Hang in there

This was one of the first ever 'cheer up' messages that I received by email. Back in the days when internet was new and having an email account was considered cool. I still have a printout, though its now turned yellow with time, the message and what it meant to me then, still stays fresh in my mind.
For those who're going through a really tough patch... I know there is a limit to being tested but we've come this far, we'll get through it. Hang in there!

High by Lighthouse Family. This is one song that I love listening to when I'm feeling low and it always make me smile. Sometimes it takes a couple of times of listening, but in the end it does the trick :)

This morning

I know that when ever I write a post about work, I am cribbing. Maybe I should write more about the good times as well (yeah, there actually are such things in life).
Anyway today is an important day. The whole year's events boil down to this one day. I have not been involved in this task before, so its exciting and the same time a bit scary, as this carries with it a lot of responsibility. Lets see at the end of the day where we stand. Off I go!

Meetings

Update meeting with team, meeting to update manager on the team meeting, update meeting involving more managers to keep them up to date on previously mentioned meetings.

Just one word for it - Efficient! :)

Too much

Too much happening... Don't know how many times I've said this in the past couple of weeks/months. The intensity of things going on, just seems to remain constant - if not reaching peaks. Chugging along, another milestone crossed with a great sigh of relief. The countdown to year-end thus continues.

Was looking for Charminar from the movie Morning Raaga. Though a short piece, the depth of the melody takes me to a different state everytime I listen to it.
At some point of time, in a totally different life, there was a need for a tune to wake up to... something that would help me begin the day in the right spirit and this was the tune of my choice. LOTS of memories associated with this tune.
Anway, searching by the title, I discovered this other song by X-Japan. Pretty good stuff :)



05/30/09 - Finally, an online version of the tune. Such a short piece, but such intensity!
Music --> Morning Raga --> Charminar

Gloomy Grays

In the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's there a conversation which goes something like this:
"You know those days when you get the mean reds?"
"The mean reds, you mean like the blues? "
"No. The blues are because you're getting fat and maybe it's been raining too long, you're just sad that's all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?"

Feels like the mean reds a lot these days or maybe I should call it gloomy grays. Nothing to be afraid of, just a lot of depressing happenings and testing times.
Too much going on, no light... actually not even the proverbial tunnel is in sight. Maybe I'm just too lost to actually notice things. You're in the hope that everything will end - sooner or later.

A break is what I need; Wait is what I will do. In the mean time will try and drive away the gloomy grays with some hard hitting beats.

BBC World - Visionaries

Was watching the show Visionaries on BBC World. This is a 7 part series comparing, debating about and voting for the greatest classical music composers.

~ Bach vs. Handel
~ Beethoven vs. Mozart
~ Chopin vs. Verdi
~ Shostakovich vs. Takemitsu
~ Glass vs. Boulez
Unfortunately I caught only the last show and that too the last part where Glass won over Boulez. More details about the show are available on the blogs on the website.

This is Metamorphosis by Glass. I love the way the tune changes at 2:21.


Credit Suisse is the sponsor of this show. I've never seen any of the ads for CS before, so was very impressed with their "Thinking new perspectives" tag line.

Some think competition. We think partnership.

Some think two generations. We think succession planning.

Some think bank with tradition. We think more than 150 years of innovation.

Perspective... hmmm! :)

Conscience

Would you go against your conscience?

How about if:
1) You were under pressure
2) A part of your future depended on it
3) Both of the above

Shantaram

Shantaram is the story of Gregory David Roberts, an armed robber and heroin addict, who escaped from Australian prison and came to India. He lived in the Bombay slums, learned Hindi and Marathi, started a free clinic for the slum-dwellers, joined the mafia, procured drugs for foreigners tourists, spent time in Indian prison and fell in love - amongst the others things he did.
It is said that Roberts had to write Shantaram three times because prison guards thrashed the first two versions.

The author's style of writing, is very descriptive - you can actually visualize the sights, smell the scents and feel the change in mood and facial expressions of the characters. Another thing that I like about the book is lines/statements that make you stop and think. Here are a few such lines from what I have jotted down thus far:

• The past reflects eternally between two mirrors - the bright mirror of words and deeds, and the dark one, full of things we didn't do or say.
• Sometimes in love, your heart starts to feel like an over-crowded lifeboat. You throw your pride out to keep it afloat, and your self-respect and your independence. After a while you start throwing people out - your friends, everyone you used to know. And its still not enough. The life-boat is still sinking, and you know its going to take you down with it.
• The future is like anything else that's important. It has to be earned. If we don't earn it, we don't deserve it, we have to live in the present, more or less for ever. Or worse, we have to live in the past.
• If you could be happy, really happy for a while, but you knew from the start that it would end in sadness, and bring pain afterwards, would you choose to have that happiness or would you avoid it?
• If you have to ask the question, then you don't have the right to the answer.
• Often, you have to surrender, before you win.
• There is another kind of river, the one that runs through every one of us, no matter where we come from, all over the world. It's the river of the heart, and the heart's desire. It's the pure, essential truth of what each one of us is, and can achieve - that is our true nature.
• If fate doesn't make you laugh, then you just don't get the joke.

Don't be put off by the size of the book. Once you start reading, you will just not feel like putting it down, until you're down with the 900 odd pages.

The Movie: With Mira Nair's direction, Johnny Depp playing the lead and the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Irfan Khan slated for the cast, the movie would be an interesting one to wait and watch.

YFS - The introduction, the induction

Continuing with the previous post...

Reached the venue with a few minutes to spare. There were about 60-70 people already waiting in the reception area. No one was too clear what the others were waiting for. "Teach India?" at the entrance, replied by a nod from who ever heard the question, led to the new joiners walking in a forming their own huddle. Just then someone walked up to me with a big bright Hello. It was a guy from the tech team that we worked with. Its always a good thing to sight a familiar face amongst a crowd of aliens :)
The crowd started walking up the stairs nearby and we followed them, chatting about how how and why we each found time to get involved in these activities, how we were in career paths that were so different than what we initially wanted and what more we wanted to do in life.
Software Engineers are just over-rated. In Bangalore, throw a stone, it'll either hit a dog or a software engineer. Hm... that comes from a highly motivated techie who is appearing for CAT this Nov and is currently interested in acturial valuation :)

The volunteers from YFS gave an hour long presentation about their activities. I had read about most part of this on their website and so, thought the time could've been used in a better way. The interesting part came later on with the Q&A session.
What is it that we were required to do? Were we to act as substitute teachers or was this going to be similar to tuition?
Teach India is not just about Teaching, but is about Educating. The targeted children were already attending schools. They needed more than just teachers. They needed a mentor, a coach, a guide, a counsellor. That was the role we were required to play. Help the children out with their studies, counsel them on problems they faced, identify their talents and mentor them to become better individuals. Teaching would have been easy... but shaping someone's life - that is a one big responsibility.

At the end of the presentation, we were each handed out forms to fill in - our qualifications, spoken languages, chosen language of interaction, activities that we were interested in/good at, which we were willing to teach. Collating this information, the group will get back to the volunteers in November with details of where, when and what's to be done.

Walked out of the session, having made a few new friends - a home maker from Kerala who'd recently moved and was new to Bangalore, an engineering student who had time to spare and was willing to help and another home maker who was already involved in various social activities and loved to teach.

Now to wait for more!
Forget about teaching, this is going to be one hell of a learning experience :)

Finally :)

Teach India
After many weeks of waiting after the "Thank you for registering. As we have received an overwhelming response for volunteers for weekend projects, we will get back to you shortly" (Or something to that effect) I received an email today confirming the NGO details.
Youth For Seva
Meeting with the NGO co-ordinator for the induction programme and finalization of teaching schedule happens this Sunday. Am so looking forward to this :)

Something different

Some new finds of the "oh so soothing" kind

Secret Love - Buddha Bar


Remembering the light - Kevin Kern


An improvisation on the canon - Robin Spielberg


Childhood Remembered - Kevin Kern


Romance

A Good Year

What is it about some movies that make you want to watch them over and over again? Is it the story? the actors? or is it just a state of mind?
Got back late after a really bad day. A day which began bad, half way through it nose-dived further, more complications around 4pm. Yeah it was one of those fun days.
Finally it ended well, so should I say 'All's well that ends well?' nah... not yet the end of the day.
Was so frustrated after I got back home, needed something to calm my mind. Then what happened was A Good Year.

I picked up the DVD for Russell Crowe, but this movie is nothing like Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind or Cinderella Man. This is a movie, where you can just lose yourself - get lost in the beautiful landscapes of Provence, splurge in the luxuries of a French chateau, admire the beautiful people and enjoy the haunting music. A feel good movie that's very beautifully made. I notice I've used the word 'beautiful' so many times in the previous sentences... that is just the word that describes this movie.

An investment banker from London - shrewd thus successful. All that he can think about is money. When he hears about his uncle's death and that he consequently has inherited an estate along with its a vineyard - he's all set to sell it and make quick bucks. Going to Provence, a place he has not visited since summer breaks in his childhood days, staying at his uncle's house, interactions with the care-taker and his wife, an unexpected visit from an American girl who claims to be his uncle's daughter - a possible heir, his attraction to the lovely French cafe owner... will all this change his way of life?
More pictures of Provence from Flickr here
This song from the movie is the one playing in a loop currently. Moi Lolita by Alizee

One more movie added to the list "The Holiday"

Hans Zimmer with yet another amazing soundtrack. I love the part from 01:05 on...

What makes you happy?

Music. I would like to spend more time concentrating on music, because it gives me so much happiness.

Travel is another item on my list. Travel where? Oh I have a lot of places in mind.
'No time' is no excuse. I realise this after years of experience of having no time to do things that I enjoy.
Will things change? I know not, but I would like them to.
So this would mean I have to change - Yes I'm willing to.
Will I change my mind soon - Maybe, but only to find something more to do :)

Life's too short to be taken seriously. I've told myself this over and over again. This I guess is something I need to be constantly reminded of. Dream... and go live your dream!

Inspired by Sharon and Pooh's thoughts :)

50 movies to see before you die

UTV World Movies brings 50 movies hand-picked by the who's-who of the Indian movie industry.

This series kicked off last night with The Great Dictator - chosen by Mahesh Bhat.

Charlie Chaplin plays double role, one as a barber and the other as Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator. The thoughts and details gone into making this 1940 movie is something to be appreciated. For instance the symbol similar to that of the Nazis, Hynkel's way of uttering gibberish - compared to Hitler's style of speaking, Hynkel showing off his army and troops, wanting to become the dictator of the world, the names chosen for Hynkel's aides - all show the level detail.

The names of the aides of Adenoid Hynkel are parodies of those of Hitler's. Garbitsch (pronounced "garbage"), the right hand man of Hynkel, is a parody of Joseph Goebbels, and Field Marshal Herring was modeled after the Luftwaffe chief, Hermann Goering. The "Dig-a-ditchy" of Bacteria, Benzino Napaloni, was modeled after Italy's Il Duce, Benito Mussolini. (Source Wiki)

Though comical for most part, the movie brings out the plight of Jews during the Nazi reign.

The parts that I best liked in the movie are:

~ The scene where the barber gives a customer a shave with Brahms playing in the background

~ Hynkel dancing with the baloon in the shape of the globe

~ The touching speech the barber (mistaken to be Hynkel) gives the nation. this I understand was a personal plea from Chaplin to stop the attrocities. (source Wiki)

I agree with Mahesh Bhat when he says "You can't leave this planet without seeing Charlie Chaplin in the Great Dictator" :)

Next week its going to be 13 Tzameti - chosen by Anurag Kashyap (of Black Friday fame) . Will have to wait and watch

aaaaagh!!!!

Why why why ?!?

Hilary Hahn

Let her music speak for itself


Mozart Violin Sonata - A beautiful blend of violin and piano
Der Erlkonig - It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being (Source Wiki)

a book, a movie

The book
Haven't read too many books by Indian authors, but picked this one up because of the title, the cover design, and the synopsis that goes something like this:

What do you do when you are a 25-year-old Yale graduate earning half a million dollars a year as a hotshot investment banker on Wall Street? You stay the course, and become a millionaire by thirty, of course. Not if you are Samrat Ratan, born in the USA to immigrant Indian parents; you quit and embark to India on a search for your roots instead.

The author's writing style is very entertaining - there are quite a few paragraphs, reading which I literally burst out laughing . Like the one where he describes his number crunching work at the investment back. In all a good read!

PS: 'Grass' in the title has no connection whatsoever with green/lawn etc but has to do only with dope :)

The Movie

Very crisp storyline, realistic character portrayal, good looking men & women (for once), no unnecessary emotions/drama
Remember Luke Kenny from Channel V? He's in the movie, speaking fluent hindi :) I used to like his playlist on TV (i.e. in those days when I used to watch endless amounts of music television)
Another notable point - most of the songs are sung by Farhan Akhtar himself. So you wont hear a different voice depending on the situation of the movie - Romance - Sonu Nigam, Betrayal - Hariharan, Fun - Udit Narayan et al.
For most part of the movie, you will be able to relate to it... except maybe for the 5star home or a sea-facing office-room view (at least not yet) :)
Rock On!

Genius

This one's equally hilarious :D

What a way to begin a weekend

Aug 13
I had completely forgotten that I had to catch the evening train on Thursday. 9:30 had become the standard time of leaving work. When 2 members in the team are on leave, one is brand new and you are actually short of one head-count, who clocks the hours spent in office - 'work must go on' was the mantra - 'but at what cost?', was a question yet to be answered.

Aug 14
The day before Independence day - did it even matter what day it was, as long as it was a holiday leading to long weekend... pathetic as this may sound - no it did not. All that mattered was the much awaited long weekend, a trip with no plans, no guarantee if everyone would turn up - it was one of those few occasions when you just want to get away, no matter where.
'6 sharp I will be leaving, if you need anything let me know by afternoon' I'd told everyone, giving a half hour buffer, knowing the routine.
6:30 I left office. There have been only a couple of occasions when I have left office at such an odd hour, 'odd' because I'm not used to seeing seeing light in the sky on my way back home

Rain - oh pouring rain, dcould you not choose another day?
What normally takes 45 minutes, took more than 2hours that evening. Blocked roads, standstill traffic. Constant calls from home asking till where I'd reached.
Finally reached home at 8:30. I was meant to leave to the station at 8:30. I took 15minutes flat to have dinner, pack and leave on yet another tortuous drive.
The train was to arrive at 9:50 and leave at 10:05. Should take me about an hour to reach, I thought, I hoped and prayed that I'd make it on time.
That particular day, the city saw one of the worst traffic jams - buses, cars, bikes, auto rickshaws all stranded in the rain, moving inch by inch. About a kilometer before the station, people got off their vehicles and started walking in the rain - hoping to get to their trains ontime. I was not going to venture out in the rain. If I make it on time, I'll go - if not, I'll go back home and make up for all the lost sleep, I decided.
10PM I reached the station and as luck would have it, the train was to arrive on platform 4. Rushed through the crowds, up the stairs, down the stairs... to a platform - but wait... no train?? Even the train was delayed. Such a relief. 15minutes later, the train finally arrived. I went the assigned compartment and there's someone sleeping in my berth. Excuse me, this is my berth - I showed him my ticket. Wiping the sleep off his eyes, he stared at me for a moment, pulled of a crumpled ticket from his shirt pocket. It had Seat 12 untidily scrawled on the printed ticket. Off I went in search of the TTE. I showed him my ticket and he told me to wait in my compartment.
Once the TTE came there, I gave him my ticket. He ruffled through the sheets of passenger listings and told me he could not find my name. What? I asked him - how could that be? He had no clue why my name was missing. This is my confirmed ticket, I have paid for this journey, I need a berth - I told him. He asked me to go to the next compartment, as there were a few empty seats and asked me to wait for him there.
Thanks to the traffic jam, a good number of people had missed the train and I thus found some empty seats. Not too sure why I stopped at seat 9 and decided, that's where I wanted to sit.

Tired by the day's events, I longed to lie down and go to sleep, hell no - I had to sit and wait for that slimy TTE who wouldn't give me the berth that I was entitled to.
Half an hour later he arrived, looked at me and said - Are you taking this berth?
Yes 9 - is that OK?
OK - I will give confirm it you - he said and walked away.
What was that all about? I did not even want to think about it. Just had to ensure that my friends had made it to their respective trains/buses, or the weekend would suck.

That was when I came to know that A had got stuck in traffic and had missed his bus. He was trying his level best to try and get another bus ticket.
Booking train/bus tickets has become so crazy these days, with majority IT population working in a city away from home, tickets get booked months in advance.
Without A being there, turning up at S's home would be a bit awkward - that's yet to be seen, I can't get off the train now - I thought and tried to sleep.
No wailing babies, no snoring adults, yet no sleep. When I don't get enough sleep, it pisses me off completely. Those are times when I should have a "Beware" stuck to my forehead :)

Aug 15
Finally reached at around 6:30. Waited for my friend and drove back to his place. A - had indeed got into a later bus and would be here in a couple of hours. I decided to use those couple of hours to catch up on some sleep.
This is how the long weekend began, full of action and drama but then it turned out to be a very nice, relaxing, fun-filled time. Good food, god sleep, lovely weather, good music, good company, great drive a friend's native village - in all a great time!
2... no 2.5 days of bliss and then back to the concrete jungle, back to the world of confusion (as one of my friends calls it)

Teach India

After Lead India, Teach India is the next initiative of TOI.

2hours a week is all it takes. You even have an option of volunteering over the weekend.

Register, Choose your city/area and start on a mision to spread education.

Laptop

"My Mother's Laptop" to be precise, believe it or not is the name of a Malayalam movie.
Over the weekend, I happened to listen/watch one of the songs from the movie.
May Maasame been sung so beautifully. Though I understand just about 3 words in the entire song, the tune is so soothingly addictive.

Animation rocks

Just got back from Kung Fu Panda.
Expect the unexpected from the person you least expect :D
Total entertainment!


Outside the cinema hall, I saw the poster of Roadside Romeo, another animation. Was in for a total surprise when I saw the preview. This is a Yash Raj + Walt Disney production looks really promising.


Saving the best for last... Madagascar - Escape to Africa. Though this preview was for less than 2 mins, it had everyone in splits all through.
Just can't wait to watch this movie :D

Attention! this is your captain speaking. I've got good news and bad news.
The good news is - We'll be landing immediately
The bad news is - We'll be crash landing :D

When its time...

Off late, I've become a regular at www.livemint.com. Apart from usual news relating to business, the economy, market conditions etc. I find the career section by Jack and Suzy Welch to be very interesting.
Here's a recent article about Knowing when its time to leave your present place of work

Questions you need to ask yourself:

~ Do you look forward to going to work every morning?
Does the thought of going to work make you feel good or do your dread it every morning?

~ Do you enjoy spending time with your co-workers?
Considering the fact that you spend close to 12 hours with these people, this becomes a very relevant question. Co-workers can either motivate you or can get your frustrated to the core.

~ Does your company fulfill your personal mission?
Question rephrased as - Do you get to do things that challenge/excite you?

~ Can you picture yourself at your company in a year's time?
Where do you see yourself? Who reports to you? What are your responsibilities and are you happy with that?

Currently, my score on almost all of the above questions happens to be negative :(

Message from God

To:YOU
Date:TODAY
From:GOD
Subject:YOURSELF
Reference:LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.


Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.


Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!


Now, you have a nice day.
God.

Salzburg festival 2008

In the land of Mozart, every year during the months of July-August, there takes place the festival of music and drama.

These are images from the Salzburg Festival Official site:

The director of the Salzburg festival says that they have to plan 2, 3 sometimes 4 years in advance, so that they can have all the artists perform at the festival.
With such a perfect location and the best artists in the world... the festival must be an 'out of this world' experience!

Here's an interesting video link from the Credit Suisse newsletter.

Yanni voices

Just went to Yanni's official page and was shocked beyond belief at his new look. For a moment, I had to stare hard at the photo to confirm it actually was him.
"The human voice is the most expressive instrument known to man... it can evoke an enormous amount of emotion"

This is his new venture, taking his music to the next level with human voices and the featured voices are:
Chloe
Nathan Pacheco
Leslie Mills
Ender Thomas

What voices!!

crazy week - crazy me

You know how it is, when life goes completely berserk, things that you least expect are thrown up your path. Duck and avoid as best as you can - you may be lucky, you may not.
Those are the times when the slightest things/gestures/words make a world of difference.
In case you have no clue what I'm talking about, good for you :)

I'm currently reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. This book recommended by one of my NY colleagues and I'm so glad she did. Just a few chapters into the book and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I cannot point out if it is the simplicity, the reality, the thought process or the word play that makes it such a joy to read. So typing out this post real quickly, so that I can get back to the book :)

Has has it ever happened to you - that you are in a negative mood - be it feeling low, depressed, frustrated, angry... whatever, then all of a sudden - something makes you feel just the opposite? It could be anything, in this case I'm talking about a hello tune on a friend's phone :) which currently is 'naan paadum' from the movie Duet. The first time that I heard his tune I asked him to cut the call and not to pick it up until I told him to. Just listening to the tune was so refreshing and happy. Through the week, whenever I felt I needed a break from my mundane thoughts, I'd call him up just to listen to the tune. This, I think is one of ARR's best albums. the combination of the saxophone and the keyboard is amazing. The way Kadri's sax pieces take you on an emotional ride depending on the situation in the movie is just mind blowing.

Ok so we've done book, music/movie and now to television ads. Watched this one a couple of times today and really liked it. I don't understand why Aamir is doing an SRK i.e. appearing in so many ads, but still this one's worth it.

Be born everyday:


Ending this post with a snippet from the book:
This is the part where the writer wants to learn Italian but is trying justify if its going to be of any use, learning a language just because you like it. In the end she says:
"Why must everything always have a practical application? I've been a diligent soldier for years - working, producing, never missing a dead-line, taking care of my credit record, voting, etc. Is this lifetime supposed to be only about duty?"

(I know someone would intervene to say - no its not, that's what I've been telling you all along...)

That's something to chew on ...
Happy weekend!

To blog or not to blog

That is definitely not the question.

Why I blog or what my blogs are about, that is the question.
I don't know about others, but for me, my blogs are my space - my space to think out loud, to put across points, to tell the world how I feel, to vent my frustrations, to cry out in joy, to whisper in sadness. Its my space - where I can express my feelings, my point of view, things that I strongly feel about - be it people, events, organisations, activities, music, movies, books or just plain nothing at all.
This is the place where I've made innumerable friends, learned from people (learned what to do and also what not to). It has taught me things I didn't know about myself. I can always come back to my blog and relive moments from the past (even if reliving means reading about) :)

This is my space. I hope I am able to keep it this way.

Tune for the day: Back together

What's with this attitude?

Aren't doctors meant to be life-savers? Aren't they regarded equal to God?

Background - Amma regularly goes to a school for the mentally retarded, to spend time with the children, keep them occupied with various activities including singing. There's this one kid who is 5 years old, who had a problem walking. She needed special shoes which she'd outgrown and amma wanted to help out. However, upon speaking to the kid's parents and looking at her reports (which were 4 years old), it was realised that it was the lower part of her body that had been affected at the time of birth and not her brain functionality. Since she was slow in learning, her parents being poor didn't get her checked up with any doctor, and got her admitted in this school.
Amma got P (my brother's friend) and R (amma's student) to try and help out this kid.
R is studying medicine, so just looking at the medical reports, she explained that it was the lower limbs that were affected, not the brain. In such cases special exercises would help strengthen the limbs and thus help her walk.
P took on the task of calling up a Neuro Surgeon, to confirm that the kid was not mentally ill and that she could be shifted to a regular school.
She explained to the doctor - this is a poor kid and we are trying to help the family. Would you please be able to take a look at the report and confirm that she is mentally fit.
The reaction of the doctor was this - I know how all you NGOs work. But tell me, when whole of Bangalore does not have water, what difference does it make to fix the problem only in your area?
Is this reaction acceptable? I was so furious when I heard this.

So today, the reports were taken to another doctor. Explaining that all that he was required to do was advise on what needs to be done and if the kid can be put in a regular school.
The reaction this time - oh.. well.. she should been treated early on
Yes, we know that. Nothing was done then, would exercises help now and what about putting her in a regular school, can that be done?
Oh - I don't know, for that you'll have to check her IQ
OK - do you know where that can be done? do you think an organisation like Mobility India would be able to help?
uh... ho... hum... may be
The end!

Here are people who are trying to help, trying in their own small way to make a difference and if this is the response...
My question: Would the reaction of the doctors be the same, if it were their own child?

Song for the day: Khuda jaane from Bachna ae haseenon.
Don't know why, but I really like the chorus... so the song's been playing in a loop.
and yes I like the Ahista Ahista song too for the guitar and the peppy rhythm/pace.

The Godse version

Why they killed Gandhi...

At the beginning

Sad version:
Is the music slowly dying away?
I know I've got my priorities wrong,
but am I turning into someone I abhor?
I've got to make some amendments
Time to get back to the beginning...

Happy version:
Donna Lewis and Richard Marx singing one of my all time fav songs

Chorus:
And life is a road that I wanna keep going
Love is a river, I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road, now and forever,
wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you

mood, music, madness

Quote displayed on my blog the other day read "Music is what feelings sound like". Its so true, how we can relate to an album/a song depending on our mood.

The album that comes to my mind is "How to Name It" by Illayaraja. Arun had sent me a couple of songs long time back and R had given me the album. The way the first song begins... made me a fan of the maestro (until then, to me - Rahman was the only Indian composer).
To compose music like this way back in the 80s, is something!

Mad Mod Mood Fugue, the second song in the album is my song. The way the tune beautifully weaves ups, downs, pain, excitement and many more moods is what I can totally relate to.

Was cleaning the room yesterday when I found this CD. Played this song and could easily identify which part of the tune depicted my current state of mind :)
So, which is the song that you can relate to right now?


Now for something totally unrelated. I usually don't believe in emotional blackmail. If anyone tries that with me, I ask them to take a hike. Don't know what came over me... but I used one line a couple of days back. It was just a single line... didn't mean to hurt anyone, just wanted to make a point and make the point - I definitely did. The outcome is much more than expected... now I think its time for me to again say 'Take a hike' :D
Some things never change!

Elevator Pitch

Imagine you are in the office elevator. A person from top management also gets in. You can either say hi and keep quiet or you could initiate a conversation. This could be your opportunity to sell yourself and make a lasting impression in that person's mind. This could turn out to be a stepping stone in your career path... but remember you have just about a minute or so to do that.
So... what is your Elevator Pitch?

This was the session I attended yesterday, which was really well thought out and executed. A whole lot of fun and a great learning experience. The session started out with a role play of what an elevator pitch should not be and then moved on to what a good elevator pitch is.
By the end of the session, each of the participants had written out their pitches and delivered it (though it still needs a lot of tailoring and alteration, at least this is a good start).
So, what is the purpose of an elevator pitch:
You may be good at what you do, but do other people (who have a stake in your career) know about it. This would be the good tool.

What should your elevator pitch be about:
It could either be about you as an individual or about your team/department.
Just like the news has a few headlines, have a couple of highlights about yourself/team/department always on the top of your mind. This should briefly state what you do and how it impacts the firm at a high level.
A pitch could also include present constraints/issues faced which that senior person may be able to help out with. Senior people are always willing to give their opinion/advice - so asking them for one would be a good idea - which may in turn be the point that helps them remember you/identify you with.
So, 3-4 highlights is what is required.

Points to keep in mind while preparing your pitch:
~ Your vision :
What do you see yourself doing, where do you want to reach, what do you want to achieve - keep this in mind

~ Unearth your brand:
What do people know about you. Is that the impression you want them to have? What change do you want in that - state it.

~ Evaluate:
Your vision would change with time and so should your pitch. The change in pitch could also depend on your audience. So evaluate your pitch and make it as relevant as possible.

Other points:
~ Write out your pitch, perfect it.
~ Be natural. Don't make up stuff, hoping to impress. A pitch shouldn't sound artificial which would create a negative impact.
~ In case that person is pre-occupied or not in the right mood, don't force yourself upon them. Go with the flow.
~ Practice practice practice. You never know when you might need it.

Some related links from the net:
5 tips
Killer elevator pitch
Some other tips

dumbass!!!

One of my close friend's getting engaged soon. He'd told me that he would send me the girl's pic but hadn't done so yet, so mailed him:

Subject : photo enga (where is the photo)
Message: I know its not the right time to call u... photo anuppu machi! (send the photo dude!)

Promptly comes the reply: Here you go!
I click on view image and the photo starts downloading. Must be a huge file I think to myself. First I see hillocks and then its trees at a distance.... wait - it almost looks like the Grand Canyon.
*Oh wow - this is not the traditional pic that I would expect a girl to share with her husband to be * I think to myself... I would have expected it to be a typical studio shot. Appears like its a pic taken from a forgein trip, she must have gone there for some project, I say to myself.

The picture is still loading and I see a guy in a white tee and jeans.
*Must be her friend/colleague* I say to myself and wait for the image to fully load
When it does, I'm shocked because there is no one else in the pic
*You must be kidding me*

*oh no wait... did I send the mail to the right guy??*

Its then that I realize that one extra 'h' in the name can create a whole lot of confusion
The best part is that its not the first time that I've mailed this guy thinking him to be my friend
That's why his name popped up when I started typing in the name and also why the reply was so prompt :D

I then reply to his mail saying - I'm so sorry... I keep doing this over and over again don't I !
"No problem" is all that he has to say.

I just cannot stop laughing. Feel like such a dumbass :)

Jazz for a change

I'm not too much of a jazz person. Was watching The Talented Mr. Ripley yesterday (a great movie by the way) when I heard this song. Matt Damon's done a good job performing this song in the movie, but nothing can beat Frank Sinatra's voice :)


My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favourite work of art

Is your figure less than greek
Is your mouth a little weak
When you open it to speak
Are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me
Not if you care for me
Stay little valentine stay
Each day is valentines day

Who will you meet on the other side?

@ People in NY - have you checked this out yet?Teletroscope - the concept
The blog

On another note - thanks to Techbangalore I got to know about PicLens which is an new tool for viewing photos on the web. One click download and you enter into an amazing world of photography. Its a whole new experience.

The last couple of weeks

"Blame not laziness for the lack of (blog) updates, blame instead time - or rather the lack of it"
Who ever said this, must be really wise :)
The last few weeks have been like a marathon race. Day after day, with no count of hours - not too sure where it is all heading. 'It' in this case, being life.
So here's 'what was' and 'what is'... from the last few weeks:

Kenny G concert:
Two musicians whom I consider Gods of music - Yanni and Kenny G. I would do (almost) anything see them perform live.
When I heard that Kenny G was performing in Bangalore, my first reaction was woo-hoo! Only then did I see that the tickets were priced at 2K and 3K. It was really hard to convince any my friends to join me, considering the ticket price and also that the concert was on a Monday evening. After not too much thinking, I decided that I was going no matter what, just had to find some company. As a last resort I had to force my brother to come along... I even had to buy him a ticket :)
Venue - UB City: For those of you who are not too familiar with the Bangalore skyline (If I can call it that) UB city is an office/shopping space which has one of its buildings shaped like the Empire State building. Google should be able to provide some images.
Sponsor - Blackdog - I didn't know until recently that this was a brand of whiskey. Everyone at the concert was offered complimentary drinks. Whiskey with Mango juice/Apple juice were weird combos I thought. But when its free, it just doesn't matter... now does it?
The music - The concert started with Kenny playing while he walked amongst the crowds. In Mumbai, I heard he walked right from the last row up to the stage, but the Bangalore venue was not equipped for this sort of free movement. The play list for the evening included many of the popular songs Havana, This moment, Songbird to name a few. He also played a few pieces from his new album Rhythm & Romance, an album with a Latino flavor, he said
Kenny also gave a demo on how he plays really long notes. The technique he explained was to inhale and exhale simultaneously. That of course would take a lot of practice. He demonstarted this by placing the mike near his nose, where we could hear him take in short breaths while he continuously blew into his sax.
Its was a lovely evening, enchanting music, amazing lighting and acoustic effects... totally worth it!

ACT to make a difference - Ashwini Charitable Trust

"Story time for children" was the project that I signed up for as a part of community work this year. Me being me, love any activity that involves children. Only after initial visit to the trust, did we realize that the 'children' here were between age groups 4 and 19. We broke up the children into 4 groups based on their age and planned out age-specific activities. Another group had already organised fun and cultural activities for these kids, so we thought we'd make it a day of learning. The topics ranged from stories/songs, environmental awareness, greatness of India... to resume writing/career counseling for the elder kids.

One of the charts that I prepared

I have interacted with children from various other trusts, but these children were a just a class apart. They were outgoing, not shy, good in English and their confidence factor was the highlight.
The Ashwini Charitable Trust takes care of not only the monetary requirements of the kids but also provides the guidance required for the overall development of the kids until they get employed.
The kids at the trust are first generation literates, with mothers work as house maids and their fathers are unskilled laborers. There were two or three girls who were doing their B.Com from St Joseph's College. The way the children are molded by the trust, they do not find it very difficult to mingle with other children and the best part is that one of these girls has consistently topped her class in college :)

Collage on pollution

Drawing competition

It was a great learning experience, spending the day with the children. Once a year doesn't make too much sense. Already on my life's to-do list... let's see what more can be done.

Surprise visitor:
Stranger from a distant planet,
Mars - so it may seem
No time to meet during the day,
T'was not a part of the scheme
Zoom over for coffee,
vrooom and call it a walk
Glad, we got a chance to meet,
Though not enough time to talk :)

The evening weather:
The weather in the evenings has been fantastic over the last couple of days. After the scorching heat during the day, the evening showers considerably bring down the temperature.
Considering the fact that one is locked up indoors the entire day, going out and enjoying the lovely evening breeze by way of a short walk (or a longer one, if time permits) or just some time spent on the terrace listening to music - I understand, can do wonders :)

On the work front:
No comments except for @$%#&

Let me use a quote that I read recently and liked a lot, to end this post.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own, you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go"

so... time to start thinking and deciding now. Happy Weekend!

Time to get out those walking shoes

A light look at a Big problem!

Break the Rules

Another late night at the office. Hoping for a smooth drive back home without much traffic? Surprise Surprise! Who would think of a possible of a traffic jam at a non-peak hour?
Traffic jams are here to stay 24 X 7. Weekend mornings are not so bad you may say, but weekend evenings do make up any shortfall whatsoever.

The Bangalore Traffic Scene:
~ Traffic Signals - GREEN is all I see
I've noticed that a Traffic signal + Policeman combination works in most cases but a traffic signal alone has no value.
When at a road junction you stop for the Red signal don't be shocked by the blaring honks of vehicles behind you, some motorists even go to the extent of abusing you for their delay. If educated folks with their dog tags (I mean company ID cards) don't realise the significance of traffic signals, who will?

~ Road Blocks - Who cares?
Place barriers at specific points in order avoid traffic jams and sure enough by the next morning, the barriers would have moved such that vehicles can trickle through. There again is it going to be Barriers + Policeman combination to the rescue? Why do motorists insist on following rules only when there is someone to monitor and control them? Is it really that difficult?

If it were just a matter of being delayed to work or getting back home we would be fine. What is scary is, when an ambulance is stuck in a traffic jam. This is something I see almost every other day. There is no place for anyone to move, the ambulance siren is wailing desperately. Think about the person who needs to reach the hospital on time. A delay here would cost the person their life. This may be 'some'one today and this could (God forbid) be 'you' tomorrow.

A little discipline would go a long way in sorting out these traffic woes.
What we need to do is THINK - REALISE & CHANGE

Mad world

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kinda funny
I find it kinda sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world ... mad world
Enlarging your world
Mad world

This is such a sad song.... yet so lovely, keep wanting to listen to it over and over again. What a voice! - Gary Jules
The song features in the movie Donnie Darko - which I have heard so much about but am yet to watch.
Other movies on my 'to watch' list are:
~ Into the Wild
~ Thank you for smoking
~ High and Low
~ Red Beard

Watched:
~ Babel - Sad, Scary, hard hitting. [Do not watch when you are feeling low/depressed]
~ Before Sunset - very sweet! may be I should've watched Before Sunrise first... anyway! :)
~ The Prestige - Brilliant is not the word for it. a must watch and definitely more than once!

any interesting movies that I'm missing out on? Do let me know