It hits you when you least expect it. When your life is all set and is on a well treaded path to economic independence and predictable success. When you are about to take off and vault to the pinnacle of your profession. When you think that nothing can go wrong. No, not think. You know that nothing can go wrong. And it hits you. At the time when you least expect it.
I am talking about a random bout of inspiration. Let me give an example to drive home the point. I tagged along with a friend to Levo. Levo is one of those fancy places where heiresses of princely estates, ameer baap ki bigdi daughters, trophy housewives et al go for haircuts and pedicures and manicures and what not. Of course I have nothing to do with a place like that and people like that but this friend of mine wanted to change her hairstyle and I was asked to tag along. So my life was all fine. You know dull and boring and predictable in the MBA-rising-through-the-corporate-ladder way and suddenly one day I find myself standing outside Levo.
While she was getting her hair done, I had about an hour to kill. And Levo had this fancy magazine rack. The top few shelves had Vogues etc of the world. But the bottom shelf had xBHP, Suburb and Platform. And every turn of the page on each of the magazine, I went wow. Lemme take them one at a time.
Suburb is this magazine that is published out of Gurgaon and is aimed at expat community in Gurgaon. Since Gurgaon is a major hub for multinationals, there are tons of expats. Here for both short durations and longer stays. The content, the editorial notes and other material was very average from a niche magazines perspective but they made a good effort to appeal to their audience. Most of their content was clichéd and boring for an Indian but I am sure most expats wouldnt have known those things and would read Suburb religiously. Here, on our hands, we have this bunch of people who are intelligent and enterpriding enough to find a niche audience that is large enough. And they have been supplying them with dope they want. Amazing!
Next up is this magazine called Platform. A typical publication for Page 3 celebs. It proclaims that it talks about Art, Design, Fashion, Words, Music and Films. Everything that gets attention of the media savvy kinds. Apart from showcasing fashion designers, it did talk about art directors, writers, photographers and other creative kinds. I think its an awesome initiative to showcase people and their work. Apart from established professionals, there were tons of snippets about upcoming artists/creatives/talents. The content reflected a very strong editor at helm of affairs. And a lot of connections and purani dosti as play. Mightly impressed by them. If it wasnt Rs. 150 per copy, I would have subscribed to it.
And last, and the best, xBHP. As a kid I remember spending hours on the xBHP forum and ogling over bikers, their machines, their rides, their lifestyles and their babes. Seeing them in print was a pleasant surprise. And that too 250 GSM paper, gloss finish, thick 200 page magazine. Beat that shit guys. I made a few phone calls to a few friends still crazy about bikes and I was told that the guys at xBHP work with auto magazines and in the words of Green Day, they are having time of their lives.
Sigh!
Anyways, coming back to the post, random bout of inspiration, so this visit to a spa in Gurgaon is that random bout that I am most scared about. Something in me is now itching to get into the publishing business and start a magazine. And the question that I have from myself is ... do I or do I not scratch that itch.
P.S.: Another post on what it takes to start and run a magazine business. Coming Soon. In 2015 ;P
Thank You!
No no, this is not about that new movie that has recently come up. This is about the world and life in general. Though I always want more and want to be rich and want to contribute meaningfully but I have realized that I have a wonderful life. I am no rock-star but what I have, millions of people would give their eyes to get.
Just want to thank life and people who make it so wonderful.
So why the sudden realization? This is not sudden sudden. I am sure I was subconsciously aware but it came up to the surface while driving to work today. It was windy, it was raining and there was no traffic on the road. With the steering wheel in my hand, I felt in control. For once I believed that I was the master of my destiny and I could go anywhere and achieve anything (although its a different matter that, exactly 45 mins after the flash of brilliance, I am in office, playing email jockey and sending off emails in all directions).
So while driving to work, I realized that there are so many forces that have conspired to give me the pleasure of driving in the rain and enjoying the way I did. Starting with my parents (gave me birth, sent me to schools, took care of me), nature (for giving us brilliant weather, mornings, rains, clouds, sunshine etc), forces of universe (for putting me at this place at this time), capitalists of the modern socierty (for creating music that I played in the background) to the democratic and socialist soceity (for giving me the freedom to move around and giving me awesome roads in Delhi), to myself (for chosing to remain happy despite to many things that I am yet to achieve).
Thank You everyone for everything.
Just want to thank life and people who make it so wonderful.
So why the sudden realization? This is not sudden sudden. I am sure I was subconsciously aware but it came up to the surface while driving to work today. It was windy, it was raining and there was no traffic on the road. With the steering wheel in my hand, I felt in control. For once I believed that I was the master of my destiny and I could go anywhere and achieve anything (although its a different matter that, exactly 45 mins after the flash of brilliance, I am in office, playing email jockey and sending off emails in all directions).
So while driving to work, I realized that there are so many forces that have conspired to give me the pleasure of driving in the rain and enjoying the way I did. Starting with my parents (gave me birth, sent me to schools, took care of me), nature (for giving us brilliant weather, mornings, rains, clouds, sunshine etc), forces of universe (for putting me at this place at this time), capitalists of the modern socierty (for creating music that I played in the background) to the democratic and socialist soceity (for giving me the freedom to move around and giving me awesome roads in Delhi), to myself (for chosing to remain happy despite to many things that I am yet to achieve).
Thank You everyone for everything.
King of Wishful Thinking
If there is one term that defines me, its this. The King of Wishful Thinking. VK08May spoke to me today about this.
Here are the lyrics ...
Wow! I mean imagine being able to write like that. The King of Wishful Thinking!
Here are the lyrics ...
I don't need to fall at your feet
Just 'cause you cut me to the bone
And I won't miss the way that you kiss me
We were never carved in stone
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself..
I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
I am the king of wishful thinking
I refuse to give in to my blues
That's not how it's going to be
And I deny the tears in my eyes
I don't want to let you see.. no
That you have made a hole in my heart
And now I've got to fool myself..
I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking..
I'll get over you.. I know I will
I'll pretend my ship's not sinking
And I'll tell myself I'm over you
'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking
I will never, never shed a tear for you
I'll get over you
If I don't listen to the talk of the town
Then maybe I can fool myself..
contd ...
Wow! I mean imagine being able to write like that. The King of Wishful Thinking!
Hello Mr. Email Jockey
[Start Rant]
I hereby present myself with yet another title. Mr. Email Jockey.
I heard the term first time on a flight. One Chinese executive, working in Hong Kong was talking to an entrepreneur from Australia and while talking, one of them dropped this term. I instantly developed a liking towards it. It had just the right ring to it. It aroused curiosity. I ensured that you get into a conversation. And most importantly, it said a lot about what I really do.
So who is an email jockey? Someone who sits on his laptop and blackberry and fires away emails at the speed of light. Someone who is so overawed by the volume of email that he doesn't get a single minute to think on things. Someone, on his day off, misses all the "action" that email jockeying entails.
You get on your desk at precisely 10. You open you mailbox. And next thing you notice is the grumbling sounds from your stomach and you realize that its 1. Time for lunch. You eat, pee, smoke, chit chat, visit the water cooler, stare at that girl you like. All in that 5 minutes break that you allow yourself. And then you are back at the station. Juggling emails from clients and vendors and team.
Next time you peek up from the sea of incoming messages and herd of outgoing mails, you realize its well past 9. And that colleague that you like and you hoped to ask out, has left for the day. And to make matters worse, you get an email from the guy who sits next to you, about how much fun he's having with that very girl.
Coming back, so email jockeying is one of those things that dint exist as a profession till about 5 years back. Advent of technology and its ubiquitous penetration has now made everyone email aware. You can now email and get married. Its really convenient and all that but for people like me, who are on the receiving end, this is one of those things that you wish, you could un-invent!
[End of Rant]
I hereby present myself with yet another title. Mr. Email Jockey.
I heard the term first time on a flight. One Chinese executive, working in Hong Kong was talking to an entrepreneur from Australia and while talking, one of them dropped this term. I instantly developed a liking towards it. It had just the right ring to it. It aroused curiosity. I ensured that you get into a conversation. And most importantly, it said a lot about what I really do.
So who is an email jockey? Someone who sits on his laptop and blackberry and fires away emails at the speed of light. Someone who is so overawed by the volume of email that he doesn't get a single minute to think on things. Someone, on his day off, misses all the "action" that email jockeying entails.
You get on your desk at precisely 10. You open you mailbox. And next thing you notice is the grumbling sounds from your stomach and you realize that its 1. Time for lunch. You eat, pee, smoke, chit chat, visit the water cooler, stare at that girl you like. All in that 5 minutes break that you allow yourself. And then you are back at the station. Juggling emails from clients and vendors and team.
Next time you peek up from the sea of incoming messages and herd of outgoing mails, you realize its well past 9. And that colleague that you like and you hoped to ask out, has left for the day. And to make matters worse, you get an email from the guy who sits next to you, about how much fun he's having with that very girl.
Coming back, so email jockeying is one of those things that dint exist as a profession till about 5 years back. Advent of technology and its ubiquitous penetration has now made everyone email aware. You can now email and get married. Its really convenient and all that but for people like me, who are on the receiving end, this is one of those things that you wish, you could un-invent!
[End of Rant]
So this is what being drunk means
So this is what being drunk means. The heads spinning and yet you feel good about it. You have that heady feeling and yet you are elated. You yell out songs at top of your voice and not care a shade about anyone or anything. You lose your inhibitions and only thing stopping you from being yourself is you.
So this is what being drunk actually means. When you are carefree. When you cant think of anything. When the mind is actually blank – devoid of all thought. Even when you are on the phone, with your best friend, all you talk, is nothing. Where there are no words. There’s not even silence. Just the noise of wind. On either ends.
So this is what being drunk really means. When you get that mental high just because you are on the road, driving a vehicle. Controlling it. Maneuvering it at will. Like a free bird. Imagine Delhi at night. The wind. Cold enough to send that shiver down your spine. And not so cold that you need layers of cloths. Awesome roads devoid of any traffic. Where you can zip around in your car. A pit stop at India Gate. And spreading your arms wide. The way birds often do, before they fly away. Imagine the flight. Wish you could take off.
Confession. I am drunk. Not on alcohol. But on caffeine and chocolate. And on the amazing winds that you get only in Delhi. And on the wonderful drive that you just completed.
So this is what being drunk actually means. When you are carefree. When you cant think of anything. When the mind is actually blank – devoid of all thought. Even when you are on the phone, with your best friend, all you talk, is nothing. Where there are no words. There’s not even silence. Just the noise of wind. On either ends.
So this is what being drunk really means. When you get that mental high just because you are on the road, driving a vehicle. Controlling it. Maneuvering it at will. Like a free bird. Imagine Delhi at night. The wind. Cold enough to send that shiver down your spine. And not so cold that you need layers of cloths. Awesome roads devoid of any traffic. Where you can zip around in your car. A pit stop at India Gate. And spreading your arms wide. The way birds often do, before they fly away. Imagine the flight. Wish you could take off.
Confession. I am drunk. Not on alcohol. But on caffeine and chocolate. And on the amazing winds that you get only in Delhi. And on the wonderful drive that you just completed.
5 mantras for succeeding in corporate life
After spending about five years in corporate life (ok, pseudo-corporate), here are a few things that I have learnt.
- Save your ass. At any cost. Even if it means learning those famed talents like ass-licking, participating in political Olympics, back stabbing, water-cooler bickering et al
- Yell first. Even before the blame games can begin. And since you have yelled first, you automatically stand correct. And it won’t hurt if you could be loud. After all you need to be heard over the entire din in the room.
- Master the art of passing the buck. Your table should remain empty. No decision should ever be traced to you. No one should be able to question your decision and more importantly, that ability to take a decision.
- Send emails to everyone in the world. Even your janitor. And the security guy. So that tomorrow everyone knows your version of the story. After all emails are free and people have lot of time on their hands. They do read each and every character. And since you are the one to have put things on record, and
- Text must be bold face with red font. Bolder the better. Redder the better. Bold and red makes a deadly combination. As if it was written in the recipient’s blood.
P.S.: Wrote this when I was mindfucked because of some random comment from a client!
Two years of an affair
This day, in 2009, I set sight on her for the first time. Just about two years and it already feels like a lifetime.
To be honest, unlike most affairs, it was not the usual love at first sight. I dint even know I would fall in love! When I first set eyes on her, she was with her twins, friends and cousins. And like any man drooling over such sexy looking dames, I had a tough time deciding. At one instant I wanted her and at another, her sister. And there was a moment when I dint want anyone at all. Such are the frivolities of the male brain! Most women will vouch for it!
Anyways, so how we met is a funny incident. Neo and I were chilling out one fine evening when he asked to go with him to some mall. We were on our way and we saw these hot bodies and like all single men, we had to stop and gawk at them. Like most such incidents, we would have admired the object of affection and moved on but bugger Neo said, let’s go talk to them. I tend to ignore most of the things that Neo asks me to do but here I made an exception. I was like what the heck! And rest, as they say, rest is history.
So we went ahead and moment I saw her from up-close, I realized that I have always wanted her. Since eternity. From ever since I could remember things. Though, the decision took more than ten years of deliberation, gathering courage and wait. It took that nudge from Neo. And some chemical reactions in my brains that created that spark that made me blurt out a yes on the impulse. And boy, am I am glad that she accepted me with open arms (as if she had a choice)!
Like all relationships, we have seen our ups and downs. And when I look back, I realize that I am the one at fault. In fact, I don’t think I have given enough in the relationship. I am guilty. Of ignoring her. Of not paying enough attention. Of not being with her when she needs me.
She, on the other hand, has been a perfect companion. Better than anyone you could ask for. She has never let me down till date. Never. Whenever I have wanted to be with her, she has been around. She has seen me through all sorts of emotions. I have laughed, I have cried, I have been high, I have been sad, I have been ecstatic, I have had that heady feeling of being free, of flying in the open sky. I have planned my magnanimous schemes, I have conjured those dreams. I imagined things that I knew dint exist. I went far when I was with her. I was in control. Of myself and my destiny.
I really wish I could do more for her. I really want to age with her and stay with her for rest of my life!
Here’s the best part! Even though I don’t look at her for days but whenever I am with her, we make heads turn. People take note of us. They talk about us. I can see that feeling of envy in their eyes. I can see through people. I can see that they secretly wished they were in my place. With her.
Its been two years. Call the day her birthday or call it our anniversary. Call it whatever but she is one of my most cherished possessions. Yes, a possession. She means a lot.
Thanks Neo. For helping me make that decision. Thanks ma, pa for giving me the freedom. And last, and not the least, thank you. For being there!
To be honest, unlike most affairs, it was not the usual love at first sight. I dint even know I would fall in love! When I first set eyes on her, she was with her twins, friends and cousins. And like any man drooling over such sexy looking dames, I had a tough time deciding. At one instant I wanted her and at another, her sister. And there was a moment when I dint want anyone at all. Such are the frivolities of the male brain! Most women will vouch for it!
Anyways, so how we met is a funny incident. Neo and I were chilling out one fine evening when he asked to go with him to some mall. We were on our way and we saw these hot bodies and like all single men, we had to stop and gawk at them. Like most such incidents, we would have admired the object of affection and moved on but bugger Neo said, let’s go talk to them. I tend to ignore most of the things that Neo asks me to do but here I made an exception. I was like what the heck! And rest, as they say, rest is history.
So we went ahead and moment I saw her from up-close, I realized that I have always wanted her. Since eternity. From ever since I could remember things. Though, the decision took more than ten years of deliberation, gathering courage and wait. It took that nudge from Neo. And some chemical reactions in my brains that created that spark that made me blurt out a yes on the impulse. And boy, am I am glad that she accepted me with open arms (as if she had a choice)!
Like all relationships, we have seen our ups and downs. And when I look back, I realize that I am the one at fault. In fact, I don’t think I have given enough in the relationship. I am guilty. Of ignoring her. Of not paying enough attention. Of not being with her when she needs me.
She, on the other hand, has been a perfect companion. Better than anyone you could ask for. She has never let me down till date. Never. Whenever I have wanted to be with her, she has been around. She has seen me through all sorts of emotions. I have laughed, I have cried, I have been high, I have been sad, I have been ecstatic, I have had that heady feeling of being free, of flying in the open sky. I have planned my magnanimous schemes, I have conjured those dreams. I imagined things that I knew dint exist. I went far when I was with her. I was in control. Of myself and my destiny.
I really wish I could do more for her. I really want to age with her and stay with her for rest of my life!
Here’s the best part! Even though I don’t look at her for days but whenever I am with her, we make heads turn. People take note of us. They talk about us. I can see that feeling of envy in their eyes. I can see through people. I can see that they secretly wished they were in my place. With her.
Its been two years. Call the day her birthday or call it our anniversary. Call it whatever but she is one of my most cherished possessions. Yes, a possession. She means a lot.
Thanks Neo. For helping me make that decision. Thanks ma, pa for giving me the freedom. And last, and not the least, thank you. For being there!
Ab kya karenge?
literally translated, the title of the post reads "what next?". Been some time since I posted something on this blog. I don't know if something important has happened that warrants a post on the blog but somehow I felt like talking to someone and I realized there was no one that I could goto and speak my heart out. No no, I am not inviting tissue papers or free hugs or donations or something. I am merely stating a fact.
So the point of the post was that I felt someone, something was pulling me towards this blog. I know that the audience on my blog is next to zero. Any random visitors that somehow find their way to these posts, spends like 0.003 seconds here. No, really. I have a counter that keeps a tab. This link. So despite being the most boring place on the world wide web, why do I still maintain this? And what entices me to spend countless hours trying to post gibberish, that I know, no one is interested in reading? Wish I could peep into my brain and come up with answers.
So lets put some links here. I stumbled onto a website called wetransfer.com. They have the MOST amazing UI ever. I wish I could steal their designer for Cyntax2. Then I heard Bossa Nova and have been downloading music since. Try it. Its worth the time. And bandwidth. I did think of yet another book (that I would someday write). It would be called The Secret Society of Chronic Underachievers. Even if no one agrees to publish it, I will self-publish it. First 100 people to comment on this post, get an autographed copy ;P Then in other news, I finally saw Bangkok. Not that I was dying for it but because my visa application got rejected. Though I became the first Indian in the history of Thailand's immigration files to be denied a visa, I managed to get the visa on arrival. My other trips are here. And attached is a map. For the warm and fuzzy feeling!
And until next time, namaste!
So the point of the post was that I felt someone, something was pulling me towards this blog. I know that the audience on my blog is next to zero. Any random visitors that somehow find their way to these posts, spends like 0.003 seconds here. No, really. I have a counter that keeps a tab. This link. So despite being the most boring place on the world wide web, why do I still maintain this? And what entices me to spend countless hours trying to post gibberish, that I know, no one is interested in reading? Wish I could peep into my brain and come up with answers.
So lets put some links here. I stumbled onto a website called wetransfer.com. They have the MOST amazing UI ever. I wish I could steal their designer for Cyntax2. Then I heard Bossa Nova and have been downloading music since. Try it. Its worth the time. And bandwidth. I did think of yet another book (that I would someday write). It would be called The Secret Society of Chronic Underachievers. Even if no one agrees to publish it, I will self-publish it. First 100 people to comment on this post, get an autographed copy ;P Then in other news, I finally saw Bangkok. Not that I was dying for it but because my visa application got rejected. Though I became the first Indian in the history of Thailand's immigration files to be denied a visa, I managed to get the visa on arrival. My other trips are here. And attached is a map. For the warm and fuzzy feeling!
And until next time, namaste!
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