Yeah, further thoughts will be found at http://gdeepathinks.blogspot.com/.
Hope it receives your blessings...
Deepa
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
a journey...the first lap
Labels:
penthouse-office life
Sept 18th, my new job turns a year old. A year ago, I was confused and agitated, and now, I see myself having actually grown up. With a perspective that's so much more mature and well-rounded than before.
Maybe it's because of the intense 'getting your hands dirty' experience that a garage company teaches you. And when that is coupled with the best mentoring you can get on earth, you evolve an amplified maturity that may not be very common among your peers.
1. You are not bigger than your company. Your company is bigger than you. Especially if it takes credit for making you what you are.
2. The whittling down of your ego, the sense of self, is CRUCIAL to any creative endeavour, for that matter.
3. The same is also essential if you have to be open to learning.
4. Ethics. I found it incredible that the place where I work has impeccable ethics. And i thought that all corporate life teaches you is how to be unethical and start liking it too. Really, contrary to what we - my whole generation - are increasingly being led to believe, that you can't get work done if you're a stickler for honesty, here's a place that's proving it wrong. For a decade now.
I'm a person who's always been afraid of breaking the rules, and was very judgemental about even shreds of dishonesty in people, but recent years have seen me tone it down. But now I realize, if we stop adhering to rules and systems, what will we teach our children??
5. There's no place for a use-and-throw attitude here. The UPS is screwed so buy another one - NO. The UPS is screwed so get it repaired. Few things are beyond repair, and you really must think things through thrice if you have to replace something. It's not economizing - it's just good management. And the emotional touch helps - treat systems and appliances with care and love.
A lot of things to share, and they'll flow in bit by bit. Till then, cheers.
Maybe it's because of the intense 'getting your hands dirty' experience that a garage company teaches you. And when that is coupled with the best mentoring you can get on earth, you evolve an amplified maturity that may not be very common among your peers.
1. You are not bigger than your company. Your company is bigger than you. Especially if it takes credit for making you what you are.
2. The whittling down of your ego, the sense of self, is CRUCIAL to any creative endeavour, for that matter.
3. The same is also essential if you have to be open to learning.
4. Ethics. I found it incredible that the place where I work has impeccable ethics. And i thought that all corporate life teaches you is how to be unethical and start liking it too. Really, contrary to what we - my whole generation - are increasingly being led to believe, that you can't get work done if you're a stickler for honesty, here's a place that's proving it wrong. For a decade now.
I'm a person who's always been afraid of breaking the rules, and was very judgemental about even shreds of dishonesty in people, but recent years have seen me tone it down. But now I realize, if we stop adhering to rules and systems, what will we teach our children??
5. There's no place for a use-and-throw attitude here. The UPS is screwed so buy another one - NO. The UPS is screwed so get it repaired. Few things are beyond repair, and you really must think things through thrice if you have to replace something. It's not economizing - it's just good management. And the emotional touch helps - treat systems and appliances with care and love.
A lot of things to share, and they'll flow in bit by bit. Till then, cheers.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
where the foot is
I was watching a news byte on Times Now that went 'Vivek Oberoi Puts His Foot Where His Mouth Is!' And Oberoi was going on about something I didn't really care about. Obviously the channel thought it had come up with some smart blurb for the snippet.
It set me thinking. It's so easy for us to insult someone who's not being very smart on national television. What we forget, or actually, don't realize at all, is that it's incredibly tough to handle attention. It's the classic case of hooting at a singing competition - how many of the boors in the audience have the guts to actually go up there and stay still for 60 seconds? And sing, too?
It must be much tougher, then, to speak into a mike and a camera. For the reporter, it's just another story that he or she has to wrap up before calling it a day. For the person into whose face the gadgets are thrust, it's the equivalent of a framed photograph that millions of people get a glimpse of just as they get home from work. And all the crap about news being short-lived, please - how do you remember Vivek Oberoi: by that infamous press conference in which he bitched about Salman Khan, or Saathiya?
So these guys are just actors. It's hard to emote in front of the camera, and it needs even more brains to keep coming up with slick stuff to say whenever the press asks them a question. The rare SRKs or Amitabhs got that way because of their innate smartness, and decades of experience.
Indeed, it takes a certain degree of maturity to handle any kind of attention - even if it's just a handful of people writing fan mail to you, you have to be sensitive, intelligent and well-timed to a) even respond b) say the right things to people who are impressed by you if you want them to continue being impressed by you c) not appear pompous.
As for politicians, there's something else I admire about them. The ability to work endless hours, and still be vociferous about issues that matter (maybe to them, but they matter somewhere in the flow of the universe). It's not just the election campaigns - i doubt if a politician can ever afford a decent nap in the middle of all that hubbub. And if you considered their average age group - it is indeed a feat to be maintaining those energy levels. All throughout. By the way, I have no clue if they actually get anything productive done or not, I'm just gushing about how tirelessly they go on about whatever it is they are going on about.
It set me thinking. It's so easy for us to insult someone who's not being very smart on national television. What we forget, or actually, don't realize at all, is that it's incredibly tough to handle attention. It's the classic case of hooting at a singing competition - how many of the boors in the audience have the guts to actually go up there and stay still for 60 seconds? And sing, too?
It must be much tougher, then, to speak into a mike and a camera. For the reporter, it's just another story that he or she has to wrap up before calling it a day. For the person into whose face the gadgets are thrust, it's the equivalent of a framed photograph that millions of people get a glimpse of just as they get home from work. And all the crap about news being short-lived, please - how do you remember Vivek Oberoi: by that infamous press conference in which he bitched about Salman Khan, or Saathiya?
So these guys are just actors. It's hard to emote in front of the camera, and it needs even more brains to keep coming up with slick stuff to say whenever the press asks them a question. The rare SRKs or Amitabhs got that way because of their innate smartness, and decades of experience.
Indeed, it takes a certain degree of maturity to handle any kind of attention - even if it's just a handful of people writing fan mail to you, you have to be sensitive, intelligent and well-timed to a) even respond b) say the right things to people who are impressed by you if you want them to continue being impressed by you c) not appear pompous.
As for politicians, there's something else I admire about them. The ability to work endless hours, and still be vociferous about issues that matter (maybe to them, but they matter somewhere in the flow of the universe). It's not just the election campaigns - i doubt if a politician can ever afford a decent nap in the middle of all that hubbub. And if you considered their average age group - it is indeed a feat to be maintaining those energy levels. All throughout. By the way, I have no clue if they actually get anything productive done or not, I'm just gushing about how tirelessly they go on about whatever it is they are going on about.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
When life’s not a Subway cookie
Some things in life are scary. And for people like me, who scare easily, life’s not exactly a double-chocolate Subway cookie.
Because there are many things in life that bring about a feeling of dread. Like Pakistan letting its terrorists loose. Like Deepika Padukone’s resemblance to an extrasolar alien in the BSNL ads. Actually, like the BSNL ads.
Like Deepika Padukone’s age advantage – which means she’s going to hang around till my kids ban TV and internet in their houses because their kids have to study for CAT.
Like driving a two-wheeler by the side of a bus, not sure if you’re the next landing point for casual projectile oral activity by short-sighted travelers – and not even knowing whether it’s spit or vomit that will land on you. Like halting beside an auto at a traffic signal, in a two-wheeler, for exactly half the reason given above – plus the sinking realization that your feet are too close to the auto driver’s face.
Like getting a call from your office on a Sunday evening, saying something’s not turned in yet – coupled with the nagging feeling you had all of Sunday, that you’ve really not turned that thing in yet.
Like the fact that SRK actually went to IIPM to host a quiz. Coupled with the fact that IIPM is not even THE No.1 among the ‘dumbest-richest’ combos we have in the country.
Like when the sweet-corn soup at your locality Woodland Hotel tastes like the chef added a pinch of sugar to it. And like the look the waiter gives you when you ask him if they added sugar – ‘Duh, of course we do, that’s what ‘sweet’ means.’
And this one takes the cake, or rather, the double-chocolate Subway cookie - like the fact that I find Ram Charan Tej extremely hot, but my friend actually wonders if he’s younger than me.
More later... and till then,
Cheers:)
Because there are many things in life that bring about a feeling of dread. Like Pakistan letting its terrorists loose. Like Deepika Padukone’s resemblance to an extrasolar alien in the BSNL ads. Actually, like the BSNL ads.
Like Deepika Padukone’s age advantage – which means she’s going to hang around till my kids ban TV and internet in their houses because their kids have to study for CAT.
Like driving a two-wheeler by the side of a bus, not sure if you’re the next landing point for casual projectile oral activity by short-sighted travelers – and not even knowing whether it’s spit or vomit that will land on you. Like halting beside an auto at a traffic signal, in a two-wheeler, for exactly half the reason given above – plus the sinking realization that your feet are too close to the auto driver’s face.
Like getting a call from your office on a Sunday evening, saying something’s not turned in yet – coupled with the nagging feeling you had all of Sunday, that you’ve really not turned that thing in yet.
Like the fact that SRK actually went to IIPM to host a quiz. Coupled with the fact that IIPM is not even THE No.1 among the ‘dumbest-richest’ combos we have in the country.
Like when the sweet-corn soup at your locality Woodland Hotel tastes like the chef added a pinch of sugar to it. And like the look the waiter gives you when you ask him if they added sugar – ‘Duh, of course we do, that’s what ‘sweet’ means.’
And this one takes the cake, or rather, the double-chocolate Subway cookie - like the fact that I find Ram Charan Tej extremely hot, but my friend actually wonders if he’s younger than me.
More later... and till then,
Cheers:)
Monday, June 29, 2009
market & junction
Labels:
This and that
1. Chintalbasti is so Discovery Channel-types India. The gali that i take to office is so pathetic - not even a hundred metre stretch can be survived by my Activa. Then, the fantastic sense of hygiene around. There's a temple here, outside of which sit some 2 dozen vegetable vendors, and their seating stops a little before the public toilet complex. Outside the public toilet, there is a huge dustbin, and in this backdrop sit a dozen fish and meat vendors. Man.
But on one of the days of the week there's this santha, and parts of the road can be quite charming. of course, only to watch, and not to smell, since the road keeps breaking out into mutton shops here and there.
2. Comparing this with a GVK One would be just the kind of thing a jobless blogger would do. Hence i won't. I'll instead crib about GVK One, too - the parking there sucks. To find out why, just try taking a two-wheeler there. Have never felt so lonely while parking a vehicle, dammit!
3. I always wonder about beggars - what's the right thing to do when a beggar comes to you? Dad never turned away a (incapacitated) beggar, and mom never believes in giving to one. So when i'm approached, i have no clue what to do. I personally don't give, only because it seems the right thing to do, and not because i firmly believe in some principles and all - it's just what i've seen being done that's all. but i never really knew why my mom hates giving to them. From time to time, you hear about this mafia thingie, so that must be the funda, i guessed some time back. And today I watched this Telugu movie called Junction today, so you be rest assured i'll never give alms to a beggar at a cross-road again.
I was once ripped off outside an ATM, when i fell for the 'hum bade shahar mein naye aaye hain' schtick. otherwise begging people usually succeed in letting loose a wave of guilt in me, reminding me of my bestiality and some undeservedness of life. come to think of it, most things in my life do!
4. Speaking about mafia, my bro and i had a nervous laugh some time back over maid mafia (the existence of which almost threatened to topple my household chore system before we quickly found a God-sent replacement for a particularly feisty 'itna paisa mein itna eech milenga' type of woman), bandi mafia (the pushcart guys too have it apparently) etc etc.
ok then, more later.
But on one of the days of the week there's this santha, and parts of the road can be quite charming. of course, only to watch, and not to smell, since the road keeps breaking out into mutton shops here and there.
2. Comparing this with a GVK One would be just the kind of thing a jobless blogger would do. Hence i won't. I'll instead crib about GVK One, too - the parking there sucks. To find out why, just try taking a two-wheeler there. Have never felt so lonely while parking a vehicle, dammit!
3. I always wonder about beggars - what's the right thing to do when a beggar comes to you? Dad never turned away a (incapacitated) beggar, and mom never believes in giving to one. So when i'm approached, i have no clue what to do. I personally don't give, only because it seems the right thing to do, and not because i firmly believe in some principles and all - it's just what i've seen being done that's all. but i never really knew why my mom hates giving to them. From time to time, you hear about this mafia thingie, so that must be the funda, i guessed some time back. And today I watched this Telugu movie called Junction today, so you be rest assured i'll never give alms to a beggar at a cross-road again.
I was once ripped off outside an ATM, when i fell for the 'hum bade shahar mein naye aaye hain' schtick. otherwise begging people usually succeed in letting loose a wave of guilt in me, reminding me of my bestiality and some undeservedness of life. come to think of it, most things in my life do!
4. Speaking about mafia, my bro and i had a nervous laugh some time back over maid mafia (the existence of which almost threatened to topple my household chore system before we quickly found a God-sent replacement for a particularly feisty 'itna paisa mein itna eech milenga' type of woman), bandi mafia (the pushcart guys too have it apparently) etc etc.
ok then, more later.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
nothing
Labels:
This and that
1. It was unusually hot today. the 'tiring' hot rather than 'blazing' hot. i never even stepped out of my office, or even my seat (and no, we don't have A/C :) )but i kept getting exhausted n all and kept taking 5 min to shut my eyes and switch off. Whew. And to think on Monday I was perfectly energetic!
2. Why is the world (me included) not tolerant of stupidity? We either get irritated with slow people, or make fun of them.
3. Yesterday I was cursing NRIs for making special appearances at their own siblings' weddings, and for making their entire lives as well as the lives of their families revolve around 'visa stampings'. I could go on, but want to refrain from making this blog a spiteful bile-centre :)
4. I love the new Voda ads !! (the animated ones)
5. I had whined a lot in my earlier post. To set things straight, things at work are really picking up :) On most fronts...
6. Freida Pinto is the most overrated woman of this century. Vanity Fair?? Please!
2. Why is the world (me included) not tolerant of stupidity? We either get irritated with slow people, or make fun of them.
3. Yesterday I was cursing NRIs for making special appearances at their own siblings' weddings, and for making their entire lives as well as the lives of their families revolve around 'visa stampings'. I could go on, but want to refrain from making this blog a spiteful bile-centre :)
4. I love the new Voda ads !! (the animated ones)
5. I had whined a lot in my earlier post. To set things straight, things at work are really picking up :) On most fronts...
6. Freida Pinto is the most overrated woman of this century. Vanity Fair?? Please!
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