~ xistinchaos ~

Moonlit nights

2011-12-11T00:35:00.001-08:00

On those moonlit nights, your tiger yearns for you…where ismy pretty lady of the deep dark stripes, the beauty that I call mine? As I closemy eyes on yet another day, I wonder where I shall rest my head, if not on yourlap?

The days are tough, the hours are long and the nights brimwith expectancy. How I look forward to the time when one hunt ends and the nextone begins. The hunt for a great time to spend, a hunt for pleasingconversations, and for intimate escapes of the mind. A look that scorches the soul,equally loving at the same time. Profound touches and alighted senses that makelife livable, one day at a time, one memory at a time, one moment at a time…..

A list of things that matter...

2011-05-13T23:42:00.000-07:00

When I sat down to make list of things to take along to the Gobi, I came to realize that not everything I was taking had been personally bought or requested. Not everything was tangible. What I am taking with me are gifts, memories, good wishes, benevolence, kindness, help, bravery and a lot of encouragement. All given without being asked for and in ample measure.

Aai and Baba, —the fact that you think that I can do it is 99% of the battle won. It’s been quite a journey beginning with acceptance to the list making, packing plans, tasting various ready to cook food, logistics and a hell lot of patience.

My friend from SIAC, who I know back from 2002, his help in what I am doing is invaluable. The good soul that he is, he wishes to be unnamed.

The shirts/tops that’ll see me through the desert come from dear A, who cheers every tiny achievement of mine. She is completely partial to me and I love it.

S was the first person I called as soon as my back froze back in November. That I can now joke about it is all thanks to him.

Great advice from Mr Damle of Damle Safaris, about visa procedures for Mongolia and most importantly getting us in touch with the Indian embassy.

Ketki and Mangesh, the 4 am phone call couple. Ready with advice, help and cheer.

The rowdy lot of cousins that I have loves to dole out advice by the heaps. All of it good! J

The besan laddus will make a big difference there. That is so thoughtful of Maushi!

Try as I might, I did not find more than 9 outdoor photos of myself in all the photography that I have done. What you see now is all credit to Shirish, good old friend, awesome training partner, techno junkie and super planner. He travelled all the way from Mumbai almost all weekends in the last 2 months to go with me on trails and hikes. The Radio City video with all its effect was created entirely by him.

The contribution from this individual at the gym, was the beginning of a lot of support. Given in kindness and unconditionally, it touched my heart.

Pooja, the first person to be privy to our Gobi plans, discussed after we were 2 vodka shots down in Trikaya. That she is there, just there, is a huge relief. The merino beanie and gaiters will be sure to keep me warm.

Dr. Govitrikar, ensured that my teeth are in great shape for the Gobi diet. :)

Sucheta, my steadfast friend, agreed to come with me without too much ado and be my partner. That you are there makes it a lot more fun!

From my cousin down under came the sunblock that’ll travel with me to Gobi.

Dr. Godbole shared insights on medical challenges and the care to be taken in the outdoors, personally as well as via his very informative handbook.

Dr. Kolhatkar for her timely advice about my back problems without letting them bog me down.

My blast from the past gang kept up the ribbing and the jesting. That spoke a lot about how proud they feel.

For my friends in office, old and new, it’s good to hear what they think about my expedition. I come away feeling motivated all over again.

We had some great comments to the article published in the online version of Sakaal. And some nasty ones too. Just so that the nasty ones fail, we have to succeed.

LM took care of my internal airfare costs. You give me wings to fly, literally!

She is one person who keeps me sane and keeps me firmly grounded. Listens to my mad ideas and quietly, very quietly, brings order to the chaos that I exist in. Cannot imagine reaching this far without her.

ABIL Foundation gave us a huge helping hand very recently. Much needed and appreciated.

The Indian Express, Mid-Day, Sakaal, Sakaal Times, Saam TV and ETV Marathi gave us the much needed place in the public eye. Hope this will fuel excitement and encourage future expeditions.

Dax, my sister, knows how valuable the hydration packs are going to be in that heat there so she sponsored me some. :)

Friends and strangers who bumped into me while at tyre dragging practice, it was great meeting with you and thanks for the wishes.

The expedition has in a way helped me belong. To a lot of people and things. Indebted forever.

30 days to go...expedition day 21

2011-04-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

On exactly the 30th day from today, I shall be airborne, the aircraft leading me up north towards a new world of endless possibilities, discoveries and a different life.

There is such a storm in my mind, I cannot decide what to write about first. I can go all mushy about the great big adventure this is going to be, I can write about how I have been preparing, I can certainly mention all the support I've had from people in town..instead what I think I am going to do is to attempt a 'pre'-construction of a typical day during our long expedition and compare later when I am actually in the thick of it. Right now it is all there in my head, as a part of my imagination of how it'll unfold. My experience from the Himalayan expeditions speaks in a little voice about what I can anticipate. Having it all written down will help me understand several things - did the whole thing live up to my expectation, did I live up to my expectations, is this what I had prepared for, did I prepare enough, did I under/overestimate the difficulty? And maybe some more things in retrospect...

Time: About 5.30 am - The wake-up call sounds. I can hear the camels getting restless as I lie and check my nite watch for the time. We had a visit from a pack of curious wolves last night and they had to be scared away with fire. The camels are eager to move on from this site of territorial confrontation. I have kept my morning things ready by my sleeping bag. Brushing my teeth is the first thing to do right after I've go the stove alight and put the water on to boil. My head lamp on, I walk some distance away from camp to pee and brush, maybe in that order, maybe not. Back at camp, my tent partner to adding tea leaves and sugar to the water. We will add in the milk powder later, per our taste. Next she will mix the oatmeal and the chopped dry fruits together and measure the milk powder in a vessel to boil it all in. I am in charge of loading the camel today so I go to check on our beast of burden. Oliver seems bright and active, he is already stomping his feet. I say soothing words and, give him a good rub on his neck. I can tell he likes it. I make sure that his breakfast is laid for him and head back to the tent. The tea is done and the oatmeal will now be cooked. It is day 13 since the last clothes change and I decide a fresh set needs to be broken into. I take about 15 min to clean and change. Another 10 to pack and shut my travel sack. All this while I have my sweet un-milked tea. I take both of our hydration packs and fill them with water from the team supply. The oatmeal is done and it's time to eat. Yum!

As I wash and clean the vessels, and clear trash, my partner uses the time to get ready and pack up. It's 6.30 am and we now have to collapse the tents and load the camels. Everything comes out of the tent before we dismantle it. Items that need charging will be packed with their connections sticking out so that they can be connected to the gorilla power chargers.

Oliver sits down on my command and patiently waits as I load the tent and our travel sacks on his back. We have achieved this comfort with each other after several days. Oliver was always the brat of the pack. He know I have forgiven him for spitting and snorting at me right after we were introduced. He continued doing that for all of the first week we spent together. It is fair--he has forgiven me for not giving him enough pats and attention during the same time.

We are all loaded, it is about 7.15 am now. Ripley briefs the team about the day ahead, halt times, and targets. The sun is still bleak and on the horizon, but we can see around clearly. The gadgets are connected to the chargers, which are on top of all gear on the camels' back. We check our day packs for anything missing. Emmanuel checks his equipment and makes notes of his shooting schedule for the day. The working lunch rations are loaded within easy reach on another camel. And we are off...

The landscape remains the same, for mile after mile, day after day. Crusty brown earth under a superior blue sky. Clouds are rare and so is shade. The grass beneath our feet is stunted in its growth for lack of sustenance. A strong wind blows at all times, blowing dust over everything, except into our eyes. They have bloc protection. Far away into the horizon, I can make out the shapes of a caravan heading the other way. Towards the right, at some distance lie the foothills of the Altai mountains.

Asha is crooning one of her early numbers in my ears. I am lucky to be able to hear her today, over the sound of the wind. I take my chance to chit chat with Oliver as we walk, least he feel neglected. I have my camera handy, every now and then I make a quick stop for a shot, a new angle, a new perspective of the landscape that seems to have hardly changed since the day we started walking. Or maybe it has changed a whole lot, I failed to notice.

At about 9.30 am we take our first break to check the camels, their load and most importantly our route. We are doing alright and after a few adjustments to the load, a few shoes lace tightenings, we are off once more.

Around 10.30 am, we stop for retrieving some snacks from our day packs and carry on as we eat. Lunch will be around 1.00 pm and will be consumed the same way. Pee stops are made at frequent intervals as required.

A little towards lunch time our speed drops as the heat takes its toll. The sun is out in full strength and our bodies are lulled by the monotony of the walk. Everyone is keeping to themselves and waiting for the time to eat. There is some excitement around the time lunch is retrieved and distributed. But it is short lived -- energy dips as the afternoon progresses. By 3.30 - 4.00 pm it has picked up again and we are making good speed. Time for a snack, and perhaps some tea. I choose to mount and ride Oliver for the last bit of the day.

By 5.30 pm the sun is low over the horizon, and we need to set up camp before it is to dark. We have arrived a little short of the day's targeted distance and Ripley needs to choose a new place to camp. Once decided, we unload the camels first. I can’t wait to get the boots off my feet. The tents positions are decided and the tents are laid out for assembling. Sacks are unloaded, gadgets and wires are pulled free. We have an hour to ourselves before dinner.

I use that time to stretch and unpack. I have my daily diary to write as well and some photo notes to make.

Dinner is a little more elaborate and we have some vegetables we bought from a herders’ family we passed yesterday. Those and the meat are chopped up for stewing. Bread is available to consume it with. A hot meal is a good way to relax with friends around a fire. The temperate has dropped considerably since the hot afternoon. The wind is now chilly and harsh-- the dust continues to blow. The light windcheaters and thick socks have come out now. We chitchat, catch up on each ones observations, and personal challenges for the day. We also encourage and motivate each other continually. It is the way we are set up as a team..to look out for each other and provide all support & encouragement.

One conversation leads to another and before long we are all drowsy. Dreamland beckons. I am done with my daily notes. I pull out some family pictures to look at, they will take me through another day. The final notes of the song play in my head, but I am too deep in my sleep to hear them close.

One more night, 41 days to go.

A new beginning.....after a backward glance.

2011-02-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

I have spent almost 7 years there..... Maximize Learning, Techbooks, Aptara. It's a long time to be in a single place by today's standards...long enough to make it hard for you to leave anyway.

So it happened one day, that it was to be my last day there. There was only the good, nay great things that I could think of. Great things that made me wonder why I was leaving...yet there is always a time to move on...this was it.

I was amazed at the number of connections I had made during these years...I knew everyone..simply every person there. I had spoken at least once to every single employee, including housekeeping and support staff. It was overwhelming to realize that. And on my last day too!

I have made a friend for life out of someone who joined in the same week as I did way back in 2004. I have made a friend for all seasons in someone who joined a little later, worked even much later with, but who became a part of my lunch group very early. My peers in the management unit, they are an invaluable support in all situations. With these group of rowdy boys, it is never hard being who I am. My two pillars of strength, S and S, without whom I'd not have survived this nightmare of an account. They continue to encourage and keep me grounded at all times. My XDT, my dear dear team there...I feel lost without being surrounded by the talent powerhouse that they are. And the most efficient team I'll ever know, to this day they make me wonder how huge projects just continued to get executed flawlessly while I was looking elsewhere.

I think of all the farewells that I have seen or ever been a part of,I have not seen ANYONE, NO ONE that has left the workplace with so much love given to them, so many wishes for the future and so many bags full of goodies. I needed a SUV that day to take everything home.

The vertical team kindly took me to lunch, and gifted me a backpack..handy for my upcoming expedition.

N, who's been a steadfast friend, gifted me a very pretty bookmark with a bejeweled butterfly--it'll always remain a part of what I read.

S gave me a beautiful notepad with hanger and a pencil. You can expect something like this only from S, knowing his inclinations.

My efficient team, that of the lengthy projects, gifted me a gift coupon for, what else, a bookshop! Team, you know who you are, and you'll be glad to know that I have splurged it all on a dozen books of my choice--comics!!!

Two dedicated artists, who I worked with for a long time, decided that the best way to spend my future free time was to paint. They got me a set of acrylic paints and thanks to you boys, I am discovering this new medium!

Since my birthday had just passed, my rowdy friends gave me our pre-decided gift, a Landmark voucher. The Economist yearly had just come out and I spent the sum ordering it.

S, a close friend I have made in the last one year, gave me very elaborate wind chime. I put it on my window sill promptly the next day only to find that some sparrows had also taken a fancy to it. What we expected would be gentle chimes, turned to cacophony with them swinging merrily from the thing. Unable to stand it any longer, my dad took it off and put it up in his room. Sadly, it chimes no more, but I am determined to put it up in a place which will not allow it to become a birdie jungle-jim again. Shoo!

My close knit team of 7, they showered me with unprecedented love and gifts. A Citizen watch, which I proudly wear. An elegant flower vase with a long neck, so handy for the gerberras. A signed card and chocolates.

It is true that no one is indispensable. Over time individuals adjust to new managers, new teams and new workplaces. Yet we meet those that leave a lasting mark on how we think and work. Those, whom we compare all our future connections with. Those are the ones that make one hell of a difference to us, our lives. I am glad I am one such among the many such that I spent my 7 years with.

Ok team!, if you are to be reading this, only to be reading and be to not nitpicking for grammer and speelings. O.K. Ok?

Marathon, back injury, birthday and strategy for 2011.

2011-01-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

To my readers, this is different posts combined into one. I intended to write them all separately, but then what the heck, they do have a common element through all episodes, emotions and events. Me. So now you get to read it all together. No use fighting that impulse to read right away, I’ll make sure once you start you are hooked.

The marathon then. It was in the run up to the Gobi expedition later this year that I decided to go for it. I prepared well, I had S, S and M, to guide me, they being the experienced runners. I made slow but sure progress. By the time the marathon was upon us, I was able to run close to 10 KM. The speed was not great, but then I was not aiming for the top spot anyway. I meant only to complete it within 3 hours and that is what I managed with the time a little over 3 hours. Honestly, I enjoyed the training runs much more than the thought of running with the marathon in mind.

Anyone who can run decently will know the joys of soaring with the wind in your hair. I even have a kite follow me from the skies above as I make my way on the running track every other day. The Pune University is a great place to run at. There’s music in my ears something and sometimes just the wind whistling. I am fast sometime and slow the others. The joy to run is undiminished at each time. I’ve run through sun and rain, through fog and wind. The feeling is next only to a hot cuppa straight out of my mother’s hands.

So given this preparedness and inclination to run, I was not expecting to be injury hit when I finished the marathon. The injury left me partially mobile, unable to stand up and in a lot of pain. I could only feel comfortable sleeping. Folks, and friends rallied around right from Delhi, like they always do. I thought, this is the lowest it can go— everything now goes up from here. The recovery started right after the marathon itself. I could injure myself no more.

During the recovery I did some things I have never done before— like been on a bed in ER with a hundred things attached to my body monitoring my every breath, asked for wheelchair assistance at the airport for my flight back to Pune, moved around with a support stand, and loled in bed all day. Okay fine, I made the last one up; I can loll in bed all day irrespective. Dr. S’s medicines and exercises, encouragement from folks, friends, colleagues and teammates alike, worked wonders during the recovery.

To be honest, I did consider quitting the expedition—I did not want to be a risk. But then as physiotherapy began showing results, my activities increased. Going back to Gym was a big high—it feels good just to be there! I banished the thought of quitting altogether.

Staying in bed for 2 weeks during the initial recovery was life changing. I made a decision to quit my present place of employment, I chalked out my post recovery training plan and I was very active on the net. I managed to read 3 books in 2 weeks!!!! And it taught me even more patience that I already have.

My birthday was bang in the middle of everything. It is not a big deal usually, but I certainly spend one half of the day with family and the other with friends. Well, this year was special. They all converged home. My sister made us a fabulous pav bhaji, and my maushi came over as she does every single year since I was born. A, R and Dr. S came with cake and champagne which we consumed through dinner, my marathon friends called from the field and my mum was feeling much better that day to top it all. And my nephew gave me 2 wet kisses on the cheeks with a hug. Cheers to that!

Now that I back in the reckoning, I have certain strategy myself this year and beyond if necessary. ME and MINE (and not I). This is the year of ME and MINE. I quit my position with no concrete plans for future money generating activities to give time for ME and MINE. The expedition is so ME, I want to prepare for it without constraints on the time I spend doing it. I want make MINE proud of what crazy ambitions their daughter has in this year and after. I want to dictate what I do, how I do it and when I do it for ME and MINE.

And when I am done what I am planning to do, I will move on to crazier things. You know me…. ;-)

The Adventure that is me..

2010-12-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

The decision to join Ripley for his jaunt in the world’s biggest sandpit was made in a moment. I read the plan thoroughly; let the idea cook in my head for a while without leading it down the path of conclusion. When I did conclude though, there was no dilemma, no ifs, or buts – just decision made, I was going.

The next few days passed in a breeze as I waited for documentation, confirmation of payment and for the announcement that I was now a part of the team. I was ecstatic when it came in. Now began the tough part – getting in shape physically and mentally.

What compels individuals to do crazy things? Need for popularity, admiration, fulfillment, in support of a noble cause, just for kicks? What was mine? It came to me much later and was disarmingly simple – this adventure was me. Then there was the cause, of course, —edurelief, besides the opportunity to travel and, to meet great people.

Me? Yeah, me in the stories I tell myself about, well, myself. It is the stories that we tell ourselves that I want to constantly challenge. It’s you, always you that make you what you want to be or not make you what you want to be. No one can make you feel small or great if you don’t want to and similarly, no one can prepare you for what lies ahead, but yourself.

This adventure then is me. It is what I have told myself so far. It is what I shall tell myself when I fall, then get up and walk again in the run up to the great walk. It will be what’ll speak out loud to myself as I train in fair weather and foul. It’ll be the words I chant as I cover kilometer after kilometer, end one day after another, move between myriad shades of the mind throughout the Gobi walk. It’ll define my existence for the next 8 months and touch my life in way I don’t know yet. I will then contradict it and speak again. It is what will carry me forward as I want to.

Inspire. Interact. Illustrate. Gobi Adventure. I. Me. Myself.

Day 1: Copenhagen

2010-11-25T05:49:00.000-08:00

The airport bus dropped us off at the Marriott by the banks of the Copenhagen river. The flight was uneventful. The premiere economy class they have introduced onboard has made things much easier with personal telly, extending leg rest, roomier seats. I could decide where i wanted to sit at the time of booking, and obviously I choose the best.

The normal check in time at Scandinavian hotels is 2.00 pm and if you are lucky you’ll get your room at that time. The hotels do try their best but then they cannot just chase guests away. That turned out be a boon for us since we came into the hotel at about 11 am.

Right outside the hotel on its side facing the river was a stop for the river ferry. I had made a beeline for the tourist assistance desk in the hotel as soon as we had checked in and my discussions had resulted in this information. So we went out on the lovely banks and looked up the timetable, plotted our route in the city and decided on our ferry back.

My camera was still in my suitcase, safely locked away in the hold of the hotel. So i relied on my hand Nokia to help with the pictures.

The ferry was a longish open top boat with seating all around and it made its way through the river, upstream, under the low hanging bridges. They were so low sometimes that i could reach up while I sat and touch their arches. The views on both sides of the river were amazing, a mix of the old and the new.

We meandered through the water to the city centre and go off a little way off the main shopping street. Our first stop was for sandwiches and a drink. I could not keep Aai away from those blueberry muffins for long and she was soon munching away on one.

Hunger satiated, we walked along the shopping district there, taking in the big names. On one store that was undergoing renovation I saw this poster and felt like signing up!

We made our way slowly to the quai once more to catch the boat back to the Marriott by the river. It was getting a bit dark. We waited for the boat on the sides of a big courtyard with a huge anchor displayed in the middle. Peoples of all ages were milling around waiting for the boat, drinking, eating and running after toddlers who seems to have sprung up in abundance from nowhere.

The boat came in and with no hurry what so ever to acquire a place on it, we were sailing away towards the hotel and the end of our first day in Denmark.

Tim Krabbé

2010-09-07T01:35:00.000-07:00

"The greater the suffering, the greater the pleasure. That is nature’s payback to riders for the homage they pay her by suffering. Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses; people have become woolly mice. They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a one-hour bicycle ride. ‘Good for you’. Instead of expressing their gratitude for the rain by getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few friends these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms, she rewards passionately." - Tim Krabbé, 1978

The intricate economics of terrorism

2010-07-27T05:11:00.000-07:00

A superb talk, if there was one, about how terrorism is “just another business model” for those who run the cartels peddling terror across the globe. Insightful!

A culture of safety..

2010-07-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

In other news today, the corporate introduced a rule making helmets compulsory for 2 wheeler riders. The rule came in force right after a colleague was tragically killed by a dumper when she was commuting to office on her 2 wheeler.

A knee jerk reaction, which is typical of governments all over the world, is relatively unexpected in the corporate. (Or I am unexpecting too much?). When GPM and EBIDTA rule most decisions, you would expect a plan for the future in place and the right minds leading the team on it.

There’s an important model called the Tools of Cooperation, which basically says people who might not see the foggy future as well as the managers can see it, can be asked to work cooperatively to go in the right direction. Knowing what tools to wield to elicit the needed cooperation is a critical managerial skill.

These tools run along two dimensions—the extent to which members of the organization agree on what they want from their participation in the enterprise, and the extent to which they agree on what actions will produce the desired results. When the situation is not win-win, real or perceived, the use of “power tools”—coercion, threats, punishment, and so on come into play to secure that cooperation.

In this scenario, which was completely unexpected but not entirely unanticipated, we started with an assertion – defining what must be done and how – all 2 wheeler riders wear a helmet. Would it not have been better to build a culture of safety and security instead? How do you tell an average population of 27 years what is good for them in a coercive way? Would it not serve them and theirs better if they practiced it as a part of daily life and routine?

You have to design culture into your environment just we fold it into our family lives — and you have to think about this very very early on. When people work at something and it looks like they are succeeding at it by approaching the task in a certain way, it tends to get repeated. And you begin to form a culture. MIT’s Edgar Schein has described this process as the mechanism by which a culture is built. Culture bring consensus—the high success rate of doing a certain task in a certain way is establishes it. Clayton M. Christensen says that ultimately, people don’t even think about whether their way of doing things yields success. They embrace priorities and follow procedures by instinct and assumption rather than by explicit decision—which means that they’ve created a culture. Culture, in compelling but unspoken ways, dictates the proven, acceptable methods by which members of the group address recurrent problems. And culture defines the priority given to different types of problems.

Minds that lead are the minds from which the customs filter down. The higher up the ladder you go, the more responsibility you have to define a cultural map that will sustain the challenges that can be see and cannot be seen. Knee jerk reactions are best left behind in the labyrinths of officialdom.

Are we heading the same way, into the same maze?

How to live to be 100+

2010-07-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

The children of jihad..

2010-06-08T02:47:00.000-07:00

True accounts from the Suicide school. Chilling!

Technology improves workforce collaboration and productivity

2010-04-27T04:48:00.000-07:00

A simple internal chat client revolutionized the way people operated in my company, a part of the knowledge industry. The desk to desk traffic dropped, people were more at their desks, working, and discussing online, sharing files & screens. Quick solutions were hammered out for tasks which hitherto required a short meeting or required you to walk across the floor to ‘visit’ your colleague. The overall time saved due to the use this tool was put to was impressive.

What knowledge workers do day-in day-out requires a lot of collaboration, interaction, and brainstorming—basically, working very closely together. Their work starts as abstraction during the initiation phase and the ideas start to flesh out as the plans evolve. During execution and monitoring, their engagement with each other and the clients is more streamlined that before, although more frequent. This interaction is towards resolving problems & developing solutions for clients, innovating, and discussing work with colleagues. A meeting of appropriate technology with the processes and workflows proves beneficial for boosting productivity. In this less understood domain, technology can improve the quality and output of knowledge workers.

In such a collaborative environment, technology is used differently. It multiplies interactions and extends the reach of each knowledge worker. There is potential for sizeable gains from even tiny improvements. Who actually is doing the collaborating, how it is currently done, and what they want to now do differently, is the key to decide what technological support these interactions need. At times, interactions are sources of waste—poorly planned meetings, misuse/disuse of existing technology, redundant e-mail communications and unproductive travel.

And what about those intangible interactions though, which no industry outsider would comprehend, but which forms the source of some great quality ideas? These cannot be measured like per minute transactions or like operational efficiency cannot be put into numbers.

Improving employee collaboration also depends on selecting the technologies that best support the type of interactions they typically have, those that set them apart from other industries. What is working, what is not, what can be improved, what should be thrown out of the window….answers to these questions influence the choice of technology. A study of workflows across the company can help benchmarks the most effective way of performing a task. With that knowledge we can identify inefficient practices and select technologies with which to improve them. Finding and making this match is very important, else new initiative rise like a wave and then sink without a trace. People are quick to distance themselves from a bad marriage of the two.

The most basic manifestation of technology helping better collaboration is the MS Outlook Calendar’s Meeting Scheduler feature. It plans for everyone’s time and gives focus to how it is spent. You come, meet, discuss, conclude and disperse. It is all arranged in real time, response options available so that everyone knows what is happening. The avenues open up far and wide beyond this. There are scores of such free and paid tool available, particularly Web 2.0 tools such as social/professional networks, wikis, and video sharing, micro/blog, surveys, video conferencing, chats, fax— a lot of them great sources of Just-in-time information.

Imagine the need to search for appropriate talent within the company to allocate to your project. Wouldn’t an online, updated skill matrix be on the top of your wish list? Look at how EPM tools map the web of relationships between people weaving in their skills with assigned tasks. Corporate wikis are treasure troves of information—internal and external, official and well, official. I have personally done a lot of trouble shooting based on information I searched for and read at topical forums.

Think of all those times when you searched high and low for a work document template and not finding one proceeded to create it on your own. What could have rescued you from reinventing the wheel at such a time are online repositories of documents and data. In addition, collaboration technologies such as Google Docs or Microsoft’s OfficeLive allow for coauthoring and co-editing content documents. Since many individuals are working on the same project at the same time, rework, time for confirmation and interpretation is drastically reduced.

Many companies we know are just getting there or showing signs of waking up to these possibilities. Furthering collaboration through technology demands mind-sets and capabilities that are prepared tread on unfamiliar terrain. It requires trusting your collaboration teams to arrive at solutions that work rather than enforcing top-down policies. Managers should also allow time and provide forums for collaborators to brainstorm solutions to productivity problems. The technology providers will need to supply tools that are flexible enough to enable experimentation, so that the choice-making decision is well informed, tool usage and its adoption is widespread. Blocking access to such technologies means blocking pathways to the cutting edge of excellence.

Individual collaborative tools and the people who drive those have been around for long now, it is time companies caught up to partake of the benefits.

Packing your day in 140 sec.....

2010-04-26T02:03:00.000-07:00

Nikon hosted its annual film fest last year…I laid my eyes on it late. What a treat!

The challenge was in the time and the subject—Your Day in 140 secs or less—seemingly simple but extremely hard to depict. I am sure the entries must run in thousands. I am not aware of any from India.

Posted below are 5 of my favs, in no particular order. The chicken Vs penguin won the grand prize.

More than the imagery, I was hooked with the subjects on whom the short films focused. They are all impressive and some particularly more so. The vignettes, the sharp editing and screen play was beautiful. Getting a message across to so many on so few words/images and a short time brought out the best in a lot of people.

The fact that most of these folks are not professionals, but everyday people like me, makes this more poignant. I can identify of the characters, the scenes, the situations of many while cutting through cultures and languages.

This contest, the entries, the crowd judges to me, represents one of the most important displays of globalization and strength of the crowd. More power to us.

Enjoy!

In the cards…

A day in my shoes

Mathemagician

Chicken Vs Penguin

Number

The traveler's tales...

2010-01-28T05:02:00.001-08:00

We are all travelers. In more ways than one. Travelers in life, travelers with loved ones, to distant lands or distant goals.

The whole idea of travel is interesting. That is how new towns came up, new paths were formed, new routes, new territories we discovered. People dared to leave the comfort of their homes and travel. Sometimes adversities of different types forced travel—people traveled to escape disease, wars, poverty, scarcity and oppression. For others it was the excitement of starting on a new adventure, to experience something new.

These days travel is so much easier. This is so not only due to the newly found ability to go where you will, but due to help in the form of information that pours in from all over the world. But that does not make us all travelers in the true sense.

I have thought long of a parallel to these journeys. It has been the same way since generations, from the BC era. Think.

Our ancestors traveled all the way from hostile central and Western Europe to the fertile plains of India. They were the forebears of an experience that has come down to us genetically. Many choose to settle down and others (whose genes I’m sure I’ve inherited) moved on. Discovering, experiencing and taking in all they could as they passed.

A reversal of this epic journey is playing out today in the form of India diasporas seeking opportunity in all continents.

If given a choice, from all the things that I could genetically inherit from my ancestors, let me choose this—the insatiable appetite to see different places, meet different people and make mine the experience that is not a part of my environment.

I am glad that right choice was already made for me.

Posted via email from xistinchaos's posterous

Of adventure, possibilities and more...

2009-10-14T02:01:00.000-07:00

“In twenty years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.”

The trip to France was a part of this possibility and so will be future endeavors. It was an adventure, a learning experience, an eye opener and an attempt to temporarily satisfy my insatiable appetite for travel.

This space will soon hold everything I can record about this tour. And more.

Coming soon to this blog, a click away.

10 Worst Evolutionary Designs

2009-07-23T03:59:00.000-07:00

From Wired, a website I follow, here is a gem, or ten. See this. Hilarious!

1 Sea mammal blowhole. Any animal that spends appreciable time in the ocean should be able to extract oxygen from water via gills. Enlarging the lungs and moving a nostril to the back of the head is a poor work-around.

2 Hyena clitoris. When engorged, this "pseudopenis," which doubles as the birth canal, becomes so hard it can crush babies to death during exit.

3 Kangaroo teat. In order to nurse, the just-born joey, a frail and squishy jellybean, must clamber up Mom's torso and into her pouch for a nipple.

4 Giraffe birth canal. Mama giraffes stand up while giving birth, so baby's entry into the world is a 5-foot drop. Wheeee! Crack.

5 Goliath bird-eating spider exoskeleton. This giant spider can climb trees to hunt very mobile prey. Yet it has a shell so fragile it practically explodes when it falls? Well, at least it can produce silk to make a sail. Oh, wait — it can't!

6 Shark-fetus teeth. A few shark species have live births (instead of laying eggs). The Jaws juniors grow teeth in the womb. The first sibling or two to mature sometimes eat their siblings in utero. Mmm ... siblings.

7 Human stomach. People can digest a lot — except for cellulose, the primary component of plant matter. Why don't we have commensal bacteria in our guts to do it? They're busy helping termites.

8 Slug genitalia. Some hermaphroditic species breed by wrapping their sex organs around each other. If one of said members gets stuck, the slug simply chews it off. What. The. Hell?

9 Quadrupeds. Let's say you're a four-footed animal. Now let's say you get a wound on your back, or an itch, or a bug wandering up there. Tough luck, kid. You probably can't do much about it. Hope there's a low branch around.

10 Narwhal tusk. The unicorn-like protuberance on a male narwhal's head is actually a tooth that erupts through the front of the jaw and keeps on growing, up to 9 feet. Narwhal: "Doc, I have a toothache." Dentist: "Indeed."

I read somewhere....

2009-07-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Life is Best for those who want to Live it,
Life is Difficult for those who want to Analyze it,
Life is worst for those who want to Criticize it,
Our Attitude Defines Life...

Enjoy Your Life….
Laugh so Hard That even Sorrow Smiles at You,
Live Life so Well That even Death Loves to see you Alive,
Fight so Hard That even Fate accepts its Defeat...

The crash and the song

2009-06-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

There was a tiny temple along a busy street. Every year, around the time the palkhi went to Pandharpur, the temple hosted a ten day festival of religious songs, light and classical music and occasionally, dance. All kinds of artists from the contemporary greats to those not so known descended upon the temple to offer their talents in service to the lord. Audience used to throng the inside the madap and those not so lucky had to stand outside and be satisfied with a peek through the windows. Sometimes it rained and the crowd outside would brave the weather if the performer was particularly good. Everyone who performed were guaranteed and crowd, small or large.

Once a famous yesteryears playback singer was specially invited to present her songs on evening. As expected the crowd started gathering an hour before the concert was due to begin. The street was tiny as the temple that stood on it and parking became a struggle. Since common interests prevailed, people co operated with each other like never before. Cars and two wheelers jostled for space till every inch was finally consumed. Someone with foresight had set aside space for the singer's big car already.

Finally she arrived, the maroon Linea gleaming with the beads of freshly fallen rain. It sparkled in the florescent street lamps and when she emerged from the car a cheer went up among the people standing to get a glimpse. She went in a quickly with her troupe to a big applause.

Everyone settled down in about 30 minutes. She began on a great note with an ode to the lord and the audience was enthralled right away. As one gem of a song after another wafted from the silken voice, the numbers outside the temple swelled. The crown was now virtually blocking the street. Whatever little space was left was claimed by passersby on vehicle who had stopped in their tracks after recognizing the voice. Little children perched on shoulders and vehicles, elders leaning on whatever they could find around, were bewitched by each new song whether they could see her or not. Not a soul stirred as the notes settled gently on everyone's heart.

Just then…CRASH!!! Every head turned in the direction of the sound. A car which was attempting to reverse had crashed headlong into another parked car in a perpendicular direction. Everyone with the exception of those inside the temple surged towards the scene of the crash as the driver of the offending car quickly righted it and parked in an even worse position that before. The owner of the car that was badly smashed was nowhere to be seen, so it became the moral responsibility of those on the scene to trace him down and inform him if the damages. Several cell phone were immediately pressed into service. After all the owner might be a friend of a friend's friend who lived on that street. Meanwhile, some others had cornered the driver of the other car and were giving him an earful.

Suddenly the crowd parted to give way to a more authorative figure - the Linea driver. He gave the impression of a man who had seen it all and knew exactly what to do. He walked up purposefully to the terrified driver and …slapped him hard. The crowd gave a collective gasp. He spoke making sure the crowd was hanging on to every word. Till that point, he was just the Linea driver, but now everyone knew he drove THE Linea.

There were two groups now active on the crash site. One group took it upon themselves to scrutinize every inch of the car for damages so that the owner would have a detailed report should he turn up. That he would also know how the car fared on the non damaged side was a bonus, whether he wanted to hear it or not. The fact that the car was parked parallel to a wall where the street light's glow did not reach was overlooked. Another set was making sure the offending driver stayed put and other people who were not lucky enough to have examined the car or witnessed the crash and post crash incidents first hand, knew every thing there was to know. The melodious voice now faced competition from the car in terms to bringing everyone to a standstill. The more interesting happenings and the activities of the self appointed groups pulled many from the audience towards the accident scene. Some were seen battling an internal dilemma. Being true blue Punekars, both prospects were equally interesting. With one ear to the music and other to the discussions, they could not partake the joy of either. Some finally succumbed to the charms of a full blown public street discussion and moved away.

Several curious ladies had by this time joined in as onlookers. Naturally, there was now a need for explaining the whole thing start to finish in a manner that they would understand. The most vocal members from the groups took over this responsibility and also threw in a tour of the affected car.

The owner was still missing and nobody had thought of calling in the Police.

The groups grew larger with time and like the ball of flames attracted every metallic thing towards itself in Spiderman 2 , the groups gained mass by drawing away the listeners.

The author of this episode, the hapless driver, was a mute spectator to everything. He was spoken to, pointed towards, summoned here and there, as the crowd juiced the situation for whatever it was worth.

The singer and her songs faded into the background of the minds of those present on the street that night. The crowd dynamics dominated the show till the last note.

Finally as the closing notes of the pasayadan, the final song, floated away in the air, silence descended upon a tumultuous night.

In the driver's seat

2009-05-08T03:40:00.000-07:00

Notice how you can tell a lot about someone from the way they drive a vehicle? The over confident types will zoom ahead from the left only to be stopped in their tracks by a lone cyclist that they failed to notice or a parked car that suddenly materialized. The insane ones will overtake from the left at even more insane speeds and carry on regardless of any cyclist or pedestrian. They’ll just manage to save lives – their own and that of the hapless live obstacle, by the skin of their teeth. These types are in for a crash landing sooner than later. The driving-for-solace from – fill in the blank with any of the following; nagging spouse, time to kill, no hurry to reach, procrastinating – will keep the same speed on any kind of road but will irritate everyone equally. The righteous ones will insist on following every rule in the book and invite glares from others. The funniest types are those who talk to themselves as they drive – day dreamers obviously, thrashing out that dream deal with the client or making the winning point in an argument. And then there are some who sing or whistle on the go. Lucky chaps!

Over these years of driving every possible make of vehicle, except perhaps a truck, I have learnt that your driving style says a lot about how you are as a person. DJ drives like a king – calm, in control, steady and really aware. AJ is the kind of driver you’d think is the reason passenger insurance was invented for, but I admire her confidence at fast speeds. AW can drive as the situation demands which most of the time is needed-to-get-yesterday types. CS is an extremely alert driver and can drive hours in the morning without a wink of sleep the previous night. His alertness also extends to noticing a road toll booth with a distracted cash collector and passing through it without paying a penny. I have not had the privilege to ride with RW as driver, but I am sure she drives more to commute that to drive-drive, know what I mean? Much like her nature, she must be a very composed driver. Your truly tries to be technically perfect with – not cutting corners while turning, keeping to road lanes and reversing with the least amount of back n forth. And doing some chepa-chepi once in a while! :)

There is another thing interesting phenomenon I have started to notice these days. Especially since, I take all possible alternative routes while driving to and from work. Your temperament for that day will largely depend on the routes/roads you are driving your vehicle on and the experiences therein.

The other day, I was driving on the new directioned Main Street in Camp. The vehicles around me seemed to breeze past when the sundry cows, vendors and double parked cars looked like roadblocks to me. Their pace was impatient, flashy. Honking to warn as they overtook me did not seem like a nice thing to do, so they just counted on my alertness and zoomed ahead. You will find this happening typically on main roads that allow one-way traffic. Take the example of the road in front of Saras Baug that leads to Abhinav college chowk, or Bajirao road. This experience can unsettle folks and leave them excessively alert in everything they had planned for that morning.

As I reached deeper into Rasta Peth, the roads grew thinner due to the many encroachments. The traffic was heavy but slow, motorist honked without the intent to get ahead. They just honked to see if it widened the road any more than it was, I think. The occasional bus that navigates this narrow route takes sadistic pleasure in letting motorists trail behind, like a comet’s tail, without giving them the opportunity to get ahead. The folks in the tail would surly be grinding their teeth over this and may turn out having an irritable day. In all this, an enterprising fellow can spot an opening and zip ahead in the blink of an eye, narrowly missing an on coming vehicle and have his moment of glory.

Occasionally, one has a good day where one is able to miss the maximum pot holes, overtake a rickie who is floating along looking for passengers with minimum risk involved, and manage to get past a signal that just turned red leaving the rest behind. On better days one can decisively score over speed-n-screech kind of drivers who, in my observation, invariably drive smoky Yamahas. These types maintain a speed of 80 Kmph between obstacles which are 5 meters apart and they love to burn rubber so very often. These are days of mixed emotions, tiny victories and negligible losses.

On the best days though, which occurs once in several light years, there are rickshaw strikes, the roads are laid out like a dream, hope floats, and you wish you had that Hayabusa instead of your fuel efficient bike. The day passes in a haze of bliss nevertheless.

Expressways are a different ball game. The upmarket vehicals disappear in a blur in the right most lane, while the Indigos, Taveras and Omni’s zip along in the middle lanes. You can either be content where you are or chew your brains in frustration at the BMW that just went by. Or better convince yourself how fast you car travels compared to the huge trailers in the last lane. You meet some nuts sometimes, in Indicas or i10s, tiny cars who roar by in the fastest lane. The roar is more due to the overload that the engine is taking at such high speeds than the roar of pride at achieving it. You can only chuckle at such folks and find solace in you much safer driving practice.

The typical highways all over India are in mountainous terrain and by that virtue are very narrow. I have yet to see a more disciplined lot than the army truck drivers in Leh and the bus drivers in the Gadhwal Kumaon region as well as in Skikkm. It takes immense patience, skill and a vicarious selflessness to drive like that. Not a honk or a squeak can be heard from those souls as they wait for several long minutes to let heavy vehicles pass or give priority to Army convoys. Or for hours while a landslide or a layer of 6 feet thick snow gets cleared.

From Pune to Leh to Sikkim, each to his own I guess!

See, I told you....

2009-04-07T23:19:00.000-07:00

If you read about Mr. Sikh journalist doing a boot chuck, this blog was the first to predict it! You read it here first!

Another one bites the dust.....

2009-03-02T23:04:00.001-08:00

After some months of hectic, well not really, 2 weeks of hectic preps..your’s truly is PMP certified. J

Shoe story

2009-02-12T03:03:00.000-08:00

Before my first trip to the US, I was at the receiving end of a lot of ‘legends’ about public safety and rules there. I was told, in an appropriately hushed voice, that in the US, wearing expensive shoes in a not-so-nice part of town was sure to invite the attentions of a mugger. So if I happened to wear a branded pair of shoes, I’d be wise to keep to lit and crowded places. (Or go bare foot instead?) I, on my part, was so eager to test this out and make a beeline for the rough part of a city I did not know much about, wishing I’d get to meet a ‘real’ mugger that I was ready to sacrifice my 2 year old well worn but branded Reeboks for this once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Now, this was long before the world discovered the “Bootchuck” mechanism. Shoes, branded or otherwise, leather or suede - are no longer safe. Muggers now have acute competition from a new tribe. Members of this tribe are found in huge roving droves (I like the way these 2 last words roll off the tongue, don’ you?) at events called “Protest marches”, “Press conferences”. The tribe claims that it has its origins in Iraq and its members are propagating their practices all over the globe. Latest reports in from Thailand note the trendsetting ways of this tribe. Read here.

The Shoe Sena, here in India, has vehemently denied this claim and wants to invite the tribesmen to India in order to experience the bootchuck first hand. The Sena says that the “bootchuck” was an Indian invention and ancient India’s gift to the world. Much like Aryabhatta’s Zero. They have put together a video of parliamentary proceedings (for anyone interested in watching it) that shows without a doubt that when short of furniture, mikes, speaker notes and other bodies, the “bootchuck” is the most popular alternative used by the people’s representatives. Now with their representatives actively setting such a trend, the people are sure to follow, is the Sena’s line of reasoning.

Not to be left far behind the world, the country (at that time) led by The Former President, has blazed its own track in responding to this upcoming trend. They have proudly unveiled the “Bootduck” mechanism from their arsenal for the world to see. While the accuracy of “Bootchuck” is still to be perfected, the “Bootduck” has evolved quite rapidly considering they just got a split second to come up with an appropriate reaction. “Bootduck” is already on its way to become a popular custom for heads of state, press secretaries and anyone else who has to face the roving droves often.

May the tribes increase!

99 things

2009-01-06T04:25:00.000-08:00

Things you’ve already done: bold = 34

Things you want to do: italicize = 39

Things you haven’t done and don’t want to - leave in plain font = 26

1. Started your own blog.

2. Slept under the stars. (And shivered!)

3. Played in a band. (Yes, it was a band, honest!)

4. Visited Hawaii.

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity. (Now why would anyone do that? But let me try.)

7. Been to Disneyland/world. (I've been to all sorts of lands and am kinda tired of them. I'll try slumberland any day though :) )

8. Climbed a mountain. (Love to do that a lot.)

9. Held a praying mantis. (Yes, in those days I did not know what it was that I was holding, ugh!)

10. Sang a solo. (Yeah,its always solo in the bath, isn't it?)

11. Bungee jumped.

12. Visited Paris. (Oooh! I so want to be there.)

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (But not be in the middle of one for sure.)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (Collage)

15. Adopted a child. (Nice idea, but I am not sure I'll pass. One child cannot adopt another.)

16. Had food poisoning. (Not a nice idea.)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. (and do what??)

18. Grown your own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. (Yes, when I go to Paris.)

20. Slept on an overnight train. (All the time. You do that often in this part of the world.)

21. Had a pillow fight. (Plenty, and got a hiding afterwards from folks.)

22. Hitch hiked. (Worth considering!)

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. (Tee hee!)

24. Built a snow fort.(Sounds fun!)

25. Held a lamb. (Yes, and I've a pict to prove it.)

26. Gone skinny dipping. (No way!)

27. Run a marathon. (Yes and plan to run more.)

28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. (With someone special.)

29. Seen a total eclipse. (YES!!!)

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (Of course, everyone has.)

31. Hit a home run. (I'm Indian, we hit sixes and fours, not home runs.)

32. Been on a cruise. (Hmmm, I can't wait)

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. (What lovely falls but what a crappy town!)

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (I'm sitting on it.)

35. Seen an Amish community. (Wouldn't know where to look, but let me try.)

36. Taught yourself a new language. (I presume my school and college French counts.)

37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Can I italicize that twice over?)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing. (Several times and can't wait for the next opportunity.)

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David in person. (What big hands you have David, said Little Red Riding hood)

41. Sung Karaoke. (Eh!)

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. (Huh?)

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. (Hope someone on their list of 99 does that for this stranger too)

44. Visited Africa. (Closest I've got is Mauritius, plan to go further)

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. (With a littoral area as big as India's I'm sure everyone will do this once in their lifetime.)

46. Been transported in an ambulance. (Yes, but never as the patient and I want to keep it that way)

47. Had your portrait painted. (Don't like to be photographed therefore no sketching either.)

48. Gone deep sea fishing. (Hmm.. sounds interesting, and then cook the fresh catch?)

49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person. (Yes, there will be this big art appreciation trip which will take me to Italy, France and England)

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.(During that aforementioned trip)

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling. (Neither, but have done a sea walk with a upside down belljar like thingy on my head and it weighed a ton!)

52. Kissed in the rain. (So that the wet kiss is wetter still??)

53. Played in the mud. (Heaps, both mud and played :P)

54. Gone to a drive-in theater.

55. Been in a movie. (Assorted videos yes, many times, but not a proper movie. Let's just say that I am meant to be on the other side of the camera :) )

56. Visited the Great Wall of China. (A must do!)

57. Started a business. (ON my mind).

58. Taken a martial arts class. (You are talking to a Red belt in Judo, careful there)

59. Visited Russia. St Petersberg.( And also the Kremlin)

60. Served at a soup kitchen. (Langar is the Indian equivalent of a ...faint chance)

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. (I am better at polishing them off)

62. Gone whale watching. (I've done penguins, dolphins...want to add sharks)

63. Gotten flowers for no reason. (Choo Chweet...some one out there listening?)

64. Donated blood. (A whole 1.5 liters of it over several occasions)

65. Gone sky diving. (Came really close to doing it in Chicago....waiting for the next opportunity)

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp. (Intend to do this.)

67. Bounced a check. (3 times actually when the amount in numbers and figures did not match, *sheepish *)

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (Several and they have survived several threats to being disposed off.)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.

71. Eaten Caviar. (Might try it once.)

72. Pieced a quilt. (My mum did it for me and I hope to do it for someone else, at least put together the design that is.)

73. Stood in Times Square. (Want to do it at least once to feel the sheer energy that accumulates in that place.)

74. Toured the Everglades. (And where would they be? England I suppose.)

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London. (Oh! I must make that trip)

77. Broken a bone. (My little toe and the toe next to it. Still simmers in the winters)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. (Have motorcycle, will speed.)

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.(Maybe a trip to the Americas is also in order.)

80. Published a book. (It's in the works :P)

81. Visited the Vatican. (When in Italy..)

82. Bought a brand new car. (Yes...on the anvil..wishlist..whatever)

83. Walked in Jerusalem.

84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (Yeah! They put in my pic and my opinion.)

85. Read the entire Bible.

86. Visited the White House. (Not by a mile.)

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. (Might try that with crabs.)

88. Had chickenpox. (As a kid, yes.)

89. Saved someone’s life. (Not that I am itching to, but it would be nice. Nicer, if I come out unscathed)

90. Sat on a jury.(No can do here)

91. Met someone famous. (Hmmm..let me see....meanwhile people who have met me please say yes to this one)

92. Joined a book club. (Sounds interesting!)

93. Lost a loved one. (My grandparents)

94. Had a baby. (huh?)

95. Seen the Alamo in person.

96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake. (More like floated in the GSL.)

97. Been involved in a law suit. (Let's keep it that way.)

98. Owned a cell phone. (3 so far and counting.)

99. Been stung by a bee. (Almost, but the fellow went after someone jucier :) )

Saying little...

2009-01-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

One month a few years ago, had been particularly taxing. I had been grappling with some work related issues for the past few weeks. A client refused to be held to the scope of a project I was initiating and insisted on a build-as we progress approach. In my attempt to get started well, I refused to proceed without a scope and thus we were locked in a diplomatic war of words. Since apparently no work was getting done, my manager stepped in. Now, this manager then not being the support-and-get-out-of-my-way kinds, made matters worse. I threw cautions to the wind, and I made the mistake of making this a personal matter. So much so that every step I took brought me closer to loosing it. Why was I letting myself be cornered into agreeing to something I knew was flawed right at the outset? All I could do was think of my team who hung on to my every word and was loyal to the core. I could not understand what ailed me...why was I practicing this kind of brinkmanship? This was definitely the riskiest approaches in the scenario, since my worth is entirely driven by how much my team manages to deliver.

Before I could reach a stage where enough was enough, I took a breather. I pushed away everything for a couple of days, went into a no-response mode. I sat in Holmes like concentration running everything through my head, info-byte by info-byte. In that state of mind I actually distanced myself from the situation at the workplace. I had made this too personal, involved my id and ego in it. I had to snip the tethers, let the ship stray from the port. To cut the long story short, I realised that if I am composed enough, I can help how I perceive the most hard nosed and dull headed clients. I can strategise, anticipate and lay traps (wicked, wicked) to make things work my way. During this whole time saying as little as possible helps. The virtues of a meaningful silence can be found in every alternate wave in the sea of self help guides and books. Except for rare life or death situations NOTHING is as important as it first seems except you and your priorities. Deep down I knew I was right in asking for what I was asking and this state of mind helped me be doubly sure:). I am sure there is a name and a discovery attached to this state I had stumbled upon. Its ok, I am not eager to find out.

For no other thing but this, I have that ass of a client and an interfering manager to thank. And for inspiring this this post I have A's post to thank. :)

Him and Her

2008-12-12T01:25:00.000-08:00

One weekend, Him & Her decided to go kayaking in the Kundalika River. The Kundalika is more like a thick turbid stream than a river. The expedition was His idea, attractively packaged as an 'adventure experience'.

The ride to the starting point was about a 1.5 hours drive away from home and Him was convinced that it'd be a nice start to the adventure that lay ahead. Him picked up Her and started early so as to avoid the traffic and have the road to themselves. They were going to be joined by some other at the meeting point about 30 minutes away from their place.

Now when they reached the appointed stop, no one was to be found. Him and Her waited a bit, with Her trying to control her fuming and not let Him notice it. Him called up the organizers to ask about the rest and learnt that they'd already gone ahead. With all chances of someone to lead the right way to the kayaking spot disappearing, Him decided to go ahead and make it there by themselves. Knowing Him's sense of direction and his absolute faith in his own instincts, Her was sure the adventure had already started.

Her vaguely believed that the whole thing would be over in about 4 hours and she'd be back home in no time. She had been rashly assured that 'you won't fall in' and 'it'll be just the two of us most of the time'.

The road was beautiful and lonely, except for an occasional lorry or a herd of cattle. There was a heavy layer of fog combined with mist everywhere. And though it blocked the view beyond some distance, it evoked a feeling of mystery and romance. Her enjoyed the drive, and kept her eyes peeled for all possible signs that assured her that they were headed in the right direction. Him was ever the hero, singing in a soulful way, whistling some, driving at a nice pace. He had thoughtfully included Her's favourite soundtracks on the car stereo system.

The two adventurers arrived at the starting point, to find that they were the first on the spot inspite of starting later than the rest. The weather, traitorous as always, was cooler than expected, much to Her's distress. After ten minutes or so, the other folks began to arrive. However, the 'organizer' was missing.

He showed up a little while later and informed the group without much ado that the kayaking would not happen that day. Her was irritated by this attitude and specially since she had sacrificed a resting Saturday to be there. Him saw the dark clouds of fury hovering over Her and afraid of a downpour, quickly decided to have a word with the organizer. It turned out that since the water was not being let out from the dam that morning, the river would not have enough flow and density to kayak in. Him painted a colorful picture of how they had come from far to enjoy this adventure and how Her would be disappointed about not even setting foot in the water. Him, of course, forgot to mention the threat to his life and limb should the trip go waste. A deal was struck. The organiser was going to let Him and Her do a bit of canoeing in the river at no charge.

Him conveyed this to Her who took the news half heartedly. Him tried to cheer her up by adding that they could have fun in the water when they were done canoeing and then have a picnic lunch before leaving.

Him had prior experience with kayaking, but not canoeing. But he refused to reveal his ignorance. Both got themselves lifejackets and helmets. The lead canoer showed them sitting positions and rowing styles. Through all this, Him inserted sentences like, "It’s easy. Really.", You'll manage fine." which did nothing to boost Her's confidence.

So Him sat in front and Her in the back of the 2 Cox canoe. While Her got the basics right after a while, Him was merrily free-styling in front leading the canoe astray. The pair was soon enveloped in the loving embrace of branches near the bank. Him continued to executing random strokes with reckless abandon considering he had to live up to his claim of being an expert in these matters. Her furiously ordered Him to 'stop rowing, PLEASE' and assigned him the task of pushing the canoe away from the branches by getting into the water. Him , aware of having tested Her's patience, meekly obeyed orders while Her dreamed of a warm, dry bed.

By the time they managed to finally get themselves out of the mess, nerves were already a little frayed. The romantic expedition soured somewhat for Her, although Him was floating on an adrenaline cloud high in the sky.

After a few more valiant skirmishes with overhanging branches, their boat began to follow a less schizophrenic path. Things went swimmingly for a while, until Her expressed a heart-felt desire to answer the call of nature. Him navigated the canoe towards the bank. Before Him could get down and steady the canoe for Her to hop out, Her got up and tried to step out. And Lo and behold, the two of them were in the soup.

Neither of them was prepared for this drenching at the moment. The canoe had overturned and it took them sometime to get their bearings. In the meantime, the canoe had merrily floated downstream and along with it went the two paddles. Him launched himself at the task of retrieving them with gusto and swam away with powerful strokes. The guilty party hung back with a heart full of concern and eyes following Him's, every move.

As Her watched Her Him’s bobbing helmet, she shouted back seat directions about what path the canoe was taking. Her waited on the bank cold and miserable while Him managed to get the canoe and both paddles after a chase. The fact that the flow slackened further downriver helped achieve this. Her received Him with much fanfare and wandered away to fulfil the original intent of the whole episode.

By now, both Him and Her were completely wet and had had enough of the canoe. They made their way to shallower waters and took off the lifejackets to swim a bit. Him had fun drenching Her with water when she least expected it. Her did not fall for his overtures to lead her mid stream under the pretext of a great view and then proceed to dunk her headlong. She stayed in the safe zone of the banks and collected smooth stones to take home.

An hour passed this way and both were famished. Over the spicy snack that Her had conjured up, they had a great laugh about the ‘unplanned’ adventure.

Um..

2008-12-08T04:47:00.001-08:00

Suddenly in the middle of the day, I am feeling like hugging my Mommy!

STOP!!

2008-11-28T02:16:00.000-08:00

Media!!! Please STOP using the word "spectacular" while referring to the Mumbai incidents.
Media again!!! Please stop milking these incidents for TRP.

In my country....coming to terms

2008-11-28T01:18:00.000-08:00

My friend wrote a very poignant comment on my earlier post. She does not want to come to terms with this ever. And she is absolutely right.
However, I do want to come to terms with other things. To carry forward the thread of my last post, I want to realize, once and for all, is that every day that I live to see the sun rise, every day I talk and joke with my folks, every day that I tackle challenges at work and every day that I get to sleep in my bed after a hard day is the day someone, somewhere in MY country is falling prey to the undiminished and inhuman thirst for blood. It seems a routine and mundane enough day in my life but in the life of MY country it is anything but that. From now on no day is normal, or ordinary...because we do not live in normal times.

I will carry a threat to my life as long as I live, like all my fellow citizens in JK or the far east do. I am not different or special or less vulnerable because I am distant from these location. In fact the battle is at the doorstep.

I have stopped being a party to the blame game. Period. It helps no one, least of all us.

And I will remember, oh yes, I will remember. I may not be able to mow down every manic who who picks up a gun and slaughters people in the name of religion, I may not see action up close or be directly affected, but I will remember as long as I live what it means to loose a dear one to their bullets. Fear and hatred are two emotions we do not need at times like this.

And, I will never forget who the true heroes of every success that we gain are. However small it is, however insignificant in the eyes of the powers that be. And I do not mean to wear my patriotism on my sleeve.

I have come to terms with the fact that this and more has shaped my life to come. I do not wish to have it any other way.

In my country

2008-11-27T00:51:00.001-08:00

In the interest of getting this out asap here are thoughts in random order…..

Was this attack a front to finish of guys deeply involved in the Malegaon case?

That a parallel and heavily armed guerilla force can tot guns and go on rampage in our country speaks volumes about our vulnerability. I wonder about countries with liberal gun possession laws..aside from occasional psychotic individuals totting guns for massacres is not a known trend there.

It is indeed very difficult to stop individuals who are not afraid to die……… cant put the entire blame on intelligence failures….you can take away a mans freedom, but you cannot take away his ability to think. It seems to me this is more a battle of the nerves than that of fire power or numbers. He who blinks first loses. The security agencies must apply their minds to this, if not forces. It has got all the makings of a real life psychological thriller.

For once, we cannot blame a “foreign hand” in this attack. We just gotta pull up our socks.

Please, please do not run to the US for sound bytes or have them call on you to gain for brownie points. They can only condemn verbally…that nation is incapable of starting something to take it to a logical end. They are just like up-starts…..damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

We as a nation need to be on high alert at all times….there is no way we can let our guard down.

Mumbaikars, this time please don’t act as if nothing has happened and carry on. Please react strongly enough to be heard. Since you are such an influential city, your reaction will be magnified manifold and may bring the much needed change in policy.

We are far to divided ourselves as a nation. In that, we are our biggest enemy. This way we are much more prone to playing into the hands of anyone who seeks to gain by putting us in a state of chaos.

We were a nation whose greatest strength was assimilation..of all castes and creeds. Where are we going wrong?

More to come…I need time to come to terms.

Peacock's Imlee :)

2008-11-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Musashi has penned a very insightful log of our recent excursion. He has adorned it with tell-tale photos as well. Catch all the action here.

Of doing nothing and other stories...

2008-10-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

I had plonked the bean bag in front of the window that afternoon in preparation for a prolonged reading session. Ever since, I was stretched out lazily on the length of it. I'd adjusted the bag's height in a way to cut out the view of any building nearby and only the sky was visible from the window. Those distracting cable wires continued to be in the frame, but then birds of all variety were found swinging from them and I was willing to overlook that distracting foreground to a bright blue sky.

I had gathered all the Sunday newspapers to go through into a pile after lunch. As an afterthought, I add a book to that, in case the Sunday edits bored me. The plan had been to transition to a siesta as I read. The sunlight made zebra strips on my feet through the window bars and it disappeared after sometime as the Sun moved West. My feet were left feeling warm.

The gentle wind was not letting up a bit and I liked it that way. I had been reading non-stop for 5 hours now...something I used to do often till some years back and before work consumed me. Except for an occasional vehicle or the chirping of birds, nothing dented the silence.

I was done with the book. The newspapers lying around did not attract me. I decided I wanted to do nothing for sometime. No wait, I did not close my eyes....I wanted to consciously do nothing.

The breeze continued to have a soothing effect, the chirping was lost in the background of the new nothingness that enveloped me....I was conscious only of my breath as it crossed the wind's flow. I stared at the sky, that haze of immenseness, that in daylight hides the stars of old, the blueness that filled my sight. The wires were distant specks, insignificant. My head was be fret of any thoughts, deliberate or stray.

I have never tried this before and it felt good to not have the mind strung like bow for once. This may be what they call a meditative state.

Maybe not.

To dos...update

2008-10-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

Since October 2008 I have added a new item to the top of this list (which i keep updating due to my compulsive lister nature) to seek out new and interesting ways to keep my friend smiling all the time. To do that, one either has to be genuinely funny or simply be willing to make a complete fool of oneself once in a while. I think I am slightly better off at doing the latter. (Tee hee!)

The Banana Seller

2008-09-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

And a more methodical man could not be found. Every night, he arrives like clockwork to take stock of his fruit…..how many customers has he satisfied today? He stops his cart right below the street lamp near my house. He tempts passersby with the few remaining wares...they gleam golden in the sodium lamps. After a wait of about half an hour, he begins the long process of safety wrapping up the left over fruit in netting.

First, he un-wraps a substantial length of rope and lays it out in a zig-zag pattern. This enables him to pull it at will without causing tangles. Then, out comes the netting. It is made of porous material which helps the fruit breathe even though it is wrapped under several layers.This, he spreads evenly over his cart, gently folding the corners, as if tucking in a child in bed. He stands back to admire his effort and once satisfied, lays on the rope with the expertise of a fisherman casting a net. A sharp tug ensures that one end is secure. Then he throws the other end over and over…till it is all fixed.

Sometimes in the middle of the pack up session, longing souls linger by the cart— terribly hunger students going home from the thousand and ten classes they attend..the bananas will sustain them till dinner, couples out for a walk struck with the last minute idea of having bananas for breakfast, old folks who can have heaps of the yellow fruit without having to bother about teeth, …..the fruit lures them all. Bananas are the most wholesome fruit, I think— filling, sweet, no seeds..just peel-eat-throw.

Ungrudging, as always, the man fulfills everyone’s desires. He returns to his task once more. Finally, he is done and ready to go home.

One more day on this earth is snugly wrapped up thus.

And reclaiming life....

2008-08-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

Talking of life, I think we should view hospitals as places for reclaiming life and every veritable sign of it. There is a lot of negativity associated with those places, and not unduly so. Death lurks at every corner and there is more pain, anxiety and uncertainty put together there than in a match where our boys in blue put up a show for the benefit of suckers watching them make an attempt at the game. (Tsk tsk)

It's a place you walk in sick into. And at most times walk out better, if not well. It is a place where every second is spent reclaiming life, every action is directed towards that sole purpose, where you turn the odds in your favour, where you push away the uncertainty, the grey areas to move towards the white, towards clarity. Where you fight like you've never fought before for every rightful breath you can take. You fight to win.

I've spent half of the past six months of my life in and out of these places. I've been through frustrating consulting experiences. Plans of action which defy all logic, mixing up symptoms, indecisiveness...arrgh! And all of this from those with enough degrees to fill a bill board. They may be finding it hard to confront the fact that they are dealing with live beings day in day out. If that is really the case, and I almost think it is, they'd better wake up to that reality (shudder!) and shock themselves into mending their ways. And while you are at it, keep those bloated egos in check, will you?

And one thing that they have to, have to do is to LISTEN to the patient. I don't care if they calculate patient time in seconds; they'd better be all f***ing ears!! Not all patients are blind followers of their train of thoughts and patient do come with an iota to innate logic. And they know a thing or two about what's happening to them because it's their b****y body that is going through all that grind. So believe and comply.....!

To be just, not all may be of the variety we were unfortunate enough to encounter. Why, we had one gem of a human being in our midst till he was taken away untimely, tragically falling prey to surgery induced infection.

While I continue to be so bitter about these individuals, I am all praise for the support staff. In these surroundings a smile goes a long way. Nothing like a little humour to start the patients day. Even though I have yet to come across nursing practitioners like the one from the Polo ad, I've seen the best of their ranks practice their profession with dedication. it is not easy to keep a cheerful face in a sombre place like that. I salute them.

8-8-8

2008-08-17T01:48:00.000-07:00

Right, no posts in August thus far. But then, it's been a unusual month.

It all started with me checking out of the gym at 8.08 AM on the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year of this century. I know, too much!

Thereafter, things got hectic. I don't know if that was an after effect of the 8-8-8, or not. Hectic yes, but not unruly. Life does throw in a few unexpected ones just for the fun, so those were taken into stride as well.

So there I was, towards the fag end of an 6 month ordeal. 6 months of crash courses in kitchen tinkering, mood swing management, wellness counseling, fragile egos management, temperamental balancing, planning far far ahead, and extreme time management. And looking after myself between all that. I could start a Zen discourse right away.

The time has not yet come to look back on all this, it'll be another three months before I do that. So am I glad we went through this crisis so far? Yes (actually yes) and No! NO for all the extreme pain, anguish, hopelessness, grief, uncertainty and the mind numbing feeling of emptiness. But yes, oh yes!! for all these new challenges and the thrill of surmounting them. And the reassuring presence of friends (Oh what would I ever do without y'all!) and sometimes family, the kind words from them and strangers alike, the constant tirade of positive thoughts, the timely help coming in even after requests at untimely hours. For the discovery of different threads in relationships, of deeper bondings and new meanings. And for new relationships that hold a mirror to a different me.

And for life in a new light!

P.S.Thanks A, A, S, R, M, L, P, P. You guys Rock!

Robert Schank's Maxims

2008-07-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Came across these gems sometime ago. Robert turns all that we believed in so far on the head! I love the last one best! :) And it is, oddly, the 11th maxim. Hmm.

1. Look for anomalies. Anomalies are where the action is, creatively speaking.

2. Listen. You can't find anomalies if you weren't paying attention to what was going on in the first place.

3. Find data. Before you make a theory, look to the world around you, ask yourself what is happening. The more you know the more you can create.

4. Classify, and invent new classifications. Their real value is the generalization they capture.

5. Make rash generalizations. The idea behind making rash generalizations is not to be right, but to be thinking.

6. Explain. When we learn something, it's because we have invented an explanation for it. We have explained it to ourselves.

7. Refuse to learn the rules. You must pick your spots for rebellion, be sure that you have reason on your side, and be prepared to take the consequences.

8. Reject old explanations. Ask why. [Authorities tell us to simple explanations to complex issues] . . . it is important to learn to distrust these explanations, not because someone is trying to fool you, but because the standard wisdom might be wrong.

9. Let your mind wander. . . . the process of letting your mind go where it wants can be useful if where it wants turns out to be an interesting place to go.... If you don't give your mind a little freedom every now and a again, it may stop wandering.

10. Fail early and fail often. Failure is a good thing. We learn from failure. Take a chance. Have an idea and allow the possibility that it might be a bad idea.

11. Reject all the above maxims. Who says I know what I'm talking about. Can we really enhance our creativity? That's a good question.

Wierdness

2008-07-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

We're all a little wierd. And life's a little wierd.

And when we find someone who's wierdness is compatible to ours,

we join up with them

and fall into a mutually satisfying wierdness

and call it love, true love.

I think I could do with a different shade. :)

All pent up!

2008-07-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

I really should be reading more. I have this feeling of insatiability and unless I grab each and every reading opportunity that comes my way, I’ll miss that important pulse. Of course, my groaning bookshelf and my heart know otherwise. I have enough to just sit back and absorb it all. But somehow it seems to me that every minute, every second is fleeting by, every grain of sand is shifting down and my time will be up. I think I can do with an uninhabited island and live there for a couple of years, only reading...right about NOW. And I want to write.

I love to suck the honey out of every precious experience. I still have a voracious appetite for stories, and to me an experience is just that. It doesn’t matter what happened, I will remember it differently, several twilights later. I want to do something that involves, engages, and completely instigates every one of my faculties. I can’t understand or explain this urgency. All this pent-up ‘get-up and go’ is knotted in my veins and tires me beyond exhaustion.

Hmmm.

Damn!

2008-07-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

I think it is a tragic reality of life – that we cannot listen to a person with an open heart, with belief, and assumption of the truth. On the other hand, a lifetime of experiences of feeling let down in various degrees has hardened me up...and now!
There are people who will talk to please and to keep appearances. Of course, I get angry that I should be such a sucker a lot of times, but again, it’s not their fault. They do their best in a given situation...make hay..... And WHY do I have to be such a sucker anyway? This refusal of mine to see this daylight of truth.....this abject refusal to see things for what they are....sheesh!. Why can’t I learn that there are people who will talk only what they feel I like to hear? Why can’t I learn something that is so fundamentally simple? I mean, if I can learn to reverse and park a vehicle in the tightest of spots, surely there must be some iota of intelligence in my dull head that gets it.

It took me a time to realise that I needed to stay on guarded and not succumb so easily to sweet talk. But…this balancing things out took a lot of time. I now understand that you must choose reserve in some situations with some people, and absolutely trust with some others. I am sure I'll be reaaalllly tested on this one..there will be a time of reckoning. But I am not worried. I know I will get through this too.

Harajuku ~ Meadow Lodging

2008-06-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

The newly opened 'O' Hotel in Koregaon Park, bang opposite the German Bakery, has a cozy Japanese meadow lodging ~ Harajuku. It's a well set, but as of now a sparsely populated restaurant. The maroon ambiance is well balanced by the use of gold and curvy arrangement for private seating (and we thought it was the tank which held fresh sealife, sheesh!). The lighting is appropriately dim and the sake goes down well with that. :)

On entering, we saw a party comprising of some desis and japs. One good sign of authenticity of the food there.

We'd come decided to gorge on sushi, R being the 'expert' and yours truly having some eating experience in that area. The menu is compact enough to enable a patron to make a choice and has helpful notes. But it is constrained by the grouping together of sushi varieties. I wish they'd just open it all up and let patrons make their own sets. After all, make-your-own works well these days. We had soups, a salad, lots of sushi and downed it all with a bottle of sake between the four of us.

The Verdict:

The not so nice first: The service is a bit slow...its new so maybe they are taking time adjusting....they don't have the more exotic listings on the menu yet..like octopus and tuna....yet..again I'd give them some time....they had just one brand of sake....the menu listed about 8...but that made it easier for us..not being habitual sake drinkers..we asked for it and they just got the bottle over with smallish cups made of fine china.

Now the good: The cutlery and crockery is fantastic..good taste there..the sake cups were perfectly sized to hold 4 deep sips..the glasses had an angular bottom, so they stayed tilted when kept down..nice touch that..... and the sushi was good..and i mean it...the avocado one, the California sushi had crab....the prawn sushi was well cooked....sushi ingredients should be raw without seeming so.....i liked that..the wasabi was perfect..gave a head rush..as was the vinegar..the service though slow was impeccable and they did it in style..the soups were really good...had those thin noodles...lots of water...i like the clear variety....they tasted unlike anything I've had before.....and the sushi was better than what I tasted in a jap restaurant in Chicago...only wish they had Asahi...the jap beer to go with all this. :)

And oh! I managed to eat everything with chopsticks (thanks to A!). No, not the soup, if you must ask.

A swan song why

2008-06-24T03:25:00.000-07:00

Why do I not remember all this in the middle of pathos?
Because it is meant for me to realise, with a sudden rush of familiarity, that I have a wonderful life after all.

Why do I feel elated in the midst of this bleak situation?
Because there is one life to love and one to love for life.

A win-win in sustainable developement...

2008-06-19T09:40:00.000-07:00

In this article, The Economist strongly argues for involvement of local communities in preservation and sustainable development of forests in which they dwell. Further on, it states that poor people who rely on nature's gifts for their livelyhood, should be helped to help themselves. The Forest Rights Bill that the Indian government is considering at this point, if enacted, would mark a huge step forward in securing the rights of forest dwelling adivasis. The Bill also provides tribal communities the right to protect and manage any ‘community forest resource’ that they have been traditionally conserving, and to impose penalties on anyone violating traditional rules of conservation. This could be an impetus to the villagers of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, who are protecting forests despite not having the legitimacy by law.

Finally, all this lands up at the door step of prosperity of these masses. For these people, wildlife provides not only cash but food and health care (in the form of natural medicines). That is particularly important for the world's poorest people, like those in India, since any poverty-reduction efforts depend on the survival of natural wildlife. Wildlife trade also provides cash that helps children go to school, get better education and move up the value chain.
Finally a win win situation and hopefully a solution no one will be able to hijack for pseudo-social activism.
I just hope the bill sees the light of day!

And some more....

2008-06-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Why have my priorities changed?
Because priorities are meant to be shuffled every time you revisit them. Every re-look brings with it new wisdom, new experiences, new circumstances, and new challenges.

Why does it feel fulfilling to write as well as read?
Because the cumulative knowledge of this universe can be passed on that way.

Why does the mirror never lie?
Because you know what you are going to see before you actually do.

Why am a stronger person today?
Because the apple does not fall far from the tree.

More whys.......

2008-06-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Why do I listen more then I hear?
Because I realise that I make a better person that way.

Why is time money?
Because you cannot buy any off the shelf. One is as good as the other.

Why do I appreciate art depicting real life more than abstracts?
Because truth is stranger then fiction.

Why are cell phones indispensable these days?
Because people these days can only communicate when they are at a distance from each other.

Why do I need a minimum of 8 hours of sleep?
Because that is the only way I am able to sleep through a nightlong road laying racket right outside my window.

The why series continues...

2008-06-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Why does hope jump on a roller coaster every time I turn to it?
Because that is the only way to enjoy the ride of life. Expressways are painfully uninteresting.

Why is that elusive peace of mind finally within reach?
Because I love life in the circumstance it is in.

Why do I watch people more than I look at them?
Because no one has come up with a lifetime movie ticket plan to show all the movies ever made. And this is the next best thing.

Why is the not-so-good 20% able to affect the remaining 80%?
Because the remaining 80% will do nothing but stand and watch.

Why does Windows Vista suck?
Because it has not learnt to differentiate between a enabling a user and overwhelming one.

In response to the whys.......

2008-06-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Why does it have to happen to me?
Because I am made of sterner stuff than I think.

Why do people simply not understand?
Because it is my job to make myself understood. I obviously need to try harder.

Why do I like khaki?
Because to me, it personifies discipline, dignity and organization.

Why is it extremely important to be courteous to those from whom you have no benefit?
Because you are going to be in their place more often than you think.

Why is it that opportunities for sleaze and slander come my way?
Because I will speak the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth. No making hay while the sun shines there.

Jalte Hain Jiske Liye

2008-05-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

Jalte Hain Jiske Liye Teri Aakhon Ke Diye

Dhoond Laya Hoon Wahi Geet Main Tere Liye

Jalte Hain Jiske Liye....

Dil Main Rakh Lena Ise

Haathon Se Ye Chhute Na Kahin

Geet Nazuk Hai Mere

Sheeshe Se Bhi Toote Na Kahin

Gungunaunga Yehi Geet Main Tere Liye

Jalte Hain Jiske Liye......

Jab Talak Na Yeh Tere

Ras Ke Bhare Hontoon Se Mile

Yunhi Awara Phirega

Yeh Teri Zulfon Ke Tale

Gaye Jaunga Yehi Geet Main Tere Liye
Jalte Hain Jiske Liye.....

I don't know..maybe it is the perfect season for romantics or the time is just right. Or maybe the newly launched FM channel in the city has judged the pulse of the masses well by making us swoon to these songs with the golden touch..they air is permeated thickly with love. Love in the Time of Cholera, love in the time of inflation, love in the time of the nuclear deal, love in the time of booming real eatate.....hmm.

This song is very close to me as is the film it is from. Enjoy!

Michael Clayton

2008-04-15T02:04:00.000-07:00

Michael Clayton is an exceptionally film in many ways. First, there is George Clooney and he is just so right. He’s this suited fixer of a lawyer (they call him the janitor, who cleans up other’s legal mess) who lives in throes of personal disarray. Yet there’s something so kind and generous in those vagabond eyes. He’s a really beautiful man. There’s a strong eternal warmth and genuine-ness in his smile.

Then there is the cold..the film is shot in a cold city, in cold weather and has some cold hearted characters. The film starts with a car blowing up on a lonely highway and is followed by shots of empty offices, dark streets, and lonely buildings. The fire that envelopes the car, does not bring warmth. The film involves you from the word go. The clues and the plot start piecing together.The futility of a number of factors….relationships, commitment, trust and lack of it, betrayal, greed is brought home poignantly and climaxes with the ultimate triumph.

Sydney Pollack as Marty Bach is exceptional as the lawyer with years of litigation history on the UNorth account behind him. The heart wringing struggle for moral release is genuine.

The climax is so hushed, simple and sad. It’s a strongly and intentionally played subtlety. That scene when George Clooney says his final words to the lady and walks away – that scene is just painted in cadence. And because a moment of triumph is treated with quietude instead of clamour, you still find yourself glued to your seat in the end, when Clooney is driving around New York in a cab.

And in this way...

2008-04-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

And in this way I reach my 100th post. No, there is no great story hiding behind this....just thought I'd mention it out loud. Here is to many more centuries. . .
PS. I might feel the need to update this post and say something useful..something worth the let's-uncork-the-bubbly-moment someday. Keep watching the space. :)

Relationships...

2008-04-09T22:05:00.000-07:00

Later that day I got to thinking about relationships.
There are those that open you up to something new and exotic, those that are old and familiar, those that bring up lots of questions, those that bring you somewhere unexpected, those that bring you far from where you started, and those that bring you back. But the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you can find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.

Sex and the City

Longing..

2008-04-07T04:54:00.000-07:00

There she stood, as always, complete with a pretty outfit and her curly hair as golden as the sun. Sometime she was looking out of the window, her head raised slightly skywards. On other occasions, she stood sideways on the sill, looking inwards..perhaps introspecting? Whatever be her mood, the contentment on her face was unmistakable. Every time I passed her by I wondered, what made her day, or was it life in general that continued to woo her?
Maybe it had something to do with her involvement with the differently-abled kids who visited her class each day. She gave them immense pleasure and joy time after time.

On rare occasions she stood with her hands stretched out towards the flowers on the other side of the window. On those days, her tranquil face belied her inner turmoil. When there were no flowers, the toy cars gave her company on the sill. She seemed content as usual, but I could tell that she yearned greatly for those flowers. Sadly they could never be hers.

This enigma of a doll that I see standing every single day beyond the glass of the classroom window fascinates me to no end. I pass her by and blow her a kiss, praying that one day she finds a prince who’ll give her plenty of flowers and more.

To earth thou shall return.........

2008-03-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

The shopping street was bursting at the seams with shoppers. They were undeterred by the intense heat of the Sun at it's best. The footpaths were occupied by hawkers selling everything from film star posters which gleamed due to their lamination and perhaps because they carried the image of current box office stars, to ropes and strings which could have as varied uses as hanging clothes to keeping pajamas in place. Jostling for pace among them were standee vendors selling lip smacking channa chor, cool cucumbers, delicious nariyal pani and even cubes of sugarcane. Crowd of shoppers congregated around these guys seeking respite, not from the sun, but from the non-stop shopping. Everyone had at least two bags hanging from their hands. It is amazing and paradoxical at the same time…this inexhaustible appetite for shopping…and the dooms day prediction of inflation.

Breaking the monotony of happy, colorful shoppers and happier shopkeepers was a sparkling white ambulance. It was standing parked at the foot of a building from where a staircase leads to the floors above. I tried to remember if I had ever seen an ambulance caked with mud, or much the worse for scrubbing. Not even close, I cannot remember an ambulance vehicle with so much as a speck of dirt on it. I understand the sanitary concerns and all that but just could not help wondering. A group of individuals had gathered near it. They were about 6-10 of them, people of various ages. A body, completely wrapped in stark white cloth, was brought out from the staircase. It was hard to make out anything of the individual whose mortal remains the stretcher was bearing. I briefly glanced at it, not letting my eyes linger more than a few seconds. There was no emotion on the face of those waiting around, no wailing women either. They placed the body in the ambulance with surprising quickness. Perhaps they had to make it to the cremation ground at the appointed time. I was preparing the cross the road when my eyes fell on an aged man, standing silent and watchful. He was standing by the side of the ambulance with a small cloth bag in his hand. A carrot or two peeped out of its top suggesting he’d been shopping for veggies on a street which sold anything but that. He looked at the building once, trying to guess perhaps the floor from which the body had been carried down. And then he looked at the body. His hands shook. For a fleeting moment I think he thought about his time here.

I went and bought myself a white pin stripped shirt.

Repeat Orders

2008-02-20T04:51:00.000-08:00

Such is Life...with a capital L. The past week has been tumultuous.
One of my favourite blogs has this beautiful poem that just summed it up really well. No more..no less. That it revolves around food is no coincidence.

I sit at my favorite table
In a purple coffee shop
Wearing smart corduroys
And a flimsy orange top.

I usually just take the largest cup
Of the hottest, strongest brew,
But it’s one of those days when I decide
To check out the menu.

Next to a dried blob of ketchup
Is a dish that sounds wry
It’s called ‘A slice of Life’
And it’s a piece of creamy fruit pie

I order it immediately
It sounds so cheery bright
It promises of taste and sin
And sounds just about right

I get my pie on a yellow plate
It’s a heaving slice in the center
A long metal spoon to scoop up with
It’s a positive Dementer

The pie has blueberries and apples
Folded cozily in creamy layers
And also hunks of warm custard bread
As some of its major players

It’s soft and spongy and buttery-sweet
And thickened to perfection
The fruit pieces blend in like
Image and reflection

I pick up the last morsel
And savour it with a sigh
I promise to remember this forever…
But I forget it by and by

Many seasons later
I am at a club for drinks,
I am now quite the party animal
Or so everyone around me thinks

I look for ruby concoctions
They are my secret fancy
I like to hear my ice cubes clink
To the feet of people dancing

But today there is something strange
The menu has a new wine
It’s called ‘A slice of Life’
So surreal, I sense, so apt,
and so completely mine

I order it and it comes
In an icy, sweaty glass
It has a thick, treacly residue
The color of sun-burnt grass

The slice of life that I had thought
To indicate a gesture divine
Was nothing more than a tubby squish
A squeeze of wet, sour lime

The music fades around me
And I remember a misty dream
A day in time in life in world
A pie with fruits and cream

They say there is rapture
In a sublimity that is unblinking
But the things one understands so well
When you are simply eating and drinking

A slice of life – a slice of life
How it changes so with time
Sometimes it is a cherished pie
Sometimes it is expensive wine

A slice of life – a slice of life
How it pushes perspective to the border
But however unexpected it may turn out
You only get it when you order.

The snug feeling

2008-02-15T03:14:00.000-08:00

Hrithik is Adonis personified in JA. Those rippling well cut sinews are up for grabs…….by eyeballs that is. J It must be snug stuff.

I have been happily ignoring the snug feeling all these years. Yeah, it’s been 10 years, on and off, (more on than off) that I’ve been working out now. There’s not a machine I did not try or a technique I have not used. It took years for something close to a bulge to be added to my biceps, triceps, quads and calf. But when they did emerge finally, they were there to stay. I have given up on the six pack dream long ago..so we’re not going there. As long as I can see my feet completely when I bow my head and look, I’m OK, I think.

Gymming is a religion. The brotherhood of iron. So where were we..yes..the snug feeling. While my muscles decided to grow themselves, I was busy perusing fashions for active people. At one time I owned close to 5 track pants and a dozen tees, exclusively for the gym. I did not notice it when I could easily lift a 25 kg sack and carry it some distance. Nor I did not notice it when my stamina and endurance increased considerably and helped me achieve more in my outdoor adventures. I failed to take in the ease of being in my body and the comfort it gave. And I did not notice the confidence I exuded. All my eyes could see was how well my clothes fitted me toned frame and how my muscles.

It was the age for muscles to flourish and that they did superbly. I maintained an exercise log (still do) and meticulously recorded measurements. I looked forward to every month end when I could see and measure the progress. It was all about the data . . . every mm counted. Arrgh! The tiny details, the fine print.

Before I knew it, I was closer to the 30s. I can do all the above and more….but I see differently now. One grey winter day, I was packing up after working on my shoulders, lats and back. I changed my shoes, returned the thumb supports to their cases and dropped the towel in my bag. My back was aching with the effort. I winced as put on my sweatshirt. Everyone around was blowing on their hands, pulling on layers of woolly clothing, and generally trying to be warm. And all I could feel was snug….in just a tee, track pant and sweatshirt. The chill could not touch me..for I was warm on the inside. This was a different kind of snug. Not the kind you feel when you have the thickest fur or the fattest windcheater on you. This was the ‘hugging-the-teddy’ kind of snug. The ‘stay-in-bed-under-the-blanket’ kind of snug. While I was busy with the details, the big picture had passed me by.

I drove home with the joy of Archimedes making a discovery. The cold breeze licked my bare head and teased my 2 mm hair. It pinched my ears and turned them red. It could not make them cold to touch though. They were glowing in the warmth of new found old familiarity and the joy of discovering one more reason to live.

Celebrating F.R.I.E.N.D.S !!

2008-01-24T02:23:00.000-08:00

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

A more apt poem hath never been put to paper. To all the friends I am privileged to have in my life and hold! This one is for you with everlasting love.

The Reason

2008-01-17T01:45:00.000-08:00

I'm not a perfect person
There's many things I wish I didn't do
But I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
And all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
And be the one who catches all your tears
Thats why i need you to hear

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is You [x4]

I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
And so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
and the reason is you

I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you....|||

By HOOBASTANK from the album The Reason

Flowers in the sky....

2008-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

Laxmi Pujan is the best day of Diwali. I love it when Mother takes out the silver coins and other jewellery items for the puja and careful decorates them with flowers and rangoli. Then there is the unlimited Mithai to eat... yum!

The thing that most delights moi though is the festive fireworks that light up the night skies. They come in all shades of yellow, reds, blues and green...typically from the coloring agents used. Each variety has a typical burst audio and visual. First, they scattered in perfect alignment of a flower form, releasing a lot of light and heat. Latently, you hear a sharp (trrrac..t!) or a dull (dhum..t!) report of the burst. The fiery sparks fall to earth as they die out and I can hear their pitter-patter on my roof. Year after year, as I watch the magic unfold it remains superimposed in my eyes. Till the next year........

And yes, there are those times when India celebrates a rare win on the cricket and all festive hell breaks lose. .But those fireworks do not have same charm me thinks.

So what prompted this untimely post? Click here to read this interesting items on why Japan still makes the best fireworks ever.

I'll make it my next destination now!

2 items in my wishlist!

2008-01-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

I am a great one for convenience. Little attributes that make a great product…..friendly, fast, cheap, and usable. Here are two I would love to lay my hands on.

I love cartoons and comics, and by correlation also love people who love these two. And I believe you can learn or impart much more learning/training from using comics that anything else. Which brings me to product # 1. Anybody who has seen the Adams Family toon, even in passing, will have noticed 'The Hand'. It runs, scurries, holds cards and fetches things. Well, now you can have you own ‘Hand’ to do your bidding. Read the interesting comments from geeks who follow such kind of things. :) [Sample: Can we get video of two of these hands jousting?] Very interesting!

And the second is a convenience for all those who love to cycle to work and but can’t due to the stuff they need to carry with them, like laptops etc. Ah! The sheer bliss of riding on a compact machine with nothing sticking out of the bicycle operational area, nothing to poke the walkers passing by…. A huge disclaimer though, India, or rather Pune will not figure on users map of this product, ever. Click here to find out.

Whew!

2007-12-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

Whew!

For those who know what this means.....well, you know what this means....
For those who don't...........go figure... :P

For some 'thinks' are worth it

2007-12-09T00:45:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day. The Math of life unveils itself in strange ways. It changes a lot of things. A window opened today.

The Hero in red undies

2007-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

You are Superman
Your results: You are mild-mannered, good,strong and you love to help others.
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test.

Superman		80%
Supergirl		75%
Robin		75%
Hulk		70%
Spider-Man		65%
Green Lantern		65%
Iron Man		65%
The Flash		50%
Wonder Woman		45%
Batman		40%
Catwoman		30%

Pune International Marathon

2007-12-05T02:59:00.000-08:00

Proud to display the Tee and the chest #. Clocked 23.44 for 4.5 km. :)

Where is Xistinchaos?

2007-11-28T00:45:00.000-08:00

There have been no confimed sightings of Xistinchaos in recent times!! Where has our friendly neighbourhood blogger gone?

Callers from various quarters claimed to have seen X in action.....in discos, at rallys, as a part of morchas and wierdest of all, at fashion shows. All these claims have turned out to hoaxes since even wild horses could not drag X there.

This reporter was lucky enough to corner X into revealing what has been going on behind the scenes. So here is the scoop....

X was busy following, cheering and celebrating a very dear friend's achievement! It is not easy being friends' with COO of you-know-what. X had to field and filter numerous calls so that only a select and legitimate few got across. And then there was the launch of this dream project to attend. :) It was a very well managed and busy affair. X indulged in sightseeting, canoeing, catching up and topped it all with a great lunch, all at one location. Sadly, X missed the glitzy night party. Not to worry though, losses have been made up for. This was in September.

X always tries and finds new passions to persue in life. Regulars with X will be surprised to know that X was busy laying out the math of life. Clearly numbers have not been X's favourite friends except when counting the reps for bench press. So X had no rest till the math was all done and the sums resolved. Here is an orginal from X, "For everything you have missed, you have gained something else. And for everything you gain, you lose something else. It's about your outlook towards life. You can either regret or rejoice."

X spent time canoeing down the Bhima river, as far as the Ujani Dam. X is happy when the mind is free to wander and the hands are busy in fruitful chores. Nature is X's greatest passion and since this intitiave was coupled with a social cause that X believes in, it was extremely satisfying for X.

Diwali was family time at X's. X drove down to Alibaug and thereafter to Chiplun. Keynote from trip: Konkan is great at that time of the year. There were a lot of photo opps and exchanging of gifts. X loves to see the delight on the faces of near and dear ones as they open the thoughful gifts. X sought blessings at Amnayeshwar and asked that there not be too much to do with numbers in this life atleast. Amen!

X's once a year day had a special touch this year. Friends, flowers and FOOD!! Yum!

X could not wait to see Om Shanti Om! It is one of the most masala-iest film ever and X loved it. X was ga-ga over Shanti, the character potrayed by Deepika Padukone. How much there is of either in each other, one cannot tell but what can be told is that Deepika is the film's special package. Talk of having everything in the right place and the right size. The spotlights and paparazzi are bound to follow, while the expectations are sure to kiss the pinnacle. :))

Incidently, X still spends all free time at work when not rejoicing with life's greatest blessings- friends and family!

X signs off with another original, " Remember, you are born to live. Don't live because you are born. Don't go the way life takes you; take life the way you go!"

Now that X is back, we can look forward to more engaging and heartfelt thoughts and observations.

Watch this space. :))

One for my Folks!

2007-07-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Time: 1.08 pm
Place: Canteen

Lunch time conversations, subjects floating freely around. A group of middle aged moms settled itself near my table.

One of them had a son who just passed his Class Xth exam. To the uninitiated, this exam is considered as the most important event in anyone's life by everyone around, except the one attempting it. It is next only to marriage in importance. Anyways, so she began her tale.

Her son had cleared the exam with reasonably good marks. This was followed by making rounds of different colleges to collect forms, gathering info on different entrance exams and their dates, etc. She was excitedly going on about how he was doing all of that on his own since both his parents were working and could not accompany him. She sounded thrilled as she related his accomplishments doing all these rounds. Finally, she let on that she could not believe that her son, the laziest boy in the world according to her, was actually doing this methodically and without prompting. Her pride and satisfaction were apparent in her sparkling eyes.

It really takes little to please our parents. While we may be stretching ourselves to meet the expectations of the world, we need to do precious little to meet those of our parents.

This one's for you folks! :)

375 ml of Life

2007-05-15T05:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I gave away about 375 ml and gained a good deal in return. I have a tiny medal to prove it!

We had a blood donation drive at the office. They had announced it a week ago so that everyone who wished to donate would be prepared. Mentally, more then anything. The blood bank technicians and the doctors came well equipped. 4 beds were laid out in the board room.... yes, the board room. :) One lady checked everyone’s hemoglobin in an adjoining cube and another handed over the collection bags. The whole process was very methodically and somber, but I found my little moments of hilarity even there..mostly as a result of my own actions. :)

I filled my form and sat down for the customary hemoglobin test prick. Ouch! A drop of red blossomed on the tip of my finger. She swiftly sucked it in a dropper and let a drop of blood fall in a beaker full of some blue liquid. As it descended with amazing rapidity, the drop broke up in the middle and the hole spread outwards to form a ring of red. She nodded in approval at that sight and asked me my illness history. I had trouble remembering when I had jaundice, or when I had my shots of hepatitis and its consecutive booster dose. The only booster dose I remembered was the one I had as a kid. She was mildly shocked with my sketchy answers but I guess that tiny drop she’d extracted earlier said it all. My recent history was clear of any medical misdemeanors. No BP, diabetes, or other persistent conditions too. Hooray!

Armed with the NOC, I marched in the board room and got my blood collection bag. Thereafter, I lay comfortably on a bed staring at the board room ceiling. A BP monitor was taking my count and simultaneously increasing the pressure on my right hand. I was given a soft ball to squeeze. That would pump up the pressure in the blood and all possible veins would pop up on the skin’s surface. I have never been horizontal in the board room before (oh alright, I have slept through some meetings sitting) and it was a nice experience. The circles of white light shining down from the false ceiling at specific intervals…..glowing but unobtrusive; the blinds that shut out any other light….the atmosphere was perfect for a siesta.

And then I saw the needle. It was meant for a thick skinned buffalo, I was sure, and felt the need to gulp in a large amount of air. Time to be truthful, I thought, and told the doctor of my reaction to all such pointy, prickly things. I usually get a feeling of faintness (without actually fainting, which makes it complicated as I am neither here nor there :( ). This feeling disappears in a few minutes if I just sit quietly and do nothing. After it passes, I am as fit as a bull. But for those few moments I am a spent bullet. She was ok with that and told me to lie down as long as I wanted to. There is one more thing; I said to her, I grimace very loudly when the needle is actually entering me. And in that process some expletives may be uttered. This elicited laughter from all my colleagues around. She was amused as well but ok with the arrangement.

My hand was sufficiently pumped up and she tried to find a suitable vein. They were all tiny and she slapped my hand a few times with result. I was going to be punctured now. (ohmigod! Gulp! Gulp! Ouch! Ouch!) She was skillful, yet I felt the needle enter and slide up my arm. Some *&^@+*”>:&%# followed. But no blood would come. I pumped the ball till I felt ants crawling all over my right hand, yet no luck. She removed the needle.

I felt the dawn of hope shine. So if my veins are tiny I won’t be able to donate, right?...... I asked her eager to escape the ordeal I had put myself in. We’ll try the other hand she said matter-of-factly. Mentally, I heard my hope crash into a thousand pieces. Just as I was pondering my fate, a tiny angel popped on my shoulder, much like it does for Tom and Jerry. “Shame on you!”, he chided me, “where has all that bravado gone? Who was so happy about being the only female to pass the hemoglobin test? Now pay your dues, be brave.” I could see him adjust his halo as he waited for me to raise my downcast eyes and make up my mind. There! The decision was made.

I shifted to another bed so that my left hand would be nearer to the BP monitor. She finally found a big enough vein after all the pumping, squeezing and slapping. Puncture time again, the angel very much in attendance and watchful. I gave him a dark look but felt really warm inside. Some more *&^@+*”>:&%#. This time the blood flow was instant and the bag started filling up. I lay watching the lights shining down on me. A few naughty sunrays had managed to avoid the blinds and had made their way in. I am sure they were there on purpose, to watch me and comfort me. :)

People passing by the room could see me inside and many gestured with a thumbs up sign. It felt good to be on this side of the glass partition. Our coordinator even took a pict of us, needles and all.

Finally, I was free of the needle. I looked at the full bag, all 375 ML of it. I had just transfused life and it was now safely stored in that bag.

They immediately gave me a pack of glucose biscuits and a cup of tea. I was feeling faint but that was expected. I sat down on the carpeted floor and began eating. The doctor gave special instructions to the technician to watch me at all times. I had gone quiet now and the feeling would not go away. The doctor did not like the look of it and immediately asked me to sleep on a bed. The watchful fellow got a glass of pure glucose and poured it down my throat. The effect was electrifying. I could feel energy surge through my veins. I closed my eyes in bliss.

I felt a sudden shake on my shoulder. “Open your eyes, open them”, said the doctor. They thought I had switched off like a light. Keeping my eyes open was a way of reassuring them that I was very much here. :) So I kept them open and dreamily thought of all the times I had spent in the board room, sitting upright and listening to spiels.

Time to go; I finished my tea and biscuits. They did not let me go till I had polished off the entire pack. There was more advice to come….tell everyone around your cube that you may feel faint so that they can come and call us…..don’t stand too much…..don’t sit on a chair if you feel faint at any time……drink some juice in a while……actually we don’t recommend that girls donate…and so on. I listened to all that well meaning advice in silence. They gave me a certificate, a medal and an informative booklet as a mark of their appreciation.

As I made my way back to my cube, I could see the pride in my eyes reflected in those of my friends. The experience had been insightful and extremely morale boosting.

There is no doubt that I will do it again, fat needles not withstanding. Legit opportunities for *&^@+*”>:&%# are hard to come by. :)

What's your story?

2007-05-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

Its amazing how seemingly normal, otherwise-well-rounded people (yours truly included) find their way into physically taxing sports? Of course, there will always be those mysteries of nature who can burn up endless calories without even trying. But where does the rest of the pack come from? Say, how does an individual decide that doing push-ups for all 24-hours or swimming some incredible distance is something that they might be good at”? Or even scarier, how do they say - “Hey, that might be fun!!.” I’ve ask myself this question before. I feel like I can trace it all back to one mid morning hour when I was 16. I was at Rajmachi near Lonavala at an adventure camp. My mum, for want of other options to keep me occupied in the summer holiday months, had enrolled me in one. They promised activities like river crossing, rifle shooting, rappelling, rock climbing, zumaring, and finally a wilderness cooking experience.

The course was well planned as was each day at the camp. We had reached Rajmachi the previous night and were up early the next day. The whole day was dedicated to orient us with the rules, activities, facilities and the camp setting. Acclimatization was through an early morning 3 hour hike up the mountain next to the camp. That was to be followed by an rock climbing session.

I remember struggling up the ridge at about 6.30 a.m. Our suffering soon started to slip into audible abuse. After several long minutes of groans and grumbles, we all just stopped. Cut to silence and we looked at each other. I could see in the eyes of the other hikers the dead-end fatigue I felt in myself. I glanced up trail. The instructors words of encouragement fell on deaf ears. The ridge was no more than a half an hour away - and beyond that I imagined the wind-blasted ridge line, the final assault to the peak, and the inevitable sunrise over the valley. And so I said to no one in general, "Well, the hard part's over now. It's all mental from here." Somehow, I talked myself into believing that. The rest were too tired to argue or did not understand what I meant. So we marched ahead keeping each other company and terrified of being left behind.

At the peak, we were treated to piping hot tea and glucose biscuits. I sat beside ledge and watched wisps of pink clouds as morning arrived. The horizon was crimson. In the new clarity of daylight, I had a bewildering view of what seemed to be hundreds of little peaks jutting out from the valley randomly. I wanted to climb them all. And even stranger, I thought as I sipped tea, I wanted to start that second, from where I was. I wanted to climb the next peak, and then the next. As exhausted as I knew I was, I craved some sort of journey into the known unknown that had so suddenly revealed itself.

I think that's when I knew.

What's your story?

Tender Thursday

2007-04-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

I feel like writing something today , but nothing very serious or ‘constructed’. I don’t much care for putting up unstructured posts on my blog. But at the same time, I don’t want to feel hostage to some 'bright idea'. So, I shall just do as I please for now, because it's my blog! :)

It’s bright and sunny. My hair seems to be on fire and I would see black polka dots on practically everything around me if not for my Polo Club glares. I decide to have some tender coconut water from the bhaiyya on the corner . It does mean a walk from office in the heat to the corner but I love the water and the walk helps. The bhaiyya knows exactly what I want, I only had to tell him once. I usually have the pani and thicker-than-patli-malai variety. I have grown up around two bountiful coconut trees and I love to crunch on the white tender flesh. If at home, I have little nuggets of jaggery with the it. Mmmm...!

I finish the water and watch as the malai gets freed from its shell by a deft scrap with a curved chopper. He gives me a coconut halve with the malai slices heaped on top of one another. It is quite a halve-full.

As I walk back, I look up to see a blue cloudless blue sky. That somehow manages to fill me up. I don't seem to have the appetite to finish all that malai I have so greedily taken. I think I will take it along and coax my friends to finish it. I know I will hear that friendly sermon about being greedy, once more.

Right then who should amble along from behind me but an elephant! I see the poor animal fanning himself desperately with the big ears. So much real estate to feel the heat on. I pause to let the grand animal pass and more importantly to give him a spot in the shade. When he comes nearer, he slows his walk. As if he'd read my mind. He proffers his trunk and I let the entire contents from my hands be taken. No questions asked, no sermons given. The trunk feels soft to touch and it rests for a bit on my palm..as if to say thanks.

My malai meets a fateful end and I have a very happy day for I have made this Jumbo happy.