Filter Coffee

It must have been around 6.30 in the evening. I had still not been assigned a cab at my newly joined office so I had to travel on my own - Don't ask me whats the big deal in it - for a person who was comfortably commuting in the company provided transport for 5 years this was surely a nightmare. 

Unfortunately for me, that day I took my car to office and very soon realized that I had committed the biggest mistake of my life as I tried to find my way through the impressively congested and irritating Bangalore peak hour traffic (No...I did not do any car pooling and that is not the discussion here so lets not go there)......Lot of honking...screaming at the annoying pedestrians walking on the road conversing over their cell phone....cursing the Auto guys for recklessly switching lanes and also blaming myself for taking the car out.......By the time I reached home with all this circus and drama, I had almost traveled for 2 hrs....energy was completely sapped....head was about to explode.

Thank god.. that day my mom had reached home before me and I politely demanded for a hot cup of coffee.....the word itself brought a sense of freshness and relief in my mind....I followed my mom to the kitchen......as she heated the water and poured it over the freshly ground coffee powder in the coffee filter the aroma it generated made me forget all that torrid time I had for the past 2 hrs.....my mom has this uncanny knack of always mixing the right quantity of ingredients to anything she prepares which makes things taste a lot lot better.....Now I watched her carefully as she used all her experience in mixing the hot black coffee with fresh milk and sugar. When I took the first sip, I could smell the aroma and simultaneously taste the hot coffee just gliding down my throat....I had just escaped into a wonderful cup of hot filter coffee.

By now you could easily sense that I am addicted to this beverage.......surely......I am so addicted that my day just refuses to kick off if I don not have coffee in the morning or it simply makes me dull and UN-enthusiastic if I miss out on my evening dose.....I drink coffee if I am out of mood....if i have headache, if I am happy, if I am sad, chatting with friends, family or relatives no matter what the occasion is :-) I am addicted to this as some people are to alcohol (now stop making weird faces)...Its a fact...I love coffee and I know my South Indian origin should take the blame for that.....!!!

If you think that I am exaggerating......just drop in to my house........and I am sure your experience will be something similar..!! - Its an Open Challenge

-Sethu-

PS - If you are someone who has aversion to caffeine and if you have not tasted coffee even once in your life (Yes, I know a handful of people).......just ignore this post and the invitation...!!!

Vacation Time

Its been only 2 days since I have joined HP and I am off on a 11 day vacation (can sense a lot of people fuming over this). A much needed break though. I always wanted a break after I left my previous company before I joined HP. But due to some induction issues, I had to join at the earliest which meant that there was no time for respite I had only a weekend to prepare myself mentally to get into the new role.

It was only after I finished my induction that I got to know that it was the company's shut down period and I would be off for 11 days returning only on the New Year. Sounds so cool doesn't it??? Before you reach to any conclusion, let me tell you.....its not that great. It has its own set of terms and conditions. This is not a holiday but a company policy to take mandatory leaves which will eventually be deducted from my entitled annual leave. So when I get back to work in 2013, I will start of with a negative balance of leaves to my credit....which is surely not a great start. (I'm sure a lot of you will now be clapping with a big smile on your face....How sadistic)

11 days is a long time and I would have surely loved to plan something....may be a lazy holiday in some cozy resort in the jungle or a adventurous trek at the western ghats or a refreshing holiday at the coastal region but none of them fit to the size of my pocket as of now. I am in a Financial Crisis* of some sort and cannot fund any of those vacations......sob sob.......Instead, I am staying indoors for the past 4 days cleaning the house, washing utensils, helping my dad in cooking and all such boring uninteresting things (I hate it when my mom is not there at home)

Now since my Mom is back from her small trip and I still have a week's time till I get back to work, I wish some one funds any one of those above mentioned vacations and are willing to consider it as a bad debt :-P.... Can I see someone nodding your head ???? If yes...U are my best friend....I'll give you my account number...!!! Make it fast... I have a lot of planning to do...!!!

Signing off

-Sethu-

*Something similar to a global recession, as my previous company decided not to pay any salary in my notice period (ridiculous company policy) and my new company told me that I have joined them a little too late to pay me the current month's salary.....I will receive everything only on next month...Come on guys...don't you know Time value of money??? Money today is more precious that the same received tomorrow...so forget the rules and pay me :-)

19th December

As I walked through the gate of the Grand Mc Grath hotel, I was getting this wierd feeling of walking into an unknown territory. There were a lot of things that occupied my mind...!! How will it turn out to be??? How would the people react?? Will I be fortunate enough to meet any familiar faces....and a millions of other doubts...felt like my brain was in top gear at full speed.....

After a Four and Half year stint (Now close your mouth - I know its a little too long going by the industry standards) my Journey with Northern Trust came to an end as I finally decided to come out of my comfort zone - much to the relief of my parents and some relatives who somehow thought I was not good enough to get myself a new job

I was walking to my induction at HP (No its not Hush Puppies or Hindustan Petroleum - It is Hewlett Packard for people who don't know) as I was about to begin my journey as a Financial Analyst here - Little scared but excited.

Induction was not that dramatic - Lot of speeches from various departments, Introduction to company's work culture, history and a lot of other such uninterested things that made me feel I was sitting through a class in college which was a mixture of Organizational behavior, taxation and business ethics with some flavors of business communication at intervals....So I was more or less sleeping through the whole session (especially after the wonderful lunch that they served)

I will be going to my work location next week....To a place where people don't know me. I have to build a new reputation all over again...right from my teammates to my managers which is a tough task at hand but I guess with all the experience I have gained in my previous job, I should be able to create a better impression here :-)

Wish me luck as I embark upon a New Journey

Sethu :-) :-)

The Rajyothsava Effect

November 1st - The day when all the kannada speaking regions of South India was unified to be called as Karnataka. It is celebrated in a huge way across the state as 'Kannada Rajyothsava'....It is a Government Holiday......... You get to listen to all the Kannada patriotic songs.....vehicles (mostly Auto Rickshaws) flaunting the Karnataka Flag and also a lot of cultural events with some supposed to be kannada patriotic people giving powerful speeches.....these are common sights on this day if you are a resident of Karnataka..!!

There are other things that you notice as well....People trying to speak only in Kannada on this day, promoting talent in Karnataka, recognizing and remembering all the great people who have excelled in Kannada Literature, book releases and concerts....Impressive....!! But why flaunt you patriotism on this single day??? when there are a lot of things that you can do on a regular basis to bring respect to the language.

Before we talk about the people from other states speaking different languages, let us concentrate on our own people....If you just go out and observe, there are a lot kannadigas who simply refuse to speak in Kannada....If not everyone, at least some feel its below their dignity to speak in their own mother tongue when in public..Isn't it ??? Next come the famous rakshaNa vedike people...they protest to give reservations for kannadigas, they protest to make Kannada compulsory in all the schools, they go and bully the radio stations to play only Kannada songs....But.....If you simply observe the way they speak the language, you feel like banging your head to some big rock.....the quality of the language is stabbed to death..!!

Now let us speak about people from outside.....with due respect to all the other languages, I feel it is necessary for them to learn at least to do the basic conversation in Kannada if not the whole language...but instead what is happening??? You see people residing in Karnataka for decades and still manage by not speaking even a single word in Kannada..!! Recently in my office I saw a girl make a huge hue and cry because the Auto driver spoke only in Kannada which made it difficult for her to converse.....sounds ridiculous doesn't it??? A message to all such people - 'I don mind talking to u in the language that you are comfortable conversing in...but it becomes your responsibility to learn at least the basic conversation in the local language of the place that you reside..!!!

And for all kannadigas...its never below dignity to speak in Kannada....Instead of just putting status on Facebook, bursting crackers, celebrating and encouraging the language for a single day in a year, just try to consistently uphold the dignity the language has carried for a long time now..!!!

ಕನ್ನಡವೇ ಸತ್ಯ........ಕನ್ನಡವೇ ನಿತ್ಯ :-)

-Sethu-

Life..!!! Its Awesomeness and Emptiness :-)

All these days, felt like I had hit a dead end en-route my thoughts on writing a blog post..!!! I must have started with some 10 topics and lost my way in the middle each and every time...I still have all those saved in my drafts......just hoping that I will be able to pull out some sane thoughts from my confused mind and give them a life..!!!

Now let me give this one a try :-)

How many of us would have felt that Life is just awesome and fantastic at one point of time...?? Many times....right?? Now how many of us would have felt that it is completely insane, mad and meaning less??? more or less similar number of times.......!! (I see a lot of people nodding :-P)
Some wise people have quoted it correctly..."Life is a fantastic leveler" -  at one point in time it makes you feel that you are on top of the world somewhere on cloud nine enjoying.....suddenly you see yourself crash landing on the ground screwing your ass up in a very bad way..!!

Just read this small story depicting the above words... (Now please don blame me for starting the story in an old stereotypical way, the whole feeling of narrating a story is lost otherwise :-P)

Long ago some where in the middle of some country in the heart of some city there lived a small boy with a normal intelligence level and leading a normal life as all the other boys of his age....like every one else, he wanted to steal the limelight amongst all his counterparts...be it in sports, studies, co curricular..what ever it is
and as the life moved on, the competition grew and with that his dreams.

After certain years, during the time of his 10th board exams, the peer pressure and the parent pressure got the better of him and as a result he did not get good grades. Now for a boy who wanted to be in the limelight right from a very early age, this was a jolt...he saw a lot of his friends with better grades move to better colleges for better courses and he found himself in an average college doing an average course. His self confidence took a hit, he could not get into terms with all these and had a very torrid time in proving himself to others.

As time passed by, he got used to the situation and started to feel comfortable with his lifestyle...but his desire to be popular amongst his peers was still very strong and this time he was a little more wiser....He did not allow any pressure to get to him, scored some good grades, graduated out of the college and got into a very good institution for his post graduation and later got into a good company.......At this situation, he felt life was so beautiful and just..

His professional life was perfect with some very good feed backs and very good opportunities and a decent status in the society with a fairy comfortable lifestyle......One fine day, while having a discussion with his manager, he spoke about his career aspirations and future plans and unfortunately for him, his aspiration, did not fit in the manager's future plans for the team and was ignored for all the possible opportunities that came up. All of a sudden, he saw his life take a downward trend......his subordinates went ahead of him, he could not find a job in the career line he wanted to even after a lot of attempts, some of his family members thought he was ruining his career by staying in the same place and he started feeling that life was running in slow motion and he had made a big blunder in discussing his career with his manager...!!!

He found it difficult to handle the situation....He did not have an opportunity in the current team, he was not getting any offers outside and almost went into a state of depression........But.......It had to get better somewhere, suddenly one day while having a chat with one of his old friends, he heard about a job with a reputed company which was more in line with what he wanted to do in his career, and fortunately for him, this time he was successful in getting an offer there.....he gleefully accepted this opportunity and moved on to the new role and surprisingly for him, things started to fall in place again.........In the end, he learnt that  Life has its own way of leveling things and you just have to give it some time :-)

The ending seems to be a little abrupt to me and the whole things looks a little directionless...but beg your pardon, this was the best way I could do it...I'm really bad at narrating stories :-P

What ever is the case, I guess I have conveyed the message that I had to.....

'Life is awesome, but it always comes with its own share of emptiness...Isn't it ???



-Sethu-

I should have listened to my Dad...!!!!

When we were in our teens, there would have been a lot of people who would have given us advise on various things in life, most of it being with respect to our career..."Do this..Do that....it has a better scope....it will do wonders for your career"..so on and so forth....needless to say most of these come from our parents......we like it or not (which most of the times we don't) it keeps on coming and we have no option but to listen to all of them.....let alone following it for the time being

So why do you think I am telling all these??? Just read on for one such example in my life which has left a deep impression on me...a deep regret that I am not able to reverse......and I can stick my neck out a little bit and say most of you might relate this to similar incidents in your lives too..

Just after I finished my school, as all my friends did, I wanted to take up science too......but my dad had different things in his mind. He wanted me to take up commerce as I had not got very good grades............. especially in Science and Maths (which was unfortunately true).Though I secretly revolted the move, I had no option but to buy my dad's words to take up commerce....I had this revolt in my mind right through out my PUC...but since I had not good grades in my previous board exams and since I had a faced a little criticism from some stupid relatives of mine, I was determined to put up a better show this time around.....with some efforts I got a decent grade in my II PUC...and by the time I finished PUC I took a a liking towards this stream and started to enjoy it....but I still had this revolt in my mind that my dad did not let me pursue what I wanted to.

Now comes the biggest turning point of my career. I joined degree and when I was in my first year, my dad gave me another shock and asked me to do Chartered Accountancy (CA). He also got me enrolled to the foundation course (which was those days the gateway for the course).....This disappointed me to the core and with that earlier revolt in my mind still active, I decided to go against my dad's will....I faced him and told him that I did not want to do CA and wanted to do an MBA (I'm still not sure what made me take up the course). Fortunately my dad agreed.... I gave the entrance....courtesy a good rank, I got into a decent Institution...my 2yrs MBA went on smoothly as any other college life and god's grace, I got an offer from a reputed company wit a decent pay...I was thrilled.....parents were happy too...

While all these things happened, subconsciously I still liked commerce.....The talks of Profit and Loss account and Balance sheets were making me feel more comfortable than strategic and project managements. 2 yrs into my career, I started feeling that I was in a wrong stream altogether......I wanted to get into audit/accounting which I was more comfortable with and which I thought would be my long term career stream and rightly so. From then...till now I am putting all kinds of efforts to get into that profile but unfortunately for me...I did not have the required qualification nor prior relevant experience to get in!!

Now guess what was that qualification that I needed to get into Audit/Accounting???? It was Chartered Accountancy....a course that I had blindly and foolishly rejected and ignored a few years back..the course that my dad wanted me to do....the course that if pursued had put me into a very good position in my career.

I have been trying to do different things to gain entry into this field..I am doing my CWA (which is considered to be an equivalent to CA but with limited scope)....I am trying to do some certifications too but none of them is proving to be as good as the Chartered Accountancy course...

26 yrs under my ass....4 yrs into my job.....I cannot do CA now because of the time frame of the course and also because of some financial commitments......trying desperately to finish my CWA...struggling with work and studies together.......lost some very good opportunities in my current profile because of all these career talks that I had with my manager......I somehow get a feeling that I have totally messed it up.

Every night before I go to sleep....I keep thinking "If only I had listened to my dad".....but its all too late I guess....and I have this strong feeling that this regret is here to stay....and I have to live with it for the rest of my life!!!

Signing off

Sethu :-)

Is it so late already????

"Wedding".....these days it is a word that gives me shivers and chills that run down till my my spine....The magnitude of attention it grabs in the life of a youngster is incredible....the whole world around you seem to be interested only in your wedding and it would be as if they are working as a team - something like a  rapid action force with a tight deadline to get you married as soon as possible......!!!

Off late I have been in the eye of one such storm...everyone I meet has only one topic...."My wedding" and trust me..the topic itself is a pain in the wrong place..!! You are in such a fix that you never know what to answer and you foolishly smile to brush aside the topic ending up looking a bit stupid

Now a days I keep wondering what is the right age for a guy to get married...I know it is a debatable topic and it depends on a lot of external factors too but what made me think about it is....till 6 months back, per some people I was too young to get married but now all of a sudden after 6 months the same set of people seem to be in such a hurry for my wedding as if my 'sell by date' is about to near.....which seems a tad bit too strange to me....

For records..just as an FYI..I am still 26...surely not yet settled in life..still testing waters in my career and desperately trying to get my footing right with a lot of dreams and a definite goal in mind. Won't marriage mean added responsibility??......can't my wedding wait till I am ready for that responsibility...can't it wait till I get to a good position in my career...or

Is it so late already that I have no other option but to bow my head to this big responsibility...????

Only time will tell....


Sethu :-)

'Then' & 'Now'

Today while having dinner, I had a very interesting conversation (for a change) regarding today's education system (in school I mean) with one of my cousins who is a school teacher.. and what I heard hit me like a ton of bricks..The alarming way in which the basic education has changed over the past decade...unfortunately not on the positive side

So while having the conversation, I was just trying to compare my school life I grew up with with that of the present one....What all has changed from 'then' to 'now'..

First thing that comes to my mind is the numerous amount of beatings that I took from my teachers in school....Not doing the homework correctly, not behaving well in class or getting less marks I used to get caned left right and center by my teacher...and the best part was my parents chose not to interfere...what ever happens in school never seemed to bother my parents because they knew that I was under the able guidance of a teacher....

            Today if a teacher canes a student for some mischief done, the whole fraternity turns against the poor teacher...the parents make a big issue out of it and create an ugly scene (as if they do not have any other work to do), the school management unfortunately takes action on the teachers to an extent where a teacher is asked to resign the job...and since a student knows all this he/she is hardly afraid of the teacher and never seem to give heed to their valuable advise....Is this not hindering a teacher's ability to guide a student in a right way??

The next thing I heard almost gave me a heart attack..the examination system that is currently in place. It is a government rule that no student should be failed in any of the exams until 9th Standard...that means no matter what happens..even if the student submits an empty answer sheet in the exam, it is the teacher's headache to ensure that the particular student does not fail

            I still remember where I used to be so terrified of failing in a class test (forget exams)...I used to literally shiver thinking about the consequences/punishment I would face from my teachers and this particular system instilled the fear of examinations in me...since I knew what failure was and what were the consequences I ensured that I always put my best foot forward to ensure that I prepare well in the exams so that I would at least pass. Unfortunately today, a students don't know what failing is or what it fees like, they least prepared to face it and when it eventually happens they don't know what to do...as a result - the number of increased suicide cases among the students today.

So what are the consequences of the current system in place...??weak-hearted students, highly unprofessional / unethical without a value based education and lack of respect towards wiser people....I'm not telling that everyone are like this but I am afraid that the majority of them fall under this category which is not a good sign!!! 

Looking at all this I feel...we were the lucky ones to get the type of education that we did....all the beatings and scoldings that we got..all those punishments which made us feel guilty of the mistakes we did.....in short it prepared us to face life....and I am proud of it :-) Aren't U ???

Sethu :-)

"Oh my Friend! " :-)

Oh my Friend.......When I stepped out of the house first time to go to school, you were the first person I met apart from my family. Got into a solid relationship. Little did I know that I would be experiencing the purest form of relationship ever possible :-)

Oh my Friend.......Be it winning a small competition, getting the first offer letter, the first promotion, successfully proposing a girl, a big achievement in my career.....any joy for that matter, you are the one with whom I have raised a toast in celebration every single time :-)

Oh my Friend........yes, we had difference of opinions, we fought over trivial matters and we also stopped talking for a brief while. But I never tried analyzing whose mistake it was. All that occupied my mind was how to compromise and how to start talking again and I know that was what even you were thinking about :-)

Oh my Friend........As a person it becomes difficult to share some deepest feelings or emotions with anyone....sometimes not even parents or spouse and if there is one such thing which I have to share with any one person in this world, without a second thought it would be you :-)

Oh my Friend..........You were never a stranger to me. Your house was never far to me, I always had a second home where I could barge into the kitchen any time of the day to grab drink or two from the refrigerator, ask your mom to prepare something nice to eat, have a place to spend the night if it was too late to go home. Could I have dared to do all these in anyone else s house?? (they would have killed me) :-)

Oh my Friend...........We have different goals, we have different career lines we may not meet and chat very frequently but when it happens no matter how long the gap is, I am sure we would be able to have a fantastic conversation and a hearty laugh as if we meet up and chat everyday and trust me this can happen only with a friend :-)

Oh my Friend..........Would never have enjoyed my journey of life this much without you....
A standing ovation for a wonderful never-ending partnership :-)

Dedicated to "A Friend"

-Sethu-

A Long Wait :-)

The Valentine's week.......A week where Love is in the air, in people's hearts, in people's mind...the feeling is just so gripping that you cannot escape from it...right from an Ad in the TV to a show in the radio, its Love everywhere.....Dedicating my post to this wonderful week :-)

I can simply go on and on with Love...the feelings...the romance..the magic...as, I always say..."There is something to love stories that always impresses me"......BUT.....on a personal front, love is something that has never happened in my life......the gifts, the long conversations, the care, the possessiveness, the tenderness,the compromises and the sacrifices are those that have never been a part of my routine......those things that I have thrived to have all my life......Every time, I have either been unfortunate not to recognize that special someone or.... unlucky to have recognized a bit too late to express my Love...

There are specific moments everyday which makes me feel that there is something which is missing from my life....the time where I am in the cab back home..when I see everyone in my cab busy talking to their special someone's........while listening to a romantic song on a lovely evening.....at a specific moment in the night after lying down and before falling asleep......at the time where I do not actually know with whom to share the feeling of a bad and stressful day at work...

are the moments which momentarily reminds me that I am actually handicapped...

But......on 14th February every year when I see those lovely greeting cards....the beautiful red roses.....the desperation in a friend's eyes in planning a perfect dinner date.....or giving my piece of thought in purchasing a romantic gift is when I feel......"One opportunity and I will show how beautiful can a relationship be"

Yes, as some wise people say.....never await love...you will always be deprived of it....Just leave it alone and it comes to you at the least expected time.....

But for me that extra wait to find that special someone.......or that surprise element in not knowing when love strikes is truly a fantastic feeling in itself and a feeling that has to be experienced......just that in my case I am so experienced that the magical feeling is lost altogether...

Still waiting.....and positively thinking that God is busy in scripting the best ever love story for me... :-)

as I end......wishing all the sweet couples a very happy Valentine's week :-)

Signing off.....

PS: 14th Feb is my Parents' wedding day too......"Appa Amma - Many Happy returns of the day in advance"

Sethu :-)