail, u hav something 2 luk fwd to… n promise tat it will b another long mail :)
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