No Work @ Work

Around three years back when I started my first job, I was an enthusiastic B-School pass out with dreams in my eyes and passion to work and grow in the corporate world. I used to be immersed in work. I changed organization and work fascinated me more. Some times I would just wish and hope that there were no work to do for a few days. It would be so relaxing, I could do so many things, starting with leaving office at sharp 1800 hrs!

I am pretty sure, a lot of the working class feels and wishes and hopes the same. And people, my wish has just come true recently. For the first few months in my current role, I was nose-deep in work. Even working on Sundays, travelling all across Punjab. I must admit that I enjoyed it but silently dreamed of lazing around in office. Recently, my prayers of those days have been answered. For the first few days I enjoyed going to office at 10.30 am, having my cup of coffee, checking e-mails, searching the www for some updates. Gossiping with the team members came next, followed by wishing the Birthday Babies. And, then its time for lunch, followed by another gossip session. A little work to justify my employer transferring money into my bank account every month. But overall a very sarkaari kind of workstyle. I would leave at dot 1801.Wow, how relaxed I felt!

Those of you getting jealous and letting go off your envy full throttle, HAULT! It is not as rosy as it appears to be. Believe me, after a week of this work life you will do anything to get work! Getting paid for doing nothing is not as easy as it seems. The mind starts to rust. How many cups of coffee/tea will you drink in a day? How much gossip will you do with others over days and days? How many hours of wilfing can you bear?

I am still an ambitious worker in a big corporate with big dreams, but having no work at work is a pain in the wrong place! And, it is extremely difficult to bear it. Those who can relate to this scenario, and looking out for remedies, be a little more patient. Soon, I shall be an expert at guding how to cruise through the difficult times.

Getting Wiser

A friend went through my blog recently and commented that I am getting wiser. Every one gets wiser with age, but what was the need for that remark??? Then he pointed at the recent two posts on getting more etiquettes and a better dressing sense!! Well, in that sense I am much wiser, I must admit.

In our routine browsing of the www and while wilfing, all of us come across loads of information. Some flies as OHT. For the uninformed, it means Over Head Transmission (OHT is a term we coined in our engineering days). Some of it is understood by us, we do like it also but, still we do not implement it. And the remaining little, we do understand and implement too. Let me stop beating about the bush. All I want to say is that with the information I have definitely become more dress wise and e-wise. And this information falls in the last part of getting and implementing information.

How I have implemented this info is, one, I have stopped using different coloured fonts in my mails. Its been over a fortnight that I sent a coloured mail! My colleagues will vouch for that.
Two, I have started smart casuals in office, even on weekdays and Saturday is reserved exclusively for Funky T-shirts.

And now, I have another chance of getting wiser, on the spiritual side. Over the last week I have been attending Yoga classes in the morning. Believe me, it has been really effective. Less stress and sound sleep. Wow, I am loving it! Another benefit that I am counting on (literally) is weight loss! I am through with 6 days, lets see how many more days I last in this mission of increasing the Spiritual Quotient. The mission is ON...

Office Dressing- The Code

I had mentioned in an earlier post (E-etiquette Wise) about a gentleman whose e-mail had led me to my search. Co-incidentally (or may be something else) the same gentlemen turned in office this Tuesday dressed in a very very weird T-shirt, and here I was getting orders from my manager, and yours truly was searching on 'Dress Code'.

Well, I had done similar research a couple of years back in my previous organization, and was sure that this one too would be a cakewalk. Though I knew that I would have to tweak few things as per my current organization. As I started checking relevance of my material, I was surprised by the results.

A couple of years back, the dress code for corporates was formal dressing for weekdays and smart casuals on Friday or Saturday, depending upon whether you worked five days or six days. The IT companies, though, were rewriting the code, courtesy the trends in the ITES sector. But majorly, the companies stuck to the formal code.

But now, the rules have changed. Most of the companies today follow the simple code of Dress to chill. Women come dressed in kurtas, funky skirts and wrap-arounds. Business suits, sarees and starched cotton salwar-kameez are reserved for power meetings. Gentlemen prefer the good old pair of jeans, khakis and chinos.

With more and more young blood getting pumped into the corporate world, even the very formal business suits are getting designer. Board room dressing has definitely come of age. Hugo Boss, Armani and other top brands are adding extra punch.

But the old school of thought still maintains that what you see is what you get. A formal attire leads you to behave in a very subtle and elegant manner, while the casual look gives an air of informality and "to hell with rules" kind of a feeling.

The debate is still on, and it depends on where you are working and with whom you are working. But there is a class of workers which chooses the workplace based on the attire it permits! An acquaintance had once turned down an offer to work with a top company just because he would raise brows if he ever walked down in shorts!!!!

As far as I can see, casual's the word. But, people, its safe to keep a mix of clothes.

As for me, I am much more dress-wise , but I could definitely do with some wardrobe tips.

Visit to Wagah

During the month of March, I was visiting Amritsar and had a chance to visit Wagah Border. Though I have lived in Punjab for most of my life, but never got a chance to visit the border. For those who are not aware, Wagah border is the border check post between India and Pakistan. It is around 30 minutes drive from the Amritsar city. I was accompanying my boss, whose friend had arranged for seats in VIP area (One of the many privileges still available in India!)

As we were approaching the border side, I could see the fencing that had been done across the fields to mark the end of our country. I felt an unusual sensation and it was exciting! With grandparents who had immigrated from the other side at the time of partition, I have very mixed feelings about our neighbour country. Nonetheless, I was too excited to visit the check post. Well, it was Sunday evening and we were going to witness the very famous closing ceremony. There were hoards of people on every possible mode of road transport heading towards the border.

As we approached the border and alighted from our vehicle, I could see the BSF and Pakistani Rangers, standing across the fence. Our guide informed us that there were many farmers on the Indian side whose land was on the other side. They have a pass and they cross over every morning, till the land and return at sunset. I had heard and read about all this, but watching those farmers crossing back was something different.

Finally, after various points of checking, we were able to view the 'Point Zero', which marks the end of Indian territory. There is an amphitheatre on both sides of the border. As the time of closing ceremony was approaching, the rush of people kept increasing. I could feel goose bumps on my arms.

People were clicking pictures at the gate. There were loudspeakers blaring patriotic songs on both the sides. One of the many differences that I noticed, on the Pakistani side, there were separate seats for males and females. One side had women in colourful burqas, while the other half had men mostly in kurta-salwar. While on the Indian side there was no such demarcation!

The drama began when a man with a microphone emerged in the centre of the crowd and started urging the crowd to repeat the slogans after him. And he started, "Hindustan Zindabaad" The crowd went berserk (including the two of us!) shouting after him.
Then came "Bharat Mata ki Jai", and the third one "Vande Matram". We have all done that during our school days, but there at the border, my voice had a new enthusiasm. I was experiencing patriotism of a different kind.


Our patriotic slogans were followed by similar shouts from the other side, "Allah o Akbar" and "Pakistan Zindabad", with equal fervor.
After various such rounds, a few puzzled foreign tourists sitting next to me asked, "What are they saying?" I explained to her and with an amused look on her face, one of them asked, "But why do you need to shout that???"

I just could not explain that to her. I feel, no one else anywhere in the world can feel the same way as Indians and Pakistanis do here. I have known people from both nations to be at very friendly terms when together in any other part of the world, but here it all changes!
May be the feeling that comes while watching an Indo-Pak cricket or hockey match, can come very close to this.

Anyways, the wait for watching the very famous ceremony of gate closure and taking down of the National Flags, was worth it. As the sepoy blew horn, indicating the time, the guards from both sides came marching. There feet almost touched thier turbans!!!!!!!!!!! You have to watch it to believe it! And enjoy it!

As the guards shook hands for the last time for that day, and the National Anthem was played, the National Flags of both the countries came down in perfect harmony.

Our visit had come to an end, but something inside me had changed forever. I had heard about it from friends and relatives, who could not explain it, but now I know why they could not. All I can say is that each of the fellow countrymen should visit the place at least once. It is worth it!

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!

Inspired...

I believe that inspiration to a person can come from anything, whether living or non-living. There have been many people whose paths have crossed mine, and have inspired me. I have also been inspired by writings of many.
Whenever I think of inspiration, the first thing that comes to my mind is "If" by Rudyard Kipling.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

- Rudyard Kipling

Inspired and motivated, the journey continues…

Mumbai Local- Mera Naya Teacher

Mumbai Local Trains have provided me with unmatched experience. With 50 minutes at my disposal one way, I have quite a lot of time looking at other faces in the cramped up First Class Ladies Compartment. A lot has been said and written about how people travel in these trains. My experience has not been very different. I have seen women praying, reading books, reading newspapers, reading 'Mid Day', listening to FM through their cell phones (a great blessing for daily commuters). Some tired faces staring out of the window, most of them just dozing off.
In a typical morning rush hour train, ladies standing are always more than twice the number sitting. When stars favor me I catch a seat from the starting station (yippeee!). But the eyes all around stare as if I have committed a sin by sitting! Do they want to say that I had no right to sit, while they were standing?
Local trains have taught me more about body language than my b-school lectures! I wonder if seasoned travelers have microscopic lens fitted in their eyes. How they are able to notice the smallest of signs that a sitting lady may have shown is still a wonder. Grabbing a seat is the sole mission (Mission Impossible for me!!!)
In this sea of people, I have forgotten about what personal space is. Here, it is not more that area of about half an inch radius around your body. One cannot even dare to shift weight from one foot to another, leave alone move a limb to rest the aching one, lest you may come in contact of someone else... And if you dare to 'intrude', God save you!!. All mannerism expected of a 'lady' traveling in first class is lost. At times I have wondered if second class travel is better!
But, as optimist as I am, it has taught me self-control in a different manner. I have now learnt the art to resist an urge to shake a numb arm or a foot, or wipe beads of sweat off my forehead! My skills at reading body language have improved drastically, and the mission "Seat" is no longer impossible. From a long haul, it has now reduced to near misses.
Whatever said and done, I feel Local Trains are still the fastest mode of commuting in Mumbai. It takes a ride in taxi, BEST bus or autorickshaw, to realise the worth. Not just a mode of transport, it is a small hypermart in itself. You can shop fruits, bags, clothes, stationary, and a lot more. Customer relationship is at its best here. Commuters place orders with salespeople, and get their stuff delivered. The day and time of train being key here. The aspiring Sales associates of Retail chains can take a lesson or two from them.
An institution in itself, the Mumbai Suburban Railway network keeps the city going. As for me, the mission is still on. Good luck to me!

Mumbai...a new chapter in my life

While writing this blog I was thinking what could be the title...Mumbai: the city of dreams or something else. It has been over six months since I landed in Mumbai. When I took up a job in Mumbai, my flatmate in Delhi told me that I was going to the swapan-nagari or the city of dreams, as Mumbai is known as. I wondered if taking up this job was indeed a step towards realising my dreams. I should wait and watch, I thought. And, with several thoughts about life in a new city, here I came. But six months later, I am still not sure.

The first month just whizzed past. I was staying in South Mumbai. Walks along Marine Drive. Sunset beyond Gateway of India. Shopping at Causeway. Bhelpuri and Paav-bhaji at Chowpatty... I was enjoying. And I succeded in avoiding the legendary Local Trains!

And, then I started looking for a house!
The hunt started...a 50sqft room for Rs10500 pm... I was suddenly thinking, if this was a dream or a nightmare!

Somehow I managed a decent accommodation in Suburbs. Wow! I won a battle!

But the path from suburbs to town was through another battlefield-the suburban railway network a.k.a. the local trains. Phew! I was thinking again...

For the last five months, I have thought a lot, and I am still thinking... whether this is a city of dreams.

A couple of months back, I came across a taxiwallah who echoed my thoughts. I was riding a taxi, along with a friend, when the taxiwallah asks us, "Madam, aap Dilli ke ho kya?" I replied in affirmative, and he poured his heart out. Apparently, this guy hailed from a small town in UP, and recognised the dialect in which me and my friend were conversing. He had been working with Indian Army, when he thought of making more money and trying his luck in the swapan-nagari. He quit his job and landed in the city, with dreams in his eyes and thoughts in his mind. I reached my destination wondering will this guy be successful?

All of us do think a lot about our dreams and how to realise them. We do act towards that in our own different ways. I have done the same, and so has that taxiwallah. My thoughts go back to him as I recollect his voice full of sadness and regeret, and I wish the city does fulfill his dreams.

As for my dreams, it is a long way to go...

A Modest Beginning

Thoughts...this is what I have titled my blog. My thoughts on various things that I come across in my daily life. This is just a beginning and I think it will go a long way.
Happy Blogging!!