Saturday, November 04, 2006

Its never too late...

Walk in the rain, jump in mud puddles, collect rocks, rainbows and roses, smell flowers, blow bubbles, stop along the way, build sandcastles, say hello to everyone, go barefoot, go on adventures, act silly, fly kites, have a merry heart, talk with animals, sing in the shower, read childrens' books, take bubble baths, get new sneakers, hold hands and hug and kiss, dance, laugh and cry for the health of it, wonder and wander around, feel happy and precious and innocent, feel scared, feel sad, feel mad, give up worry and guilt and shame, say yes, say no, say the magic words, ask lots of questions, ride bicycles, draw and paint, see things differently, fall down and get up again, look at the sky, watch the sun rise and sun set, watch clouds and name their shapes, watch the moon and stars come out, trust the universe, stay up late, climb trees, daydream, do nothing and do it very well, learn new stuff, be excited about everything, be a clown, enjoy having a body, listen to music, find out how things work, make up new rules, tell stories, save the world, make friends with the other kids on the block, and do anything else that brings more happiness, celebration, health, love, joy, creativity, pleasure, abundance, grace, self-esteem, courage, balance, spontaneity, passion, beauty, peace, relaxation, communication and life energy to...all living beings on this planet.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Of Broken Indicator & lousy Chai!!

Chilly nights, late-night dinner
3 of us digging the Sizilling Brownie
at 12 in the morning!
Conversations!
Am i shocking You? Not yet!

Salads & Jade Soup!
Broken indicator (s) & 100% lousy
chai, that too paid!!
On a stone next to
the gutter,
under a lamp-post!

Shivering in cold
Riding back home
in wee hours smiling!
Nearly going bankrupt
while talking!

A bathtub fantasy
Adventure sense zero!
Anti-Me!!

Weird
Independent
Assertive

A bear Hug!
Dont Define
Take time
Live your day by the day!

Anupam Kher
Wine & black tea
on the terrace
A tight rope walk
A picture of a girl
watching the sky!
Sunrise!

The nights are
still cold
But has an
orange tinge on it now!

Its difficult now
But there is hope
I am not to be lost
But to be held on to!

Broken indicator (s) & 100% lousy
chai, that too paid!!

Growing towards a New Us!

I am not sure if i am making sense at all with my subject line though with what i have in my complex mind!

But what i do know is that, we move & change along with time. Its a simple but a great word, isnt it? Have you ever pondered over it?

In the movie 'IQ' (Meg Ryan!!), as the character Einstein says, "By the time you say the word 'Time', time would have passed by!". My best friend Charan got engaged(nin wicket bithu, machha!). Even before we could realise, he came into town, met the girl (Oh, sorry, Her name is Deepa) & they agreed. It was like yesterday (9 years actually) since we met in college, became friends, did all kinds of nonsense in our classes... then grew up to be grown-ups..took up work...our Bowring Kulfi sessions. I could write & not stop!













[This was on our 1st ever trip to Mysore. Charan in glasses; Gundu & Me!]
After his engagement, we went out for Lunch with Deepa & Chandrika (our common friend). Oh, yes, before i forget, Deepa's cute! Ekdum Bindaas types! Just like us, no pretence, she is the way she is. We hit off, right from the first note!! I was relieved. Once we got out after lunch & planned to head out to eat Kulfi (the girls didnt liked to eat them...Oh my God!, what a thing to miss in life), as i walked ahead & jabbered, i happen to turn around & i saw that they held each other's hand; my mind immediately did a 30 sec slideshow of all the good times we had; i was walking, thinking that we have entered into the next phase of our lives. I was smiling inside, big time! Its the feeling of completing one part & entering part 2 of your life. I am very happy for him; can call him an Uncle now & mean it!! Ha ha!

This is to you Charan!! Cheers to Great Life!!

I AM BACK!!!

Hey.. I AM BACK.... heeee haaaw!!!!

Feeling great. Elated!! Fresh!! On TOP of the world!
It been more than 2 months since i wrote anything. I wasnt in my element :( or you could just say that i was down right lazy.

First things first... I had a great trip down south on my bike. Lots of small time adventure. One was def., riding in the night. Crazy it was. The other was riding from Kanniyakumari to Bangalore without stopping for the day; 22 hours of riding; at the end of it, i was crying out in pain, literally, but it was in its own way FUN!! It was different from anything that i have done before! My previous trip involved just riding from one place to the another; but this one was about going to places, to be a tourist (hatke tho!!).

I thought that i would write my travelogue; but it was too tiring for me to write. I tried, but as i wrote i discovered that there was so much to say that at the end of Day 1, in my journal, i stopped; cos i had written like about 12 full pages!! I will one of these days put it up here.

You can however look at my photos tho... very amatuer... but hey its me, with my limited creative skills.

Part 1

Part 2

Waiting for my next one!

Friday, August 04, 2006

Re-Routing

Remember Part 2 of my trip. There is a small change in plan & the route.

Now, i want to go to Danushkodi (this is like the tip of the island strech after which it is a long way to Sri Lanka) through Rameshwaram & then turn around to Kanyakumari. Return back to Bangalore through Madurai. Only thing is that there would be no day to rest as earlier planned. Looking at the route it sounds fun & exciting.

Had brilliant dinner yesterday. If you are a foodie, like me, you will enjoy your meal in RR on Chruch Street. I recommend Guntur Chicken. Yum & spicy. I eat a lot of spice; but this one hits you in your face. You could expect some good Andhra delicacies to be had. They have a collection of some awesome Biryani too.

Life.

My last weekend of the previous month was interesting.

Before I start, it is important to know that on Sep 10 is “World Suicide Prevention Day”. The “International Association for Suicide Prevention” in collaboration with World Health Organisation, uses this day to call attention to Suicide as a leading cause of premature & preventable death.

We (Medico Pastoral Association with Crysallis) here in Bangalore, are using
this opportunity & having this year’s theme as “Life, You are worth it”.

This is happening on a 3 stage process, where in Stage 1, we sensitize children in schools & young adults in colleges across Bangalore about the subject & ask them to talk about it, ask/seek help in case of distress & look at Life as an opportunity to enjoy it than otherwise. We also held Placard making activity across the city involving students to come up with positive things about life & what you they do in case of distress; which is to ask for help or just talk.

The activity happened under the supervision of number of volunteers (like you & me) in diff schools & colleges. I was involved myself with coordinating between 3 schools in JP Nagar. Have to admit that it is a very humbling experience to be involved with children & see them being creative on a sensitive subject as this is.

Let me introduce you to my friend’s (Karthik) mail to us which speaks for itself.


Hi All,

When I initially heard of the next event, I looked at it with a question mark for it not only clashed with my personal opinion but I also was skeptical about the response it would get. However, I knew it was a good cause and whatever help I could provide, I would. With that in mind and my usual bonhomie, I walked into the fun filled training session in my trademark greys to find a whole bunch of enthusiastic and energetic volunteers checking each other out!

As we went through the slide presentation which was being provided by the lady (I’m not good with names but I think it was Lata), I suddenly realized how everything becomes so meaningless when shown in numbers. A person is treasured only as a number except by those in their circle, their family, friends, relatives and acquaintances… they mean something only in that circle … and to most in the meeting who didn’t know me, I was the same, just a number and vice versa. Talk about perspective…

Of course Diana had recruited the very well organized slave driver (joking! She I think did a fabulous job) Madhu who shaped out the team and wished everyone good night till the last day of the event. It was great to see the number of volunteers present and with the belief that they worked with.

As the training sessions and the practice session at Diana’s place went on, I slowly did understand the way people looked at the topic, the various conflicts that work internally within each one of us, the perception of individualized alone-ness. It is with a burden everyone believes that is unique only to themselves that they feel that they are not understood and never can be also. So while some provided glimpses of a lonely road, or feeling alone in a theatre or not being understood by family even when among them, it is for me to realize that this is a temporary phase, with a lot to look forward to in the future.

As part of the volunteers who were assigned to colleges and had to be at Mount Carmel College, it was (like I’m sureworking with the children was too) a totally different experience. A certain trend unearthed which we all understand yet fail to acknowledge, reasons and responses to those who try or call for help through various means which they many a time themselves do not realize or understand. From dowry to parental pressure, from friends to societal influence, from exams to marriage; the perception and reasons for taking such drastic measures seem to bring out the same ideas in the minds of people. I have always worked with the idea that children are more receptive, they not only listen better but are more creative too; we only need to put in time to explain things in the way they want to listen to us. To realise and to understand at earlier the age helps immensely, it is a worthy cause to work towards. Great going!

As the training sessions and the practice session at Diana’s place went on, I slowly did understand the way people looked at the topic, the various conflicts that work internally within each one of us, the perception of individualized alone-ness. It is with a burden everyone believes that is unique only to themselves that they feel that they are not understood and never can be also. So while some provided glimpses of a lonely road, or feeling alone in a theatre or not being understood by family even when among them, it is for me to realize that this is a temporary phase, with a lot to look forward to in the future.

As part of the volunteers who were assigned to colleges and had to be at Mount Carmel College, it was (like I’m sure working with the children was too) a totally different experience. A certain trend unearthed which we all understand yet fail to acknowledge, reasons and responses to those who try or call for help through various means which they many a time themselves do not realize or understand. From dowry to parental pressure, from friends to societal influence, from exams to marriage; the perception and reasons for taking such drastic measures seem to bring out the same ideas in the minds of people. I have always worked with the idea that children are more receptive, they not only listen better but are more creative too; we only need to put in time to explain things in the way they want to listen to us. To realise and to understand at earlier the age helps immensely, it is a worthy cause to work towards. Great going!

What I did pick up from the event:
- A better understanding of why people take extreme measures.
- A few tips on how to help them
- A few friends
- Memories


It was one of those moments where you start thinking. Which shakes you up & says “Wake Up”.

A heavy weekend should I add.

My New Found Interest.

First things first, my due apologies that I haven’t posted anything for some time. There are 2 reasons why, one is that there is nothing interesting happening with me & secondly I am in Blissful Pain. Let me explain before you test you intelligence & question my English.

I have started with my Gym Sessions. Have started to exercise. This is in a place called “Steve’s Gym” near Cox Town. I do basic workouts now. No weights.

I used to be in good shape you know. As they say, “Long Long ago, So long ago, Nobody Knows how long ago”; when I was in my teens, I used to learn Karate. The chops, the blocks et all. I used to have a great bod. Used to run, & run like hell. & all of sudden i stopped everything.

You see, its not the same story anymore. I am old now. I hardly work out. I climb 5 storeys & you will see me panting like there is no tomorrow. I am no more in shape. But, I have made up my mind to kick all that out of the window. I have started to cycle & walk & walk a lot. Treadmill has become my new mate.

Know what it hurts; it hurts cos exercising makes every muscle which were sleeping, wake up & take charge. Every muscle is stretched & pulled (Hold on to your imagination pls) & put life back in it. I curse Steve, cos the place is on the 2nd floor & getting down the stairs is another task in itself.

But as the cliché goes “No Pain, No Gain”. The pain is not a sit down & cry pain, you know, it is a Happy Pain. You end up smiling when you want to lift you hand & say HII to your colleague.

Ok, I have to go now, meet my new mate. Ciou.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Yipee!!!

Ha Ha!! I am feeling better now after some tensed moments during 1st half of the day.

Few of you know about my trip around Karnataka in the 1st week of April. That was some ride, some amazing memories, some daring stunts but ended up me coming back in one piece. I never got to write about it in here.

Now, guess what, I am doing a Part 2 on that. I want to ride from here (Blr) to Kanyakumari & back through Dindigul & Madurai. Some 1400 kms. But in this trip i am looking at taking friends along instead of doing it all by myself; like Karnataka. So, this is an open invitation to all my friends who are as crazy as i am to join me.

The plan is to leave early morning on the 11 Aug, Friday; & return back to Bangalore on the evening of 15 Aug, Tuesday.

Am so looking forward for this ride; even if i have to go all by myself. I am sure its going to be fun.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Ramu

Its been a lousy week. I was tied up big time. Now, i am sounding pricy.

No, i was tied up. With our brilliant bureaucrats pulling down the entire domain of blogger instead of blocking particular blogs which carried sensitive material, it felt like my hands were tied. Talk about freedom of expression!! What next, Control of Media?

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

You.

When you remember me,
it means that you have carried something
of who I am with you,
that I have left some mark of
who I am on who you are.

It means that you can summon me
back to your mind even though countless
years and miles may stand between us.

It means that if we meet again,
you will know me.

It means that even after I die,
you can still see my face and
hear my voice and speak to me in your heart.

For as long as you remember me,
I am never entirely lost.
When I'm feeling most ghost-like,
it is your remembering me that helps
remind me that I actually exist.

When I'm feeling sad, it's my consolation.
When I'm feeling happy, it's part of why I feel that way.

If you forget me, one of the ways
I remember who I am will be gone.

If you forget, part of who I am will be gone.
-Anonymous.

Monday, July 10, 2006

26 Days & 5 Marriages.

Its been a crazy month; 4 of my good friends got married. You would be wondering why i wrote 5 in the subject ( no i am not trying your intelligence); lets just say that one of them got slaughtered twice.













This is Bhaskar & Nitya. Arranged Marriage.
Hiriyur is where it happened.













This is Harsha & Aarthi. Love &
Arranged Marriage. Bangalore.



















This is Syed Masroor; a good collegue of mine.
Arranged Marriage. My apologies that Bhabhi's
(Nasreen) photo is not available. Bangalore again.













This is another collegue of mine.Deepak & Neethi.
Love & Arranged Marriage.
Kodava Samaj & Koramangala; Bangalore.













Wow, what a month!!
By the end of it, i have gone nuts attending marriages.
I cant believe i made it through 5 of them in like less
than a month. Anyways, if nothing else, i got
to eat & savour different kinds of food through out.
& i am kind off fed up answering the cliched
questions
time & again.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Regret.

The thing i hate about getting old; apart from the fact that one day my children are going to throw me out of the house or my wife leaves me for someone better, is to sit down & regret.

I have this picture in my mind; its beautiful weather outside, the kinds which make you think, i am sitting in my rocking chair, coffee cup on a table next to me, newspaper in my hand, rocking back & forth, thinking & telling myself that "Oh My God, I should have done that!!". I resent that picture somehow.

Its my constant conscious effort to make sure that i don't get there. I think it is scary for me to think that i am going to get there & tell myself that there is something i should have done.

The other day when i had an off & didnt know what to do, i picked up all my photographs, dumped it in the car & headed off to my old school. I did my 5, 6 & 7th std in New Public English School in Basaveshwaranagar. There was this girl in my class;tall, beautiful & smart(you must be thinking how is this possible) on who i had this big time crush. I always wanted to tell her. We were kids; i am talking about late 1980's; it was this unexplainable goodie goodie feeling within, you didnt know what it was, but was great. There was no definition for it, but when we grow up is when we know what it is, term it, define it & give it a name. Whatever happened to Love. You would have this smile on your face, you would go shy when you are next to her, get goosebumps but still were good friends. Ohh what can i say, it was my first crush.

So, where were we? Ok, i had lost contact of her & anyone studied with. So i went in search of anyone i knew from the school. I was thrilled when i did meet up with my Head Mistress. We shared each others story till date like movie trailers. She promised that she would help me in finding atleast one of my friends & i promised that i would try to convince the school authorities to start a "Old Student's Association".

I am happy atleast that i took that step in the right direction. NO regrets regardless of the consequence. No Regrets.


“People so seldom say I love you And then it's either too late or love goes. So when I tell you I love you, It doesn't mean I know you'll never go, Only that I wish you didn't have to.”

“Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future.”

“I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person.”

“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”

“If only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world.”

My Earlier Photos.

This is Mom. I guess after marriage. She looks "wow". She disagrees though.


This is the earliest photo i have i guess. Mom again here.









This is a classic photo of both of us. Its impossible to forget this photo cos its imprinted in my mind. We looked cute & he the cutest.

They.

I am told that it was Love. You could have your own definitions for it.

He came into town after he fought with his parents on some issue or it could also be that he wanted to be independent. Got a job as a typist in a reputed Plywood Factory (a town near Mysore) in those days. It was big break for him. Being a smart man that he way, he had this charm in him which made him quite know in the new town & the work place. He made good number of friends, out of whom my uncle became the closest to him.
I think being a quick learner runs in the genes I guess; there is an old story that his dad learnt Tamil in 3 days flat with the help of a book when he got posted to Madurai (which is in Tamilnadu) from his native in Kerala. He picked up Kannada really well & mastered it to perfection; but with close observation you could catch the Malayalam influence behind it.

She was the 3rd child in the family; a very orthodox Brahmin Family should i say. If you knew me i wouldn’t survive a day in there. But that’s where I came from. She was a beautiful looking girl in a huge family of theirs. She went to school, college & did her masters in her 40s. Very talkative & naughty among her friends but well mannered in her house. She had to be; having a strict, ex-military, disciplinarian father like hers, it would be crazy to think that any child of the family could break out of the traditions it bound them. Some say she was a pillar of strength; this smart girl who held the family together, in crisis. She studied music & to play Veena (traditional musical instrument, similar to Sitar); she still plays it. She was in college then.

I do not know when exactly they met. But I do know he used to visit home along with her elder step brother (my uncle). During one of these visits is when I guess it struck to him that he found the woman of his life. Now, that was just half of the journey. Coming from a different background as he is, the major hurdle was to convince the family esp., her father, who was completely against the idea that his daughter getting married to some outsider who is not even of the same cast. They got married against all odds.

That was Mom & Dad.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Love is in the Air.

I have a small story to tell.

This is about my very good friend Guna. He met his wife when they were in 3rd std in school. They were also related to each other in a way. When we met each other in an institute, during which he had confessed to us that he is going to break the news to her on a certain day. He got a big fat "NO" from her. He was persistant. He did not give up. In some time she did agree. I am sure there was no one in the world who was that ecstatic that day; you couldnt catch him, at all. I could understand why, he was going to marry his childhood sweetheart.

Except for a small hitch, that the family was kind off was against it (which they finally took care off) the wedding went off well. To date they still are the cutest couple i have come accross who love each other endlessly. He still has the first set of roses they exchanged; there is hardly much in the rose, but still it is framed..the greeting card he got, the first movie tickets..everything.

Today they are a happy family of 3 with their Son.

Every time i see them, i get moved by the simplicity in them. I get inspired by them. They have this aura of happiness, even if you were blind, you could feel that unbelievable energy around them; you could feel LOVE.

Each time i see them / rather think about them, i have this smile accross my face. They make me believe that LOVE still exsits.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Break!

Its been some time, since i have blogged. Have been busy, sick, attending marriages & just not in the right frame of mind.

But i am going to be back, in a bang; till then enjoy the other updates on the side bar & i have also put up my favourite song from Fort Minor.

So, pump up the volume & enjoy.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

No More a "Novice".

Any humble beginning has a spectacular end.

I suggest you read my good friends blog too.. It is present under Favourites.
I think she has a natural writing skill. Some people are just blessed by it; comes without any effort.

http://shikriti.blogspot.com/

Not that this is the end; but a Start. Go on Malavika.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Dont Talk; Just Blog.

I walked into the office today smiling. No, i am not in Love; its just that i had a good weekend & it was a B E A Utiful day today. Bright sun, smell of yesterdays rain, little traffic on the way to office, what else you want. Good Morning.

My collegue asked me how my weekend was & out of nowhere i just happen to tell him to check my blog. I am getting weird (in a goofed up, good way) am i not.

Anyway, my weekend started off hatke (lets just say there was a mishap). We friends get together atleast once in a month, on a sunday, go to some part of Avenue Road & eat piping hot Chicken Biryani which is served in a Donne (Its a cup made out of Dried Leaves). We pick this up & head out to KSLTA stadium in front of which there are couple of stone benches under a huge banyan tree. Its Divine. What else can i say?

I also did a 2nd round viewing of "The DaVinci Code". Was browsing through Landmark & street side vendors of books & ended up picking 5 of them.

A Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank.
Self Matters - Dr. Phil McGraw.
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey.
Richard Branson - Autobiography.
Life of Pi - Yann Martel.

I have already started with Life of Pi & Anne Frank simultaneously.

So, as i started, my dear collegue, this is what i did on my weekend.

Lets Blog!!!

Somebody Please...

If you have been reading or watching the melodrama of the latest "Mika & Rakhi Sawant" controversy, i wouldnt blame you cos the media is playing it really hard & Ms. Bharathiya Nari (Rakhi) is going great guns on it.

OK, now how many of you have actually seen the entire so called "I was Molested" scene. Check the link above.
Tell you what, i am not trying to rake feathers here from the opposite sex. My reason for posting this blog was when i did watch it, i was rolling all over the floor; cos i found it funny & i pity Mika.

Looks like Mika needs some urgent & serious kissing lessons. The guy doesnt know how to, period. If you have watched Baywatch & see how life gaurds give CPR's, that is exactly how Mika was. If you watch closely, you will see after he does what he does, he has this smile, kind off telling himself that he did which he could be proud about. I say, this guy needs to be kicked on the balls, throw him out of the music career & put in him on some beach where he could use his "so called kissing" skills to give life to others (CPR).

Somebody please tell him how to......

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Two Weddings & a Toe

What a F U N tastic two weeks i had.
Two weddings in a week's time; two different places. The 1st one was in HIRIYUR (near Tumkur); Bhaskar was the bakra in this one, good friend of mine, we studied together in college & kept in touch throughout... We drove down to the place which is like two hours away from here.. stayed in another of our college mate's bunglow. The reception was held in the evening & the marriage ceremony in the early hours of the next day. Few of other frnds were also supposed to join us, who did come but, drunk. So they slept while thr best frnd was tying the knot (for which they came) & came in exactly in time for lunch. The ceremony was in a simple Tamil Goundar way. I had to split from the boys who went in search of some soul food(natti kolli) pick up mom & aunt & drive down back to bangalore.
After 6 days, it was Harsha's turn to fall into the well (bad pun i know). He fell in love with his College mate Aarthi, won the battle & got married to her. As it happened here in Bangalore, more of us were here only for the reception. Aarthi was looking gorgeous in her outfit.
Everybody else ditched me for the wedding, so i ended up to be all by myself.
I have never understood the concept of a) reception & b) the growing tendency of people/friends attending a reception & convincing themselves that they have been a part of someone's wedding. Am i making sense or am i rattling things off. I am definetly not a reception kind off a guy, only thing that works for me is being a part of the marriage. I think it is special, that is the thing which matters the most, then is the moment in which two peoples life take a turn. & that is the moment i would like to be a part of.
Ok enough, i think two weddings have made me philosophical.
Yesterday, when i was parking Gundu's (My Brother) bike, cos of previous days rain, my leg slipped; as i put my left leg to balance myslef with the bike, as it fell over it kind off squashed my toe & moved the nail out. Gosh i cant tell you how much it hurt. I dont rem the last time i got myslef hurt; & its been such long time, i actually have forgotten what pain feels like.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Beloved Wife.

I was so caught with things that i was not able to give time on this blog. Was also not in town, i had been to a good friend's marriage in Hiriyur. Now that i am back, will rock the world!!! To start off on a positive note, this is a good poem i bumped into on the net. Laugh it out!!!!



BELOVED WIFE!!

Through the jongole I am went
On shooting Tiger I am bent
Bustaard Tiger has eaten wife
No doubt I will avenge poor darling's life

Too much quiet, snakes and leeches
But I not fear these sons of beeches
Hearing loud noise I am jumping with start
But noise is coming from damn fool's heart

Taking care not to be fright
I am clutching rifle tight with eye to sight
Should Tiger come I will shoot and fall him down
Then like hero return to native town

Then through trees I am espying one cave
I am telling self - "Bholanath be brave"
I am now proceeding with too much care
From far I smell this Tiger's lair

My leg shaking, sweat coming, I start to pray
I think I will shoot Tiger some other day
Turning round I am going to flee
But Tiger giving bloody roar spotting this Bengalee

He bounding from cave like football player Pele
I run shouting "Kali Ma tumi kothay gele"
Through the jongole I am running
With Tiger on my tail closer looming

I am a telling that never in life
I will risk again for my damn fool wife

Thursday, June 01, 2006

8 Monkeys

This is something to laugh about after all the serious posts. Enjoy.


Put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling.Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable.

Soon enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up.Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.

One of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious. But undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder.All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly. He has no idea why. However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.

A second original monkey is removed and replaced. The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys hammer the crap out of him. This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he's not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it.However, he has no idea why he's attacking the new monkey.

One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced. Eight new monkeys are now in the room. None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water. None of them attempt to climb the ladder. All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why.

This is how any company's policies get Established

What do you want to be?

I am writing this on my experience today.
We live in a complex world; there are things which happen around us which affect us in some way or the other; which affect us to see the world in a different way.
Have you ever wondered how that process works?
To every stimulus (situation), we respond.
How wonderful it would be if we could choose how to respond/react?
Let me share an example i read in a Stephen Covey's book.... The scene is in a airline terminus...there is an announcement which says that the flight is delayed. All of the passengers rush to the help desk & start enquiring. The help desk attendant says the delay is due to a technical issue; to which most of the passengers start shouting & abusing the poor lady who is litreally helpless. The point to be noted is regardless of what the passengers do, the flight "is" going to be delayed. So why react?
The author approaches to the angry passenger, by this time he is furious & looking like he is going to have a attack; makes him understand the situation but comes under attack himself. The author goes back to his waiting lounge, picks out a book & enjoys his cup of coffee; & gets a better service once he is on the flight unlike the rest of the angry (reactive) crowd.
The point i am trying to make here is that every time there is a Stimulus , there is this urge within us which makes us to get back at it immediately; before we know we would have reacted isnt it?
Only if we can hold ourselves back, lets say for about 20-30 secs, & then respond (mind you not react)... try it...you will know what i am talking about. You will see that out of nowhere you will go through this momemtary phase where things just seem pleasant & you are actually not angry for some strange reason.
Be Proactive, not reactive.
So, my question, What do you want to be?

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Success

I am a huge fan of Subroto Bagchi's writings. I was reading one of his articles which he had penned down some time back.... & at the end of the article he put down couple of lines on defining success in his own way. Read on & you will know what i am talking about...

"Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives." - Subroto Bagchi, COO, Mind Tree Consulting.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

ohh i forgot.... 101.

101. Have atleast i friend like the guy who has posted a comment on my previous post.

You should check it out... the guy has some serious problem in life to post a comment larger than the topic itself. By the by, for people who i am talking about, its one of my collegue Kannan.

enjoy guys

100 things to do before i die.

For some time now, i was thinking about all the things i want to do before i kick the bucket. The list is as below, its my list. I ask you also to write down things which you wanna do in your life time. Its important, believe you me, gives you a different perspective on life; i guess we will also see how important life is.

So here we go.

1. Climb the Mt. Everest.
2. Go round the world in a plane.
3. Plant a tree, actaully many.
4. Fall in love over & over again.
5. Go sky diving.
6. Do a deep sea diving
7. Visit famous beaches in all continents.
8. Run a Marathon.
9. Be a Bartender.
10. Learn to play golf.
11. Create my family tree.
12. Want to trek to origin of the river Nile.
13. Want to fly to moon & back.
14. For some strange reason, i always wanted to pee from the top of Mt. Everest.
15. Want to BASE jump.
16. Learn to throw a Boomerang.
17. Want to ride a Bull.
18. Fart loudly in a crowded lift.
19. Want to learn mathematics & how to handle my own finance.
20. Gamble my butt off in Vegas.
21. Be a streaker in Indo-Pak cricket match.
22. Go up in a Hot-Air balloon.
23. Scuba Dive in Great Barrier Reef.
24. Learn to Juggle.
25. Make out with a stranger in public.
26. Invite all the people i know, telling them its my funeral (& find out
how many actually turn up)
27. Tell I LOVE YOU to as many people as possible.
28. Smile always. 24/7, 365 days.
29. Lie to your boss that you met with an accident, & spend a month at home lazying around.
30. Spend 3 months time in getting in shape like David.
31. Learn to fly a Hang Glider.
32. Go to the edge of the atmosphere by a hot air balloon & jump down to earth.
33. Go wild in Rio's annual carnival.
34. Write a will.
35. Spend a new years eve on a beach naked sipping wine.
36. Ask someone you just met to go on a date with you.
37. Write my own epitaph.
38. Spend a night in a haunted house..all by myself.
39. Teach someone illiterate to read.
40. Shower in a waterfall with someone i love.
41. Drink beer in Oktoberfest.
42. Be a judge in Ms. Universe contest.
43. Fire my own boss & take his place for a day.
44. Learn Ballroom dancing.
45. Get jailed.
46. Be a judge.
47. Watch the Parlaiment in session(in person).
48. Build a Tomb for myself.
49. Eat a Cobra's heart, Octopuss, Crocodile, Emu, Ostrich....this list is big.
50. Make enough money to buy my own plane.
51. Cross the Sahara on a Camel.
52. Send a message in a Bottle.
53. Throw a Monstrous party & invite all your friends.
54. Swim with a dolphin.
55. Learn to speak French.
56. Grow a Mustache.
57. Create a website in my name.
58. Make my own wine.
59. Make something important & patent it.
60. Buy a Hayabusa for my Bro.
61. Buy a Harley for myself.
62. Make a movie & act in it too.
63. Write a PHD paper on NOTHING!
64. Write a love letter.
65. Make love on a train/forest floor/kitchen……………..
66. Write an Autobiography.
67. Donate to an Orphanage anonymously.
68. Fall in love….helplessly & unconditionally.
69. Donate a bench to a park; put my name on it.
70. Have a child, look in its eyes, see yourself & smile.
71. Save enough for myself before it kicks me out of the house.
72. Own a double barreled gun.
73. Visit 7 wonders of the world.
74. Date a Supermodel.
75. Learn to Tap Dance.
76. Go fishing & eat my catch.
77. Fly faster than the speed of sound.
78. Own a submarine.
79. Finish an Iron-man competition.
80. Ride the biggest, meanest roller coaster back to back for a day.
81. Test drive a Ferrari.
82. Have my own line of Lingerie.
83. Have an expensive business suit made.
84. Visit the Louvre in Paris.
85. Visit an active volcano.
86. Vote.
87. Say I am Sorry.
88. Read Bhagavad-Gita.
89. Do Bungee jumping.
90. Get a World Class chef to cook for me for a month.
91. Buy a library.
92. Help at least a dozen people.
93. Fight Mike Tyson.
94. Become national champion in Bowling.
95. Own a Strip / Stand up Comedy bar.
96. Learn Karate & Kung foo & kick your boss’s ass.
97. Become india's Richard Branson.
98. Have a chocolate brand in my name.
99. Get a Doctrate on Point 63.
100. Finish atlest 25 of them & add more to the list.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

How to work for an IDIOT!!!

I am sure we all have come accross different kind off bosses in our work times. Some are great to work with while others are bad.. so how do you deal with them.......

The Machiavellian Boss

Diagnosis: Smart, shrewd and ruthless. MB's believe the chair at the top of corporate ladder is theirs by divine right. An MB will rip out your heart, slap it in your hand and say, "Nothing personal."
Care and Feeding: Approach with utmost caution. Consider a transfer.

The Sadistic Boss

Diagnosis: SB's aren't completely clueless and can be devious. A SB loves the sound of weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth and rending of garments coming from the cubicles outside his or her office.
Care and Feeding: Don't cry or whine, because it only encourages a SB. Walk slumped over with a pained, weight-of-the-world look, pulling your mouth downward. This says that your suffering is intense and that you don't need any more pain heaped upon your little head.


The Masochistic Boss

Diagnosis: Warning! MB's can be idiots. Most feel their life and career are complete flops and seek to enroll you in their continuing catastrophe, because misery loves company.
Care and Feeding: Don't bother. MB's have nothing to teach you, and working with one won't boost your career. Flee ASAP.

The Paranoid Boss

Diagnosis: Conspiracy theories overwhelm any flicker of intelligence. PB's are reluctant to approve a transfer, because you might "know too much."
Care and Feeding: Set up a meeting in the PB's office. Take out a sealed envelope filled with blank paper. Tell the PB that you will hand over a list of everyone involved in the conspiracy against him as soon as he approves your transfer. Tuck envelope in your pocket and pat it. Smile. Results guaranteed.


The Gawd Boss

Diagnosis: Think Donald Trump, with or without the hair. Lying facedown on the floor at the GB's feet is considered routine. GB's demand that anyone entering the holy of holies (the mug's office) burn incense, clang cymbals and bear burnt offerings.
Care and Feeding: GB's prove that the Creator has a wicked sense of humor. Try to match it.


The Buddy Boss

Diagnosis: Surgical removal of a BB from your hip isn't covered by the company's health plan. The BB wants to come to your house for Thanksgiving dinner or to watch the Super Bowl. Be careful or the BB will show up on your doorstep with an overnight bag.
Care and Feeding: Consider buying the BB a big, slobbering, stupid dog that will adore him at least six days out of seven


The Good Boss

Diagnosis: The Good Boss isn't fantasy, but extremely rare. If you have one, immediately contact the Smithsonian, because such a gem should be preserved for posterity.
Care and Feeding: If your boss guides you, recognizes your talent, appreciates your hard work and rewards results, get to work early and turn handstands on every project every day. Chances are your Good Boss will have some flaws, but be thankful for all the solid stuff, including the occasional sympathetic ear. Listen when the Good Boss speaks, because you will learn many things.


HAPPY WORKING!!!
stop complaining & get back to work...
Hii.....

This is my first attempt to start blogging. I had tried it previuosly(for office) but failed miserably. So lets see how this one goes.

If you are some one who i know, i advise you to put this link in your favourites list..

I hope to keep putting in some interesting stuff, things which you could find silly & out of the world crazy at times. Keep your comments running in at all times.

As they say, IT AINT OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS.........let the good times begin.