It's about time we give a damn
Enough of all the publicized shams,
This indifference will take us down,
We are losing the battle for freedom's crown.
We quickly "used to" and abandon all hope,
Never fully realizing the might of our scope
Most of the times we leave our actions hanging,
Just like...
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
15 things I learnt in a year
Well, as most of you know, I completed 1 year of work on 15th April, so I thought for all those like me, let me give you all some pearls of wisdom.
There are certian things that one must follow in order to survive the "Corporate Life." Most of us unconsciously follow it anyway but here goes:
1. ALWAYS save more than half of your earnings, it is these savings that will later help you to go to Goa!
2. ALWAYS have a good working relationship with your boss, after all the boss will approve all your holidays
3. NEVER contribute ideas in a discussion where the people talking are senior to you, it only gets the work delegated to you.
4. When in doubt, escalate (escalate= bring to the attention of your boss, its better to look stupid, than to screw up)
5. When in trouble, delegate.
6. When asked about your opinion on the matter, always contribute one, if you don't talk then, you won't get to talk EVER.
7. Always mark a Carbon Copy of official mails to team members, that way when the boss throws a surprise question / asks for a report, you can always have back up in the team member's mails.
8. When having lunch with colleagues, wait till everyone finishes, don't get up in a hurry, because the most interesting conversations (read bitching) happen just before everyone has to start work post lunch.
9. NEVER say "Yes" to impress anyone.
10. Always be sure of your skills, if you don't know Powerpoint, say it.
11. Learn Excel & you will Excel.
12. ALWAYS be ready for extra responsibilities, it will only add to your resume.
13. If you cannot do something, ask for help, it will only give you a chance to learn.
14. Admitting your mistake is only one step, ask about how you can make it better.
15. NEVER discuss work in the loo, there are a lot of seemingly good, but in reality shitty ideas there. Plus that's the only time a person has to himself, let it be peaceful.
In the past one year I have stuck by these rules. Yes, they might not work for all but they definitely made work life easier for me.
Let me know if they work for you!
There are certian things that one must follow in order to survive the "Corporate Life." Most of us unconsciously follow it anyway but here goes:
1. ALWAYS save more than half of your earnings, it is these savings that will later help you to go to Goa!
2. ALWAYS have a good working relationship with your boss, after all the boss will approve all your holidays
3. NEVER contribute ideas in a discussion where the people talking are senior to you, it only gets the work delegated to you.
4. When in doubt, escalate (escalate= bring to the attention of your boss, its better to look stupid, than to screw up)
5. When in trouble, delegate.
6. When asked about your opinion on the matter, always contribute one, if you don't talk then, you won't get to talk EVER.
7. Always mark a Carbon Copy of official mails to team members, that way when the boss throws a surprise question / asks for a report, you can always have back up in the team member's mails.
8. When having lunch with colleagues, wait till everyone finishes, don't get up in a hurry, because the most interesting conversations (read bitching) happen just before everyone has to start work post lunch.
9. NEVER say "Yes" to impress anyone.
10. Always be sure of your skills, if you don't know Powerpoint, say it.
11. Learn Excel & you will Excel.
12. ALWAYS be ready for extra responsibilities, it will only add to your resume.
13. If you cannot do something, ask for help, it will only give you a chance to learn.
14. Admitting your mistake is only one step, ask about how you can make it better.
15. NEVER discuss work in the loo, there are a lot of seemingly good, but in reality shitty ideas there. Plus that's the only time a person has to himself, let it be peaceful.
In the past one year I have stuck by these rules. Yes, they might not work for all but they definitely made work life easier for me.
Let me know if they work for you!
Monday, January 17, 2011
:)
Another year has come and gone
But I still don't feel old,
A lot of things just passed me by,
Watching newer things unfold.
Its hard to believe time's fluid motion,
Does it really flow that fast?
One second you are caught in a moment,
And the next, its all in the past!
Thanks for all the wishes guys,
It really means a lot,
If I dont have all your love,
What else have I got?
Friends like you guys are here to stay,
Its so nice being loved anyway :)
But I still don't feel old,
A lot of things just passed me by,
Watching newer things unfold.
Its hard to believe time's fluid motion,
Does it really flow that fast?
One second you are caught in a moment,
And the next, its all in the past!
Thanks for all the wishes guys,
It really means a lot,
If I dont have all your love,
What else have I got?
Friends like you guys are here to stay,
Its so nice being loved anyway :)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Twenty Six Eleven
Its been a while since I penned / blogged about something that changed me as a person.
It happened 2 years ago when a know-it-all son of a gun (literally) massacred a lot of helpless people at VT. And it changed the mindscape of Mumbai forever.
Our XIC class decided to do something about it. Led on by a free minded prof, we gathered at Gateway and started to circle the area around the Taj. The idea was to chant a line in unison and create a monument of sound to fill the cracks that were caused. We began to chant softly at first then rising in tempo and volume, "Aatank se hum kabhi nahi darenge, nafrat ka saamna pyaar se karenge."
Soon people started asking us which party we belonged to, and which organization we were from and what was the purpose of all this. Surely enough there were many like us who decided to come to Gateway that day in the memory of a murdered Mumbai. But we continued to do our chanting.
That day something happened, while we were standing holding hands of the many random people who helped us to form a circle of trust. The person next to me started to chant with such belief and gusto that I could not help but wonder how a small line had changed him. The grip with which he gripped my hand had just made me a believer.
Here is a dedication to all my XIC classmates for making me believe that change is only possible if you believe in it!
It happened 2 years ago when a know-it-all son of a gun (literally) massacred a lot of helpless people at VT. And it changed the mindscape of Mumbai forever.
Our XIC class decided to do something about it. Led on by a free minded prof, we gathered at Gateway and started to circle the area around the Taj. The idea was to chant a line in unison and create a monument of sound to fill the cracks that were caused. We began to chant softly at first then rising in tempo and volume, "Aatank se hum kabhi nahi darenge, nafrat ka saamna pyaar se karenge."
Soon people started asking us which party we belonged to, and which organization we were from and what was the purpose of all this. Surely enough there were many like us who decided to come to Gateway that day in the memory of a murdered Mumbai. But we continued to do our chanting.
That day something happened, while we were standing holding hands of the many random people who helped us to form a circle of trust. The person next to me started to chant with such belief and gusto that I could not help but wonder how a small line had changed him. The grip with which he gripped my hand had just made me a believer.
Here is a dedication to all my XIC classmates for making me believe that change is only possible if you believe in it!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Mix-and-Mash!
Everytime that I look at my profile,
All the Farmville requests seem so vile,
The notifications are long,
Helping to move right along.
Isn't that the way,
Everybody's got some spam to clear away!
I know nobody knows,
Where do Wall archives go,
I know its everybody's sin,
Limited profile views for your kin...
Half my life's in Facebook pages,
Lived and learned from photos and status messages,
You know its true...
All the spam, comes back to you!
Post with me, post some messages,
Post for the laughter, post some cheer,
Post with me just for today,
Maybe tomorrow everyone will block you away!
Dream on, dream on,
Its gonna be a while till the spams gone!
Dream on, dream on,
Its gonna be a while till the spams gone!
- Based by Aerosmith's "Dream On", Inspired by "The Social Network" and a tribute to all my "likes!"
All the Farmville requests seem so vile,
The notifications are long,
Helping to move right along.
Isn't that the way,
Everybody's got some spam to clear away!
I know nobody knows,
Where do Wall archives go,
I know its everybody's sin,
Limited profile views for your kin...
Half my life's in Facebook pages,
Lived and learned from photos and status messages,
You know its true...
All the spam, comes back to you!
Post with me, post some messages,
Post for the laughter, post some cheer,
Post with me just for today,
Maybe tomorrow everyone will block you away!
Dream on, dream on,
Its gonna be a while till the spams gone!
Dream on, dream on,
Its gonna be a while till the spams gone!
- Based by Aerosmith's "Dream On", Inspired by "The Social Network" and a tribute to all my "likes!"
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
New Scrubs
Lately I have been watching Scrubs, and I must tell you some stuff there really that gets me. In this one episode, in one of the first few seasons, there is an old lady who tells the protagonist JD to just go to a park and lie down on the grass. That part really set me thinking. I began to wonder when was the last time I did something like that? And then I thought that the time I was tackled and fell down in my building's garden didnt count.
Lately, I haven't had any time for myself. Let's repharse that and say that I haven't taken time out for myself. Hardly it seems that there is a moment that I am not doing anything. Weekdays are anyway full of things and so are some weekends. So even my leisurely Saturdays are spent catching up on sleep. When I started working, I had decided that I am not going to be one of those guys who just immerses himself in work and doesn't have time for anyone, but lately I am becoming one of those guys. All that talk about how I won't let my work mess up my (supposedly) vibrant social life is making its way to the scrapyard.
So come Diwali I made myself a resolution, that I will really take some time out for me and reflect on life. So far no progress, but I have a feeling that this year is going to be good. I remember a particular strip of Calvin and Hobbes, where they are arguing and in the last panel they show Hobbes all curled up on a patch of grass, with a big smile as he sleeps in the sun. And Calvin says,"How can you argue with someone who is that happy?" That is what I hope to get this year. All that other hogwash about success, fame and what not is secondary to this feeling.
Look, I know I have issues, some of you may know what I am talking about. But I realised that these are merely like stains on a pair of scrubs, change it and you are good as new! So thats what I am going to do, put on a fresh new pair and get ready to face the world. Coz till I don't that patch of grass under the sun keeps getting farther and farther.
Lately, I haven't had any time for myself. Let's repharse that and say that I haven't taken time out for myself. Hardly it seems that there is a moment that I am not doing anything. Weekdays are anyway full of things and so are some weekends. So even my leisurely Saturdays are spent catching up on sleep. When I started working, I had decided that I am not going to be one of those guys who just immerses himself in work and doesn't have time for anyone, but lately I am becoming one of those guys. All that talk about how I won't let my work mess up my (supposedly) vibrant social life is making its way to the scrapyard.
So come Diwali I made myself a resolution, that I will really take some time out for me and reflect on life. So far no progress, but I have a feeling that this year is going to be good. I remember a particular strip of Calvin and Hobbes, where they are arguing and in the last panel they show Hobbes all curled up on a patch of grass, with a big smile as he sleeps in the sun. And Calvin says,"How can you argue with someone who is that happy?" That is what I hope to get this year. All that other hogwash about success, fame and what not is secondary to this feeling.
Look, I know I have issues, some of you may know what I am talking about. But I realised that these are merely like stains on a pair of scrubs, change it and you are good as new! So thats what I am going to do, put on a fresh new pair and get ready to face the world. Coz till I don't that patch of grass under the sun keeps getting farther and farther.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Lyricism
Music is one thing in my life that I value dearly. I realised early on that there is LOT of music that we never discover because we listen to only a certain type of music. So I try and keep an open mind about music and listen to every genre. I don't think many of you know but I have learnt Tabla for 4 years, from my 7th to my 10th. It is horrible that I haven't found time to restart my classes. But I am going to. That is going to happen.
So I owe my liking for Classical music to my guru. I don't really understand the nuances of the music but I like listening to it. As a friend of mine had once said, "Listening to Classical is like coming home." It gives me an inexplicable peace. On another level, when I hear the great maestros sing their heart out, I feel so small and insignificant in comparison to their voice. Like a little soul looking at an endless canvas. The way it fills up the entire room "like a serenade of sound" is just amazing to see. It makes me want to immerse myself in it. I feel the sound going through me and making me complete one sur at a time.
Lately I have been attending concerts organised by the Indian Music Group. Damn those guys are doing a phenomenal job. See the IMG for those who dont know, is a student run organization, originally started by the stalwart Late Ustad Allah Rakha and it is continuing on its musical journey. Every month they have a concert by an artist and I love going there. This way I get to interact with the Greats from close quarters. It is a wonderful experience and you just know you are at the right place once the concert starts. On a completely different level, the IMG gives me a reason to continue listening to Classical and to keep visiting college. The last 5 years that I volunteered for Janfest, IMG's Annual Musical Extravaganza, have been some the best so far. I have so many happy memories of it and I keep telling my friends about all the little Artist Management stories.
I fondly remember this one time I walked into the IMG and the then librarian Frank, played Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's Abhangs, I wont forget that ever. We shared that, our liking for Bhimsenji.
So, what I love the most about music is the lyrics, there is such lucid simplicity in them that it is merely impossible to not be amazed with the clarity of thought.
Pair that with impeccable mastery over surs and taans and that when you realize how small you are.
So I owe my liking for Classical music to my guru. I don't really understand the nuances of the music but I like listening to it. As a friend of mine had once said, "Listening to Classical is like coming home." It gives me an inexplicable peace. On another level, when I hear the great maestros sing their heart out, I feel so small and insignificant in comparison to their voice. Like a little soul looking at an endless canvas. The way it fills up the entire room "like a serenade of sound" is just amazing to see. It makes me want to immerse myself in it. I feel the sound going through me and making me complete one sur at a time.
Lately I have been attending concerts organised by the Indian Music Group. Damn those guys are doing a phenomenal job. See the IMG for those who dont know, is a student run organization, originally started by the stalwart Late Ustad Allah Rakha and it is continuing on its musical journey. Every month they have a concert by an artist and I love going there. This way I get to interact with the Greats from close quarters. It is a wonderful experience and you just know you are at the right place once the concert starts. On a completely different level, the IMG gives me a reason to continue listening to Classical and to keep visiting college. The last 5 years that I volunteered for Janfest, IMG's Annual Musical Extravaganza, have been some the best so far. I have so many happy memories of it and I keep telling my friends about all the little Artist Management stories.
I fondly remember this one time I walked into the IMG and the then librarian Frank, played Pt. Bhimsen Joshi's Abhangs, I wont forget that ever. We shared that, our liking for Bhimsenji.
So, what I love the most about music is the lyrics, there is such lucid simplicity in them that it is merely impossible to not be amazed with the clarity of thought.
Pair that with impeccable mastery over surs and taans and that when you realize how small you are.
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