The Excitement
Finally, I managed to make that trip back home.Although it meant traveling more than 200 kms in less than 48 hours, it was absolutely worth it.Sleeping in your own room, the bed,the table and the comfort of knowing that your parents are around to take care of you. Its nice to be a child like the good old times, totally care-free from every day problems and having the right not to act responsibly for a couple of days.
I get so nostalgic about the place where I grew up and studied. Everytime, I am home I religiously make the trip around my school compound on my two wheeler.Those 15 seconds take me back to my school days--my class rooms. the music room,assembly area and sports ground. I always do this part alone. It seems there is a small part of me that I have left behind those school walls that makes me visit the place everytime.
After 18 months of becoming an Uncle, I saw my nephew for the first time on video.Now I know, what I have been missing for the last year and half. I guess I am the only one or two people in the extended family who hasn't seen the baby. My plans of visiting my sister on my way back from Australia last year went up in smoke when the client booked my tickets via Bangkok. When she was in India in the end of 2008 on a blink and you will miss trip of 4 days, I was in Goa on assignment. The wait continues and I just hope my sister and I somehow are able to work out a plan that will be immune of project deadlines,leave commitments and now the swine flu.
My last day in the city,most of the masks are off the road :).There are people dying but it seems the scare has ben controlled.My next destination-- Bangalore-- where I guess things have just started to heat up.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
On the Road-Part 2
The Intensity
In between all this mayhem, I managed to work on a challenging project. But the best part of the day was the commute. I made it a point to talk to the drivers during my 60 minute drive. I somehow wanted to know what had been happening in the city during the time I wasn't there!
I am now an expert on the call cab business model in Mumbai, key issues faced by the drivers,commuters and the company itself. The drivers also filled me in with juicy gossip regarding the rivalry between the call cab and yellow/black cab drivers in the city.Some times when i was lucky I would get a driver who would give a dose of philosophy and religion. Some of these drivers were well educated and also have regular job besides driving the cab. Sometimes makes me feel so lucky to be where I am in life. (I must learn to be happy and less dissatisfied, although i must admit it will not be easy)
In my two weeks in Mumbai, I managed to meet up with only one of my friends because of the swine flu scare and my promise not to travel a lot in the city unless it was absolutely essential.But was very happy to have risked going out for this meeting.Meeting up
is so different from talking on the phone. An hour in person with anyone is worth more than 10 on the phone. I always wonder, how these meetings with friends end up being more interesting and fulfilling in spite of everyone being in touch over phone and email. We couldn't go for the movie as usual.I still remember all the movies we planned to watch together, but always managed to discover a scheduling conflict when we were working in the same city for brief period. Anyways, I am more than happy to have been able to meet up and having successfully juggled our schedules which are so not in our control :).
In between all this mayhem, I managed to work on a challenging project. But the best part of the day was the commute. I made it a point to talk to the drivers during my 60 minute drive. I somehow wanted to know what had been happening in the city during the time I wasn't there!
I am now an expert on the call cab business model in Mumbai, key issues faced by the drivers,commuters and the company itself. The drivers also filled me in with juicy gossip regarding the rivalry between the call cab and yellow/black cab drivers in the city.Some times when i was lucky I would get a driver who would give a dose of philosophy and religion. Some of these drivers were well educated and also have regular job besides driving the cab. Sometimes makes me feel so lucky to be where I am in life. (I must learn to be happy and less dissatisfied, although i must admit it will not be easy)
In my two weeks in Mumbai, I managed to meet up with only one of my friends because of the swine flu scare and my promise not to travel a lot in the city unless it was absolutely essential.But was very happy to have risked going out for this meeting.Meeting up
is so different from talking on the phone. An hour in person with anyone is worth more than 10 on the phone. I always wonder, how these meetings with friends end up being more interesting and fulfilling in spite of everyone being in touch over phone and email. We couldn't go for the movie as usual.I still remember all the movies we planned to watch together, but always managed to discover a scheduling conflict when we were working in the same city for brief period. Anyways, I am more than happy to have been able to meet up and having successfully juggled our schedules which are so not in our control :).
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
On the Road- Part 1
The last two weeks have been exciting, intense and scary all at the same time.It has seen me traveling to Mumbai for a project.
THE SCARE
Having stayed in the city for over 18 years at different points in time, I should have felt at home.and Yes,I was very much at home for the first couple of days until the first signs of change hit me.I was working out of the client's office and almost the entire day was spent attending workshops and meetings. On my second day in the city,I was at a Mall close to the client's office waiting for the cab to pick me up.(Cabs take a minimum of 45 mins to pick a passenger and I decided the mall was a better place than sitting idle in a conference room).
I noticed this gentleman walking on the road with a mask on his face. I looked around and noticed a few more people walking around with handkerchief/duppatta covering their face.Vaguely remembered seeing lot more people on the road the same morning with handkerchief/duppatas on their faces.I had thought it was because of the foul smell in the locality.I wasn't very sure of the reason as I was in an AC cab! The swine flu had managed to scare a few people it seems!!
Having been in Bangalore for the last few months and the AC buses that come from the international airport being my most common mode of public transport, I found it quite amusing the way the normal mumbaikar was reacting! I dont know about 26/11 as I wasn't in the city, but during all other calamities including bomb blasts and other terrorist attacks, the average mumbaikar was never scared.You would rarely see any reaction on the faces of the passengers or the guy on the bus sitting right next to you.
This was different. By time i had reached the guest house, 'swine flu death' was the breaking news! In India, the news was 'breaking' for the next five days.In couple of days, schools,malls,theatres had all shut down. My plans of meeting up with old friends/colleagues on the weekend went up in smoke. I was getting badgered to buy the N-95 mask by my parents.I had friends in Bangalore, where it was still normal, buying masks and canceling their plans of watching movie over the weekend. Despite my protests, I gave in to the demand to keep out of 'crowded' places.That also meant not taking the suburban trains and buses.
THE SCARE
Having stayed in the city for over 18 years at different points in time, I should have felt at home.and Yes,I was very much at home for the first couple of days until the first signs of change hit me.I was working out of the client's office and almost the entire day was spent attending workshops and meetings. On my second day in the city,I was at a Mall close to the client's office waiting for the cab to pick me up.(Cabs take a minimum of 45 mins to pick a passenger and I decided the mall was a better place than sitting idle in a conference room).
I noticed this gentleman walking on the road with a mask on his face. I looked around and noticed a few more people walking around with handkerchief/duppatta covering their face.Vaguely remembered seeing lot more people on the road the same morning with handkerchief/duppatas on their faces.I had thought it was because of the foul smell in the locality.I wasn't very sure of the reason as I was in an AC cab! The swine flu had managed to scare a few people it seems!!
Having been in Bangalore for the last few months and the AC buses that come from the international airport being my most common mode of public transport, I found it quite amusing the way the normal mumbaikar was reacting! I dont know about 26/11 as I wasn't in the city, but during all other calamities including bomb blasts and other terrorist attacks, the average mumbaikar was never scared.You would rarely see any reaction on the faces of the passengers or the guy on the bus sitting right next to you.
This was different. By time i had reached the guest house, 'swine flu death' was the breaking news! In India, the news was 'breaking' for the next five days.In couple of days, schools,malls,theatres had all shut down. My plans of meeting up with old friends/colleagues on the weekend went up in smoke. I was getting badgered to buy the N-95 mask by my parents.I had friends in Bangalore, where it was still normal, buying masks and canceling their plans of watching movie over the weekend. Despite my protests, I gave in to the demand to keep out of 'crowded' places.That also meant not taking the suburban trains and buses.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
True Libran
I have been busy of late with the coming weeks expected to be worse.I am not a believer of astrological predictions, but I always love to read them and see how correct they are in predicting the future or revealing stuff about me.
Came across this article on the web( http://www.idiva.com/bin/idiva/Which-film-are-you) and I was surprised that it was so true. I guess, most librans would be able to understand. (I could!)
This is how librans are supposed to be
Libra
You mind is a war zone. One thought fighting with another and one emotion creating a deluge of some more. Behind Enemy Lines is just for you. Despite being caught in the conflict of your own mind, diplomacy and strategic planning comes easily to you.
I was stunned by the fact that all the people in this world could be categorized in 12 sunsigns and their behaviour predicted so correctly. Is it that easy? Isn't every person supposed to be unique?
But, I must admit that what has been said about Librans is 100 % true in my case. I am strategy consultant by profession as well.
I will be posting soon..neglected the blog again as I was traveling.
Came across this article on the web( http://www.idiva.com/bin/idiva/Which-film-are-you) and I was surprised that it was so true. I guess, most librans would be able to understand. (I could!)
This is how librans are supposed to be
Libra
You mind is a war zone. One thought fighting with another and one emotion creating a deluge of some more. Behind Enemy Lines is just for you. Despite being caught in the conflict of your own mind, diplomacy and strategic planning comes easily to you.
I was stunned by the fact that all the people in this world could be categorized in 12 sunsigns and their behaviour predicted so correctly. Is it that easy? Isn't every person supposed to be unique?
But, I must admit that what has been said about Librans is 100 % true in my case. I am strategy consultant by profession as well.
I will be posting soon..neglected the blog again as I was traveling.
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