Intelligentle

And now the 28th 28..

2012-01-31T17:45:00.002+05:30

Yes, I completed 28 years on this good old planet on January 28, 2012. Its been a good learning experience over the last 10200+ days, through ups and downs.

There is something funny about January, I have three birthdays on this month. One is according to the regional (Malayalam) calendar, one is according to my official birth date, 26th Jan, because my dad was so particular about his 'republic day baby' :) and finally the original one. When I was home, I used to celebrate the regional calendar birthday, when I was away it was the date and the during the official birthday, I usually get a birthday mail from the HR department. However, this time I celebrated two birthdays, one in Bangalore with my wife and second one in Kerala with the entire family.

'Chasing the dreams'

So what's the big deal about 28? I see this as a benchmark age for me, though I had told that I have no plans to grow up, but it's a fact that I'm growing old. I have to move closer to my dreams by leveraging the aforesaid learning over the last 28 years. I need to do something for my loved ones everyday, I need to take care of my body and mind, I need to be thankful for the blessings I have and above all I need to be the ultimate 'me' that I want to be. For me, life is all about living it once in the best possible way, I think it's time to chase my dreams :)

My thanks to the friends who still tolerate me, my mom and dad who always support me, my brother who is still my little boy and my soul mate who always makes sure that I am happy and make me feel blessed. And God, you are just awesome!

The prelude is almost over, now it's show time.

Photo courtesy: Brett Jordan's photostream on Flickr.com

The rush to zero

2012-01-20T14:16:00.000+05:30

I was on my way to work, view was fixed on the road and the brain was randomly jumping from one topic to another. Suddenly the wallet, that small guy with a big appetite, called me by name and asked for a refill. I stopped my bike next to one of those money wending machine; those moronic creature who made the process of emptying our bank account faster.

There were two automated teller machines and two people, which made me the third person in an imaginary queue. As I waited, I noted that this ATM is on a higher altitude with respect to the road. Though I was impatient to resume my journey to office, I observed a different perspective of people driving, just like I do. They were not driving or riding, it was a mad race to reach the office.

'slow down a bit and appreciate the beauty of life'

Hundreds of bikes, cars and other vehicles were rushing towards their destination, and it was not even 8 in the morning. They were trying to beat signals and was moving faster to get ahead of the vehicle in front of them. At that moment, I was amazed to realize that unknowingly I am also a part of this. I rush everyday to office and hardly look at the people who share the road with me, leave alone getting time to enjoy the long ride.

As I write this blog, I'm taking some time to think about this rush, a little digressed from the routine. Though going to work and coming back is a necessity, why wouldn't I do it a little slow? Why would I speed up just to reach work, even if I am ahead of the schedule? Why can't I enjoy a slow ride to and from work? And moreover, why would not I take some time to appreciate the beauty and value of things and people around?

I have forgot when was the last time I enjoyed the beauty of sky, I don't listen to music as I used to and I have to complete reading a book, which is long pending. I have decided to slow down a bit and appreciate the beauty of life. Rushing to nothingness would be a point of no return after a certain point. There is a reason why there are full stops, commas and colons in writing, we also need them in life, as and when it requires.

Photo: Brimspark, sxc.hu

Leveling up

2012-01-12T18:05:00.000+05:30

Gamers, anyone? I'm sure a lot of them are out there, including me. So you know something called 'level up', which is the fun part of any game. Once you complete all levels and finish the game, the excitement ends there. So leveling up is the reason why we play the game well and if we play good enough we expect to level up.

Leveling up cannot be confined to games, I guess it's an essential part of life too. From a toddler to a teenager, from a student to an employee, from a bachelor to a parent, we level up in different ways. But sometimes we give in to status quo, we think that we are a mere character in the game and not the gamer. We do not care about leveling up anymore and wait someone else to level you up. As it progresses we try to cling to our comfort zone and then get conditioned to this.
So how important in leveling up for the humanity? Very. We had to move from bullock carts to air travels, from abacus to super computers and the list is endless. When we observe the progress of the world, we see that someone has done something new at some point of time. This is not just about entrepreneurs or other big names in various fields, just observe a random person you know who brought in a change to your company. He shifted the paradigm, and that is leveling up.

Conditioning is the enemy of leveling up, you can submit yourself to the environment and it takes only minimal effort to do that. But then changing the environment and taking it to the next level takes effort, but it changes things forever and for good. I personally dislike status quo, even if everything looks fine. As the world evolves and the technology progresses, there is always a room for improvement. I don't believe that anything is complete, unless it expires completely. So leveling up is an ongoing process for me, never stop at a point unless it's an enforced requirement. And being normal is not normal.

Next level is always awesome, though it's tough. Game on.

Photo courtesy: Stock photo by cienpies, sxc.hu

Fiction

2012-01-09T17:58:00.000+05:30

He was not nameless, but he does not have a name in this story. After all, why a faceless person should have a name? So, can a nameless and faceless person have a story? Fortunately yes, he had a name and face before this story started, but he first lost his face and then the name.

Just like me who writes this story or you, who read this, he also began his apprenticeship as a kid on this planet. As a kid, he enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the 80's and he was loved equally by mother and mother nature. He was scared of the little thing which talked back to him in different familiar voices and he was astonished to see how people got in to the small box in the living room. For a good part of his childhood, he was more friends with his dad's bike than anything else.

At school, everyday was a surprise, mostly bad as he always forgot one or other homework. Some teachers thought that he is cute and some others as a waste of their time and energy. He was not friends with everyone, but whoever was a friend of him then, remained a friend.

Someone with an above average IQ, he managed his grades to progress his way up and then he turned to an ugly teenager, according to him. I know ugly is a relative term and I hate to call someone so and as this is his story, I have to do justice to him. School was more of a peer pressure centre and he was confused between an adult and a kid, while a lot of his counterparts has already adapted an adult's life. He couldn't stand smoke, somehow he did not like the idea of drinking for fun and was too shy to hit on girls. So, barring a few sympathisers, he was a loner among the 'wild' teenagers.

His mom always wanted him to graduate from that top engineering school, so he got in to one. He tried to mix up with the world outside his own world, he pretended that life is 'cool' but deep inside, he knew that the kid who was excited to touch his dad's bike is still alive and as long as he is alive, he cannot pretend to catch up with the fast paced world. He was not an introvert, he just did not have a lot of people to talk his heart out.

With a lot of struggle and more conditioned to conditioning, he became an engineer. He was not happy that he survived four year in the college. Realizing that survival would now be an everyday issue in lieu of the hectic pay pack offered during the campus placement, made him further disappointed.

All this while, the real world was waiting outside for him. He looked around, 11 year old with mobile phones, 12 year old with boyfriends, 13 year old kids with drug addiction and 15 year and pregnant all around.

Oh, there is no twist and turns in this story, it is as straight as an Utopian dog's tail. Our nameless protagonist took up that job, wishing that he would make the planet a beautiful place, some day.

In a world made of bricks of fake, he had to fake smiles and happiness. In the process of keeping everyone happy, he lost his face and had to wear a mask of satisfaction. The faceless man is somewhere, sitting in front of his computer and wishing that he could make the the world will be a better place, some day.

I know, this fiction belongs to you and me.
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http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1018608

Welcome aboard 2012

2012-01-06T17:32:00.000+05:30

So, we are in to the second week of 2012 and it's good for me, so far. For me a new year is nothing but just another metric for time. I usually do not have new year resolutions nor have any plans of getting better. But the night of 31st is normally a happy one, or we keep it that way. Whenever I was home with my family, we (me and my brother) put on loud music and wait for the clock to strike 12'O clock. That was fun for us, permission to put on loud music at midnight, talk endlessly about the things we like.

And then, I had to leave home as it was destined and I have learnt to welcome years without my type of 'celebrations'. However this year I had a sweet surprise and it turned out to be one of the best new years I ever had. In a nut shell, the future, which turned quickly in to present (as Calvin told) and then to past, showed me some ups and downs only to leave me stronger and more optimistic.

We all have gone through good and bad times, and reached here at 2012, three cheers to the humanity. I welcome 2012 and wish everyone health, happiness and good appraisals this year ;)

I'll be here with my scribblings.

2011 and some not-so-random thoughts

2011-12-28T10:34:00.006+05:30

2011 is leaving, waving me good bye and honestly, I'm going to miss it badly. As time progresses, the thumb rule of the universe works; things change. Things change for good and/or bad, but however optimistic I'm trying to be a huge percentage of people are getting worse, especially in the way they co-exist with fellow human beings.

This observation is not just a passing remark, nor superficial. Sometimes I feel that we do not deserve this beautiful planet, and we should not waste time searching for aliens, we ARE the aliens. I am not trying to be the angel here, but at least I'm trying to live in a mutually supportive world. Be it my home, work place or public road, I am not trying to be the emperor. I depend on help, support and kindness of a lot of people in day to day life and it is not going to change even if I reach the ultimate position in my career or life.

Humility and helpfulness are taken for granted almost everywhere. If you do an odd job for a colleague because it was extremely urgent, he might sideline you as an assistant from then. On the other hand, I have and had colleagues who treated me as an equal regardless of their high status in the hierarchy. If you stop at a signal and some non-law abiding 'citizen' wants to pass the red signal, he will honk as if it is the end of the world. And if you give him some space, he will smash on your rear view mirror, grin at you, and go. If you trust a friend as your alter ego, all you get back might be a messed up life. If you buy something expensive for your home, paid the money in advance and the delivery was scheduled later, rest assured, you will have to cry, beg and shout for your stuff later on.

I know that the world is not fair and get used to it long back. But my point is, it was better. There were people who stopped for kids to cross the road, there were people who waited at the red signal even when there was no cop, there were guys who appreciated the beauty of girls and not letch at them (there IS a difference), there were kids who loved small gifts and chocolates, unlike these ones. And there was a bigger population who really valued the goodness of the world and the people in it.

I wanted to write something exciting to bid adieu to 2011, but honestly concerns always take over excitement.

2011, you were good, in all probability better than your successor 2012. Personally, I got a transfer as I wished in 2011, I owned a vehicle of my own, a home which I can call mine and above all I find my partner for life, the very best I could ever ask for.

Things could get better, or at least I will stay as I am which is the least I could do :)
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Picture courtesy: Photostream of jma.work on Flickr

Philanthropy- The love for humanity

2011-11-14T14:22:00.007+05:30

Almost all 'ism's are playing with our heart, mind, fantasies and even practicalities for years. To make it a little clear I will give a simple example. I have seen people wearing Che Guvera t-shirts and other merchandise with Che's picture to express the revolutionary 'within' them. Really? Isn't it stupid to think that a Michael Schumacher t-shirt makes me a good formula 1 racer? Yes, you can come up with another argument telling that this is one of the ways in which you show respect to your icon. If Che was a sport or movie star as in the Schumacher scenario, I would've easily fallen for that argument. The man stood for a greater principle and cause, he was not an entertainer. Dear teenage revolutionary, if you want to know a bit about Che, I would recommend to watch The motorcycle diaries. If you want to respect Che, fight within your limits against inequality and poverty, wearing a t-shirt or cap is profitable ONLY to the vendors who sell them.

Oh by the way, there is Che store itself, beat that, now the great man has been sold across counters.

So my point is, all these 'ism's were relevant at one point of time or another but now some of them are obsolete and irrelevant. We have live examples of how some of these 'ism's spoiled an entire economy or a community in India itself, where some of the states lag far behind others in terms of industrialisation and urbanization. For example, communism was the need of the hour in Kerala when feudalists were exploiting financially and socially weak population. Ten and thousands of martyrs spilled blood for the cause, regardless of cast, community or their financial status and thus established a democratic Kerala. For not to digress from the main objective of this blog post, let us just think about how relevant it is in current social and political scenario, especially in a state like Kerala. We had communism when we needed it, now all we need is a strong ruling party and a better opposition, regardless of the 'ism' they follow.

I came across this article on Somalia some days back. 'Depressed' will be an understatement of my mindset after reading it. Though various countries are willing and trying to help Somalia, certain insurgent groups are preventing the western aids to come in. Result? Thousands of helpless and innocent people are starving and suffering from various epidemics. And no 'ism' is there to save any of them, terrorism overpowers all other 'ism's there, which is plain sad.

But except for such scenarios, where the basic amenities are forcibly denied, we have an alternative now.

Welcome to the world of philanthropy.

Simply put philanthropy is the love for humanity. But now the word has vast connotations, which mostly involves understanding the needs of a community or a society than just donating money or resources to them. I would define philanthropy as the heart of your bank account, business profitability etc. I am sure most of us know what it is and how it works, but the awareness lacks in terms of the relevance.

Capitalism is one of the most abused words of modern times. Yes, I am going to talk about another 'ism' but in no way that I'm going to support it blindly. True that capitalism brings in cut throat competition, monopolies and 'inequality' in the society in terms of distribution of money. But think about it, if someone works hard to get on top and compete with equals to stay there or move ahead, how far you can term it as unethical? If there is financial inequality in a society like India, mostly it is because of the attitude, perspective, intellectual advancement and above all willingness to work, of a particular individual. You can't sit back at the comfort at the home and ask for financial equality. Go out, work hard and earn the cake.

Though I have a lot of arguments in favor of entrepreneurship, which in turn will take us to the topic of Capitalism, I would like to stick to the soul purpose of this blog post, philanthropy.

Entrepreneurs like Melinda&Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Azim Premji have donated billions of dollars to support various causes besides providing jobs for thousands of people. Though I have given only prominent name of some entrepreneurs here, people from almost all field of works are in to philanthropic activities nowadays. And those activities, in turn, are helping to build a better world slowly, but surely.

I personally believe that there should be a bigger cause for every business, other than profit making/providing jobs and philanthropy is the best possible option. As far as India is concerned, currently we are benefiting from foreign philanthropists as well as Indian ones. However, there is still a big gap between the proportion of these aids and the issues that we are facing, the issues are still on the higher end. This blog post can be seen as an appeal to the young entrepreneurs and likewise in India, to look in to the possibility of supporting fellow citizens as the business profitability increases.

Live for a cause which will leave a mark in the world.

The day of 11s

2011-11-11T11:23:00.006+05:30

Today is 11-11-11 and in just over two hours* it will be 11-11-11, 11:11:11. Oh yes, I'm not here to state obvious, cliche facts. This is about two dreams shaping up, slowly but surely. The kind of dreams a lot of people see and forget when they wake up.

I have started dreaming some 8 years back, during graduation and slowly it started shaping up, taking a deviation whenever there is an obstacle, but working towards it constantly. Initially the dream was my energy, my reason for survival and my momentum. But now I live for it, that dream is safe in my hand just like a heart which still beats but needs a body to survive.

But this post is not about my dream, this is of another big dream which has the same birth place but with a different trajectory. When a good percentage of the boys of his age are concerned about having a bike, latest fashion outfits or a girlfriend, the owner of this dream had a bigger concern. And he made me a proud brother by chasing the dream and making it a reality. By the time I finish this blog post, the dream will not anymore be a dream.

The orange cloud is up in the air, a dream has taken shape and realized. Cloud orange is already launched and I wish it will grow in to a huge cloud that pours rain of dreams for millions to follow.

Congrats to the team of enthusiasts- Varunjith, Sajin, Akhil and Nithin (Tuttu). All the best guys, great work done!

Image courtesy: www.streamorange.com
* I started writing this post by 9 am and published it by 11.23 am

The life list

2011-11-10T10:22:00.005+05:30

There are two major things about life I have learnt over the last 27 years:
1) You don't make life, it happens. You can still mould it to some extent.
2) Whatever happens in life, good or bad, the end result will always be a lesson. You might still miss it.

And these points made me think about creating a life list of mine. As usual these are just experiences and are not foolproof. When all the doors and windows are closed (or crashed), this might help someone. Some of these points are genuine and some I retain from some early readings or conversations.

Life is not as complicated as philosophers and modern intellectual says. When someone says life is complicated, understand they are making a living out of this hype.
On the other hand, of course, we can make life complicated if we want. As everything else in the world, it's just a matter of choice.
Peer pressure is farce. You do not have to do anything just because everyone else does.
When you are sad, talk to someone who is really close to you. If there is no one near you, pick up the phone!
When you are happy, be with the people you would like to be and share the happiness. If there is no one near you, put on the music, go for a walk and have nice food.
For me, it's inevitable to have a big dream. A dream which is built around thousands of other dreams, without which each day is dull like stuck behind a slow driver
Get married when you are ready for it. It is a bliss to spend your life with the right person.
On the contrary, never be in love or get married just for the sake of that. Again, peer pressure is farce.
Respect is 90% mutual and 10% commanded.
Love almost all human beings (you know who you shouldn't), trust a few.
Do your work in a swift manner, with precision and sincerity. These are the three factors which make you a preferable employee.
Work is a support tool of life, life should never be a support tool of work. This is very important
Spend as much as time possible with the people/person you love.
Eat more vegetarian food, it keeps you light. I was a hardcore non-vegetarian most of my life and can vouch for it.
Drink a lot of water, everyday. It reduces fatigue, especially if you sit in front of a laptop/computer for the most part of a day.
Be emotional, but try to channel it positively. For instance to chase your dreams and not to shout at someone (I'm trying, trying, trying....!!)
Talk to your first friends circle at least once in a month, there is no substitute for them.
Be faithful to those who trust you, treachery is as good as death.
Cook and eat tasty food, especially in good company :)
Travel as much as possible.
Above all, never hate you for who you are. You can tweak you, add new features, eliminate some but never never hate yourself.
Cry, when you feel like. "Man doesn't cry" is another farce.
As someone rightly said, anger is an effective tool. If you use it at the right moment, to the right person, in the right amount, which we often fail to do.
Live the life you want. Sometimes you'll have to slow down and some other times you'll have to pace up. But try to reach the star you eyed :)
Politeness and niceness are widely taken for granted. Be nice, not nicer.
Be authoritative when you need to but do not confuse between authority and arrogance.

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Image courtesy- Bertvthul's upload on sxc

Note: This blog is dedicated to my wife Smitha who inspires me to write :)

I'm feeling lucky

2011-09-07T18:05:00.001+05:30

What do you need most when you have cold and slight fever with occassional cough? Obviously, for a person who works in a far away city, home is the best treatment. Fortunately my 'annual cold & fever fair' came with my opportunity to come home for two days. So here till tomorrow evening with my mom, dad and brother and then board a bus to bangalore again.

In the last two weeks, I have visited three of the four (so called) South Indian states, except for Andhrapradesh. And I love all these three states for three different reasons. I like Karnataka for Bangalore and my coporate communications team there, like Tamil Nadu because my better half is there and Kerala, because here is where I belong to.

With less than 60 days to go for my wedding and some other unconfirmed happiness expected , I look forward to an exciting time ahead. I hereby click the 'I'm feeling lucky now' button of Google search and the keyword entered is 'happiness' :)

My moon :)

2011-05-15T21:55:00.003+05:30

I remember my childhood, when almost everything was a wonder. The rain, the smell of soil when it rained, the press button umbrella, the school van, the music in it, LED lights, telephone, the stereo set...the list can go on and on. So one of my prominent childhood wonders was the moon, who often changed her shape and size, who dominated the sky on some nights and timidly hid behind clouds on some other day.

She was beautiful and for the little me, the best thing about her was she followed wherever I went. Yes, when I walked in the night, holding my mom's hand, I used to look up to make sure that the moon is with me. A good friend she was and as I grew up I forgot her friendship, i loved the rain more and then music and then my laptop. But yeah, I missed the company once in a while and when I looked up she was still there, through my teenage till yesterday night.

So though she is still there, I'm not dedicating this blog to the moon up in the sky. If why is the question, the answer is that I got a moon of my own now and we officially exchanged rings last month :) This moon is going to be with me for the whole life and and she is an amazing person to be with. Her name is Smitha and I declare her as my official moon, rainbow, raindrop and everything beautiful in my life.

The wait was worth all the way :)

Image courtesy: c@rljones photostream on Flickr

'THE' Wednesday

2011-03-30T11:59:00.001+05:30

Obviously you know what it would be about, yes the big match today. Normally Wednesdays are like the half finished medicine bottles when you are ill; you know that you are getting well by the end of it but you still have to go through the torture and finish half of it. But this Wednesday, excitement is in the air, as India confronts our neighbour Pakistan in another head-on sporting battle. As we know, India-Pakistan matches are normally considered as the mother of all cricket matches and when it is the semi final match of World Cup, it acts as a natural pacemaker.

Just like anyone else, I want Team India to win and it will be extremely delightful to watch Sachin and the boys (don't expect Dhoni and boys from me!) beating Pakistan in this spectacle. But let us keep it in a level where we can see it as a game, with pure sportsman spirit. Yes, I will be sad if anything goes against India in this game, but then we can try and avoid comparisons to terrorist attacks, the so called holy wars etc. The scaling and comparison of such things to the game is certainly negative in both ways; it brings down the dignity of the game and underestimate the greater evils. I personally do not like the uncalled for aggression of some Pakistani players and condemn the extremist acts of some people from that country. But hey! 'some' is the keyword here, I do not hate the country and everyone there!

So let us really hope us to win this match, with cake on the icing- Sachin's century (icing on the cake is passe here) and go to the finals. Let me try and keep the colour of my blood blue for the time being and stay away from red. Three cheers for cricket, three cheers for true sportsman spirit and 3+1 cheers for the man, Sachin Tendulkar.

Tonight we'll dine at Mohali!!

Add some color!

2011-03-26T13:18:00.008+05:30

Yesterday night, I was planning to write about my childhood as it was really memorable (in a way); at least for my parents. I kept it on hold as some other incident made me think about an entirely different issue.

Last week, I went out looking for a mobile handsfree and stepped in to a shop. And there I met a boy who was trying to help me out with my shopping requirement. He was hardly 12 and looked skinny but energetic. As the salesman, he was working really hard, trying to help out one customer after another. When stepped out of the shop, I felt a little bad and thought about somehow informing this to some child welfare organization, as it is a clear case of child labour. Then again some other scenarios that I came across in the past, stopped me thinking any further. Read on;

Scenario 1
Last year, for almost three months, I was staying at a guest house in Bangalore. There were 2-3 guys to take care of the occupants and among them there was a kid of 12-13 years age. He used to dress up well and do some not-so-hard chores in the guest house. He was looking healthy and happy, so even then I felt that I should report it as child labour, I refrained. And I think the reasons are quite obvious; he can't afford education for some reason (money/will), at least he has a good job compared to the all other jobs out there, safe from child abusers.

However when I went to the guest house after a month's time, he was not there. I asked the other caretakers about him and they told me that some occupant complained about child labour and he is no more there. If he was really fortunate in finding a job he will be working as a hotel cleaner or as a building labourer now. I do not even want to think about the other alternative, which I'm going to explain in scenario 2.

Scenario 2
This happened at the Jakkasandra bus stop in Bangalore, by 9.30 am. Time and place are really important here. I was waiting for my bus to the Bangalore airport and as Murphy is very much fond of me, the bus got late by 40 minutes. So as I mentioned in my earlier posts, I was observing people there too. Things were looking fine, till I found out something weird about the little boy of 11-12 years of age and the man, who were sitting with him at the bus stop. The boy was dark in complexion and the guy was exceptionally fair, which was unplesantly suspicious for me. To my utter dismay, I realized that the guy was not keeping the child close to him because of paternal love or anything like that! I really do not want to explain what was going on and was not sure what to do then. Then the only thing i could think about is to act like a police constable or something, staring at him and pretending like talking on phone to someone. As I started doing this, he stopped what he was doing and sat in a normal position. I realized that my trick is working and continued till the boy left and he jumped in to a bus and escaped! The bus-stop was kind of crowded and there were a lot of people, where this guy was courageous enough to do such an atrocious act. Very clearly, the boy was with him for money, which is the saddest part.

After witnessing this incident I think twice before thinking about reporting child labour, especially with the one who is like the kid in scenario 1 or the one I mentioned in the beginning of the story. Of course, they also deserve better life, better education and a better future. But considering the second scenario, I prefer that kid to work in a safe environment.

Our children, who are the future and only hope of India, are lost in the streets. They are exploited by criminal pedophiles and these kids fall in to an non-returnable trap. Personally, I am really concerned about this scenario and I will try to do (even now trying to some extent) everything possible to help out the kids who are abandoned in the street.

The grown ups are spoiling our country (leaving the minority) and only children can make a difference. They are not exposed to the conditioning disease and hence they have dreams, which we might call impossible. So instead of setting the wrong role models and being not responsive to the people who take away colors from their life, let us do something. At least let us think of doing of something for them in future, when we will be capable of doing.

Add some color to their life, that's the best that we can do! I will.

Image from Flickr

Contentment is the new full stop

2011-03-19T14:07:00.007+05:30

Saturdays give me deeper shades of blues than Mondays. On Saturdays, my Sametime chat list is almost inactive as the corporate office has a 'proper' weekend off and a lot of guys in the Nasik office take an off too. But this Saturday is slightly different with a lot of personal and professional jobs to finish. However when you feel like writing something, you have to do it. There is no way out or in and obviously there is no two ways about it.

Let me digress from Saturdays and writing, I want to tell you about something else. As I mentioned in some of my earlier posts, I did not write to influence, inspire or insult. But, if this inspires someone or at least encourage them to think a little more, I'm more than happy :)
Ok, so I go to the office canteen for lunch during office days and I go alone as;

I get hungry by 12.30 and the scheduled time is 1.00
I do not have a team here to go with
I prefer to finish the lunch fast without much chattering in between
I spend some quality time with me, thinking about a lot things. No distractions in the form of internet, computer, phone and the food is not great enough to distract ;)
I can observe people, which is a part-time job of mine

So, the last two points are very much relevant to the blog post. When I think, I think about a lot of things which are general, individual and stupid, like;

How can I break the monotony of this life?
Am I going to have lunch in one or other corporate food courts/canteens for the rest of my life?
Can I support at least one person who has lesser privileges?
Shall I call up my fiancee after lunch or would she be busy?
Can't I be a serious person if I try, oh wait, why should I be another boring one?

Some make sense and some, as usual, don't. Then I look around people and see happy faces, cracking jokes, sharing food and interestingly contented. Some guys give me a look which says, "why the heck this guy is sitting alone and eating away to glory". Some others are more sympathetic and looks like "poor chap, no friends". And most of them do not care about my existence, which in turn makes my Sherlock work easier.
So as I walk back after lunch I could catch a glance of the entire canteen, sort of bird's eye perspective of it. I see contentment reflects on a lot of faces and they are happy about where they are and how they are. They all work from 8.30-5 (or more), have lunch with colleagues, go back home, spend some time with family, sleep, come back to office next day and the cycle repeats. So someone like me; goes to office, of course feels blessed about having a job, work like everyone else from 8.30 to 5 (or more), have lunch alone and (mis)use that time to think and observe, go back home, spend some time on internet and phone, sleep and the cycle repeats.

As you can clearly see the only difference here is the time I spend everyday with me, during lunch. And, I firmly believe that those few minutes are going to make me standout from the crowd. Contentment is dangerous, contentment is limitation and contentment makes you sit in a corner while that one in a hundred moves ahead. Statu quo is the easiest and the most boring thing to be with, to get over it you have to think about advancement, the next step. Think not just in terms of a promotion or salary hike, but in a wider perspective. Unless you think about these you will be happily living a normal life, which is quite fine with the majority. And here we have a chance to standout from the majority, do it! Happiness is a better alternative, go for it and stay away from contentment, it kills progress.

These two advertisements influenced me a lot and I'm sure a lot of us have already seen them 'n' times. Watch them again and again, till you are out of monotony!

Ciao! :)

I dislike this

2011-02-26T16:49:00.061+05:30

Forewarning: Facebook has not introduced a dislike button yet and this post is in no way related to that.

So, I thought of listing out my dislikes, primarily for my information and importantly, for others too. Though I am aware about 'Advaita' doctrine, as a not-so-enlightened human being, I frankly don't like everything and everyone around me. Though there are other things I dislike, the following is a list of things/people which I do not like under any circumstances.

People without original thoughts, I appreciate original thoughts even if they are crude
Talking while eating
Hypocrisy
Smoke (all kind of them, especially cigarette)
Regionalists
Religious extremists
The sound of rubbing on balloons (close me inside a room, do this, you'll get a dead me)
Wannabes; who really don't know what they wanna be!
'ma' for my, 'kewl' for cool, 'wot' for what, ni8 for night etc. I read gr8 as G, R and 8.
Airtel mobile (contradictorily I use one)
Lack of modesty/humility
People who think that everyone else is a damned fool (e.g: one of my acquaintances commented on one of my FB statuses like this: '‎one semicolon free with every bottle of Harpic' and then he pings and tells me, 'harpic was a compliment - 'disinfectant''| dear mr intellectual i know that by Harpic you meant crap. don't dork me, please )
People who copy/steal ideas (quotes, notes, music..whatever!) and publish as theirs (please get a life, or at least try to)
Food which is not visually appealing, especially green dishes
People who do not respect other individuals' dignity, including kids and ladies.
Shared auto-rickshwas
Incomprehensible articles/stories/notes
Extremely tragic/grossly violent movies
People who send hoax emails, news etc., before googling and verifying the authenticity of them
Missing deadlines
Shouting at me without any reason
Sentences likeeee thissssssssssss (thanks to Hamsini Ravi for reminding this)
And this: 'Hi, how are you doing?'| lolllzzzz, nm, ssup der?| not much work|ROFLMAO!!!| excuse me, i'm offline! (thanks to Pranav for this reminder)
Spitting in public places (ultimate yuck!)
A non-empty spam folder

This list might have some more additions, as and when I remember my dislikes ;)

Picture courtesy: Flickr

Shame on us!

2011-02-12T19:02:00.005+05:30

I don't use this blog for moral enlightening or generalization, just because it is more of a virtual scribbling pad for me. But, at times, you have to divert from the usual, especially when you start feeling like trash to be a part of certain civilization.

Let me make it very clear, for the past few years I am really ashamed to be known as an Indian man! Yes some of my counterparts from various parts of the country are such lowlife creatures, just because they don't know how to respect women. Some of us must be thinking now, "I have not done anything to question the dignity of women, so why should it bother me?" Think over it, you might have witnessed a 50 year old trying to touch a 9th standard student in the grossest manner in a bus? Well I witnessed once, and my knee bone went down on his head like a thunder and all I had to do was to look ignorant while he was staring angrily.

We all witness such incidents and do nothing, everyday. I understand that it is mostly the fear for your life or the famous 'let-it-go' attitude of Indians. If it's a guy who look like a thug, even I might not do anything as I am not (well) trained for a counterattack. But if it is a scenario as I mentioned above, we can respond and most of us, never do!

Approximately two weeks back, in Kerala, a girl was going home for her engagement, was pushed out of the train by a criminal and raped brutally after breaking her head with a boulder and making her unconscious. She succumbed to the injuries later. Though the compartment was deserted, people in the nearby compartment who heard the noise, never bothered to stop the train. It was more or less evident that something wrong was going on in the compartment, but no one wanted to reach home late and comfortably ignored a girl who would never see her dear ones again! How can I even remotely be proud to be a part of such a community? No, you can't justify yourself by telling that the culprit was a criminal as you all were not alone in the train.

I used to think high of my country, as a place of natural beauty, reasonable economic growth and moreover a place where we respect women, Indian or foreign. But I am sure we are not going anywhere, unless and until we become a responsive society. From street thugs to high ranked police officers are living examples of such crimes and asking to raise the punishment bar to death.

You will see again a 40+ man desperately trying to do these things to a lady/girl in the local bus or train, please respond so that someone else will raise the voice for your sister or daughter. After all, if you don't know yet, life has a strange way of getting back to you. Respect, respond and let live.

27-teen

2011-01-29T14:03:00.006+05:30

In my last b'day post also, I mentioned that I have no intention to grow up, whatsoever! I stick to my word and I will. Though a lot changed since then, they happened mostly for good.
27, as a number, has nothing special to claim like I mentioned in my blogpost; but me at 27, can create a lot of special moments during the upcoming 365 days till 28 and guess what, I already started creating special moments :)

This b'day was comparatively a lonely one, except for the phone calls and FB messages which made my day. And I can't thank enough for all the calls which made me feel really special, along with the twitter and FB wishes. For some reason or for no reason, I was really happy during the entire day, despite of the loneliness factor (blah! loneliness is over rated)

26 to 27 was a real roller coaster ride; from daily classes to daily office, from Pune to Nasik, from a zero to 0.1, above all from me to a better me.

So what will it be like in 28, as a beliver, I think only God knows! But again, I would be having some points in my mind? Of course, like a little more will-power, a better spiritual consciousness, a better physique, some more smiles to cheer me up everyday, more time with family and friends, faster completion of official tasks, less hatred-more payback, better health for everyone who I care for, closer to my dreams. More or less, this list sums up everything I want to be in the next one year.

Thanks to everyone for being there, over years, admitting my flaws as a person, appreciating my positives. I get a feeling that this life is getting better with years.

And finally thank God for this gift of life, though it is supposed to accumulate Karma points, I wouldn't mind coming back again :) But make me a human being next time too, or a bird. God are you reading this?

Picture courtesy: Flickr

Dream dreams no one else can see

2011-01-18T16:28:00.005+05:30

I usually do not write blog posts back to back, major reason being laziness. However today I am feeling a major 'work-block' which is not usual and can be attributed to any or all of the following reasons;

I had a very bad sleep yesterday night, which resulted in the ongoing fatigue
I have finished almost all works (say 90%) which looked like a heap last week
I am a little too excited about the things happening in my life

So I thought of dealing this 'work-block' with 'writers'-flow'.

I listen to Bryan Adam's 'On a day like today' at least once in a day and I love the first two lines most

"Free is all you gotta be
Dream dreams no one else can see"

These two lines are becoming the catch words of my life, they symbolise me, my dreams, my future, in short me as a person. I am not trying to tell that I dream one in a billion dreams or not that I am free. But I am one of those people who think that I can see a genuine dream some time which can liberate at least a few hundred people, may be a million! A dream which enable them to live without begging for government funds or political mercy, a dream where thousands of kids get their education and food properly without fearing paedophilics, a dream where India has lesser number of slums and criminals, a dream where each person can support another through a employer-employee relationship, a dream which is relentless and support other dreams to realise.

Lets wait for that dream, I will be here till it happen, as young as now.

20I(and)I

2011-01-14T16:19:00.011+05:30

I have this strange habit of connecting each year to one or other lucky signs of mine, especially for the last three years and the ongoing one. For example my lucky number is supposedly '1', as my birthday is 28th (2+8=10; 1+0=1) and my self-proclaimed lucky numbers are 111 and 11, in that order. So 2008 was obviously my lucky year, 2009 was also, 2010 because it has a 10 and likewise for 2011 (duh! i'm not going to add numbers here). Personally it can mean either of the following two deductions or both;
1) I am losing my mind
2) I am becoming a die hard optimist
Both ways I am happy ;)
Well, what happened over the last, so called, three lucky years of mine? Looking back, there are a lot of obvious changes and not-so-obvious ones, let me try and list some!

Three years back, I would not have written a blog like THIS (THIS-Language, style, tone)
Food- 'Almost' a vegetarian from a hardcore non-veg, completely gave up meat for the last one year and when I go home I eat fish, just can't help it sometimes!
I was a graduate with a journalism PG diploma then, now I have the,...wait for it...tralala!, MBA tag :D
I had only two best friends then, now I have four :)
I was one introvert and innocent Malayali boy, well now lets just say I am the same :P
I had a 2000 rupees MP3 player with apple written on it and my friends used to call it Mango Ipod, now I have an iPod touch (*evil grin*)
I had half ownership of two desktop computers then, now I have two laptops at my disposal
My dressing sense: Used to wear shirt and pants (tugged in only) and t-shirts with collar, extended my fashion wings to embrace Jeans, collarless t-shirts, kurthas, authentic Kerala mundus and ..err!! no, that's all.
I could see and talk to my parents and brother every night, now it is once in three months
Kochi and Kottayam were my world, by 2010 I have covered over 6 states in India ( a lot more to go)
I had a Nokia N 70, now I have a Nokia C6 (Loyalty is the best policy)
I think I put on at least 7-8 kilogram weight in my lucky years and this mostly happened in 2010
Annual English movie consumption was one or two, now it is at least 5-6 per month
I was not aware of the words such as diplomacy, double-faced, hypocrite, joint, WASSUP!, sup!, wadup, convergence, proxy, live in, pensive shrink, coconaughty, pal/folk/mate ~~censored, censored, censored, censored~~ and ~~censored~~ (FYI, I censored them myself)
I had two bikes and a car at my disposal now I have a lot of buses and ricks
I had ONLY seen flights flying over my head then; I got in to some (say some 20+) in last nine months
I was not married, well damn, even now I am not married, big deal! geniuses get married late or never get married (e.g. Bill Gates, Issac Newton, Spiderman, Donald Duck etc.)

Well, I can go on and on and on with this list, but I stop here, for a lot of obvious and not-so-obvious reasons!

PS: If some parts of this blog post sound like show off, it certainly is.

Popularitchy

2010-11-11T11:15:00.000+05:30

"The green beer hashes onomatopoeia in the urge. Ailurophile fails after onomatopoeia. Will the expertise offend around onomatopoeia? The wonder renders the ruler. Ailurophile destroys the dirt next to the sober tone. How does onomatopoeia struggle after Ailurophile?"

Before cursing me, or yelling "WTF!!" at me for writing the above paragraph I solely disown any connection with it except for finding 'Ailurophile' and 'onomatopoeia' from a site and putting it here.

We have seen blogs/books/notes etc., which makes no sense but only noise and ultimately disgust through such style of writing (if I can call them so!). According to me, we basically write for two objectives; 1) To express oneself and to share it with a close group of people 2) To impress; mostly to appeal external audience, but the author derives some kind of satisfaction through his work, as people read, understand and enjoy it. There is a third type which is a mix of both, but ultimately falls in to any of the above categories according to the quality of writing.

So, the blogs which resemble the first paragraph of this blog post are basically orphans; they are supposed to impress readers, but as they do not communicate anything particular to them, they are left alone as weird scribbling. They might get response ONLY from people who feel that they are useless if they don't pretend to understand such intricacies. And it just serves the purpose of 'popularitchy' of the writer, as popularity is positive, I guess!

When I analyze my blog posts, yes they are not read by masses, simply because they are not supposed to read by a lot of people as of now. I write for me, it's more of expressive kind and not to impress anyone. I don't write to inspire anyone, I don't write to make the world a better place and I don't ever write to modify human behaviour, except mine. If something good or bad happened/going to happen out of this blog that is purely unintentional and coincidental.

‘Popularitchy’ is a medical condition which needs treatment, if left untreated it can be a serious illness like psoriasis or eczema. Only self realization can save popularitchy seekers!

Thanks: To my friend Pranav Karnad for the 'random paragraph generator' link.

Despicable me

2010-10-04T16:19:00.000+05:30

Obviously, I don't mean it literally but I too want to steal the moon someday and I will :) [there goes my noseless smiley]

So, is that the only connection between the main character and me? Perhaps no, I empathized with Gru, each moment he was on the screen. He was the super villain, the heroic villain, the cute villain, the loveable villain, the sweet dad villain...err I'm not saying that I'm any of these but of course, we have a lot in common.
Now you my dearest reader shall ask, ('dearest', because you are one of the very few who destined to read this blog) "You guys have a lot in common, like what?"
hmmm...like;

The dream of getting (call it stealing, if required) the moon one day
Rutheless against the worthless/nerd/heartless villain vector aka victor (Oh boy!, you got a superhero friend :P)
I got my own army of cute minions (not as much as Gru has, but at least 4-5)
Rejections/insults faced (not from banks though)
The love for kids
Last, but not at all the least, some goodness in our heart, which is sometimes a vulnerable point, but as the movie says, will be a long time refuge for you, me and the world.

I have not enjoyed a movie like this for years, each and every moment of it. Even if someone thinks that i'm despicable, I have my own group of minions and three cute kids with me always. Such a soothing thought!

Later :)

Fire in the freezer!

2010-07-08T15:52:00.000+05:30

Initially, I thought I would update my blog after the upcoming Saturday, because it will be, most probably, a special day for me regardless of the outcome. Then again, why should I wait for a happy /sad/neutral event to keep my writers flow happening? Saturday’s story will be published sooner or later, according to the outcome of the event, but I must keep going now.

So today I’m talking about the extremes, even if it is not so evident from the title. By extremes I mean extremes within a human being, don’t know how many of us can pick up the idea of experiencing extremes in themselves. Here, I am not talking about little mood swings but extreme emotions, feelings and thoughts which can change the world, both ways.

Here I am trying to figure out what all are the possible extremes seen in human beings, according to my personal bit of research, assumptions and some books I have read. For instance, someone might realize the presence of intense energy inside but when it comes to something sensitive, even like a touching movie scene, shall make them cry. I would call them Type 1 people who are good at heart and have good potential, but will be taken aback by minor setbacks and they’ll give extreme importance to human values, even in a situation when it is not really needed. Here the extremes are just like fire in a freezer, either the fire will put off itself or the freezer will burn!

The second type can control emotions, they won’t let both the extremes to control them and they prefer to lead a, assumedly, happy and peaceful life. I think a huge percentage of human beings are either designed or conditioned to be like this. The Type 2 are usually followers and non-risk takers.

Now the third type knows that they are powerful and weak, but they try to overcome the weakness by exerting more negativity in their activities and thus completely become unemotional later on. They leverage the power to maximum extent and condition themselves to be insensitive to their other extreme which cares for fellow living beings.

Type Four is more or less a Utopian concept, but there are people who try to reach that level and most of them achieve greatness (even when they try). They know who they are and how to make use of the energy deep within. They are aware of the intense energy deep within, about their sensitive side which in turn can turn them weak and also about how bad they can be as situation demands. They try to make a perfect blend of these traits in order to achieve personal greatness, to make a better world and to crush their enemies. They change the world for good and the Type 4 human beings, in course of time, emerge as great opponents for Type 3.

PS: Each and every thought presented here is original and in no way anyone is supposed to believe this concept. I personally believe that barring the 95% of ordinary men, acts of remaining 5%, which include Type 3 and Type 4, will be decisive in the world’s course in future. As the rule of cause and effect always proved, Type 4 should triumph over Type 3 for a better world.

Isolation

2010-03-06T23:27:00.000+05:30

That's the psychology behind imprisonment, isolation is the greatest punishment any living being can get. Being separated from rest of the society is worse than dead. Though we proudly consider man as a 'social animal', I don't think that even animals can have an isolated life, applicable to most of them. The desire to be heard, recognized and get response from others are basic human needs. Social networking sites like Orkut or Facebook, works and thrives on this psychology.

Barring the people who live behind the bars, we all can spend time with friends, loving family and we also succumb to a lot of material possessions. But sometimes, amidst of all these love, laughter and celebrations we suddenly lose ourselves. Everything, the loving friends, dazzling parties and ravishing girlfriend, becomes alien concepts.

Everything appears to be fake then, there will be no sense of belonging and you will feel totally isolated from the rest. The state of nothingness will be so haunting then and you will feel like going for a long journey leaving everything behind, just like a free fall. I don't know if Gautama Buddha felt the same, but yes it is divine if you can remain detached with the material world for a long time. But, alas, we human beings get up next morning thinking what to achieve or who to flirt with! Of course, the positive side cannot be ignored, to chase your bigger dreams, to support the needy, you have to be back on track. This is the way the universe works and it should be like that, to maintain the equilibrium of life. To take a break and think about the meaninglessness of glittery relationships and celebrations. But sooner you will be back, you have to be.

As Bhagavad Gita says ""Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani"

(you have the right to perform your prescribed action,but don't expect anything in return for your action.

Never consider yourself as the cause of the results of your activities and always do your duty.)

PS: Lets expect some results and do our prescribed actions :)

Public Relations talent pool

2010-03-03T08:13:00.000+05:30

Wikipedia says;

'Public relations (PR) is a profession with varying definitions because of its many functions and the differentiating perceptions held by its practitioners^[1] and the public'

But the MBA (PR) batch of 2010 of SIMC believes that there is a lot more to bookish definitions when it comes to public relations/corporate communication/events or a lot another related areas. As Wikipedia says, it cannot be defined in a single sentence and confined in to a nutshell. Ranging from media tracking to marketing communications, we are here to cater to a wide range of employers.

We have come up with a viral video which will give you an idea about the batch and what are our areas of interest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xcZNFk0IVc

The second video is built around a theme which highlights the different aspects of SIMC as a brand and college, it is named as 'Journey through SIMC'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAga92QHb3Y&feature=related

Watch both the videos and expecting your honest feedback on the same.

1411 is a shocking number!

2010-02-10T10:11:00.000+05:30

The first question on this regard would be, "Why are you advocating tiger conservation?" But unfortunately 'why' is of least importance here and 'how' takes toll on us! With only 1411 tigers left in India we don't have much time left to stop and think about relevance of 'Save Tiger' campaign.

Yet, the objective of this blog post is to increase awareness about the importance of 'tiger conservation'. Though I knew that the reducing number of tigers is an underlying issue, never thought of it so seriously, till the number 1411 hit me like a bolt from the blue. How can we be so casual about an extincting species which happened to be our national animal also?!

According to WWF, at the beginning of 20th century, India had an estimated population of 40,000 tigers. By 2002, the number drastically came down to 3,642. As per National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India, we are left with 1,411 tigers only. Which is much more than just a shocking news to be forgotten soon.

A leading mobile service provider has started a 'Save tiger' campaign which added momentum to the entire movement. On the upcoming Valentine's day, Tiger conservation advocates from various cities will come together to discuss and derive solutions. Paste the below link in your browser for details http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=stripey&init=quick#!/topic.php?uid=316470889745&topic=12443

In addition to this viral videos and pictures are available in saveourtigers.com. Download them and post in your Facebook and/or Orkut profiles. You can also visit World Wide Fund for Nature official website www.wwfindia.org and Save the tiger Fund official website http://www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home1 for more details.

What we can do would be very little, but as old saying goes little drops make an ocean. And we need an ocean of huge tides to save tigers from poachers, skin traders, leisure hunters etc. According to WWF and Save Tiger Ffunds, we can possibly and practically follow the following steps to save the Big Cats;

Spread the word: Word of mouth is the most efficient and targeted tool of communication nowadays. Join forums, existing sites, blog, take up the campaign in social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut.

Responsibility as a tourist: Don't pollute the environment by littering and thereby disturb the wildlife. Also inform concerned authority in case you witness poaching or on information of poaching cases.

Write to Policy makers: If we can take it to the next step by corresponding with Government bodies and other authorities, yes, that would surely make a big difference.

Informing the nearest police station: If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife. You can also contact TRAFFIC- an organisation fighting the powerful poachers and pass on the information to them. http://www.traffic.org/

Reducing pressure on natural resources: By reducing the use of products derived from forests, such as timber and paper.

Apparently 26. Perpertually 20

2010-01-30T15:35:00.002+05:30

Unlike last time, this is not a birthday blog. This one is a kind of memory retrieval and thanksgiving based on the fact that by the end of two years (2008 July to 2010 Feb) I learnt life in a better way, I came across cold blooded people, warm ones and people pretending to be either of two. Some turned to be visible enemies for life time (yes I believe in that concept ;)) and a lot of acquaintances and yes a very few friends as such. In Lavale, I learnt the words 'hypocrite' and 'hypocrisy' in a 360degree manner (communication college parlance, phew!) and learnt how to deal with hypocrites in an improved manner, for that I launched 'The all new Midhun', a hypocritical one for them only.

Anyways some of these things should be confessed and some other things must be expressed. I don't believe in keeping love or anger inside heart and bursting it off, sooner or later. So can't help writing this blogpost. Lets see how will it progress. I'm writing it in the reverse chronological order so as not to miss any recent events.

1) 26th birthday: Yeah finally 26, conceptually I stopped growing up long back, mentally and physically, but logically it happens every day. Thanks to everyone for each and every kick and the cake-coating as I'm going to miss it next year. Special thanks for the gifts, though I'm not taking the names as these friends are very close to me, I cant help showing off my b'day gifts to the world. I got two tee shirts of my life time, one beautiful coffee cup, one amazing chocolate and one exceptional, sweetness 'cardified' greeting card :)

2) The Sunglasses trip: As a matter of fact and as a custom I lost my old pair of sunglasses mysteriously and I had to buy a new one. I'm in love with my new goggles now, but over and above that I just loved the trip back to Lavale Hills. It was chilling cold and we were racing somewhere near 120 km/hour for 10-15 minutes on a Pulsar 180. It was an exceptional bike ride, one of a kind!

3) Evening chats with Sajna, Sneha & Nitin and short and nice musical session with Sajna, was more than relaxing and entertaining. Cheers to the mallu bonding ;) and thanks for being there :)

4) Trip Back home (December end): That refreshed me to the core. No place like home and no group like family. Love you all.

5) Internship: With stipend, with good work and yes with a super cool co-intern from my batch who turned out to be a reliable friend- Thanks Neha for being there :) Internship will not be complete without mentioning Sayantani, Amrita and Rahat.

6) Train trip to Kerala in general compartment: The crude realities of life in a nut shell, fight in the train and subsequent and inevitable death. Talks with Shiv, the young philosopher who reminded me a lot many things about life in general.

7) Times spent with Vinu & Abhijith: Will miss you both more once 'm back home.

8) Special thanks to these people: Prasanth, Salman aka Anoop, Anoop Sathyan, Anoop Kurian, Rejil Krishnan, Sujith aka Biju Kuttan, Sreenath aka Kannan, Elis and Gayatri.

Disclaimer 1: I'm not planning to grow or grow up anymore. Whatsoever it is!

Disclaimer 2: You think i'm marketing 'Disclaimers' here?! ;)

My list of needs, wants, desires and greeds

2009-12-23T02:05:00.000+05:30

Prelude: I am happy with whatever I have now; I've trained myself to enjoy the smallest pleasures in life, like having a chocolate or riding a bike. I don’t believe in cribbing about shortcomings- physical, mental or material.

But quoting ‘Die another day’ lyrics, 'no one ever died from wanting too much' ;) This list is very personal in nature, it doesn't represent my bigger dreams either (business, to be specific).

Visit almost all countries in the world (Switzerland specifically)
Collection of Swatch and Q&Q watches
Collection of sun glasses (not brand specific, but especially Aviator glasses)
A Tata Safari (Black)
Any or all of these cars- Mercedes Benz (S or M class), BMW and/or Acura RSX
Any or all of these Bikes- One Sports (GSX 100), Bullet and/or RX 100 (or similar two stroke bike)
A honeymoon trip to Wayanad during monsoons, (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vaa1l50ECbQ/Sd0FaQgqc9I/AAAAAAAAABo/PNhM9sOp2R8/s1600-h/10.jpg) then to Kashmir
To meet these people- Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Sachin Tendulkar, A R Rahman and Sharukh Khan
Walking in the rain with music on whenever I feel like
A single storey, but large house with at least 4000+ square yards space for garden and other amenities.
Twin girl kids :)
Good reserve of high quality cashew nut, red wine and chocolate at home
Music, wherever I go (possible I think, trying to implement even now)
A Jack Russell Terrier and an Elephant as pets (as a matter of fact any loyal dog will do;))
Internet connectivity, anywhere, anytime (even now I am connected almost all the time, through phone or laptop, but I need a better system)
A good pair of roller skates (or my mom should give my old ones back!)
A private jet or chopper (even a Boeing would do)
At least 2-3 acres of rubber plantation in Kanjirappally, Kottayam, Kerala, India.
A trip to Manasarovar
Pilgrimage to Mookambika Temple- One of my priorities
Education- CFP, French Diploma and M.Sc Physics, if possible a Graduation in Law
Learning these musical instruments- Guitar and Drums, Drums being my most favourite.

The Conspiracy theory of universe

2009-11-28T23:13:00.000+05:30

We have been hearing this for long that the entire universe conspires to help our burning desires/dreams come true, if it is burning deep within your heart. Of course, the intensity of the desire inside is not the same for different individuals, but it is definite that the threshold level is same for the entire universe to act upon it.

No, these all are not mere theories I read up somewhere or derivatives of my imagination. Real life experiences, that’s what I care and share here. At least some of you know my life is revolving around a dream called Mpower. Though I’m not so sure about the trajectory or orbit of this rotation as of now, I know I’m going to reach that destination soon and going to be a part of it. It’s not just a business or money making idea for me, but the vision is targeting to achieve some noble objectives. Obviously I have individual interests in it, but I’m keeping the larger picture really huge, which I would explain later through lesser words and more of deed.

Now coming back to the world I’m living in right now, to be precise a fraction of the universe called Pune, I feel that I started living my dreams. Yes, I feel like the universe started conspiring for me. Four weeks back I was looking for an internship, mostly in financial services (as I have work experience in the sector) or automobile industry (my specific area of interest). But when my attempts became sterile, I wanted to get in SOME company for the sake of doing my internship, as I had already gone through a lot of troubles by that time. But God’s ways are way strange for human beings to envisage, I got my internship fixed with SEFORGE, which is an arm of Suzlon Energy and more surprisingly with a stipend!

But more than the pleasing work atmosphere or stipend, what surprised me is that, the dominant universal power is very specific in his manners. This company (SEFORGE) is B2B business and they have automobile specific products too, which is exactly how my business plan starts with (See mpowercorporation.co.nr for details). I did a lot of research on different B2B marketing and communication techniques here, which otherwise I would not have done. I realize that I’m getting closer to my dreams, and this internship is just a reminder and also an opportunity, to sharpen my skills. Now I’m working on my business plan and intensified the BTL communication activities, especially through social media. B2B, Yes I’m living it!

Incidentally, I would like to express my gratitude for the 23 members in my Facebook page for Mpower and another 21 in Twitter. But, as far as Mpower values are concerned, expression of gratefulness must be beyond mere words and hence I’m delighted to announce that the first 28 members in the community (Facebook) will be the first stakeholders of the company when Mpower goes public, for their support even during the conceptulisation process of the company. Though the concept of going public (IPO) will take some time, we will reach that point surely. Mpower is built on a concept of empowering the society, not the investors alone.

Also, during this term, I could finish reading a lot of books that I wanted to read for long, Think & Grow Rich, The Monk who sold his Ferrari, Seven Habits of highly effective People, Wings of Fire to name a few.

With the help of that ultimate power that I call God, we, as a collective group, will turn these dreams to realities for a better tomorrow and for a better world. I hope the universe will continue conspiring for me and my counterparts will continue supporting me in achieving this mission.

Intelli(Gent)le?

2009-08-13T22:39:00.002+05:30

Should it be either intelligent or gentle? It hurts sometime to be gentle when you need to be tough in all sense and some other time intelligence is a curse, to spot out and analyse things which need not be dug deeper.

Yes, I'm like this by default and honestly I don't want to change much. I cry when I feel like, I laugh out loud when I'm high; I sing, I dance and I do things as my heart says ;) But one bad/good thing about me is that I can't show a smiling face and keep hatred deep within, if i have something in my mind, no matter it disturbs me or make me merry, I'll blurt out. There won't be any intelligence or gentleness, it might be as crude as that. I don't believe in 'strategical tactics' when it comes to relationships.

You may wonder, why I'm scribbling all these non sense. Simply put, this is the dilemma I've been going through for the last one month. I've to compromise on intelligence as well as gentleness just because of interference of some external forces (that's how I would call them, as they're just alien concepts for me). I have to smile at them, I have to talk to them diplomatically and alas, the end result is that I'm going to bed with a heavy heart and dysfunctional brain! Now it is high time, I'm getting over this temporary adjustment phase and back to being normal 'me'.

Surprised me!

2009-06-03T15:25:00.000+05:30

28th January 2009, the day I celebrated the silver jubilee of my life, I saw this film ‘Wall street’, rather I had to see it, as it was included in the daily schedule. In the film, the main character approaches the multimillionaire business man Gekko on his birthday with a new business idea. After hearing the youngster’s new business idea, the lukewarm response of Gekko was like this; ‘It’s my birthday, surprise me’. The character resembles me in one sense or other, which I would like to publish later as a separate post.

This blog post is dedicated to all who made my birthday a big SURPRISE! The party started at 12 in the midnight with cake cutting followed by birthday bumps, water splashes and moreover, a lot of delight. I’ve undergone severe torture like dozens of kick and a consecutive and merciless compulsory bath in the midnight. Still I enjoyed those moments like never before and yes this was the first birthday were a lot my friends came together to wish and kick me! I would like thank to everyone especially Kedar, DB, Rejil, Surbhi, Preetjot, Rochelle, Aanchal, Sneha, Prateek, Sajna, Charul, Swapnil, Asopa, Sweta, Keerat, Greeshma, Tanya, Nazneen, Sushant, Arnab, Darpan, Nitin(s) etc etc. The day was something very special and yes people, you guys & girls surprised me!

I won’t ever forget the birthday bumps gifted by Kedar and DB on the way back after my treat. I will always the keep the shirt you people gifted me, if possible forever. A special thanks for Padma and Kedar for you know what :) Life is so beautiful with friends like you all. I hereby express gratitude from the bottom of my heart for making me happy and also for the unforgettable day, in all sense.

COREL-ation

2009-06-02T10:35:00.000+05:30

Disclaimer: My knowledge in CorelDraw is 'very' limited compared to photoshop still I'm posting my CorelDraw works just because I liked them ;)

BCG Matrix- For all boys!

2009-05-26T12:43:00.002+05:30

Background Information (Something serious but, must read and NOT FOR MBAs)
BCG: A simple tool for assessing a company's position relative to others. It is a 2X2 matrix plotting market share against market growth. BCG matrix categorises Strategic Business Units (SBUs) of a company in to cash cows, stars, problem children and dogs according to their market share and market growth. Now read on.. .So, with due respect to Boston Consultancy Group Matrix, MM, an aspiring entrepreneur came up with his own 'matrix' called MCG matrix (MM's Censorious Girl's Matrix) and it is as follows;
In this model we have four kinds of girls;
1) Cash Cows
2) Stars
3) Problem Babes
4)Dogs (B*****S)
Cash Cows: Consider them for marriage only, if you are so keen you can date them for 2-3 months but because of the higher market share there is a probability that some other entrepreneur will take over it. Cash Cows are, as the name indicates, usually rich, need not be beautiful. After the take over (marriage) we can use the assets of cash cows to attract..err invest in other beautiful girls.
Stars: They are the best of the lot ;) Stars spend for their boy friends and usually don't ask anything in return as they are from affluent parent companies . But, even if stars don't ask for gifts or treats, keep them happy by investing money from cash cows (after all they're cows). There is a probability/danger (according to your requirement) that stars could turn in to cash cows and to play the role of your best half, sooner or later.
Problem Babes: As the name clearly indicates, the cost of gifts and all would be comparatively higher for this kind. Usually Problem babes look attractive but there is a problem of take over and thereby loss. Suitable for short term relationships. Try investing some money from cash cows in problem babes to transform them to stars, if it is not happening, DIVEST!!
Dogs (B*****s): Don't even consider this option, more maintenance cost and no output. if you have one divest it as early as possible. Try to get the gifts back and invest in stars and problem babes!
PS: Crude form written as a comment for Rejil's coconaughty :)

Respect!

2009-02-04T01:27:00.000+05:30

These are lyrics of the song Kural from the album 'Connections' (A R Rahman) , I guess this song is inspired by thirukkural (a classic of couplets or Kurals (1330 rhyming Tamil couplets) or aphorisms celebrated by Tamilians) and the part mentioned in the song is 'porul' (realities of life). The Tamil lyrics go hand in hand with English verses and above all, the message conveyed is extraordinary. The most diminishing quality of generation X and Y, Self respect, is the main theme of this song... Read on

Fortune and fame don’t really matter,
Win this game. Respect, Respect.
If the honor of the self, the self does stain.
Respect. Respect.
And to do no wrong, And to do no bad.
With power and glory, What do they have?
Honor. Respect.
And in happy times, Bow down thy soul.
And when times are sad, Lift your heart for sure.
Respect. Respect.
And when dignity comes dropping dead,
It’s like the hair fallin’ off the head.
Honor. Respect.

Though small, like a berry seed, A deed, done so mean,
Diminishes respect, And makes the mighty man so weak.
And the gates to the land of God, Don’t open up, No, no.
So why follow men like those? Follow them no more!
And with honor to die, Is indeed a better price,
Than to follow them, who compromise.
Respect. Respect.
And without honor, Without dignity, There is no use of life to cure the body.
Respect. Respect. Respect.

And like the tears that die, when they hear them fall,
When respect is gone, people’d rather die, y’all.

And those who refuse to live, When dishonor prevails,
Are worshipped by all, In times, endless trails,
Respect! Respect! Respect!

You can hear this song by visiting this link, http://www.rahmanism.com/2008/12/connections-ar-rahman-new-non-film-work.html

My quotes !

2009-01-15T10:29:00.000+05:30

These are a number of quotes compiled over last 5-6 months and yes exclusively copyrighted by Midhun Murali ;)

Power is absolute, there is nothing called limited/partial power
I'm drawing my own boundaries, so that I can easily wipe them off!
If someone outdo u overnight, don't be surprised, they've been thinking about it for years. Trust me on this ;)
Shoot or stab from front, I don't mind, but if you stab from behind, for your good, make sure that I'm dead.
We're slaves to what we allow to dominate our lives
You are colour blind, you couldn’t see my colour.
I'm too sweet to consume.
I'm the only cause; I’m interested in that only.
When someone bluffs, I usually sit back, relax and enjoy. I like jokers
I like people underestimating me, honestly I’m enjoying it.
I'm 90% technical and rest mechanical.
New energy-mass relationship; E=MM^2 (MM squared)
Sorry if I walk past u, I need to walk faster.
You can’t derive my equation, it’s too complex.
Devils are nice, but don’t take it for granted, it’s a matter of our survival.
I don’t want to be a human being, I can’t be God or angel, so I become a DEVIL.
Survival is my birthright.
If it’s all destiny, I’m destined to win.
You= you-what you boast
Civility doesn’t come with a tag ‘Under all circumstances’

A Tribute to Team Kochi

2008-11-25T20:10:00.001+05:30

Footprints Kochi

Now that Footprints Kochi Chapter went off well and I thank all my team members who put in 101% effort to make it really BIG. It was a great learning experience for all of us and made a lot of mistakes too, but by the end of the day victory outdoes everything. As the team coordinator I would like to thank the following people;

The PG Team

Prakash: The creative head (literally) who came up with a bunch of fantabulous art works. Amazing stuff!

Kedar: The hardworking, spontaneous and intelligent budget head who added momentum to the entire team.

Nitin: The Impeccable diplomat (as far as tie ups and sponsorships are concerned), and copy writer, our little coco :)

Vinaya: The smart and skilful who guaranteed a number of press releases in frontline newspapers besides the remarkable support in sponsorship and colleg

e participation.

Rejil: The professional and efficient who was the guardian angel for the whole team.

Padma: The energetic enthusiastic who assured a good number of participation and also arranged our refuge on those days.

Siddesh: The man who was in the control panel of technical team on the D day and ensured the flawless execution of the same.

The UG Team

Thanks to Archana, Nikhita, Rishab and Athira who supported us in achieving this memorable victory. Well done sisters and brother. It would not be fair if I ignore Archana’s extra contribution in selling tickets and assisting Padma to a lot many schools.

18^th November 2008 was such a good day that none of us will ever

forget. Cheers Team Kochi.

I just came out !

2008-11-22T21:01:00.001+05:30

Last four months were action-packed. I intentionally used the word ‘action-packed’ and being an SIMCian, no one will ever refute that word/statement. From assignments to semester exams, from Chandus to AS, from Alumni meet to seniors’ placement, from Photo exhibition to its controversial follow up, froma coconaughty to class bunking case, from Photoshop to IP messenger, from crushes to crashes, I loved each and every moment. Looking back, there were instances like suspension for the folly of someone else. However, I repeat my fellow SIMCians, I was enjoying my life there. I was a little distracted for some reason or another but I never lost track and yeah, I’m overcoming that distraction in my life.

By the term enjoying I don’t mean I wasn’t missing my family or I wasn’t irritated by weird behaviour of some of our batch mates. But, I’m no more in my comfort zone and I’m a part of the ‘survival of fittest’ race, which I’ve been yearning for years. Yes, I’m on the track to my ultimate target and that is the single factor keeps me moving.

Coming back to my last four months I’m trying to recall the major happenings;

Orientation session in the Viman Nagar Campus

Class tests and self study tests

Screenings- a new experience

Voodoo doll case- Suspension

Natuism- Restricted creativity

Chandu Sirs classes- You explain him & vice versa

Independence day and the group songs

Onam day

In search of research- Srihari sir

Being a main character in coconaughty (Thanks Rejil :P)

Lost three room keys in a raw (I solely reaffirm that I’m a stupid)

Being with Darpan (Phew!! I spared you Kausik ;) )

Gave more emphasize on my photo blog and started two more blogs

Blissfully loveless :)

Footprints- Team Kochi formation

Semester Exams

A handful of good friends

I must have missed a lot many important things that happened during the last four months but editing is one of the facilities offered by the blogger, I’ll update accordingly.

Flash back: A number of footprints team coordinators waiting for a meeting with the Director. Suddenly Anupam Sir (our respectable Deputy Director) came in and asked me, “Oh Midhun, When did you come out of the blog??” and my response was “I just came out sir”. Yes, I just came out of all the mad rush, total mess, happiness, friendship etc etc. Now I’m going through tranquillity which helps me to be more focussed and thus plan the future that I dream and to get ready for the ultimate race.

Hast la Vista!

Photoshopping!!

2008-10-19T11:32:00.001+05:30

These creatives are made as a part of my photoshop internal assesments for the first sem, felt like uploading it. Here I'm unleashing my creativity :)

AOL and the Marketing Aspect

2008-10-12T22:52:00.001+05:30

Once again SIMC proved itself and started the second semester on the very next day after first semester exams. Ok, absolutely fine, we are equipped with all superhuman capabilities to cop up with these kind of situations. Now what is there in store for us- 'the lost in wildernesses'?

The workshop was announced at 8 am and fortunately I woke up at 7.40. As usual, a bit startled and puzzled I started my day, giving a pitiful glance to Darpan and Kausik who were still sleeping. Started with brushing, I finished all the early morning chores by 8.05. Rushing my way to the class I heard an unearthly voice from sky; ‘the classes will start at 9 am only’. God! you are so great, I looked at the sky to thank God, only to find Rejil’s D-Peck standing on the third floor.

The first workshop was my favourite topic ‘Marketing Management’. Though a bit sleepy, I enjoyed the whole session. Though there were complaints like it was a repetition of earlier marketing classes, I guess marketing is worth studying again & again.

Here comes the twist in the story. Till the day before AOL was America Online for me and suddenly it turned to ‘Art of Living’.

Fade in to Flashback:

Amma (My mom): You should control your short temper or your life will be a total mess.
Midhun: Amma, I don’t like advice
A: But you should attend some meditation courses to keep yourself calm.
M: I don’t believe in such things
A: I heard that ‘art of living’ is a good course for overall development of emotional stability.
M: I don’t believe in demigods (Still I don’t ;) )
A: Its not about a demigod, it is for you
M: Amma, you better stop or I’m going out
With love and prayer for son’s well being ‘Amma’ stops

Fade out
Now, it’s a matter of attendance, a part of 75%, cant help avoiding it. Attended four classes and till the date, what I gained is muscle pain on various parts of the body, learnt Ujjai 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 and Sudarshan kriya. Also I’m practising to do five kind deeds a day as a part of take home assignments.

On a serious note, till the date I don’t feel much psychological or spiritual change. I’m leaving the ‘course’ now as I’m returning home and I’ve to submit a lot many assignments before that. Thanks Mr. ‘Easily Irritable’ instructor and team.

My lesson: I learnt that 'marketing aspect' is important to everything including AOL, but dear Sree Sree sir, your package is not alluring for me. After continously breathing for 45 minutes to one hour it is obvious that everyone will feel some or other kind of weird feeling.So market the programme well, all the best for you.

I'm as kind as earlier, as loving and caring as earlier and I believe in my uniqueness.

Others refer this for further reading www.coconaughty.blogspot.com :)

PS: Five days and I’m coming home; no one knows how much I miss everything and everyone, as a matter of fact I never gave any clue about it, anywhere.

Here I am

2008-10-11T20:48:00.000+05:30

"It's a new world - it's a new start It's alive with the beating of young hearts"

I'm hearing this Bryan Adams song for the first time in my life,'Here I am', though it's been with me for such a long time. But what is the application here?? Today my semester exams got over. There are a lot of interpretations for that word 'semester'.

I've written a lot of yearly exams in my life and this, yup this is the first 'semester' exam of mine :)
And this exam is an element of one of my greatest dream; an MBA from one of the premium institute in India, now I'm in the best communication management college (in terms of PR specialisation) in India.
The first series of exams I wrote without (direct) blessings from my parents (I used to touch their feet and seek for blessing before each exam)
And finally, it was really tiresome, two exams a day and three exams today. The schedule for the last three month has been so hectic that I could'nt manage my time well (blame me only!)

Still I'm very happy that I'm approaching my dreams with that ultimate power's blessing and with the love and prayers of a lot many . Now I swear myself I'll upbeat and up to date as far as studies are concerned. Watch out friends...Here I am :)

Appu

2008-10-10T18:38:00.000+05:30

He was the cutest, was more charming than his female counterpart Paru. But a real man, always serious and complacent. What were you thinking sweetheart? What kept you preoccupied all the time? You were the cutest of all; no I'm not trying to cover up my folly by complimenting you more.

It all started on a chilling November morning. You seemed to be unusually tired and exhausted. I'm not narrating what you've gone through my dear, that was too much, I couldn’t help you much.

And one day, I was out with my friends and there was no one else in our home, (yes that was day after Karthika, celebrations all around for deity) and you and Paru were alone at home. When I came back you were standing beside the door, waiting for me (?). You know, how happy I was, seeing you recovering from the sufferings and waiting there looking at me??. I opened the door and you ran to me....fell on my lap...I gave you some drops of water and…. that was it...you were waiting for me for that last drops of water and then you left me forever.

It is more than three years now, but you were one of a kind. I don't want anyone to sympathise you, because you were a real man: serious, noble and matured.

Salutes my dear

Random Thoughts & Quotes

2008-10-09T16:10:00.000+05:30

Yes, i already have more than two blogs, but this is something different, entirely dedicated for 'me' ;) As the title indicates this virtual space is to scribble my personal thoughts & quotes. Random is the buzzword here. I want to break free whenever I feel like.

(Possible) FAQs

What will be the nature of posts?

Answer: According to my mood.

Are you really mad or just pretending like that?

Hmm...Yes..no...burp!

What are you doing?
Can I crack a PJ? (If not, I left my job to follow my wild dreams, if yes I'm keying-in useless data)

Where are you from?
The boy nextdoor, not an alien.

Age?
I'm deaf!

Why do you want to blog all these nonsense?
I just want to prove the world that i'm not as intelligent as you think.

PS: If you want to know anything more, better keep it with yourself, its me, THE IGNORAMUS :P