Showdown to 2007 and curtain raiser to 2008!!

Three days to go for beckoning another new year "2008" filled as usual with surprises and joyful moments!! But as i rewind the spools of memory threads in my brain searching for the answer to how good the year 2007 was?

The onset of 2007 happened in the Ashiana Garden apartments at a small village in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. A bunch of friends cracking PJ's, dancing to "Daler Mahendi - Dhinak-Dhinak...." tunes and of course neat vodka to beat the chilly winters of North. Little did i know what the rest of the year had in store for me...Quote unqoute "Life is like a box of chocolates, u never know what you gonna get!!"

The first few months was mundane work and i was recuperating from the 4 month hard pressed study period for my GMAT which i gave in Sept, 2006. Darn...i cud not score well, so concentrated on my work related stuff! I had been working for a MNC for nearly 3 years and was quite vexed at the prospect of not enjoying life when its to be done!! I was quite bored with the job as well and badly needed a shift from the dull, placid village to someplace that bustled with action. But i had these nagging emotions which i could not put to rest:

(View of Ashiana Garden,Source:Ashiana Housing )

Plainly said..i am a workaholic and would slug for hours together no matter what!! Have worked like 28 hours at a stretch, slept for like 4 hours and then up the next day in the shop floor manning activities. All done, but i was totally frustrated due to the lack of good food..after all thats why u earn for...Due to my late working hours i end up hitting my sheets with a glass of water and a rumbling stomach. Nobody to open my can of miseries that i found comfort in my quest to solitude. Strangely, i found myself more composed in such states and finally made my decision to move away as i realized my cheese was moved to a place some 2,700 kms away!!

The major change in the first half was bought by my cousin who introduced me to Orkut! and there i met one of pre-school mates after nearly 14 years!! I got him to refer into the company he worked for and after a number of interviews, finally got selected!! My joy knew no bounds as i was going back to my home after nearly in-and-out visits for eight years. I bid goodbye to sub-zero winters, harsh summers, hot roti's, blemishless white curd, friends made for life, easy available spirit of vodka and many a things to enter a whole new life.

My flight landed late night at Chennai airport...i was welcome by the standard humid hot winds and thats when i knew i was not dreaming for heavens sake!! The next few days went of in packing and catching up with old friends. May 7th, 2007 was a new leaf turned in the pages of my life where i joined a new organization. The clock needles circled at rapid speed taking me by a storm and life started to roll at breakneck speed. I was introduced to this sport of "Ultimate Frisbee" and i was totally taken away by the sheer love i developed for the game...

So, the entire CUF (Chennai Ultimate Frisbee) is an eclectic mix of working professionals and entreprenuers who gather in the wee hours of the morning at Beasant Nagar beach to play a lung burning game of ultimate. A special thanks to one of my friends who introduced this game to me.....More new friends and i got to learn many a valuable things from them. Its been a rock 'N' roll ride and a consistent learning experience in life. There are a zillion things i like about the group which plays the game, but the one thing that stands out is the "superwiz" bonding that happens in quite an instant. Some might argue it takes a lifetime to understand another person...but come here and u will witness good comradeship within a few days...Maybe blame it on like-mindedness of chasing a single frisbee :)

Joyous moments were overshadowed when my Grandpa passed away in the month of August, 2007. He was such a great person and was at the helm of our family business from the days of Burma, Ceylon to Chennai. His personality exudes a charm that many would yearn for at a mighty age of 74. A very commanding voice and unpretentious behavior won many a hearts in his splendid life. He was also one of the main reasons for my shift to Chennai as i realize now that, he wanted me to be by his side. I am fortunate to share two pronged effects of name and blood with my Grandpa and i am repenting at not doing much for him during his stay on Mother Earth.

Shifting weights around, we all work day in and out to earn and lead a respectable life, but we tend to forget the joy of love with parents, relatives and friends. One of my friends used to say: "Is there a life after work?" I argue with him saying, "Yes there is, only if you realise it" There is a lot to do apart from the circle of work....So, step out of that tight circle to sense true life in your taste buds.

"You and only you hold the wand to create a spell that would shower joy in your life"

My first car, freedom from wearing uniformed clothes (Damn..i have been wearing muted shades for the past eight years, Movies, Dining on fabulous food (Yum!), my first steps of salsa, lotsa new friends and so the list goes on!! Truly, the days are longer in Chennai with nights becoming shorter by the count. I don't remember sleeping like 10 hours at a stretch after shifting bases here. More to come during my trip to Kodai :))

Somethin' Stupid

It was a song written by Carson Parks and was released in the late 1960's by the father-daughter duo: Frank & Nancy Sinatra for their album "The World We Knew". This song won the prestigious first Gold single for Frank Sinatra. Robbie Williams and academy award winner Nicole Kidman "The Interpreter" (one of the films i like) sung in 2001 and it once again soared in the charts.

Its such a lovely song with lilting tunes that makes you sway....

and forces you to listen all through the day :)))

The lyrics are here and sing along!!!

I know I stand in line

Until you think you have the time

To spend an evening with me

And if we go someplace to dance

I know that there's a chance

You won't be leaving with me

Then afterwards we drop into a quiet little place

And have a drink or two

And then I go and spoil it all

By saying something stupid

Like I love you

I can see it in your eyes

You still despise the same old lines

You heard the night before

And though it's just a line to you

For me it's true

And never seemed so right before

I practice every day to find some cleverlines to say

To make the meaning come true

But then I think I'll wait until the evening gets late

And I'm alone with you

The time is right

Your perfume fills my head

The stars get red

And oh the night's so blue

And then I go and spoil it all

By saying something stupid

Like I love you

I love you...

Is it a crime to be innocent?

The flat world (perceptions differ!) houses many kinds of people - the good, the bad, the ugly, the foxes, the lambs, the chickens, the lions and the likes. This post is about an issue many have always faced in life repeatedly....and the question that pops up right away in my mind is "Is it a crime to be innocent?"

Why are people being so manipulative in nature? What do they gain from leveraging on the naive innocence of a fellow being? The answers to these questions - is still being searched for.

I accept the fact that, smart quotient is prevalant to decide the survival of the fittest, be it in personal life or amidst corporate ettiquettes. But, i strongly feel that as you go through the different walks and phases of life meeting an ecclectic group of people the human mind which is very shrewd adapts by releasing complex hormones (unknown) to us. Surprisingly, the next time u interact in a situation, one tends to perform an action which might not be a part of the behavorial trend as well.

So, does this mean that innocent souls does not have a place to live in this world? Rather, i should suggest a seperate planet of these NAIVE beings which would obviate the need to go for wars, steal, earn and the list is endless.. The main reason of worlds locking horns together is becaus to establish supremacy. Just because, the opponent has a weak link in the chain of armours and attacking that point to prove a point of leadership does not nurture communal harmony. As, once hit, the defeated or hurted opponent might strike back like a recoiled snake....and who knows, it might hit you so bad that there is no chance of rising up again!! This situation would go on and on...talk about world peace when all that has to be targetted is the change in mindset of people!! Easily said and here, but i am aware how difficult it is to establish it.

"Survival of the fittest" : This is such a beautiful adage reflective among animals that roam cloaked in natures clothing and humans clothed in gucci and versace. One got to be smart and adaptive with situations, to be declared the supreme winner of all...but sadly, there is always a greater mind than you.

The point i would like to make here is, what do people derive from using anothers naive innocence?

1.) Do they get sinful pleasure?
2.) A hearty laughter behind the backs?
3.) A deep sleep because you are happy that you have outsmarted an innocent soul?

The torn sould does not realise that, he/she has been outsmarted...but the mind adapts and teaches you like a loving teacher (as always) about what should have been done in that situation...

Many of you might ask..so, why don't people change? hmm..to change for what? - To be a sharp nail that punctures innocence? Even if my mind adapts and teaches me how to adapt to such situations, i would still not try to manipulate fellow beings. Because i simply don't like it!!

Oh!! poor soul,
a perfect embodiment of body and mind
who decides the path you take?
yet the flat worldly beings moulds you to its wake
Acclimatize to it....you are proclaimed a smart soul
If you don't..sigh! many are a smarter soul than you

Happy and crisp...when you are light...
Sodden and sad...when you realize the put up fight
So many emotional waves...you undergo
Yet, you don't escape to be a free bargo
you stay within me....
teaching me.....goading me....but not leaving me..

Don't you ever wail when you meet soul-less beings

Soul: Yes...i do...silently in the darkest nook of my heart...
unknown to many...
but known to few....the only ones that matter to you

Don't you feel vengant on being used like a whore...

Soul: Yes..i do...anger pours out like hot lava...
but i stem it...
to protect you and make you a better person in life

Won't the world be a better place to live in?

Soul: Yes...my dear..it would...
only if you adapt to it...
to be blended among the eclectic mix

Courageous soul...i salute you with all my pride...!

Shelved Memories

My fingers hurt

for they have been crossed for long....

My emotions are no longer jaywalking the shore

as its tumultous when the slightest thought of you

crosses my neural nodes

Fireflies ensconce me

when my phone exudes the number of Jack Sparrow

A feeling so ephemeral, yet so permanent....

Oh Dear!!

wish, the past would be re-written...

to accomodate my present enduring needs....

Sinful Elements of Creativity

Its so creatively made...Not to think about the amount of brain hours consumed before they set up a chain reaction which shows the skeletal kinematics of a car when u power the ignition key on...Little do we realize the tiny cogs performing their well-oiled functions.


Digestible Facts about the Ad before it was canned:

Time taken to complete the shoot - 4 days in Paris!!!
Amount of money spent - 6 million pounds
Total No. of takes - 606
Inspiration - Breakfast machine from the '60's movie "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"





Paradoxically, if the same situation is superimposed on Mother Earth, where every living soul is aware of his/her duties and performs it like a spanky new machinery, won't we be living in a better place?

Weekend update

Friday, the 9th of November was a hectic work filled day...Bounced in and out of meetings (meaningful, surprisingly) and was waiting the minute hand of my watch to sweep  across the seven barrier. Thus, the shackles were removed for a fun filled weekend...not to forget the weekend exhaustive game of Ultimate Frisbee!!

My cousin forcefully pulled me to test drive the new Hyundai i10....we ended up looking only at the inner and outer facades as we reached the place pretty late. My first impression of the car was, the design house failed to emulate the same strong masculine styling of the front in the back end of the car. The front was smashing with strong fenders which gave a facelife to the car. But walk to the back, it had a slightly elevated structre which did not meet up the standards of the front.

Boot space is quite less but the interior is quite roomy with stylish gears kept at an inclination. Although, the gear meshing did not meet my expectations, as i drive a Swift, whose gears fall as if a hot knife is passing through a block of cold cheese. Not a full blown review though, i kinda liked the color options that they are providing :)

Oh, it starts at 4.2 lacs (on road Chennai price tag) for this small car from the stables of Hyundai. 

After this short stop, we went to HSB to hog on mouth watering southy food at blue star. We made an interesting observation there, HSB has 24 branches alone in Chennai....(excluding the fast food joints at C.P.R and Ashok Pillar) Assuming that 900 people walk into a branch everyday with average expenditure of Rs 100 per head...the total revenue per branch would be approx a lac rupees. Multiplied with 24 branches would land us with a figure of Rs 24 lacs per day across all branches. 

So, per month it would be approximately Rs 86-90 crores per annum in Chennai alone...Apart from this theyhave two branches in N.Delhi and quite a few branches abroad as well in Muscat, New York, London and the likes. Its quite difficult to estimate the global turnover the business as sheer driving factor for revenue boost is the masses who are continously adapting to lip smacking idli, dosas and saucers of sambhar + cocunut chutney. Last thing, i heard was HSB was rated 16th best out of the total 95 restaurants in Chennai. 

After satiating ourselves and paying a heavy fine for indulging in it, we were off to Sangam Cinemas to watch the movie Polladhavan. Weak story line, a few good songs which did not blend with the situation as well (isn't it a trend these days?), too much expose' by the lead actress and the item girl...i sat bleary eyed through out the film, my mind constantly revolving around the next days early morning game of Frisbee!!

6 degrees of seperation

What would be your answer to the question - Is the world small? Quite a few responses i have listened to say, "it indeed is!!" What with 74 percent covered with water and trillions of road mile arteries connecting diverse nations. With wireless, ethernet, revolutionary e-mail and what not is shrinking the distance between people to miniscule point levels, people are connected to each other at multiple levels.

You meet a person whom you have never seen in your life before, and when the topic rolls over to friends, both would be unnervingly connected by someone or the other in six tries. That's why the name six degress of seperation. 

Consider this, i met quite a few new friends after re-locating to Chennai and surprisingly we were connected in some way or the other - be it mutual friends, schooling, college and the likes. Its pretty strange to experience this, but i have found in almost 2 out of 3 cases, which proved the veracity of the above said statement. Thats like a whooping 67 percent strike rate....

The perception is - Connectivity between people is increasing which may be due to a lot of reasons which ultimately leads to a sighed expression of "The world is too small" There can be a lot of counter-arguments to this view point, but still try this out to experience the sixDOS whenever you meet up with new people. 

 

Smart Buildings

Adaptation...one word which has a lot of meaning packed into it. We, as human beings continously adapt to dynamics of mother nature and of life. How many times have you checked yourself and adapted to the surroundings?

Count for yourself and question why you did it? - The simple answer would be "change is consistent". When the strange chemical reactions take place within the neural networks of human body to increase your adaptation quotient, you are actually discovering yourself again and again.

So, according to me, the need for change is the base line for innovation and continous improvement...Raise the bar..Aim for the sky. All said is easy but there are thought leaders who have succesfully configured what we thought to be as dreams to reality - kudos to them.

One such is David Fisher who is an architect and a town planner. An Italian by birth, he has truly broken all chains to create buildings that change with time and is self powered. His buildings can change shapes with respect to time, has wind turbines to generate power (self reliant), more improtantly green power.

Have we ever thought what to give Mother Nature back when she's given you so much!! Hard to believe?

One of his quotes "Whatever is correct is nice, but whatever is nice is not correct". It simply challenges the basic laws of science of the yesteryears. He has challenged what we considered as normal to redefine the way we live and percieve things. His buildings change shape continously, every damn minute (whoa!)....Now, you can have your brunch facing the sun and evening cup of tea seeing the sun slunking down to sleep - all without moving from your place. Thats some brain!!

Now, that we have smart buildings, smart cars, smart phones.....no wonder smart humans would be in the making :)

It's Diwali and i am opening my account

With a score blog accounts opened and untended, i have made a resolution to do what i have wanted for a long long time.....blogging!! With so many avid bloggers around me, i got infected too by the blog virus....

Ok, how about a snap shot of my 25 yrs life, here we go:

0 - 8 yrs - Schooling at P.S.B.B, Chennai - first broken tooth, n-number of brawls

9-13 yrs - Schooling at DAV, Mogappair - had my first major crush at this place

14-17 yrs - Schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore - a twist in my life was and will be this school...

18-22 yrs - Graduation from P.S.G Tech - one word to describe it all "Awesome"

22-24 yrs - Corporate working started - roamed the entire breadth and width of India, Registhan mein theen saal - aur kuch chahiye?

25th yr - Back in Chennai - God, i am havin a lovely time over here

Evestigatus Renovatio - ?

Life is a set of concentric circles. When you fall out screaming into the whole new world filled with equal portions of good and the bad, anxiously looked on by your producers and the so called white cloaked midwife, you have just lined up on the race line.

With so many things to do on this face of earth, choosing a definite path of life is quite a difficult job. And you will have to continously "evestigatus" (meaning discover) yourself as you pass through all walks of life. This blog would make you experience what i have gone through in life in my 25 years of existence (gosh!! i feel so old)....

Welcome to my spot and re-discover life!!