This was the cutest sight that I saw in the morning.
A mother was literally dragging her little son on the road while his school bag stooped on his back and his water bottle hung from his shoulder. It seemed like his whole body and all the accessories on it were reacting to his squeals of, “ Mujhe school nahi janaa”.
It took me back into memory lane and I cackled to myself (much to the amusement of the others in the bus who by now must have assumed that I am some sort of a weirdo…and the black nail polish that I am currently wearing just adds greater value to this belief)
I remembered all the excuses that we used to conjure up as kids. If those were to be actually published I am sure we would have made much more money that J K Rowling.
I have a sudden cramp: Shooting pain in the stomach almost always came only in the mornings and that too just a few minutes before we were about to leave for school.
It’s raining next to school and it’s flooded there: Sneh (she used to stay a stone throw away from school) called in the morning saying that is it pouring that side and that it is flooded so school is closed.
It says today is a Bangla Bandh (I studied in Kolkata): How come the news about the Bangla Bandh hasn’t come in the papers… I am positive I heard it in the news yesterday.
Its the principal’s birthday, so holiday: I think if it was really my principal’s birthday as many times as I claimed it was, she would have been 437years old by now!!!
Roxy ate my homework: That horrendous street dog ate my precious homework and Ma’am said I shouldn’t come to school without my homework. I can’t be disobedient- you said so.
The CPIM and the Congress are aligning with the BJP and the Naxals will take offence so I can’t risk my life today, thus holiday: Need I say more!!!
I think I could go on and on about the number of excuses that I have made to bunk school but all in vain. Coming to think of it (and my friends will vouch for this) my attendance was really very good…and I don’t think I have bunked a single day of school (yes yes I am a L-O-S-E-R)…but that still didn’t stop me from generating these weird excuses.
Maybe some day I will compile them in a book and maybe it will be a huge hit. I didn’t stop making excuses (inspite of them not working)…so I most definitely shouldn’t stop dreaming!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
What nick would you pick?
Logging onto your computer everyday and then changing the sign in nick for gtalk/orkut/msn/yahoo has become a routine for most people. What surprises me is how these nicks reflect the moods of a person. One of the exercises that I conduct every morning is that as soon as I log onto my system I check what others have written as their nicks and (more often than not) it provides me with a good laugh.
The constant nick: There are some people who keep a nick constant…all day long, all year round. Most of the time it will just be their name. I gather people who do this make a conscious decision of not changing it. Since they usually don’t stay online for too long, they would rather make it known from the start that they are online lest it may lead to confusion and thus further wastage of time.
The daily update nick: These people change their nick daily, according to their moods. So incase they do happen to get off on the wrong side of their bed their nick would suggest it. E.g. Mondays S-U-C-K
And if they are happy then it would something like: Helloooooooooo Peeeeeople!!! Note that when people are in an exceptionally good mood how the number of vowels in the word automatically increases by a dozen!!!
The 3 hourly update nick: These people change their nick according to their mood after every two-three hours. So it will be something like:
9.00am- Waaaah I have to work or Horrible day ahead
12.00pm- Hungrrryy
3.00pm- Fullllll or Blisssssssss
6.00pm- Getting work done or My day is just passing by
9.00pm- Few more hours to go home. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
These are quite self-explanatory and go to show what is going on a persons mind.
The influencer nick: These people are influenced by anything that they have recently seen. It could be a film, song, advertisement or just something on the road. Their nick is dedicated to that. E.g.: Aye Ganpat or So…how do you kill a mocking bird?
The mission vision nick: These sorts of people keep a particular nick that more often than not suggests their goal in life. E.g. Dar ke aage jeet hai or I believe in myself and I don’t care what others think.
The attention-seeking nick: These people on purpose keep a particular nick so that they can catch other’s attention. E.g. If I don’t respond chances are there that I am not interested or If I don’t respond means that you are not important enough.
The hidden msg nick: This kind of nick is supposed to be subtle and is most of time meant for only one person. There is some hidden msg in it. So incase the person and his/her loved one shared an intimate moment the day before and doesn’t want the entire world to know of it but is still excited about the event the nick would be something like: Who needs a candlelit dinner when there is a bonfire?
So…the next time you change your nick think of what is it exactly that you pick.
Pssst. All the nicks in this post are real and have been read or written at some point of time.
The constant nick: There are some people who keep a nick constant…all day long, all year round. Most of the time it will just be their name. I gather people who do this make a conscious decision of not changing it. Since they usually don’t stay online for too long, they would rather make it known from the start that they are online lest it may lead to confusion and thus further wastage of time.
The daily update nick: These people change their nick daily, according to their moods. So incase they do happen to get off on the wrong side of their bed their nick would suggest it. E.g. Mondays S-U-C-K
And if they are happy then it would something like: Helloooooooooo Peeeeeople!!! Note that when people are in an exceptionally good mood how the number of vowels in the word automatically increases by a dozen!!!
The 3 hourly update nick: These people change their nick according to their mood after every two-three hours. So it will be something like:
9.00am- Waaaah I have to work or Horrible day ahead
12.00pm- Hungrrryy
3.00pm- Fullllll or Blisssssssss
6.00pm- Getting work done or My day is just passing by
9.00pm- Few more hours to go home. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
These are quite self-explanatory and go to show what is going on a persons mind.
The influencer nick: These people are influenced by anything that they have recently seen. It could be a film, song, advertisement or just something on the road. Their nick is dedicated to that. E.g.: Aye Ganpat or So…how do you kill a mocking bird?
The mission vision nick: These sorts of people keep a particular nick that more often than not suggests their goal in life. E.g. Dar ke aage jeet hai or I believe in myself and I don’t care what others think.
The attention-seeking nick: These people on purpose keep a particular nick so that they can catch other’s attention. E.g. If I don’t respond chances are there that I am not interested or If I don’t respond means that you are not important enough.
The hidden msg nick: This kind of nick is supposed to be subtle and is most of time meant for only one person. There is some hidden msg in it. So incase the person and his/her loved one shared an intimate moment the day before and doesn’t want the entire world to know of it but is still excited about the event the nick would be something like: Who needs a candlelit dinner when there is a bonfire?
So…the next time you change your nick think of what is it exactly that you pick.
Pssst. All the nicks in this post are real and have been read or written at some point of time.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Honestly, I am only being honest.
Was reading the newspaper in the morning when I chanced upon a section in the paper that stated that Mumbai is the 5th most honest city in the world. Honest??? Mumbai?? World??? I read and I re-read just to make sure that my lenses were not fogging up and my vision was not blurred. Yes…I did read right. It said Mumbai is the 5th most honest city in the world!!!
However, why am I being so skeptical about this statement is because I know of and have been victim of far too many instances that go to prove that I don’t particularly believe this so called survey.
First and foremost, how is this survey supposed to be authentic? On the basis of the number of lost cell phones returned to their owners…is this the only way to judge whether a city is honest or not?
Let me at this point clarify that I love Mumbai. I think this is my home and that it has given me everything that I have today. However, that still doesn’t convince me that it is the 5th most honest city in the world.
Taxi drivers, like hound dogs, sniff out a stranger to the city. They just know who is new and how they can take them for a ride (literally). So, if you know want to go from Dadar station to Marine Lines he will take you via a route that will ensure that atleast 200bucks will be coming out of your wallet. And incase you do question them saying that you were told that the fare would be only 90 and why is it so much, they will rationalize the act to such an extent that you will feel like giving them another 10bucks because he overtook the Honda Accord and thus had to cut the signal and therefore was taking a huge risk to get you to Marine Lines in time. Is this honesty (this has happened to me and to people who I know far too many times)?
Then there are those at the ticket counters at the railway stations. They will ask you for exact change and when you tell that you don’t have it, they will conveniently keep the extra money for themselves. How is it that they never do have change and that even from the thousands of people who commute everyday, they have not managed to get one rupee to give it to you. You may say that there maybe thousands like me who do not tender exact change, but why is it that the guy who gives the ticket never ever seems to have the change. And to make matters worse, if you do happen to create a ruckus about getting your one rupee back, miraculously he will take it out from a drawer where it quietly sits with hundreds of its clones. Is this honesty?
And I don’t even feel like starting on mobiles being left in cabs/public places that are never ever returned to the rightful owner. Honestly, I would like to meet the people who have conducted this survey, because for every one example they give me of a mobile being returned I can give three of both the mobile and the robber having vanished literally into thin air.
Let me again reiterate the fact that I love this city, but there are far too many reasons and instances that make me believe that this survey is not one that I can completely trust.
And I am just being honest about it.
However, why am I being so skeptical about this statement is because I know of and have been victim of far too many instances that go to prove that I don’t particularly believe this so called survey.
First and foremost, how is this survey supposed to be authentic? On the basis of the number of lost cell phones returned to their owners…is this the only way to judge whether a city is honest or not?
Let me at this point clarify that I love Mumbai. I think this is my home and that it has given me everything that I have today. However, that still doesn’t convince me that it is the 5th most honest city in the world.
Taxi drivers, like hound dogs, sniff out a stranger to the city. They just know who is new and how they can take them for a ride (literally). So, if you know want to go from Dadar station to Marine Lines he will take you via a route that will ensure that atleast 200bucks will be coming out of your wallet. And incase you do question them saying that you were told that the fare would be only 90 and why is it so much, they will rationalize the act to such an extent that you will feel like giving them another 10bucks because he overtook the Honda Accord and thus had to cut the signal and therefore was taking a huge risk to get you to Marine Lines in time. Is this honesty (this has happened to me and to people who I know far too many times)?
Then there are those at the ticket counters at the railway stations. They will ask you for exact change and when you tell that you don’t have it, they will conveniently keep the extra money for themselves. How is it that they never do have change and that even from the thousands of people who commute everyday, they have not managed to get one rupee to give it to you. You may say that there maybe thousands like me who do not tender exact change, but why is it that the guy who gives the ticket never ever seems to have the change. And to make matters worse, if you do happen to create a ruckus about getting your one rupee back, miraculously he will take it out from a drawer where it quietly sits with hundreds of its clones. Is this honesty?
And I don’t even feel like starting on mobiles being left in cabs/public places that are never ever returned to the rightful owner. Honestly, I would like to meet the people who have conducted this survey, because for every one example they give me of a mobile being returned I can give three of both the mobile and the robber having vanished literally into thin air.
Let me again reiterate the fact that I love this city, but there are far too many reasons and instances that make me believe that this survey is not one that I can completely trust.
And I am just being honest about it.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Your desk is really you.
Today I entered office quite early and as there were not too many people around, I began to take notice of many of the things that often went by unnoticed.
I looked around to see how people had done up their desks. In an industry like ours, where the average number of hours put in daily go upto 14-15hrs, office has almost become like second home. For many of us (outstation people) office is more like home as there are amenities such as a television set, canteen etc that we would not get at a PG.
Coming back to the where I started, of how I took notice of people’s desks. It made me realize that my desk is extremely colorful. Many at office have often called it a “toy store” and I was beginning to believe it. It really did look like a toy store in the month of Christmas. Every inch of the 2ft x 3ft desk was decorated. Yet it doesn’t seem cluttered. I think in many ways my desk reflects my moods and the kind of person I am.
This was when it struck me, could a person’s desk at office reflect the kind of person he/she is in reality?
I began to make mental notes, mind you, without being judgmental at any point.
This is how I would like to make the classification:
The “brand loyal “ person: This person’s desk is adorned not with photographs of his loved one, but yes…you got it right…the brand he is working on. If he works on a certain FMCG product the bottles are neatly decorated around his desk. So, there are various sizes of each bottle, all variants, in and around his computer screen. And that’s not it. There are competitor products behind his computer screen- in a corner. A person who has a desk like this is one who treats work like he worships it. His brand will be in the forefront and everything else is in the background. He has the single-minded goal of making his brand the top most brand. For him, work is life. He lives his brand with great conviction. He is the true loyalist in every sense…be it to his friends, family or loved ones.
The “model loving” person: This kind of person has nothing but pictures of pretty models on his soft board. Who says, advertising is not fun? This kind of person, likes to live off the perks that advertising gives you. Models, pretty models and even prettier models. He chooses to remember the better things that advertising gives him rather than the stress, blood pressure and sometimes the premature heart attack. These pictures provide him with momentary relief and transports him to a different world when that occasional stress pang hits him. In life too, this kind of person looks at the positive side of life. He never gets bogs down by small pressures. Life for him is one big party place.
The “Monica Geller” person: This kind of person’s desk will be devoid of everything. There will be only the necessary computer, keyboard, a soft board devoid of any snaps or decorations. He is a stickler for cleanliness and does not like to crowd his space. For him work is only confined to four walls of office. He leaves work in office and leads another life outside office, which he is extremely secretive about. He is not emotional about work and doesn’t get emotionally attached to those around him. He gives his work his 100% and then leaves it at that. Results don’t particular move him. In reality also, this person is very balanced. He knows who to get close to and who to keep a distance from. He never mixes his emotions. For him, life is not all about work or just play. It’s an optimum balance of both.
The “carefully messy” person: This kind of person’s desk tells a lot about what kind of a person he really is. He likes to adorn his desk with things but fears that he will be branded as a woos, so then carefully muddles all the stuff. So there will be all sorts of things, his girlfriends first love note, a coaster from his favorite pub, crowns of bottles when his friends and he went on a drinking spree, but all these things will be strewn around his desk, lest he maybe labeled as being far too feminine. In reality, this kind of person is soft at heart but doesn’t like to show this side to all. He is rather choosy about his friends and doesn’t divulge too many things about himself except to a few.
The “home sick” person: This kind of person’s desk is full of things that remind him/her of home. Most of times I have noticed that they are from out of town. These things vary from photographs of parents, to chocolate wrappers given by a favorite aunt. Anything that will remind you of the loved ones just to prove that the big bad world that they had earlier warned you about, isn’t that bad and that they are there to support you incase you do happen to chance upon these bad wolves. In reality, these people are emotional about their loved ones and have no qualms about making it public.
The “toy store” person: I fall into this category. I love to decorate my desk because it helps me relax. Everytime I feel stressed I look at the colors on my desk and it gives me a sense of calm. This is how I am in person also. Everytime I feel stressed I think about the happy, colorful, joyous times that I have spent with loved ones. It gives me immediate relief. The child like innocence is there in everyone and I just like to spread that. In reality, I feel that if I in some way have managed to bring a little joy into a person’s life, I think I have done my bit.
I looked around to see how people had done up their desks. In an industry like ours, where the average number of hours put in daily go upto 14-15hrs, office has almost become like second home. For many of us (outstation people) office is more like home as there are amenities such as a television set, canteen etc that we would not get at a PG.
Coming back to the where I started, of how I took notice of people’s desks. It made me realize that my desk is extremely colorful. Many at office have often called it a “toy store” and I was beginning to believe it. It really did look like a toy store in the month of Christmas. Every inch of the 2ft x 3ft desk was decorated. Yet it doesn’t seem cluttered. I think in many ways my desk reflects my moods and the kind of person I am.
This was when it struck me, could a person’s desk at office reflect the kind of person he/she is in reality?
I began to make mental notes, mind you, without being judgmental at any point.
This is how I would like to make the classification:
The “brand loyal “ person: This person’s desk is adorned not with photographs of his loved one, but yes…you got it right…the brand he is working on. If he works on a certain FMCG product the bottles are neatly decorated around his desk. So, there are various sizes of each bottle, all variants, in and around his computer screen. And that’s not it. There are competitor products behind his computer screen- in a corner. A person who has a desk like this is one who treats work like he worships it. His brand will be in the forefront and everything else is in the background. He has the single-minded goal of making his brand the top most brand. For him, work is life. He lives his brand with great conviction. He is the true loyalist in every sense…be it to his friends, family or loved ones.
The “model loving” person: This kind of person has nothing but pictures of pretty models on his soft board. Who says, advertising is not fun? This kind of person, likes to live off the perks that advertising gives you. Models, pretty models and even prettier models. He chooses to remember the better things that advertising gives him rather than the stress, blood pressure and sometimes the premature heart attack. These pictures provide him with momentary relief and transports him to a different world when that occasional stress pang hits him. In life too, this kind of person looks at the positive side of life. He never gets bogs down by small pressures. Life for him is one big party place.
The “Monica Geller” person: This kind of person’s desk will be devoid of everything. There will be only the necessary computer, keyboard, a soft board devoid of any snaps or decorations. He is a stickler for cleanliness and does not like to crowd his space. For him work is only confined to four walls of office. He leaves work in office and leads another life outside office, which he is extremely secretive about. He is not emotional about work and doesn’t get emotionally attached to those around him. He gives his work his 100% and then leaves it at that. Results don’t particular move him. In reality also, this person is very balanced. He knows who to get close to and who to keep a distance from. He never mixes his emotions. For him, life is not all about work or just play. It’s an optimum balance of both.
The “carefully messy” person: This kind of person’s desk tells a lot about what kind of a person he really is. He likes to adorn his desk with things but fears that he will be branded as a woos, so then carefully muddles all the stuff. So there will be all sorts of things, his girlfriends first love note, a coaster from his favorite pub, crowns of bottles when his friends and he went on a drinking spree, but all these things will be strewn around his desk, lest he maybe labeled as being far too feminine. In reality, this kind of person is soft at heart but doesn’t like to show this side to all. He is rather choosy about his friends and doesn’t divulge too many things about himself except to a few.
The “home sick” person: This kind of person’s desk is full of things that remind him/her of home. Most of times I have noticed that they are from out of town. These things vary from photographs of parents, to chocolate wrappers given by a favorite aunt. Anything that will remind you of the loved ones just to prove that the big bad world that they had earlier warned you about, isn’t that bad and that they are there to support you incase you do happen to chance upon these bad wolves. In reality, these people are emotional about their loved ones and have no qualms about making it public.
The “toy store” person: I fall into this category. I love to decorate my desk because it helps me relax. Everytime I feel stressed I look at the colors on my desk and it gives me a sense of calm. This is how I am in person also. Everytime I feel stressed I think about the happy, colorful, joyous times that I have spent with loved ones. It gives me immediate relief. The child like innocence is there in everyone and I just like to spread that. In reality, I feel that if I in some way have managed to bring a little joy into a person’s life, I think I have done my bit.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Why must I blog?
Was waiting to go for a client meeting with my boss and as I was desperately looking at the clock to strike 5, it suddenly dawned upon me- why don’t I have a blog?
I like writing…actually coming to think of it, I love writing. This doesn’t mean that I have made a wrong professional choice by getting into servicing, but I still enjoy that art of expressing myself in words.
To be honest, a friend of mine has been after me for a really long time to start a blog of my own and I never really understood what the whole hullabaloo was all about. Then I chanced upon another friends blog. Now, I know this particular person inside out (atleast I would like to believe that) but when I read what he had to say in his blog it shocked me. It shocked me not because I was wondering whether I had figured this fellow all wrong, but only because it showed me a new facet of his life.
That’s when I realized that I should start a blog of my own. Not for any particular reason, but just to make sure that I surprise myself each time I start penning down my thoughts.
With this thought I inaugurate my blog. This is for the words that will help me express myself better and to those people who will not judge.
I like writing…actually coming to think of it, I love writing. This doesn’t mean that I have made a wrong professional choice by getting into servicing, but I still enjoy that art of expressing myself in words.
To be honest, a friend of mine has been after me for a really long time to start a blog of my own and I never really understood what the whole hullabaloo was all about. Then I chanced upon another friends blog. Now, I know this particular person inside out (atleast I would like to believe that) but when I read what he had to say in his blog it shocked me. It shocked me not because I was wondering whether I had figured this fellow all wrong, but only because it showed me a new facet of his life.
That’s when I realized that I should start a blog of my own. Not for any particular reason, but just to make sure that I surprise myself each time I start penning down my thoughts.
With this thought I inaugurate my blog. This is for the words that will help me express myself better and to those people who will not judge.
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