To Dream (or not to)?

People said follow your dream, follow your passion. If your dream starts earning for you there is no one in the world who can stop you! Few other people said, life is different from a dream. What if you are not able to make it big? what if you fall back in the race?....studies, job and security is what that gives you insurance for it! My mind loudly heard the latter and, the heart that always was beating towards the former, took a back seat..to an extent where it became a mere whisper and eventually went mute!

So now...you get up, run for work, slog your ass out, come back and sleep and repeat. That small 10 min window between you go to bed and fall asleep is when you ask the question to yourself - Was this the life I wanted? and I literally feel that my heart, with a wicked smirk  saying.....You should have listened to me!

And I reply ....Yes!!...maybe I should have!! 

Come on! Just one more!!

Every morning when I wake up, I shout out loudly to the positive side of my brain....."Stop it...today will be a day that you will not fall prey to temptations, today will be the day you will free yourself from the vortex of urges that keep pulling you back into it, look at the innocent face of your daughter, the effort that you are putting to give her a wonderful life and the present of a bright future, Look at all the amazing things that you have been dreaming of. You stop it today and you are a million steps closer to achieve all of these".

But at the same time, the other side of my brain, the one that is the devil, the darker side of it shouts out to me and says..."Come on...just one more will not do any harm" and I fall prey to it every single time and end the day thinking "I should have probably not listened to it" and that one more has probably turned into hundreds of them!

The damage is done....Such a pity!! 

"Keep the note short"....he always said!

As I was sitting at leisure on a Sunday afternoon, I was blog hopping reading most of the blogs that I follow. Must tell you...It is a favorite pass time of mine...One you get to see how differently people pen their thoughts and try to take a piece of their mind to inculcate in the way that you think and the other obviously is how brilliantly you can kill time.

So while I was going through a few of the posts, I was amazed to see that my attention span towards a post was hardly about 2 to 3 mins and if I found a post that was longer than that, my mind would wander off. Now that is how it is for me. Different people have different levels of attention span and when I re-read a few of my posts, I was appalled to see how long they were and making me wonder if I will really be able to grab the attention of the reader for so long. 

As my mentor always used to say....If you cannot convey what you want to communicate to a person within 2 mins, most of the times you would have lost that person's attention span. Be it an email, a letter or a simple verbal conversation. Both personally and professionally.

So next time, if you happen to read some of my posts and you think that I have lost you. Please comment and let me know :P

Trying to be back in business!!

Forget creativity....a simple thought process in my mind seems to have gone on a long never ending vacation. I was generally not a person who used to search for words to write. But off late, I feel words are abandoning me....whether while speaking or while writing. Should I blame the long gap after which I am trying to pen down something? Is it my non creative mundane job? Or have I just lost it trying to steady the ship of my life? Or is it everything together? Nevertheless today, as I sit in peace at a nice plush apartment in the sunshine state without anyone to bother, I decided I should end this drought! Please welcome me back (Shouting out to no one in particular :P)

PS: Sunshine state = Florida, USA (Just flaunting the fact that I am abroad...bear with it :P)

Ond Plate Idly Vade!! ........ Sambar dip maaDi!!

Me - Saar one plate idly vaDe koDi
Waiter - sambar dip maaDbeka?

Now the answer to this question determines if your experience is "swarga" or "not so swarga!!"

There would be very few better ways to break your fast early in the morning than a couple of super soft idlys right from the steamer and a crispy vaDe topped with a piping hot sambar and when you finish it with a fresh strong filter coffee (a separate topic in itself) "abbhha swargakke moore geNu!!"

#Janatha #SLV #ShanthiSagar #allotherbangaloredarshinis

Numero Uno it is!!!

365 days ago, when the rituals were about to end, I had a fair sense of anxiety in my mind....that nervousness which gives you a weird feeling in the stomach - call it butterflies, rats, honeybees or anything under the sky but yes..I was afraid....I had to dance in front of a big crowd and I knew that when it comes to dance, I have two left legs :P and being the center of attraction on that day, I was sure that I would be pulled up to shake my leg. So with no way to escape, somehow I gathered courage and said to myself...."Dude!! If not now...its never" and that is it...I just danced my way to glory that night before the day of my wedding as I grandly made way for a wonderful young woman into my family :) 

As all the pomp and glory of that evening was settling and everyone were busy preparing for the big day, I just sat in a corner and visualized my wedded life. Romantic dinners, movies, late night walks, cooking for her, visiting In-laws place, fixing doctor's appointment, being a chauffeur when needed, small fights, misunderstandings, ego clashes...the list just went on and on. I was so excited and equally nervous wondering if I was ready for all these changes. 

As I type this today, its been one year of togetherness and when I look back, all that I visualized was just a drop in the ocean. She has just changed my life to an unimaginable extent and all for good. For a person who was not at all sensitive and responsible, she has actually made me a lot civilized and a much better person than I was ever before. 

Dear!! I might not have said a lot things to you till date.....but on this day, as WE turn a year older, I would like to say that you have been the fresh breath of life standing beside me as a pillar of support and strength at all the stages and for all that you have done for me,  only thing I can say is that I love you a lot....and your smile, comfort and happiness would always be the sole purpose of my life!!

An year is a long time but it has just zapped through at the blink of an eye and thanks to you for all the happiness and love you have brought into our house

With lots of Love

Ram!!

She arrives!!! Just in time :)

I still remember the chain of events crystal clear in my thoughts. A day in May where summer was at its evening and the first rays of monsoon was peeping through the increasing formation of clouds, my life took a 360 degree turn........for good :)

It was Sunday the next day and I had to attend a close friend's wedding. I was busy making plans with my friends about the occasion when the big boss (read 'Dad') summoned me. Apparently I was supposed to accompany them to meet an alliance that they had found in some random matrimonial bureau. Though initially felt a little bad to miss the friend's event, these alliance and matches had become a routine in my life for the past couple of years. So i cursed all the things and beings that my eyes could locate and decided to attend my yet another 'animal in the zoo' session.

Come Sunday Morning, I just pulled out some decent looking formals, put them on and as I left the house I just thought it would be just another match under the roof and was not even close to thinking positively on this one. As I reached their house, I was completely taken aback by the number of people who were waiting out to receive me. Though I was shitting bricks seeing so many people, for a moment I felt I was a celebrity....like a local MLA attending some ribbon cutting event. 

I gathered myself from the shock and walked inside...and as expected I was made to sit in a strategic position where I was visible to every single person....I got a feeling of a strange creature in Zoo being stared at by a quite a big gathering.

So the big moment arrives as she walks out of the room....a cream dress, short hair, neatly groomed and strangely very calm. A fashion designer by profession and I could clearly see her profession reflecting in the way that she had presented herself. My heart just smiled from the corner of its lips giving me a shade of positive feeling about this girl.

So what next?? no clues for guessing......yes, we were sent to some room in a big big house to speak for a little while. As we sat, I was relieved being away from a big gathering. She started to talk...within a few moments I knew there was something special to this girl.....An awesome combination of confident, crisp speaking, matured and and a level headed personality. As the conversation flowed, I for a moment forgot that I was talking to a stranger in an even stranger surroundings....the signal had come and the rest as they say is History :)

At the time when people taught I was losing out on time, at the time when my parents' anxiety had given way to frustration, at the time when my brother's frowned eyebrows started to show his impatience and importantly at a time when I thought my sell by date had come....'She Arrived...Just in Time'  as a light at the end of the tunnel :)

Thanks for choosing me!! You are indeed the best thing that could have happened in my life :)

Oasis!!

o·a·sis [oh-ey-sis]
- a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well
- something serving as a relief, or pleasant change from what is usual, annoying, difficult.

Imagine yourself lost in a desert, walking in the blazing sun in search of some relief and out of no where you spot an oasis...Just imagine what would be the feeling?? You would simply look at the almighty and say 'Thanks a lot dude'!! won't u?

Well if not the same, I went through a similar feeling a few months ago when I joined a new company...

When I started my career 6 yrs back, I had my classmates and close friends joining with me to the same company and team....so the most difficult transition from being a student to a professional was almost a cake walk for me with some familar faces around

Now if you are staying in a company for 5 years it almost is a second home to you. isn't it?? Well due to some reasons I had to quit this second home of mine and with that came the fear of meeting new people and getting started all over again in the new company. Thankfully for me, in there, I had my school friend in the same team again and the ice breaker was not as difficult as I thought.

The biggest problem came when I joined the 3rd company. I knew that I literally did not have any familiar face in there. Along with the fun of meeting a whole new bunch of people, I also had my fears of getting lost in the crowd. This is when I met a girl, who later went on to become a very very good friend!!

When I met her first, through normal steriotypic intro talks, I got to know that we had a same track record. In the sense, both of us had worked in the same organisations before joining here. The conversation starter had and through her I also met some wonderful group of people!!

She is a very down to earth and a fantastic buddy to have around. I could always pull her for a cup of coffee on hectic days, make fun of her and had no trouble what so ever in sharing things without hesitating. All signs of a very very good friend in the making. Now when I sit and think, I could never believe that I knew her only for about 5 months!! Sadly, as all good things come to an end, she quit the company a week ago to travel to Dubai with her hubby and her cute daughter!!! And this post (especially the title) is for her!!

Harsh!! U were simply amazing!!! Keep that spirit alive!! U really helped me break the ice and made my life in the comany a lot lot easier to handle!! Thanks a ton for all the coffee breaks :p I would really miss you around!!

All the best to ur hubby on starting a new assignment and to you for setting up a new home!! Give one chocolate to your daughter every week on my behalf :P I am sure you will remember me when you eat dosas!!

Do keep in touch!! I now know whom to contact when I come to Dubai!!

PS: Just forgot!! You dare miss my wedding :P (when it eventually happens)

Signing off
-Sethu-

2014 it is :)

Gosh!! I was hopping through a few blogs recently when I suddenly realized that it has been ages (literally ages) since my previous post and I have almost become a stranger to blogger (I have no one else to blame but 'ME')!!! Well.....I felt all guilty about it and decided to change that!! Was digging my brain for a few topics to pen down when it struck me!! Bingo!!

It is still a 'NEW' year and I can actually push a pencil with the customary New Year post !! Now comes the biggest challenge..how should I start?? what should I write ?? I can easily see that my thinking capacity is at its lowest and my creativity has decided to completely abandon my workaholic brain. So i'll take the easy route out and summarize 2013 in very simple words.

Good things : Not that there were many that happened or that I can think of but its still to see the glass half full (Aila!! I can see that I am an MBA now with those words :P)....here it goes....

- Changed my Job (such a relief)

- Bigger pay cheque (bigger relief :P)

- Better colleagues (don't ask me what I mean here)

- Made a lot of friends and met a lot of people (Feels so good) 

- Close friend's wedding (Dance, fun and food)

- Traveled (relaxing and refreshing)

- Mom completes 1 year in Hyderabad (Just another year to go)

Bad/not so good things : Well....there are more than a few that I can think of here as I consider 2013 to have moved as slowly as an old tragic Hindi cinema and as non-entertaining as an India-Sri Lanka cricket match 

- Did not fall in Love (yet another year goes by!!)

- Flunked in exams (such a weird feeling it is)

- Became a workaholic (last thing I wanted to happen)

- Grew fat (all the diet and workout plans failed as usual)

- Fought with a friend (ridiculous)

Before I make resolutions for 2014, I just have to say that I love even numbers and I am feeling good that 2014 is one (a good start you see!!)

Resolutions for 2014 - Not that I kept up or diligently followed everything I thought of previous year but nevertheless, it is good to make resolutions (and I know its even better to keep them alive) and this time I will give it my best shot.

- Workout, diet and look fit (has been on my list for the past decade)

- Fall in Love (if not now, its never :P)

- Stop being a workaholic

- Start reading and finish the course (so that there is no more cash outflow)

- Blog more frequently (may be you all can judge me on this at the end of the year)

- Finally follow all the above resolutions (this one should be the actual resolution)

Well with that Wish you all a Very Happy New Year. Stay happy, stay crazy and have a blessed year ahead :) Hopefully you will see me around more often this year.

Signing off!!

Sethu.

A Sweet Rejection...!!!

It must have been around 11.30 on a Friday morning. I was thinking whether it was a right time to call her or not. My heart was racing at little more than 100 beats per minute. Somehow I gathered all courage and dialed the number for which a very sweet voice responded. The smoothness of the voice made me even more nervous. After 15 minutes of conversation, we decided that we would meet up on Saturday evening at around 5.00 in a coffee shop at Jaynagar.

A Week before this incident -

My parents had shown me a pic of a girl which they had found in some marriage bureau. The girl looked simple yet very pleasing and bright at the very first sight. Fortunately for me, the horoscopes matched and it was time for me to meet her but the embarrassing thought of going to the girl's place and going through the routine procedure of sitting there uncomfortably with everyone staring at you like an animal in the zoo scared me a little. But something very interesting and nice happened this time. The girl's mother thought it would be a nice idea if me and that girl met separately outside to take a decision (how generous of her) which was exactly what I wanted too. So our numbers were exchanged and it was on us to speak and decide on how to go about it....

Back to the incident -

I could not sleep properly the previous night, I was nervously excited as things were turning out to be a little positive and the way I wanted it to go.......Come Saturday morning, I ensured that I was perfectly groomed, got my car cleaned and set out for what possibly could be a very important day in my life till date. I ensured that I reached the place in time......as I expected, she was a little late and I had to wait outside that coffee shop for some time.....and all these while my heart was pounding so hard that I could hear it beat.

Finally she arrived......Looked casually beautiful with a Blue shirt and denims. She had a very good smile and an impressively soft voice and was looking very pretty..completely different than what I saw in the pic....we shook hands and went to the coffee shop.....Surprisingly for me, as soon as we sat to speak, I could feel my nerves calm down a little. Even she started to speak with more freedom as the conversation progressed......We spoke about our likes, interests, plans, friends and a lot of other things....felt as if I was speaking to a good friend and the conversation flowed very smoothly. Without our knowledge we had spoken for close to 2 hrs it was time for her to leave and we parted agreeing that both of us would think over and come to a decision.

For me, she possessed most of the qualities that I wanted to see in my partner. She was independent, broadminded and knew how to enjoy life........more than all these, she had all the boxes ticked to be a perfect friend. I thought of meeting her once more before coming to any conclusion and waited for her call and decision. She did not call me for a week and these 7 days I was just hoping that it would be a positive response from her.

Finally one morning, I got a call from her. I had a feeling that my heart came to my mouth as soon as I saw her number flash on my screen. I received the call and that lovely voice from the other side spoke out....This is what exactly she told...

 "I was very fortunate to meet you, and felt really good about the conversation we had but somehow I still am not ale to decide if I want to marry or not. I have certain commitments and its hard and too early for me to take a decision on wedding as of now. I can only think that I got a good friend at this point of time and nothing more than that. Hope you will understand"

Well.....what else could I have done....?? Thanked her for giving a frank opinion and cursed my luck for not being able to take it forward......she had sweetly rejected.....and as I sleep I cannot stop thinking about the whole incident ...It was so near.......yet so far :-(

Signing off

Sethu

PS: She kept up her word...she is still in touch with me and I guess its just friendship for now :-)

Change..!!!! Is it Good or Bad???

Well.....here it comes, my first post in 2013 and I am getting a temptation of making a resolution to write some good posts and do it on a more frequent basis this year...Hopefully I will...!!! Thanks for bearing with all my stupidity till now....Please keep the trend going :-)

Without wasting any time, I wish you all a very Happy New Year....!! Have a blessed year ahead and may all your good dreams come true :-)

As the excitement of my new job, the joy of an extended vacation and the hang over of New Year party subsides, all of a sudden I get a feeling that my life has become a little chaotic. There are so many changes that are taking shape currently that I am hardly getting any time to respire..The strange thing with 'change' is that if deflates you at one moment and motivates you at the other.......So what are all those changes?? are they good?? are they bad??...lets find out.

New job means butterflies in the stomach....new people, new atmosphere, different kind of work pressure and a lot of such things. These changes itself are sufficient to make anyone feel tensely afflictive. In my case there were a couple of other things that added to the desolation....For starters this was my first jump since I started working after college which meant that I was sitting in a safe comfort level that I had created around me from which I had to come out. Secondly it was the enormous differences in the work culture that had taken me by surprise......My previous company was vibrant with young crowd, very enthusiastic and fun to work with. Where as when I joined my current company I was in for a bit of culture shock...It was dead opposite...In the sense that it was more professional, experienced crowd, very focused and meritorious to work with. Considering these, sometimes I feel I should not have quit the previous company which was so much fun but at the same time I feel that the move I have made would mean a big progress in my career front..... So is the change Good?? or Bad ??

Another big change that is round the corner is my Mother 's transfer to Hyderabad which would mean that there would be a lot of adjustments to make in my personal life as well. Till date, I had never worried about what would be in my lunch box, whether my lunch and breakfast would be ready by the time I left to work early in the morning, whether my clothes were loaded in the washing machine, whether the utensils were washed and all those things...more importantly I always look forward for the fresh hot coffee that is ready the first thing I get up in the morning or the by the time I come back home exhausted in the evening (before u even think of blaming me here, let me tell u, I used to help her with all those activities and I ensured that it never used to fall entirely on her). So when she leaves to Hyderabad next Sunday, I will have to start worrying about all these things and its only now that the enormity of her movement has hit me...!!! Not that I cannot manage, not that there is no one else to help me....its just that 'She' would not be here and that is not at all a comfortable feeling........but I know it is her interest, I know it makes me more responsible..!! So is it Good?? or Bad???

To add to these two, the one thing that is there in my mind for sometime now is Wedding and somehow with this topic, your's and your parent's thoughts simply does not match. What every you say is not correct for them and what ever they say seems to be strange to you. Its a never ending story everywhere....isn't it??....Well it is something similar in my case right now. I cannot marry a girl without talking to her and understanding her intentions where as my parents think that its a ridiculous idea and per them the girls will not speak out no matter what (which you and I should know is not that true). And even more ridiculously, if you go and speak to a girl separately / over the phone a couple of times, you are bound to agree what ever is the case. I have been having some sleepless nights with respect to all these discussion and I have had some small fights defending my way of thinking. God only know what happens....but I know one thing for sure.....after the wedding happens (whenever it does), that would also be a very big change adding a new dimension to my life altogether......wow it scares me!!!

What ever is the case, I am trying to come to terms with all these things and I never know when everything will settle down......For now just i'll sleep with the thought 'Change is the only thing that is constant in this world' isn't it???

Signing off

-Sethu-

Another Year zooms past :-)

Firstly, congratulations for all the survivors of the so called 'Dooms Day'. Condolences for all the news channels, magazines and all the other media houses that did a count down for this event (How foolish). Unfortunately not many people were interested in watching them and neither did the event occur.....So all the valiant effort you guys put in to increase your TRP and popularity went down the drain - So make a resolution to cut all this crap and report something useful and important (I can bet you will never run out of topics in our sacred country)

As another year passes by, I was just sitting and pondering over all the good and useful things that I have done in one year...well...here is what I got

January - Sitting and planning for all the good things to be done over the course of the year and also made some resolutions (no I did not keep that up per usual practice - How shameless of me)

February - Feeling Jealous seeing all the wonderful couple around me and hoping to find a valentine by the same time next year.

March/April/May - Seeing all the children playing on the streets and wondering if I will ever get something called as 'Summer Vacations' again. Also preparing for the ICWAI - Inter exams I had to take up in June

June - ICWAI Inter exams

July - Exam Results (disappointment)

August/September - Feeling bad for results and trying to motivate myself to clear in the December Exams

October - Happy with HP (relief after a long time)

November - Birthday time.

December - Farewell Northern Trust :-(

Well if you just look at all the stuffs mentioned above, I can bet that you will not be able to find any interesting or a useful thing in that list (forget the HP part). Apart from dreaming the whole time, flunking in exams and lot of other not so good things that unfortunately I cannot tell in this platform. It was just a silent year that was very flat and flew past me before I could realize.

Today as we step into 2013, I feel I have to make my life a little more interesting (at least to make the above list look a little more vibrant). I do not want to take up any resolutions because I know it will never work. I just want to wish myself luck and put efforts to make the year a good one.

As some wise people have quoted "Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book - WRITE A GOOD ONE" (I surely will give it my best shot).

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year :-) Have a blast :-) See you next year..!!!!

For one Last time in 2012, it is

-Sethu-

Signing off :-)

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 :-)