yeh dooriyaan...

somehow whenever gets married in our firm, they are put on a project which essentially develops geographical dooriyan with spouse

4-5 instances i had seen...as a third person (when i was single)

now that i am double (actually i have put on a lot of weight....so even in the physical sense i have kind of doubled)....i have been put on a mumbai project....
(fyi...for the last 1 and a half odd years, i was in delhi and in ncr based projects for 1. year 3 months....

yeh saazish nahi to kya hai... :(

POTA

what is POTA? no its not prevention of terrorism act...
its pulled out of thin air...
and in many cases, even pulled out of the ass

what do u pull out of thin air / the ass....

data my friends data

estimating the size of an industry for which there is no data available what so ever, nor has any scholarly person made any mention of it in any interview....
where do u get this information then....
think....
think...

(slap)..like bruce lee slaps a pupil who thinks too much in Enter the Dragon....n tells him...DONT THINK FEEEEEEEL

of course when something is pulled out of ur ass...u will FEEEEEL

right now i am in the process of searching for stuff to pull out...
once i find it....then i will FEEEEEEL :) :) :)

Wish i were an idiot

Because i have been awestruck by 3 idiots.
What a wonderful movie. And i guess i liked it even more because of the central theme of the movie, which is follow ur heart and do wht u really want to.

the 3 idiots do that and they are successful....but much more importantly, they are happy

i guess i have also been part of a rat race since the very beginning.....it wasnt pressure exerted by family as such....guess it was a lot to do with my own expectations (probably that drew from my parents' expectations to a large extent...but papa and ma always gave me the liberty to choose what i want)....
so me...the 4th idiot is at a loss, coz i dont know what i want to do
i find so many things interesting...but like in the Indigo Manza ad, there is always something missing.....wonder wat

i guess that is why i admire laina (my fiance') so much....she took the plunge, quit a great job in a coveted company, and now is doing what she wants to do.....

now there are multiple alternatives to finding out what i want...one is jump into each thing i like...make my mistakes and move on to the next one.....
but the status quo of a good job makes me too prone to inertia....add to it the fact that i am not sure if i will like what i do even for a week......
other one is to wait and watch......which is wat i am doing right now
third one...which i guess i should start...is to continue with wat i am doing...while taking in bits and pieces of the other alternatives......
this is also one of the more difficult ones coz maintaining attention is a big problem....i have tried it multiple times with multiple things but it hasnt worked till now

but till i decide to start the third alternative...its still the 2nd alternative for me :)

posting again...

in some time :) :) :)

Heights

I am kinda scared of them (heights). Have heard people say u get this adrenalin rush when u fall (bungee etc) which gives u a high.
I went zipping (if u wanna know what that is, check out flyingfox.com) the other day with RG and a few of his friends. There we zips on a cable, from hill to hill. And it did give me an adrenalin rush (am assuming phatne ko adrenalin rush kehte hai)...
Did i enjoy the feeling...not really. I can say the whole experience was good, but dont particularly see myself getting exhilarated by the "adrenalin rush".
I prefer trekking, arduous treks, where i push my physical limits (without having to jump off the hill).

Navy Cut

Its wat I turn to when life seems not so beautiful....

Ways

What do u do when u dont want to be roped into some crappy work?

1. u get on to the phone
2. u go and take a walk (walk down a flight of stairs 14 floors)
3. convince ur digestive system to escort u to the loo :)

Have done all today

Chor Saale

Mere shahar ke log

Ek bechare bike chalane wale ke bike saaf karne wala kapda bhi nahi chodte

2nd time it has been stolen....thieves bloody thieves

Lekin kuch bhi ho, am warming up to Delhi....gradually...but am warming up to it

Sorry Bhai

I call myself an action movie buff. I guess I am to a large extent. I scan for action movies on the internet and download them. And then when i have my movie marathon weekends, most of them / all of them are usually action movies.

But there are just these few movies which i completely loved watching.
Just watched one such movie. Sorry Bhai.
Completely loved the movie. Chitrangada Singh is more pretty than any Bollywood heroine.

But what did I like most about the movie. I liked Boman Irani's character. Completely fell in love with it.
Why? That is exactly the kind of father I want to be to my children someday.

Boman...u rock.

Bachpan ki yaadein

The other day, while walking around my apartments, there was this group of school going girls who were having their evening gossip and hanging out dose. While i passed by them, heard their conversation....Sheila ko maths mein 98 mila hai....nahi...usko 95 mila hai....meena ko 100 mila hai (names have been changed for the sake of confidentiality... :P)

was instantly transported back to my childhood and also to kandy's recent post on how we all strive for marks and ranks (i would have given the hyperlink to his post...but i guess he will give that when he comes to comment...i feel too lazy to do that right now)
in our childhood also, it used to be the struggle to get maximum marks, to be first or second in class, parents taking pride in telling mera beta 1st aaya hai....parent teacher meetings where the teacher would say aapka beta bahut bright hai....
or summer vacation...wherein u get holiday homework to write 10 essays....
and i, since the beginning was against the concept of holiday homework (now i know why i am so possessive about my weekends and about work life balance :) :)), finished writing all essays on the first saturday and sunday of the 2 month summer holiday....result, got among the lowest marks in the essays ... but that was one of the few times i had no regrets about getting low marks (yes i have always been a geek throughout school and college)

wow....simple banter between a group of kids can bring back so many memories (and also reference to a post which i have mentioned but not provided the hyperlink to....sorry kandy :P)

Incidental Hero

Was riding my bike back home. It was just after 5. Was one of those days when I got to leave early.

There was a Tata Sumo riding in front of me. Suddenly it braked and turned to the side. I was watching right in the front and so I could manage to stop just before hitting the car.
From the side of my eye, I could see a small boy running along (away?) from a group of stray dogs.
When I braked and stopped, I saw that the boy was actually running away and shouting "bachao bachao", and the dogs were chasing him.
He came and hid behind me, and I stood there quite shocked and looking at the dogs.

But I guess a biker with a red round helmet and on a red bike was a scary sight for the dogs, so they stayed away.
In the meanwhile, the car driver, who was the actual hero, took some stones and shooed the dogs away.

The boy went his way, I went mine.
And the people around saw US (me and the car driver) save the small boy...

Pros and cons...

Of the bike getting a flat tyre on a hot Delhi morning, 2.5 kms from the nearest tyre puncture repair shop, with u wearing full sleeves, and carrying ur lappie and loads of other stuff in a bag...

Cons: u have to push ur bike across 2.5 kms over delhi roads, with a lot of dust, and the road itself not helping u, rather welcoming u with potholes etc.
U are sweating like a pig by the time u reach the repair shop
there is another guy getting his car tyre repaired so u have to wait 30 mins in the sun
u r late for office

Pros: u r sweating like a pig, and since u missed exercise in the morning, u lose if not more, equal number of calories.
u feel good that u didnt faint by the time u reached the repair shop

Zindagi hai to mushkile hai

When I was in the 6th standard, we had this exercise, wherein we had to write quotes on a piece of chart paper and put it up in the classroom, on the walls.
One quote had particularly caught my attention. It was "I cried because i had no shoes, until i met a man who had no feet".

I called up a good friend of mine, with whom over time the degree of "being in touch" has reduced to nil. So had called him up today.
He is going through so much in life right now. An ailing parent, health problems himself, no job, is away from home, relatives not helping out...the list goes on.
And he is still fighting. Against all odds...
Kudos to him...

You can read all motivational books and stuff, but the two greatest teachers in life are: people, and more importantly life itself...

Chinese humour

Now i know why Chinese movies humour is so strange. There was this one movie wherein puking into the food and then someone eating it was great fun. Someone spitting into someone's food was fun.
I guess in Chinese movies sab chalta hai...in fact u need such stuff to make people laugh.

Was watching Travel and Living. And saw the latest hit in Taipei's set of eating joints. It's a toilet restaurant. Wherein u sit in WCs, rather than paper napkin u get toilet paper, and the dishes are named bloody piles, diarrhoea, AND you are served in a WC shaped bowl.
EEEEWWWWWW

If such a thing can be a hit, why cant someone puking into someone's food be humourous

Insight

As i mentioned in the last post, the pretty girl had said you are great consultants since you do amazing work, while the so called best consultants are not, because they just get the projects on relationships.

Posting the last post actually got me thinking and recollecting a few things i have heard over my very short period in the consulting world.

Our clients and the industry generally accepts that my firm does amazing work. We work at all levels, not just the CXO level. It is one of our principles, which is working in a collaborative manner, and ensuring that whatever change we propose, it gets implemented.
As opposed to this, few of our competitors claim that we do only "strategic" work. When during our campus placements, we asked what does that mean...we were told they work only at CXO level.
Again, this is something i heard from the market too. The other consulting firm in question does a lot of well known "big picture" work, some amazing analysis and stuff. But then, since they work ONLY at the CXO level, the actual people implementing it are not in the loop.

But then, they still are the most well known and well reputed firm in the market. Why?
Because of the projects they do. And where do they get those projects from? From their reputation and their relationships.

And it is actually quite intuitive. If i have 2 people, one who is very diligent and detailed n stuff, and the other who is not so, but i am comfortable working with, i would rather work with the second isnt it? The same is true with relationships also. If you have one with someone, then why would u hazard taking a chance with someone new.

Hmmm...interesting point :)

That was my intellectual masturbation for the night. Time to sign off. Current bhi chala gaya hai :(
Good night.

Random Incidents - Part (i dunno which part :P)

Person i met: So where do u work....
I work for a firm called
O wow...u r the best in ur field...i have heard so much about u....

Me: is that so...that is the first time i have heard that...i always thought is assumed to be the best
Person: that is true...but then they get their work thru relationships n stuff...not real work...u guys do real good work

Me: that is so kind of u...thanks


Realization: am not at all a social animal :( am actually pretty bad at meeting new people...especially people / kind of people i am not used to interacting with ....even kind of people i am used to inteacting with....

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Am finally (possibly) getting into volunteering for a cause....dekhte hai kab tak

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Song currently playing on tv...manzil na ho to kya kaam ki hai zindagi....
right now...desperately searching for purposes in life

and also searching for topics to blog on :)

Management lesson

You can learn dozens of management lessons in class, but then u have to experience it to actually have an "aha" moment (as my dear lady love says...an "aha" moment)

And this moment was not one where I was managing....the only thing i manage is my time on weekends...and man do i make a lousy affair out of it :) out here i am talking about being managed

as opposed to popular perception....out of a management institute one does not become a manager...one just moves into a different form of organization, where he/she is still the lowest form of life (at least within the organization)

coming back to the point of management, so in my organization, we are practically the lowest forms of life....
so there is this initiative that a few of us wanted to, rather want to start...
now there is this manager who is managing this initiative
all the time, he was telling us, do this do that, the initiative should shape up this way, that way, these are things that should be part of it, this should be our objective n this not...n so on

n while this was happening we were getting pissed off, losing our interest...but in the process we could not longer relate to the initiative....yes that is exactly wat the problem was....it was no longer "our" initiative...it was "his" initiative...

finally one brave one among us wrote these concerns to the manager, in a very polite and yet articulate way....
n today, the manager changed his approach...rather i would say he had a change of heart :)
so now the initiative is shaping us as ALL of us would like it to....of course not wat everyone wants can be there....but its not a show where one person is giving orders n the others are sulkingly "apparently" following...

so that is the management lesson....
did any of u people ask "WHAT" is the management lesson...
well if u didnt get the moral of the story...i am no teacher to teach u :P read it again n grasp it...n if u still cant get it, gimme a call :P :P

adios

Scary night...

I felt scared tonight....not the "recession chal raha hai...do mahine mein naukri rahe na rahe.." fear :) I know that even if i lose my job, the people i love will stand by me...my close friends would stand by me...that is all the strenght i need...
woh darr nahi...
the raw basic instinct fear....phatne wala fear

had dinner with a friend...here in dwarka itself...some 4 kms from my house...then i went to drop him home....it was VERY foggy...the worst fog i have experienced....
on my way back...lost my way....

imagine...visibility of less than 10 m, dark night....n as u drive....u have clouds of fog coming towards u....
u cant see the sides of the road....u cant see the lone person walking on the road unless he is right next to u.....n the fog reminds u of all the zee horror shows and ramsay movies u laughed at...

phat ke haath mein aa gayi thi

finally after roaming around for about 20-25 mins (for a 5 min ride), i reached home....
n decided to let AXN fear factor know of a possible dare they can have in their show :) :)

Feeling nostalgic...

u can count on friends to make u laugh...n also to make u cry...

now i dont cry...generally...the last time i cried was when jetha (my uncle) expired....that was in 11th...or maybe 10th standard...

after that...there have been many occasions my eyes have been on the misty side...but tears fail to oblige me...
i would love to cry at these moments...i think its cathartic...n i dont think its feminine...crying is very naturall...

anyway...now relating misty eyes and friends....bhaskar (lugaai) is to blame for my latest misty eyes experience...

was reading his blog....he wrote (or was it copied...lugaai sach bol :P) this beautiful poem about 2 yrs at IIMA....
got me thinking of the amazing time I had there...n the time was amazing because of amazing friends like bhaskar, randolf, titto, patwari...

bhaskar's crazy dance...his playing madhushala during our DPs...his always being the dependable guy who can get u back to ur room once u r drunk...
titto's pj's or amazing sense of humour....his tharkiness...the eri sessions with him
randolf's seemingly carefree attitude but a sensitive and very caring and emotional person within...
patwari's fundas, the paper writing with him...the ISB trip...

i miss u guys...

My culinary exploits

I am a living organism...
I need food to survive...
I live alone...
I dont like outside/tiffin food...
The idea of cooking appeals to me...

The above is a sequential deduction of the outcome...that i cook :)

Now many people would say...except the last two reasons....tiffin or outside food would suffice and be much more convenient for a bachelor living alone in Dwarka...

Now in Dwarka sector 19, outside food is not much of an option, and tiffin i just came to know about yesterday...
but the last reason is strong enough to negate these possibilities

So i cook...
now i cook once for 2 days....also keep supplies like cup noodles for days when i dont have time to cook...
but having said that...i have started cooking...

so what all do i make...rather try to make...and the results...
a. rice - half cooked
b. dal - too cooked
c. aloo palak - came out well, except that i didnt wash the palak properly, so it was a bit "sandy" :(
d. rajma - cooked n all fine, but added too much water n too late, so it was rajma AND water
e. gobi and baingan - made baingan kurma (south indian mix veggies where the veggies are kind of pasty....why...coz i boiled the gobi and cabbage too long
f. mixed veggies - comes out well :D
g. veggie pasta - really tasty and hot (this is not the ready to cook pasta...though pasta intrinsically is kind of ready to cook
h. maggie, soup, ready to cook pasta etc

am i missing something...dont think so...haan...omlette, burji...come out pretty well

in the next couple of weeks...will make chicken...also bisse beli bhaat, lemon rice

bahut maza aata hai khud khaana banake khaane mein ... also long term mein...baad mein khaana ke saath bartan kapde dhone padenge...to abhi se sahi :o)

having said that....its pretty enjoyable....checking out recipes online...n then trying to cook them
some good websites are: vahrevah.com, manjula's kitchen, recipedelight.com
and there are many others, i usually browse these

till the next post....adios