India Chak De'd...Yoohoo... :D

Queen crooned "We are the Champions" back in '77. Last night, a group of 7 men (more like overgrown boys actually!!) & a gal hooped around in total hysteria, miming Freddie Mercury's lyrics as they witnessed a spectacle of a lifetime!!

What a final!! India-Pakistan. Doesn't get any bigger than this. Nothing in the English language can quite qualify these encounters.
And the match lived up to its billing. Thorough humdinger. 80 fingernails dug deep into the sofa set and almost ripped the cushioning out!!

It's a well-known fact that I am a long standing skeptic of the Indian cricket team. And I have reams of historical data & heartbreaking experiences for my cynicism. We, in the past, have pulled off miracles that for most teams, in the game of cricket or otherwise, would be outworldly. Except that our miracles weren't really in the "I am beaming with pride" category. They were more in the bewildering "Is this really happening" category!! I rationalized the events thinking that given our famous Indian hospitality bindings, our teams felt waves of graciousness for our opponents & did not have the heart to inflict defeats upon them. Ever since, have priced my faith safely out of reach of the Indian men's cricket team.

However, an India-Pakistan game is a different ballgame. There I blend in with the 1-billion crowd & root for the Men in Blue. When the two neighbors clash in a sport, for me it's never just about the game. It's about patriotic loyalties - no jumping ship here.

Yesterday (Monday, Sep. 24, 2007) was as loud a call-to-arms as any. And no one on the east of the Indus was disappointed :).

At 77/6 with Pakistan’s tail exposed & 81 to get from 8 overs, celebrations had begun early. And then Turbanator Singh came on. Misbah-ul-Haq, sensing his last draw in the battlefield, unleashed his final backlash. 3 towering 6's from the cad in Bhajji's over & it was déjà vu all over again!! 2 more sixes to Sreesanth & suddenly we were staring down the barrel. Just 20 to get from 12 balls for Pakistan…

You have to doff your hats to the guys who conceptualized this format at this point. It’s designed such that the game is always treading a knife-edge. Even a whiff of an effort & the momentum swings. Its teleported cricket into the realm of soccer – non-stop, nail-biting thrill through the game.

1 tight over from RP Singh later, the game hangs in limbo at Pakistan needing 13 off the last over with last man standing, India needing 1 wicket but with all its best bet bowlers used out. In my head, I am begging God to not let this become the “Javed Miandad slaps 6 to Chetan Sharma off the last delivery to dent India’s joy” match of my generation. As my silent prayers pick up fervor, the young Jaat Joginder Sharma sends down a wide with "pressure" written in font size 160 written over it & I gasp – "Okay, here we go again!!" Misbah heart stoppingly sends the next delivery into the stands & a billion lachrymal dams are on the verge of bursting. I wonder how many people in India would have got strokes as Joginder delivered his next delivery & Misbah lofted it 5-storeys high again. Only this time, instead of some unsuspecting spectator receiving the projectile, a blue-clad Sreesanth latches on to the white orb the way a famine victim would cling on to air-dropped foods!!

And with that… Yoohoo, India won the Twenty20 World Cup!! So what if we were mauled out of the "real" thing back in May in the first round! The mind takes a minute to register the unbelievable & then pandemonium breaks loose. Hugs, hoots & high-fives all around the tiny living room.

Amazing stuff. India is in delirium the next few days. Just check out these videos of the “Victory Yatra” & the Wankhede Felicitation ceremony as the champions arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday (Sep. 25, 2007) morning to see for yourself.

1.a. Home coming video at IBN Live.com
1.b. Home coming video at YouTube

2. Felicitation video at IBN Live.com

The Gods of the country’s most widespread religion showered the most fulfilling & blissful of blessings on their legions of followers. That too without the involvement of the so-called supreme trinity of the pantheon!! What a phenomenal slap in the faces of their highn-ass-es M/s. Tendulkar & Ganguly…

Chak de India!!! Long live Twenty20...

Hello World!

Void Helloworld()
{
printf ("Hello World \n");
printf ("Horsie is back. \n");
printf ("Was busy, had gone galloping as well. \n");
printf ("Got some interesting stories to tell. \n");
printf ("Keep reading. Have a great day! \n);
}

क्या पता...कल हो ना हो...

One of the very, very, very few dialogues mouthed by SRK on celluloid that I actually appreciate n don't mind recounting in public is this particular line from the movie Kal Ho na Ho

"जीयो, मुस्कुराओ, झुमो, गाओ, खुश रहो...क्या पता... कल हो ना हो..."

Loosely translated, it reads - Live, smile, dance, sing, be happy....who knows...there may or may not be a tomorrow.

It's such an awesome mantra to live life by. From my perch, I have seen Addie, my Guru, practice this motto daily like a true devotee. Inspired, I have been trying to "reapply the best practice" since the last 3-4 months. And life's been truly awesome!! Even simple things have taken on prismatic, spectral hues. The smiles have propagated to back home n got amplified in the voices, mails n faces of my family - that's worth more than anything else.

But today, in keeping with the "Live life Kingzise" spirit, I bungled up. Yet again.
Like the train that doesn't realize it has rounded a bend until after doing so, I too realized it after the events had transpired. For the umpteenth time, my comet left a wake which was never really intended. :(.

How I wish Addie were here today. For reassurance & reinforcement to stop my faith from teetering. How I wish life weren't so critical & demanding of faiths ever so often...
How I wish I could do an SRK, standing with my arms outstretched double their length on some overflowing waterfront, saying

आज में जीयो, क्या पता...कल हो ना हो...

The faith shall stand though, a little shaken but by no means vanquished. The horse will learn, make amends & keep walking on...

A Utopian life in Guyworld!!

I have been thinking about that age-old dictum saying that a man would have a Utopian life if he can claim propriety over the following worldly possessions:

1. An Indian wife
2. An American salary
3. A British house
4. Chinese food.

Hmm. Now, the first thing that struck me was as I was mulling over the list is how remarkably incomplete it is. I mean, this is the 21st century and we men are material minded, carnally driven, insatiable, obsessive maniacs, having sold our "mojos of higher living" to the devil in our past lives!! How can the list be complete with just 4 simple entries as above?

Hence, I embarked on the noble task myself of completing the dream life of a man. So, without further ado, here goes.

Addendum to list above

1. A Singaporean city/standard of living
2. A Korean car
3. Japanese gadgets
4. French wines
5. Arabian land estates
6. A Russian mistress
7. A Dutch orchard
8. Spanish music
9. German factories

There. I think now the list can at least claim to stand on veritable grounds of being close to Utopian.

(Note - The list is restricted to worldly, material possessions. Hence, things such as looks & **** cannot be enlisted in this bracket).

Hmm...all ye guyz out there...have I missed anything? All contributions are most gratefully welcome :).

The adventures of KV - Part 1

Kunal had planned this vacation with his mom n sis to Singapore, KL, Langkawi since 6 months or so. He had taken uncharacteristic pains to meticulously plan all the details to the T, had driven me up the wall to plan out his itinerary and stuff!

He was to fly out last evening from Delhi to arrive in Singapore today morning. After which I was to become his walking-talking Frommer's guide to Singapore!!

Well, he's just had a phenomenally auspicious start to it. He sms'd last night that he'd missed his Indian Airlines flight to Singaopore (and that too the only flight flown out by the airline from Delhi). Lol. Rotflmao.... Double rotflmao...

These things always happen to him! I can so imagine his sis giving him a nice hiding for this.

The recourse he has taken his that he has flown to KL & is taking a bus to Singapore from there. Which means that he loses almost whole of today!!

Hilarious stuff. KV rocks!!

The Week end syndrome

Just concluded that I have a compulsive need to spend the night before a holiday out i.e. Friday evenings / the evening before a mid-week break necessarily means I graciously contribute to the coffers of a restaurant & to a movie hall.

In my mind, I earlier thought that this was driven by a functional, first order physical need - food. Background is that our maid comes to cook dinner from Monday - Thursday, with Friday being a scheduled pit-stop. Hence, Friday evenings till a couple of months ago necessarily meant a hop over to some eatery in Little India. However, off late, we have had the option of calling her over on Friday as well - an option that we've almost reverentially stayed away from exercising.

But this belief was busted by the recent spurt of midweek holidays when I have had an irrepressible urge to not spend the evening staring at either of my LCD screens - the TV or the laptop!! Was myself amazed at how helpless and subjugated I felt to this surge inside me!!

So, I guess the verdict is out on me - I am afflicted with "The week end syndrome".
Symptoms - Extreme restiveness on a Friday evening, arbitrary mood swings ranging from being king of dullsville to childlike buoyancy, uncontrolled irrational dashes to smash through the office glass-doors.

Cures - Lungful of 6pm evening air, indulgences spanning दाल मखनी , सेविया to popcorn n ice-cream, 3 hour therapeutic x-box sessions :).

Do you also suffer from the same? Get yourself diagnosed. Paint the town red (or whatever color you fancy)!!

Cool guys & Hot gals

Just realized another point of difference in the classic debate - boys vs. gals. Stated as under:

Guys aspire to get/stay 'cooler' as they get older while gals aspire to get/stay 'hotter'!!

Hmm...interesting...

Mama, see what I won - My own star :)

Was at an office offsite the last two days. The published purposes of the offsite are twofold:

1. Share the past fiscal's (our fiscal follows a July - June calibration) business results, successes/failures & learnings.
2. Lay down the goals, strategies & vision for the current fiscal.

The unpublished, flunkie's eye agenda is..... PARTY!! ;-).

And that's exactly what it turned out to be. The business review sessions weren't half as bad as I had dreaded, and the awards night + party simply rocked :). The second day's physical workout + outdoor team building activities were tons of fun and eye-opening (yes, I need to move my lazy bum n exercise!!).

And amidst all this rejoicing, I got a personal reason to celebrate!! I won a "Special Appreciation" award :).

The awards are meant to recognize those individuals whose work produced some sterling results/gave new direction to the business unit. It's one of those awards that got my mind going "Jeez, I wish I could win one of those" while I sat in the aisles applauding other winners at past functions!!

As it turned out, I could feel those butterflies start their "catch me if you can" games inside my tummy all over again as the function kicked off. And as the muster rolled on, I could feel those little aahs inside my head getting louder with each announcement that didn't yet call out my name.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, the spotlight zeroed in on a slide screaming "Harsh Shah". And I was... stunned!! Took me a few seconds to get out of my reverie and realize मेरा Number आ गया!!

The applause as I went up to receive my blue star seemed to be coming out of the ether, the faces seemed to lose features, the notes crooned "I believe I can fly" and for 2 minutes I wasn't on this planet as the hormones n chemicals in my junkyard rocketed me into orbit!! It took Karthik's raspy voice n firm vise on my wrist whilst I was floating back to my seat to get me to land :). Fumblingly, accepted his congratulations, mumbled out a thank you & parked myself on my chair with a long breath as the realization sank in :).

Well, the party started almost immediately after this and I let my hair down (well, whatever there is of it anyways!!). The hormones carried on with their alchemist dance well into the night :). Woke up the next day as usual to a star - albeit a blue one with my name inscribed on it instead of a yellow one!!

Small joys these, but truly ones that permanently color my memory with joy n pride!

The Da Vinci Code - It could be true...

Watched The Da Vinci Code again last night. Though people the world over lambasted the movie, I liked it.

Yeah, the movie has its pits - no character development & a virtually plastic Audrey Tautou. But the screenplay is very loyal to the book (perhaps a bit too loyal, choking the characters out) and is well-paced. Ron Howard has commendably brought the history of the Grail & the multiple associated, abutting legends to life. I could feel those goosebumps again as I watched the movie unfold.

Now, here is a thought which has nagged at me ever since I read that best-seller.
Could it be true? Could there be a descendant of Jesus Christ walking among us?

I have heard a million n one folks point out the poetic licenses the book has taken with some locations & historical facts in the story. However, I think they miss the larger picture.

Look at it this way - Arguably, there could exist a secret brotherhood, a la the Priori of Sion, protecting the bloodline over the centuries. They could ostensibly have a mission of revealing the truth at what they saw as the opportune time.

That time could be now. The Da Vinci Code could be a first in a series of plots towards achieving this mission. Dan Brown could be a member of this secret clique (one of the Senechaux, or perhaps, the Grandmaster himself!!). Or he could be a pawn in a larger scheme of things. Whichever way, the wheels of history could be in motion again.

Think about it. Think about what can be & not what is. How sensational it would be - it promises to throw every aspect of human belief into throes - history, religion, world politics. It'd be an event of true apocalyptic proportions!!

I'd love to be alive when such an event if & does ever happen. Conspiracy theories rock...

Requiem for a dream...

Somebody please sing me a lullaby. Or get a bathroom singer to sing तुम तो ठेहरे परदेसी to me.

If you get Indian channels, tie me to a chair and forcibly make me watch one of those many stupid 'K' soap operas. Or call back Daddu - professor of Materials Management at IIM Lucknow - and ask him to start his drone on whatever it was that he so solemnly professed all over again.

Or thrust a Nancy Drew in to my hands. Try Paulo Coelho if Ms. Drew fails.

Get the witch of Sleeping Beauty to cast a spell on me. Ask Dreamworks to make some soothing works for my dreams.

If everything fails, stick some chloroform into my face. But someone please do something.

I wanna sleep. Desperately...

Saturday "Day" Fever :)

From recent memory, today would easily count as the best Saturday I have had!!

The beauty of the day lay in the fact that it wasn't a planned, campaign day which I might have been looking forward to for a long time. Was just a regular weekend day which I spent in the company of people I like.

As weekends go, the day began early around 9am. Woke up to a nice, tranquil breezy morning - perfect day to be reading a book sitting by the window. Literally skimmed through Prey, my last Crichton novel, till around noon when Addie called unexpectedly.

He asked me whether I'd be eating lunch - to which I obviously said yes, and if I'd be game to hop over to his haunt - to which I again obviously n shamelessly said yes :). The best part about being a 25-year old bachelor is that you are old enough to be invited for luncheons and get-togethers, yet escape from it being viewed under the aegis of "social obligations".

Now, delightfully, the lunch (which was wondrous in its own "home-food" right) also had another tacit invitation piggy-backing it - a long awaited turn to try my skill at the Sony Playstation 2. And boy, did I have a blast!!
Played NFS and to my own surprise, drove pretty well for a stark amateur. The sheer thrill of that game is in its simplicity - accelerate all the time, keep the car straight, keep collisions to the minimum. Plus, there was the sadistic glee of seeing the game chide Ashim saying "you were last" - in a 2 player race ;-).

Then my teammate at work, Claire, came over to Addie's to see his house, as Addie is vacating it soon. The vacancy though is not just restricted to the house. Addie is quitting and going back to India. I am 99.9999% sure that office won't ever be the same again without him :(. The poignancy of the whole situation was inextricably woven into the mirth of the afternoon.

Addie deserves a full post dedicated to him. It'll be one I'll write with utmost care and a swell of emotion in my heart. Can promise him that much!!

Anyways, getting back to the main thread of the post - the afternoon flowed to a evening coffee with a friend, here for a conference, at Orchard. Was fun reminiscing about the old times, how she totally fell in love with everything Singaporean, how the bevy of petite, super-modelesque Singaporean beauties made her feel like Humpty Dumpty :). And for the first time ever, I found the Starbucks coffee palatable! And no, it wasn't the company, the coffee could actually pass on as "tasty" and "potable" :).

The library beckoned after this evening hour fleeted by. That turned out to be an adventure that shouldn't have been :). I was to show some juniors (who didn't have a mobile phone) to the library and we spent 20 mins on the footpath trying to trace each other, when we were all but half-a-football-field away at different ends of the mall. Amazing how obsequious we've become to mobile phones & how paralyzing absence of one can be!!

The crowning caper of the day was the surprise birthday party for Arthi. It was a coordinated, conspiratorial surprise treat at Modesta's. 15-16 of her IIM A batchmates and some other friends had conspired to not wish her the whole day, turn down any dinner/meeting calls from her and then surprise her when her roommate got a dejected looking Arthi to the restaurant for dinner.

Well, that was the plan!! As it turned out, we got there before she did ;). When she got there, there was already a huge table for 20 set out, with some of us conspirators seated at it. The icing on the cake, though, was that in spite of this she didn't suspect that somethin' might be cookin'. She still believed that it was coincidental that some of us were at the same restaurant at the same time. So, we kinda did pull the surprise off :).

As for the food - l'italiano era deliziosamente fantastico!! We downed copious amounts of food. Brace yourselves, here is what all we devoured :-

1. 3 12" pizzas
2. 4 pastas
3. 2 salads
4. 2 king prawns
5. and the star of the evening - 3 20" pizzas.

They had to get a separate barbecue-style stand to hold the 20" pizza trays. It took 2 people to serve - one to balance the tray, the other to serve ;). Was terribly amusing to just see them orchestrate that spectacle!!

All in all, I had a great day yesterday. The wait now begins for the next Horsie's Day Out :).
Hope the coming week passes by quickly!!

Images that changed the world.

Got this link to someone else's blog from a friend.

The images are really thought provoking. Follow this link to view the image - http://pinguy.infogami.com/blog/vwm6

As MJ said in his heydays,

Heal the world,
Make it a better place
For you and for me
and the entire human race...

Amen.

1 more reason I love being a guy.

I love being a guy. Gals - Boo boo :P.

Reasons:
This article shares some relatively unimportant, but very practical and potent ones. - Niki's blog -
What the...
One more reason - Men don't ever get Orkut scraps like "Hi...Wazzup...u know u are so pretty, I have never met someone nice like u. Wanna frendship with me. Plz, plz dont ignore my message, I write my tru feelingz."
(just for the record, this piece of genius isn't mine. It's from a female friend's scrap book, left by some wannabe Romeo ;) ).

Lolssssssssssssss.....Rotfilmao. Guy world roxx!!

The CMK meaning of Idiot proof!

I often think that we CMKers have taken our motto of "making things simple" to another level. We like to make things idiot proof. But somewhere along the line, unconsciously & unintentionally it manifests itself as "other function proof".

With all the "simplicity", Marketing'ers must definitely feel like 2 year olds learning Ba-Ba Black Sheep in school in our presentations. (No snide remarks about Marketing, even though restrain is tough!!).
When asked questions that are uncomfortable or something we can't put our buck on, we say "Oh! That's technical in nature (you won't understand it?). I can take you thru it separately later (later when? later never?)".

I mean c'mon. Who are we trying to kid? For Christ's sake, both CMKers and Marketing'ers hail from the same echelons of excellence - the IIMs.

I finally quelled my embers thinking that it must be that CMKers are from 'Indian' Institute of Management whereas Marketingers are from 'Idiots' Institute of Management! See, so simple again :).

How vanities come by - even with an honest intent and whole-hearted commitment.

A need for awareness of the world

My take on how my world today has such different needs of awareness from my campus days. But I present my opinions in third person, for the sake of generality and applicability to perhaps a much wider audience.

Today's scenario
There is an accentuated need for awareness of the environment around you. However, no one's going to knock on your door and tell you the world is changing. You have to observe things for yourself - read emails, track news n developments, watch conversations, pick up cues for yourself. You need to take that effort yourself to keep yourself aware n connected. No one's going to spoon feed you.

From these observations, you need to make your own conclusions and judgements. It then comes down to how much you can rely on your instinct. Some plunge in and test the waters for themselves, others wait for the comfort of group think and dive in when the currents aren't as turbulent.

Campus days
A far throw from these days. Firstly, campus was a microcosmic, almost self-contained world in itself. Which meant that the need in question itself became dormant - you could get by just fine without a care of the bigger, real world outside those hallowed grounds.
Secondly, the gazillion people around, the bombardment of cases, etc. ensured you kept hearing snippets of almost every topic under the son. This ensured you kept getting your periodic infusement of news.

Also, there was always a sense (and need) of belonging to a close-knit community of 300 similar intellects. This meant that group think or mass opinion was more the norm rather than a choice.

How things have changed with time!!

Blog-o-miles = 50 :)

Yippee, have clocked 50 posts. And it's 11 months since I set off on my journey.

i.e. Speed = 54 ppa (posts per annum) or 1 ppw.

Could be better, but what the heck!!

Now that I stand at a self-proclaimed milestone of sorts, have to say that I have become quite fond of blogging. I am quietly passionate about my blog. Nowadays, actively keep parking thoughts/ideas in my mind that I wanna write about.

All-in-all, the journey on blog road's been great fun so far. The road's been silken at times, slow going at others. Have had to sojourn away in my mind-motels to allay my weariness from time to time. But a great adventure it's been all along - never drab, never uninsightful! Have discovered aspects to me that I never knew existed!!

So, for the moment - Time to refuel, pat myself and bask in the self-cast limelight. Hehe.

P.S. - And, yes, I do love it when people read my ramblings and leave comments. Always nice to get feedback :).

My trammels of inarticulateness

It’s that feeling again. And I dread it!

As I sit to post something on my blog, I find myself fumbling ever so often to pick out that exact word. I know that I know the word, it gnaws at the annals of my memory and just when I reach out for it - vanishes with a poof!!

English & vocabulary have been cherished passions, ever since I can recall now. Have dreaded ineloquence - it makes me feel that my brain's stagnating and decaying.

I had this exact feeling about 5 years ago while in engineering. The internet and computer science were happening (yes, continuous tense as it was a 4-year course). Which meant that the books got renounced :(. Slowly, I found the depths of my language were silting into shallows. Yet I couldn't do anything to stay the atrophy. Felt helpless, felt miserable...

Then the GRE and the infamous Barrons' word-lists happened. Peers cursed 'em, I loved 'em. Felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as I studied them. (I actually made a hand-written book of all the words I had learnt, with meanings, usages et al. Treasured that book above anything else. Misplaced it in the myriad books after L and till date am aggrieved about its loss :( ).

In retrospect, I feel that that test was a landmark event in my life in many ways. It brought me my passion back. I expanded my vocabulary manifold. It almost felt like graduating to the adult world of English. Started feeling good about myself :). After this episode, I decided I wouldn't let my language stagnate again and would keep polishing it every now n again.

The succeeding 2 years at L passed like a whiff. I don't recall reading too voraciously there. But, the stint at Placecom there, with its million mails and articles, fed enough fodder to my left brain and didn't let it hibernate. It's amazing how when we look back at our pasts, most events end up playing a larger role than you earlier accredited them for!!

Then P&G happened and the relocation to Singapore reacquainted me with the forgotten joys of reading :). Thanx to the NLB, have taken back to reading like a fish to water. Now, while all the reading has ensured I have a solid rearguard in place and don’t slip further, writing is critical to keep the blade sharp. It’s the good old theory n book knowledge vs. practical n wisdom duality.

This duality was one of my inspirations then (there are more than one – an individual + this + my practical obsession with writing A1 docs in office, in that order) to enlist myself on blogosphere. Blogging is my first notable, consistent and serious effort in a long time, at penning down the swirls in my head. And as was Karna's curse, so is mine - cometh the hour, not cometh the required skill - words… :|.

Obviously, the solution to my pangs is to keep writing more n more. But, with the million worldly needs & expectations & commitments that one necessarily has to devote time to, a desire or passion has to cede priority. However, that is but an excuse at the end of the day.

Hence, I have decided to apply my project management lessons to this as well – have put a goal for myself of x posts per week and am tracking myself to it. Status so far = Okay, nothing pathbreaking.

So there it is, I think I have evolved a solution to deal with my hallucinations of a wordless hollow creeping up on me. Simple n pragmatic. The classic engineering approach, my ever loyal refuge, bastion and liberator…

Amazing what fear (even if irrational) of affliction to a cherished haven can drive men to!

Happy Birthday to you...

A birthday celebration in office today reminded me of this particular rendition of the Happy Birthday song :).
This is how it goes

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you...
.....
(more verses)
.....
You were born in the zoo

You look like a monkey
And smell like one tooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Lolssssssssss....Rotflmao :D.

I think it's too cool improvisation. Goal is to sing it in office on a close friend's birthday ;).

Thoughts on a quiet Sunday

Another quiet Sunday goes by. Spent the day listening to some good music and completing my reading of the Silmarillion.

Posting the lyrics of a song which I love. Alone by the Bee Gees. I love it as I can identify with it and find that it is very true of life. In music, I find a steadfast aide everytime my soul needs a draw of strength. (These lyrics aren't mine. Claim no IP rights whatsoever.)

Alone - Bee Gees

I was a midnight rider on a cloud of smoke
I could make a woman hang on every single stroke
I was an iron man
I had a master plan
But I was alone

I could hear you breathing
With a sigh of the wind
I remember how your body started trembling
Oh, whats a night its been
And for the state Im in
Im still alone

And all the wonders made for the earth
And all the hearts in all creation
Somehow I always end up alone
Always end up alone

So I play, Ill wait
cause you know that love takes time
We came so far
Just the beat of a lonely heart
And its mine
I dont want to be alone

Well, since I got no message on your answer phone
And since youre busy every minute.
I just stay at home
I make believe you care
I feel you everywhere
But Im still alone

Im on a wheel of fortune with a twist of fate
cause I know it isnt heaven, is it love or hate
Am I the subject of the pain
An I the stranger in the rain
I am alone

And if there glory there to behold
Maybe its my imagination
Another story there to be told

So I play, Ill wait
And I pray its not too late
We came so far
Just a beat of a lonely heart
And its mine
I dont want to be alone

And all the wonders made for the earth
And all the hearts in all creation
Another story there to be told

So I play, Ill wait
And I pray its not too late
We came so far
Just a beat of a lonely heart
And its mine
I dont want to be alone

Gone, but not out of sight
Im caught in the rain and theres no one home
Face the heat of the night
The one that you loves got a heart thats made of stone

Shine and search for the light
And sooner or later youll be cruising on your ocean

And clean out of sight
Im caught in the rain and theres no one home

O blue ocean...why are thee...oh so... SALTY????

Had gone to East Coast Park yesterday. To cycle and to just chill by the waterside. Had a mixed morning as was having trouble breathing while cycling and hence couldn't build or maintain any speed which would get my veins tingling.

So, to catch my breath for a while, I cycled on to the pier at ECP. It is a jetty that extends out into the ocean from the walkway. There is usually a good breeze blowing there and makes the pier an ideal point to refresh yourself. So, I cycled to the farthest point on the pier and perched myself on the balustrade.

Now, here is the interesting part and the reason why I called it a mixed morning. Outlined below are the thoughts playing catch me if you can in my junk-box as I sat perched on my high throne.

1. I have been in sea water close to the shore. It tastes horrible and salty. Is the sea water as salty and yucky even in the interiors? Hmm...I should ask a sailor man when I meet one next.
2. The Oceans hold almost 69% of the earth's water. What dizzying quantity of salt must it take to maintain the salinity of the sea?
3. Fishes must have taste buds as sensitive as bamboos to be able to live thru a life's intake of salty water.

Well, I was hoping the ocean could have inspired some poetic instinct in me. Poetry somehow seems so classy and the hallmark of a writer who has arrived.

And the ocean just so perfectly fits the bill for inspiration. The mighty seas epitomize romance, adventure n discovery, power, humility, pain n triumph, the vibrancy of life - everything basically!! Its got the perfect mix of all the right ingredients to cause one to weave words into verse.

But no. Try as I might, my engineer-brain could only think up arbit, utterly uninspiring thoughts about the formula for concentration, methods to measure the salinity of the sea and the mechanism of how taste buds work! Just plain defiance to transgress over from geek land to mojo land.

I even tried doing a Leonardo di Caprio, standing with my arms stretched out, facing the sea, trying to take in the so called smell of the seas. I finally gave up and got back to plain, old cycling when the only smell that my olfactory senses could discern was of my deodorant overworking to suppress the sweat!!

No wonder Harika keeps asking me - Are belligerence and ire the only effects I can have on women! Damn.

The purging of Tennis of the Williams era

I loathe the Williams sisters. In my eyes, they have spoiled Women's Tennis - taken it from its suave, violinesque charisma of the Graf era to the brusque, inharmonious, heavy-metalesque current state of affairs.

The earlier game was so much more fun to watch. It was about elegance, ball placement and skill. One could almost sense why tennis was called the game of the nobility seeing Women's matches.
Then came along these two grunters! (whose grunts were almost as bullyish as their ground strokes). Suddenly we started seeing 120 MPH serves and a bombardment of aces in the female game. The game morphed into yelling and whacking as many balls back with as much brute possible :(. The eye-candy index obliteration also did not help ;).

Serena, against all bets, won the first Slam for the Williams at the U.S. Open '99. Then began the Williams run! Between them, the sisters won 9 of the 16 Grand Slams from 2000 to 2003 - a whopping 56% success rate. Their domination was complete - they blew away opponents like strands of straw. No opponent could put up any notable or consistent resistance to the Williams juggernaut. With no nemesis in sight, Richard Williams' plan of ruling women's tennis and destroying the game stood on the verge of completion.

But thank God for Belgium and Russia. And for more than mere sporting reasons ;).
The arrival of Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, and the Russian babe-army derailed the Williams' orgy and began tennis' seismic shift to Europe. Slowly, but surely, the Williams holocaust began to clear and the game breathed in a new life :).

Come 2007, the Williams brawn-house looks nowhere near its former potency. The aura of invincibility has almost been stripped away to naught. The stats stack up perfectly in parallel - only 3 out of 14 Slams from 2003 to the 2007 French Open - a measly 21% success rate from the pompous 56% of yore.

I, for one, am elated that the much feared Williams hoodoo hasn't really materialize and has afflicted only the loss of Martina Hingis to tennis. Now, even she has made a comeback to the circuit :).

But the sisters have left what seems an indelible mark on the game - power is now deeply embedded in the women's game. I ain't complaining though - the lasses are getting fitter, the legs longer, the skirts shorter ;). A steady in pour of Russians and Europeans to the women's tennis bandwagon has ensured that the racquets n balls remain in good hands on great bods ;).

However, thankfully, grace and skill have also simultaneously made a comeback thru Henin's rise to the throne. It's a delight to watch women's tennis again ;). Looking forward to tonight's French Open Final between Henin-Hardenne and Ana Ivanova!

The Club and Spade of I being me ;)

I can distinctly recall my growing up, engineering days when my Ma-Pa always asked me to temper down. I was always a fractious horse who would call a spade a spade, and pretty much in the face of just about everyone. I was labeled quite a few things - the superset being "opinionated, sarcastic, racist, sexist, skeptic, supremely cynical" - and other wonderful adjectives that I care squat about ;).

So, it was an earnest request to not make a public parade of my politically incorrect and extreme opinions on almost everything!! Surprisingly, I did understand Ma-Pa's stance that they didn't wish for people to build impressions and colorations of me that would tail me forever. So, as the years went by, I tried to confirm and be the "good" boy ;), pushing my true instinct to let my brain n tongue lash into hibernation. With time, even tried at my hand at polity and temperance.
(That's the Club of me. It's complicated. At this time, I = Spade, but, me = Club.)

Failed miserably :). But, the horse remained staid and wouldn't yet come out prancing in full glory.

Now, after a year in Singapore, I sense this compulsion rising inside me to set the fractious horse galloping free. My senior at office, Oli, notes and points out my mavericking and rebellious behavior very often these days. I agree to every single observation of his, and with some glee ;).

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to be imprudent or rude or hurt people. Nay, wanna continue being the nice person people have me believe I am :P. Just that I don't want to masquerade any longer with some sort of a filter or mask on. As Adil says, wanna be what I am.

So, I have decided to let the reins loose a bit and let the horsie have some fun! The temperance will be exercised on the tongue (as it causes more hurt than a sword), though not on the mind at all :).
(That's the Spade of I. I = me = Spade ;) ).

Words I treasure...

Steve Waugh had penned an article in the Times of India around the 9/11 attacks' time and when his Australia was steamrolling everyone in the world. The last paragraph of that article were his thoughts on the 9/11 happenings. Been carrying that cut-out in my wallet(s) since 6 years.

Here are his words:

"The recent happenings in America are a catastrophe and put many things into perspective, namely that you must enjoy the moment right in front of you, value your family and see the good in people. So often it is only the negative we hear and obviously things will get worse before they get better in this current situation. Let's hope we can all learn from this and push for a more united world."

Its a para written in typical Steve Waugh style - simple, to the point, real world founded and profound. That's the reason why I find the words so calming and wise. Just like the man who wrote them. (By that logic, if one's writings convey one's persona, I am sure I must come across as utterly confused :). Which I happen to be!!).

Steven Waugh...an exemplary player, leader and human being!! My idol.

My most negative post. Yet.

The feeling of helplessness, of seeing your final weed of hope slip away is extremely debilitating. In my case, paralyzingly so.

Been living like a Zombie for the past few days. For no apparent reason. Just that my mind has parked itself into what computer engineers would call an orphan state. It responds to neither +ve nor -ve reinforcement or stimuli. I feel dispassionate, enervated and completely detached. I take pleasure from nothing, pains from nothing, look forward to nothing.

I have just been reading novels like a maniac. Found my usual favorite Crichton also to be thoroughly insipid. I barely work. Everyday I battle my urge to give up, become a recluse and run away.

Why did I come to this? Why didn't I do anything when I could foresee this? Why is hindsight so painful? When will I get to be a generally happy soul in life without these nags and worries?

This post reeks of negativism. Why am I like this? Is this what they call a quarter life crisis? Am I sick, do I need therapy?

There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what you're sayin'.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I cant explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.

"Ghaangothree" को सास्ठांग नमस्कार

No, I haven't got tambi-ized living in the midst of Tamilians in Singapore. Dispel any such thoughts!! I don't want anyone thinking anything even remotely resembling this thought lest the bad karma spread and I start gasping at some induced metamorphosis in myself :). Yikes, how I dread just the idea of being a Tambi.

But this post isn't about my strong racist inclinations and psyche. It's about this restaurant in Little India which chooses to call itself "Ghaangothree".

Presumably, it appears as an attempt to suit the title to the holy glacier Gangotri in the Himalayas. Out of curiosity, I went up to the cashier (possibly the owner of the joint) to confirm my hypothesis. Not surprisingly, he confirmed that this was precisely their intention. Guess my reaction upon hearing this. I went ballistic after making my discovery.

I mean just how badly can you screw up something as simple as Gangotri?? Damned Southies!! Yet, inconceivably to my inane mind, they have somehow connived to transform it into what almost sounds like a mangled abuse.

Now, my only grouse is this. Why wouldn't you just consult a North Indian before you set out on some mighty venture as christening a South Indian restaurant with a North Indian name? The difference between a North Indian and a South Indian is similar to that of a Dosa and a Kulcha, a man and a woman, a priest and an emperor. Each has his specialties and domain of expertise. Try transposing domains and faux pases like this is what you land up with!!

However, to the credit of the guy, his restaurant is apparently quite famous! Try searching "Ghaangothree" on Google and all your results will lead to this innocuous eatery @ 5, Hindoo Road, Singapore. (All roads lead to Rome, eh!!).
It is listed as one of the must-try restaurants by the Singapore Yellow Pages.
Hence, my सास्ठांग नमस्कार to this ill-fated but honest fusion attempt of the North with the South :).

Why are grocery provisions called "supplies"?

A completely superfluous post. On a random thought that got stuck into my head as I was reading the novel Eragon last week.

Random thoughts are like bad songs. Much as you'd like to erase them from your memory and move on, they will just irrepressibly linger on. Like that painlessly irritating niggle on your back which will keep on twitching every now n then until you scratch yourself. (Hail the Ape man ;) ).

However leaving random thoughts on random thoughts (even I am in a tizzy :). What's the term for this concept?) and getting back to the point, here is what I've been pondering over since 4 days.

Why is food/grocery shopping referred to as "supplies"?? Travelers stop to pick up supplies, bachelors bulk stock supplies, westerner's convert their supplies shopping trips into outings... The phenomenon is global and omnipresent!! (Come to think of it, even I've called them supplies for as long as I can recall!! How ridiculous!!)

What possibly could be the story behind this usage of the word "supplies"?
It sounds so corny, almost as if you are delivering material to some war-front!!

What was wrong with calling them rations or provisions or foodstuffs? Victuals if you are the unearthly, imaginative types.

But no, supplies is what it is!! It can be so terribly misleading...
Imagine a situation like this. You are traveling by the Metro and you overhear this super-babe of a woman talking on her mobile - "Please don't forget to pick up supplies on your way home".
How drawing, titillating and yet desperately frustrating that is!!
You'd be wishing, almost praying, that you could swap places with the dude at the other end of the line. And yet, you could get just end up cooking dinner for her ;)...kill the whole vibe!!

Amazing how we overlook these small small trifles and nuggets that run thru our everyday lives.

जो शहीद हुए हैं उनकी, ज़रा याद करो कुर्बानी

These words moistened the eyes of Nehru (in spite of him enjoying top slots in the India's biggest bastard list). 5 decades on, as a billion Indians hurtle thru the rat race that is an average Indian life, its saddening to see my country just chug over the sacrifices millions of men are making for us.

Thanx to rediff.com, I came across these articles about the fate of some of our army's officers. The series is very aptly titled "Lest We Forget".

Posting the links here for public viewing. Read every single one of them. Shed a few tears and be grateful. We live and run after millions while these men lay down their lives.

Capt. Saurabh Kalia - http://specials.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/07kalia.htm
Capt. Vikram Batra - http://specials.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/17batra.htm

This is one of those few times when I appreciate the Indian media (more of my cynicism in some later post). Thanx to them, such stories get etched into contemporary public memory and unite (one of those few times we do) the nation in grief, pride and rage.

But don't for one moment think that reality is only full of such paeans of valor unsurpassed. Read the next two articles and feel a pang in your heart. (If you don't, you are not human. You might as well go and start monkeying around in some zoo.)

Flight Lt. Abhijit Gadgil - http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/aug/13inter.htm
Lt. Colonel S. Ravi Shankar - http://specials.rediff.com/news/2007/apr/23slide1.htm

This is just the tip of a gory, deathly iceberg. The cries and woes of the families whose sons don't make it to the media's fancy go unheard. And you better not ask for data on this one. Some simple arithmetic can easily lead you to this conclusion.

Let's talk of just peace times. War times, to me, are too scary and blood-boiling to comprehend.
Think about how many officers and jawaans die every year thanx to terrorism and anti-insurgency operations. Think about the no. of MiG crashes that happen for pilots in training. These, at least, make the headlines.
Now think about the scale on which the Indian army operates. How many cantonments, how many offices, how many posts manned in how many locations. It isn't preposterous to then assume that many a scrupulous Lt. Ravi Shankar's would be turning martyrs. And, all the Defence Ministry and the administration can do is think of a cover-up to protect their slimy, blood-soaked asses!!

That said, it triggers a tsunami of rhetorical questions.

1. What sort of a nation treats it's soldiers this way? How can we forget our war heroes so easily?
2. What becomes of a soldier's family if he dies at service? Is the future of old parents or a young infant-son of a soldier secure if he is not around?
3. Why doesn't the government - those dickheads who parade themselves as the saviors of the nation - have the balls to stand up to Pakistan and take perpetrators to task?

Surely, conferring a medal, giving a notional compensation, best case - a post in some God-forsaken public service, can never be commensurate to a mother's loss of a son. Perhaps nothing can ever be.

Then, what should we be doing? Have a system in place that is rich enough to provide on-going care for soldiers' families and not just one-point braggadocios. A few thought starters are listed below:

1. A corporate can set-up a fund that provides for the welfare of martyr families.
2. A simple campaign by the army will generate selfless millions in donation, if they willfully wanted to do something for these families.
3. The media can take this cause up which would open tons of avenues of help.

As with any other system that aims at mass-welfare, the biggest challenge is in ensuring reach to the families of those countless, faceless jawans that die unglorified. This segment will be the largest and the one in biggest need of support as their families would be the most strained for survival. (Jawans are usually not super qualified and would be the main bread earners for their families).

The clamor for a defence-mechanism against such tsunamis should have been irrepressible by now. Sadly, it just remains a trepid, indiscreet murmur masked out and lost in the loud honks and blares that are India.
We are eons away from where we should be. Guiltily, it hurts to know we could've been there but apathy and indifference again got the better of us :(.

If I make something of myself some day, this post should serve as a reminder for me to do something for this cause. A few tears though is what I close the note currently with. It's the least each of us can do.

Country roads...are taking me home :)

Country roads, take me home
To the place, I belong...

Am going home this coming Friday. Will see Mama and Dad after 4 long months.
4 months that have been more happy than sad. Had some great weekends with friends here, had friends visiting from India, roamed around Singapore - a city I am fully enamored with by now :).
Made a coupla trips to Philippines, fulfilled a long cherished dream of watching a Grand Prix.

But, am going home now - there's simply nothing quite like this feeling.
There's much to look forward to - friends, relatives, food, warmth, peace, belonging and some much needed counseling and advice. Yoohooo... :)

GoogleCard - The future of communications

Computers, the World Wide Web and demi-gods like Yahoo, Google have expedited the rate of change that mankind has had to deal with more than most people acknowledge or are even aware of. Our habits and life-styles, egged on by these developments, are changing rapidly without us even knowing about them.

The once ubiquitous post-office and paper-mails are an endangered speices now. Our next generation will see artifacts like stamps on some fossil plate in a museum ;).

Voice chats, Webcams have whittled geographical distances away to just a matter of a few clicks.

But, this post is not to extol the generous blessings of the .Com age. It is my take on what the biggest leap in technology for the coming century is going to be. Am going to write that in the form of an ad concept. So, here goes...

"A web-chat is no substitute for that live, chirpy voice of your sister on the telephone call from home.
A faceless voice on the telephone is no match for the human presence and warm touch of your beloved over a cup of coffee.

The only thing technology can't do is be human.
For everything else, there's Google ;) "

Frustration soother - An unsung virtue of Blogs

Another listless, staid Sunday has gone by. I end it frustrated, despondent, fuming and tired - like others before this one.

I am really thankful at such times that I have a blog. It's a fantastic vent for seething out all your galls and exasperations. I don't think I have paid my salutes to this virtuosity of blogs :).

It's my blog. I can write what I wish and feel. So, at such times, I let all those extra-charged, anger causing, mind derailing hormones seep in to the white spaces of my blog.
No hurting anyone, no arguments, no getting gyaan, no favors...just plain and simple - problem fixed!!!

Tomorrow is a new day :). I just got a new project at work involving system design, my first love. I want to do it well and excel at my work. Don't want anything to get in my way now.

Friday evening takes me back to Mama...Yoohooooo....It's a week worth looking forward to.

The world's most profound Good Morning greeting!!

The perfect morning. Wake up to the sun beams weaving a gossamer of a myriad colors, as they disperse thru the glass panes of the apartment blocks on the far side of the road. Pay your daily homages as you listen to the light morning breeze rustle among the leaves. Break your diligent (hopefully) fast with a sumptous helping of cereal and fruit as you tap along to Mark Knoffler crooning away on the radio.

Tuck that dapper shirt in. Run your hand thru your hair one last time and step out! (I don't have a honey to kiss good-bye as yet ;) ).
The pep in your step, the confidence in your stride, is unmistakable. Relive John Travolta whistling Stayin' Alive as you embark on your conquest of the world.

And Whack!! IT almost hits you like a hard slap right across your pretty visage. You almost feel as if the Devil himself took lengthy pains to ensure all your morning blues and reveries were shaken off as you trudged to office (hell? Naah... :) ).

What is IT?

Well, IT's the billboard outside the church opposite my apartment which reads
"What on Earth am I here for??"

Yep, you read it right. Read IT once again, just to be sure. :).

Such profoundness! Every single day, at whichever hour - IT unfalteringly screams that life-halting question at you which every dude/dudette in his/her mid-twenties dreads!!

How's that for a morning greeting! The question never leaves you - you mull over it all along as you almost ghost-walk your way to office. Dreams of conquest retire to some forlorn corner in your attic (Duhhh...your brain ;) )..

The sun beams glare down and smirk at you, the wind flees to lure another unsuspecting soul, the radio bores you down with news :).
Lunch hour is now the salvation you solicit. Your work now assumes the role of your worship, your road to emancipation. Necessarily :).

Just 7 innocuous words - In the right place, at the right time!

Talk about the the power of words and the power of placement :).

Prince or Pauper eh??

Who is the richest, yet a not so rich, soul on the planet?

And no, this is not one of those philosophical questions mandating a sagacious answer from the 14th century like "one who has lived but never loved" kinds!! To me, those are classical top management replies - in from one ear, out the other in the same breath ;).

In my opinion, it is the dude at the government mint who prints/bundles/makes our money notes. The guy literally eats money, breathes money - millions pass under his very eyes and hands daily ;). And yet, if he's in that job, 8 out of 10 chances are he'd be just another average Joe!!

A classic case of "haath ko aaya, muh na lagaa" ;).

What do you guyz think?

Lol.

15-15: Consumer banking in India vs. in Singapore

Here's a surprise - Singapore banks still have passbook accounts :). Yes, those little resin-bonded logs, which if we ask our fathers, will prove to be as valuable as a Passport!!!

My first few months in Singapore, having seen the passbooks and the banking services here, gave me the belief that Consumer banking in India was leagues ahead.

Although the difference in the levels of penetration of ATMs in the two countries is of the magnitude of the leagues between the Australian and Indian cricket teams ;), I got the feeling that Indian banks were far more fleet-footed in innovating on the gamut of services they provide.

India outpaces Singapore as far as accessibility of credit cards/loans etc. are concerned. And this in spite of the fact that credit risks in India are Goliath sized compared to the Lion city's levels.

But then, my biggest leveler came last week when I discovered the automatic passbook updating machine at Orchard!! Now, whether this is a statement of my utter ignorance of the external world, I ain't sure, but I found that particular piece of technology fascinating. These guys are fast moving to a world of fully automated, teller-less banking. The bank will be reduced to a 2 ft x 6 ft metal frame on a corner of the road!!!

So, till I come across any more differentiators, I'll take the score as 15-15 :).

Oh...just a good-bye note to all ya I-bankers!! Earn & hoard those insane Dollars as quickly as you can. It's not impossible to comprehend that some day some dawdler (relatively speaking) geek sitting somewhere in Redmond or California might just come up with another disruptive innovation obviating the need for the ridiculous human concentration that you guys are donkeyed around for :).

The World & me

I'd much rather be the world to someone
than be someone to the world.

Starbucks - A disappointment for me...

Well, I've had the hallowed opportunity of consuming the ambrosia called Starbucks coffee once I touched the shores of the Lion City.

Turned out to be a big let down for me personally. Tried most major coffees from the Frappe to the Latte to the Cappuccino. Have visited the twin-tailed mermaid about 4/5 times now without any retribution.

I haven't thus far been able to nail the exact reason for this. My lead hypotheses are:

1. The steamed milk they use makes the coffee too bland for my palate. I prefer the classical south-Indian creamed milk coffee boiled on the stove.
2. There's something odd about the sugar at Starbucks. I have to empty half-a-dozen sachets to somehow force my tongue to allow the coffee right-of-way till my epiglottis (that's what the nerds with white overcoats call the throat valve :) ) !!

Starbucks? No, thanx!

I haven't had a coffee experience quite like the Baristas closer to home. The old guitar, the rusty glaze of the tables, the familiar brown of the text, the soft rock melodies humming in the background and an ambience radiating the warmth of many a memorable evening...

It's all about "how" and not "what" you say!

My biggest learning after about a year of working:

Most inter-personal misunderstandings/issues arise out of not what you say, but how you say it.

Obviously, such situations arise in cases of negative feedback or criticizing work/ideas etc. There are very few people have a skill of being able to communicate exactly what they disagree with or what they find bullshit without making it sound a caustic attack on the other person.

It's a good skill to have, me working on it :).

The Sound of Silence

An unusually quiet day. Actually, no longer unusual. Seem to have one of these every couple of weeks.

Total no. of words spoken in the last 24 hours - less than 50!

And it wasn't as if I was a lone warrior in Siberia trakcing down mammoths or something.
During the day, was in a training during our functional meet amidst some 80 odd people. Evening saw the silence brooding along at a friend's place over dinner. Ate, sat, ate more, came back :).

I get that creepy feeling that there's more to this than meets the eye. Which means more mulling over a zillion cause-effect analysis, sorting out the gossamer of a million question threads in my head...
Damn it, stop overworking my already numbed brain!

Where is the steed that was once so lively? Where is the horse that rambled on unfettered by worldly bonds?

I miss the Horsie of yore...

A tale of two city...airports - Manila & Mumbai!!

Returned from the Philippines last evening. The similarities between India and the archipelago are many.

A similar exchange rate to the Dollar, similar population prosperity indices, similar "excellence" of governments, similar consumer behaviours, same unorderliness of life, energy and chaos in the people :). Heck, I was elated to see those junk shops, those roadside foodstalls, the one-window Sari-Sari stores - was so reminiscent of home. Felt nice to be out of the almost mechanized realm of Singapore.

The traffic is much worse though. 1-0 India ;).

Manila airport flew my mind back home to Mumbai airport. And I couldn't help smirking after observing the extent of similarities.
The same long-twining queues, more security staff than travelers, inefficiencies galore, ridiculous rules for personal screening...ah, twas uncanny.

1. I couldn't help being bemused by the super-beefed security. I don't care about being condescending - Philippines is some inconspicuous country in an obscure corner of the world. Nobody would even bat an eyelid if the islands were to disappear. And there's hardly anything there to steal or anyone noteworthy to harm!! So, why all this psychosia for security?
   
   Given that terrorists aren't the next Einsteins around, but I'm sure even they are not as harebrained as to waste their petty lives trying to plot something against the archipelago.
   
   
2. Then came that insanely long queue at immigration. And for no apparent reason other than good-old inefficiency. And, though as pretty as the islands are, there aren't exactly flocks of tourists clamoring in and out of the airport!
   
   
3. It gets better! Next in sequence is the personal security check. Man, I haven't seen a more hypochondriacal race! As you'd normally expect - you are required to empty all pockets, screen all hand baggage. But hereth the clincher - You are to remove shoes, belts, jackets, all sortsa accessories. Basically, just proceed to the X-ray machine in your bare essentials - a shirt and your pants!
   
   It was ridiculous. And they could've most definitely done with some shoe scent there!
   
   I am willing to bet that a few year's down the line, people will be asked to strip to their briefs for screening. (Obviously, you could be hiding two bombs in your underwear ;) ). In the next stage of evolution, we shall all have the immense privilege of feeling like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Manila :).

I was smirking all the way to my aircraft as I was observing these hilarities unfold around me. What a big fuss we humans make of moving across borders! And come to think of it - at the end of the day, it's just a line!

It was a good, fun day :).

Thus spake the Illuminati - The symmetry of our days...

There will be both good days and bad days in life. They are both an integral part of the enigma called "Stayin' alive" ;).

1. The good days give you great memories. Cherish them and smile.
2. The bad days give you experience. Learn from them.

Enjoy life...it was designed precisely for that :).

A Mother is really God on this planet

I have been in the Philippines for most of this week doing consumer research on diapers. It's been a mind opening visit!!

This was the first time I actually visited and saw my consumers. Saw them in flesh and blood and tried to understand what my product really means to them. There's something surreal about a Mom embracing her kid. The smile on the baby's face upon seeing its mother, the smile on the mother's face seeing her baby laugh, speak his baby prattle, do those silly baby things - that's what I'd truly call a Kodak moment :).

My personal learnings are noted here. The business learnings will be compiled in some word document which just won't ever be able to do justice to what a Mom can do for her kid.

1. Only a Mother can make the unconditional sacrifices that she does. I met moms, educated women in their 20s, who had dreams of their own and everything needed to achieve them, who just let them go in a flash to raise their kids.
   
   
2. We, the ones with those fancy looking cars and fat looking figures in the banks, crib about our lives and how difficult it is. It's just surprising how time n again life throws me into these situations where you realise how grateful I should be for what I have.
   I met moms who lived in as abject conditions as you can imagine. Moms who had no guarantee that their husband will earn money the coming week. And yet, she only gave the best to her kid - food, diapers, soap, milk - you name it!!
   For them there was no concept of "I/me" - it was all "You".

I suddenly feel so much respect for my business and brand. In our own small way, we are helping millions of mothers around the world take care of their babies and is something I am really really proud of :).

Even with a million adjectives, I still won't capture that mother-child relationship for what it is. Call it love, belongning, acceptance, safety - whatever...there is nothing quite like a Mother :).

Love ya Mama...And innumerable but insufficient Thank You's.

What would Kalpana Chawla have seen from her space shuttle?

Have you ever wondered what a soul observing our planet from those gaping skies above would see?

Let's make this uncomfortable. We humans, time n again, keep on passing judgements on the various speices around us - dolphins are "intelligent" mammals, leopards are "savages", monkeys are socially advanced....blah blah blah!! We just love assigning these attributes and playing God :).

For once, lets put us under the microscope. What do you think an alien observer's judgement would be? Let's add the most interesting dimensions - time and evolution.

My vote - We are primeval!! Downright "junglee".

My reasons:

1. Have you ever seen a speices which bickers so much with its own members? And that also so incessantly?
   
   Even the most vicious and savagest of animals co-exist in harmony. They establish might once and that's that!! Sharks, cheetahs, raccoons - don't go around eliminating fellow predators. (A poser. Why did the great white kill the hammerhead?).
   
   And humans, we have a tendency to come up with the most ludicrous of reasons to just embed a bullet in someone! "She called me drunk..", "I didn't like him.", "He was wearing a turban."
   
   
2. Right from dogs to crocs, animals mark their territories and then the sole aim of their lives is to just defend this territory - irrespective of whether a threat is real or perceived.
   
   Humans - exact same behaviour!!
   
   Take physical territory. In historical times, the sword decided the proprietery of land. Physical aggression and barbarism were a part n parcel of that life.
   
   Today's world - what has changed? Only the manifestation of aggression. Instead of physical aggression, it is a wielding of power thru a few pieces of paper with heads of various famous men printed on them - economic aggression.
   Breach the tacit economic equilibrium, you are bound to cause an uproar!!
   
   
3. In other animals, members of a group trust each other. There won't be sniding undercurrents and backstabs in the darkness.
   
   Humans - We haven't been able to trust each other since eons. And I don't think we are about to change for all our planet's worth in the next 1000 years.
   
   
4. I think the Creator intentionally didn't program humans to practice two critical virtues - Equality, non-hypocricy. Had he by chance given us these, we might not have had such a vibrant history!!
   We have discriminated among Men and from this discrimination stemmed some of the most abused "isms" of modern history - colonialism, feudalism, communism, slavism (okay, that was a cheap trick, but you get the point :) ).

So, at the end of the day, humanity works on the law of the jungle - might is right. Just that in Africa, the might is of AK47s, in USA it is of "billion and trillion $". From a green jungle, the arena has moved to a black jungle of death or a grey jungle of warfare.

Not saying that all that has happened is bad and that we are the scum of the universe ;). Just that when seen thru a critical eye removing all the frills away, you get an idea of the true rate of progress of the human race. It's nothing that I feel proud of!!

Think about "what can be" or "could have been". Unfortunately, "what is" seems like the other side of the magnet.

And yet, there is still Hope. And that Hope, ironically, is us! Conservationists, peace brokers, economic experts who genuinely led to wealth distribution among their people, reform thinkers have borne the beacon thus far. Hopefully, we'll keep it burning so that our kids won't see the same sight as this.

This Hope is the one thing that preserves this miracle called "Life" on this planet :).

Adios,
Harsh.

Hello Darkness my old friend..I am back with you again!

Well, off late have started kayaking every weekend. It's good fun.

Placid water, nice weather, early morning breeze...Row away, make your own wake!!

I can draw a parallel from my kayaking to my life as well. Unfortunately, the parallel ends at the fact that I am the sailor.

The winds are not as gentle, the current not as placid. The boat not as steady.

1. The first lesson I learnt on the kayak was that however hard you may want to think that you are in control - reality is starkly different. I have broken all my delusions about being in complete control of my life. It's a fundamental realization of apocalyptic proportions - it's broken thru all previously held beliefs, thought processes, action plans...everything.

2. While rowing, you have to be careful when rowing among a group of kayaks - ripples caused by others can easily topple you.

Similarly, been a rough week for me - and I don't know which whirlpool I stirred to cause the swirl. Relations strained at work. Incessant workload pressure, ridiculously long working hours for making presentatios. Stress in general as well on other fronts - Mom's not well, Dad needs me, questions on decisions I made, am about to make - some of the old demons which I had quelled returned.

Repeatedly found myself marooned away - like a lone survivor finding his way to land.

3. On the kayak, you can't keep rowing endlessly. You have to take breaks, else you gonna burn out your arms real fast.

Had made a plan to visit Langkawi this weekend. Had to cancel that for a hoard of reasons. Now am beginning to feel I shouldn't have cancelled the trip.

I need a break...a long one. Want to be cut-off from the world, from those million chores and issues that I need to attend to. Feel like just scurrying off one weekend - no mobile, no internet...nothing!

Just me, my thoughts and some introspection on where the hell I want to take my kayak.

Eating the bread I earn...Quite literally

Ate bread today for all my meals - two toasts for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, two sandwiches for snacks, toast sandwiches for dinner. Hell, I even feel like a bread now...I have all the pores and the soft center (I am a pragmatist you see ;-) ).

Let me narrate the story of my 6 months, and all the bread!!

I can truly claim that I have eaten all the bread I have earned with all my effort and toil for the past 6 months.
What the heck! I have been eating so much bread, even the Subway lady on duty during lunch knows my choice of bread by rote now!! She sees me entering the restaurant, gives me that knowing smile, pulls out the loaf she needs to from her rack, cuts it into half and passes it along the quay to her colleague handling the vegetables.

So here I am, all confident and beaming with pride that I have finally come of age, earning and eating my bread. Surely, as the wisdom of yore reverberated in my head, I'd now find contentedness, true happiness and success in life. So, day after day, month after month, I diligently follow the path that hath been layeth, in anticipation of glory that lay just round the bend.

But hey, 6 months have already gone by in a whiff. And sadly, to my utter disbelief and a reverie-breaking shock, I am beginning to realize that the bread isn't the sweetest and satisfying grub as the age old aphorisms had me believe! All I have to show for it is an horribly upset metabolism rhythm :-).

So, in my agony and depression, the realization dawns on me, like the streak of first morning light, that the "time is now" (Ref: Previous post - The ToI India Poised 2007 campaign). Time for the bread to stay on its rack and for the new age foods to roll out!! Thank you ToI...as you truly self-admittedly and humbly had said - you are the best! :P.

From tomorrow, I say, bring on the Ice-creams and the Pastries and the Maccaronies Babieee...

P.S. - Technically, "now" should have implied today, but unfortunately it's already past dinner, and my next meal is only breakfast tomorrow morning. Hence, the breaking of the shackles of bread shall happeneth from tomorrow. Ain't I a fast learner!!

India Poised - Anthems with a meaning...

ToI is running a 6-week long campaign called "India Poised" on its website and their news channel - Times Now - to mark 2007 as the year of India. The campaign's base theme - The time for India is now.

Yeah right!! Will someone please come forth and explain to this dimwitted soul which year isn't the year of India? When is "now" not the time for India? If you can explain such lofty concepts into my weasly head, I will revere your benevolence all my life!!

The skepticism and "respect" for ToI apart, the website is running a series of notes, called anthems, on India from respectable celebrities like Amithabh Bacchan and Gulzar. It is for these notes that I am putting up this blog entry. Will keep updating it as I download more of these notes from their website.

Note: I make absolutely no claim to any of these anthems. None of them are my work at all. So, ToI, please don't sue me for plagiarism or IP rights infrigement. :-).

This is Amitabh's take on India which he feels is on the verge of breaking all shackles restraining her at the moment and bound away to touch the sky. As Ian Malcolm (of Jurassic Park and The Lost World fame, played by Jeff Goldblum) would call it, "at the edge of chaos."

But, how would you like Amitabh recite this anthem out to you? That'd be a different experience altogether. Human expression paints a completely different hue of even the most mundane notes!! And this is as far from mundane as can be...

You can treat yourself to it here. Amitabh's anthem recitation.

I found the note to be quite meaningful and a subtle reality-check rap on the shoulder for someone like me living away from my homeland.

You can visit the India Poised website at http://www.indiapoised.com.

Till I am back, quietly letting the spirit sink in...

There & back again...

Well, almost two months since my last post. A lot's been going on in my head all this while.

Celebrated a lonely birthday. Was fun actually. The highlight of this birthday had to be the international telecon, 6 of us Infosys friends had. Giddy, terrific idea, though you unknowningly engendered the group which will now ensure that Jigna never experiences peace again :D.

Well, I had to leave for India the immediate morning after my birthday. Due to the elongated telecon, just barely woke up and managed to scramble onto the flight home :). That adventure deserves a separate post by itself!!

3 weeks in India were full of a lot of introspection, clearing of a mind overclouded with doubts, realizing constants in life. Questions still continue to berate me like silent sea waves upon a beleagured rock, just that the lashing is significantly less corrosive now.

Returned to Singapore today morning. And to my shock, almost everything seemed new, almost unfamiliar! Home is truly where the heart is...

And as for today itself - it was a day of surprises.

1. There was a nice layer of soot on my bed, on my furniture, on my clothes awaiting me when I opened my room. A layer of fungus on some of my clothes inside my cupboard added zing to the surprise. The recently begun construction just outside my condo is sure to give me lots of such gifts over the next few months.
2. My boss, who sits in India, arrives into Singapore today. And guess what, he flew the same flight as I. And I had zilch clue...Gulp :).
3. My mailbox saw a deluge of 600 new mails, replete with shabbily written ramble-ons from my agency, scores of attachments and million follow-up requests on a million things from various people.
4. For a change, my To-do list for the month looks half as empty as I have come to expect by now.
5. Saw an email in my box which brought totally unexpected and livening good news way ahead of their time :). Keeping my fingers crossed...(they are all pretty much knotted by now anyways).
   

As for the non-surprises, my lazy flatmate didn't get his copy of the house keys made from my set (which I had left behind with him for precisely this purpose).
Business, as usual, is "fati padi hain" ;).

Well, I am back again...in Singapore, have to ensure that I stay here, in body, mind and soul over the next few months. They are gonna prove critical.

Cheers everyone!