what went wrong

we start out by beating a million equally challenging odds

we grow up to be quivering fools overwhelmed with fear and self-doubt ready to give up at the mere imagination of difficulty

where did we go wrong on the way

wishful thinking

almost everyone who has let his heart run wild has seen this day. 

the day when you are made to feel insignificant because there is nothing you can do to make someone feel something about you if they don't want to. 

IT JUST DOESNOT WORK THAT WAY

maybe it is part of a process

maybe it is supposed to lead to something better someday

maybe we should all wake up

logical thinking be screwed

There is this guy I know from my last workplace.

Very friendly, knowledgeable and full of interesting stories.

His latest obsession is surfing.

He is not so young, and fat. Not the kind of shape that we expect surfers to be in.

Last time we talked about it, he could manage to sit up on the board as it lunged into the merciless waves.

He has a very long way to go.

But he does not let that stop him.

There is this spark in his eyes when he talks about surfing.

The kind of spark that is contagious.

The kind that reminds me of my next audacious plan.

Logical thinking ye be screwed royally.

Idle minds...

Had nothing to do on my flight back to Hyderabad. The gentleman on my left was a doc engrossed in some article on hepathology, which he reviewed in between bouts of sleep. The one on my right was more worried about the high price of airline food. So I took out my note and started drawing. Got me a few smiles from the air-hostess :-)

Work#2 - Smile

Work can be an irritating place

more so if we are struggling against odds

there will always be the unfair deadline, the unreasonable manager and the irritating colleague

It is ok to be pissed off

but it need not show on our face

we all look better grinning, like chimps :-)

work#1

Somehow sundays end faster than they should.

Come monday, and if you feel like the one being pushed in this pic 

maybe it is time you reevaluated your end of the job bargain

after all only one life to mess up

happy memories

let's accept it

nothing worth having in life comes gift-wrapped

nor with a guarantee clause either...

when we look back there are bound to be both disappointments and happy memories

it is upto us what we chose to remember

break free

there r so many things that we all want to be different

and most of us are flapping hard to break free from them

keep pulling

can hear them chains breaking

awake and alive

how often have we felt that itch of excitement which keeps us awake all night

that new idea or thing that has us thinking full volume

i have had many such nights

so had all of my insomniac friends

here it is dedicated to us night-wakers

to be awake is to be alive

rumi # 1

You have been walking the ocean's edge,

holding up your robes to keep them dry,

You must dive naked under,

and deeper under, a thousand times deeper.

by Rumi.

illusion and pain

for many of us the choice is already made

the illusion hurts less,

the illusion is understandable, and justifiable,

the illusion is accepted,

the pain on the other hand,

it hurts and it hurts,

and it makes them mock at us,

and no one will understand,

but it is a choice made not for us but by us

You can live the illusion or you can live with the pain

not so young, still stupid #2

we crave the extraordinary

we spend our lives longing for it

and when do we realize that we have finally got it?

the days when we are ordinary, must then be real sour ones.

better not to think about them too much..

uncertain hope

there is no telling what might be waiting at work for us everyday

there is competition, 

the nasty politics,

the unfair pressure...

and the slim chance of doing something interesting

but still i drive to office feeling an uncertain hope

and boy am i glad for it !!

not so young, still stupid #1

the irritation

the fights

the pain

the totally unnecessary pain!!

nothing makes us more vulnerable

still we look for an excuse to live through it, 

rather we shun all common sense and go hunting for it,

and we are supposed to be the intelligent species. DAMN!!

angel

There are two kinds of people in this world

the angels

the demons.

we don't know which we are

we don't know which we are capable of becoming

elevator pitch

coming soon: 

ELEVATOR PITCH

my first creation

watch this space for more

9to5

my colleagues work long hours

my boss works long hours

everybody in my unit works long hours

back when I was in b-school, 9-to-5 seemed like such a bad idea. 

how naive I was !

#Trust30 day1

Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph WaldoEmerson, Self-Reliance

This has been written about, discussed, debated endlessly.

Still, there is only one opinion that counts. 

Visit: http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/

#Trust30 day13

When good is near you, when you have life in yourself, it is not by any known or accustomed way; you shall not discern the foot-prints of any other; you shall not see the face of man; you shall not hear any name; the way, the thought, the good, shall be wholly strange and new. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

For all the smart ass plans I have for myself,

there is but one flaw in them.

They are all hatched to make the man that I am today happy.

But for sure I know I will change just as the weather changes.

Yet I keep digging.

Praying on the side to stumble upon happiness.

Visit http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/

#Trust30 day12

 I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will so trust that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Given where I started,

I am sometimes disappointed that I am here today.

Given the paths I took,

sometimes, I am amazed that I made it here today.

visit http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/

let go

The secret of life is letting go. 

The secret of love is letting it show.

credits - Ms. Nikita Goel

#Trust30 day6

Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

One thing always wanted to accomplish but never pursued whole-hearted. The art of losing oneself for another. The ultimate act of being bold.




visit http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/

hoping for a miracle

it is not possible to have lived an interesting life and not felt the fear

the feeling of "Oh God, I am in deep shit"

when nothing seems to be going one's way

when all one can do is wait

and hope.

i have had my days in troubled waters too

and was I glad when they were over.

this is a post to remind me that they will be back again,

and scare the shit out of me

and like last time, they won't last forever.

for those who are looking for that shore,

don't lose hope yet

roses

was able to come back early from office today

this happens so rarely, it felt like a luxury

spent the whole evening doing nothing but listening to songs on my laptop :-)

i know will be running the race all my life

there will be thorns

there will be roses 

must make sure to smell them on the way....

audacious

ride that monster truck

go buy that insanely sexy dress u r scared of wearing

whistle at that hottie

eat that full lobster

tell ur boss he is outdated

believe in the impossible

after all, only one life!!

Surrender

Many of my friends are having a really tough time at work, 

inhuman hours, unreasonable expectations, ever-demanding social circle. 

Pretty much as if our life has been taken over by some out-of-control living thing with an agenda of its own.

Lets just hope that the thing is our dream and not someone else's.

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hypnotised

whenever people (including me) irritated me with their absolute lack of reasoning,

i used to think they were acting stupid,

failing to see the big picture beyond the small facts.

I was wrong.

No one is stupid.

They are just clutching faithfully to the illusion they have accepted.

Kind of like hypnotism

Recently read Richard Bach's new book 'Hypnotizing Maria'.

He blatantly suggested that the whole world we live in made up of our beliefs

ever since we were born we have been educating ourselves of the limitations of everything, including us.

It is also possible to do the reverse, he claims,

to de-hypnotisze ourself

powerful tool if we can get it right,

to be able to believe that there is 'no spoon'.

dreams

If you can dream it, you can do it.

How often have we heard this, and maybe also willingly convinced ourselves to believe it.

Recently I got a chance to try bouldering. Was such an awesome experience that I immediately fell in love with the sport.

Ever since I have been dreaming to get more out of the sport, climb more often, work bigger rocks etc etc..

But quite often my dreams consciously drift over from actual climbing to preparing myself for the sport, like those pull-ups to improve my strength or those crazy balance exercises. Oddly though I never happen to have dreamed myself standing on the top of a big rock at the end of a climb, celebrating my moment of success.

Maybe that's what the whole idea behind dreaming our dreams is. Maybe one is not supposed to dream of the goal but the process that will make it happen. Maybe instead of goal-setting, path-setting is more natural for our minds...

mystery girl

I happened to work from a new workstation today. I found this picture in the drawer.

Although I know the person who drew this and most probably forgot to take it, I assumed for the sake of make-believe fantasy that this was left by some mysterious stranger with a definitive purpose. In the next few hours this picture became a clue to a treasure hunt, a Da Vinci Code kind of mystery and a Forbidden Kingdom kind of adventure saga... :-)

As I spent an idle afternoon in the office, living through my fantasy worlds, my life becomes a little easier.

Wonder what would mankind do without imagination, or creative expression for that matter.

cubicle wars#0

When I was in b-school i knew that the corporate world is a competitive place.

I was wrong. 'Competitive' doesn't even begin to describe it. I believe 'warzone' is a more accurate term.

Today's corporate executives are expected to bring every possible ammunition in the book to their work place. Be it brute force onslaught, technology driven advantages or stealth and secretive weaponry, all is fair in the battle for reward and recognition. And if appraisal is round the corner, we can expect things to definitely get ugly. After all, survival is at stake here.

In the IT industry, don't let the white collars, the harmless looking formal wear and the orderly sprawling cubicles fool us. It is a war out there, and survival is the prize..

opportunity

having recently joined a 'technology company' i sometimes feel overwhelmed by the jargons and the tech surrounding me, given IT is a new environment for me. but i have come to realise the importance of working on something more in pace with the market. and having joined a unit which provides me with such an opportunity, it is but natural to feel excited.
the opportunities and challenges are huge....so will be the dirt i will need to dig through to get to the treasure

black leather boots

fashion is often accused to be a purposeless addiction

i beg to disagree

fashion can serve some very crucial purposes

like 

keeping your mind engaged during an otherwise idle training lecture

dedicated to the lady in black leather boots

'among the many things that separate us human from animals

style might just be the most interesting'.

tattooed

this one is dedicated to one of many such impulsive moments, which leave a mark forever

and

to one of such impulsive people (sherry - who turned up despite a bad throat and sore eyes), with whom it is always so cool.

a peek into the awesome bombay life i had heard so much about,

company of a gorgeous and amazingly cool lady,

a hunt for the right tattoo joint,

a lingering taste of dhiraj's vada-pav and quality's chicken-mayone roll

an hour or more of an affair with the needle and ink

and i was left with one of those perfect days :-D

PS: if u r still wondering, be honest (truth), be adventurous (ride) and love with all you got (love). 

ambition

keep your eyes on a distance star

even if it seems much too far

step by step

day by day

do u think you can go all the way

but with courage, faith and good cheer

the goal comes near and near...

this one is dedicated to one of the most ambitious person i have ever known. we are all born with different degrees of abilities, but it is ambition that makes the difference. keep going dee, your precious dreams are not that far away :-)

night

the night is my kingdom
the stars my friends
jazz my companion
and the silence my love...

some nights are magical, some plain ruthless !

everest

this one is dedicated to one of my favourite storytellers - Hugh MacLeod

Once he narrated " Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb". http://gapingvoid.com/?s=everest (the part is after about 1/4th down the page) The idea kind of stuck with me. there has to be a reason to live other than paying the bills :-P

obviously it is supposed to be difficult

it is a no brainer to guess that we might encounter difficulties

but if we wanted the easy stuff

we would have stuck to being the single cell amoeba, or something as simple and pointless.

funny and romantic

in older times people had it a lot easier

they had stories like Romeo & Juliet to look up to.

also somehow, back then love was supposed to be enough.

but for a generation that grew up on santa & banta, and Yeh Dil Maange More,

the expectations have skyrocketed :(

luckily for us, there is the internet to google out jokes. LOL

originality

He swayed and he shined

like a minted fresh rupee,

Confident and charming

in his freshly crafted 3-piece,

He looked around to see

if his pretence had been noticed,

There are quite a few in the crowd

he thought he must have enticed,

Some were dazed with the spotlights

Some just didn't care,

What kind of person would want to THINK

amid all the glorious fanfare.

Suddenly heard was a voice

like a steel cold vice,

Its cut like a knife

through the illusion that was so nice,

Half mockery, half disgust

it lashed out with brutal truth,

"If i stripped away your fancy

what would you have left beneath?"

"Oh Shit!" he exclaimed, exposed and in panic

"I left my originality at home"

Fresh from a very recent stint doing sales,

I can but never undermine the importance of packaging.

But what irked me was how frequently presentation was made the sole focus,

often at the cost of the content.

I must admit I have done it myself many times

at B-school, at work, in real life.

But once in a while you come across someone who doesn't give a damn about the package.

That's when it feels like shit.

luv

maybe that is why romantic poems are so liked, coz they take you to an entirely different world 

one where each of us wants to be, but may not be able to

i guess there has to be a right time for everything too

but then historically human beings have not been very good at being logical

i guess that is what makes us human :-)

personally, i have always been a late starter

but then i have also been an optimistic :-)

so for all those out there still searching,

hang on buddies !

pegs

as part of the modern workforce, our role is supposedly to fit in and do our part

this makes us efficient and reliable

unfortunately for us, this also makes us replaceable !!

Are we a rounder peg for a round hole?

- Seth Godin

or have we found our edge(s)?

staying ahead of the curve

one of my friends was narrating his induction experiences in the new company he has joined..

apparently, the IT firm he has joined is the leader in their category.

this does provoke a question :

Is his future secure in the firm or does he become utterly dependent on it for growth with no bargaining ace up his sleeve?

while most professionals of my time will swear by the career growth that comes with a job switch, there still are a lot of people (mostly more experienced than me) who believe that the urge to look for a new job, even before one has stretched one's limits on the present one is but stupid.

In an isolated free market, the returns from our jobs would have been solely decided by our contributions to it and life would have been simple.

But in the presence of external factors like manpower shortfall and cockamamie HR policies the above questions haunts us executives every now and then.

cross roads

it is all about decisions

every now and then, we are being forced to choose

this shot is about what I and some of my friends might be faced with at this point of time..

one, can try to climb the steps - painfully and laboriously

two, make the jump - but that is RARE

three, exit the rodent race - go try to find meaning, purpose, freedom etc (whatever u r after)

four, settle - everybody survives (somehow)

most of us are unsure, many are not ready to face the choices yet, but choose we must, sooner than later

reunion

one of them: we feel so nostalgic to be standing in these halls again...

my friend: hope they give me a job

me: i don't have a good CV, how should i pitch

attempted planning

me: i don't want a future where i don't see good money and freedom

my good friend: hmmm... yeah anyway i always felt MR was not really your forte

me: i think money makes everything right, i don't really care what i am selling as long as i am working for myself

my good friend: hmmm... i see u r thinking a lot...