E- etiquette wise

Yesterday evening I read an email sent by a very senior manager in the company and looking at the way it was composed and formatted I was shocked. How can people be so ignorant as to use caps and red colour for a very simple sentence?? So, that set me to search material on Email Etiquettes on the www. I did hit upon some very informative pieces.

I must confess here that as a part of my job I send very informal mails to team members using wierd colours/fonts/images, and some of them are toooooo wierd to even think that they can be official! Well, jokes apart, formal mails call for following some basic rules nad norms. And here I was gathering information to educate people in my organization, which believe me is a very tough job. All managers think that they are know-alls! So, the information had to be convincing and yet not rude.

Some of the useful pieces I came across were by The Crabby Lady, at Amit Agarwal's Blog and a presentation by Himanshu posted on CiteHR

I did compile my own list of Do's and Do Not's and circulated the same. But, all that while I was wondering how tiny things overlooked can annoy others. Someone once said to me, "Most literate people are not educated". I could not help but relate the situation with those words. Making old economy or even current tech savvy generations computer literate does not essentially mean that they are now gurus of the e-world.

I have come across old men with laptops who do not even know how to set 'Print Area' in a worksheet! And these are the people who make strategies in the board rooms and play with data!!! I donot mean to be rude here but the computer institutes that have sprung up like mushrooms must also stress on this.

This research on Email Etiquettes has made me look at every email I come across with a raised brow. Well, as for my team members hope they do put the info to some use.

Edible Experiments

Like most working females- my contemporaries- I dread treading into kitchen. But this Sunday, I chose to take 'The Road Not Taken'.

Though I used to share an apartment in Mumbai and dinner used to be cooked at home, I never dared to experiment with dal and sabzi, my role was confined only to Rice and Maggi!

But yesterday, I started my cookery sessions under Ma's supervision. Reality struck me then that cooking is not as easy as Sanjeev Kapoor makes it look like!

The day started with Pyaaz ka Parantha. Though personally I prefer to stick to milk and cereal for breakfast, but as a member of a hardcore Punjabi family, Paranthas in breakfast are a must!!! So, here I was, rolling dough and onions in quadrangular shapes, and finally I succeeded in my first experiment, and it was edible indeed.

Then, it was a little lengthier one, I decided to make Karhi Pakorha for lunch. (I know, a little tricky one, but had to take the risk). Again, under the same lab supervisor (read Ma), I started the process. And, after various stages of experiment, adding more water, then a little salt, some more besan, I finally did reach the desired result. Cooking rice was a cakewalk for me, so would not consider that as an experiment.

Dinner was the last but bitter experiment. Ma decided that I should learn to cook Karelas. Oops! Well, it was an experiment and experiments could fail. So, there was no reason to worry, and I again put on the apron. After rigorous peeling and slashing for half an hour, I could manage to take off the skin and slit to put in the mixture.

I remembered the experiments in Chemistry lab. Even Salt Analysis looked a lot more easier in comparison to this one. We never had to taste the salts ultimately and there weren't three pairs of eyes watching every move! And that too on a super hot, sultry day.

Finally, the experiments concluded. The report card said "Edible". Wow, was I elated!

I had had enough for the weekend, when Ma was already chalking out menu for the next Sunday!

Tears in Heaven

Heard this very beautiful song today- Tears in heaven- by Eric Clapton.
Couldn't help but search about it on the www and Wikipedia threw up some basic info

'..."Tears in Heaven" is a heartfelt ballad written and performed by Eric Clapton about the pain he felt following the 1991 death of his four-year-old son, Conor, who fell from a 53rd-story window in his mother's New York City condominium. By all accounts, the death appeared to be simply a tragic accident, and Clapton was distraught for months afterwards.
Co-written by Clapton and Will Jennings, the song was initially featured on the soundtrack to the film Rush, and it won three Grammy awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1993. It was also included on Clapton's Grammy award-winning album, Unplugged. It is #353 on Rolling Stone's Top 500 Songs...'



Here are the lyrics of the song:

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you feel the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
cause I know I dont belong here in heaven...

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
Ill find my way through night and day
cause I know I just cant stay here in heaven...

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please...begging please

Beyond the door theres peace Im sure
And I know therell be no more tears in heaven...

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you feel the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
cause I know I dont belong here in heaven...

iPod's playing this song as I compose this post.

Hmmm it is so touching... I just love it... One of my all time favourites

A journey...

Monday morning I was returning from home and after a long long time had a taste of the legendary PRTC bus. Why I call PRTC buses legendary, ask any Punjabi who has stayed in Punjab.

Monday morning rush and I was running at the Bus Terminus platform... and was astonished to look at the number of people waiting for a bus from Patiala to Chandigarh.

After a wait of half an hour and missing 3-4 buses, I finally managed to get on an overcrowded bus... and I couldn't help but comparing it with the Mumbai locals! Believe me, huge similarity!!

No place to move even an inch...
The stench of sweat...
And above that,
Rash driving...
And, absolutely no courtesy by conductor or driver...

I guess they need a lesson or two in customer service!!

Just wondering how other State Transport buses are rated by travellers.
And I found some interesting information at a blog on busnews.






I must add here that the above two images have been shamelessly copied from the www and I do not have rights for these pictures.

As for me, my mission is to avoid the back breaking rides as much as I can!!!

Mausam Mausam Lovely Mausam...

Looking at the mast mausam today, I couldn't help but sing the song "Mausam mausam lovely mausam..." written by Gulzar for movie Thodi si bewafai.

It has been raining on and off here for the last few days and weather has become amazingly good. Plan to go to Sukhna Lake in this lovely weather, let's see if it materialises.

And, by the way, Kasauli hills are looking beautiful from the office balcony.
Ummm... tempted to go uphills...

From + to -

Yesterday I wrote about my new coordinates, and a fan left a comment asking about my life in Chandigarh...

Well, all I can say is that it has come down by a lot many paces. Let me explain this a bit.
When in Mumbai, my office was about 1hr 15min away... since the time I got up in morning, it used be a race against time to reach the station in time to catch the 9.15 local.... caught it, then mission to catch a seat!!! And the entire journey of reaching VT... queing up to catch the bus to Cuffe Parade... get in bus... run to office building to punch at 10.30am. Phew!!!

After a long day in office, again the backward journey...
It was always run run run and more run... Life was at, say, +100 paces

But now in Chandigarh, office is only 15min away. Saves me full 1hr in the morning, which means that I can sleep that much more!

I get free by 6.30pm or 7.00pm and again 15min is all it takes to reach back to my abode.
Plus, I do not have to taste the fragrance and flavor of public transport, as I commute by my own car (a luxury in Mumbai!)

But sad part is that the markets start rolling down their shutters from 8.00pm and city is asleep by 10.00pm!

Then comes the chutti ka din- Sunday..

In Mumbai, Sunday meant Sleeping, Malls, Shopping and Movies.. a long and tiring day.

Here, most of my Sundays have been lazing around, reading, at home. Sometimes I had been lucky enough to catch hold of a movie ticket with a friend or my bro at the city's lone multiplex!!
(Can you believe it, the City Beautiful with an Open Hand still has only one multiplex with pathetic service!!)

Well, with so much time at my disposal, I have resumed reading a lot, and eating out and sleeping!!!!

So my dear friends, life has come to - ... dunno how many paces. Guess I can say it has come down to -100 here.

And, how I feel now is anybody's guess!!!

Lets see how long it takes to find a place with a comfortable pace of life...
So for me the search is always on!!

And I am Back

A long absence from my own Blog...

Some friends noticed, few complained...
Well I was glad, friends were regularly visiting to check whether I updated or not... Seems like I do have a 'Fan Following'!!!

Some reasons for not posting, more pleasant than unpleasant...
1. Last post was in December first week and a few days later, our landlord asked us to vacate the house!!! Reason- he wanted to shift back! We were shocked, aghast and devastated.. feeling was so mixed we just did not go out of house for one Sunday!!
So here were we in the same house hunting cycle again... Eventually found a much better place in the heart of Vashi (my roomie's efforts were tremendous in this), but...

2. Here comes the pleasant part- before shifting there I got my transfer to Chandigarh! Yippee!!! I was heading back up North and toooooooooooooooo close to home... as close as my office in Mumbai: just 1hr run!

3. I shifted to Chandigarh (and close to home) in mid January. Stayed with relatives for few days, then found a PG and am still in the same place for last 5 months!!!

Lets come back to present...
Between so much things happening couldn't find time to write... finally found a cool restaurant that has WiFi... so I go there, sip cool caffeine and take in carbohydrates and fibre, so as to complete the daily nutritional intake!

And so my dear fans and friends, who missed me on blogspot, I am back (though not with the proverbial BANG!)

As for those who did not miss me, please keep visiting this blog regularly.

And finally as for me, hope to keep blogging more regularly.

See you soon!